The 2023 NFL Draft is in the books! Heading into this draft, the pressure and expectations were high for the Green Bay Packers, as GM Brian Gutekunst knew he had to nail this group of selections after the Aaron Rodgers trade. The 2023 Green Bay Packers draft class has to put quarterback Jordan Love in a position to succeed. Otherwise, Gutekunst will be gone and Love will follow soon after.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the 2023 Green Bay Packers draft class and hand out draft grades. We will also do a re-draft of this draft class soon here on Let’s Go Wisconsin.
2023 Green Bay Packers Draft Class
| PICK | PLAYER | SCHOOL |
| 1,13 | Lukas Van Ness, DE | Iowa |
| 2, 42 | Luke Musgrave, TE | Oregon State |
| 2, 50 | Jayden Reed, WR | Michigan State |
| 3, 78 | Tucker Kraft, TE | South Dakota State |
| 4, 116 | Colby Wooden, DL | Auburn |
| 5, 149 | Sean Clifford, QB | Penn State |
| 5, 159 | Dontayvion Wicks, WR | Virginia |
| 6, 179 | Karl Brooks, DL | Bowling Green |
| 6, 207 | Anders Carlson, K | Auburn |
| 7, 232 | Carrington Valentine, CB | Kentucky |
| 7, 235 | Lew Nichols III, RB | Central Michigan |
| 7, 242 | Anthony Johnson Jr., DB | Iowa State |
| 7, 256 | Grant DuBose, WR | Charlotte |
Green Bay Packer Draft Grades
Round 1, Pick 13 – Lukas Van Ness, DE, Iowa
The draft board fell nearly perfectly for the Packers, with top wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. That is why fans were upset that Gutekunst went with Lukas Van Ness.
Obviously, I have talked about Van Ness here quite often, and I like him as a prospect. However, there are a few things that are frustrating here. First, the Packers moved up in the first round in order to take Van Ness, who certainly is not a top-13 value. He would have likely lasted until around 20 or later.
Additionally, Smith-Njigba is a better talent at a position that has much less depth in this draft class. There were many great edge rushers and defensive linemen available in the third round, while Smith-Njigba is in a WR tier of his own.
I won’t punish Lukas Van Ness’ Packers draft grade for this, but the final issue is that Gutekunst continually called him an edge rusher. While he can play on the edge, he may do his best work slid inside. Given the Packers’ history, I’m worried Van Ness will exclusively be used as an edge rusher, which won’t maximize his skill set.
In the end, the Packers drafted a solid player who can contribute right away. It wasn’t the best value for the player and the better decision would have been to draft a receiver or offensive tackle given the positional depth, but it is what it is.
Green Bay Packers Draft Grades: B
MORE: Packers Fans React to Lukas Van Ness Draft Pick
Round 2, Pick 42 – Luke Musgrave, TE, Oregon State
This is another pick from the 2023 Green Bay Packers draft class I have been projecting in mock drafts for months, so you know I like the selection.
Luke Musgrave is an athletic freak, running a 4.61-second 40-yard dash, and he has a 36-inch vertical and a 10-foot-5 broad jump. He is a massive, athletic receiver that can stretch the field and be a matchup nightmare. Musgrave also comes from a football family. He has a high football IQ and knows what it means to be a pro, which can go a long way.
This gives the Packers’ offense a vertical threat and a receiver that can create separation on his own (a rarity in Green Bay). Great pick.
Green Bay Packers Draft Grades: A-
Round 2, Pick 50 – Jayden Reed, WR, Michigan State
The Packers traded down twice to make this pick. Let me tell you, gaining those draft picks is what’s saving me right now. It was a reach to take Jayden Reed in the second round, to put it lightly, but it is technically an upgrade in the wide receiver room.
Reed is undersized, but he does have decent quickness. He has experience, and success, as a returner, which is always nice to have in Green Bay’s back pocket. Reed has also put many highlights on tape of him making contested catches due to his great ball skills.
Now, I feel like I have to explain this every year, and it will give some of you Amari Rodgers flashbacks from me screaming about how terrible that pick was immediately when it happened. Having many contested catches in college means you couldn’t get separation. On top of that, Reed is small and he doesn’t have great start-stop, so he is going to be blanketed by NFL defenders, who are bigger, stronger, faster and smarter.
Make no mistake, Reed is better than Rodgers. However, Reed is no second-round talent. There’s a chance he doesn’t get an “A” grade from me in the fourth round. He’s not a good value, there were better players at his position available, and there were much better players at other positions of need.
Green Bay Packers Draft Grades: C
Round 3, Pick 78 – Tucker Kraft, TE, South Dakota State
I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed. Tucker Kraft is a fine player and it wasn’t even a reach. However, this Packers draft pick felt unneeded. We must remember that the Packers are not a good football team. There are holes everywhere. This is also a deep tight end draft, so there will be plenty of solid options on the final day available.
Kraft is a very athletic tight end who also thrives as a blocker. He and Musgrave should develop as perfect complements, as long as they are coached well. Kraft is still quite raw as a tight end, but he looks good with the ball in his hands and he has the tools to move bodies.
Again, this Packers draft grade would be higher if Green Bay did not select Musgrave already. Due to the number of needs on this team and the players available, the grade is a bit lower.
