If you were to rank this draft class a year ago, this would be towards the very bottom. But after sitting for three years behind Aaron Rodgers, Jordan Love got his opportunity and just got better with every game. The quarterback continuity in Green Bay is going to live on with Love at the helm for probably another 12+ years. He brought the Packers to the playoffs with a 9-8 record with a lot of first- and second-year players around him, and the next young crop of Packers put on a showcase and got fans excited for the future, something the Packers front office and ownership had planned and hoped for, and they got.
At the time of this draft, fans were screaming to give Rodgers the offensive help he needed in the first round with this being such a talented receiver class, but they did the exact opposite and drafted his replacement. They had a window with Rodgers that the front office seemingly kept trying to close, but Rodgers did what Rodgers does and succeeded despite their best efforts and made Love sit, but when the time was right, they parted ways and the Love era began.
The rest of the class isn’t all that special. Fans were clamoring for offensive help, and they got an attempt with running back A.J. Dillon. He was viewed as a short yardage power back, which was a nice complement to Aaron Jones, but that’s not what they needed at the time, but I think it ultimately worked out. When asked to start and take on a full workload, Dillon was up to the task. He’s not as explosive as Jones, but he will ground and pound his way to the endzone. Not sure what his market will be, but he’s been healthy for four seasons and has the numbers to back it up, so he’ll be valued well.
Josiah Deguara has mainly been a backup tight end and hasn’t really produced at the position despite plenty of opportunity.
Jon Runyan didn’t crack the starting lineup at all as a rookie, but was the starting left guard in 2021, then split 2022 between both guard spots, then settled in at right guard for 17 games in 2023. A young player with 50 career starts of average play will come at a high value.
The rest of the class is pretty meh.
Kamal Martin lasted one year before getting released and spending the next year with the Panthers. Jake Hanson was a backup for three seasons before joining the Jets, where he started four games. Simon Stepaniak missed his rookie year with injury and retired the following offseason. Vernon Scott was a backup safety for two years before getting released. Jonathan Garvin spent three seasons with the team as a backup pass rusher, including 1.5 sacks in 2021, but was released before the 2023 season.
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