Arena Corinthians, also known as NeoQuimica Arena, is home to Brazilian soccer team SC Corinthians and hosted both the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games. The stadium has a capacity of about 47,000.

“The expectation is a crowded arena for the game,” said João Storer of Florianópolis. “São Paulo is the best city for this event, and for sure NeoQuimica Arena is the best Brazilian stadium. I’ve visited the stadium three times; it has a huge outside space for other events and tailgating.”

Because of the stadium’s size — Lambeau Field’s capacity is 81,000 — tickets are expected to be at a premium.

“The only concern that we have are the ticket prices,” said Storer, who hopes to find a Packers watch party near home if he can’t secure a ticket.

Visiting teams — which the Packers are for this contest — typically do not receive a ticket allotment for season ticket holders, so tickets are not available through the Packers. Ticket packages will be available through On Location, an official partner of the NFL, at onlocationexp.com/packersbrazil. 

Event USA in Ashwaubenon also is taking deposits for travel packages to the game, which company President Dennis Garrity said are in limited supply. The company provided packages to about 800 Packers fans for the game in London in 2022.

More:Will Packers fans need a Peacock subscription to watch Brazil game against Eagles?

More:Packers to open 2024 NFL season in São Paulo, Brazil, against the Philadelphia Eagles

“Regrettably, we’re not going to be able to offer that much space this year, so we believe we will have a sellout quite quickly,” Garrity said.

The flight to São Paulo is longer than to London, but the time zones are more forgiving. All of South America is east of Michigan, but São Paulo is only two hours ahead of Green Bay when daylight savings time is active in the United States.

With a population of 12.3 million, São Paulo is 1.5 times larger than New York or London, as populous as all of Illinois, and more than twice the size of Wisconsin. It has 50 times more residents than Brown County, and Metro São Paulo is 3,000 square miles, compared to Brown County’s 530.

“São Paulo is a New York-stylish city,” Rovere said. Like New York, São Paulo is a financial hub. It is the most important city in South America because of that, he said.

“It has some incredible museums, huge parks, one of the best restaurants in world and many nice people,” he said.

As with any large tourist city, visitors need to be aware of their surroundings. “Don’t trust everyone, keep things in a pocket, don’t walk alone and do some research about where you will be and the best transport options,” he said.

Rovere expects attendance at the game will heavily favor the Packers.

“We know that is gonna feel like a home game for the Packers,” Rovere said.

Contact Richard Ryman at rr****@*****tt.com. Follow him on Twitter at @RichRymanPG, on Instagram at @rrymanPG or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RichardRymanPG

Nobody ever really seems to have a true grasp on what is going on at 1265 Lombardi Ave in the off-season. Let’s look at the last few drafts. Receivers, receivers, and receivers were on everyone’s boards for the Packers in round 1. But not once did they choose a receiver with that pick. To be honest I chalk it up to the draft industrial complex not truly knowing a team’s tendencies and just throwing their stock in the popular picks. Last year for the first time, I truly believed it was time to see that first-round pass catcher whether it be a receiver or tight end. Of course, I was wrong, and instead, they got a good tight end and receiver in the second round. 

One smokescreen in Brian Gutekunst’s repertoire appears to be the pre-draft visit. There have been situations where players the Packers have brought in for visits have been on the clock at their projected selection point and the Packers have passed on them for others. Occasionally the Packers even draft players in the first three rounds they never even interviewed or brought in for a visit. In fact, the Packers never interviewed Jaire Alexander before drafting him in 2018. 

That’s right, the Packers traded up nine spots and also sacrificed a third and fifth-round pick for a Louisville cornerback that they never even brought in for a pre-draft visit. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that this was a good trade in hindsight considering Alexander would go on to have a great career that is still in progress. But it tends to be forgotten that Alexander was Brian Gutekunst’s first-ever draft pick. 

His first-ever draft pick was a smokescreen. Many had the Packers choosing a DB in the first round, but not many chose Alexander. Some of that could be the lack of a pre-draft visit. Names like Minkah Fitzpatrick or Derwin James were brought up for the Packers in round 1, The Packers originally held the no. 14 pick in the draft. They eventually traded this to New Orleans for future draft compensation but the two DBs brought in for visits were not taken by the Pack. Alexander was still a first-round pick caliber player but perhaps not for the Packers even though he’s had an outstanding career despite. Even though Gutekunst has made it seem like this was his plan all along, we may never know if this was on purpose or not, but Alexander has been such a great feature in Green Bay, that it’s hard to ignore.

