ClutchPoints
Green Bay fans have plenty of reasons to feel optimistic after 2024. Jordan Love silenced many critics with a strong sophomore campaign as a full-time starter, and Matt LaFleur reestablished himself as one of the league’s steadiest sideline generals. In addition, the Packers marched to double-digit wins for the first time in three seasons. That +122 point differential? Fifth-best in the entire NFL. Green Bay didn’t just beat up on bad teams. They asserted themselves as legitimate contenders.
But good wasn’t good enough. When the calendar brought matchups against true title hopefuls, the cracks started to show. The Packers were swept by the Eagles, Vikings, and Lions. Each of those three squads all won at least 14 games. Against top-tier competition, Love and company couldn’t quite close the gap.
So the front office sprang into action. General Manager Brian Gutekunst doubled down on building around his young QB by signing veteran LG Aaron Banks (4 years, $77 million) and versatile CB Nate Hobbs (4 years, $48 million). They finally broke their two-decade-long drought of first-round wideouts by selecting Matthew Golden. However, they noticeably skipped the edge rusher position in the 2025 draft. And as the team enters 2025 with the ninth-highest Super Bowl odds and a roster still flashing with upside, the reality is they still need help getting after the quarterback.
Here we’ll try to look at two players who are way-too-early 2026 NFL Draft prospects the Green Bay Packers must monitor.
The Packers have shown time and again that they love their edge rushers big, long, and versatile. LT Overton fits that profile to a tee.
Listed at 6’5″ and 283 pounds, Overton isn’t your twitchy, bend-around-the-edge specialist. He’s a blunt instrument who can bulldoze linemen backward and even kick inside in obvious run downs. After a 2024 season at Alabama where he showed disruptive flashes but recorded just two sacks, Overton made the wise decision to return to Tuscaloosa to round out his game. If he takes a leap in production, his physical profile and versatility make him a near-lock to land in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Overton plays like a younger version of Michael Brockers. He is thick and strong, but he should also develop a better pass-rush toolkit. Overton is strong at collapsing the pocket, but doesn’t always finish the job due to average closing speed. That said, NFL scouts love players who make life easier for others. Overton eats up blockers and lets speedsters and linebackers fly around him.
For Green Bay, he’d be an ideal complement to Rashan Gary. That’s particularly true if Lukas Van Ness doesn’t make the leap in Year 3. With the Packers leaning heavily on four-man rushes in their base defense, getting a power-based edge who can seamlessly shift across fronts is a major value-add.
Overton’s name didn’t come off the board in the 2025 draft. However, it won’t be a surprise if he’s the type...
