Elgton Jenkins (Photo: Norm Hall, USA TODAY Sports)
By Mark Eckel
If you're looking for the most important player on a NFL team in just about every case you don't have to go far — it's the quarterback.
And that's true for the Green Bay Packers as well. The team, with as much depth as it has had in years and more stars on defense than it has had in just as long, will rely on the right arm of Jordan Love for its success in 2025.
Who are the next most important players on this year's Packers? Here's one opinion of the top five (listed in alphabetical order).
****Josh Jacobs: If you hadn't noticed the Packers have become a running team. Last year the offense ran the ball 526 times and dropped back to throw it 501 times. The last time the Packers ran the ball more than they threw it was 2003 when it was 507-494 and Ahman Green ran for a team record 1,883 yards. If head coach Mike Sherman would have run it one more time in the playoffs, who knows what might have happened. But that's another story. Jacobs will get the bulk of those carries again this season and showed last season he can be a factor in the passing game as well.
****Elgton Jenkins: Switching positions is never easy, even if it is going back to your old college position. Jenkins' move to center will assure the team gets its best five offensive linemen on the field and the former All Pro guard is ready to show he can be just as good as an anchor in the middle of the line as he was on the left side. If he is, the line could be as good as it's been since that 2003 season.
****Tucker Kraft: You saw glimpses of it last season. This season expect more of the offense, or at least the passing game, to go through the big tight end. With teams having to respect the speed of rookie Matthew Golden and when he returns from injury, Christian Watson, there is going to be a lot of opportunity for Kraft to do damage over the middle of the field. Jordan Love is aware of that too.
****Xavier McKinney: He's the leader of the defense, now, with Kenny Clark and Jaire Alexander gone. And he's also among the best safeties in the game. McKinney's presence in the back of the secondary makes life easier for the team's cornerbacks and much more difficult for opposing quarterbacks. He made a great initial impression last year and with a better pass rush this year, might even make a greater one this season.
****Micah Parsons: There are about 42 million reasons a year why Parsons is so important to the team. Hey Brian Gutekunst isn't going to trade away two No. 1 draft picks and a team favorite in Clark for just anyone. Parsons might be the only player in the league he would have given away that much to acquire. Now the former Cowboy has to make his GM look good.