Ranking Every Packers Position Group By Overall Talent and Depth

The Green Bay Packers can add two players to get to the 90-man limit but, for the most part, the players that are on the roster today are the players who will be competing for a roster spot in training camp and will form the 53-man roster for Week 1.

With the draft complete, here is a ranking of the Packers’ position groups based on the talent of the starters and the overall depth. The strongest group is listed No. 1 and weakest group is listed No. 11.

No. 1: Safeties

Depth chart: Xavier McKinney, Evan Williams, Javon Bullard, Kitan Oladapo, Jonathan Baldwin, Mark Perry, Murvin Kenion.

Breakdown: This is Green Bay’s best position group. McKinney and Williams are one of the best safety tandems in the league, if not the best. Bullard is a quality starter in the slot. Combined, this is an excellent group.

With Zayne Anderson not retained in free agency, there will be opportunities for larger roles for Oladapo, a fifth-round pick in the same draft class that produced Bullard and Williams, and Baldwin, an undrafted free agent last year. The undrafted Kenion was the only addition.

No. 2: Linebackers

Depth chart: Edgerrin Cooper, Zaire Franklin, Isaiah McDuffie, Ty’Ron Hopper, Nick Niemann, Kristian Welch, TJ Quinn.

Breakdown: Green Bay will be looking for bigger and better things from its new starting tandem. Cooper provided big plays by the bushel as a rookie in 2024, when he led all NFL off-the-ball linebackers with 13 tackles for losses. In 2025, he had only four. The Packers pivoted from Quay Walker to Franklin, who went from an NFL-leading 173 tackles, five forced fumbles and two interceptions in 2024 to 125 tackles, zero interceptions and one forced fumble in 2025.

The depth is strong with McDuffie, who started 37 games the past three seasons, and Hopper, a third-round pick in 2024. Niemann is an ace on special teams. The undrafted Quinn was the only addition.

No. 3: Quarterbacks

Depth chart: Jordan Love, Tyrod Taylor, Kyle McCord, Kyron Drones.

Breakdown: Love is one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL. He finished fifth last year in passer rating with a career-high 66.3 percent completion rate and a career-low six interceptions. Only Caleb Williams (six) and Bo Nix (five) had more fourth-quarter comebacks than Love (four).

The Packers had a big void after losing Malik Willis in free agency. Taylor isn’t Willis but he brings a wealth of experience with 100 career games and 62 career starts in 15 seasons. With a snap of the fingers, Green Bay has one of the better backups. There’s plenty of developmental upside with McCord and Drones in the battle to be the No. 3.

No. 4: Edge

Depth chart: Micah Parsons, Lukas Van Ness, Barryn Sorrell, Brenton Cox, Arron Mosby, Collin Oliver, Dani Dennis-Sutton, Nyjalik Kelly, Dante Barrett.

Breakdown: The key to the season isn’t when Parsons will return to game action. It’s when he’ll return to the dominant, game-wrecking version of Parsons who was a second-team All-Pro last year. Not far behind on the keys-to-the-season list is how Van Ness does during his first season as a full-time starter since he was a senior in high school. He has 8.5 sacks in three seasons.

The depth chart is unproven, to state the obvious. Last season, Sorrell played 178 snaps, Cox played 79 and Oliver played 31. They combined for 2.5 sacks and three tackles for losses. That’s what makes the addition of Dennis-Sutton so important after two productive seasons at Penn State. Kelly is the most expensive undrafted free agent ever signed by the Packers. From that group, they will need at least a couple to emerge as reliable performers.

No. 5: Tight Ends

Depth chart: Tucker Kraft, Luke Musgrave, Josh Whyle, Messiah Swinson, Drake Dabney, R.J. Maryland.

Breakdown: Assuming Kraft’s successful comeback from last year’s torn ACL, the Packers have a premier player at the position. Through the first seven games of last season, Kraft among tight ends ranked 12th in catches, first in yards, second in touchdowns and third in first downs. He is an elite player who excels in every facet of the game. He single-handedly raises the stature of this group.

The depth is shaky, to be kind. Without Kraft for the second half of the season, none of the returning tight ends took the bull by the horns. Musgrave’s career has fallen off the face of a cliff after a promising rookie season. The undrafted Maryland, who is more of an overgrown receiver than traditional tight end, was the only addition.

No. 6: Specialists

Depth chart: K Lucas Havrisik, K Trey Smack, P Daniel Whelan, LS Matt Orzech.

Breakdown: The Packers have a great punter in Whelan, who finished fourth in the NFL in net average despite the challenges of kicking in Lambeau Field in December and January, and a reliable snapper in Orzech.

The biggest battle of training camp will be at kicker. The Packers are betting a lot on Smack in terms of the two seventh-round picks it cost to draft him and the $1 million roster bonus wasted on Brandon McManus, who was released on Friday to clear the runway. The 2023 and 2025 playoffs were doomed in part by their kickers.

