Four players the Packers could draft in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft
By Rhys Knott
Green Bay has the 23rd overall pick when they host the draft. How they use it is going to be fascinating. This draft class is loaded with potential defensive stars, but the surefire ones will be gone long before they pick.
Nick Emmanwori may be available then, but the Packers already have two of the best safeties in the league: Evan Williams and Xavier McKinney.
20 years ago, the Packers used their first-round pick on Aaron Rodgers. Since then, they have drafted 17 defensive players. Eight of them were defensive linemen! Luckily for Packers fans, there will be plenty of defensive linemen available in this year’s later rounds.
Seven players left Green Bay in free agency, three cornerbacks. Three new defensive backs arrived, but how they will fit in remains to be seen. Brian Gutekunst will be drafting at least one cornerback, but he could wait until the later rounds.
The Packers desperately need more depth at offensive tackle, too. They currently only have four, and while new signing Aaron Banks can play at tackle, that would leave them just one left guard.
Jack Bech. WR, TCU
The Packers need a receiver who can match the physicality that Josh Jacobs and Tucker Kraft bring. Jacobs broke more tackles than any other player in the league in 2024 (13), and Kraft led all tight ends with 9. But Romeo Doubs led the Packers receiving corps with just four, the same number as Darius Slayton ranking 29th amongst all receivers.
Inconsistency has plagued the Packers’ receiving corps for years. Durability is a real issue. Whenever one of the receivers steps up and looks like they’re about to cement themselves as a dominant WR1, they suffer an injury. Even Josh Jacobs thinks the Packers need a number-one receiver.
Matt LaFleur could really use Savion Williams (who couldn’t?), but Williams is going to be available in the third round. Bech, on the other hand, is going to be hot property, especially for teams who need a receiver who fights through contact.
Puka Nacua has unique power, but Bech’s ability to win collisions and stiff-arm defenders to the floor is rare. Louisiana native Bech is an inch shorter than Nacua but weighs two pounds more.
The 23-year-old ran a very solid (but not jaw-dropping) 4.56 40-yard time, that is the same as Jamison Crowder and former Packer Davante Adams have previously clocked. He only ranks in the 33rd percentile of this class. But the Packers already have burners, and when you fight your way downfield like Bech does, does it really matter how quickly you get there?
Bech’s older brother, a former All-Ivy League kick returner at Princeton named Tiger was tragically killed in the New Orleans terror attack on New Year’s Day. Jack honoured the memory of his brother by wearing the number seven shirt when he played for the American team at the Senior Bowl. Bech caught the winning touchdown pass in the game and was named MVP. He obviously has the mental fortitude to match his physical strength.
Many experts believe Bech will still be available on the draft’s second day. But he shouldn’t. One person even expects him to be the Seahawks’ pick at 18. If he makes it to 23, the Packers should snap him up.
Jack Bech is allergic to being tackled
— Nate Tice (@natetice.bsky.social) April 7, 2025 at 5:19 PM
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Luther Burden III. WR, Missouri
Luther Burden III: 49% of catches he forced a missed tackle #1 in class #2 youngest WR in class 4.41 40 (85th percentile speed score) 85% of routes came from the slot
— Warren Sharp (@sharpfootball.bsky.social) March 19, 2025 at 8:55 PM
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Burden III is quicker than Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs and more elusive than Christian Watson. He’s also criminally underrated and is likely to be available at 23.
The Missouri native caught 192 passes in 38 games for the Tigers, averaging 11.8 yards per reception. He also hauled in 21 touchdowns and ran the ball 34 times for 234 yards with four touchdowns on the ground.
The two-time first-team All-SEC receiver is technically a bit undersized at six feet tall. He weighs 206 pounds though, ranking him in the 62nd percentile. Burden III’s 4.41 second 40-yard time ranks in the 81st percentile of the class. That’s very good but what really stands out is his spatial awareness and his ability to beat defenders.
The former five-star recruit averaged 7.3 yards after the catch during his career. That’s 0.4 better than Jayden Reed and 2.2 better than Christian Watson in 2024.
Burden III projects to be a late first-round pick. The consensus points toward the Commanders taking him with the 29th overall pick. His ability to turn short passes into big gains would add another element to an already efficient Packers offense.
Josh Conerly Jr. LT, Oregon
Josh Conerly Jr. has the speed/athleticism to combat with top-end pass rushers. Here’s some reps against potential top 5 pick, rdge rusher Abdul Carter. Watch LT #76:
— Big Tuna 🏈🐟 (@1standtuna.com) February 24, 2025 at 6:37 PM
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Conerly Jr. is just fun to watch, especially when he’s run-blocking. He’s such a smooth mover once he gets out of his stance that he’s almost unstoppable when he reaches the second level. His fluid movement makes him a very sound pass blocker, too.
The 21-year-old played 41 games in Oregon and only allowed two sacks in his entire career! Conerly Jr. even caught a pass as a freshman, but it only went for 4 yards.
His 5.05-second 40-yard dash ranks in the 87th percentile of the tackle class, and his 34.5-inch vertical jump is in the 98th percentile! Why you would need an offensive tackle to jump that high is another question, though.
In a tackle class with plenty of good but no great prospects (if you believe Will Campbell is a guard), Conerly Jr. is well above average. His athleticism alone should see him drafted in the first round. Most experts expect him to land in the AFC West either as a Texan or a Chief, but he’d be an upgrade from Rasheed Walker.
Darien Porter. CB, Iowa State
Carrington Valentine and Jaire Alexander are elite cornerbacks, but Keisean Nixon isn’t quite that good. But Nixon was the only one who started more than seven games in 2024, so the Packers need some defensive back reinforcements.
During his six seasons in Ames, Porter played 63 games. He made 51 tackles, two tackles for a loss and three interceptions. He also blocked three punts in that time.
Porter would be the biggest Packers cornerback were they to pick him. At 6-feet-3 he’s in the 97th percentile of this cornerback class. But he’s only in the 60th percentile for his weight as he is only 195 pounds.
The high school wide receiver and 400-metre runner is a rare athlete. His 4.30-second 40-yard dash is in the 98th percentile of this class, his 1.49-second 10-yard split is in the 91st percentile and his 131-inch broad jump lands him in the 94th percentile!
He only managed a 36.5 vertical jump though, ranking in just the 56th percentile. But when you’re tall and fast you probably don’t have to jump too high to defend passes.
Porter is a great fit for the Packers, but they might not need to take him in the first round. After just one year as a regular starter for the Cyclones, he projects as anywhere between the 14th overall pick to a mid-third-round pick.
Darien Porter is a CB prospect in the 2025 draft class. He scored a 9.99 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 5 out of 2752 CB from 1987 to 2025. ras.football/ras-informat...
— Kent Lee Platte (Mathbomb) (@mathbomb.bsky.social) April 2, 2025 at 12:45 AM
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RHYS KNOTT
NFL/FANTASY FOOTBALL ANALYST
Rhys has been watching the NFL for 30 something years and still hasn’t managed to pick a team to support. When he’s not fixatED on pass rushers you can find him blithering on about most sports on Twitter @wrhys_writes