Think the Green Bay Packers wanted to upgrade the skill positions in the 2023 NFL draft? Brian Gutekunst’s roster went into Thursday night with four running backs, five receivers and four tight ends, but by the end of Saturday, the Packers were up to five running backs, eight receivers and six tight ends.
The end result: one running back, three receivers, two tight ends and six new skill position players overall for first-year starting quarterback Jordan Love.
The Packers selected receivers Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks and Grant DuBose, tight ends Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft and running back Lew Nichols over three days of the 2023 draft.
The new, post-draft depth charts at the skill positions:
Running back (5)
Aaron Jones
A.J. Dillon
Patrick Taylor
Tyler Goodson
Lew Nichols III
Nichols, a 220-pound bruiser, rushed for over 1,800 yards in 2021. He also caught 71 passes during his collegiate career. He’ll have a chance to beat out Taylor and Goodson for the third running back spot, but a lack of special teams experience hurts his chances.
Wide receiver (8)
Christian Watson
Romeo Doubs
Samori Toure
Bo Melton
Jeff Cotton
Jayden Reed
Dontayvion Wicks
Grant DuBose
Reed (5-11, 187) is smaller than the Packers typically like, but he plays bigger and brings dynamic speed to the table. Wicks and DuBose are prototypical Packers receivers; over 6-0, over 200 pounds, athletic and with productive collegiate histories. If Wicks can recapture his 2021 form, he’ll be a steal. DuBose is an ascending player. Of the eight receivers now on the roster, seven were 2022 or 2023 draft picks. This young and inexperienced position group will be nothing if not competitive this summer, but the Packers need steps forward from the 2022 picks and a surprise or two from the 2023 picks.
Tight end (6)
Josiah Deguara
Tyler Davis
Austin Allen
Nick Guggemos
Luke Musgrave
Tucker Kraft
Musgrave and Kraft are both 6-5 with incredible athletic profiles. The Packers think both can play inline and hold up in the run game, and both have terrific potential as pass-catchers. An infusion of athleticism, versatility and pass-catching ability is exactly what this position group needed. There doesn’t appear to be much mystery here; the two roster holdovers and two rookies are the likely four on the first 53-man roster.
