It was back in April of 2021 when Aaron Rodgers, ruminating about what the future holds for him, said the following on the Pat McAfee show, "...That's why I use words, a phrase like 'beautiful mystery,' because it is quite uncertain which direction things are going to go." Don't panic Packers fans, this isn't going to be about Aaron Rodgers - he gets plenty of attention elsewhere (and loves it) and doesn't need me to contribute some more. No, this is about some current Packers players who remain a bit of a mystery. Players who for varied reasons just haven't established their football identities yet. Maybe they've flashed some exciting moments but have fallen short of reproducing them. Maybe injuries have prevented them from showing who they are. Maybe they just haven't been given a chance yet. Or possibly even a combination of all three. But whatever the reason or reasons, these are players who, if they "find themselves," could contribute to the success of the Packers in a meaningful way in 2025 and beyond. (Note: I purposely left rookies off this list as every rookie is a mystery until they actually play at the NFL level)
Dontayvion Wicks - Called the best Packers receiver at "getting open" by his own teammates, Wicks has flashed so much potential at times and yet, has let the team down in critical moments. After generating so much optimism as a rookie, the dropsies became a real problem for Wicks in 2024. I had planned to build a case here that Davante Adams was in similar territory as a second-year player and make some comparisons, but as luck would have it, Mark Oldacres did the research just the other day! In his post over at Packerswire.com, Mark broke down the first two years of each player's careers and the similarities are palpable. Here's an excerpt:
"Wicks averaged 529.5 yards in the 2023 and 2024 seasons, while Adams averaged 550.5 across his rookie and sophomore campaigns. Wicks caught 59.25% of his targets, with Adams catching 60%. Adams actually had a higher drop rate than Wicks in his first two years at 11.8%, compared to 11.35% for Wicks. Both players saw their targets go up from Year 1 to Year 2, yet both caught a lower percentage of their targets in Year 2, had a higher number of drops, fewer receiving yards and a lower yards per reception."
The point I was going to make before I happened across Mark's article is that over their first two seasons, Wicks had more "wow" moments than Adams did, but Devonte showed a bit more consistency. The beautiful mystery about Wicks is what will he be in his year three. Can he approach the high ceiling he showed as a rookie or will he be just another player who flashed but couldn't get beyond that. Personally, I'm on the Wicks breakout season hype train - who's with me?
MarShawn Lloyd - Another player who has been spoken so highly of by his coaches and teammates and was the pure definition of the word "snakebit" in his first year as a Packer. Lloyd started the season on the injury list from an hip injury suffered in an off-season workout. In his one preseason appearance, he sustained a hamstring injury. Next was an ankle injury in week 2 against Indianapolis which landed him on IR. After rehabbing and just as he was ready to return to the active roster, a bout with appendicitis officially ended Lloyd's season. For the running back that Daniel Jeremiah insisted was the best in that year's draft despite being the fourth one taken, there is precious little evidence on NFL tape for us to even guess the level he can achieve. Ideally, he becomes the backup to Josh Jacobs and injects some change-of-pace speed into the Packers running game. A Jacobs-Lloyd 1-2 punch sounds great, but is it realistic? With so little to go on, this one's a complete mystery.
Luke Musgrave - When was the last time a rookie tight end came on the scene for the Packers and contributed immediately out of the gate like Luke Musgrave did? Most NFL cognoscenti will tell you that TE is the hardest position for a rookie to learn because there is just so much you have to know. Packers fans were genuinely uber-excited about Musgrave and the numbers he was putting up in his rookie season despite his seeming inability to stay on his feet with the ball in his hands. Regardless, Musgrave was well on his way to setting a Packers rookie receiving record when misfortune arrived in the form of a lacerated kidney in Week 11. He missed six games, returning in Week 18 and then caught 3 passes in each of the Packers two playoff games. There was much excitement leading into his 2024 season with many labeling Musgrave as a star in the making. Well the Packers did produce a star TE in the making, but it turned out to be Tucker Kraft. In week 4 against the Vikings, Musgrave tore a ligament in his ankle that required surgery and forced him to miss 11 weeks of the season. That opened the door pf opportunity for Kraft who burst through it like the Hulk and became the TE superhero few envisioned he could be. Musgrave now enters year three as TE 2, but of course will have an opportunity to compete with Musgrave and also earn snaps in two TE sets. The mystery here is, can he regain his rookie form before the injuries hit?
Jordan Morgan - Here's our third straight injury-related mystery. A surprise first round OT draft pick in 2024, Morgan was asked to primarily compete with Sean Rhyan for the right guard spot, likely due to his run blocking being ahead of his pass blocking as an NFL rookie. He did well enough to earn some rotation snaps with Rhyan, but a training camp shoulder injury never fully went away and a recurrence eventually ended his season after seeing a total of 186 snaps over six games. Morgan is a mystery for several reasons, the most prominent being is what his position in the NFL will ultimately be. I've said all along the Packers didn't draft him in the first round to be a guard, but having that as a fallback plan is the Packers' Modus Operandi. According the Packers GM Brian Gutekunst, Morgan's priority position this training camp will be at left tackle, where he will compete with Rasheed Walker. I firmly believe the Packers really, really, REALLY want him to win the job, so they can have their left tackle under their control for four more seasons and they don't have to extend or re-sign Walker to what is sure to be a too-rich-for-them contract. Is Morgan a quality NFL starting left tackle? That's the mystery to be solved.
Ty'Ron Hopper - A lot of eyebrows were raised when the Packers used pick #91 in the 2024 draft to select Hopper. Reading through various scouting reports, there was a consensus as to who Hopper was. A physical, speedy fast-twitch athlete, but lacking instincts and the size/strength to get off blocks. As we know, Hopper spent the 2024 season playing special teams and saw only 18 snaps on defense. Tyler Dunne recently did a long-form piece on Hopper, his football origins and why he could be the proverbial "hidden gem' (my words, not Dunne's). Most prominent in the article were the opinions of his linebacker coach at Misouri, DJ Smith. If the name sounds familiar, that's because it is. Smith was a draft choice of the Packers in 2011 and started several games over two years at the same position Hopper occupies, until a severe injury in October of 2012 ended his playing career. Smith transitioned to coaching and as fate would have it, wound up with Hopper as his pupil at Missouri. Smith had this to say about Hopper:
“He is a dude, man,” Smith says. “He’s a starter. He’s a starter in the National Football League. People are going to have to gameplan for him. If he can get rolling? He’s a Pro Bowler.”
That's a far cry from the scouting reports that basically threw shade on his skills as a football player. So who is the real Ty'Ron Hopper? There's your mystery...
Honorable Mention - Lukas Van Ness. I didn't want to include Van Ness in my five because I just don't know if "mystery" is the right term to describe his status. Big disappointment, for sure, but that's a different story for a different day.