Packer Central

Six Best Players During Packers Training Camp

Green Bay Packers training camp ended with a strong performance against the Baltimore Ravens at Thursday’s joint practice. Here are the six standouts from a month of practices. 

Bill Huber

Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander catches a pass at training camp.
Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander catches a pass at training camp. / Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK
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GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay Packers training camp ended with a bang, as Jordan Love and Co. delivered a powerful closing statement against the Baltimore Ravens.

Thursday’s practice took place exactly one month after the first practice. Here are the five best players of training camp.

6. TE Tucker Kraft

Even after missing the first half of training camp while recovering from a torn pectoral, second-year tight end Tucker Kraft earns a spot here because of how dominant he was during the last week.

He had four catches at Tuesday’s practice and a repeat performance against the Ravens, with a touchdown on a screen when he ran through linebacker Trenton Simpson near the goal line and then a catch about 20 yards downfield.

A strong blocker, as well, he is in line to have a standout second season.

“Tucker looks great,” Love said after the joint practice. “Since he’s been back out there, we’ve felt his presence, for sure. And I think he’s hit the ground running. I think he has some fresh legs right now after missing a little bit, but he looks great out there. It’s very apparent on the field and it’s great to have him back.”

5. DT Devonte Wyatt

If there is one player the new defensive scheme should fit to a T, it’s defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt.

Defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley wants his defensive linemen to attack, penetrate and create havoc. Attacking and penetrating is what Wyatt’s game is all about. He did that throughout training camp. He might not have led the defense in sacks or tackles for losses, but he might have led the defense in TFLs that took less than 1.5 seconds.

“When he’s on his game,” Rashan Gary said, “no one can block him. That simple. Nobody.”

Wyatt had 5.5 sacks last season. Of his 15 missed tackles, five were potential sacks. So, if Wyatt can take advantage of added opportunities and seal the deal more frequently, a 10-sack season seems well within reach.

“Pro Bowl,” Wyatt said of his next step. “I want to be the greatest I can be. That’s all I can say, really.”

4. S Evan Williams

No slight to Javon Bullard, the safety selected in the second round of this year’s draft who almost certainly will start alongside Xavier McKinney against the Eagles in two weeks, but it’s impossible to ignore five interceptions and one forced fumble at practice and one forced fumble in the first two preseason games.

The fourth-round pick struck again against the Ravens when he stepped in front of Josh Johnson’s pass to give the Packers the win in the No. 2s’ 2-minute drill.

It’s like comparing applesauce to an Apple watch, but last year’s primary starters, Darnell Savage and Jonathan Owens, combined for zero interceptions and four passes defensed during the regular season last year. Williams had five picks in a month of practices.

“I definitely feel pretty good, pretty confident about my play,” Williams said on Thursday. “I definitely try to just block out all noise. You'll hear good noise. You'll hear bad noise just as much, and it's all great in the moment to be feeling like the man, but it doesn't mean much if you can't continue it.”

3. RT Zach Tom

With Zach Tom watching from the side while recovering from a torn pectoral, Rashan Gary destroyed the first half of Packers training camp. Whether it was Andre Dillard or Kadeem Telfort, the right tackle was barely a speed bump standing between No. 52 and the quarterback.

Then Tom returned and Gary became a mere nuisance.

David Bakhtiari had the incredible trait of needing little to no practice time in order to dominate on Sundays. Tom has that same sort of ability. It’s not as if he slowly returned to quality play. From his first snap, Tom was back in vintage form.

The word “great” is used so often that it’s lost almost all meaning. Tom is on his way to becoming a legitimately great player at a critical position.

2. CB Jaire Alexander

While Williams delivered one big play after another and fellow starting cornerback Eric Stokes added four interceptions, Alexander turned in a quiet training camp.

Quiet doesn’t mean bad or mediocre, though. Quarterback Jordan Love didn’t throw Alexander’s way very often, which limited his ability to make plays.

Last season was a disaster, and the defense suffered because of it. If Alexander can return to lockdown mode and stay healthy, the defense will rise because of it.

“I think with growth comes maturity,” Alexander said on Thursday. “I’ve been able to mature in this league for a long time. It’s just humbling that I’m even here, Year 7. I have an attitude of gratitude.”

1. LT Rasheed Walker

Throughout the predraft process, the Mock Draft Industrial Complex pegged left tackle as a first-round need for the Packers.

That belief had some standing following the release of Bakhtiari, the five-time All-Pro whose career was ruined by a knee injury.

However, Bakhtiari’s replacement, Rasheed Walker, has become a standout in his own right. That was apparent when he pitched shutouts against two of the best pass rushers in the NFL, Dallas’ Micah Parsons and San Francisco’s Nick Bosa, in last year’s playoffs.

The Packers used their first-round pick on Jordan Morgan. Morgan was a three-year starting left tackle at Arizona, and the team spoke of his potential to play that position, but it hasn’t happened.

And might never happen, because last year’s playoffs seem like just a stepping stone on Walker’s upward trajectory.

“He truly loves the process and he grinds at it, and I think he’s starting to pick up the detail that really starts to separate some of the players in this league,” coach Matt LaFleur said before Thursday’s practice. “So, I’m excited to see where he goes this year. I think he’s got a high ceiling.”

Walker was a brick wall during training camp. Whether it was one-on-one reps or live situations, Walker performed like not just a starting left tackle but a high-quality starting left tackle.

“I’m just doing what I’m supposed to do,” Walker said early in training camp. “That’s it.”

More Green Bay Packers Training Camp News

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Bill Huber

BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packer Central, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.