Ranking Every Player on Packers’ Training Camp Roster

From No. 90 (Chris Slayton) to No. 1 (Aaron Rodgers) and everybody in between, get to know the 90 players competing at training camp.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – From the legendary Aaron Rodgers, to surprise superstars like Rasul Douglas and De’Vondre Campbell, to young standouts such as Rashan Gary and Jaire Alexander, to unheralded players you perhaps have never heard of before, the Green Bay Packers are taking a powerful roster into training camp.

In a tradition that started with the Packers’ Super Bowl season of 2010, we have ranked every member of that 90-man roster.

This isn’t just a list of the best players, though that’s certainly reflected. Instead, it’s a not-too-scientific formula that combines talent, salary, importance of the position, depth at the position and, for young players, draft positioning.

More than the ranking, the goal is for you to learn something about every player who will be competing on Ray Nitschke Field this summer.

No. 90: DT Chris Slayton

Jersey No. 60; 6-3, 307; first year; Syracuse

The Packers signed Slayton off waivers from the 49ers in May. A seventh-round draft by the Giants in 2019, he has not played in a regular-season game. He’s served stints on practice squads with the Giants, Bills, Falcons, Steelers and 49ers.

At Syracuse, Slayton played in 49 games, including 42 starts. He tallied 107 tackles, including 32.5 tackles for losses and 9.5 sacks, and added five forced fumbles. He finished his career ranked ninth in school history in TFLs. As a senior captain, he was third-team all-ACC with 3.5 sacks and eight TFLs.

Slayton didn’t play football until high school. When he first tried the sport, he wanted to play quarterback. Already a big guy, the coaches pointed him to the defensive line.

“I wanted to quit, but my mom told me I couldn’t. (She) saw it in me,” he recalled.

No. 89: DT Akial Byers

Jersey No. 98; 6-3, 308; R; Missouri

Byers is an undrafted free agent who might have some untapped potential. At Fayetteville (Ark.) High School, he was an Under Armour All-American, a four-star recruit and a top-20 defensive lineman.

As a fifth-year senior in 2021, Byers played in 12 games with 10 starts. He had 1.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for losses among his 23 total tackles. In 52 career games, he registered two sacks and nine TFLs. He scored a touchdown vs. his hometown Arkansas Razorbacks when he pounced on a fumble in the end zone in 2018.

Byers took advantage of the NCAA’s “COVID year” and played a fifth season. He changed his jersey to No. 0 and worked under former Packers defensive line coach Jethro Franklin. Headed into his final season, he called himself a “great” run-stopper.

“(Franklin) pushes us to get better every day no matter where it's at, on the field, or just in the weight room," Byers said at SEC Media Days. “He wants us out there working together, working on our footwork, hand placement, anything, or even just learning the playbook. And I think that's a big thing. He teaches us something new every day. So, every time we go into a meeting room, it's like you're in the classroom learning new things. I take every day we're meeting seriously.”

The Packers gave him an $8,000 signing bonus, tied for tops on the team.

No. 88: WR Osirus Mitchell

Jersey No. 82; 6-5, 206; first season; Mississippi State

At Mississippi State, Osirus Mitchell caught 101 passes for 1,413 yards and 14 touchdowns, with almost all of that production coming during his final three seasons. As a senior in 2020, he caught a career-high 47 passes for 505 yards and four touchdowns.

Mitchell is nicknamed “Big O” for obvious reasons. At pro day before the 2021 draft, he measured 6-foot-5 and 206 pounds and ran his 40 in 4.61 seconds. He’s an enormous target. In the 2021 draft class, his 82 1/4-inch wingspan was the second-largest of any receiver and his 10 7/8-inch hands were the largest of any receiver or tight end.

After going undrafted, he signed with the Dallas Cowboys in college free agency and spent most of his rookie season on their practice squad.

Click here to see what former Packers assistant coach Luke Getsy had to say.

No. 87: C Ty Clary

Jersey No. 61; 6-4, 299; rookie; Arkansas

Ty Clary started 39 games over five seasons at Arkansas, including five starts as a super-senior in 2021. In 2020, he started five games at right guard and two at center. In 2018 and 2019, he got the nod 22 times at center.

Versatility was his calling card at Arkansas, and that should fit right in with the Packers.

“It was a little stressful, but it was fun going out there and playing a little tackle then going from guard back to center,” Clary said after playing center, right guard and right tackle during an early-season victory over Georgia Southern. “I played guard and center before, but it was fun. I felt like it was a good game. It’s all about just trying to help the team, really.”

No. 86: T/G George Moore

Jersey No. 77; 6-6, 312; R; Oregon

Moore won’t be fazed by going up against the likes of Rashan Gary or Kenny Clark during training camp. At Oregon, he battled Kayvon Thibodeaux, who was selected fifth overall by the Giants in this year’s draft.

“(Former Oregon coach Mario) Cristobal is a big believer in the whole ‘iron sharpens iron’ mentality,” Moore told SI.com’s The Spun. “Our front seven was amazing with Kayvon Thibodeaux and several others. All those guys are amazing football players, have high IQs, and made practices tough. We would go head-to-head every single day because we knew that’s what we needed to do to give ourself an opportunity on Saturdays. We knew that we’d need to be physical throughout the week to make sure it helps us have success during games.”

Moore started his college career in 2015 at The College of San Mateo. He missed that first season with a torn ACL but was a star in 2016, which made him the top-ranked offensive tackle in junior college. That opened the door to Oregon. After sitting behind Tyrell Crosby and Penei Sewell, Moore wound up starting 20 of a possible 21 games for the Ducks in 2020 and 2021. During his final season, Moore started six games at left tackle and seven games at left guard. According to PFF, he allowed three sacks at each position.

“I’m really proud of George Moore,” Cristobal said. “He didn’t play much high school football before he got to junior college, and when he got here, that’s a baptism by fire because he went into a group with some really seasoned upperclassmen that held themselves to a high standard, and George just kept at it. He allowed us to push him, and he’s really become a good football player.”

With seven years of college ball under his belt, Moore will turn 26 during the first week of training camp. He was older than the Ducks’ graduate assistant line coach last year, and he’s older than last year’s starting interior trio of Jon Runyan, Josh Myers and Royce Newman.

The Packers gave him an $8,000 signing bonus, tied for tops on the team.

No. 85: C/G Cole Schneider

Jersey No. 64; 6-3, 309; R; Central Florida

Asked which of the Packers’ undrafted free agents had the best chance of making the team and developing into a contributor, one team’s college scouting director pointed to Schneider.

Schneider started 47 games in four seasons at UCF, with 46 of those appearances at guard and one at center.

“He can play any of the inside positions whether it be right guard, left guard, or center,” UCF offensive line coach Herb Hand told The Fort Myers News-Press. “I think that's been invaluable, that's going to pay dividends because you're bringing great value to an organization to be able to play multiple positions.”

Lucas Patrick can attest to that. An undrafted free agent in 2016, he started 28 games at the three interior positions the last two seasons. Patrick signed with the rival Chicago Bears in free agency.

With an eye on getting a ready-made utilityman, the Packers used a fourth-round draft pick on Wake Forest’s Zach Tom. Like Schneider, Tom spent the offseason practices shifting between center and guard. So, it might be a tall order for Schneider to make the 53-man roster. He could be up for the challenge. As a senior, he did not allow a sack, according to Pro Football Focus, and ranked No. 1 among guards in its pass-blocking efficiency, which measures sacks, hits and hurries per pass-protecting snap.

At Riverdale High School in Fort Myers, Fla., he was a two-time state heavyweight champion in wrestling. A dominant two-sport star, he was voted the News-Press’s athlete of the decade. Among the athletes he beat out for the award was Packers receiver and fellow Fort Myers native Sammy Watkins.

“He pulls with ill intentions and tries to kill people,” UCF right tackle Marcus Tatum, who signed with the Jaguars, told The News-Press at pro day. “You couldn’t ask for a better guard than that. I knew when he was pulling in front of me that the (defender) was going to get moved. He’s willing to put his body on the line for anybody and is an all-around good person. He’s always been there for me, always helped me. He let me lean on him the moment I got here.”

The Packers gave Schneider an $8,000 signing bonus, tied for tops on the team.

No. 84: OT Caleb Jones

Jersey No. 72; 6-9, 370; rookie; Indiana

Caleb Jones, if he ever plays in a game for the Packers, would be the biggest player in franchise history.

Here is the story on Jones, a man so big he deserves his own headline.

No. 83: CB Donte Vaughn

Jersey No. 34; 6-2, 211; first year; Notre Dame

Donte Vaughn was signed by the Los Angeles Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2020. After spending his rookie season on their practice squad, he was released following training camp last summer.

Vaughn played four seasons for the Fighting Irish, appearing in 41 games with eight starts. As a senior in 2019, he started three games and broke up five passes. Injuries were a major theme to his career but he didn’t quit. A big game against USC star Michael Pittman helped turn around his career.

“My purpose on this earth is my family,” Vaughn told The South Bend Tribune. “I’ve been blessed with all these abilities and talents. God gave me these for a reason, and that was to maximize everything that I have around me in order to lead my family to a better place when it’s all said and done.”

No. 82: RB Tyler Goodson

Jersey No. 39; 5-9, 197; rookie; Iowa

The dynamic duo of Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon are the obvious leaders of the pack at running back. If Kylin Hill isn’t back from his torn ACL, Patrick Taylor is the front-runner to earn the third (and what could be final) spot in the backfield.

The Packers didn’t draft a running back but did sign Goodson and Oregon State’s B.J. Baylor as undrafted free agents. Whether it’s the 53-man roster or practice squad, one of them figures to stick around. It will be an interesting battle because of their differing skill-sets.

Goodson was a three-year standout at Iowa, capping his career with 2,551 rushing yards and, most impressively, 70 receptions. It’s that pass-catching ability that makes him so intriguing given how coach Matt LaFleur has used his backs in the passing game. That skill was obvious during the offseason practices.

Goodson has always loved football. In fact, as a kid, he slept with a football. His youth team in Suwanee, Ga., was coached by longtime NFL defensive lineman and assistant coach Brentson Buckner.

“I want the ball,” Goodson told The Daily Iowan, as opposed to his brother, a linebacker at Mercer.

Of the 72 backs with 150-plus rushes last season, Goodson ranked 12th with 1.30 yards per pass route but 70th with 2.35 yards after contact on runs, according to Pro Football Focus. Can he run with enough toughness?

The Packers gave Goodson an $8,000 signing bonus. For what it’s worth, during the final OTA that was open to reporters and with Jones, Dillon, Taylor and (obviously) Hill not practicing, Goodson ran with the second unit.

No. 81: RB B.J. Baylor

Jersey No. 35; 5-10, 202; rookie; Oregon State

Baylor started his collegiate career lost on Oregon State’s crowded depth chart. He redshirted in 2017 and had only 89 touches the next three seasons. He could have transferred – that’s what college athletes do these days – but he stuck it out.

“I take loyalty serious,” Baylor told The Oregonian. “I feel like loyalty is better than anything else. Because when you’re loyal, you always feel like you have someone’s back.”

With Jermar Jefferson and Artavis Pierce off to the NFL, Baylor got his chance in 2021. The fifth-year senior fully capitalized. He led the Pac-12 in rushing with 1,337 yards (5.9 average) and 13 touchdowns.

Of the 72 backs with 150-plus rushes last season, Baylor was 53rd with 0.65 yards per pass route but 27th with 3.48 yards after contact per carry. He had 29 fewer carries than Goodson but forced 17 more missed tackles, according to Pro Football Focus.

A proven runner with tackle-breaking ability, can he catch?

“Yeah, you can see he’s got glimpses of when he can put his hands around the ball,” running backs coach Ben Sirmans said at the start of OTAs. “

As with Goodson, the Packers gave Baylor an $8,000 signing bonus. For what it’s worth, during that final OTA, Baylor ran with the “starters.”

No. 80: WR Danny Davis

Jersey No. 20; 6-1, 188; rookie, Wisconsin

The NFL is a tough business. That’s the reality for Davis, an undrafted rookie from Wisconsin.

Davis had a solid career with the Badgers with 131 receptions for 1,642 yards (12.5 average) and 14 touchdowns in a run-first offense. He’s got decent size and below-average athleticism (4.62 in the 40 and a 31.5-inch vertical leap), but good route-running ability and excellent hands (six career drops, including only one in 2021).

But, even with the trade of Davante Adams and the free-agent departures of Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Equanimeous St. Brown, it will be an uphill climb to crack a roster headed by veterans Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb and Sammy Watkins, 2021 third-round pick Amari Rodgers and three draft picks.

Davis certainly didn’t look out of place during the four weeks of offseason practices.

“This is my dream, and this is one thing that I’ve wanted to do my whole life, so I’m thankful but at the same time I know that I can’t just keep thinking about that,” he told Madison’s Channel 3000. “I’ve got to continue to move forward and continue to… I’ll do anything. Special teams, I’ll get on there and make a tackle, I’ll do anything for this team and anything to make the team, so I’m looking forward to it and just show(ing) everybody what I can do.”

At Springfield (Ohio) High School, Davis scored a school-record 1,774 points during four seasons on the basketball team. Like it did for Adams, basketball skill translated to the football field for Davis.

“It's just like going to get a rebound and blocking the DB out,” Davis told UWBadgers.com after catching eight passes for 99 yards vs. Penn State in September. “It really is just like boxing somebody out. It definitely transitions. I'd say basketball has helped me tremendously with football in attacking the ball in the air and being physical with DB's.”

The Packers gave him a $5,000 signing bonus.

No. 79: C/G Michal Menet

Jersey No. 65; 6-4, 301; first season; Penn State

Menet, a three-year starting center at Penn State, was drafted in the seventh round last year by Arizona.

“I'm going to outwork people," Menet said upon being drafted. "I've always prided myself on doing that, just being able to outwork people and compete. ... It's a childhood dream come true. It definitely goes to show that if you put in the hard work... and love the game, the game will love you back. I'm just so thankful to the Arizona Cardinals for giving me a chance.”

Menet failed to make the Cardinals’ roster and served two stints on their practice squad before joining Green Bay’s practice squad in December.

For years, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has noted that being the No. 2 center is a sure-fire ticket to the roster. Menet will compete with 2020 sixth-rounder Jake Hanson, 2022 fourth-rounder Zach Tom and 2022 undrafted rookie Cole Schneider to be that player.

“Michal Menet is a special football player who has the ability to be a starter in the NFL because of his intelligence and durability," Penn State offensive line coach Phil Trautwein said. "He started 34 games for us and was a proven leader that guys in the offensive line room were able to learn from. His toughness and physicality will allow him to have a long and successful NFL career.”

No. 78: CB Kiondre Thomas

Jersey No. 43; 6-0, 186; first season; Kansas State

The Packers signed Thomas, who played 28 snaps on special teams last season for the Chargers, to a futures deal in September.

Thomas spent his first three collegiate seasons at Minnesota before transferring to Kansas State for his senior year. He started the final four games of the 2020 season and broke up four passes. He had one career interception, which came while at Minnesota in 2019. He went undrafted last year, competed in training camp for the Browns and spent the entire season on the Chargers’ practice squad.

Officially 5-foot-11 3/4 and with 4.44 speed in the 40, he’s got the size and athletic goods to compete for a backup spot at cornerback. The Packers didn’t draft a cornerback and have precious little depth behind the Big 3 of Jaire Alexander, Rasul Douglas and Eric Stokes.

“Kiondre is strong on the line of scrimmage,” said Kansas State cornerbacks coach/defensive passing game coordinator Van Malone, a former NFL starting cornerback. “He uses his hands well in coverage. He has good overall instincts and has a favorable size/speed ratio. Kiondre was a hard worker and a valued member of our CB unit. We were grateful to have his leadership in the room for the short time that we did.”

In May 2021, he was given the key to the city of his hometown of Fort Smith, Ark.

“That was quite a surprise when they called me a couple of days ago and let me know I was receiving this honor,” Thomas told The Times Record. “It's a blessing because I grew up here and everywhere I go, I take Arkansas with me; that's the first thing I let somebody know is that I'm from Arkansas, and Fort Smith to be exact.”