This year, we may never know. There are so many options for the Packers in the first round that there’s bound to be some white lies here and there. Recently the Packers brought in Amarius Mims, an OT out of Virginia Tech for a visit. Mims checks a lot of boxes in terms of athleticism, but there is a lot of speculation that he’s being used as a smokescreen due to his lack of experience. Perhaps just before the Packers are on the clock a team will trade up and take Mims think they’re ahead of the Packers as the Packers smile and nod knowing they fooled another as they grab a Graham Barton, Cooper Dejean, or someone else anticipated. 

Smokescreens are used to ensure you receive the pick you want wherever you are in the draft. Hopefully, to the Packers’ success, they find another one that they prefer over the others but until then, Go Pack Go.

Greg Meinholz is a lifelong devoted Packer fan. A contributor to CheeseheadTV as well as PackersTalk. Follow him on Twitter @gmeinholz for Packers commentary, random humor, beer endorsements, and occasional Star Wars and Marvel ramblings.

Trey Benson 

This would be the knock it out of the park selection.  The Florida State star is a bigger, more powerful version of Jones, but with the same wiggle and explosion.  At six feet tall and 216 pounds, Benson flashed a 4.39 in the forty at the Combine.  He also caught the ball well and was a terror on screen passes for the Seminoles.  Benson is at, or near, the top of all RB rankings in this draft, so if the Packers like him, they would likely have to take him at pick 41.  He won’t be there at pick 58. 

Blake Corum 

Yes, he is very small at five foot eight, but he still packs 213 pounds on his frame and seems to be able to take a beating and keep on rolling.  You wouldn’t want him to be your workhorse, but in Green Bay he might be the perfect change of pace slasher the team needs.  Terrific shake and direction reversal in the open field.  His style is the definition of explosive.  Can catch the ball.  His size may put him at a disadvantage when it comes to pass protection, but he was born to catch screens and turn them into big plays.  Was the lead back for national champion Michigan and made several clutch runs for them. 

Bucky Irving 

Number one back in that explosive Oregon offense.  Not as big a frame as Corum, weighing in at just 192 pounds at five foot nine.  Also not quite as fast, turning in a forty time of 4.55.  But he can get to that top speed the instant he touches the ball.  Exceptional vision to the hole, and the cutback skill to get through it.  Breaks a surprising amount of tackles considering his thin body.  Can be a high volume pass catcher.  Looks designed to be a third down back in the NFL.  He’s also more likely to still be there in round three.  Here again, would he be able to pass protect?  Would he even be called upon to do so? 

With other needs to fill, Gutekunst may well choose to address the running back position on day three.  He might try to repeat the strategy of his predecessor, Ted Thompson, whom he admires, and draft multiple ball carriers in the late rounds.  In 2017 Thompson took Jamal Williams in round four, Jones in round five, and Devante Mays in round seven.  Williams and Jones were both hits and served as an effective thunder and lightning combination for four years.   

Gutey told beat writers at the owners’ meetings this week that the 2024 draft class is deep in running backs and the team will be looking to add to that unit.  He may not unearth another Aaron Jones, but it’s a pretty good bet that is the type of back he will be searching for. 

Ken Lass is a former Green Bay television sports anchor and 43 year media veteran, a lifelong Packers fan, and a shareholder.

Watson has been Green Bay’s most significant investment in the position since Adams. Gutekunst soared up the board to select the North Dakota State product 34th overall, two selections from the opening round. In typical Packers fashion, his athletic profile leaped off the page – he’s 6’4” and runs like a deer. More importantly, we have seen flashes of his game-breaking ability over his first two seasons. Down the stretch of the 2022 season, things came together for him as a deep threat and touchdown machine. In 2023, he could not stay on the field. But for many of the games that he was active, he was just another guy in Love’s deep, young core of pass-catchers.

For much of the first half, the 2023 season was a clear disappointment. As the Packers started to creep toward the top of the draft order ahead of a deep quarterback class, questions began to fly regarding Love. The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman declared them a lock for Hard Knocks this summer, implying they were all but eliminated from playoff contention.

Things turned around on national television in Detroit. The game opened with a 53-yard bomb to Watson. After that moment, they never turned back. They defeated the division-champion Detroit Lions with the help of seven receptions for 94 yards and a score from Watson. He followed that up with a nine-catch, 71-yard, two-touchdown performance that fueled a win over the future Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. We have seen this offense with and without No. 9 as a focal point. He has a lot to figure out this offseason, but if he can do it, LaFleur will have everything he needs to take this team to the top of the conference once and for all.

