Handing out Packers Draft Grades for every Green Bay selection in the 2023 NFL Draft, from Lukas Van Ness through Grant DuBose.
Few people truly knew what to expect from the Green Bay Packers in the 2023 NFL Draft as it was the first tentpole moment for the franchise since they officially started a new chapter in the franchise’s rich history by trading Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets. Now, it’s the start of the Jordan Love era — but how would it start in the draft was the question.
Frankly, it was more of what we’ve come to expect. The Packers ignored offensive weapons, despite a need, in the first round by selecting Iowa pass-rusher Lukas Van Ness. The good news for Green Bay and Love, though, is that general manager Brian Gutekunst and the franchise then went aggressively on the offensive side of the ball on Day 2 and throughout most of the rest of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Now that their selections have concluded, though, the bigger question is if they got it right. While the results on the field will be more telling, based on what we do know, let’s hand out our Packers draft grades for every selection that Green Bay made in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Green Bay Packers Draft Grades 2023: Rating every 2023 draft pick
Packers Draft Grades for Lukas Van Ness: B+
The initial reaction to seeing a Packers team in need of offensive weapons to put around Love as he takes over for Rodgers take a defensive player in the first round for what feels like the 40th year in a row is obviously going to be negative. I get that and it stands to reason why fans would be initially upset at the selection.
Lukas Van Ness has a lot of projection to him as a prospect, particularly considering he never officially started a game at Iowa (though that’s a bit misleading as it’s a formality for the Hawkeyes to “start” veterans while Van Ness played the majority of snaps). He still had 14.0 sacks for Iowa over the past two years, though, and shows a ton of potential.
Looking at his 6-foot-5, 272-pound frame, he clearly fits the mold of what the Packers like to put on the edge as pass-rushers, and his physical tools only make that more so. He’s big, strong, long, and exceptionally explosive and fast for a player his size. He needs development in terms of a pass-rush plan and with his rush moves too but the groundwork is already laid for a great pass-rusher overall.
As Rashan Gary makes his way back from a torn ACL suffered in November, Van Ness could see the field early, which could be good for his development. More importantly, though, with Preston Smtih perhaps playing his last season in Green Bay, Van Ness can largely take steps forward as a rookie before taking over opposite of Gary on the edge in the 2024 season.
Packers Draft Grades for Luke Musgrave: B
Especially after using the first-round pick on Van Ness, the pressure was on Gutekunst and the front office to put pieces around Jordan Love. They did so early on Day 2 by taking Luke Musgrave to fill a gaping hole at tight end.
Musgrave might be the best overall athlete at tight end in the 2023 NFL Draft class, even with a big frame at 6-foot-6, 253 pounds. He had the fastest 40-yard dash at the Combine and it shows on tape with him beating defenders up the seam and making plays after the catch as well. He’s going to be a great asset as developing route runner for Love and the offense.
The only reason that this isn’t a clear A as a grade for the Packers to start their second round is the fact that Musgrave has a torrid injury history. He suffered a season-ending knee injury in 2022 and has multiple injuries throughout his college career, which makes him a bit of a risk. The team was obviously comfortable with his medicals, though, and if he can stay healthy, then Musgrave could be one of Jordan Love’s favorite weapons from here on out.
Packers Draft Grades for Jayden Reed: A+
One of the reasons that so many Packers fans were clamoring for the team to draft Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the first round is the team’s overall lack of wide receivers on the roster but also, more specifically, the fact that the team doesn’t have a true slot on the roster.
Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs are promising on the outside, but now they have Jayden Reed to fill that void, getting their slot receiver in the second round. Reed is explosive more than he is outright fast, but that allows him to break hard and quick on routes to beat multiple types of coverage. Moreover, he’s a weapon after the catch because of that and brings ability as a punt returner as well.
Though it definitely made Packers fans sweat waiting until the team’s third pick to fill this hole on the roster, they did so beautifully with a highly underrated player who fits perfectly into this young offense.
Packers Draft Grades for Tucker Kraft: A
Normally, using a pair of Top 100 picks on tight ends wouldn’t be something that I would advise. In the case of Green Bay, however, it makes perfect sense. Even after drafting Musgrave, that still left only two players at the position of note on the Packers roster, so adding a player with the talent of Tucker Kraft was a no-brainer when he was there in the third round.
Kraft brings more versatility than Musgrave with his ability to line up in the slot and at H-Back in addition to playing in line. He’s still developing the nuances as a pass-catcher, particularly with his route-running, but his athleticism and natural talent as a tight end are obvious and should help Green Bay.
Packers Draft Grades for Colby Wooden: B+
Both of Dean Lowry and Jarren Reed departed this offseason, leaving the Green Bay defensive line quite shallow. The Packers have long desired their defensive linemen to have some movability and versatility, though, and Wooden undoubtedly fits that bill at 6-foot-4, 273 pounds.
Wooden shows real promise as a penetrator at his size as he uses some nice burst off the line and strong hands to win both on the edge and on the interior. He can be part of the rotation on the D-line right away for this team, especially given the franchise’s need at the position.
Packers Draft Grades for Sean Clifford: F
Yes, the Packers needed to select a quarterback to be the backup for Jordan Love. Sean Clifford was not the guy to take, though.
Clifford is a bonafide JAG+ (a little bit better than Just A Guy, but only slightly) who singlehandedly limited the Penn State offense throughout his career on a number of occasions. He doesn’t have an NFL-caliber arm, even if he is a gamer. He does have the ability to scramble but isn’t an elite athlete by any stretch. With Jaren Hall and Tanner McKee, among others, still on the board, I have no idea why Green Bay would select a player who I would’ve bet would end up undrafted.