No. 77: ILB Caliph Brice

Jersey No. 42; 6-2, 233; rookie; Florida Atlantic

At juco powerhouse Hutchinson Community College, Brice played alongside Devonte Wyatt. While Wyatt went to Green Bay as a first-round pick with a $6.53 million signing bonus, Brice went undrafted and landed in Green Bay with a $2,000 bonus.

At Florida Atlantic, Brice came off the bench in 2019 before starting his final two seasons. His first career start came in the 2020 opener vs. Charlotte. Brice recorded 10 tackles, then broke down on the field after the victory when thinking about his brother, who died in May 2020.

“That was my first game. He was looking forward to watching me play this season,” Brice said in a FAU video feature. “That was the first time [I started] and I did well. After the win, it all just came back to me. It’s like I almost felt him there, and that’s why I broke down.”

Brice recorded 54 tackles in 2020 and 59 tackles in 2021. In three seasons, he had one interception, two passes defensed and one forced fumble. He had an excellent pro day with a 4.61 in the 40, 37.5-inch vertical and 21 reps on the 225-pound bench press.

All-Pro De’Vondre Campbell and first-round pick Quay Walker are locks to make the roster, and veteran Krys Barnes probably will make it, too. But the Packers made it clear they’re not going to hand roster spots to returning backups Ty Summers and Isaiah McDuffie, so there is a path to the roster spot.

No. 76: LB Ellis Brooks

Jersey No. 41; 6-1, 226; rookie; Penn State

Brooks will bring physicality to the party when training camp begins. That was evident before he suited up for his first game at the school known as Linebacker U.

“When Ellis hit people here, it sounded different than everybody else,” Greg Lilly, Brooks’ coach at Benedictine College Prep, told The Collegian. “I can remember his freshman year, we were doing some sort of inside drill and my back was turned to a play.

“I can remember him at fullback blocking the defensive end and when he blew the defensive end up, I can remember turning around and going, ‘What did I just hear?’ The sound that he made when he hit people, the intensity with which he hit people, it made a different sound than most high school kids.”

Brooks recorded 230 tackles in his career. That includes 100 tackles as a senior, when he was second-team all-conference.

More than physicality, Brooks said his coverage ability will give him a chance to make an impact in the NFL.

“I feel like I’ve shown I can do it all in coverage,” he told The Draft Network. “I can play man-to-man, zone, Tampa 2, drops in the middle of the field, and whatnot. Something I’ve tried to emphasize throughout this entire process is how smooth and oily my hips are. I’m able to open up and run, turn, drop, and things of that nature. It allows me to drive on the football in coverage whenever the quarterback makes a throw. It’s a skill that’s going to translate to Sundays.”

Between Brooks and Caliph Brice, one of Green Bay’s undrafted linebackers will have a chance to stick as a backup and special-teamer. By resume, Brooks is the better player, but he went undrafted because of his 4.77-second clocking in the 40. The Packers gave him an $8,000 signing bonus.

No. 75: TE Alize Mack

Jersey No. 47; 6-4, 251; first year; Notre Dame

Mack, who signed with the Packers in February, was a seventh-round pick by the Saints in 2019 but has not played in a game.

Mack caught 68 passes for 716 yards and four touchdowns at Notre Dame from 2015 through 2018. As a rookie, he spent time on practice squads with the Saints, Steelers and Chiefs. In 2020, he spent time on the Chiefs’ offseason roster. In 2021, he competed with the Lions in training camp and spent one day on their practice squad.

At Notre Dame, Mack was suspended for the 2016 season for academic reasons. Then-coach Brian Kelly’s advice? “‘It’s either going to be the best thing that happens to you or the worst,’” Mack recalled.

For Mack, it was the best thing. He caught 19 passes for 166 yards in 2017 and 36 passes for 360 yards and three touchdowns – all career highs – in 2018.

“I would say that going to Notre Dame was definitely the best decision I ever made because the thing I always think about is four-for-40,” Mack said at the 2019 Scouting Combine. “They always say that the four years (at Notre Dame) are going to set you up for the next 40 years of your life. And I changed so much as a man. Not just as a football player, but as a man, as Alize. I changed as a brother, as a son, as a teammate. And I’m very proud of myself to see where I am today.”

With Robert Tonyan coming back from his torn ACL and probably limited at least for the start of training camp, there should be opportunities for Mack to show he belongs.

No. 74: TE Sal Cannella

Jersey No. 80; 6-5, 242; first season; Auburn

An all-USFL selection, Sal Cannella ranked sixth overall and first among tight ends with 34 receptions, which he turned into 368 yards and two touchdowns. That’s more passes than he caught at Auburn from 2017 through 2019.

Cannella wasn’t highly recruited coming out of high school and he was ignored at Scottsdale (Ariz.) Community College, despite his performance. He e-mailed coach after coach after coach – multiple times – before finally catching the attention of then-Auburn tight ends coach Scott Fountain.

“I remember him telling me on my visit, ‘Yeah, I remember your email. I kept getting it, and I didn’t open it until like the fourth time you sent it,’” Cannella recalled to AL.com. “And I’m like, ‘Yeah, persistence.’”

That never-say-die should serve him well in Green Bay. There’s an opening for a pass-catching tight end, though he’ll obviously be behind the eight-ball from a playbook perspective.

“Nothing’s given,” Cannella said in the AL.com story. “Nothing’s given. I’ve still got a lot to prove. I feel like I can show him a lot. That’s how I go about it every day. I know nothing’s given. I just go out there every day and just show you what I can do and give you a reason to play me.”

No. 73: OLB Kobe Jones

Jersey No. 49; 6-3, 255; first year; Mississippi State

Lynn Spruill is the official mayor of Starkville, Miss.

The unofficial mayor – and, given the nature of politics, the more popular mayor – is Jones.

Jones had seven sacks and 22 tackles for losses in four seasons at Mississippi State. He was a three-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll and earned his degree in business administration. He volunteered with the Starkville Cowboys youth football program as well as his alma mater, Starkville High School, to earn a spot on the SEC Community Service Team.

While at Mississippi State, Packers running back Kylin Hill set the wheels in motion for the state to pick a new flag free of Confederate symbolism. On Nov. 7, 2020, Jones became the first Mississippi State player to run onto the field with the new flag.

It was a signature moment for Jones. His youth coached called him “The Blueprint.” Teammates and fans called him “The Mayor.”

Jones started 11 games as a senior in 2020 and recorded two sacks. He went undrafted and signed with the Falcons but failed to make their roster, then spent two weeks on the Dolphins’ practice squad in November.

After the 2021 draft, he was one of 18 players trying out for a place on Green Bay’s offseason roster. Jones won that spot. Now, he has a golden opportunity on a depth chart that lacks any proven depth behind starters Rashan Gary and Preston Smith.

“Very, very smart. The guy was the ‘Mayor of Starkville,’” Packers outside linebackers coach Jason Rebrovich said. “He played with some really good players while he was there in college. When you have an opportunity and you take advantage of that opportunity, and you come to a rookie camp as a tryout and you show what you can do to the GM, the head coach and the defensive coordinator, that’s a big step for that young man. I’m really excited about having Kobe here, I really am.”

No. 72: OLB Chauncey Manac

Jersey No. 47; 6-3, 246; rookie; Louisiana

Once upon a time, undrafted free agents were a key part of the stable of outside linebackers who joined Packers star Clay Matthews. Frank Zombo played a key role in the Super Bowl championship team. He was followed by the likes of Vic So’oto, Andy Mulumba and Jayrone Elliott.

The stage could be set again with Manac. Green Bay has an excellent starting tandem with Rashan Gary and Preston Smith but little reliable depth. Last year, aside from veteran addition Whitney Mercilus, that depth consisted mostly of Jonathan Garvin, Tipa Galeai and La’Darius Hamilton. Those three and Chauncey Rivers combined to play 665 snaps and create 34 pressures. Gary, meanwhile, played 681 snaps and had 81 pressures.

So, there’s a lot of snaps up for grabs. Maybe fifth-rounder Kingsley Enagbare will fill that role. Maybe Randy Ramsey will make an impact after missing last season with an ankle injury. Maybe one of the returning players will take a big step forward. Or maybe Manac will be the next Zombo or Elliott.

A four-star prospect, Manac chose SEC powerhouse Georgia. He redshirted in 2016, transferred to Garden City Community College for 2017 and then spent his final four seasons at Louisiana. He led the Ragin Cajuns in tackles for losses in 2018 and again in 2021. He was second-team all-Sun Belt as a super-senior with 10.5 sacks and 14.5 tackles for losses among his 57 tackles.

Coming off surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back between the 2020 and 2021 seasons, he had 40 pressures last year, according to PFF. That’s only two fewer than the hyped Big Ten tandem of David Ojabo and Boye Mafe, and more than Day 2 draft picks Josh Paschal and DeAngelo Malone.

“If you would have told me three or four years ago that I have a chance to go to the league, I would have laughed,” he told The Adverstiser. “It’s crazy.”

No. 71: K Gabe Brkic

Jersey No. NA, 6-3, 201; rookie; Oklahoma

The Packers started the offseason with J.J. Molson and Dominik Eberle as potential challengers for longtime kicker Mason Crosby. By the end of the offseason, Molson and Eberle were out and Brkic was in, having been claimed off waivers from the Vikings on June 13.

During his final season at Oklahoma, Brkic was one of three finalists for the Lou Groza Award, which goes to the nation’s top kicker. In 2021, he made 20-of-26 field-goal attempts and all but one of his 58 extra-point tries.

He has a powerful, accurate leg. The leg strength: He tied for the NCAA lead with five field goals from 50-plus yards, tied the FBS single-game record with three field goals of longer than 50 yards, and booted a 56-yarder that’s the school’s longest in the no-tee era. The accuracy: The missed extra point was the only one in his three seasons as the Sooners’ kicker.

Tell this one to your boss: Golf is part of his training.

“This past summer, I improved my golf game a lot. I think, in turn, that helped our kicking game a lot. I think they go hand-in-hand,” he told The Norman Transcript in August. Part of that is picking a target line and making sure his golf swing goes right through it. “It’s the same with field goals,” he said. “I’ll pick a target in the stands and, as long as my leg swings straight through that, I’ll hit a good ball.”

A big personality and a favorite of then-coach Lincoln Riley, Brkic credits hearty breakfasts and his mustache and mullet for his success. As he told OU Daily, “Every kick, I just think, 'I’m (going to) parallel park the football through the goal post.'”

No. 70: DT Jack Heflin

Jersey No. 96; 6-3, 304; second season; Iowa

Heflin, an undrafted free agent last season, was one of the stories of training camp en route to making the roster. Making the 53 is one thing; contributing is another. Thirty players earned playing time on the defensive side of the ball. With 17 snaps, none played fewer than Heflin. By contrast, fellow defensive lineman Abdullah Anderson was elevated from the practice squad three times and played 49 snaps.

Heflin had zero scholarship offers following his career at Erie-Prophetstown High School in Prophetstown, Ill. In fact, only three Division I schools offered a walk-on opportunity. One of those was Northern Illinois. He earned all-conference honors as a sophomore and junior before transferring to Iowa to test his mettle against Big Ten foes for his final season. He started all eight games during the COVID-shortened season.

“Small-town kid from 1,900 people. A lot of people don’t go watch football in that area,” Heflin said during training camp on Aug. 23. “I don’t know if they missed anything. It is what it is. It’s the hand that God dealt me. I’m not bitter about it. It’s just life is full of adversity. It’s just another obstacle I had to overcome and I wouldn’t change it, because it wouldn’t have made me work as hard as I did to get to where I am today.”

Defensive line might be Green Bay’s deepest position with the returns of Kenny Clark, Dean Lowry and TJ Slaton, the additions of Devonte Wyatt in the first round and Jonathan Ford in the seventh round, and the signing of veteran Jarran Reed. That’s six players. The Packers might not need more than five.

No. 69: WR Malik Taylor

Jersey No. 86; 6-1, 220; third season; Ferris State

Taylor, an undrafted free agent out of Division II Ferris State, will be entering his fourth training camp with the Packers.

He dominated last year’s preseason, catching 14-of-16 targets for 185 yards. In preseason play, he was first in the league in yards and second in receptions. That was enough to get him a spot on the 53.

“You guys saw it. I thought he earned it all the way through camp,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said. “From the first day of practices to joint practices to preseason games, he just kind of earned it the whole way. I think he’s gotten continuously better from last year, took a good step. That’s a tough group to crack. There wasn't a lot of open spots in that group, but we had some guys that had some unfortunate injuries along the way so I think the competition, he kind of stood out, and certainly in the preseason games where it matters the most, he stepped up.”

However, Taylor quickly faded into the background. After catching five passes for 66 yards and one touchdown in 2020, he caught two passes for 14 yards in 2021.

Even with speed “defenses fear,” Taylor played just three offensive snaps during the final nine games of last season. Moreover, he has a career average of only 18.9 yards per kickoff return. With an unsettled receiver corps, this will be a make-or-break training camp. He might never get a better opportunity to contribute.

No. 68: OLB La’Darius Hamilton

Jersey No. 54; 6-2, 261; second season; North Texas

With Jaire Alexander sidelined by a major shoulder injury, general manager Brian Gutekunst found Rasul Douglas on the Cardinals’ practice squad. With Za’Darius Smith sidelined following back surgery, Gutekunst found La’Darius Hamilton on the Buccaneers’ practice squad.

One of those moves was a home run. The other was not. That’s not a knock on Gutekunst. A Douglas-style signing could be a once-in-a-lifetime addition for any general manager.

Hamilton went undrafted in 2020 and spent his rookie season on the Cowboys’ practice squad. Dallas released him after the 2021 draft and he was claimed off waivers by the Buccaneers. He failed to make the Bucs’ roster but was signed to the practice squad.

As a senior at North Texas, Hamilton recorded 8.5 sacks, 10.5 tackles for losses and one forced fumble. He finished his career tied for sixth in program history with 17 sacks and added 28.5 TFLs.

In 2018, North Texas unveiled a statue to honor its most famous alumni, Hall of Famer “Mean Joe” Greene. That week, Hamilton was given Greene’s retired No. 75 jersey to wear against Louisiana Tech.

“When they first told me [Greene] said I could wear the jersey I was like, ‘This has got to be a joke, right?'” Hamilton told North Texas Daily. “We get to the game and I put it on and I’m wearing the jersey just standing there like, ‘This is crazy.’ So, I go out and I see he’s sitting there by the gate and he tells me, ‘Man, just relax, I’ve had a lot of good games in that jersey and I also had some bad ones, just go out there and play.’ So, that kind of eased the nerves and the tension of the game but at the same time, this is Mean Joe’s jersey so it was definitely a great experience and a huge honor to wear that jersey.”

For Green Bay, he played 64 snaps on defense in six games and contributed three tackles (all against the Rams), two quarterback hits and three pressures in 36 rushes. With major depth issues at outside linebacker behind starters Rashan Gary and Preston Smith, there is a golden opportunity.

No. 67: S Innis Gaines

Jersey No. 38; 6-1, 202; first season; TCU

Gaines had a knee to rehab, a dream to chase and bills to pay.

“Besides rehabbing, I would work out and do DoorDash to make money, make ends meet,” Gaines said during training camp last summer. “Because you get your own schedule, basically. You work when you want to work, so I worked out, then I’d get time to do DoorDash, do a couple hours of that and then do a couple hours in the evening and then hang out with my family and stuff; try make ends meet. So, that was perfect, really, the way you make your own hours. That was fun.”

Gaines went undrafted and unsigned in 2020 following torn ACLs that ended each of his final two seasons at TCU. He worked out for the Packers in August 2020 and was signed to a futures contract in January 2021. In between is when he picked up the DoorDash gig, delivering burgers and whatnot in the Dallas area.

Last summer, he had a strong training camp but failed to crack the roster. He was elevated off the practice squad for the Cleveland game, when he played a handful of snaps on special teams.

As it stands, the No. 3 safety is Shawn Davis. In fact, behind starters Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage, there isn’t a safety on the roster who played a snap of defense in the NFL last season.

So, the door is open for the man nicknamed “Thump.” It was name given to him by a high school coach and mentor.

