The Green Bay Packers appear to be stuck in the NFL’s upper middle class. There is no doubt that the Packers are a good team under head coach Matt LaFleur and general manager Brian Gutekunst, but it is also clear that they are not a great team. While there were no guarantees that the eventual Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks would emerge with the Vince Lombardi Trophy when last season’s playoffs got underway, it seemed clear that the Packers would not.
They had done enough through the first three months of the season to emerge as a playoff team, but the Packers closed the 2025 season with four consecutive losses — including a notable defeat to the NFC North champion Chicago Bears — and then suffered another defeat to the Bears in the Wild Card game.
The Packers made a huge move prior to the start of the 2025 season when they acquired edge rusher Micah Parsons from the Dallas Cowboys. It appeared that move could have lifted the Packers into the elite category with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations, but those hopes disappeared when Parsons suffered a season-ending injury in Week 15 against the Denver Broncos. Parsons tore his ACL in his left knee, an injury that is likely to keep him out of action until Week 5 of the upcoming season.
The Packers don’t have a first-round draft choice this season as part of that trade. The Packers have needs at safety, the offensive line and could use an edge rusher in addition to help at the running back position. In this piece, we look at the players the Packers may be considering at safety and offensive tackle with their second- and third-round picks.
Safety is probably the top need for the Packers
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The Packers have a solid defense that can rank with the best in the league when Parsons is healthy and at the top of his game. The Packers have no reason to think that Parsons won’t come back in top shape and prepared to dominate. However, that may not be the case until midseason.
As a result, they will have to upgrade their overall play on defense. That unit will have to be sharp at the start of the season because the Packers will not have Peak Parsons in the lineup. Safety appears to be the most obvious position that needs help.
Unless the Packers are going to pull off a trade that allows them to make a selection inside the top 10 of the first round, they are not going to have a chance at drafting Ohio State safety Caleb Downs. He is clearly the best safety available in this year’s draft, and it would be too costly to make a trade with a team like the New York Giants (No. 5) or the Cleveland Browns (No. 6) to get ahead of the Washington Guardians. Washington is looking at Downs and has an excellent chance to upgrade their secondary by drafting the 6-1, 205-pound defensive back.
The Packers are unlikely to select Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman or Toledo’s Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, since those two are also likely to be drafted in the first round. Both are elite players and McNeil-Warren has rare length for the position at 6-4 and 202 pounds.
Green Bay has to give LSU safety A.J. Haulcy strong consideration. He is a physical player at 6-0 and 215 pounds, and he may be the most devastating hitter at the position. Haulcy is much better at run support at this point in his career. He can create devastating tackles that could lead to forced fumbles.
He does need work on his pass coverage and man-to-man coverage is likely to be an issue at this point. However, he is much better in zone coverage and can deliver big plays
If the Packers are concerned that he may not have the ability to handle man-to-man responsibilities, they may want to consider Bud Clark of TCU. He has the range to cover receivers all over the length of the field, and he also has the acceleration to stay with the fastest receivers. Clark, 6-1 and 188 pounds, does not have the frame to have an impact on the running game like Haulcy, but he has excellent coverage skills.
Packers will look at OL with 3rd round pick
The Packers need help on the offensive line and they may have to consider OT Dametrious Crownover with their third-round selection over Northwestern’s Caleb Tiernan. Both men are tall tackles, but Tiernan relies more on athleticism than he does strength at this point. Crownover is 6-7 and 320 pounds with excellent flexibility and a solid punch.
Tiernan is 6-8 and 323 pounds and he moves quite well and is a solid run blocker, but his pass blocking against a stronger opponent is not overly effective. He will need quite a bit of work before the Packers would feel confident in putting him on the field against the league’s better pass rushers.
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