Green Bay Packers GM Brian Gutekunst selected 11 players in the 2022 NFL Draft and all 11 made the team. While you cannot fully evaluate a draft class until at least three years have passed, the end of the 2022 season gives us a chance to assess how each of these players did in their rookie campaign.
Evaluations are based on their performance and the expectations they had coming into the season. So, if a fifth round pick performs the same as a second round selection, the fifth rounder will receive a higher grade.
Here are our grades for the Packers 2022 draft class. Players are listed in the order they were drafted by the Packers:
Round 1: ILB Quay Walker
Walker earned a starting job in training camp and officially started 16 of the 17 games this season. The former Georgia star has good speed and covers a lot of ground as a result.
Walker got off to a slow start as far as play recognition and knowing his assignments and that hurt the team in coverage and against the run. As the season went on, he improved in these areas.
Walker led the team with 121 total tackles including five tackles for loss. He recorded 1.5 sacks, forced three fumbles and recovered one. He also broke up seven passes over the season.
While the rookie played better in the second half of the season than the first, his two ejections must be part of the equation when calculating his grade. Pushing a trainer and an out of uniform practice squad player in two separate incidents is inexcusable and Walker needs to control his emotions better and prevent that from happening again. These two ejections drop his grade slightly.
Overall, Walker has a bright future and he should play even better as he gains more experience.
Grade: B-
Round 1: DL Devonte Wyatt
Wyatt didn’t see the field much in the first two-thirds of the season but took started to play more late especially after Dean Lowry was placed on IR. It took him a little longer to adjust to life in the NFL than some of the other rookies.
Wyatt played well later in the season and finished with 15 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one pass breakup. He played 23 percent of the team’s defensive snaps.
Late in the season, Wyatt showed his potential to become an impact player in the future but he still has a way to go. His rookie season was a learning experience with flashes of solid play.
Grade: C-
Round 2: WR Christian Watson
Watson was slowed by an injury and training camp and again early in the season. He started the season with a conspicuous drop of a long pass on the Packers first play from scrimmage of the season that would have been an easy touchdown.
Later in the season, Watson got healthy and got more comfortable in the offense and became a dangerous weapon. In the final eight games, Watson showed the potential that caused Gutekunst to trade up to get him with the first pick of the second round.
He finished the season with 41 catches for 611 yards and seven receiving touchdowns. He also ran for two scores on end arounds.
Watson still needs to improve his hands and his ability to run precise routes but he also has elite size and speed and the potential to be special.
Grade: B+
Round 3: OL Sean Rhyan
This was not a good season for the rookie third-round pick out of UCLA. He played one snap on special teams all season which came in the Week 9 loss in Detroit.
Rhyan was slow to pick up the offense and quickly overshadowed almost immediately by fourth round pick Zach Tom.
The NFL suspended Rhyan for the last six games of the season for a violation of the team’s PED policy which kept him from even practicing late in his rookie season.
Hopefully, year two will be better for Rhyan and he can end the Packers recent disappointments with their third round picks.
Grade: F
Round 4: WR Romeo Doubs
Doubs was a standout in training camp and the preseason. He put in the extra work and picked up the playbook quickly.
Early in the regular season, he was thrust into a larger than expected role due to injuries to veterans like Sammy Watkins and Randall Cobb.
Doubs finished the season with 42 catches for 425 yards and three touchdowns. He is a reliable route runner and has good football intelligence and a great work ethic.
An injury cost him four full games later in the season and slowed his progress a bit.
Doubs projects to be a solid number two receiver if he can improve his hands and consistency and both are possible as he gains experience and earns a bigger role.
Grade: B-
Round 4: OL Zach Tom
Tom played in nine games this season and started five. He showed off his versatility, playing at every position along the offensive line except center. The former Wake Forest star graded out better as a pass blocker than run blocker and did have his moments of indecision which is typical for rookies.
Tom showed himself to be a quick study and his versatility adds to his value to the team. He should battle for a starting position somewhere along the offensive line in 2023 and projects as a valuable member of the offensive line.
Grade: B-
Round 5: Edge Kingsley Enagbare
Enagbare took on a larger role in the defense after Rashan Gary was injured in Week 9. He played in all 17 games and started seven, recording three sacks and making 31 total tackles including five tackles for loss. He also broke up three passes and recorded eight quarterback hits.
While he is still far from consistent, Enagbare has a non-stop motor and had one of the better pass rush win rates among rookies in the league.
He did a good job of filling in after Gary went down and could do the same if Gary isn’t ready to start the 2023 season because of the injury he suffered midseason.
Enagbare has some potential to become a starter if he improves his recognition skills and gets more consistent.
Grade: B-
Round 7: S Tariq Carpenter
Carpenter was drafted primarily to contribute on special teams and he became one of the team’s mainstays on coverage squads. He finished the year with eight total tackles in 14 games.
He played a total of 16 plays on defense with 13 of them coming late in the Week 17 win over Minnesota when the Packers had a 41-3 lead.
It’s unclear if Carpenter will earn a role on defense in the future, but he’s already established himself as a valuable contributor on special teams.
Grade: C+
Round 7: DL Jonathan Ford
Ford made the team but was not active for any games this season. He was also selected for his potential on special teams but never saw the field as a rookie.
Grade: Incomplete
Round 7: OT Rasheed Walker
Walker played only one game and saw four special teams snaps against Miami in Week 16. The former Penn State star fell to the seventh round of the draft because of questions about is work ethic and technique. He will have a chance to compete for a roster spot again next season.
Grade: Incomplete
Round 7: WR Samori Toure
Toure had a strong preseason and made the team despite being the final pick the Packers made in this year’s draft. He played in 11 games and caught five passes for 82 yards and a touchdown.
The former Nebraska star was far down the depth chart but the Packers saw enough from him in training camp and the preseason to believe he has enough potential to bring back.
Grade: C
Follow Gil Martin on Twitter @GilPackers
Click here for more great Packers coverage
