The Packers 53 Man Roster for 2018 | Ticket King Green Bay

The NFL off-season, or at least the “transactions” part, has come and gone. Teams have set their 90-man rosters and are only tweaking the back end of them at this point. Let’s dive right in and let our man T.J. Bryce look into his crystal ball to see what he thinks that the Packers final 53-man roster will be. This is a very early estimate of what will come to be the "53," and it's worth noting that there are always a few stand out performances by players that were "on the bubble."

(Note: PS Stands for Practice Squad)

Quarterbacks (2)- Aaron Rodgers (Stop laughing,) Deshone Kizer, Tim Boyle (PS). Cut- Brett Hundley.

Well, all know about that broken collarbone, and we also know that Brett Hundley showed the world he has no business being an NFL quarterback, even a backup. DeShone Kizer is a unique project and will still only be 22 for this season, despite having a year in the league under his belt already. Tim Boyle goes to the practice squad.

Running Backs(4)- Jamal Williams, Aaron Jones, Devonte Mays, Ty Montgomery. Cut- Joel Bouagnon.

We all know who the four running backs will be. It is hard to pick a starter between Williams and Jones, as they will both split carries. Mays will get some work, and Montgomery will be turned into a running back/wide receiver hybrid.

Fullbacks(1): Aaron Ripkowski. Cut: Joe Kerridge.

Joe Kerridge has been a great story, but the story ends here, as the Packers just don’t have a roster spot for him anymore. Aaron Ripkowski is the Packers lead blocker for the foreseeable future.

Wide Receivers(7)- Davante Adams, Randall Cobb, Geronimo Allison, Trevor Davis, J’Mon Moore, Eqaunimeous St. Brown, Marquez Valdez-Scantling, Michael Clark(PS), DeAngelo Yancey(PS). Cut- Jake Kumerow, Colby Pearson.

Even without Jordy Nelson, the Packers suddenly have a deep wide receiver corps thanks to the draft. I think they keep seven of them, as teams will pounce if they try to sneak one of the three rookies onto the practice squad. Yancey and Clark head back there for a second season.

Tight Ends(3)- Jimmy Graham, Lance Kendricks, Emmanuel Byrd, Ryan Smith(PS). Cut- Keven Rader, Robert Tonyan.

The Packers big off season splash was the signing of tight end Jimmy Graham. Kendricks will be the backup, and Byrd will be used in goal-line situations.

Offensive Lineman(9)- David Bakhtiari, Lane Taylor, Corey Linsley, Cole Madison, Brian Bulaga, Jason Spriggs, Justin McCray, Kyle Murphy, Adam Pankey, Austin Davis(PS). Cut- Dillon Day, Patrick Lucas, Kofi Amichia, Kyle Meadows.

David Bakhtiari has quite possibly become the best left tackle in the NFL. Lane Taylor is a good pro. Corey Linsley is a great center. Cole Madison will compete for the right guard spot from day one. This is Brian Bulaga’s last chance to stay healthy for an entire season and if Jason Spriggs takes that next step Bulaga might find himself on the bench or even gone. Offensive lineman are the hardest unit to predict who the backups will be. I did my best.

Defensive Lineman(6)- Mike Daniels, Kenny Clark, Dean Lowry, Montravius Adams, James Looney, Muhammed Wilkerson, Conor Sheehy(PS), Tyler Lancaster(PS). Cut- Filipo Mokofisi.

The Packers other big free agent splash was Muhammed Wilkerson, who has experience in Mike Pettine’s system and has played the best football of his life in that system. Mike Daniels is a monster pass rusher who gives many a quarterback nightmares. They still expect big things from Montravius Adams, who is finally healthy.

Linebackers(8)- Clay Matthews, Nick Perry, Vince Biegel, Oren Burks, Blake Martinez, Reggie Gilbert, Jake Ryan, Chris Odom, Kendall Donnerson(PS). Cut- Kyler Fackrell, Parris Bennett, Naashon Hughes, C.J. Johnson, Greer Martini, Marcus Porter, Ahmad Thomas.

Not much to say here. Oren Burks could get a starting job week one. The 7^th round rookie goes to the practice squad. Kyler Fackrell did not develop like they had hoped, and the rest are just camp bodies.

Cornerbacks(5)- Joshua Jackson, Jaire Alexander, Tramon Williams, Davon House, Kevin King. Cut- Donatello Brown, Herb Waters, Demitri Goodson, Josh Hawkins, Lenzy Pipkens.

The Packers biggest hole this off season was cornerback, and Brian Gutekunst did a great job of fixing it. We know who the five corners will be. The question is, who will start? That is going to be one outstanding competition all summer and into training camp.

Safeties(5)- Josh Jones, Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix, Marwin Evans, Kentrell Brice, Quinten Rollins, Raven Greene(PS). Cut- Jermaine Whitehead.

After a great rookie campaign, Josh Jones steps into a bigger role with the departure of Morgan Burnett. Clinton-Dix has become one of the game’s best deep safeties. I think Rollins switches to safety. Whitehead is a tough cut but it must be done.

