The Green Bay Packers entered the 2025 NFL Draft with only eight selections, their lowest total since Brian Gutekunst took over as general manager. After having the most draft capital of any team in the NFL over the past three years, it was fair to expect that the Packers would look to trade down at multiple spots in 2025 to add more picks. With many members of their 2022 draft class set to hit unrestricted free agency next year, it only made sense to build up capital for the future.
However, they stayed put and made a selection in each of their spots.
“I would have loved to acquire more picks, whether that was this year or next year. We really didn’t accomplish that,” Gutekunst said after the draft. “It was really pretty quiet as far as how that went.
“At the same time, even though I feel really good right now, things can change fast, so the more the better. But I’ll say I’m pretty excited, I just left the draft room, the UDFAs we were able to sign were guys we have pretty high on the board. Hopefully, that can make up for some of that. But we had eight picks, felt really good about those guys.”
Following the draft, the Packers still had some roster spots to fill. They signed 10 undrafted rookies, including a defensive tackle from Georgia who has a real shot at continuing Green Bay’s two-decade streak of having at least one undrafted rookie make the final roster, Nazir Stackhouse.
Stackhouse steadily became a crucial part of Georgia’s defense over his five-year college career. After playing a limited role in 2020 and 2021, he stepped into the starting lineup in 2022 and earned second-team All-SEC honors as the Bulldogs secured another national championship.
He repeated that recognition in 2023, starting every game and finishing with 24 tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks, and an interception. In 2024, he appeared in 14 games with 13 starts, adding 27 tackles, one for loss, and a pass breakup to cap off his college career.
Stackhouse didn’t hear his name called during the draft, which was surprising. Despite Georgia’s constant rotation along the defensive line, he managed to stay productive and make a steady impact. He had the tools to be a Day 3 selection, which matched The Athletic’s Dane Brugler’s projection.
A three-year starter at Georgia, Stackhouse played nose tackle in head coach Kirby Smart’s hybrid fronts, lining up primarily over the center. NFL teams quickly became familiar with him after he emerged as a dominant run defender on the Bulldogs’ 2022 national title-winning team, even though he was used as more of a pawn in the scheme to take up space.
Stackhouse is power-packed and tough to displace in the middle of the line. Though he is appropriately named (because he probably could stack a house), his shed isn’t as impressive — you’d like to see him play more physically against single blocks and bring a little more juice as a backfield disruptor. Overall, Stackhouse is a naturally powerful human who can two-gap, eat up double teams, and make run stops at the line. He will add early-down nose tackle depth to an NFL defense.
According to ESPN, T.J. Slaton led all NFL interior defensive linemen in run-stop win rate last season. With his departure in free agency, the Packers need someone to step up in that role. Stackhouse still needs development as a pass rusher, but he earned an 83.1 run-defense grade in his final season at Georgia. He has the potential to succeed as a situational run-stopper, particularly on second and third down in short-yardage situations.
Stackhouse is not the only Georgia Bulldog joining Green Bay this year. The Packers selected Warren Brinson in the sixth round and already have Devonte Wyatt in the room. Brian Gutekunst loves his Bulldogs, and Stackhouse comes at a low cost but brings high-upside potential. With the right coaching, he could develop into a valuable rotational piece – and possibly even earn a starting role on the interior defensive line.
