With the draft less than a week away and Aaron Rodgers still on the roster, it’s shaping up to be a pivotal few days for the Green Bay Packers. Brian Gutekunst and Joe Douglas are thoroughly dug in, and the latest leak – this one about the Tennessee Titans’ alleged interest in Rodgers – is a sign that Green Bay may be feeling the heat of the upcoming spectacle in Kansas City.
Both teams need this deal pretty desperately but, in the near term, the Packers are in much worse shape with their WATNA (worst alternative to a negotiated agreement). By letting the draft come and go without the deal, they’d lose the opportunity to plug more of their many holes sooner rather than later and surround Jordan Love with some talent. On the other hand, Rodgers won’t be attending the New York Jets’ early offseason stuff anyway, so they’re really in no rush.
We still haven’t seen Gutekunst’s full menu of selections on Thursday yet. We all want Jaxon Smith-Njigba, just like we all wanted Jameson Williams and Chris Olave last year, Rashod Bateman and Elijah Moore the year before, and, of course, Tee Higgins and Justin Jefferson the year Green Bay traded up for Love. Seeing the electric duo of Smith-Njigba and Christian Watson would bring excitement to a Packers squad that has a decent shot at being pretty mediocre, if David Bakhtiari’s forecast is on point. However, while JSN would undoubtedly be a great, high-upside pick at a position of significant need, trading down feels likely given the depth of this class and the sheer amount of needs to fill.
The Packers need a backup quarterback, multiple receivers, a starting tight end and also probably a depth piece there, a safety, help in the trenches on both sides of the ball, a kicker, and a punter. The free-agent pool is pretty much bereft of talent at this point. But that isn’t particularly relevant given Green Bay’s salary cap is already bereft of space. Trading down and collecting Day 2 picks, in addition to the pick(s) acquired in exchange for Rodgers, will put the team in position to address as many needs as possible, and begin to reload. An intriguing first-rounder under these circumstances? Alabama’s Brian Branch.
The consensus top safety on the board, Branch is versatile, hard hitting, and a sure tackler. His missed-tackle rate is just 2.3%, making him the best-tackling prospect of any safety or linebacker in the PFF era. Branch’s weakness? His athletic profile came in much lower than the Packers usually shoot for with their top picks. That basically makes him the antithesis of Darnell Savage, who the team selected 21st overall in 2019.
Savage showed potential at the beginning of his career. However, he has demonstrated he’s likely not the answer in the years since. He’s one of the most explosive guys in the league on paper, but it just hasn’t translated to the field in the way you’d hope. The tackling issues that got him benched in 2022 have made it difficult to see him being extended after his contract expires next offseason. Combined with Adrian Amos likely finding a new home, safety is a gargantuan need. They also have no tight end and only three receivers on the roster (all second-year players), and people are still mocking offensive tackles to them at No. 15. Accumulating picks is the obvious move.
At 6’0”, 190 lbs., Branch is a hard hitter who would bring physicality to a Green Bay defense that has been manhandled at times despite being almost entirely composed of first-rounders from the past decade or so. Quay Walker, a Day 1 pick last year, turned in a great rookie season that was a breath of fresh air; he played fast, aggressively, landed some kill shots, and…well, let’s say “refused to spare opposing staffers.” Bringing in Branch, a fellow SEC bruiser, would go a long way towards making Joe Barry’s defense the strength of the 2023 team, which it likely will need to be if the team hopes to contend for a playoff spot.
After a rough combine performance, Branch is being aggressively mocked to the Jaguars at No. 24, and it’s fair to assume the Packers have more qualms than others when it comes to his profile. However, he remains at the top of everyone’s safety board and, as Dan Campbell put it, “You don’t grade off somebody out here in pajamas, running the 40 with no defender around.” Green Bay may value extreme athleticism, but they sure as hell value versatility, physicality, and top-tier football IQ as well. It’s something to keep an eye on, and trading down is a real possibility.