“I would say about ninth grade, 10th grade, I was making some splash plays on the field,” Gaines recalled. “He was saying I need a nickname to go by because people had a hard time saying ‘Innis.’ People will say, ‘Ennis’ sometimes. So it was like, you need a nickname. He was like we should call you Thump-Thump. Then everybody started changing it from Thump-Thump to just a single Thump. And I stuck with it ever since.”

No. 66: CB Rico Gafford

Jersey No. 37; 5-10, 184; second season; Wyoming

The Packers signed the rocket-fast Gafford to a futures contract in January. He is wearing No. 37. That’s the jersey number worn by Sam Shields, who went from speed receiver at the University of Miami to standout cornerback for the Packers.

Gafford’s transition is one step beyond Shields, with Gafford going from college cornerback to NFL receiver and back to NFL cornerback.

Gafford played his final two seasons of college football at Wyoming. After intercepting two passes as a junior, he earned earn all-Mountain West Conference honors as a senior with four interceptions.

At Wyoming’s pro day in 2018 – a workout dominated by quarterback Josh Allen – Gafford made his own headlines with a dazzling 4.22 in the 40. He went undrafted, anyway, and spent his rookie training camp with the Tennessee Titans, where coach Matt LaFleur was offensive coordinator. Released at the end of camp, he joined the Oakland Raiders and was shifted to receiver. He 2019, he made his first career reception – a 49-yard touchdown vs. the Titans.

When the Packers signed veteran Sammy Watkins and drafted three more receivers, LaFleur suggested Gafford move back to defense. It’s a change he welcomed.

“Playing DB is what I love,” he said this week as part of a larger feature. “That’s who I am. Just being out there, being able to compete, I just have a different type of feeling when I’m out there. I would explain it as having more swag out there.”

At 5-foot-9 1/2, he is shorter than Green Bay’s usual standard but he’s got incredible speed to compete in a position group filled with uncertainty beyond the Big 3.

No. 65: ILB Ty Summers

Jersey No. 44; 6-1, 241; fourth season; TCU

The Packers’ need to be much, much better on special teams. Special teams have been the lot in Summers’ professional life for his three seasons.

So, does that mean Summers has a spot on the roster secured? Or, because the special teams need an almost total gutting, will Summers’ time be up when general manager Brian Gutekunst picks his 53-man roster?

Summers led the Packers with 12 tackles on special teams in 2020. He had only five last season, when the arrival of De’Vondre Campbell meant the coverage-impaired Summers didn’t have to be used on defense.

With Campbell, first-round pick Quay Walker and returning starter Krys Barnes, three spots at inside linebacker appear to be locked up. Summers, Isaiah McDuffie, Ray Wilborn and undrafted rookies Ellis Brooks and Caliph Brice will battle for the final spot or two. It was interesting to see Wilborn running ahead of McDuffie and Summers during the offseason practices.

Summers won’t duck from the challenge.

“My whole history, my whole life, has always been about competing,” he said last summer. “I’ve never had it easy. My dad played at Howard Payne University. I looked up to that and I wanted to be like him, and he always pushed me to get to this level. Whether it was dealing with injuries or dealing with guys that are elite next to me that I have to compete with, it always forced me to have to reach another level and improve my game. So, I feel like that was a big aspect leading into this situation here, it’s the same thing. Everyone’s great and we’re all out here competing for a job, but the biggest thing I’ve recognized in the whole struggle is that it’s not necessarily about me against you because we’re on the same team.”

No. 64: ILB Isaiah McDuffie

Jersey No. 58; 6-1, 227; second season; Boston College

After last year’s draft, when Packes selected McDuffie in the sixth round, a scout thought McDuffie would blossom into a starter.

“Would anyone have expected Matt Milano to start for three years in Buffalo and then get paid this offseason? I don’t think anyone would have seen that coming,” the scout said. “For Isaiah, he’s got to come in and learn the system, learn the lifestyle of the NFL, learn the speed of the game. I would think by Year 2, he’s going to hit the ground running and he’s not going to look back. When he’s more comfortable with everything, he could be a productive starter.”

That door appears to have closed. As that scout spoke last year, De’Vondre Campbell was a free agent and Quay Walker was at Georgia. Hitting fast forward, Campbell is coming off an All-Pro season, Walker was drafted in the first round and Krys Barnes should provide solid depth. That leaves McDuffie fighting for a spot on the roster.

At Boston College, McDuffie started six times as a sophomore in 2018 and finished second on the team in tackles. After missing most of the 2019 season with a torn ACL, he led Boston College and finished fifth in the nation with 107 tackles in 2020. However, he broke up only four passes in 40 career games (20 starts) and is a bit undersized.

As is the case for all backup linebackers, special teams will have to be his ticket. He didn’t make much of an impact in that phase with just two assisted tackles while ranking seventh with 192 snaps as a rookie.

“I thought Isaiah McDuffie did one of the best jobs that I’ve been around at learning the new playbook and having a process for doing that,” linebackers coach Kirk Olivadotti said in May.

No. 63: S Vernon Scott

Jersey No. 36; 6-2, 202; third season; TCU

A seventh-round pick in 2020 on the strength of a sensational final few games of his collegiate career, hopes were high for Scott entering training camp last summer. Instead, while he made the roster, his lack of development throws his spot on the roster into question.

In the race to be the No. 3 safety, Scott was beaten out by 2020 undrafted free agent Henry Black. After logging 89 snaps on defense and 184 on special teams as a rookie, Scott played zero snaps on defense and 17 on special teams in three games. It wasn’t like Black was a great player. In fact, the Packers didn’t see him worthy of even a minimum contract as an exclusive-rights free agent this offseason.

But this is a new season and a new opportunity. There is no depth behind starters Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage. The leading candidates are Shawn Davis, who played zero snaps on defense and nine snaps on special teams last season, Innis Gaines, who played zero snaps on defense and five snaps on special teams last season, and seventh-round rookie Tariq Carpenter.

“I think Vern’s doing a good job,” safeties coach Ryan Downard said at the start of offseason practices. “We’ve talked to Vern and, really, we’ve talked to all the safeties about call command. That’s a huge thing with the safeties. We’ve put them in charge of making sure that the coverage checks in the back end are in the right spots. He’s done a tremendous job with that. He’s really smart. When he gets on the board, you can tell that he knows. But he’s got to let everybody else know that he knows it as well – the linebackers in front of him, the other safety, the corner to his side – and he’s done a really good job of that.”

No. 62: S Dallin Leavitt

Jersey No. 6; 5-10, 195; fourth season; Utah State

Dallin Leavitt was signed just before the start of camp. As was the case with cornerbacks Keisean Nixon and Rico Gafford, Dallin comes to Green Bay with a history with first-year special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia.

Leavitt signed with the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent in 2018. He spent most of his rookie season on the practice squad before a late-season promotion, then played in 40 games the past three seasons.

Last season, he played in 16 games and made his first NFL start. He had 23 tackles and two passes defensed on defense and, perhaps most importantly, a team-high 12 tackles on special teams.

f Bisaccia had a say in bringing Leavitt to Green Bay, Leavitt no doubt pounced on the opportunity. The two had formed a bond with the Raiders.

"My relationship with Rich is a little bit different than just player-coach," Leavitt told Raiders.com. "He's somebody that I trust in other areas of my life as well, so that part has allowed me to fully invest in what he's telling me to do as a player as well. When you have a personal relationship with someone, you're willing to run through a wall for them."

No. 61: C/G Jake Hanson

Jersey No. 67; 6-4, 296; second season; Oregon

For years, quarterback Aaron Rodgers has correctly pointed out that being the No. 2 center was a sure-fire ticket to the roster. During the offseason practices, Hanson was the No. 2 center. The question is whether he will maintain that role or be beaten out by fourth-round pick Zach Tom.

A sixth-round pick in 2020, Hanson’s rookie season was split between the practice squad and injured reserve (hip). Last summer, because the Packers put such a high value on the center position, he beat out Ben Braden for the final roster spot on the offensive line.

“I’m really proud of Jake,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said after picking the 53-man roster. “Obviously, his career at Oregon, he had very good success. I thought you saw his talent kind of show out this year. I thought he had a great camp. He played pretty much center only when he was at Oregon. We put him in at guard in different practices, and he showed really well, so he really earned it. I’m proud of him for working through that period of time from last year to now.”

Hanson has played 19 snaps – all last season, with six on offense (five vs. Kansas City) and 13 on special teams (nine vs. Cincinnati). A 49-game starter at center at Oregon – where he was the “boss” of an offense that featured Justin Herbert – getting reps at guard last year was a challenge.

“Honestly, the biggest thing is space,” he said. “Playing center for five years in college and then mostly in training camp last year, I’m always used to having nose tackles right over me having to snap the ball, but when you move out to guard, having to back off the line of scrimmage and just playing with a lot more space proved to be a little bit of a challenge sometimes. But I feel like I’ve improved on that a lot and gotten better the more reps I’ve been able to get.”

No. 60: QB Danny Etling

Jersey No. 19; 6-3, 222; first season; LSU

Etling’s background is so unique that it deserves its own story.

No. 59: DT Jonathan Ford

Jersey No. 99; 6-5, 338; rookie; Miami

If Ford were, well, a Ford, he’d be one of those hulking F-350s and not a Ford Fusion. Ford is a massive individual, the biggest man on the defense.

“I’m at a good weight right now,” Ford said at rookie camp. “I’m just focusing on playing ball every day and giving everything I have for this team and the organization.”

With the Hurricanes, Ford played in 50 games with 30 starts over five seasons. Coming back in 2021 for the bonus COVID year, Ford played in 10 games (eight starts) and had one tackle for loss among his 14 stops. According to Pro Football Focus, Ford had 15 total pressures in 2019, when he had all three career sacks, and a combined nine the past two seasons. He wasn’t a premier run-stopper, either. His job was to devour blocks like he devours dinner.

He devoured a lot of dinners at Miami. Ford weighed 275 pounds when he was recruited but packed on the pounds during his five years. Now, defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery wants Ford to consume the playbook so he can hit it hard once camp starts. There’s an opportunity to win a spot as the sixth lineman behind Kenny Clark, Dean Lowry, Jarran Reed, TJ Slaton and first-round pick Devonte Wyatt.

“A lot of these guys, I’ve got to get them to understand, ‘Hey, this isn’t college anymore. This isn’t for fun. This is your job. This is how you provide for your family,’” Montgomery said at the start of OTAs. “You have to treat it different. And how do you treat it different? When you go home, it’s not X-Box, PlayStation time. It’s time for you to study and learn the playbook. And when you come back the next day, I’m going to know if you studied, just by questions I’m going to ask you and just how fast you respond to me.

“We don’t want them to be on the field and thinking about making a mistake. When we get on the field, we can study who people are and what they do and then play fast. He’s a guy that looks great, good-looking dude, massive body. Now, we’ve just got to get him to do what we need him to do at a high level. And he’s going to go through some ups and downs.”

No. 58: ILB Ray Wilborn

Jersey No. 57; 6-3, 230; first season; Ball State

An undrafted free agent in 2020, Wilborn signed a futures deal with the Packers in January 2021. With size and speed (4.56 in the 40-yard dash), it was interesting to see him working ahead of Ty Summers and Isaiah McDuffie during the offseason practices. Perhaps special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia sees a ball of clay waiting to be molded.

At Ball State, Wilborn started at linebacker in 2018 and safety in 2019. During those two seasons, he recorded 166 tackles, including three sacks and 12.5 for losses, and added four interceptions and eight passes defensed. Wilborn went undrafted in 2020 and spent time with the Falcons (training camp) and Steelers (practice squad).

Wilborn failed to make the roster last summer but was retained on the practice squad. He had two stints on the COVID-19 list last year.

A standout performance at Notre Dame in 2019 caught the attention of scouts.

“You looked on that field and you’re like, ‘OK, Ray Wilborn belongs on this field,’” Ball State coach Mike Neu told The Star Press before the 2020 draft. “Whether you’re looking across the field at the gold helmets or you’re looking on our sideline, you’re like, ‘OK, Ray Wilborn belongs on this field.’ And that’s his second game in his Ball State career. The lights weren’t too big. He made a bunch of plays in that game.”

No. 57: CB Kabion Ento

Jersey No. 48; 6-1, 187; second season; Colorado

Ento entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2019. He’s been good enough to stick around for three seasons thanks to a number of high-rising breakups on the practice field. He has not been good enough to play a single snap. He spent 2019 on the practice squad, 2020 on injured reserve (foot) and 2021 on the practice squad.

The 26-year-old might be out of chances, potentially making this a now-or-never camp.

Last preseason, according to Pro Football Focus, he allowed 5-of-8 passing for just 41 yards with one interception. The problem was his tackling, which was atrocious. Ento missed four in the preseason; the rest of the cornerbacks who played in the preseason missed three. He tackled like he played receiver – his position at Colorado.

A junior-college transfer, Ento caught eight passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns as a junior and 12 passes for 161 yards and zero touchdowns as a senior. Receiver prospects with his combination of size and minimal production are a dime a dozen. Cornerback prospects with his height and jumping ability (41.5-inch vertical) are a bit more scarce, so he made the switch.

“Learning how to do everything backward. Literally,” Ento said during training camp last year. “Everybody’s used to walking forward. Just trying to learn how to do the same technique over and over and over again going backward and making sure my eyes are good. As a receiver, you’re used to running a route and, as soon as you run your route, you make your break and you look at the quarterback. I can’t do that anymore. That’s something I had to fix. When a receiver makes a break, I have to break to the receiver. My coach said, ‘The quarterback ain’t throwing you the ball.’ But I’m pretty competitive so I feel like that’s what’s been helping me a lot.”

With a critical lack of depth at cornerback, now is the time to prove he was worth keeping for three years.

No. 56: CB Shemar Jean-Charles

Jersey No. 22; 5-10, 184; second season; Appalachian State

The Packers selected Jean-Charles in the fifth round in 2021. It was a popular decision by general manager Brian Gutekunst.

“He was a favorite of a bunch of our scouts,” he said. “We have a certain process we go through in the final three weeks before the draft. Guys get together and they work our board from the bottom up. This was a guy that just was the outlier for them. They were so excited to try to move this guy up the board, which we did. So, as it unfolded, I got a lot of taps on my shoulder during those period of times about him being on the board and available. So, we were thrilled to be able to select him.”

Jean-Charles was a small-school standout who was nowhere near ready for NFL action. He played 37 snaps on defense and allowed 7-of-7 passing for 82 yards, according to PFF. Really, his only memorable play came at Cincinnati, when star running back Joe Mixon juked Jean-Charles onto his butt for a touchdown.

But he was a big-time defender at Appalachian State. According to PFF, he allowed a catch rate of 32.7 percent and led the nation with 17 forced incompletions in 2020 en route to earning some All-American accolades. The hope is his nose for the football and quickness eventually will translate. There is a huge opportunity at corner, where Keisean Nixon – with one pass breakup in three seasons – is the next man up behind the premier trio of Jaire Alexander, Rasul Douglas and Eric Stokes. Now is the time to back up the scouts' belief.

No. 55: OT Rasheed Walker

Jersey No. 63; 6-6, 324; rookie; Penn State

The Packers selected Rasheed Walker in the seventh round. They weren’t necessarily looking to draft another lineman but general manager Brian Gutekunst thought the 32-game starter was too good to pass up.

Walker has great size and above-average athleticism. He wasn’t a great player, though, earning only third-team all-conference last year, so it will be up to offensive line coach Luke Butkus to maximize Walker’s talents. In PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency, which measures sacks, hits and hurries allowed per pass-rushing snap, Walker ranked 56th out of 74 tackles in the draft class. He allowed four sacks. Moreover, backs gained 1.1 yards before contact on runs to his gap, easily the worst of Sports Info Solutions’ top 24 tackle prospects.

Walker’s always been big. Oftentimes, he was deemed too big to play youth football. When he stood in the locker room for the rookie camp, he was wearing size-17 Crocs. When he was 8 or 9, he took up boxing. He didn’t fight but he did train.

“Honestly, I think it helped me a lot with my footwork and my rhythm,” he said. “Growing up, I was always kind of uncoordinated because my feet were always too big. But when I started boxing, there’s certain drills and exercises I was doing that really helped with my footwork and my rhythm.”

