2025 NFL Draft Grades: Green Bay Packers

Best Pick: I love third-round receiver Savion Williams. He can do a lot of things. He's raw, but there is a ton of talent. He's big and fast. He can return kicks, too.

Worst Pick: I didn't love second-round tackle Anthony Belton. I thought he went a little higher than I expected. He's big, but raw. Then again, the Packers do a nice job developing offensive lineman.

The Skinny: They added two receivers in their first three picks, which was a must. Taking Matthew Golden in the first was a good move and then getting Williams in the third was another good one. Belton has skills and will fit their offense, but he went a little high for me. Fifth-round linebacker Collin Oliver was impressive before a foot injury derailed him after two games last season.

Top needs entering the draft: Wide receiver, cornerback, edge rusher and defensive tackle

Green Bay has been relatively quiet this offseason, other than giving big free agent contracts to guard Aaron Banks and cornerback Nate Hobbs. General manager Brian Gutekunst targeted two clear upgrades and paid up. The Packers, who have one of the league's youngest rosters, should again be among the NFC's best.

Improving quarterback Jordan Love's supporting cast was clearly a focus over the course of the draft. The Packers have young talent there, sure, but they've gone three straight seasons without a 1,000-yard receiver. They've had plenty of chances to draft first-round playmakers and didn't take them. The streak ended, though, with Matthew Golden becoming Green Bay's first WR in Round 1 since Javon Walker in 2002. I loved this pick, and I made it my headliner in Thursday night's winners file. Golden is a smooth route runner and can sneak behind the defense with his 4.29 speed. Love will look his way early and often, and he could quickly step into the WR1 role in Green Bay.

The Packers brought in another receiver in Savion Williams, too. He is fun to watch because he does so many different things. TCU had him lined up all over the formation, and he even took snaps as a Wildcat quarterback. He runs over defenders at 222 pounds, and I wouldn't be surprised if he saw some kick returns in Green Bay.

Despite how well the Packers addressed their biggest need, I was scratching my head with their approach to their second-biggest. Green Bay made eight picks, and only one of them was directed toward the cornerback room: Micah Robinson at No. 237. I ranked 62 corners this year, but Robinson wasn't on the list. The situation with corner Jaire Alexander is still lurking, and Hobbs and Keisean Nixon are both better in the slot.

The Packers like versatile offensive linemen, and Anthony Belton should slide around at a few different spots. They needed defensive line help, and Barryn Sorrell was one of only two FBS players to have at least 40 pressures and 10 run stops last season, joining James Pearce Jr. All in all, the host-city Packers did pretty well. But I wonder if we will question the lack of CB picks when three really good NFC North pass games are airing it out on the Packers in December with the division on the line.

I found it a bit curious that the Packers took receivers with two of their first three picks, adding more playmaking talent to an already crowded skill group. Texas receiver Matthew Golden offers excellent speed, shifty route-running skills, and a ball-winner mentality, giving Jordan Love another big-play guy—but I'm just not sure he profiles as a true no. 1, which is really what the team needed most. Meanwhile, TCU's Savion Williams is a Cordarrelle Patterson—type pass catcher; he's got work to do as a route runner but offers the athleticism and versatility to line up all over the formation, including the backfield. The Packers also beefed up in the trenches, adding a colossal offensive lineman in NC State's Anthony Belton, as well as a power rusher in Texas's Barryn Sorrell. Altogether, this is a fine haul for the Pack, but I'm not sure it's a group that will put the team over the top.

The first round could not have played out much better for the hosting Green Bay Packers, who capitalized on the speediest wide receiver in the class — Matthew Golden — falling into their queso. Specifically, it provides them with the home-run hitter needed to take quarterback Jordan Love and this offense into another stratosphere.

The Packers added a much bigger and even more versatile pass-catcher in Savion Williams in the third round. Speaking of size, the Packers got plenty of that in North Carolina State offensive lineman Anthony Belton in the second, power edge Barryn Sorrell in the fourth and defensive tackle Warren Brinson in the sixth, boosting the bulk and versatility on both sides of the line of scrimmage for Green Bay.

Here's why: Matthew Golden was a surprise pick for the Packers early in the draft, but for a team that needed an infusion of talent at wide receiver, Golden makes a lot of sense as a big-play threat. He doesn't quite have the size the Packers look for in their wide receivers, but he's not so far off that they disqualified him. Anthony Belton is a potential starter at tackle or guard and should give them more flexibility with how they get their best five starting offensive linemen on the field. The late selection of Warren Brinson was a nice way to get some nose tackle depth that they needed to add in a big way.

Most interesting pick: Savion Williams, WR, TCU

Williams was the second receiver the Packers added this year in the draft and he is an interesting fit as a potential gadget-ish player. He might not be used in traditional roles early on, but Williams has explosive ability with the ball in his hands and is a different source of big plays.

Nice to see them break their 23-year streak of not taking a wideout in Round 1, especially considering what Matthew Golden can bring to this offense in terms of game-changing speed and clutch plays. GM Brian Gutekunst stuck with the TLC theme for the offense, adding OT Anthony Belton in the second round and a nice toy in the third with plus-sized WR Savion Williams (6-4, 220) — the classic "find a way to get the ball into his hands" guy.

Either the Packers didn't like what they saw from their receivers last season or they really want a crowded receiving corps. It's going to be on coach Matt LaFleur to form the right rotation for Jordan Love on the field, but players competing for snaps is rarely a bad idea. Green Bay might still lack a legitimate No. 1 wideout, but Golden is a speedy weapon and a friendly target with reliable hands. Williams has received comparisons to Deebo Samuel with his ability to contribute from the backfield. Perhaps the Packers focused too much on the offensive side and waited too long to add another pass rusher.

Matthew Golden to Green Bay is one of my five favorite picks in the entire draft, even if the star receiver wearing No. 22 makes me wanna put forks in my eyes. They also added Savion Williams out wide and North Carolina State offensive lineman Anthony Belton. All three of their top picks got me pumped to watch the Packers this season.