Final questions before draft week arrives
With draft week kicking off in Green Bay a week from today, a few questions still surround the Packers.
Good morning!
Draft week begins one week from today. The long wait will finally come to an end, and the Green Bay Packers will finally know the identity of their 2025 rookie class.
Today's edition of The Leap dives into the big questions surrounding the Packers as they enter the final stage of the draft process.
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Which prospects got over the Packers' size thresholds during the draft process?
Jason B. Hirschhorn: Finding out which incoming rookies measured over or under Green Bay's established size thresholds has grown into an annual tradition. The team infrequently makes exceptions when it comes to a prospect's measurements, more often missing when going outside of the norm than hitting. The 2025 rookie class has several players that straddle the line in that regard, especially at the top of the draft.
One such prospect, Kentucky cornerback Maxwell Hairston, plays a position of need. He offers incredible speed (4.28 seconds in the 40-yard dash) and an overall impressive athletic composite (9.63 Relative Athletic Score), but he weighed a mere 183 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine. The Packers haven't selected a defensive back that light since the early 1990s before then-GM Ron Wolf developed the thresholds to which the front office still largely adheres today.
However, in the time since the combine, Hairston has suggested that he has added weight, possibly getting as high as the low 190s. If so, he no longer seems too slim for the Packers given his other physical traits. While they still prefer larger corners, Hairston could check enough boxes for serious consideration in a similar way to Jaire Alexander in 2018.
Elsewhere on defense, the Packers presumably want to know how much mass edge defenders Donovan Ezeiruaku and Mike Green have added (or could add) to their frames. GM Brian Gutekunst has previously stated that making exceptions for size along the defensive line can turn into a major problem when designated pass rushers suddenly have to step into larger roles when teammates go down. With both Ezeiruaku and Green hovering around 6-foot-3 and 250 pounds, even getting up to 255 could make Green Bay more comfortable bringing them into the fold.
How will the Saints' quarterback situation alter the top of the draft?
JBH: Right now, the New Orleans Saints find themselves in a disastrous quarterback situation of their own making. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Derek Carr has a significant shoulder injury that might require surgery and could put his entire 2025 season in doubt. To make matters worse, the Saints have pushed much of the cap burden in his contract into future years, limiting their replacement options.
If Carr misses some or all of the upcoming season, New Orleans will have to make some difficult decisions. In theory, the team could pursue Aaron Rodgers, who remains unsigned despite considerable interest from the Pittsburgh Steelers. While he might provide an upgrade over Carr regardless of the latter's health, Rodgers might simply cost too much for the Saints. Even if they can make the money work in theory, the four-time MVP could still ultimately opt for Pittsburgh or another landing spot.
All of which makes the Saints, who currently hold the No. 9 overall pick, look a lot more likely to consider a quarterback at the top of the draft. It seems a fait accompli that Miami's Cam Ward will have already come off the board by then, but Colorado's Shedeur Sanders and/or Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart look like better bets to last that long.
The threat of the Saints selecting a signal-caller could affect other teams. If another club, say, likes Dart and thinks New Orleans might take him, jumping into the top eight suddenly appears more feasible. Even if that doesn't happen, two or more QBs going in the top 10 would necessarily push down better prospects.
Though the Packers won't feel the effects of such a development right away given their current draft position (No. 23 overall), they could still take advantage. If a top pass rusher or wide receiver falls into the mid-to-late teens because of the chaos, Gutekunst could jump up and snatch him. Green Bay has traded up twice in the first round during Gutekunst's tenure as general manager, both times dealing with the Seattle Seahawks. Once again, the Seahawks pick in the teens (No. 18).
Will the Packers face any pushback from the NFL if they try to trade out of the first round?
JBH: The Packers haven't traded out of the first round very frequently over the past two decades, but that doesn't mean the circumstances won't warrant such a move this year. By most accounts, the talent available between roughly pick No. 10 and No. 40 shouldn't differ by too much, and teams slated to draft near the end of the first round could receive trade interest from clubs who want to secure a fifth-year option for their targets.
However, with the draft taking place in Green Bay, the NFL probably prefers that the home team does something on Day 1. Outgoing club president Mark Murphy has publicly stated that Gutekunst can do "the best thing for the Packers" even if that means trading out of the first round, but that doesn't necessarily mean the league feels the same way.
Perhaps the situation never arises and the Packers just stick and pick. However, if they do receive an enticing offer to move back while adding picks, Roger Goodell might have some thoughts.