Packers Lack ‘Elite’ Players

Great players win football games. The Packers don’t have enough of them.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – This is a key draft for the Green Bay Packers, who, unlike last year, didn’t make any big splashes in free agency to fortify their roster.

Great players win football games. The Packers don’t have enough of them. In its massive draft preview for subscribers, Pro Football Focus went through the rosters of each team and ranked the players in tiers. In all, PFF listed 49 players as “elite.” The Packers have two: left tackle David Bakhtiari and defensive tackle Kenny Clark.

That’s better than most teams but it lags well behind New Orleans, which has seven. NFC rivals Philadelphia and San Francisco have three apiece. Obviously, this draft isn’t going to net five “elite” players to catch the Saints. However, if the Packers find the right receiver and Davante Adams cuts down on his drops, maybe quarterback Aaron Rodgers can become elite again. Maybe running back Aaron Jones, cornerback Jaire Alexander and outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith will take the next step in their careers. Rodgers, Adams, Jones, Alexander, Smith and Adrian Amos were a notch below elite.

Here’s PFF’s list:

New Orleans: 7 (QB Drew Brees, RB Alvin Kamara, WR Michael Thomas, LT Terron Armstead, RT Ryan Ramczyk, edge Cameron Jordan, CB Marshon Lattimore)

Kansas City: 5 (QB Patrick Mahomes, WR Tyreek Hill, TE Travis Kelce, RT Mitchell Schwartz, DT Chris Jones)

L.A. Chargers: 3 (edge Joey Bosa, CB Casey Hayward, S Derwin James)

Philadelphia: 3 (RG Brandon Brooks, RT Lane Johnson, DT Fletcher Cox)

San Francisco: 3 (TE George Kittle, edge Nick Bosa, CB Richard Sherman)

Atlanta: 2 (WR Julio Jones, DT Grady Jarrett)

Baltimore: 2 (QB Lamar Jackson, S Earl Thomas)

Chicago: 2 (edge Khalil Mack, S Eddie Jackson)

Cleveland: 2 (RB Nick Chubb, edge Myles Garrett)

Green Bay: 2 (LT David Bakhtiari, DT Kenny Clark)

Indianapolis: 2 (G Quenton Nelson, LB Darius Leonard)

Pittsburgh: 2 (edge T.J. Watt, DT Cameron Heyward)

Seattle: 2 (QB Russell Wilson, LB Bobby Wagner)

For the rest of the list, go to PFF.

Bill Huber’s Defensive Line Profiles

No. 1: Auburn’s Derrick Brown

No. 2: South Carolina’s Javon Kinlaw

No. 3: TCU’s Ross Blacklock

No. 4: Missouri’s Jordan Elliott

No. 5: Auburn’s Marlon Davidson

No. 6: Texas A&M’s Justin Madubuike

No. 7: Alabama’s Raekwon Davis

No. 8: Oklahoma’s Neville Gallimore

Nos. 9-20: Best of the Rest