Special Teams(3)- Mason Crosby, JK Scott, Zach Triner. Cut- Hunter Bradley.

Crosby is the Packers all-time leading scorer, one of the best kickers of his generation, and perhaps a future hall of famer. JK Scott has a big leg and they cut Justin Vogel as a sign of confidence, plus he asked to be cut anyways. I have no idea why Hunter Bradley is still on the 90-man roster.

Well there you have it, my best attempt at a Packers 53.

Packers 2018 Draft Class | Ticket King Green Bay

It’s hard to believe but the 2018 NFL Draft has come and gone. New Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst ran the Green & Gold war room for the first time. By the time he was done wheeling and dealing, he ended up with 11 selections. Let’s go through each one of them.

Round One: Jaire Alexander/CB/Lousiville- Brian Gutekunst put one over on Saints GM Mickey Loomis with this one. By the time he was done dealing, Gutekunst had basically swapped a third-round draft choice for a fifth-round draft choice, picked up an extra first next year, still got the guy he wanted at 18 instead of 14, and will get to pay him a little less because of draft slot. There’s nothing not brilliant about this. Since Sam Shields suffered the first of his last two concussions, which cost him all but two games over the final year and a half of his Green Bay career back in 2015, the Packers have been getting torched vertically over and over again. So Gutekunst and McCarthy finally said enough is enough with this selection. Alexander can fly and his calling card is deep ball coverage “on an island” as well as ball-hawking. This is a great pick up.

Round 2: Joshua Jackson/CB/Iowa- It was nothing short of a complete joke that Jackson was available for the Packers when the draft reached the 45^th selection in round two. The Packers couldn’t send their runner to the podium any faster when they made this choice. They would have gotten good value picking Jackson at 14 in round one, and they got him at 45 in round two. Jackson has coverage skills that don’t grow on trees, and that goes along with his size and great hands. Gutekunst did a tremendous job of shoring up the Packers cornerbacks situation this offseason.

Round 3: Oren Burks/LB/Vanderbilt- The Packers traded up into round three to draft Burks, the athletic linebacker from Vanderbilt. Burks takes the “versatile linebacker” position to the next level. He can play in either a 3-4 or a 4-3. He can play middle linebacker or outside linebacker in a 4-3. He can play inside linebacker or rush linebacker in a 3-4. He will play rush linebacker in Mike Pettine’s defense.

Round 4: J’Mon Moore/WR/Missouri- With the big defensive needs taken care of, the Packers turned to offense on day three. Moore was the first of three wide receivers the Packers took. He has nice size at 6’3” with big hands, and could be a big contributor, even a starter, down the road.

Round 5 – First Pick: Cole Madison/OT/OG/Washington State- The Packers have a long history of drafting and developing great lineman in rounds 3-7. Standing 6’5” ad 308 pounds, Madison could be the next in line. Whether he can come in and compete to start at guard in year one remains to be seen, but he did play in a pass-happy offense at Washington State, so that helps his cause here.

Round 5 – Second Pick: JK Scott/P/Alabama- This was a surprising selection, but still a good one. Scott has a big leg and can put the Packers minds to rest with the punter position for the next decade-plus.

Round 5 –Third Pick: Marquez Valdes-Scantling/WR/South Florida- This was a “We may have won the lottery.” selection for the Packers. “MVS” has the size and speed coaches dream of, at 6’4”, 205 pounds, 10 inch-plus hands, and he runs a 4.37 40-yard-dash. This one won’t pay off for the Packers this season so be patient. He needs to be developed. With some great coaching, his ceiling is through the roof, as in, yes, he could be one of the best in the business someday.

Round 6 - Equanimeous St. Brown/WR/Notre Dame- This was another choice where it was crazy that this caliber player was available in this spot. St. Brown was a projected as an early third-round draft choice, and the Packers got him in round six. St. Brown is huge- 6’5”, 215 pounds, and a 4.48 40-yard dash time. The Packers got three good receivers in this draft.

Round 7 – First Pick: James Looney/DE/California After three wide receivers, an offensive lineman, and a punter, the Packers went back to defense in round seven. Of all their choices this year in rounds 3-7 Looney has the lowest ceiling. Looney stands 6’3”, 287 pounds, and for a man who runs a 4.9 in the 40 he will have to bulk up, or his NFL career will be very short.

Round 7 – Second Pick: Hunter Bradley/LS/Mississippi- Yes, they used a draft choice on a long snapper, and for good reason. The Packers long snapper issues were well documented last year and it would have cost them the game in Dallas had it not been for Aaron Rodgers’s late-game heroics. Bradley could be the Packers long snapper for the next 12-15 years. Good job.

Round 7 – Third Pick: Kendall Donnerson/OLB/Southeast Missouri State- This is a truly raw prospect. Donnerson has off the charts physical ability but is very raw and undeveloped. He will spend year one on the practice squad.