The Packers have drafted nine offensive linemen the past three years. Walker is the only pure offensive tackle in the group, which makes the 22-year-old an interesting developmental prospect at a premium position.

No. 54: OT Cole Van Lanen

Jersey No. 78; 6-4, 3-5; first season; Wisconsin

A sixth-round pick last year out of Wisconsin via neighboring Bay Port High School, Cole Van Lanen’s rookie experience consisted of one kneeldown snap to close out a late-season victory over the Vikings.

Family Night was a big deal for Van Lanen, having watched the event in person a few times.

“It was awesome to be able to go into Lambeau with fans and you’re the person on the field, not watching it,” he said. “It’s definitely an unbelievable feeling, something kind of indescribable. I’m just excited to get in there for a real game, feel the real atmosphere. The atmosphere was awesome tonight, but I’m really excited for a game.”

A fun story last year, Van Lanen could be entering a make-or-break second training camp. There aren’t many players on the roster with as differing possibilities for 2022. With David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins rehabbing their ACL injuries, Van Lanen spent the offseason as the No. 1 right tackle. In case of disaster with Bakhtiari, Van Lanen could be in the starting lineup for the opener at Minnesota. Or, Bakhtiari could be back, Yosh Nijman could slide to right tackle and Van Lanen could be knocked off the roster if he struggles through the preseason.

No. 52 (tie): LS Jack Coco and Steven Wirtel

Coco: Jersey No. 56; 6-2, 248; rookie; Georgia Tech

Wirtel: Jersey No. 46; 6-4, 228; second season; Iowa State

Looking at the depth charts of the other 15 NFC teams, four of the No. 1 snappers got their chance with the Packers: Carolina’s J.J. Jansen, Tampa Bay’s Zach Triner, San Francisco’s Taybor Pepper and Philadelphia’s Taybor Pepper.

So, it’s not as if the Packers’ scouts have been bad at finding long snappers. They’re just bad at keeping them.

Green Bay used a seventh-round pick in 2018 on Hunter Bradley. The Packers whacked him at midseason and called Steven Wirtel out of the bullpen. Wirtel’s claim to fame is being the fastest long snapper in Scouting Combine history.

“Going into that week, did a little research on it,” Wirtel said after being promoted from the practice squad. “I take pride in being a football player at the end of the day. I know my first job is to snap, block and then get down field. For me, I love to just get down there and ultimately just make plays. It something early on throughout the Combine training I felt really good running and just felt like it was something that I can do. You put your mind to it, you’d be surprised what you can achieve. So, yeah, it’s something I take a lot of good pride in and I’d like to showcase on the field.”

Of course, snap accuracy and blocking are the ultimate measuring sticks for a long snapper. Wirtel wasn’t awful in his nine games but he wasn’t good enough, either. On a late punt in the playoff game against San Francisco, Wirtel was bulldozed straight back. Henry Black should have stayed in to help but didn’t. The result was the disastrous blocked punt and touchdown.

The Packers didn’t use any of their four seventh-round picks on a snapper but they did add undrafted rookie Jack Coco.

Coco’s story is pretty interesting. A walk-on at Georgia Tech, he snapped on field goals (but not punts) from 2018 through 2020. In 2021, he was put on scholarship and focused only on tight end.

“The predraft process for me was being able to do as many things as possible,” Coco said during OTAs. “I used to play offensive line, so I was really good when I transferred to tight end as a blocking fullback-type position. I had good hands, too, but I was more of a blocking back in college. At pro day, I was doing whatever I could possibly do to get anyone’s attention. It just happened that long snapping was that ticket.”

Assistant special teams coach Byron Storer saw Coco’s film from pro day. He was intrigued and gave him a call a week later. Storer made him jump through some hoops to get a tryout opportunity at the rookie camp. That was enough to get Coco a spot on the offseason roster.

“I feel like all the drills that they’re putting me through, it’s a lot of chaos but it’s chaos needed to get better with the job,” he said.

No. 51: TE Dominique Dafney

Jersey No. 49; 6-2, 243; second season; Indiana State

Every season brings a great story. In 2020, it was Dominique Dafney.

At Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa, Dafney was an all-state receiver. He spent 2016 at Iowa Western Community College, where he did not see any action, before transferring to Iowa for the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Not seeing much playing time on offense, he relocated to Indiana State.

His senior year was going nowhere fast until he was moved to wildcat quarterback at the end of the season. In the final game of his collegiate career, Dafney rushed for 244 yards and scored five touchdowns against Missouri State. That’s 29 more yards than his combined receiving yardage total from his two seasons at Iowa and the one season at Indiana State.

After going undrafted in 2020, Dafney got a chance with the Colts but failed to make their roster. Out of football and needing an income, he got a job as a bouncer at Des Moines bar.

“I had to do something,” Dafney said. “I was going crazy and the routine of waking up, going to lift and going home and eating and doing nothing for the rest of the day was driving me nuts, so I had to do something. One of my friends from back home was like, just come work with us. It was an easy job. I didn’t really have to do anything. I just kind of sat there and got paid and that was it. I just needed something to break that cycle, so I had a job just to fill time.”

Dafney joined the Packers’ practice squad on Oct. 12, 2020. About two-and-a-half months later, he caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers.

In 2021, he played in 10 games and caught 2-of-4 passes for 34 yards. He blocked well in his “universal” role as tight end/fullback/receiver.

No. 50: WR Juwann Winfree

Jersey No. 88; 6-1, 210; third season; Colorado

Juwann Winfree’s been Mr. May and June. Now, he needs to be Mr. August and September.

Winfree was drafted by the Broncos in 2019 and joined the Packers’ practice squad in 2020. In 2021, when most of the team’s top receivers skipped the offseason practices, Winfree took full advantage. However, a shoulder injury last training camp derailed Winfree’s bid to make the roster. Winfree opened the season on the practice squad and wound up playing in seven games. He caught 8-of-13 passes for 58 yards, including four catches for 30 yards at Arizona when the Packers lined up without Davante Adams, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Allen Lazard.

“With him, physically, I feel great about him,” receivers coach Jason Vrable said after that game. “All training camp, he was winning his one-on-ones. I thought he had a good chance to make the initial roster. I think everybody saw it – the coaches, the scouts. Then he had the injury. But the one thing with him, every week we do tests and the tip sheets and stuff like that. I grade them and I grade him the same way I grade a starter. His tests have been as good if not better than any guy on the field. I can tell his mental capacity of pushing himself every week, even though he hasn’t been active, has been at an all-time high.”

Winfree had the only two fumbles by a Packers receiver last season. He also had one drop.

Fast forward to this year’s offseason practices and Winfree once again was one of the more productive receivers on the field. A golden opportunity awaits.

No. 49: WR Samori Toure

Jersey No. 83; 6-1, 191; rookie; Nebraska

During a recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, quarterback Aaron Rodgers was asked about the three receivers the Packers drafted.

“Physically, they definitely look the part, all three of them,” Rodgers said. “All three of the guys we drafted, they all have physical gifts. Obviously, the top two picks are bigger, (Romeo) Doubs and (Christian) Watson, but the seventh-round pick’s got a lot of stuff to him.”

The seventh-rounder with the “stuff” is Samori Toure. While he didn’t get the hype of the earlier picks, he stood out with some key receptions during two-minute drills.

Toure was the last of Green Bay’s 11 draft picks. He opened his career at Montana. After redshirting in 2016, he scored 20 touchdowns from 2017 through 2019. COVID wiped out the 2020 season – he called not playing “torture” – and he transferred to Nebraska for his super-senior season. Proving he didn’t put up fat numbers against inferior competition, Toure caught 46 passes (only two drops) for 898 yards (19.5 average) and five touchdowns. In total, he caught 201 passes for 3,386 yards and 25 touchdowns.

“I think it was fairly critical just being able to play against the best competition,” Toure said. “Being in the Big Ten is something I feel that prepared me pretty well for the NFL. I think I still could have made it out of Montana, but I think Nebraska definitely better prepared me for the NFL.”

Not invited to the Scouting Combine, he measured 6-0 7/8 and ran his 40 in 4.44 seconds at pro day.

No. 48: S Tariq Carpenter

Jersey No. 24; 6-3, 230; rookie; Georgia Tech

One of the team’s seventh-round picks, Tariq Carpenter is an interesting prospect. He has size at 6-foot-2 7/8 and 230 pounds. He’s got speed with a 4.47 time in the 40. He’s got experience as a four-year starter in a strong conference. He’s got production with four interceptions and 22 passes defensed.

“I like him,” safeties coach Ryan Downard said at the start of OTAs. “Love the questions that he’s asking right now. Looking at him in rookie minicamp, he really can move for as big as he is. That to me was the biggest impression he made on me – just his movement skills for his size.”

For all the talk of Carpenter having a hybrid role as a safety/linebacker, he played only safety during the offseason practices. Carpenter didn’t do much to stand out during those sessions. He was a day late and a dollar short too often. But as the reps in training camp multiply and he gets a better grasp on his duties and he’s allowed to put his size and physicality to use, he could push his way up the depth chart.

Talk about a golden opportunity: The Packers don’t have a veteran backup for starters Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage. The No. 3 throughout the offseason was Shawn Davis, who played in only one game last year and didn’t log a single snap on defense.

If nothing else, he could develop into a real X-factor on a special teams that’s in desperate need of playmakers.

“I’m willing to do whatever the team needs,” he said during rookie camp. “I’m not about myself. I’m always going to be team-first. If I’m going to be playing special teams and if I can contribute to us winning the Super Bowl, then that’s what I’m willing to do.”

Carpenter’s mother played college basketball at Central Methodist before becoming an Army staff sergeant. She served three deployments to Iraq and one in Afghanistan.

“She always told me to bring my ‘A’ game wherever I’m at, whether that’s in the classroom or in the meeting rooms,” Carpenter said at rookie camp. “Anywhere I’m at, whenever I’m talking to people, I always bring my ‘A’ game. She just always prepared me. I wasn’t given anything when I was young. If I wanted a pair of shoes, I had to get good grades or I had to cut the grass or something. I know everything here is going to be earned. I’m not coming in expecting to have a job or have a spot on special teams or even on defense.”

No. 47: DT T.J. Slaton

Jersey No. 93; 6-4, 330; second season; Florida

A fifth-round pick last year thanks to an excellent predraft workout, T.J. Slaton averaged 15 snaps per game as a rookie. However, there is a good sample size of playing time. When Kenny Clark dropped out at Kansas City with a back injury, Slaton played 45 snaps. Then, he played more than 20 snaps in each of the final four games with a total of 103.

Slaton finished with 23 tackles, one sack and two quarterback hits. Notably, the run defense was 0.71 yards per snap better when Slaton was on the field, tops among Packers defenders with regular playing time. Some of that success is rooted in playing frequently on predictable running downs but that stat shows his power and promise.

The offseason additions of Jarran Reed in free agency and Devonte Wyatt with a first-round pick might eat into Slaton’s playing time but he deserves to be on the field.

“T.J.’s done a nice job,” defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery said at the start of OTAs. “His work capacity alone has definitely increased. I think that’s a learning curve for a lot of young players is they don’t know necessarily what they’re getting into when they first get into this league. A lot of these guys, after the Combine, they go on basically a world tour. They’ve got teams bringing them in and they’ve got inconsistent workout routines, and so it is a little bit more challenging for some of the guys that others. I think he’s light-years ahead of where he was a year ago.”

No. 46: RB Kylin Hill

Jersey No. 32; 5-10, 214; second season; Mississippi State

Kylin didn’t make much of an impact as a rookie; a torn ACL on a kickoff return at Arizona ruined his hopes of earning a bigger role. And he didn’t make much of an impact compared to a single tweet from June 22, 2020.

In response to a statement by Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves concerning the controversial Mississippi state flag, Hill responded:

Either change the flag or I won’t be representing this State anymore 💯 & I meant that .. I’m tired https://t.co/IzizpWLoIg

— Kylin Hill (@H_Kylin) June 22, 2020

Thanks in part to that tweet, Mississippi voters approved a new flag free of Confederate symbolism. Linebacker Kobe Jones, now a member of the Packers, was the first MSU player to sprint onto the field with the new flag.

“It just took the courage,” Hill said at pro day before last year’s draft. “I’m an athlete, I’m branded very well, so I felt like somebody in my position had to speak up. I knew the backlash I was going to get, (but) my family, my teammates and even the coaches stood behind me and helped out. The support I was getting felt good, even from players from other schools backed me up and motivated me to let me know they were behind me. I knew what I was doing, I just took a big risk and, if I had to go back and do it over, I would have.”

A seventh-round pick, Hill carried 10 times for 24 yards (2.4 average; long of 8) and caught one pass for 5 yards in eight games. While he averaged only 19.9 yards per kickoff return, he did have the season’s longest (41 yards). Whenever he returns from the knee injury, he’ll have to beat out Patrick Taylor to regain the No. 3 job.

No. 45: RB Patrick Taylor

Jersey No. 27; 6-2 217; second season; Memphis

From Hurricane Katrina to his battle with a major foot injury to his breakout performance vs. Detroit, running back Patrick Taylor is worthy of his own story as the front-runner to be the team’s No. 3 back.

No. 44: LB Krys Barnes

Jersey No. 51; 6-2, 229; third season; UCLA

Krys Barnes is part of the Packers’ rich history with undrafted free agents. In 2020, he went undrafted out of UCLA despite starting 31 games and recording 212 career tackles.

That’s nothing.

The Packers released him at the end of training camp and signed him to their practice squad on Sept. 6. A week later, he was in the starting lineup for the Week 1 game at Minnesota. He wound up becoming just the third undrafted player since 2000 to record at least 75 tackles as a rookie.

“A year ago, I had no idea where I was going to be at,” Barnes said last summer. “But now being here today, my mindset has been to put it in God’s hands. He’s put me in a position to succeed and, now that I have the opportunity, I’m going to do everything in my power to keep it. There are things I can control, and that’s my effort and my attitude and everything like that. Everything that I can control in my power, I will.”

As a rookie, Barnes had 78 tackles, including five for losses, in 13 games (10 starts). In 2021, he had 79 tackles, including four for losses, and added four passes defensed while playing in 16 games (13 starts). On a per-snap basis, he recorded more tackles than All-Pro De’Vondre Campbell.

What Barnes couldn’t control was general manager Brian Gutekunst’s 2022 draft class, which included Georgia’s Quay Walker with a first-round pick. Presumably, at some point during training camp, Walker will move ahead of Barnes on the depth chart and Barnes will be merely a really good backup and special-teams player.

No. 43: G/C Zach Tom

Jersey No. 50; 6-4, 304; rookie; Wake Forest

Rookie offensive lineman Zach Tom has lofty goals.

“I want to be somebody who can play all five positions at a high level,” he said during rookie camp. “That’s the goal. That’s my main goal for offseason, through camp. I want to be somebody who can go out there at any position and you can rely on to perform at a high level.”

Tom’s drive comes in part from growing up alongside his older brother, Cameron, who was a four-year starter on the Southern Miss offensive line. He’s played in 13 games since entering the NFL in 2017, though he remains unsigned with training camps on the horizon.

“We fought a lot growing up,” Tom said. “As we got older, he got bigger. We talked more about football stuff. I would ask him questions about football and he would answer. Especially when he got to the Saints, it was stuff like that that he helped me out with. Even going through this process, he answered all of my questions and really helped me to remain calm throughout all this stressful situation.”

They were together when he got the call from the Packers in the fourth round, though being drafted will forever give Zach bragging rights.

“He was stoked that I was coming to a good situation,” he said.

At Wake Forest, Zach Tom started at center in 2019 and at left tackle in 2020 and 2021. At Southern Miss, Cameron Tom started at right tackle as a freshman before shifting to center for his final three seasons. Cameron shared more than just the tricks of the trade.

“The best piece of advice he gave me through this process is just be yourself in the interviews,” said Tom, who spent the offseason at center and guard. “Just be genuine and don’t try to be somebody you aren’t. I don’t have anything to hide. That’s really the main thing he told me was be yourself.”

No. 42: G/T Sean Rhyan

Jersey No. 75; 6-5, 321; rookie; UCLA

Second-round pick Christian Watson grew up around football because his father played in the NFL. Fourth-round pick Zach Tom grew up around football because his older brother played in college and reached the NFL.

