The NFL Draft has come and gone for the Green Bay Packers. Brian Gutekunst, the general manager of the Packers, selected eight new players and also added several undrafted free agents. If you have been living under a rock and don’t know who the Packers players are, then click here to find out about the drafted players and click here to learn about their undrafted free agents.
But, the question here isn’t about who the Packers chose, but who they didn’t choose. According to Gutekunst, roster-building is a 365 days a year endeavor. In other words, it doesn’t ever stop. Because, contrary to popular belief, a team will always have needs. There are no perfect teams.
So, now that the draft is over, what are the Packers top five positional needs?
Packers Number Five Need: Quarterback
Now, you are probably wondering, why are you putting quarterback at number five on a positional needs list for the 2025 Packers? Well, its not just about this year. Of course, depth at the most important position in all of sports is imperative, but having a backup quarterback who can steal a win or two in the absence of Jordan Love can save a season. One doesn’t have to look much further than last year to see that. If it wasn’t for Malik Willis winning a couple of games, the Packers wouldn’t have made the playoffs.
I don’t know if they would have won those games with Sean Clifford starting. However, Malik Willis is only under contract for this season, and yeah, Green Bay could extend him. But, would that be something beneficial for Willis? The Packers could be looking for a backup replacement sooner than later.
For rookie minicamp, Green Bay did bring in undrafted rookie quarterback Taylor Elgersma. Matt LaFleur described the Canadian QB as having a “live arm.” Could he be the future backup? Probably not, but you never know.
Number Four Need: Tight End
The Matt LaFleur offense loves tight ends, for receiving and blocking. Yes, the Packers have Tucker Kraft and Luke Musgrave, but those two only have two years remaining on their rookie deals and extending both of them is probably not in the cards. The tight end market is booming.
The 49ers tight end George Kittle recently signed a $76 million dollar extension. If Kraft’s play continues to develop like it has been, it is reasonable to believe that his extension could be larger than Kittle’s, leaving Musgrave out.
Also, the LaFleur offense enjoys employing the third tight end specifically for blocking. The Packers currently have Ben Sims but could look to upgrade him.
Packers Number Three Need: Edge
Green Bay, unlike the first two needs listed above, addressed pass rush in the NFL draft. Just, they didn’t do it in day one or day two. I love the Barryn Sorrell pick as much as the next guy, but that is a lot to put on a fourth round pick.
Why the need? Well, the Packers top two pass rushers are Rashan Gary and Lukas Van Ness.
Gary’s production has continued to drop over the past three years and after 2025, his contract is very movable. The Packers can save $11 million on the cap next season if they chose to move on from Gary before June 1st. They can save even more if they moved on after June 1st.
Van Ness hasn’t lived up to his 13th overall pick and will need to show tremendous growth over the next couple of years to earn a contract extension. Green Bay could very well have a huge need at edge sooner than later. They might already have one.
Number Two Need: Defensive Tackle
Even though the Packers drafted some defensive linemen, it doesn’t seem like they got a guy specific for Nose Tackle. This season, Green Bay might finally put Kenny Clark at Nose Tackle instead of at the 3-tech, but this is most likely Clark’s last season for the Packers. I could be wrong, but history is very informative about these types of things.
Because of this the Packers have a big (Get it? Big?) need in the middle of their defensive line.
Packers Number One Need: Cornerback
Best case scenario at this point, Jaire Alexander redoes his contract with Green Bay that reduces his salary. However, incentives should be added that allow him earn more money based on how much he plays. This could affectively allow him to earn more money that what he is scheduled to get now.
That being said, even if Jaire plays for the Packers this season, he will not next season. Keisean Nixon is signed through 2026 but the Packers have an out with him after this season and can save $5 million on the cap by letting him go. And Carrington Valentine is only on the books through 2026 as well. Nate Hobbs is under contract through 2028 but really is only a two year contract based on how the contract is set up.
The Packers will need to overhaul their entire cornerback room very soon and honestly probably as soon as next offseason. This is expedited if Jaire Alexander leaves this offseason.
Needs for 2025
As you can see, most of these needs are because of roster challenges that appear after this season. The Packers, even before the draft, could have played a game and would have been competitive to favored to win based on the opponent. This roster overall is in a good place.
The season can’t get here soon enough.
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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The post Packers Top 5 New Needs After the 2025 NFL Draft first appeared on PackersTalk.com Blog Posts and Podcasts.