A year ago, I wrote an article called, “Packers Second-Year Players That Will Make the Jump in 2024.” This article explored which players I believed to be primed for a breakout season that were drafted in 2023. Needless to say, I may or may not have gotten a few wrong. But to be honest, you can’t really account for injuries in these type of sports articles.
So, yeah, I said Lukas Van Ness, Luke Musgrave, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, and Karl Brooks were about to make the jump. Did that happen? I mean somewhat. I got Jayden Reed right! For the first half of the season.
I did mention three other players that were less likely to have a breakout season and included Tucker Kraft and Carrington Valentine. Yes! I know I probably should have included those two over Karl Brooks, but can you blame me? I mean, I guess you can, but still.
Let’s see if I can do better this year. This is the second-year Packers players that will make the jump in 2025.
Packers Second-Year Player: Jordan Morgan
Is it a bit of a cop-out selecting a first round pick to be a breakout player? Not in this case. Jordan Morgan was the first round pick for Green Bay in 2024 but didn’t play much in 2024 due to injuries. This season he will look to compete for a starting position on the offensive line, be it at guard or left tackle.
Morgan has the skillset to play well at either position. This breakout candidate could quickly lose this status as a breakout candidate if he can’t win a starting position on the offensive line. The selection of Anthony Belton in the second round of this draft and the addition of Aaron Banks in free agency could derail Morgan’s season before it begins.
But if he wins a starting job, look out!
Packers Second-Year Player: Edgerrin Cooper
This might be the easiest prediction of this whole offseason. The player with the most potential to have a huge jump this season will be Edgerrin Cooper. Cooper technically has already started his ascension into NFL stardom.
As a rookie, Cooper looked explosive. He racked up 87 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, and one interception. This is with only having played in 14 games and most of the games at the beginning of the year he didn’t play as many downs as he did later on. Edgerrin Cooper is going to be a probowler this season, if not more than that.
MarShawn Lloyd
MarShawn Lloyd basically redshirted his rookie season. He only had six rushing attempts all of 2024 due to injury. However, in training camp, Lloyd showed how elusive and electric he could be. Injuries may have derailed his rookie season, but if he can stay healthy, he could be a great compliment to Josh Jacobs.
Evan Williams
Evan Williams quickly made his name known throughout Packerland in 2024. He turned out to be a fantastic compliment to Xavier McKinney and make several plays throughout last season.
Williams had 49 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss, and an interception. If healthy, the safety position with Williams and McKinney can quickly be recognized as one of the best safety duos in all of football.
Other Possible Breakout Players:
Other possible breakout players could be Ty’Ron Hopper and Kitan Oladapo. They are both very athletic players with a high ceiling. If they are in a position to have a breakout season, that would mean some injuries would have had to happened to get them in the starting lineup. Or, they were absolutely dominant on special teams, which I would be ecstatic to see.
“Last season, the Packers turned over their roster and had the youngest team in the NFL. And, they just so happened to have a ton of success. The Packers will look to continue that trend so the expectation should be that the Packers will have some breakout second-year players. I’m excited to find out who will make that second-year leap.”
That’s how I ended last year’s article on this subject and it still remains true. It’s why the Packers are always competitive.
And as always,
Go Pack Go!
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Damon is a diehard, fully-immersed cheesehead who currently lives in southern Missouri. He teaches at a local high school and has a family YouTube channel about all things Packers. You can follow him on twitter at @packersfamily and on YouTube at The Packers Family.
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