Third-round pick Sean Rhyan, on the other hand, did everything but play football until high school.

He surfed and competed in judo. He played baseball and rugby. He even played the violin.

“Rugby was my favorite sport before I found and fell in love with football,” Rhyan said after being drafted. “There’s not really set plays. You’re kind of on the field the whole time, running around, tackling. You’re playing defense and offense the whole time. What I think rugby taught me at a young age was not to be afraid of contact really and, no matter the opponent or how big they were or how big I was, we’re both on the field at the same time and whoever plays the hardest for the longest is going to come out on top.”

Rhyan’s father was a professional motocross racer; his grandfather was a professional boxer.

“I wanted to get on a bike but he got injured so much that he wouldn’t allow me to,” Rhyan said at rookie camp. “Riding a motorcycle could jeopardize that, so he never let me get on a bike. I’m so blessed and thankful that he never did or else who knows. I wouldn’t be a Packer today, maybe.”

Rhyan, whose 33.5-inch vertical jump was tops among this year’s Scouting Combine offensive linemen, started all 31 games at left tackle for the Bruins. During the offseason practices, he played guard and right tackle. He’s potentially one injury away from joining David Bakhtiari and Aaron Rodgers in the lineup.

“It’s surreal (that) I’m in the same locker room as them,” Rhyan said. “Time to kind of build a name for myself. Just like when you hear David’s name, you know exactly who he is and how good of a player he is. Aaron Rodgers, too. You know who they are. It’s time for me to start building my name up a little bit.”

No. 41: TE Tyler Davis

Jersey No. 84; 6-4, 252; third season; Georgia Tech

Davis, a sixth-round pick by Jacksonville last year, was grabbed off the Colts’ practice squad in September. He became a key player down the stretch, when he averaged 20 snaps on offense and 21 snaps on special teams during the final four games of the regular season and the playoffs. He finished the season with four receptions for 35 yards.

With Robert Tonyan iffy for the start of the season, he could have a huge role.

“The opportunity that I have is awesome,” Davis said during OTAs. “We’re pretty similar in the type of body type that this tight end position that me and Bobby play. I’ve got tons of clips of Bobby on my iPad that I watch every day. Just trying to emulate him and trying to be exactly like him is a big deal. Whatever role they have for me, I’m open for it.”

For more on Davis, and the inescapable comparisons to Tonyan, click here for our offseason feature.

No. 40: WR Romeo Doubs

Jersey No. 87; 6-2, 204; rookie; Nevada

At Nevada, Romeo Doubs caught passes from Carson Strong. Strong is no slouch but he’s also no Aaron Rodgers. Doubs admitted to being a bit star-struck after catching passes from Rodgers at minicamp.

“At one point, yeah, because I grew up watching him play with receivers like Donald Driver, and the list goes on,” Doubs said. “It’s very shocking for me but, after today, getting that feel of his trajectory of the ball, how it comes, I’m able to pick it up now and just focus on the next day.”

Thriving in Nevada’s Air Raid system, Doubs was one of the most productive receivers in the class. In four seasons, he caught 224 passes for 3,322 yards (14.8 average) and 26 touchdowns. He had 40-plus receptions in every season and 1,000-plus yards as a junior and senior. As a senior, he hauled in 80 passes for 1,109 yards (13.9 average) and 11 touchdowns. In what could be a major added bonus, he averaged 12.5 yards per punt return with one touchdown in four seasons.

Doubs was a big-time deep threat at Nevada, and that’s a niche the Packers must fill after losing Marquez Valdes-Scantling in free agency. At 6-foot-1 7/8, Doubs ran his 40 in 4.53 seconds at pro day. That’s not exactly comparable to MVS’s 4.37 at the 2018 Combine, but Doubs showed that long-ball prowess on more than one occasion during the offseason practices.

“He plays fast, runs by a lot of people, so we’re good there. The 40’s great but that play speed on tape is real,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said.

The Packers have to replace the production of Davante Adams and Valdes-Scantling. But that’s not the only reason why Doubs landed in a good spot in the fourth round.

“My mother’s a Green Bay fan,” he said after being drafted. “I just think it’s really great to just be a part of something that she can really root for, along with myself knowing the history of just playing for Green Bay. I know a lot about Aaron Rodgers. I know a lot about Davante Adams. Unfortunately, I know he’s gone, but I just know it’s an opportunity for me to really play for the organization, whether it’s helping on the field or just helping off the field. I’m just blessed and thankful to be a part of something really special.”

No. 39: OLB Tipa Galeai

Jersey No. 40; 6-5, 229; second season; Utah State

There weren’t many bigger believers in Tipa Galeai than his old position coach, Mike Smith.

“Talking about Rashan when he was younger, the more you play, the better you get,” Smith said late last season. “With Tipa, I know there’s something in there. I think I’ve got decent eyes seeing talent and seeing talent in different people that bring different things to the table. With him, he’s a slippery-type rusher that we don’t have. All our guys are big and strong, which is good. We’re built on a lot of stuff like that. But he brings something to the table.”

In a room full of 250-plus-pound bruisers, Galeai is the guy with the potential to win on quicks. He had 10.5 sacks during his junior season at Utah State in 2018, five sacks as a senior and joined the Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2020. Playing off the bench for the final seven games of last season, he averaged 21.7 snaps and contributed 12 tackles and one sack. Of Green Bay’s six outside linebackers with at least 35 pass-rushing snaps, his pass-rush win rate at Pro Football Focus was a unit-worst 9.0 percent.

It’s worth noting he was active ahead of Jonathan Garvin for the playoff game.

No. 38: OLB Randy Ramsey

Jersey No. 56; 6-3, 238; third season; Arkansas

Randy Ramsey was in position to be a key backup at the start of training camp last year but missed the season with a broken ankle.

“It’s been a crazy journey from when it happened,” he said. “Aug. 2 was the day; Aug. 5 was the day I got the surgery. To go from that to now, to be running and sprinting and jumping and training, man, I’m glad that I’m coming up out of that storm. I’m so used to going 100 mph. To be shut down and have to work on the little things that matter, you realize the little things are what make the big things run. From that standpoint, that process was long.”

An undrafted free agent in 2019 after recording 7.5 sacks at Arkansas, he played in 12 games in 2020 and logged 75 snaps on defense (two tackles) and 204 more on special teams (nine tackles).

Ramsey thought he’d be cleared for Day 1 of training camp but will start training camp on PUP.

“I had finally built my confidence and worked my way up the ranks of the guys. I finally felt like I belonged. I knew I was going to have a good role,” he said. “Everything happens for a reason. I just kept my head down and worked. We’ll see what this year brings, because I know I’m coming back better than what I was before I got hurt.”

How so? “My mental aspect, the film and my patience. Understanding that, no matter what, as long as you continue to work and stay consistent, everything’s going to work out.”

No. 37: OLB Jonathan Garvin

Jersey No. 53; 6-4, 257; third season; Miami

The Packers drafted Garvin in the seventh round in 2020. He went from 85 snaps as a rookie to 395 last season, the jump due in large part to Za’Darius Smith missing most of the season with a back injury.

In 16 games, Garvin collected 19 tackles, including 1.5 sacks. Of the six outside linebackers to play at least 35 pass-rushing snaps last season, he ranked fifth with a pass-rush win rate of 12.1 percent.

Garvin is a no-nonsense power player.

“It’s the basis of my pass rush, I would say,” he said. “It’s not in a bad way. It doesn’t mean that I’m slow or anything but using your power, using what you do best, sets up everything else. And then as far as playing the run, of course, that’s always great being able to hold the edge and being able to enforce your will wherever you want to go or, if one person is trying to go one way, you can prevent that and force him to go another way against his will. That’s where strength and really leverage comes into play all the time. Sometimes, it’s not always strength. You’ve got to have the proper leverage to move people out of the way when you need to.”

Garvin played 20-plus snaps in 11 games and at least 12 in all 16 appearances but was inactive for the playoff game. He will turn only 23 on Thursday, so he’s still young and full of potential. At the same time, this will be Year 3. This could be a make-or-break camp.

No. 36: OLB Kingsley Enagbare

Jersey No. 55; 6-4, 258; rookie; South Carolina

Enagbare’s first name is Kingsley but he’ll answer to J.J., as well.

“When I was a kid, around 4 or 5, there was a show called Jay Jay the Jet Plane,” he said at rookie camp. “The main character was Jay Jay and, I guess when I was a kid, I used to act like him. Then it just stuck with me.”

At South Carolina, Enagbare had a breakout junior season with six sacks, seven tackles for losses and three forced fumbles in just eight games. In 12 games as a senior, he added 4.5 sacks, seven tackles for losses and one forced fumble. While the splash plays were down, he drew six holding penalties. In the draft class, only Florida State’s Jermaine Johnson (nine) forced more. According to Sports Info Solutions, out of 32 edge defenders in its draft guide, he ranked fourth with a pressure rate of 17 percent.

“Love him. Love his length, love his ability, very, very smart in the classroom,” outside linebackers coach Jason Rebrovich said. “He’s a cerebral kid, understands stuff, transitions from the classroom on the field. We got some technique stuff we’ve got to clean up and work up a little bit but, first impression, he’s done a really, really outstanding job.”

No. 35: TE Josiah Deguara

Jersey No. 81; 6-2, 238; third season; Cincinnati

When the Packers drafted Deguara in the third round in 2020, the hope was he’d develop into a player in the mold of star 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk.

That hasn’t gotten close to happening, though some of that might be circumstances. As a rookie, Deguara suffered a torn ACL in his second game. Last season, starter Robert Tonyan suffered a torn ACL at midseason, changing everyone’s role in the tight end room.

Deguara had a decent second season, catching 25-of-33 passes (75.8 percent) for 245 yards and two touchdowns. A big chunk of the yards came on a tight end screen that turned into a 62-yard touchdown in the finale at Detroit. Prior to that, Deguara’s largest output for an entire game was only 44 yards.

“I expect a big jump from all these guys,” coach Matt LaFleur said in May of the tight ends. “I think Josiah’s had a great mindset. I think that you can really see him as the season progressed last year, it seemed like he was playing faster. Definitely knew what to do. Any time you’re coming off a pretty significant injury like that, it takes some time. And we were really happy with him at the end of the year and hopefully he can build upon that. That play he had against Detroit that he took to the house, I think that really showed what he’s really capable of doing.”

According to PFF, he played 162 snaps as a traditional tight end, 108 as a slot receiver, 53 as a wide receiver and 44 at fullback. In a perfect world, there’d be less tight end and more fullback – there isn’t a true fullback on the roster – to maximize his traits.

No. 34: CB Keisean Nixon

Jersey No. 25; 5-10, 200; fourth season; South Carolina

Back when Keisean Nixon was playing in Snoop Dogg’s youth league, he never thought the NFL was a real possibility.

“No, absolutely not,” Nixon said during OTAs. “I had a rough upbringing. It was hard. I took a long route but I got here. When I was younger, absolutely not. When I was in junior college, I worked out with a couple NFL guys and I felt like I was better than them when we were doing drills. So, that’s when I thought I could play at the next level. I’ve just got to get there.”

A junior-college transfer before playing two years at South Carolina, Nixon intercepted two passes as a junior and tied for the team lead with nine passes defensed as a senior. At pro day before the 2019 draft, he measured 5-foot-10 1/4, ran his 40 in 4.42 seconds and posted a 32.5-inch vertical jump. He went undrafted but made it with the Raiders. After three seasons there, he signed with the Packers in free agency.

Reuniting with Rich Bisaccia, the Raiders’ former special teams coordinator and interim coach, was a big factor. On the day Nixon spoke, Bisaccia flipped out when the long snapper rocketed a snap over the punter’s head and then the punt team was sloppy coming out of the huddle.

“That’s him. That’s him,” Nixon said with a smile. “He’s going to be himself and it’s going to be 100 percent authentic. You either like it or you’re not, but he’s not going to change his ways for anybody. He’s one of the reasons why I chose to come here. I had a couple options but I’m comfortable coming here with Rich. And they win here and it’s a great organization, so it was a no-brainer.”

Nixon spent the offseason working as the fourth cornerback. If the starters are healthy, he will spend the season as a key cog on Bisaccia’s retooled special teams. If one of the starters goes down, Nixon would be pushed into the starting lineup. In 40 career games with the Raiders, he broke up only one pass. Pro Football Focus charged him with 19 completions in 24 targets (79.2 percent) in three seasons.

“There’s a big opportunity here,” Nixon said.

As for Snoop, it wasn’t just his name on the league. Nixon played for and against the music legend’s teams.

“He’s a rock star but he’s a good coach. We keep in touch a lot,” Nixon said. His best advice? “Stick to it, and I stuck to it. No matter what you go through, you’ve got to do it.”

No. 33: S Shawn Davis

Jersey No. 30; 5-11, 202; first season; Florida

Shawn Davis was a fifth-round by the Indianapolis Colts last year. He failed to make the Colts’ roster and joined the Packers’ practice squad in September. He wound up playing nine snaps on special teams in his one appearance.

With that humble resume, Davis spent the offseason as the No. 3 safety, making him the potential next man up behind Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage.

“When I watched his college tape, he was a really explosive player,” safeties coach Ryan Downard said. “He’s a very smart player. We do a really good activity in the room where the guys get up on the board during the season, and he’ll blow you away with what he’s able to process. (He has) explosiveness, athletic ability and being able to process and we continue to build on the call command and being able to trust that you’re going to put us in the right thing. He’s starting to show all those things and he’s just continued that this spring.”

For Davis, physicality is his calling card.

“He’ll knock the absolute dog out of you,” Colts GM Chris Ballard said after drafting Davis.

In four seasons at Florida, he intercepted five passes. Before the 2021 draft, he measured 5-foot-10 5/8 and 202 pounds. He injured a hamstring on his 40 but had a 39.5-inch vertical leap.

“At the position that I play, you have to be very physical because you are the last line of defense,” Davis said upon being drafted. “If you’re not physical then it’s all touchdowns coming from the backend on your part, so I made being physical a part of my game and one of my physical strengths.”

No. 32: DT Dean Lowry

Jersey No. 94; 6-6, 296, seventh season; Northwestern

2021 review: Lowry started every game for a third consecutive season. Along with his 42 tackles, he set a career high with five sacks. After a combined three sacks, six quarterback hits, four tackles for losses and 39 quarterback pressures in 32 games in 2019 and 2020, Lowry had the five sacks, nine quarterback hits, five tackles for losses and 42 pressures in 2021.

2022 outlook: For years, it’s been the Kenny Clark and Dean Lowry Show, with assorted supporting characters. With the additions of veteran Jarran Reed and first-round pick Devonte Wyatt, less will be asked of Lowry. Something to keep in mind: The Packers could release him and save $5.95 million of cap space.

Quote to note: “I think at the end of the day, when you find out who you are as a person and a player, and you buy into that, all of a sudden you start to excel, and I think he’s done that,” defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery said. “I think he realizes, ‘Hey, this is who I am, this is how I can affect the quarterback,’ and that’s not being a guy running around people. This is him being a hard hat, knock people back, high-effort, high-energy, violent player, and I think he’s really bought into that. He’s always been solid in the run and he’s always been able to affect the quarterback.”

No. 31: DT Jarran Reed

Jersey No. 90; 6-3, 307; seventh season; Alabama

The Packers signed Jarran Reed in free agency. A second-round pick in 2016 – after Kenny Clark but before Dean Lowry – Reed had 10.5 sacks in 2018 and 6.5 sacks in 2020. Other than a six-game suspension to open the 2019 season, Reed has started all but one game the past five years.

“I’ve got plenty left in the tank,” Reed said following an offseason practice. “I’ve got things I want to accomplish myself. Hopefully I can get those things but, overall, I want to leave this thing with a Super Bowl ring. That’s what we’re chasing.”

Reed is a big guy. He was born big, too. At birth, he was 10 pounds, 7 ounces. He’s always been a prodigy, too. He skipped crawling and started walking at 7 1/2 months old. “I knew then something would come from that,” his mom, Anjanette, told AL.com. “I believe that was the beginning of what we have now in him being an athlete.”

2021 review: Reed signed with Kansas City last offseason and started all 17 games. He recorded 43 tackles, including 2.5 sacks. If the Packers get the playoff version of Reed, they’ll be thrilled, because he was excellent in those three games.