No. 7: Defensive Tackles

Depth chart: Devonte Wyatt, Javon Hargrave, Karl Brooks, Warren Brinson, Nazir Stackhouse, Jonathan Ford, James Easter, Jaden Crumedy, Anthony Campbell, Jordon Riley, Chris McClellan.

Breakdown: There are some significant questions here. Wyatt missed 10 games the last two seasons. When he’s played, he’s been an impact player with 14.5 sacks and 21 tackles for losses the last three seasons. The 33-year-old Hargrave, who was signed in free agency after the trade of Colby Wooden, had 11 sacks and 10 tackles for losses for the Eagles in 2022 and seven sacks and eight tackles for losses for the 49ers in 2023 but just 3.5 sacks and four tackles for losses for the Vikings in 2025.

That’s what makes McClellan such an important player. Yes, they’ll need him to be an impact player at nose tackle. They’ll also need him to be an impact player up and down the defensive line. He is the only rookie addition.

No. 8: Offensive Line

Depth chart: LT Jordan Morgan, LG Aaron Banks, C Sean Rhyan, RG Anthony Belton, RT Zach Tom, T/G Darian Kinnard, C/G Jacob Monk, C/G Jager Burton, G Donovan Jennings, G John Williams, G Karsen Barnhart, G Dillon Wade, G Josh Gesky, G Dylan Barrett, T Travis Glover, T Brant Banks, T Dalton Cooper.

Breakdown: The starting five seems good on paper, but there’s a lot of projection needed to come to that conclusion. Will Morgan succeed at left tackle, the position he played in college? Will Banks stay healthy and play to his monstrous contract after an inconsistent debut season? Will Rhyan take a big step forward now that he’ll have the full offseason to learn the nuances of center? Will Belton take a big step forward in Year 2 in the league? Will Tom stay healthy and return to premier status at a premium position?

The depth is dicey, no different than it is for most teams. Kinnard proved to be a viable backup last year. Burton, a fifth-round pick, will challenge Monk to be the universal interior backup. Gesky and Wade got big contracts as undrafted free agents.

No. 9: Running Backs

Depth chart: Josh Jacobs, Chris Brooks, MarShawn Lloyd, Pierre Strong, Damien Martinez, Jaden Nixon.

Breakdown: The Packers have a premier starter in Jacobs. His downturn in production – he went from 1,329 yards and a 4.4-yard average in 17 games in 2024 to 929 yards and a 4.0-yard average in average in 2025 – had more to do with the offensive line and a knee injury than any age-related factors, as evidenced by the overall inefficiency of the run game.

Emanuel Wilson was a reliable No. 2 running back. When Jacobs was inactive for a home game against Minnesota, Wilson topped 100 rushing yards. The Packers believe they have good options, but that remains to be seen. Brooks hasn’t had many chances in three NFL seasons, Lloyd hasn’t stayed healthy, Strong and Martinez didn’t play in a game last season and Nixon is an undersized undrafted rookie.

No. 10: Receivers

Depth chart: Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, Matthew Golden, Savion Williams, Skyy Moore, Jakobie Keeney-James, Isaiah Neyor, Will Sheppard, J. Michael Sturdivant.  

Breakdown: The Packers are rolling the dice on a less-is-more foundation at receiver after losing Romeo Doubs in free agency and trading Dontayvion Wicks.

In 10 games after returning from a torn ACL, Watson caught 35 passes for 611 yards and six touchdowns. That’s a 17-game projection of 1,039 yards. Reed caught 55 passes for 857 yards and six touchdowns in 2024. Golden, last year’s first-round pick, caught four passes for 84 yards and one touchdown in the playoff loss but had only 75 yards during his final five regular-season games.

While that could be a really good group, Watson missed 20 games in four seasons and has never had more than 41 catches or 620 yards, Reed missed 11 games in three seasons (10 last year but bumps and bruises have slowed him) and Golden missed three games as a rookie. The depth is questionable: Williams was a nonfactor as a rookie, Moore caught zero passes in 2024 and five in 2025 and the undrafted Sturdivant was the only addition.

No. 11: Cornerbacks

Depth chart: Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine, Benjamin St-Juste, Kamal Hadden, Bo Melton, Shemar Bartholmew, Jaylin Simpson, Brandon Cisse, Domani Jackson.

Breakdown: GM Brian Gutekunst went from saying “wholesale” changes weren’t needed to releasing Nate Hobbs, signing St-Juste and drafting Cisse and Jackson. It’s easy to see why after his corners gave up 14 touchdowns and intercepted only one pass, according to PFF. Nixon ranked at or near the top of the league in pass breakups, touchdowns allowed and penalties. Valentine had zero interceptions in the regular season and the fifth-highest missed-tackle rate.

If there’s strength in numbers, the Packers are as strong as could be. St-Juste was an inconsistent starter in Washington for four seasons but played well off the bench last year for the Chargers. Cisse and Jackson have excellent potential. But, for now, the lack of an above-average starter outweighs the potential of maybe having a couple.

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