Coming into the 2025 NFL Draft, the expectation was that the Green Bay Packers had a chance to do something they'd not done in 23 years. Namely, that would be draft a wide receiver in the first round. It'd been so long since that happened that, famously, it didn't happen at all during Aaron Rodgers' tenure. And indeed, Brian Gutekunst and the front office broke that trend by starting off their draft by making Matthew Golden from Texas the second receiver off the board.
The draft is obviously about more than the first-round pick, though. And for a Packers team trying to keep pace in the loaded NFC North, they probably know that better than anyone. Armed with a full aresnal of picks, Green Bay needed to bat 1.000, especially in the early rounds, to make this draft well worthwhile and continue to elevate Jordan Love and the quarterback's team to legitimate contender status in the conference and division.
How'd they do? With some sea changes on defense last offseason that we saw the effects of, there was work to do. But we're here to let you know how well Green Bay accomplished that work with draft grades for every Packers pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
WR Matthew Golden, Texas (Round 1, Pick 23)
I've heard some criticism of the Packers in this spot for trying to draft a true WR1 but taking Golden, who some view quite similarly to the group that's already in place with Green Bay. I'm higher on the Texas product than most, though, and think he can be exactly what Jordan Love needs in this offense. Golden obviously has wheels, setting the standard at the NFL Combine for 40-yard dash times. But he's also a nuanced route-runner and incredibly shifty in space with the ball in his hands.
Guys like Christian Watson (though he may be the least offender of this), Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs feel quite specialized in what they can do. Golden offers more versatility individually, which could set him apart in the Packers offense. This was such an obvious pick for Green Bay to make if Golden was on the board, but credit to them for making it.
Grade: A
OT Anthony Belton, NC State (Round 2, Pick 54)
Taking Anthony Belton in the second round was definitely a reach by the Packers according to most boards. At best, it seemed like he'd be a mid-third-round pick, so taking him at No. 54 is a bit rich. At the same time, there's something to be said for getting your type of guy and Belton is absolutely the Packers' type of guy. He's a monster of a man who has inside-out potential to play guard and tackle at the NFL level.
Belton is somewhat raw when he relies too much on his mass to move people in front of him, which leads to him abandoning technique. The bones of a good player are there with his technique, though, and the mass only adds to his potential in that capacity. We know how Green Bay loves to have guys they can shuffle around on the line and, with Jordan Morgan as last year's first-round pick, the Packers continue to add that type of player.
Grade: B
WR Savion Williams, TCU (Round 3, Pick 87)
There's a lot to like in the Packers draft picks this year, but I can't quite get there with Savion Williams. The potential of the TCU product is absolutely massive. He's a physical freak with size, speed, length and agility that somehow were put into the same package in a manner that doesn't seem possible. If Green Bay and Matt LaFleur can tap into that, then they'll have hit a home run with their third-round pick.
Having said that, it's almost all potential right now. Williams is raw as a route-runner, has inconsistent hands, and really feels like a jack of all trades, master of none who simply relies on his athleticism to make plays right now. He's a project, for lack of a better word. Taking a player like that with the 87th pick with so much value available is just a bit too rich for my blood.
Grade: C+
EDGE Barryn Sorrell, Texas (Round 4, Pick 124)
It was a bit surprising to see the Packers wait until Day 3 to address the need at edge rusher that clearly arose when Jeff Hafley arrived to make a change to a 4-3 base. That strategy ultimately paid off, however, with Barryn Sorrell — a guy who stuck around in the green room for three days only to emerge in front of his new hometown fans — falling to them and fitting exactly what they need.
Green Bay in their defenses of yesteryear prioritized the likes of Lukas Van Ness that were largely built on pure speed. Sorrell represents a change there, though. He's all grit and power with the way he attacks off the edge with a nice punch, mass and bull rush. He isn't twitched-up but showed enough nuance in his approach as a power rusher to be a nice rotational piece opposite Rashan Gary.
Grade: A-
EDGE Collin Oliver, Oklahoma State (Round 5, Pick 159)
It's extremely familiar for Packers fans to watch this team double up at positions and they did so with wide receiver first and then did it again at edge rusher. I'm a massive fan of taking a gamble on Collin Oliver in the middle of the fifth round, though.
Olliver is explosive off the edge and has a ton of juice when getting after the quarterback. The issue with the Oklahoma State product has been health, missing all but two games in 2024. That's likely why teams were a bit unsure on him. At this point of the draft, though, I like banking on him finding a clean bill of health and seeing if the Packers can tap into the obvious potential he possesses.
Grade: A
DT Warren Brinson, Georgia (Round 6, Pick 198)
Speaking of fliers, that's definitely what Warren Brinson is for Green Bay. Point blank, he simply wasn't on the field all that much at Georgia throughout his career, essentially peaking in a rotational role. But this is Georgia we're talking about, so that's some context that's needed — especially because Brinson is a tremendous athlete for his size at a position where the Packers need depth.
Green Bay is definitely trying to tap into potential here, so it's unlikely we see Brinson contribute anywhere close to immediately. Having said that, I'm not going to be too hard on Gutekunst for taking that type of risk at No. 198.
Grade: B
DB Micah Robinson, Tulane (Round 7, Pick 237)
Micah Robinson is a fascinating athlete. He showed off great straight-line speed in his testing but was abysmal in agility drills. Throw in the fact that he's undersized, and it might seem like a strange pick. However, I don't expect that Green Bay is looking at Robinson to contribute in the secondary right now.
Instead, Robinson feels like a developmental defender with immediate special teams contributions. With his speed and his plus defense against the run at Tulane, he seems like the right mold for someone to be a gunner or a key contributor on special teams as soon as this season.
Grade: B-
G John Williams, Cincinnati (Round 7, Pick 250)
No, not the Oscar-winning composer. Instead, the Packers took Cincinnati's John Williams, who started for two seasons at tackle. They announced him as a guard, which seemingly would eliminate a good bit of the concerns about Williams as a tackle prospect given that most of those issues were with speed rushers bending the edge. On the interior, he could really come into his own. More importantly, rinse, Packers draft a versatile lineman, and repeat.