2022 outlook: Reed has been a workhorse throughout his career. He played 78 percent of the defensive snaps in 2018, 70 percent in 2019 and 74 percent in 2020 before playing “only” 64 percent in 2021. With the addition of first-round pick Devonte Wyatt, Reed could be part of a powerhouse defensive line.

Quote to note: “I feel I can play anywhere, especially in this defensive scheme. I don’t like to have limitations on my game. I like to be able move around, to be mobile up and down the line.”

No. 30: P Pat O’Donnell

Jersey No. 16; 6-4, 220; ninth season; Miami

2021 review: The 32-year-old was a sixth-round pick by the Bears in 2014. In eight seasons, he’s got a lofty average of 45.1 yards. While he’s not getting any younger, he averaged 45.7 yards in 2020 and 46.2 yards in 2021. In 2020, he tied for third in the NFL with 28 punts inside the 20.

2022 outlook: As a punter, there was nothing wrong with Corey Bojorquez that time and seasoning might not have fixed. But the Packers don’t have time. New special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia’s got a lot on his plate to fix everything that’s wrong with Green Bay’s consistently awful kicking units. With the reliable O’Donnell punting and holding for kicks, Bisaccia should be able to focus on other things.

Quote to note: “I take a lot of pride in holding, just like I do punting. That’s half of it for me. Being on the field holding for field goals, you’ve got to put points on the board. I’ve been fortunate to have a lot of good kickers that I’ve worked with in the past. Having a veteran like Mason, I think we’re going to hit the ground running. I think it’s important for me to be the caddy. We kind of bounce ideas off each other with how the wind’s playing, how he likes the ball held and leaned, I think that’s really important. It kind of goes unnoticed but I think it’s really important to have that chemistry with your holder and me with the kicker.”

No. 29: WR Randall Cobb

Jersey No. 18; 5-10, 195; 12th season; Kentucky

2021 review: Brought back at the urging of Aaron Rodgers at the start of camp last year, Randall Cobb caught 28-of-39 targets (71.8 percent) for 375 yards (13.4 average) and five touchdowns. He didn’t drop any passes and rewarded Rodgers with a 144.2 passer rating. He had two-touchdown games against Pittsburgh and Arizona, and he was a huge part of the offense in a key win over the Rams before suffering a core-muscle injury that sidelined him for the final six games.

2022 outlook: Cobb accepted a pay cut to return to the team that drafted him in 2011 and to be Rodgers’ right-hand man. Without Davante Adams, Cobb figures to be a key figure early in the season but will have to hold off Amari Rodgers as the season progresses. His role as a mentor to the rookie corps of Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and Samori Toure can’t be overstated.

Quote to note: “Just making sure that they understand that they have all the tools, that they’re all special. They wouldn’t be here if they weren’t,” Cobb said of the rookies. Continuing about Watson, Cobb said, “He has the total package. Just being around him for the past week and seeing some of the things he can do. He has all the tools. He’s very gifted. It’s about applying it, taking the stuff he learns in the classroom and taking it to the field. He has the tools. It’s about refining those tools. It takes time. It’s not going to happen overnight. That’s what I was trying to tell him on our ride up earlier today – it’s a process. Just enjoy the process and have fun with it, don’t get so caught up in your head and press and think that it’s going to happen overnight. Because it never does.”

No. 28: WR Amari Rodgers

Jersey No. 8; 5-9, 212; second season; Clemson

2021 review: A third-round pick last year, Rodgers’ hopes of having an immediate role on offense died the moment the team traded for Randall Cobb. He caught 4-of-8 passes for 45 yards (11.3 average) with zero touchdowns and one drop. On special teams, he averaged 8.3 yards per punt return and 18.1 yards per kickoff return. On punt returns, simply catching the ball was an adventure at times, though he got better in that phase at the end of the season and wound up with seven returns of 15-plus yards.

2022 outlook: Thinking he was too heavy last year, Rodgers has remade his body. On Monday, he posted on Twitter than he had gone from 218 pounds at the start of the offseason to 202.

“This offseason, I locked in on getting my body right,” Rodgers said during OTAs. “I feel like the reason why I wasn’t able to play as much is because I wasn’t in shape the way I wanted to (be). I wasn’t able to go out there and play fast the way I wanted to because my body type and how much I weighed and how I was moving. I really took that to heart this offseason. I brought a chef in, focused on conditioning every single day doing something so I can get a good sweat in so I keep my body and my weight down.”

Through not playing on offense and the struggles as a returner, Rodgers’ confidence took a hit. With a new body and a new outlook, the confidence has returned – and then some.

“I’m definitely Amari Rodgers now,” he said. “I was probably Amari Rodg last year or Amari Rodger, for sure.”

Quote to note: “Being a competitor, you want to be at the level you want to be to go out there and make plays for a team. But it’s just like being a freshman in high school again, every time you’re at that new level, you’ve got to start over. That’s really how I saw it throughout the year. I knew I had to learn, and I had to get up to beat with the offense and just being in the NFL. When I realized I probably wasn’t going to be getting as many snaps as I wanted to, I just started learning from different people, taking different things so that when the offense came, I could come back now and be ready.”

No. 27: TE Marcedes Lewis

Jersey No. 89; 6-6, 267; 17th season; UCLA

2021 review: Marcedes Lewis had an excellent season as the oldest tight end in the NFL. He caught 23-of-28 passes (82.1 percent) for 214 yards (9.3 average). He did not get in the end zone but he didn’t have any drops. Of the 53 tight ends who were targeted at least 25 times, Lewis ranked third in catch percentage and eighth in yards after the catch per catch (6.5), according to Pro Football Focus. However, his fumble was the major turning point of the playoff loss to the 49ers. Already leading 7-0, Green Bay was on the way to more points when he was stripped by Fred Warner. In 426 career receptions, he had fumbled only five times.

“If you care, you’re going to have nightmares,” he said. “That’s exactly what happened. Watching as the playoffs went on, it’s like, ‘Damn, that’s a play I wish I had back’ amongst, as a team, other plays we wish we had back. But that’s one that I could’ve potentially controlled and I wish I had that back.”

2022 outlook: With or without Robert Tonyan, it will be more of the same for Lewis. He will be asked to power the run game as a blocker, catch the occasional pass and run over some defenders on the field, and lead with his sage words of wisdom in the locker room.

Assuming he makes the roster – and he will – he will tie Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten for most seasons in NFL history by a tight end.

“My goal when I got drafted was to play 10. I figured 10 was like, ‘Yeah, that’s a great career.’ I figured I’d be tired and ready for it to end,” Lewis said. “And then once I got 10, I was like, ‘Damn, I feel good, like I can still continue to do this.’ Got to 13 … Once I got to 13, 14, I was like, ‘Let me see what the record is.’ This year, I’ll tie the record. It would be great to break it and then I would consider, ‘OK, I’ve done that.’ 18 is kind of bizarre, especially at the tight end position.”

Quote to note: “I just remember Tony Gonzalez getting 17 first. I think he was with Atlanta. Tony’s a good friend of mine so that was something that I followed close anyway. When he got to 17, I was like, ‘God, I don’t know if I can do 17.’ The way we play tight end is totally different. Tony was more pass catching. I did a lot of both. Now, I’m in my second prime as far as run blocking and stuff like that. Obviously, I’m in the trenches with what I do. If I want to get 18, I have to consider, ‘Yo, I’m playing the game way different than how pass catching and catching passes.’ My heart and my mind have to be aligned like, ‘Yo, I want to go get this record.’”

No. 26: LG Jon Runyan

Jersey No. 76; 6-4, 307; third season; Michigan

2021 review: When the Packers drafted Jon Runyan in the sixth round in 2020, he hoped to escape the large shadow cast by his father, former NFL lineman Jon Runyan Sr. He’s off to a good start. With David Bakhtiari out and Elgton Jenkins sliding to left tackle, Runyan started the final 16 games. His 1,053 snaps ranked second on the team. Of 63 guards with 50 percent playing time, he finished eighth in PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency with two sacks (both against Washington in Week 7) and 20 total pressures. He was guilty of one penalty (zero holding).

2022 outlook: Runyan didn’t win a starting job out of training camp last year. It wasn’t until injuries forced him into the lineup that he proved he belonged. There’s no doubt Runyan will be in the starting lineup this year. He needs to better in the run game but he’s well on his way to having a long career.

Quote to note: “After my rookie was over, I was really prepared to take that next step forward,” he said. “When my number was called, I stepped up and I knew what had to be done for the team and I just felt comfortable out there. Playing 1,000 snaps on the season is really cool.”

No. 25: RG Royce Newman

Jersey No. 70; 6-5, 310; second season; Mississippi

2021 review: Newman was a surprise fourth-round pick after starting at guard and tackle at Ole Miss. A scout at the time noted Newman’s position flexibility but said he wasn’t good at any of those positions. Turns out, Newman was pretty good at right guard. He started the first 16 games and, after some rough performances, really settled in. While he allowed six sacks, he gave up only one during the final eight games, according to PFF. He was penalized five times (three holding) and led the offense with 1,084 snaps.

2022 outlook: Newman will start at right guard. Unless he starts at right tackle. During the offseason practices, with David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins rehabbing their knee injuries, Yosh Nijman was the left tackle and Cole Van Lanen the right tackle with the No. 1 offense. However, during the final week of OTAs, Newman got some snaps at tackle.

Quote to note: “Royce looks heavier,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers observed. “He might not look the same coming out of the shower to his girlfriend as he did last year; I feel like his belly got a little bigger, but that might make him a better right guard. And he played a ton of football for us.”

No. 24: DT Devonte Wyatt

Jersey No. 95; 6-3, 304; rookie; Georgia

2021 review: The 28th pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, Devonte Wyatt started all 24 games during his final two seasons at Georgia. He was a key part of the national championship defense with 2.5 sacks, seven tackles for losses and two forced fumbles. According to Pro Football Focus, there are 80 defensive linemen in this draft class who rushed the passer more than 220 times. Wyatt finished 12th in PFF’s pass-rush productivity, which measures sacks, hits and hurries per pass-rushing snap.

2022 outlook: Wyatt joins Kenny Clark, veterans Dean Lowry and Jarran Reed, and second-year player T.J. Slaton on what could be a powerhouse defensive line. Lowry and Reed have been there and done that; Wyatt has not. However, with his 4.77 in the 40 making him the fastest 300-pounder at the Scouting Combine, he’s got the athleticism to be a major weapon.

“He can be really good on first and second down, and he’s an inside guy that has some unique traits as a pass rusher,” defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery said. “Some things you can’t teach, you just naturally have. He’s got twitch. I’d like to call it awkward movements, some movements he can be out in that other guys can’t be and he can recover from those things. And he’s got a high motor, just a naturally high motor. So, really, really good defensive line traits.”

Quote to note: Green Bay’s three first-round picks the last two years all came from Georgia, with Wyatt and linebacker Quay Walker in 2022 and cornerback Eric Stokes in 2021. “We were just talking, man, talking about how amazing it is, how we all on the same team, how we all on the next level, how far we came because about four years ago,” Wyatt said. “We’re like, ‘We want to go first round. We want to do this. We want to play together.’ Just doing that now is just a dream come true.”

No. 23: WR Sammy Watkins

Jersey No. 11; 6-1, 211; ninth season; Clemson

2021 review: Playing in 13 games with nine starts, Watkins caught 27-of-49 passes (55.1 percent) for 394 yards and one touchdown in his lone season with the Ravens, making it six consecutive seasons in which he’s fallen short of 700 yards. He caught four passes in each of his first four games, then caught four passes just once the rest of the season. His four drops gave him a career-worst drop rate of 12.9 percent.

2022 outlook: It might be now or never for Watkins. Having turned 29 in June, it’s been a long time since the fourth pick of the 2014 draft caught 65 passes for 982 yards and six touchdowns as a rookie and 60 passes for 1,047 yards and nine touchdowns in his second season. He’s missed 18 games for a variety of injuries the last four years.

Watkins acknowledged all these things in saying his “back was against the wall” and that he needs to stay healthy to “revive” his career.

“I think this is probably one of the best situations I’ve probably ever been in in my career, to play with one of the best quarterbacks in the league, one of the best coaches, one of the best organizations – this is probably the winningest organization in the league,” Watkins said. “To get this opportunity is really a blessing because I did nothing last year. I was hurt. And to get a call from Matt and this organization, hopefully I can have a healthy season and play hard and win a ton of games.”

Quote to note: “One thing you’ll see with him is he plucks the ball different,” receivers coach Jason Vrable said. “He has hands where you’ll hear the pluck and running through catch, and his play strength. There’s a reason why we drafted him that high and he’s had a lot of successful years in his career. That Kansas City Super Bowl run, in the playoffs when they were doubling Tyreek, he had a one-on-one and he’s winning those when you watch the tape. I’m fired up about him.”

No. 22: QB Jordan Love

Jersey No. 10; 6-4, 219; third season; Utah State

2021 review: Starting against Kansas City and playing the second half against Detroit, Love completed 58.1 percent of his passes with two touchdowns, three interceptions and a 68.7 passer rating. Of the 50 quarterbacks with at least Love’s 62 attempts, he ranked 46th in passer rating, 44th in completion percentage and 47th in interception percentage. He threw only one fewer interception than Rodgers despite throwing 469 fewer passes and had as many turnovers while playing less than 12 percent of the snaps.

2022 outlook: Because of COVID, his rookie season was thrown for a loss with an abbreviated training camp and no preseason. Because of a shoulder injury, he missed the joint practices and the preseason game against the Jets last year. If Love can stay healthy, he figures to get extensive playing time in all three seasons, giving him a shot to build some momentum and confidence. On the other hand, if he struggles through another summer, the Packers might be looking for The Successor to Aaron Rodgers 2.0.

Quote to note: “I think just getting out there and being able to play was huge,” Love said. “Obviously, it’s a process being a quarterback in the NFL and the more reps you can get in that game, it helps. There’s a lot of takeaways and things I wish I can do better and obviously things I felt I did good. Just trying to work on those things, tightening the details and whatnot.”

No. 21: K Mason Crosby

Jersey No. 2; 6-1, 207; 16th season; Colorado

2021 review: Mason Crosby’s 15th season started great. Including the 51-yard bomb to beat San Francisco in Week 3, he extended his franchise-record streak to 24 consecutive field goals. But he missed three at Cincinnati in Week 5 and wound up missing a league-worst nine attempts. An end-of-camp change at punter meant a new holder, and a midseason meant a new snapper. Plus, the protection unit never got squared away. It all added up to a miserable season for one of the most productive kickers in NFL history.

2022 outlook: Ranking 14th all-time in scoring, Crosby has a challenger (Gabe Brkic) but is the overwhelming favorite to keep his job. With a new coordinator (Rich Bisaccia) and a veteran holder (punter Pat O’Donnell), there’s no reason why Crosby shouldn’t bounce back in strong fashion.

Quote to note: “It’s been reinvigorating with having a new guy in the building with Pat and being able to feed off of him and how he operates and looking at some of the things that he does really well and trying to implement that into my routine, as well, on recovery and nutrition and stuff like that,” Crosby said during OTAs. “That relationship has been awesome to keep my love of this and the energy up. I’m feeling good. Mentally and physically, just feeling like I’m hitting the ball well and trying to build it solidly to the season. It’s hard this time of year not to try to be ready for the regular season. I just want to grow and work all the way up until that time comes, whenever that first kickoff comes.”

No. 20: WR Christian Watson

Jersey No. 9; 6-5, 208; rookie; North Dakota State

2021 review: Playing at perennial FCS champion North Dakota State and in its run-first offense, Watson caught 43 passes for 801 yards (18.6 average) and seven touchdowns as a senior. He returned two kickoffs for touchdowns as a junior and was a second-team All-American as a senior. For his career, he averaged 20.4 yards per reception.