And if that weren’t enough, he’s a Bears fan too.
Packers Draft Grades for Dontayvion Wicks: B
If he was ever available in this range and Green Bay still wanted to add another pass-catcher, anyone who’s paid attention to the Packers over the years in the draft could’ve seen this selection coming from a mile away. Wicks fits the mold of what the organization likes in its receivers at 6-foot-1, 206-pound receiver given his size.
While he didn’t test well, he proved to be a good deep threat at Virginia and could definitely fight for a roster spot on a team where Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and Jayden Reed are the only sure things at wide receiver entering the 2023 season.
Packers Draft Grades for Karl Brooks: A
Perhaps I’m a bit biased becuase I was high on Karl Brooks in this year’s draft class as a late-round sleeper but this is a great pick for Green Bay. The Bowling Green product has the body type of a 3-tech defensive tackle at 300 pounds but moves extremely well at his size, giving him versatility along the defensive front. The Packers needed more quality depth in the trenches on defense, so adding a high-upside player with the ability to move around in the sixth round is a steal.
Packers Draft Grades for Anders Carlson: C-
It’s a good thing that the Packers were wise enough to wait until late on Day 3 to take a kicker that they needed to add to the roster given that Mason Crosby is gone. Having said that, I’m not quite sure Anders Carlson was the move.
The Auburn kicker over two seasons with the Tigers converted on just a hair over 71% of his field goal attempts. That will get him cut at the NFL level, so it feels like this might’ve been a blind swing at a position of need, which is hard to grade favorably.
Packers Draft Grades for Carrington Valentine: A
Green Bay certainly didn’t need to take a cornerback in this class but it’s one of my favorite spots to take late-round fliers given that we’ve seen so many at the volatile position stand out after being dart throws.
Carrington Valentine is an educated dart throw, however. All of the tools for the 6-foot-1 corner needed to suceed athletically are there with his quickness, fluidity, and even hand-pop in press coverage. With coaching on his footwork and technique, he could be an absolut egem for the Pack.
Packers Draft Grades for Lew Nichols III: B
Another position that the Packers didn’t need but where depth is healthy was running back, so they take another flier with Lew Nichols III. The Central Michigan star was phenomenal in 2021 but, as the team around him got notably worse, he declined in 2022. He’s still a big, powerful back who shows good vision and patience and should be a nice depth asset to have behind Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon.
Packers Draft Grades for Anthony Johnson Jr.: B+
With the depature of Adrian Amos this offseason, Green Bay did need to add some safety help and, while this is a bit late, landing Anthony Johnson Jr. in the seventh round is phenomenal value.
The Iowa State product converted from corner to safety and is a great matchup for tight ends and, as long as it’s not a pure speed matchup, in the slot. He’s a sure tackle who can make plays in space and can also contribute on special teams. Johnson’s probably not a star, but it’s a player who can help the Pack in year one with the 242nd overall pick.
Packers Draft Grades for Grant DuBose: C+
Fittingly after using so many picks to help replenish the offensive weaponry, the Packers used their final selection on Charlotte wideout Grant DuBose. Another player who fits Green Bay’s prototype at the position (6-foot-2, 201 pounds), he’s a strong, physical player who has great body control and is hard to bring down in the open field. His speed and quickness are limited but he can still compete for a roster spot given the shallow depth chart at receiver.
Packers Draft Picks 2023: Full list of selections
- Round 1, Pick 13: Lukas Van Ness, EDGE, Iowa
- Round 2, Pick 42: Luke Musgrave, TE, Oregon State
- Round 2, Pick 50: Jayden Reed, WR, Michigan State
- Round 3, Pick 78: Tucker Kraft, TE, South Dakota State
- Round 4, Pick 116: Colby Wooden, DL, Auburn
- Round 5, Pick 149: Sean Clifford, QB, Penn State
- Round 5, Pick 159: Dontayvion Wicks, WR, Virginia
- Round 6, Pick 179: Karl Brooks, DL, Bowling Green
- Round 6, Pick 207: Anders Carlson, K, Auburn
- Round 7, Pick 232: Carrington Valentine, CB, Kentucky
- Round 7, Pick 235: Lew Nichols III, RB, Central Michigan
- Round 7, Pick 242: Anthony Johnson Jr., S, Iowa State
- Round 7, Pick 256: Grant Dubose, WR, Charlotte
There wasn’t a single need that the Packers didn’t address in the 2023 NFL Draft. Even better, they did so wisely. It might not have been the order that fans expected (or wanted) the front office to fill holes with, but the quality of players that the franchise was able to add throughout the draft is extremely high.
Packers Draft Grades for the Entire 2023 Class: A
Green Bay came into this draft armed with a trove of draft picks to deploy and they did so smartly. Fans were probably worried after Thursday night that Brian Gutekunst and the front office were going to ignore offense far too often but they did not. Van Ness isn’t my favorite pick but he does fill a need, though, and then the Packers went extremely heavy on offense and found a ton of great value.
The only real whiffs for Green Bay in the 2023 NFL Draft were Sean Clifford and Anders Carlson by my estimation. For a team that had so many picks to make them so smartly and solidly through the first two days and then find value mixed in with the misfires on Day 3, that’s an absolute win for the Packers as they build the roster around Jordan Love.