From a personnel standpoint, the offense is set up at quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end, and the offensive line to a lesser extent. I expect the line to be a major priority in the draft, which will work to assuage residual concerns. But they are missing a No. 1 target. Most teams have a guy they go to when they need a play. The Packers have almost always had that, most recently with Adams and Jordy Nelson before him. Watson has those tools. Love has the arm to find him anywhere on the field. If he can be the main thing on the safety’s mind in every high-leverage situation, that opens up the playbook for Jacobs, Reed, and the entire arsenal.

Of all the exciting young players who caught passes from Love this season, Watson has the ceiling to become one of the league’s best. Being a target monster like division rivals Amon-Ra St. Brown and Justin Jefferson has not been part of his game thus far. He’s preferred to do his work in large, aggressive bunches. With the depth they have in the underneath game, that will play just fine, but the Packers have been at their best when they play through their most talented receiver.

Green Bay is in the thick of the race to catch the San Francisco 49ers at the top of the conference, and the offense that LaFleur and Gutekunst have constructed has a lot of room to run with virtually every important player except Jacobs and star guard Elgton Jenkins being on a rookie contract. As a true No. 1, Christian Watson represents the absolute ceiling that this offense can hit, and staying healthy and diversifying his game are the keys for him to reach it.

The Release of Bakhtiari and Campbell

Former general manager Ted Thompson made a lot of crucial draft picks during his tenure. Of course, former quarterback Aaron Rodgers tops that list. But right behind him was selecting David Bakhtiari in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft.

Bakhtiari would go on to become an instant starter in his rookie season and would be a mainstay in the Packers starting lineup. Unfortunately for the two-time All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowler, his career took a major hit late in the 2020 season. While preparing for a playoff run, Bakhtiari would suffer a season-ending injury. The injury was so severe that it caused him to play in just 13 games in the next three seasons. That injury was the driving force in the Packers releasing him this past week.

That wasn’t the only veteran Packer released this past week. Campbell joins Bakhtiari on the unemployed list. Campbell followed up his marvelous season with another solid season in 2022. But he wasn’t able to duplicate what he did in 2021. This past season Campbell’s play took a major slide. He also dealt with injuries, injuries that only allowed him to play in 11 games.

While Campbell only spent three seasons with the Packers, Bakhtiari was a longtime leader and most importantly, an upper echelon player for the Packers. His departure, even with his injuries issue, leaves a pretty sizable hole. But his release, along with Campbell’s, wasn’t the biggest release of this week by Brian Gutekunst.

Saying Goodbye to Aaron Jones

The Packers made headlines when it was announced that they had signed former Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs. The deal is a one-year deal with three-year options. By signing Jacobs, Gutekunst gets a running back that he has been looking for. Jacobs is a three-down back and one that has been productive during his five-year career. He has rushed for over 1,000 yards in a season three times. That includes 2022 which saw him rush for 1,653 yards with 12 rushing touchdowns.

To make room for Jacobs, the Packers released running back Aaron Jones. The release of Jones illustrates how cut-throat of a business the NFL is. Not only was Jones the Packers best running back for the past seven seasons, but he was one of, if not, their biggest offensive weapons. Similar to Jacobs, Jones has rushed for over 1,000 yards three times during his career. Along with being a homerun hitter out of the backfield, Jones also was a playmaker in the passing game.

A lot of factors went into the decision to sign Jacobs and release Jones. Age of course is one of the bigger factors. Jacobs is 26 while Jones is 29 and will become 30 during the 2024 season. Most NFL running backs lose a step when they turn 30. While it can be argued that Jones is the better overall player right now, he has had to deal with injuries the past couple of seasons. Jacobs is also the bigger back, which will allow him to play more snaps and allow Matt LaFleur to have his best running back on the field more.

While Jones was a playmaker during his Packers career, the biggest thing the Packers might miss from releasing him is his leadership. Gutekunst even called him the “heartbeat of the team” at the conclusion of 2023. That type of leadership will be darn near impossible to replace. Jacobs new contract will bring high expectations. But even if he doesn’t want to, he will be asked to fill a leadership role that Jones once held.

Bringing in Safety Help

As we recently wrote, it appeared that the Packers safety position was in store for a major makeover. That makeover has begun and it might not be over.