2022 outlook: The Packers didn’t send their two second-round picks to NFC North rival Minnesota to get a developmental prospect. The expectation is that Watson will produce as a rookie. That might not be in Week 1 but the Packers will need Watson to be a major factor for the stretch run and into a potential push to a Super Bowl. “He’s going to be a problem,” offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich predicted. At 6-foot-4 and with 4.36 speed in the 40, his athletic traits rival those of NFL legend Calvin Johnson and another Hall of Fame-caliber receiver, Julio Jones. Once the calendar turns to August, it will be interesting to see if the Packers force-feed him reps, and if Aaron Rodgers focuses the rookie’s direction, to accelerate his development.

Quote to note: “Obviously, he’s a big, fast, physical receiver. We think his best football is ahead of him,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said after drafting Watson. “We brought him in here for one of our 30 visits, got a chance to spend a lot of time with him, and just really felt that he’s a really smart kid that we feel will fit our culture. Like everything, obviously, he’s got really good tape, his athletic traits are off the chart. The more we got to know him as a person, we just felt really good about him.”

No. 19: LB Quay Walker

Jersey No. 7; 6-4, 241; rookie; Georgia

2021 review: Quay Walker, the first of the Packers’ first-round draft picks at No. 22 overall, started all 15 games for Georgia’s national championship defense. He finished third on the team with 67 tackles. In the title game vs. Alabama, he had eight tackles and six quarterback pressures. His stats don’t jump off the page but that defense was so good that the numbers were spread out relatively evenly across the unit. It’s perhaps troublesome that he only broke up three passes in his career (all as a senior) and neither forced a fumble nor intercepted a pass in four years.

“If you watch any Georgia football game last year, it’s hard not to see ‘7’ flying around making plays,” defensive coordinator Joe Barry said. “He has that ability, he has that skill-set and I think he has the mindset of what you want. If you can surround yourself with a bunch of guys who love football, good things are going to happen, and Quay loves ball.”

2022 outlook: Walker presumably will beat out incumbent starter Krys Barnes for the starting job. From there, the hope is that Walker and All-Pro De’Vondre Campbell will form a fearsome tandem. Because of lackluster inside linebacker play, the Packers typically have played more dime defense (six defensive backs, one linebacker) than most teams. Perhaps Campbell and Walker will change the equation. If so, Green Bay’s run defense should be much better.

Quote to note: “It’s just being the guy that I’m capable of being. I think my ceiling, I think I never reached that at Georgia,” Walker said at rookie camp. “A guy being my size there’s a whole lot that you can do. By me being so versatile, there’s a whole lot of things you can do with me. I feel like the size and talent was there, just my leadership and the way I fly around to the ball and the way I communicate to my teammates that pretty much separates me, I feel like. But just being a guy at my size and playing inside linebacker is probably not normal to do the things that I do.”

No. 18: OT Yosh Nijman

Jersey No. 73; 6-7, 314; third season; Virginia Tech

2021 review: The Packers trusted Yosh Nijman to replace an injured Elgton Jenkins at left tackle for the Week 3 game against San Francisco and were rewarded. It’s too bad they didn’t trust him for the playoff rematch.

Nijman was one of the great stories of the season. An undrafted free agent in 2019, he hadn’t played a single meaningful snap from scrimmage before offensive line coach Adam Stenavich picked him to start against Nick Bosa in an early-season showdown at San Francisco. Nijman survived a rocky start to that game and really became an asset. He started eight times and never looked like he was in over his head. Of the 58 offensive tackles to play at least Nijman’s 590 snaps, he finished 31st in PFF’s pass blocking efficiency with three sacks and 20 total pressures. Remember, he was playing left tackle, which meant games against premier pass rushers such as Bosa, Cincinnati’s Trey Hendrickson (first in pressures from the defense’s right side), Cleveland’s Myles Garrett (second) and Chicago’s Robert Quinn (fourth). Impressively, he was guilty of only two penalties (zero holding).

2022 outlook: Because of injuries, Nijman will start somewhere to open the season. If David Bakhtiari’s knee remains an issue, he will start at left tackle. If Bakhtiari is healthy, then Nijman will start at right tackle. He’s so athletic and powerful. His two-hand punch just sounded different compared to the other linemen during the offseason practices.

Quote to note: “I would just say that I’m proud of myself contributing to the team the way I have and I’m just grateful,” Nijman said late last season. “I’m just grateful to put on that helmet, be in the NFL and playing for the Packers. It’s really a dream come true given all the circumstances. I’m just grateful, really grateful.”

No. 17: C Josh Myers

Jersey No. 71; 6-5, 310; second season; Ohio State

2021 review: Josh Myers’ rookie season wasn’t a lost cause but it wasn’t far from it. A second-round pick and the first center off the board in 2021, Myers started the first four games before missing Week 5 at Cincinnati when a broken finger became infected. A handful of plays into his return at Chicago, he suffered a torn MCL and didn’t return until the finale at Detroit. Getting 26 percent playing time, he allowed zero sacks, eight pressures and wasn’t penalized.

“Anytime you’re missing games, you’re not feeling good about it,” Myers said during OTAs. “That time that I was out for injuries was really rough. The time that I was in there, I felt good about. Definitely stuff to build on, no doubt about it. I felt like I played solid.”

2022 outlook: As much as any of the second-year players, the Packers need Myers to take a massive jump. At that spot in the second round, the Packers could have drafted Creed Humphrey, who wound up being the All-Rookie center. Starting every game and playing almost 1,200 snaps, he allowed only 10 pressures – just two more than Myers.

Quote to note: “I learned a lot about myself. It was an incredibly difficult time, if I’m being honest,” Myers said. “I’ve never missed time for an injury. I’ve had injuries, but I’ve never missed time for them. … It was just such a different experience. I learned how to push through. I’ve been able to push through things physically when it’s challenging. When something’s that mentally challenging, it’s just a whole different level of pushing through. I learned how to do that. It’s just something I’ve never done.”

No. 16: CB Eric Stokes

Jersey No. 21; 6-0, 194; second season; Georgia

2021 review: Eric Stokes was the team’s first-round pick despite limited experience at Georgia. Was he more than just pure speed? A project? Was he even the best Georgia cornerback in the draft? Stokes answered those questions affirmatively with a big-time rookie season. Perhaps because he spent most of training camp battling Davante Adams, Stokes never blinked regardless of the challenge. Sports Info Solutions charged him with a 46.2 percent completion rate and 5.3 yards per target, figures that ranked sixth and eighth, respectively, among starting corners. He had one interception led the team with 14 passes defensed.

“All them snaps that I had last year is just repetition,” Stokes said during OTAs. “It’s getting to know the formations, getting to know the routes, getting to know wide receivers, getting to know all this stuff that you just didn’t see throughout college and getting experienced and all of that. When I had to jump into that role of me starting and me doing all this stuff and me going with the 1s, just helped me learn and grow quicker and all that stuff. I take so much away from it.”

2022 outlook: More of the same with more big plays. According to SIS, he dropped four interceptions – tied for the most among all defensive backs. Tall, fast, fearless and a quality tackler, there’s nothing not to like about his game.

Quote to note: “Stokes, that’s my dog,” fellow cornerback Rasul Douglas said. “He works hard like me. That’s what I love. Anybody who competes a lot, I like that.”

No. 15: CB Rasul Douglas

Jersey No. 29; 6-2, 209; sixth season; West Virginia

2021 review: Without a bit of hyperbole, finding Rasul Douglas on the Cardinals’ practice squad was one of the great in-season transactions in NFL history. The Packers desperately needed a cornerback after losing Jaire Alexander to a shoulder injury. Douglas, unbelievably, was the savior. The Panthers didn’t re-sign him after the 2020 season, and he failed to make rosters with the Raiders and Texans during training camp.

Douglas saved the Packers’ victories over Arizona and Cleveland. Without those interceptions, they would have finished 11-6 instead of 13-4. He added pick-sixes at home against Los Angeles and Chicago. Douglas tied for fourth in the NFL with five interceptions even though he played in only 12 games with nine starts. According to Sports Info Solutions, he gave up a 45.3 percent completion rate and 5.3 yards per attempt, both among the league leaders. PFF had him ranked third in opponent passer rating (49.6).

2022 outlook: The trade of Davante Adams freed up the cap cash to re-sign Douglas in free agency. With Douglas, Alexander and Eric Stokes, the Packers might have the best trio of cornerbacks in the NFL. With his size and tackling ability, he’ll be a factor in the slot. The Packers are counting on his breakout 2021 not being a one-year thing.

“It just wasn’t luck last year,” defensive backs coach Jerry Gray said before the start of offseason practices. “It doesn’t happen to be luck. You can’t get that lucky every time. So, you have to put work in before you get here, so when the curtain opens up, you’re ready to go play. I don’t know what Rasul Douglas did. But, I tell you what, he must’ve worked his tail off because when he got here, he wasn’t out of shape, he was ready to go play, and he made the plays he needed to make.”

Quote to note: Douglas credited improved film study with Gray – aka Coach OG – for the difference. “Earlier in my career, I didn’t know how to watch film. It was kind of like watching a show you’ve watched 1,000 times, so it was getting boring,” Douglas said during the offseason. “I was falling asleep, because I didn’t really know what I was supposed to look at. Sometimes, I caught myself looking up here like, ‘Oh, that’s Julio,’ and I’m watching him make catches, and I’m forgetting I’m supposed to be watching film on how he’s running his routes. So, when I got here, I’d come in at 5 in the morning with OG, and he was just teaching me like, ‘You’ve got to watch it like this because, if you don’t, it’ll get boring to you or you’ll miss what you’re supposed to be looking for.’”

No. 14: S Darnell Savage

Jersey No. 26; 5-11, 198; fourth season; Maryland

2021 review: Savage started all 17 games and was second on the defense with 1,038 snaps. He finished fourth on the team with 63 tackles, tied for third with two interceptions and third with nine passes defensed. He took his lumps in coverage, at times, with a career-worst six touchdowns allowed, according to Pro Football Focus, but had a hand in the team limiting big plays.

2022 outlook: The Packers flipped the switch on Savage’s fifth-year option, meaning he’ll be back in 2023. But, for his long-term outlook, it’s time for him to maximize his potential. He dropped three interceptions and missed 12 tackles last season, and he’s missed 42 tackles in three seasons compared to just 20 for Adrian Amos.

Quote to note: Savage is entering his fourth season in the NFL and his fourth season starting alongside Amos. “We're very talented and even more so, we're really smart. This is really our fourth year as a secondary being together, other than Eric (Stokes), but he's got some good role models to look up to, so he'll be all right. It just makes it so much easier just the communication. Practice time, we already know what each other is going to do before we make a call. It just makes everything just seamless, and it's fun, too. Obviously, we've been playing together for four years now, so it just makes it a treat to go out and practice every time.”

No. 13: RB AJ Dillon

Jersey No. 28; 6-0, 247; third season; Boston College

2021 review: Dillon led the Packers with 803 rushing yards last year. There was nothing fancy about it beyond brute force. He averaged a ho-hum 4.3 yards per carry but almost always gained a couple more yards than the blockers provided. He ranked No. 1 among running backs in Football Outsiders’ Success Rate, a metric that mirrors Green Bay’s win/loss grading. He was practically a slam-dunk on third-and-1. Impressively, he caught 34-of-37 targets for 313 yards. Out of the 44 backs who were targeted at least 35 times, he ranked third in catch percentage and eighth in yards after the catch per catch.

2022 outlook: Dillon was good. Now, he needs to become great. The key to that will be turning those 5-yard runs into 15- and 25-yard runs. Last season, his 10-yard run rate of 4.8 percent was by far the worst in the NFL. “He’s got that type of ability,” running backs coach Sirmans said, “because he can actually make you miss in the open field. He’s got the ability to put a little juke on you, even for a guy his size, so it’s really just bringing all those different facets of his game, just bringing those attributes together and let him apply them. I think he will have more explosive runs this year.”

Quote to note: “Coming in, I was always the big back who’s only good for third-and-short, so I really want to be and I think of myself as an APB, an all-purpose back, no matter what the situation. I feel like last year was a good start, a good foothold if you will, but there’s still a couple opportunities I wish I had caught the ball and been in better placement or ran a route better. So, I’m happy with the improvement but obviously still working on it.”

No. 12: RB Aaron Jones

Jersey No. 33; 5-9, 208; sixth season; UTEP

2021 review: Re-signed in free agency, Aaron Jones put together his third consecutive season of more than 1,100 total yards. In 15 games, he rushed for 799 yards (4.7 average) and four touchdowns. A tremendous receiving threat, he added 52 receptions for 391 yards (7.5 average) and six touchdowns. That gave him 1,190 yards and 10 touchdowns from scrimmage. Jones and two NFL legends, Hall of Famers Jim Brown of Cleveland and Jim Taylor of Green Bay, are the only players in NFL history with at least 4,000 rushing yards, 40-plus rushing touchdowns and a 5.0-yard average in their first five seasons.

2022 outlook: No matter how many times AJ Dillon is handed the ball, Jones will have a major role in the offense. A slashing running back who’s a threat to get in the open field with every touch, he’s also one of the best pass-catching backs in the league. Jones had a major hand in the Packers going 7-0 without Davante Adams the past three seasons. He averaged 122.6 total yards in those games and scored 10 total touchdowns – at least one in six of those games.

Quote to note: Running backs coach Ben Sirmans is excited about the possibility of using Jones and Dillon more together. “It really comes down to trying to get some of your best players on the field at the same time. You you have to be confident they can handle what it is that you’re putting them through or what assignments or schemes you have them involved with. Particularly with a guy like Aaron, now he’s such a vet, he’s been in this offense now going on four years, we feel much more confident in certain situations. I think it really just comes down to trying to get some of your best football players on the field. I’m excited about it, of course, as a running backs coach.”

No. 11: TE Robert Tonyan

Jersey No. 85; 6-5, 240; fifth season; Indiana State

2021 review: After his monster 2020 breakout season in which there were more touchdowns (11) than incomplete passes (seven), there was nowhere to go but down for Tonyan. In 2021, he caught 18 passes, with more incompletions (11) than touchdowns (two). Just when it appeared he was about to get rolling, he suffered a torn ACL in a midseason game at Arizona.

2022 outlook: Tonyan is opening training camp on the physically unable to perform list. He’s going to be really close to returning to action in Week 1. Whenever he’s back on the field, the Packers obviously will need Tonyan to return to his playmaking ways to help an offense that’s in obvious transition following the trade of Davante Adams.

Quote to note: “I respect what he did,” new tight ends coach John Dunn said before OTAs. “He’s done a lot of good things here. To me, it always starts with the person, so getting to know him as a person, he’s a phenomenal guy, always with a smile on his face, very jovial, really smart. He attacks every day mentally, physically. So, I’m really excited about him and who he is and his character. I think that always bleeds over to the player. I’m excited obviously at some point to be able to get back on the field and be able to work with him.”

No. 10: S Adrian Amos

Jersey No. 31; 6-0, 214; eighth season; Penn State

2021 review: In 2019, the Packers signed Amos to a four-year contract worth $36 million. It wound up being a safety swap. Green Bay’s former starter, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, signed with the Bears. At least one veteran analyst proclaimed it a slam-dunk win for the Bears.

Why can’t Fans separate actual analysis from fanboy talk. I like the Packers and hope they’re back in the hunt this year, but Ha Ha Clinton-Dix is a more complete safety and a better player than Adrian Amos. Just deal with it guys. Telling the truth isn’t a slap at the Packers.

— Hub Arkush (@Hub_Arkush) March 14, 2019

Yeah, not so much. Amos has been everything the Packers wanted and more. While not a big-play performer – he’s coming off a fourth consecutive season of two interceptions – he is one of the most reliable players in the NFL. Starting all 17 games and leading the defense with 1,048 snaps in 2021, Amos finished third on the team with 94 tackles and added eight passes defensed. Of 64 safeties with at least 50 percent playing time, Amos ranked sixth with a missed-tackle rate of 6.1 percent (six misses), according to PFF. Really, there might not be a more important stat than that for a safety.

2022 outlook: Entering his final season under contract, this will be a big season for Amos, who has a chance at one more big payday, and the Packers, who will have a key decision to make about a player who will be approaching his 30th birthday next offseason.

