(Photo: Jacob Morley, Packer Report, USA TODAY Sports)
The Packers just wrapped up mandatory minicamp, which means we won't see the veterans back on the field until training camp begins on July 29th (the rookies will stick around for another week of minicamp).
Many fans choose to ignore minicamp because players aren't in pads, but that doesn't mean there aren't valuable things you can take from a few days of practice.
I'm going to preface everything in this article by saying yes, I understand it's a few padless practices in shorts, but it's the middle of June, so let's just enjoy whatever football we're getting.
Here are the storylines that have me most intrigued after Packers minicamp.
Lukas Van Ness breakout?
The biggest story out of Packers minicamp this week has been how unstoppable Lukas Van Ness has been as he prepares to enter his fourth season in the NFL.
On the very first two plays of practice, Van Ness blew up a Josh Jacobs run and followed that up with a would-be sack of Jordan Love. He didn't stop there, though, as all reports out of camp had him disrupting nearly everything the offense was trying to accomplish.
We began to see Van Ness play at a high level last year before getting hurt in Week 6. If he can stay healthy this year and truly break out, it would be massive for a Packers defense that desperately needs pass rushers behind Micah Parsons.
Marshawn Lloyd is healthy (fingers crossed)
For the third straight year, you're going to hear about Marshawn Lloyd and how incredibly explosive he looks during Packers' offseason activities.
Lloyd was a third round selection in the 2024 draft but has only managed to play a total of 10 snaps through two seasons in the NFL. It has been a very frustrating start to his career with injuries nagging him at every turn, but if he can just stay healthy, I still believe the Packers could have an absolute stud at RB2.
After being drafted in 2024, draft expert Daniel Jeremiah said that he believed Lloyd was the most talented back in the class, and we've seen flashes of that every time he's been on the field.
With his injury history, we can't get too excited about him yet, but I'm having a hard time containing myself from thinking about what a difference maker he could be for this offense, especially if Josh Jacobs ends up missing time due to suspension.
Javon Bullard star potential?
Javon Bullard was one of my favorite picks in recent memory for the Packers, and through two years, we have seen a lot of good from the former second round pick. Is this the year we see some "great" out of Bullard?
The only defensive player getting more buzz this week than Van Ness has been Bullard, who is flying all over the field in Jonathan Gannon's new defense. Breaking up passes, intercepting the ball, and making "tackles", there isn't anything we haven't seen from the former Bulldog during practices this week.
The slot corner position has never been more important in the NFL than it is right now, so it can't be overstated how big it would be for the defense to have Bullard build off an impressive second year in the league and turn into a true star in year three.
The Packers have lacked attitude and toughness on this team for far too long, but I believe Bullard, along with a few others, is making great strides in changing that.
Tucker Kraft's health and extension talk
The biggest news out of Green Bay this week has been Christian Watson's contract extension, and I think we're going to see Tucker Kraft join Watson in becoming a very rich man sooner rather than later.
Teams and players are always cryptic when it comes to contract talks, but it certainly seems like Kraft's people have been speaking with Brian Gutekunst and his staff and hope to have an extension done by the start of the season at the latest.
Speaking of the start of the season, Kraft was asked about when he hopes to return to the field, and his exact words were "I'm going to get all the conditioning I need in camp to start Week 1 on no pitch count."
Getting Kraft back at full strength (and locked up for the future) to start the season would be massive for Jordan Love and the entire passing attack.
How are the rookies looking?
The rookie making the most headlines this week has been fifth round pick Jager Burton. The Packers have always had a knack for finding Day 3 gems on the offensive line, and if minicamp is any indication, they may have done it again. Burton has gotten starting snaps at both right and left guard and has looked good doing it. Matt Lafleur was asked about him and said that he will definitely be in the mix for playing time this year. It's been a very encouraging start for a fifth round pick.
The Packers' first selection in this year's draft, Brandon Cisse, hasn't necessarily made a ton of jaw-dropping plays just yet, but by all accounts has looked very good in his first week of practice and seems very comfortable covering NFL wide receivers. From the few clips that I saw, his footwork and change-of-direction skills are extremely impressive. It will be very exciting to see him play a ton of snaps in the preseason in his first real exposure to life in the NFL.
Two other rookies making some headlines have been edge rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton and kicker Trey Smack.
Dennis-Sutton entered the NFL with a ton of snaps under his belt at Penn State, and you can tell as much by how comfortable he looks rushing against pro-level offensive linemen. You never want to set expectations too high for a rookie pass rusher, but so far, he's looking like the value many believed he was when the Packers drafted him in the fourth round.
Trey Smack has had more of an up-and-down start to his NFL (practice) career with some bad misses, including a 35-yard attempt at the end of a two-minute drill on Thursday, but has also had some nice moments with multiple hits from 50+ yards. Gutekunst traded two picks away to move up and draft Smack. He needs to pay off for Green Bay.