The 2025 NFL Draft is now finished, and the Green Bay Packers added eight new players during the three- day selection meeting. GM Brian Gutekunst was pleased with his picks which were designed to take the team to the next step in their quest to be contenders in the NFC. Here are five key takeaways from the Packers 2025 NFL Draft:

Five Key Takeaways from the Packers 2025 NFL Draft, Number One: The Packers Have a Crowded Receiver Room

The Packers entered the draft looking for a go-to receiver with good hands to cut down on the high number of drops the team suffered through last year. They added Matthew Golden in the first round and then Savion Williams in the third round.

The Packers know they won’t have Christian Watson for at least half the season as he rehabs from knee surgery. But the team will have a lot of players competing for targets. The good news is, Jordan Love will have a lot of potential weapons. The bad news is there may not be enough targets to keep everybody happy.

Golden and Williams will be battling for playing time with Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks, Mecole Hardman, Bo Melton, and Malik Heath. When Watson returns, he will be added to the mix.

Will Hardman even make the team this year? What does the draft say about the future of Doubs and Watson? These are questions that will unfold over time but

The Packers have a deep receiving room, but will a go-to receiver emerge from this group?

Number Two: The Packers Offensive Line Will Be More Physical

In the second round, the Packers selected massive Anthony Belton before adding John Williams with their final pick. The Packers now have more depth and size along the offensive line. The new lineup looks to be bigger and more physical.

In addition to the 6’6”, 336-pound Belton, the Packers signed free agent guard Aaron Banks this offseason. Like Belton, Banks, is big at 6’5” and 325 pounds and a physical, mauler.

The Packers figure to emphasize physicality along the offensive line to open up holes for Josh Jacobs and the running backs.

With three of last year’s starters set to be unrestricted free agents last summer, Gutekunst added depth in this year’s draft and free agent class. Add the return of last year’s first round pick, Jordan Morgan from injury and the offensive line has more depth and size than before.

Five Key Takeaways from the Packers 2025 NFL Draft, Number Three: Jaire Alexander Remains in Limbo

The Packers did not trade cornerback Jaire Alexander during the draft. After it concluded, coach Matt LaFleur announced that Alexander would be taking part in the team’s virtual offseason program which starts shortly.

Gutekunst remained non-committal about Alexander’s future. “No real updates on that,” Gutekunst told reporters after the draft. “Again, we’ll work through that as we go.”

It sounds like the Packers are still trying to move Alexander but haven’t found any takers yet. This situation will continue to play out between now and the start of training camp.

Since the Packers didn’t address cornerback until the seventh round of the draft, the position looks more or less the same as it did at the end of last season and remains a need.

Number Four: The Pass Rush Wasn’t Addressed Early

After the season ended, defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley indicated he wanted his front four to provide more pressure on opposing quarterbacks which would reduce the number of blitzes the team needed to rely upon.

Unfortunately, the Packers didn’t add to the edge until day three of the draft. The team will rely primarily on players like Rashan Gary, Lukas Van Ness, Brenton Cox, and Kingsley Enagbare to improve their production in their second year in Hafley’s defense.

The addition of Barryn Sorrell and Collin Oliver adds depth, but neither is likely to play more than a rotational role this season.

Five Key Takeaways from the Packers 2025 NFL Draft, Number Five: The Packers Drafted Athletes

Gutekunst likes to draft elite athletes, and this year was no exception. Nearly all the team’s day three picks had high RAS scores. Williams, picked in the seventh round, scored a 9.07, sixth round DT Warren Brinson managed a 9.10, Oliver, the Packers fifth-round pick, scored an 8.92, and fourth-rounder Sorrell scored a 9.31.

This has been Gutekunst’s typical approach in the draft, to add elite athletes and hope to develop them into good football players. We’ll see if that pays off in this year’s draft.

 

 

 

 

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