The NFL draft is come and gone, and the Green Bay Packers are hoping for a class that can help push them over the top of the NFC and into the Super Bowl. While they are looking for help from their rookies, usually a draft class takes a few years to fully develop, and it is previous draft classes that need to have players develop into stars.
The 2022 draft class was on deck last year for that burden, and after four full years, the class is a bit of a mixed bag.
The Packers entered the 2022 draft armed with two first-round picks thanks to a trade of Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders. They used both picks on Georgia Bulldog defenders.
Quay Walker and Devonte Wyatt have both been a combination of injuries and inconsistency through four years. Wyatt had his fifth year option picked up prior to the start of last season and could be in line for a contract extension if he plays well again alongside Micah Parsons.
Walker did not have his option picked up, even though the Packers insisted they wanted to keep him in the fold for years to come. That did not come to fruition; as Walker noted during the year, the team stopped talking contract with him by midseason. Ultimately he was allowed to leave in the offseason, signing a three-year, $40.5 million contract with the Raiders.
That marked back-to-back years that Green Bay’s highest pick was allowed to leave in free agency when his contract expired. Ironically enough, the year prior it was Eric Stokes who also signed with the Raiders.
The middle rounds of this draft class are where general manager Brian Gutekunst made his hay. He had two second-round picks in this class with the extra coming via the trade of Adams to the Raiders, but he moved both in a big move up the board to draft North Dakota State’s Christian Watson.
Watson is playing on a deal that is set to expire at the end of 2026, but he is someone the Packers would like to keep in the fold. Watson has been up and down during his career due to injuries and inconsistency, but he really came into his own in 2025 and emerged as the team’s most explosive playmaker.
He has the combination of size and speed the Packers covet, and he likely will be a top priority to get re-signed before his contract expires next March.
Sean Rhyan looked like he was set to hit free agency and be on his way out the door at midseason. Rhyan entered the year as the starting right guard, but the Packers had never fully been comfortable giving him a full-time job without looking to replace him.
When Elgton Jenkins went down with a lower leg injury, however, that was Rhyan’s opportunity. Rhyan took over as the starting center and parlayed his audition into a three-year deal with $33 million before he was able to hit free agency. After years of having to fight for his job, Rhyan should finally feel some stability.
The fourth round was Gutekunst’s best in this class, even if he only kept one of the two players he picked in that round.
Romeo Doubs was a solid receiver in Green Bay for four years. He finished with two 100-yard receiving performances in his Packers career, both coming in the postseason. Had the Packers held on to beat Chicago at Soldier Field in the postseason, Doubs’ one-handed catch likely would have been played on highlight reels for years to come. Instead, it became the final big play he made for Green Bay as he left in free agency for New England on a four-year, $68 million deal.
His other fourth-round pick was the best of this class, and arguably one of the best in his career. Standout tackle Zach Tom is going to be Green Bay’s right tackle for years to come after signing a hefty contract extension last offseason. The goal for Tom needs to be to get healthy and stay healthy. He’s the linchpin that keeps everything together for the Packers’ offensive line.
Kingsley Enagbare, Gutekunst’s fifth-round pick, turned into a solid rotational pass rusher and de facto starter in 2025 before being allowed to leave in free agency. He signed with the New York Jets on a one-year deal worth $10 million.
The final two rounds of the draft did not yield much as Tariq Carpenter never developed into the special teams ace the Packers were hoping he could become for Rich Bisaccia’s units, and Jonathan Ford has been a journeyman in the NFL.
Oddly enough, Ford was signed away from the Chicago Bears last year when the Packers’ defensive line faced significant injuries before the season ended.
Ford was re-signed this offseason and will have a chance to win a job as a rotational defensive lineman in Green Bay.
Overall, this class four years later has become a key part of Green Bay’s core, with potential for more to come as these players grow further into their careers.
