The Packers cannot overlook these prospects.
The Green Bay Packers are going to be busy during the 2024 NFL Draft. They have five picks through the first three rounds as a result of them trading away Aaron Rodgers and Rasul Douglas. Green Bay doesn’t have a ton of holes on their young, upstart roster that surprised many with their playoff appearance and win over the Dallas Cowboys. They are ahead of schedule and can use the draft to add to their roster. Three sleepers stand out as potential options worth pursuing. They are Duke’s Graham Barton, Minnesota’s Tyler Nubin, and Tennessee’s Jaylen Wright.
Graham Barton, Offensive Lineman, Duke
Graham Barton’s versatility is something that should really appeal to the Packers. Green Bay has long valued players being able to play multiple positions on the offensive line. Elgton Jenkins, who primarily plays left guard but has also played left tackle, right tackle, and center throughout his career, is one example. Zach Tom is another. Tom mostly is stationed at right tackle but he can also play center and guard for Green Bay.
Barton should fit in like a glove with the Packers. He started as a freshman at Duke as a center, but switched over to left tackle afterward. He played there for the next three seasons and held down the fort, especially during the 2022 season. In that season, he was the only tackle among Power Five schools to earn a grade of 85 or above by PFF as both a pass and run blocker. He spoke more about his versatility at the NFL Combine when asked about how a meeting with the Packers went.
Duke OL Graham Barton had a formal meeting with the Packers earlier this week at the Combine. Here he discusses how that meeting went: pic.twitter.com/NtaDA7NtWp
— Packers coverage by Acme Packing Co. (@acmepackingco) March 2, 2024
Green Bay could also use some reinforcements on the offensive line. They waived David Bakhtiari earlier this offseason to free up some cap space after injuries have robbed him of playing time. The Packers also lost Jon Runyan Jr., their starting right guard, in free agency to the New York Giants.
Green Bay got stellar play from Rasheed Walker at left tackle down the stretch last season, but it never hurts to add depth. They also could try to improve at center from Josh Myers, but right guard is the spot the Packers should look to upgrade. Barton could play there right away and be a great fit in Green Bay.
Tyler Nubin, Safety, Minnesota
Green Bay already addressed safety during free agency with their blockbuster signing of former New York Giant Xavier McKinney, but they could use another. That’s where Minnesota’s Tyler Nubin could come into play.
Nubin has done a little bit of everything during his time with the Gophers. He is a solid tackler who can contribute in the run game, but he shines best protecting against the pass. He racked up 11 pass deflections and 13 interceptions in college, including two in their season debut in 2023.
TYLER NUBIN INTERCEPTION AGAIN❗️❗️❗️
The @GopherFootball safety is giving his team the ball back with a minute to go. 👀
📺: FOX/@CFBonFox pic.twitter.com/fSB763OyPY
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) September 1, 2023
Nubin did not test well at the combine, and being a solid athlete is something the Packers value highly. But he’s a very good player, and someone who could help Green Bay’s secondary.
Jaylen Wright, Running Back, Tennessee
If the Packers want a great athlete, they’d covet Tennessee running back Jaylen Wright. Wright blew up the NFL combine with his testing and measurables in Indianapolis.
Jaylen Wright is a RB prospect in the 2024 draft class. He scored a 9.80 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 37 out of 1804 RB from 1987 to 2024.
Pro day pending.https://t.co/rjqyRvn056 pic.twitter.com/XTAAwow5tf
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 26, 2024
Wright also balled out in a part-time role with the Vols. He averaged six yards per carry in 2022 and put up a 7.4 clip in 2023. That amounted to 1,888 rushing yards with an additional 24 receptions for 149 in the passing game. Wright isn’t a small, change of pace back either. At 5-foot-10 and 210-pounds, what he was listed at at the combine, he can handle a big workload.
Green Bay swapped out Aaron Jones for Josh Jacobs during free agency. Jacobs has been more durable than Jones throughout their careers, but Jones is the more explosive of the two. AJ Dillon is still around, but he doesn’t produce many big plays either.
The Packers could use a jolt of speed and energy in that backfield with Jones now out of the picture. Later in the draft, they could find that type of player in Wright. He’s a player to keep an eye on.