The first domino to fall was when veteran Darnell Savage signed a free-agent deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Brian Gutekunst selected Savage in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. His Packers career was very comparable to an amusement park roller coaster. He showed some glimpses of why he was selected in the first round. But most of it was filled with lows, the lowest being his benching in the 2022 season. Savage has the talent to be a quality NFL safety. But he struggled to tackle and never consistently made the big plays that were expected out of him. A change of scenery will be good for both parties.

It didn’t take long for Gutekunst and the Packers to find Savage’s replacement. They inked former New York Giants safety Xavier McKinney to a four-year deal. While the signing of Jacobs grabbed most of the headlines, the signing of McKinney might be the most important.

New defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley discussed the importance of safety in his defense at his opening press conference. McKinney is the type of player that it seemed like Hafley was describing. Pro Football Focus ranked McKinney as the fourth-highest-graded safety from last season. In 2023, the former second-round pick out of Alabama had three interceptions and 116 combined tackles. He is able to line up in multiple positions and is a sure tackler, which makes him an upgrade over Savage.

When we broke down possible free-agent safeties that would make sense, we didn’t include McKinney. But it was believed that the Packers would be tight for money. The releases of Jones, Bakhtiari, and Campbell, allowed salary cap room for Gutekunst to make the deal. It is a deal that should help with the transformation of the Green Bay Packers defense.

Despite projections from OverTheCap suggesting the Packers would receive slightly earlier compensatory picks — specifically, picks 166, 215, and 250 — the actual outcomes were a tad different. They ended up with picks 168, 219, and 255. While these differences may seem minor on the surface, they illustrate the unpredictable nature of the compensatory draft system and the challenges teams face in planning their draft strategies.

General Manager Brian Gutekunst has been nothing short of industrious in his draft efforts, utilizing a whopping 42 draft choices throughout the last four draft classes. This averages out to 10.5 per draft, a figure that highlights the Packers’ aggressive approach to building through the draft. With the added compensatory picks, it’s clear that Gutekunst and his team are committed to leveraging every available asset to shape the Packers’ roster for the better.

Rounding out the Packers’ draft toolkit for 2024 are their original picks in rounds 1 through 4, the newly acquired compensatory picks in rounds 5 through 7, and additional picks from previous trades. This extensive collection of draft capital underscores the strategic, long-term approach the Packers are taking to team building. It’s a multifaceted strategy that not only addresses immediate needs but also ensures the team remains competitive in the fiercely contested NFC North.

In summary, the allocation of compensatory picks for the 2024 NFL draft has bolstered the Green Bay Packers’ position substantially. With a total of 11 draft picks, including those gained through trades and the compensatory system, the Packers are armed and ready to make strategic moves that will impact the team’s success for years to come. Whether these picks transform into key contributors or are used as assets in future negotiations, one thing is certain: the road to the 2024 season looks promising for the Packers.

Secondary

The Green Bay secondary is facing great uncertainty with their top three safeties all set to become free agents. Darnell Savage’s departure seems likely as the team didn’t re-sign him before his void years converted to dead cap money. Even if Rudy Ford or Jonathan Owens return, the Packers will be in the market for an upgrade at the safety position.

At cornerback, the situation is also filled with serious questions. Slot corner Keisean Nixon wasn’t re-signed before his void years took effect. Eric Stokes is attempting to bounce back from two injury-plagued seasons. Meanwhile, Jaire Alexander’s 2023 campaign was marred by various injuries, limiting him to just seven games.

Given these circumstances, the Packers must address depth concerns, secure a slot corner, and potentially find a starter opposite Alexander if Stokes fails to regain his form. That’s a substantial to-do list for Green Bay to address at just one position group. Therefore, don’t be surprised if the Packers draft a cornerback early and end up selecting more than one defensive back.

Offensive Line

Similar to the rest of the offense, the offensive line experienced a shaky start to the 2023 season but showed improvement during the latter half of the campaign. Nevertheless, key concerns loom over the offensive line, particularly with the anticipated departure of two starters.

David Bakhtiari, burdened by a substantial cap hit, has been limited to just 13 games over the past three seasons. The likelihood of his retention hinges on a contract restructuring involving a significant pay cut for 2024, possibly with added incentives. However, he’s likely to either be traded or released during the offseason.

Elsewhere on the offensive line, swing tackle Yosh Nijman is set to enter free agency and is unlikely to return to the Packers. Nijman is likely seeking opportunities for a starting role, with other teams expected to offer more lucrative deals than what Green Bay can provide.

Internally, starting right guard Jon Runyan will also hit free agency next month while center Josh Myers has yet to fully justify his second-round draft status. Although Myers has one year left on his contract, the Packers should be able to recognize the need for depth and a potential upgrade at the position.

