GREEN BAY, Wis. – In 2023, the Green Bay Packers’ rookie class ranked second in the NFL in snaps. In 2024, they fell to 21st.
In April, general manager Brian Gutekunst selected eight players. Through exactly three weeks of training camp and with less than two weeks until the Aug. 26 roster cuts, there might not be a lot of sudden impact from this year’s rookie class, either. First-round pick Matthew Golden has been exceptional but everybody else will be working to find roles.
Here’s an updated look at this year’s draft picks.
Former Packers general manager Ted Thompson liked to say he wished he could wrap the players in bubble wrap to get through training camp and the preseason.
“I sat next to Ted a long time,” Gutekunst said on Tuesday. “When there’s a chance of lightning for that first game [on Saturday against the Jets], I had him in my head, he’s like, ‘Maybe they’ll cancel it.’ That’s exactly what he would’ve been thinking.”
Given the incredible number of injuries at receiver, perhaps the Packers should put Matthew Golden in bubble wrap for the rest of camp. As we’ve said before, it’s not Golden’s 4.29 speed in the 40 that has made him such a threat. It’s everything else. He’s fast. He runs good routes. He catches the ball. He should be one of the team’s top receivers for Week 1 with a shot of becoming a legitimate No. 1 receiver by the end of the season.
“For a third-year player coming out of college, I think he’s done a really good job of just adjusting to our culture here,” Gutekunst said. “His work habits have been excellent, and he’s one of those rookies that has made one or two plays every day. When you start to see that, the consistency of that, there’s a lot of history here that those guys make it and are pretty good players in this league.
“I think he’s just scratching the surface and he’s still learning quite a bit, but he’s made plays when he’s had the opportunities to make plays and that’s a good sign. Certainly a lot more out there for him, and he’s working hard to try to get to those next places.”
Golden played 12 snaps against the Jets. He was targeted on a pair of third-down plays with Jets star Sauce Gardner in coverage. Golden caught one pass for a first down and drew pass interference for another first down.
“For me, it was just trying to get my feet wet, first NFL game, get back out there, get the feeling of just playing football again,” he said. “The first catch, it felt good. First catch of my career, but I’ve still got a lot of work to do and I’m ready for what’s in front of me.”
Anthony Belton continues to take the No. 2 reps at left tackle and the No. 3 reps at right tackle on the practice field, though all of his preseason snaps came at right tackle.
Other than two penalties against the Jets, he had a strong debut. At this size, physicality should be his calling card. Sure enough, he had a pancake block on Amar Johnson’s long touchdown run. “I got a clean shot on him and finished the block,” Belton said. In the passing game, PFF charged him with zero pressures allowed in 20 pass-protecting snaps.
“My mindset is just find a way to get better every day,” Belton said after the game. “I just want to find ways to get better. That's the starting ground, establish myself and know I can be trusted with the playbook. That’s what comes first in my mind, get everything down pat to where I’m not out there making mistakes. I’m not going out there thinking about starting or anything like that. It’s just about consistency and stacking days.”
Rasheed Walker or Jordan Morgan will start at left tackle and Zach Tom will start at right tackle. That means Belton might wind up being the No. 4 tackle.
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Savion Williams (83) catches a pass at training camp.
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Savion Williams (83) catches a pass at training camp. / Sarah Kloepping/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Savion Williams just can’t stay on the field. It’s not due to a lack of toughness. He played through a torn labrum during his final season at TCU, when he led the offense – not just as a receiver but as a primary runner as the wildcat quarterback.
“It wasn’t bad,” Williams said last week. “They just thought it was a rotator cuff.”
Williams suffered a concussion early in training camp and has been on and off the field ever since. He dropped out of Family Night, for instance, didn’t play in the preseason game against the Jets and missed most of Tuesday’s practice, as well. He used a massage gun on his hamstring on Tuesday, though it’s not clear if that’s why he dropped out.
“Yeah, a little bit,” Williams said when asked if this was a frustrating start to his career. What does he want to show once he’s finally healthy?
“What I can do with the ball in my hands.”
The Packers had high hopes for Williams taking some of the jet-sweep/end-around/screen-game burden off Jayden Reed. Williams has gotten quite a bit of action on those handoffs at practice, but it’s going to be hard to trust him in Week 1 against the Lions if he can’t put together a sustained stretch of practices and get some preseason action.
Barryn Sorrell and Brenton Cox have split the No. 2 reps alongside Kingsley Enagbare throughout camp. Against the Jets, Sorrell played 39 snaps and was in on two tackles. In 22 pass-rushing opportunities, he had two quarterback hits. He was anchored on the edge against the Jets but has played some defensive tackle at practice.
Green Bay Packers defensive end Barryn Sorrell rides to practice at training camp.
Green Bay Packers defensive end Barryn Sorrell rides to practice at training camp. / Jovanny Hernandez / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
“I think he’s a young guy who’s learning how to play the position,” defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said this week. “You got a guy who has pass-rush ability. He strains. Here’s what I saw last night: He got better as the game went on. He was correcting mistakes and he was fixing his own mistakes fairly quickly, which to me might be the most promising thing. He’s tough, as we know. I think he has a chance to be a really good leader down the road.”
After missing most of his senior season at Oklahoma State, Collin Oliver hasn’t practiced since the team’s rookie camp. He’s out with a hamstring injury but was running up the sideline at practice on Tuesday, which perhaps signals he’s close to at least participating in individual drills.
“He’s disappointed that he can’t be out here, but there’s going to be a time where we’re going to need him,” Hafley said.
The Packers lost TJ Slaton in free agency, with Warren Brinson representing the biggest addition in terms of capital expended. He’s mostly toiled with the third team, sometimes with Colby Wooden and sometimes with undrafted rookie and former Georgia teammate Nazir Stackhouse.
While Brinson has cranked things up a notch at practice, he had a quiet preseason debut with one tackle in 26 snaps. Because of his size and athleticism, it would be a surprise if he’s not on the 53-man roster. The question is whether he’ll be on the gameday roster to start the season. The joint practice and preseason game against the Colts will be important.
Green Bay Packers cornerback Micah Robinson (26) runs through a drill at training camp.
Green Bay Packers cornerback Micah Robinson (26) runs through a drill at training camp. / Jovanny Hernandez / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Micah Robinson has had some good reps throughout training camp but made his first really big play on Monday. On third-and-7, Cornelius Johnson broke over the middle but Robinson closed quickly and got his hand on the ball, resulting in an interception by rookie safety Johnathan Baldwin.
Against the Jets, he had five tackles. According to PFF, he was targeted once out of 16 coverage snaps and allowed a 12-yard completion. He tackled well, which was a strength of his at Tulane.
With the return of Kamal Hadden on Tuesday, Robinson went from the second unit to the third unit.
John Williams was a two-year starting left tackle at Cincinnati. He injured his back during the offseason work and had surgery, which sidelined him for OTAs, minicamp and all of training camp. There’s a good chance he’ll open the regular season on the physically unable to perform list, which means he wouldn’t be able to practice until after Week 4.
“I’ve been taking a lot of mental reps and doing my best to understand the playbook even without being able to get the physical reps and get the muscle memory,” Williams said early in camp, “but I think I’ll be able to pick it up once I come back.”