Packers Pro Day Round Up: Catching you up on the last 10 days

Now that we’re past the half-way point in the pro day cycle, Green Bay’s draft board is starting to take shape.

It’s time for the second edition of our Green Bay Packers-centric pro day round up. The first time we published an article in this series, we covered about the first week of the pro day circuit and where the Packers decided to attend (and not attend). It’s time to finally catch you all up on what’s happened over the last 10 days.

We’ll be going program-by-program, breaking down who the major prospects are at the schools that the Packers chose to make the trip for. Below each school will be each player’s consensus board ranking, assuming that he cracked the top 250 prospects on the list.

Wisconsin

• #90 RB Braelon Allen
• #151 OL Tanor Bortolini

A source told me that not only was Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst at Wisconsin’s pro day, but that the team had three members of their front office at the event. Obviously, it’s a shorter trip to Madison than to other campuses, but that’s worth noting here.

The two main prospects to keep an eye on here are running back Braelon Allen and offensive lineman Tanor Bortolini, who has the ability to play either center or guard at the next level. According to draft analyst Tony Pauline, the Packers — along with the Buccaneers and Jaguars — spent a lot of time with Bortolini at the Badgers’ pro day.

Allen did not run at his pro day, meaning that the only testing measurables we’re going to receive from him during the pre-draft process were the jumps that he did at the combine in Indianapolis.

UCLA

• #17 EDGE Laiatu Latu
• #124 EDGE Gabriel Murphy
• #211 EDGE Grayson Murphy
• #244 LB Darius Muasau

Defenders are the name of the game at UCLA. Not only were the Packers represented at the Bruins’ pro day, but former UCLA offensive lineman turned Green Bay right guard Sean Rhyan also popped by his former program for the event.

UCLA has three pass-rushers in the upcoming draft class, Laiatu Latu, who is considered to be a first-round pick despite having a fused neck, and twins Gabriel and Grayson Murphy. Another player worth noting is stack linebacker Darius Muasau, who I think is being severely underrated in this less-than-stellar crop of linebackers. Muasau was also named by the East-West Shrine Bowl coaches as one of the top performers of the week at the all-star game.

Colorado State

• #129 EDGE Mohamed Kamara
• #167 TE Dallin Holker

Tight end isn’t gonna be much of a need for the Packers in 2024, as the team is bringing back Luke Musgrave, Tucker Kraft, Tyler Davis and Ben Sims for another season. With that in mind, the main target at Colorado State’s pro day seems to be pass-rusher Mohamed Kamara. At the moment, Kamara is expected to be the second-highest-drafted Group of 5 pass-rusher in the 2024 class, only behind Western Michigan’s Marshawn Kneeland.

Alabama

• #7 EDGE Dallas Turner
• #11 CB Terrion Arnold
• #19 OL J.C. Latham
• #26 CB Kool-Aid McKinstry
• #52 EDGE Chris Braswell
• #84 WR Jermaine Burton
• #130 DL Justin Eboigbe
• #220 RB Jase McClellan

There’s a whole laundry list of names coming out of Alabama this year, but it’s worth noting that the positions that they’re strong at are also the positions that Green Bay seems to be targeting in the pro day circuit. Cornerback, offensive line and edge rushers make up the majority of the projected top-50 selections that the Packers are taking a live look at this spring. It was also reported that Green Bay had extended conversations with cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry, who also has return ability, at Alabama’s pro day.

USC

• #1 QB Caleb Williams
• #80 S Calen Bullock
• #99 WR Brenden Rice
• #106 RB MarShawn Lloyd
• #235 WR Tahj Washington

Caleb Williams isn’t going to be there when the Packers are on the clock and receivers isn’t much of a need for Green Bay, so I would suggest you focus on safety Caleb Bullock and running back MarShawn Lloyd here. For the most part, the Packers have done their due diligence on the top safeties in this draft class. Not only did the squad get a look at Bullock, but they also visited Minnesota — which had virtually no other draft prospects — for Tyler Nubin and took the trip to Georgia, where Javon Bullard participated in drills.

Notre Dame

• #8 OL Joe Alt
• #86 OL Blake Fisher
• #93 CB Cam Hart
• #109 RB Audric Estime
• #166 LB Marist Liufau
• #193 QB Sam Hartman
• #194 LB J.D. Bertrand
• #222 EDGE Javontae Jean-Baptiste

It’s highly doubtful that Joe Alt will be around for the Packers at #25, but Notre Dame has a lot of late Day 2 and Day 3 talent in this draft class. Apparently, Audric Estime — the 221-pound running back — ran a much better 40-yard dash than the 4.71-second effort that he posted in Indianapolis. Green Bay also needs offensive line, cornerback and linebacker depth, all of which can come via Notre Dame products.

Missouri

• #31 EDGE Darius Robinson
• #37 CB Ennis Rakestraw Jr.
• #75 CB Kris Abrams-Draine
• #127 OT Javon Foster
• #160 LB Ty’Ron Hopper
• #212 RB Cody Schrader

Two really interesting names here are Darius Robinson and Ennis Rakestraw Jr., prospects who are considered borderline first-round picks but have their own issues. Robinson is sort of in between positions, as he played as a 285-pound edge defender for the Tigers last year after previously suiting up as an interior player. Unfortunately, his 4.95-second 40-yard dash and 1.73-second 10-yard split aren’t helping his case to stick outside at the next level. Rakestraw ran a 4.51-second 40-yard dash in Indianapolis, a much slower time than expected, but he claimed that he was ill at the time of his testing.

