It’s been a summer of giving for the Green Bay Packers, and defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt is the latest to cash in. Emerging as the interior defensive line’s best pass-rusher, Wyatt was sorely missed after suffering a season-ending injury in Week 13. Wyatt is the latest Packers player to sign a long-term extension with the team, and the fourth from the 2022 draft class to do so.
With Jonathan Ford technically back in Green Bay after spending a brief run in Chicago, five of Green Bay’s 11-man draft class received a second stint with the team. After two lackluster draft classes, the 2022 class is part of a crucial foundation for the Packers and one of GM Brian Gutekunst’s best showings.
The 2020 and 2021 classes didn’t bolster the Packers the way Gutekunst and Co. would have hoped.
Ironically, the most controversial pick from the 2020 class, quarterback Jordan Love, is the cream of the crop from those two years. With Aaron Rodgers still playing at a high level, and eventually winning league MVP in 2020 and 2021, looking for a replacement with greater roster needs was a bit of a head-scratcher.
Now, despite some questionable opinions from the dregs of the national media, Love is one of the top quarterbacks in the league and the only member of his draft class still on the roster. Love first received a one-year extension before earning a payday that made him the NFL’s highest-paid player at the time.
Meanwhile, his draftmates didn’t re-sign with Green Bay and aren’t exactly having an impact elsewhere.
Only second-round running back AJ Dillon, third-round tight end Josiah Deguara, and sixth-round offensive lineman Jon Runyan Jr. played snaps in 2025.
2021 was even bleaker. The overall 2020 class wasn’t good, but snagging a franchise QB means there was at least some long-term value. Instead, only one player from the 2021 class remains in Green Bay: the recently re-signed sixth-round linebacker Isaiah McDuffie.
Eric Stokes showed promise, but injuries sapped his strength. He had a bit of a resurgence in his first year with the Las Vegas Raiders. Josh Myers never developed into a plus player and will mostly be remembered for not being Creed Humphrey, who was drafted one pick later. Amari Rodgers was a liability and never found NFL success elsewhere.
For a fifth-round pick, T.J. Slaton was a value and was Green Bay’s best run-stopper. Still, he played his way into a more lucrative contract with the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Packers didn’t receive long-term value from two back-to-back draft classes, and those un-extended players also didn’t bring much to the rest of the NFL, either.
Thankfully, the 2022 class bucked that recent downward slope.
Wyatt is a penetrating weapon when healthy. It seemed like Green Bay might wait for this particular deal. Still, the team must feel confident about Wyatt’s status as he gears back into game mode.
Christian Watson has had his fair share of health concerns, but it’s undeniable that the offense is much better with him on the field. His speed is lethal, he’s a fierce blocker, and he’s someone opposing defenses must account for at any given time.
After rotating for much of his career, Sean Rhyan slotted into center following Elgton Jenkins‘ season-ending injury. He played well enough to earn a payday as Green Bay’s long-term center.
Zach Tom quietly emerged as one of the league’s best tackles and is another late-round success story for the Packers. While he’s had injury issues, he’s been the standout player from this class for a long time.
Seventh-rounder Jonathan Ford technically didn’t sign an extension, but after the Chicago Bears claimed him off Green Bay’s practice squad, he made his way back to Green Bay for a second stint. It counts!
And even many of the players Green Bay didn’t re-sign found lucrative deals elsewhere. Quay Walker signed a large deal with the Las Vegas Raiders. Romeo Doubs got a big payday from the AFC-winning New England Patriots. Former fifth-rounder Kingsley Enagbare got a nice one-year offer from the New York Jets.
For as disappointing as his play was at times last season, Rasheed Walker went from a seventh-round developmental pick to a long-term starter and could build on his one-year deal with the Carolina Panthers.
Green Bay got massive value from this class during their rebuilding years while getting four long-term starters, and even the players who didn’t re-sign in Green Bay will play valuable roles across the league.
Some of these players still have much to prove, and their injury histories aren’t kind to many of them. But they’re a significant part of the team’s backbone. Two dud classes are terrible for a draft-and-develop franchise, but the Packers rebounded nicely with the 2022 class.
