As free agency news in the NFL begins to slow down to a lull, news of pre-draft visits begins to dominate the headlines. Yes, that's how bored we are and starved for football news. We're over-analyzing pre-draft visits. Nonetheless, it's news, and can sometimes give a view into the direction a team might be headed in the draft. And then again, it can be all a meaningless ruse. Teams may want to just kick the tires on a player they may not even have a shot at for future reference. If they're picking in the late 20's and a player is projected to go in the top 20, perhaps they want some notes on him for down the road, trade or free agent-wise. Or a player simply has a colorful personality, and a coach wants to see if that player will be tolerable in their building should they be the best player available.
Whatever the case may be, the Packers are up to seven pre-draft visits out of their allotted 30, and some of the names are intriguing.
Pre-draft Visits
Seven rookie prospects have been confirmed to have graced the hallowed halls of Lambeau Field. Perhaps the most intriguing prospect is Texas A&M Edge Rusher, Shemar Stewart. Stewart is without question, one of the players high on Packers fan's radar come late April. For good reason too, Stewart possesses an untapped potential of versatility and explosiveness that could be excellent in improving the Packers' pass rush. But, last week I said you could almost write Stewart completely off the Packers' radar because of his visit. This is because the Packers have a history of not picking anyone in the first round that they've had in for a pre-draft visit. And that's where Stewart is projected to land. Of course, I could just be being cynical and history could change, but tendencies are tendencies when it comes to NFL GMs like Brian Gutekunst.
Next up, we have Georgia Edge Rusher, Mykel Williams. Williams is another first-round prospect that like Stewart possesses traits intriguing to Green Bay, especially his motor to get after the ball no matter where it is on the field in relation to him. He has a quickness to chase down the QB as well as any other ball carrier.
Wrapping up the Edge Rushers, for now, we have Tennessee Edge, James Pearce Jr. Pearce is another first-round projected Edge that offers an explosive rush and high motor. Pearce is a bit intriguing for the "why" factor as he's had some character concerns leading up to the draft. The Packers tend to shy away from any of these prospects, but perhaps this visit was to determine if Pearce slides to them in the second round as a result of these "character concerns" and whether or not the Packers would pull the trigger.
We move to Cornerbacks next with East Carolina's Shavon Revel. Revel had a great start to his 2024 season intercepting two passes in three games before suffering a torn ACL. Revel is a projected first or second-rounder and perhaps one of the top intrigues about him is his decision to remain at ECU for the 2024 season despite options to transfer to bigger schools. Green Bay isn't a big flashy city, we all know that. If the Packers can grab a skilled player like Revel who has the loyalty to remain where they are despite big-city intrigue, they should likely jump all over it. Locker room loyalty alongside top talent can be hard to come by and Revel may offer it all.
Of course, we need a receiver, so next up is Texas WR, Isaiah Bond. Bond is a projected third-rounder and one of the fastest players in the draft running a 4.39 40-yard dash. Alongside that speed, Bond boasts soft hands and good route-running ability. Everyone wants the Packers to go either edge or receiver in the first round, well, if they go edge, Bond could be an intriguing prospect later in day two.
And now we're off to the offensive line. Arkansas State's Center, Jacob Bayer is a late-round prospect good at shutting down an interior lineman's bull rush and lifting defensive tackles out of leverage stances. With Josh Myers being cut loose this season, the Center position is wide open. There's a lot of speculation that Elgton Jenkins will be moving to Center following the signing of Aaron Banks at left guard, but it's unconfirmed. I don't think Bayer will be winning the starting job out of Training Camp, but he could offer some depth at the position and perhaps win it over down the road.
Last, we have Washington State Tackle, Esa Pole. Pole is considered a late-round prospect who may even be undrafted. So, why bring him in? Well, in 489 pass-protecting snaps in the 2024 season, Pole did not allow a single sack from the left tackle position. Perhaps the Packers see an underrated prospect that they want to determine whether he's worth a late-round pick or if they're better off just bidding on his services after the draft.
Pre-draft visits can have true intrigue when it comes to whether or not a team will draft a player, and they can also be a smokescreen. But, the Packers' pattern so far shines a light on what positions they may value the most heading into the 2025 draft.
Kristian Welch
On Friday, news broke that the Packers were bringing back LB Kristian Welch. After being part of the final roster cutdowns of 2024, Welch was released from the Packers and spent 2024 split between the Broncos and the Ravens. Welch is a special teams ace who will likely take the place of the departed Eric Wilson on the Packers' special teams unit if he makes the final 53 in 2025.
Last year I had Welch making the 53-man roster given his special teams skills as well as his ability to stand out on defense. But it just wasn't enough and he didn't make it.
Welch will have his work cut out for him in Training Camp this year. He may be a special teams ace, but the Packers will be looking to see how he can contribute elsewhere for whether or not they keep him, and showing out at linebacker is a good start.
While prospect visits are exciting, they can also be very deceiving when it comes to the draft. The Packers will have to find out.
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Greg Meinholz is a lifelong devoted Packer fan. A contributor to CheeseheadTV as well as PackersTalk. Follow him on Twitter @gmeinholz and Bluesky @gmeinholz.bsky.social for Packers commentary, random humor, beer endorsements, and occasional Star Wars and Marvel ramblings.
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