Green Bay Packers Draft Grades: B-
Round 4, Pick 116 – Colby Wooden, DL, Auburn
Colby Wooden has the one thing that the Green Bay Packers value over anything else — versatility. He spent about half of his snaps as a 3-technique for Auburn last year, and this is where he plays best. However, Wooden played the other half of his snaps on the edge and he only weighs 273 pounds.
Wooden is a work in progress, but he does possess coachability and he has great tools to improve on. In a perfect world, Wooden will be the replacement for Dean Lowry. However, the worry with this Packers regime will forever be drafting players to play them out of position.
Still, Colby Wooden in the fourth round is not a bad choice. Yes, there are greater areas of need and solid players still available to fill those needs, but this isn’t a terrible pick.
Green Bay Packers Draft Grades: B
Round 5, Pick 149 – Sean Clifford, QB, Penn State
Gutekunst was tired of hearing about all of his terrible draft picks in recent seasons, so he decided to add a new name to the list. Not only should the Packers have not taken a quarterback at No. 149, Sean Clifford shouldn’t have been drafted by anyone. Period. Antonio Johnson is still available… what are we doing?
Green Bay Packers Draft Grades: F
MORE: Packers Fans React to Sean Clifford Draft Pick
Round 5, Pick 159 – Dontayvion Wicks, WR, Virginia
This is another pick that likely shouldn’t have been made, but at least Dontayvion Wicks deserves to be drafted around this area. Wicks is another receiver who has great ball skills and is clearly competitive, but he struggled to create separation in college and that is only going to be worse in the NFL. His speed isn’t great, he has an issue with drops, and he plays with a lack of attention to detail overall.
This wide receiver pick is more of an addition to the Packers’ special teams. Don’t expect much of Dontayvion Wicks on offense.
Green Bay Packers Draft Grades: D+
Round 6, Pick 179 – Karl Brooks, DL, Bowling Green
Prior to the NFL Draft, I had been saying that not enough people are talking about Green Bay’s need on the defensive front. Well, it appears the team knew that, which is why we have another Packers draft pick on the defensive line with Karl Brooks.
Brooks has the tools to play in the NFL. Coming from Bowling Green, there is a lot that we still need to find out about Brooks, as he needs to be tested to see what type of player he truly is. Still, he should get snaps on the interior defensive line for the Packers in his rookie year. He can collapse the pocket and get after the passer in a variety of ways. Due to a lack of length, he must continue to get stronger and add moves in order to hang around the NFL.
Yes, it would have been nice to address another need. However, I’m not mad at the specific pick itself.
Green Bay Packers Draft Grades: B
Round 6, Pick 207 – Anders Carlson, K, Auburn
As we said earlier this offseason, the Packers should not bring back Mason Crosby. As a result, Green Bay needed to get a kicker. A couple went early in this draft, so the Packers didn’t really have a chance to grab one of the best prospects. With that being said, they could have done much better than Anders Carlson.
Anders Carlson is the brother of Las Vegas Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson, which is seemingly the only reason why Anders was drafted. On top of suffering a torn ACL over a year ago, he hit over 72% of his field goals just once in his college career. Hell, he was only 13/23 in his senior year of high school; how did he get the job at Auburn?
Hopefully, something will click for him, but I won’t hold my breath. This pick gets a passing grade solely because it is a position of need.
Green Bay Packers Draft Grades: C-
Round 7, Pick 232 – Carrington Valentine, CB, Kentucky
Carrington Valentine is an aggressive outside cornerback. While he probably shouldn’t be playing valuable defensive snaps in his rookie year, he does have the tools to develop into a good depth cornerback. He should be able to earn his keep as a special teamer this season.
Green Bay Packers Draft Grades: B+
Round 7, Pick 235 – Lew Nichols III, RB, Central Michigan
Lew Nichols III is a sturdy running back that brings plenty of power and explosiveness. While he doesn’t have much speed, he was productive at Central Michigan. He doesn’t bring much that will be useful to the offense, but maybe find his way onto the field via special teams.
Green Bay Packers Draft Grades: C
Round 7, Pick 242 – Anthony Johnson Jr., DB, Iowa State
Anthony Johnson Jr. is a player I have talked about here quite a bit, and I thought he would be drafted earlier. He transitioned from cornerback to safety last season and played well.
Given the state of the Packers’ defense, Johnson may be a Day 1 starter despite being a seventh-round pick. He would slot in well as a nickel, though I assume Green Bay will play him solely at safety. Here’s hoping he is used correctly, because this could be the steal of the 2023 Green Bay Packers draft class if he is.
Green Bay Packers Draft Grades: A
Round 7, Pick 256 – Grant DuBose, WR, Charlotte
Grant DuBose is a long, well-built wide receiver that is perfect as a seventh-round draft pick. He has the physical tools to play on Sundays, despite lacking in speed. DuBose has great ball skills, has creative releases, runs good routes and he is tough as a blocker as well. As long as he stays healthy and gets good coaching, he could develop into a solid NFL wide receiver.
Green Bay Packers Draft Grades: A
Of course, more players were added to the roster on Saturday as well. Check out the Green Bay Packers undrafted free agents tracker.
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