Quote to note: “I think the No. 1 thing with that position, both with Adrian and D Savage is that, those guys, we use a term they drive the bus,” defensive coordinator Joe Barry said last year. “Those guys have got to control everything. They are mission control at least from the back end. So, when you get a sharp guy that’s played a lot of football like Adrian has, you just feel comfortable, and we have two of them in both Darnell and Adrian. It’s nice you have that guy as your quarterback of the back end from a communication standpoint. Adrian has played a lot of football. He’s very savvy. There’s not much in his career that he hasn’t seen or hasn’t experienced, so I think he brings a lot to the table from that standpoint.”

No. 9: OLB Preston Smith

Jersey No. 91; 6-5, 265; eighth season; Mississippi State

2021 review: Coming off a disappointing 2020 season, Preston Smith swallowed a restructured, incentive-laden contract. Good call. He went from four sacks and 26 pressures in 2020 to nine sacks and a career-high 62 pressures in 2021. According to Pro Football Focus, he was 14th among edge defenders in pass-rush win rate. He was excellent in every fashion, whether it was rushing the quarterback, playing run defense or stepping up as a leader in the absence of Za’Darius Smith.

2022 outlook: Coming off a big-time 2021, Smith was rewarded with a contract extension. Now, he needs to do it again. There’s an odd thing about Smith’s history. In his four odd-numbered seasons, he’s recorded 37 sacks and seven forced fumbles. In his three even-numbered seasons, he’s posted 12.5 sacks and zero forced fumbles.

“We’re going to break that curse and we’re going to make sure we don’t go back down. We’re going to make sure we keep going up,” Smith said at the start of the offseason. How? “I just feel good about myself, man. I believe in God. I prayed about it. I just know this is the year. I got my guy Joe B(arry) back for a second year and I just like this year is going to be the year I break it, man. I was aware of it. It was brought to my attention – this is the second time it was brought to my attention. I just felt like this is the year. I’m just feeling really confident. That’s all the talent scout I give y’all this year.”

Quote to note: The contract extension “means a lot, coming from where I’m coming from,” Smith said. “I’m not going to say I grew up in poverty, my mom was broke or nothing. That’d be kind of made up. My mom did what she could to take care of us. Just to be able to put my family in that position means a lot because growing up as a kid, you only know what people tell you. So, you don’t know if you’re broke or you don’t know what you don’t have or if your parents can’t make ends meet. My mom wasn’t telling us about her bill problems as a kid or ‘I need this much money.’ She just never told us about any struggles. So, I never felt like we were struggling.

“But when you get older and you might want more toys, you might want a car, want whatever, and then you start to find out that you just don’t have it like that. You need to get your needs taken care of, not your wants. So, you kind of set goals as a kid. I want to make sure my kids and my daughter and my child that’s on the way, to make sure when they want something, they can get it. I know I can give them whatever they need or whatever they want. And I can get my mom whatever she wants, too. As long as she doesn’t see this interview. She doesn’t need to want anything else.”

No. 8: WR Allen Lazard

Jersey No. 13: 6-5, 227; fourth season; Iowa State

2021 review: Allen Lazard is coming off the best season of his young career. He caught 40-of-60 targets (66.7 percent) for 513 yards (12.8 average) and eight touchdowns. Lazard saved his best for the latter stages of the season. In the first 11 games, he had only one game of more than three catches and never topped 60 yards. In the final six games, he had three games of five-plus receptions for 70-plus yards. During training camp last summer, coach Matt LaFleur called him a “goon” because he’s so physical as a blocker. But he’s more than just a bully. Among all NFL receivers, Lazard’s five touchdown catches over the final five games were surpassed league-wide only by Davante Adams.

2022 outlook: If Lazard could carry that end-of-year production through 17 games, he’d finish with 71 receptions for 986 yards and 17 touchdowns. That would certainly help ease the transition without Adams. It also would mean a big payday as a free agent next offseason. From one perspective, Lazard could be a 1,000-yard type of player. While he’s not the dictionary definition of a No. 1 receiver, he’ll get more looks without Adams. On the other hand, he’ll be the guy that defensive coordinators will focus their attention. How he responds to those new challenges will have a big role in determining personal and team success.

Quote to note: “I think the biggest thing is opportunity,” Lazard said last year of his surging production. “I feel like I’ve gotten a lot more opportunities this back half of the season with everything, and then just seizing those moments. I think after the Rams game, I was just very down on myself. I wasn’t pleased with my performance. Just me being who I am and knowing the situations of my career, my future and all that, having to focus just a little bit more, eliminate things that could be distractions for my daily life and just kind of really just focus in.

“The relationship that I’ve had with Aaron has kept growing on and off the field. Obviously, that’s a huge part of my success and will continue to be, but just staying focused, not getting too worried about things that I can’t control and just staying locked in.”

No. 7: OL Elgton Jenkins

Jersey No. 74; 6-5, 311; fourth season; Mississippi State

2021 review: A Pro Bowler in 2020, Jenkins entered last year hailed as one of the best guards and young linemen in the NFL. After shifting out to left tackle to replace David Bakhtiari last year, Jenkins solidified his standing as one of the best linemen in the NFL, period. Of 67 offensive tackles with at least his 496 snaps, he ranked 16th in PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency, which measures sacks, hits and hurries per pass-protecting snap. SIS charged him with zero blown blocks in the run game. Of every lineman in the NFL who played at least Jenkins’ 176 snaps as a run blocker, he was the only one with a blown-block rate of 0.0 percent. He suffered a torn ACL at Minnesota in November. Who knows how the season would have ended had he been on the field for the playoffs.

2022 outlook: Because of the injury, Jenkins will start training camp on the physically unable to perform list. He might open the regular season there, too. Jenkins is too good to rush back. And, as he enters his final season under contract, Jenkins no doubt will want to be triple-sure that his knee is 100 percent before he walks on the practice field and risks millions of dollars of future earnings. When he’s healthy, he’ll start … somewhere. Will it be at left tackle if Bakhtiari’s knee is shot? Will it be at right tackle? Or will it be one of the interior spots?

Quote to note: “I like the challenge,” he said of playing tackle. “I’ve never really backed down from a challenge. I’ve been doing this since college — my first two years playing left tackle, then guard, then going to center. So, I feel like it’s kind of fun. It keeps my mind spinning and things like that.”

No. 6: LB De’Vondre Campbell

Jersey No. 59; 6-3, 232; seventh season; Minnesota

2021 review: During the June minicamp, with Krys Barnes and Ty Summers penciled in as the starting inside linebackers, the Packers signed linebacker De’Vondre Campbell. Veteran linebackers have come and gone over the years, from Antonio Morrison in 2018 to B.J. Goodson in 2019 to Christian Kirksey in 2020. Each time, the fanfare upon their arrival was greater than the despair after their departure.

Campbell was different. Infinitely different. Even while sitting out the final game of the regular season, he finished seventh in the NFL with 145 tackles. He added six tackles for losses, six quarterback hits, five passes defensed, two forced fumbles and two interceptions. Campbell was the only linebacker in the league with 100-plus tackles and at least two sacks, two forced fumbles and two interceptions. Among off-the-ball linebackers, he ranked among the league leaders in yards allowed per passing target and missed tackle percentage. Sensational in every way, Campbell earned first-team All-Pro honors and a five-year contract.

2022 outlook: Now that he’ll be paired with first-round pick Quay Walker, what can Campbell possibly do for an encore as part of a potential-packed defense? “A lot of people thought it was a fluke,” Campbell said at the start of the offseason. “You know how that goes. I’m just trying to continue to get better every day and keep pressing forward and try to repeat.”

Quote to note: Green Bay made an instant impact on Campbell. Upon his arrival for the minicamp, Aaron Rodgers went up to Campbell and introduced himself. As if Campbell didn’t know about the reigning MVP.

“That was Day 1. From the day I walked in, everybody from Russ (Ball) and Mark (Murphy) and Brian Gutekunst, the people up top to the players on the team to even the scouts, everybody was so happy that I was here,” Campbell said. “When you got people all over from the top down to people who were just starting, showing how much they appreciate you being here, it goes a long way. I’ve always felt like I’ve done all the right things for the wrong people. So, to actually find people who show their appreciation for you, you want to run through a wall for them. The fact that the Packers showed me a commitment, it’s mutual. It goes both ways.”

No. 5: DT Kenny Clark

Jersey No. 97; 6-3, 313; seventh season; UCLA

2021 review: Kenny Clark returned to the Pro Bowl after a one-year, injury-related hiatus. Among his 48 tackles were four sacks and six stops for losses. He finished fourth interior defensive linemen with a career-high 67 pressures, according to PFF. Of 94 interior defenders with at least 200 pass-rushing snaps, Clark ranked sixth in PFF’s pass-rushing productivity, which measures sacks, hits and hurries per pass-rushing snaps. For reference, living legends Aaron Donald and J.J. Watt were fourth and fifth, respectively.

2022 outlook: Incredibly, the seventh-year pro is only 26. For most of his first six seasons, he flew solo on the defensive line with only Dean Lowry proving anything resembling reliable play on a year-to-year basis. This year, with Lowry, free-agent addition Jarran Reed and first-round pick Devonte Wyatt, the Packers have a loaded defensive line. Will that mean fewer double-team blocks to beat? Perhaps not but it won’t hurt.

Quote to note: “Come on. He’s one of the best defensive tackles in the league,” Reed said of Clark. “I like his game a lot. We’ve become really close. I hang with him almost every day. Just coming in, hopefully we can jell and be like the Bash Brothers or something.”

No. 4: OLB Rashan Gary

Jersey No. 52; 6-5, 277; fourth season; Michigan

2021 review: In 2019, the Packers bet on Gary’s immense potential but lackluster collegiate production. GM Brian Gutekunst won that bet last season, when Gary was one of the league’s breakout players. Along with his team-high 9.5 sacks, he ranked second among edge defenders in pressures (81) and pass-rush win rate (26.0 percent), according to PFF.

2022 outlook: Gary is a relentless, powerful player who appears poised to burst into big-time stardom. “Not yet,” he said. The key will be turning more of those pressures into sacks. “I want to be the best at my position,” Gary said. “When you say things like that, that’s where I want to be is be able to be top of the categories and things. But my No. 1 thing is bringing a ring back. So, I’m not really into all that, how people are looking at me. I’m into whatever I’ve got to do for this team so we can bring back the ring.”

Quote to note: More than individual goals, Gary is focused on the ultimate team success. “No. 1 is a ring. Personal goals, I don’t like to talk about, but my No. 1 thing is getting us to that division championship, winning and going to the Super Bowl. That’s the No. 1 thing. We’ve been there three years in a row. We’ve got all the pieces. It’s just about putting it all together”

No. 3: CB Jaire Alexander

Jersey No. 23; 5-10, 196; fifth season; Louisville

2021 review: In 2020, Jaire Alexander earned All-Pro honors and capped the season by grabbing two interceptions from Tom Brady in the NFC Championship Game. Alexander made an all-world interception at San Francisco in Week 3 of last season but suffered a shoulder injury in Week 4 against Pittsburgh and didn’t play again until the playoffs. “When I made the tackle, it was like a pain I’d never felt,” Alexander said during minicamp. “I kind of take pride in not laying on the field for like an arm injury. That was some of the toughest pain I’ve ever felt.” In limited action, he allowed a 46.7 percent catch rate, according to Sports Info Solutions. He is the only cornerback in the league to allow a sub-50 percent catch rate each of the last three seasons.

2022 outlook: Armed with a contract extension that made him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL, Alexander is back and eager to regain his elite status. Depending on matchups, he’ll get time in the slot, something he relishes because he’ll be in position to blitz. A great cover man with a big personality, Alexander is a face-of-the-franchise type of player. He was voted a team captain last season and probably will again this season.

When asked about fellow corners Rasul Douglas and Eric Stokes, Alexander delivered a deep and meaningful response. “It’s going to be cool. I tell Stokes, he needs to be the best in the league. I know I’m the best in the league but what would I be like telling him not to be the best? Or Rasul not to be the best? That would be selfish. I just tell them, ‘Just be the best.’ We’re both going to be the best and, the next you know, all three of us are going to be the best.”

Quote to note: “Jaire’s got an unbelievable energy that he brings each and every day,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “He has a lot of fun out there on the field, and I think his teammates feed off of that. We missed that last year not having that. Now, thankfully, we had some other guys really step up when you look at what Stokes was able to do and what Rasul was able to do. So, we’ve got a lot of depth with those three guys right there. Jaire just brings so much to the team in terms of how he prepares on a daily basis, how he competes on a daily basis and elevates everyone around him.”

No. 2: LT David Bakhtiari

Jersey No. 69; 6-4, 310; 10th season; Colorado

2021 review: Bakhtiari’s season was a disaster. His on-again, off-again comeback from a torn ACL was sidetracked by a second procedure. At the urging of his close friend Aaron Rodgers, Bakhtiari came back for the Week 18 game at Detroit. He was tremendous. In 20 pass-protecting snaps, his man never got within Rodgers’ ZIP code. Great players can roll out of bed and play great. Bakhtiari is no exception. Just when it appeared his return could put the Packers in position to finally get to the Super Bowl, he was inactive for the playoff loss against the 49ers.

2022 outlook: In terms of annual salary, Bakhtiari remains the second-highest-paid offensive tackle in the game, his four-year, $92 million deal working out to a mere $23 million per season. Teams need their high-priced players to perform like high-priced players. Instead, almost 19 months past the injury, he will open training camp on the physically unable to perform list. When will Bakhtiari play again? Will Bakhtiari play at a high level again? Will Bakhtiari even play again? Rodgers will get crushed by the pundits and fans if he never wins another Super Bowl. What if Bakhtiari had been on the field for the playoff losses against the Buccaneers and 49ers?

Quote to note: “I’m so proud of him,” Rodgers said after Bakhtiari played at Detroit. “He’s been through so much. Obviously, being really close to him and having a lot of conversations with him, it’s been tough mentally, which is understandable. To think you’re coming back in Week 7 maybe, Week 8, have a setback and surgery, it’s been tough on him. I’m so proud of him. It seemed like he was fantastic. I’m just really happy for him, the person. He’s a great person and he makes our team better. Obviously, he’s an incredible player. To celebrate him and his happiness today is pretty special. Nothing like running out there and seeing The Big Giraffe.”

No. 1: QB Aaron Rodgers

Jersey No. 12; 6-2, 225; 18th season; California

2021 review: Aaron Rodgers won his fourth MVP, and second in a row, with another virtuoso campaign. What a season. There was his feud with management. A decision just before training camp to return to the team. His clearing of the air and, ultimately, building a strong relationship with general manager Brian Gutekunst. There was a bout with COVID – and his strong thoughts on the topic – and a broken toe. And, finally, an incredible display of quarterbacking in which he ended the season with seven consecutive games of two-plus touchdown passes and zero interceptions. That’s the second-longest streak in NFL history. He threw 20 touchdown passes during that span.

Rodgers authored just the fifth season in NFL history in which a quarterback led the league in passer rating, touchdown percentage and interception percentage. Rodgers has done that in back-to-back seasons. After a two-interception shellacking at the hands of the Saints in Week 1, he threw 37 touchdowns vs. two interceptions the rest of the way.

But when the team needed Rodgers to be at his best, he laid an egg in the playoff loss against the 49ers.

2022 outlook: Can Rodgers dominate without a dominant receiver? He’s never entered a season without a proven No. 1 receiver. That will change following the offseason trade of Davante Adams. Quarterbacks get paid a lot of money to turn lemons into lemonade. Rodgers, especially compared to Tom Brady, hasn’t been given a lot of sugar to make that happen.

Really, all that matters is winning another Super Bowl. Peyton Manning isn’t giving back that one he won by riding the coattails of the Broncos’ superb defense. Rodgers is a great quarterback and he’s surrounded by a bunch of great players. Can he redefine his career with a series of playoff masterpieces to finally grasp the Lombardi Trophy once more?

Quote to note: “The playing is easy. That’s the easy part. It’s the other part that’s a grind,” he said at minicamp. “You wear a lot of hats as a quarterback and it’s more than just playing on Sundays. At some point, the grind gets to all of us and, every year, it seems like a slightly bigger commitment to come up to being the guy again in another season. But it just comes down to where I’m at. Obviously, I want the team to be successful. Obviously, I don’t want to be a bum standing back there playing like crap and not able to move around. If the talent goes, it’s a no-brainer, but it’s a little harder when you still can really play and the mental part is difficult.”