Kentucky

• #98 CB Andru Phillips
• #132 RB Ray Davis
• #140 LB Trevin Wallace

Cornerback Andru Phillips is the “top” prospect out of Kentucky this year, but keep an eye on running back Ray Davis and linebacker Trevin Wallace. Davis is on the older side of things, meaning that he might only be a one-contract player for whichever team drafts him, but he can flat out contribute as an inside runner. Wallace is one of the few underclassmen who declared for this draft and isn’t being considered a top-100 lock at this point.

Fresno State

• #227 CB Carlton Johnson

Not only was Green Bay in attendance for Fresno’s pro day, but they actually ran drills for the one projected draft pick at the event: cornerback Carlton Johnson. It’s quite possible that the team is interested in the former All-Mountain West defensive back who had stops at the junior college level and Southern Utah. Johnson originally began his career at Southern Utah, where he was named a Freshman All-American in 2019. Due to the pandemic, the FCS level did not play a 2020 season, leading to his transfer to Riverside Community College and eventually his path to Fresno State.

Troy

• #137 EDGE Javon Solomon

The top prospect for Troy is pass-rusher Javon Solomon, but draft analyst Tony Pauline reported that the Packers — along with the Eagles and Colts — spent a lot of time with running back Kimani Vidal at the event. Vidal is currently ranked as the 258th player on the consensus draft board, meaning that he’s more likely to be an undrafted free agent than it is that he’ll be a draft pick. At the combine, Vidal posted a 4.46-second 40-yard dash and an incredible 4.15-second 20-yard shuttle.

Northern Iowa

• #195 DL Khristian Boyd

One player who was at the top of everyone’s “combine snubs” list a month ago was defensive lineman Khristian Boyd, who played nose tackle for the FCS’ Northern Iowa. Not only did the Packers go to NIU’s pro day, but they also requested Boyd for a private visit with the team — which they’re only allotted 30 of during the entire pre-draft process. Assume there’s real interest there. Boyd was also a player who dominated at East-West Shrine Game practices.

Virginia State

• #213 CB Willie Drew

Virginia State doesn’t usually produce NFL players. The only draft pick that the Division II program has produced since 1996 is Trenton Cannon, a sixth-round running back who managed to carry the ball 51 times from 2018 to 2022 after stints with five franchises. Willie Drew ran a 4.46-second 40-yard dash at the combine, which probably legitimized his draft stock as a real prospect for April.

Pittsburgh State

• None

Syracuse

• None

Bowling Green

• None

Colorado

• None

UAB

• None

Uncertain of attendance

• Penn State
• Georgia State
• Iowa
• Miami (FL)
• Texas A&M
• Toledo
• Wyoming
• Connecticut
• Liberty
• Ohio State
• South Florida
• Texas
• California
• Eastern Kentucky
• Florida
• Holy Cross
• Houston Christian
• New Hampshire
• Rice
• Stanford
• Utah
• Auburn
• Boston College
• Florida State
• Michigan
• Louisiana
• South Dakota
• Southern Mississippi
• Temple
• Western Kentucky

There’s a couple of notable programs that we’re either Green Bay made the trip for or just flat out didn’t attend. Penn State, Miami (FL), Ohio State, Texas, Utah and Michigan are ones I’d highlight. In terms of positions of need, Penn State has a tackle and edges, Miami has a safety, Texas has interior defensive linemen and Michigan linemen on both sides of the ball, a running back and a linebacker. And that’s just players who are expected to be selected in the top-100.

For what it’s worth, the Packers have already requested a visit with Texas A&M linebacker Edgerrin Cooper, Michigan offensive lineman Zak Zinter, Ohio State defensive lineman Michael Hall Jr. and Florida State nickel corner Jarrian Jones, so it’s pretty safe to assume that Green Bay didn’t attend those pro days.

Upcoming Pro Days

• March 26th: Boise State, Louisville, Mississippi State, North Carolina State, North Dakota State, Tulane and UTEP
• March 27th: LSU, Mississippi, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Wake Forest and Washington State
• March 28th: Big 12 (offensive skill players and defensive backs), Charlotte, Duke, Howard, Marshall, North Carolina, Rutgers and Washington
• March 29th: Maryland
• March 30th: Big 12 (linemen and linebackers)
• April 3rd: Yale

The vast majority of the Packers’ post-pandemic draft choices have been players that Green Bay either saw live at their pro days or were brought in for a private visit. If you’re wondering how the draft board is shaking out right now, the following graphic might be able to help:

The horizontal board above shows which players at key needs, ranked in the consensus board’s top 150 prospects, the Packers have either seen at pro days or are expected to bring in on a visit. Remember, there’s still another week of pro days left, so that part of the process isn’t even finished. We also only know 5 of the 30 visits that Green Bay is scheduled to have between now and the draft, so plenty of more names will be added there eventually.