Consequently, the Packers will at least have to bolster their offensive line depth through the draft. However, if Green Bay has a chance to draft a guard or center who could potentially start right away, the Packers may not be able to pass up on the opportunity to use a first or second-round pick on an offensive lineman. Of course, it’s likely that safety and running back will be prioritized over the offensive line during the early rounds, even if all three position groups should be addressed at some point during the draft.

I mean, maybe, but that’s certainly not what’s going on here. Gutekunst didn’t just replace Rodgers; he ostensibly replaced All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari with a seventh-round pick. And in the wake of Davante Adams’ departure, a coalition of young receiving talent has dragged the position further down the list of needs. It’s worth mentioning that nearly every piece of Adams’ justification for leaving has aged as poorly as Derek Carr himself.

In the past two drafts, Gutekunst has been knocking down treys from Steph Curry range — and by that, I mean the late rounds. In 2022, he found one of the league’s best linemen, Zach Tom, in the fourth round before adding Rasheed Walker in the seventh. That’s two impact players at a high-value position, enabling the Packers to continue addressing defense with their most premium picks. Romeo Doubs was another fourth-round gem that year, and he came alive this postseason. Fifth-rounder Kingsley Enagbare has been nothing but solid as a backup edge. However, he has a long road back after tearing his ACL in Dallas. Not to mention, the top picks that year – Quay Walker, Devonte Wyatt, and Christian Watson – have plenty of runway ahead of them.

Moving on to 2023, Gutekunst got Dontayvion Wicks in the fifth and Karl Brooks in the sixth. The latter was casually one of the highest-graded defensive linemen in the league and were both extraordinary snipes. However, it’s hard to find a miss aside from Anders Carlson. Gutey rounded out the pass-catching group nicely by hitting on two tight ends in Musgrave and Kraft and adding some vertical and horizontal dynamism in Jayden Reed. The top pick, Lukas Van Ness, was one of the lesser contributors. But the Packers drafted him as a Rashan Gary-esque project at the edge position. Just based on the magnitude of the hit rate here, teams might want to see if Sean Clifford is available for trade!

Not only did the Packers get Love protection, but they also gave him a young, fun receiving corps where everybody has their own sort of specialization. More importantly, all of that showed up in the playoffs, perhaps even more so than the regular season. Stop me if this sounds familiar, but all that’s left to do is turn the elite defensive personnel on the roster into an elite defense. Ideally, the third time’s the charm with Jeff Hafley.

The Packers are one of four teams who will be controlling the draft in April, with five picks in the Top 100. The Arizona Cardinals, Washington Commanders, and Chicago Bears are the other three, emphasizing how masterful this reload has been. Each of those franchises began their rebuild long ago, and they are still just as far from Love and the Packers as they were from Rodgers and the Packers. This should be where it starts to get really fun.

At some point, Green Bay will have to beat the San Francisco 49ers if they are to finally seize the NFC. Still, it’s fun to be back in the mix already, and it’s all thanks to an unprecedented rebuild, built on the back of unprecedented batches of late-round gems.

It may seem like Green Bay is jumping the gun a bit to sign Love to a new deal this offseason, seeing as how he still has one year left on his current deal. Having signed a one year, $13.5M deal that could have reached $22.5M through escalators last offseason, Love was able to bypass his fifth-year contract extension while giving him full control of how much he earns.

But quarterbacks typically don’t like to enter as a lame duck, so getting a deal done before the season begins is the best course of action. Green Bay can look to build a deal based on Love’s lone season as a starter while citing his lack of experience for why he doesn’t have to be paid like a top-5 signal caller.

Contract Details

With the top-10 quarterbacks earning at least $40 million per season (AAV), that likely will be the base for Love’s new deal. While Green Bay could look to come in just under that yearly total and try to build in incentives, it should be expected that Love’s camp would need to have a deal starting at $40M/season.

More realistically, fans should expect Love’s new deal to come in right around $41-42M, which would put him behind Josh Allen but ahead of Daniel Jones and Dak Prescott’s current deals. Most extensions negotiated with members of the Packers don’t extend longer than four or five seasons, so Love likely will be offered a five-year deal, with his camp pushing for four years so he can enter free agency for even more money sooner.

All in all once the dust settles, Love’s deal should be a four-year deal worth $168 million at its base, with incentives and a signing bonus raising his deal to around $195M in total. It likely will seem to be a bit much for a quarterback that still need to consistently prove himself, but in the world where the value of QBs continues to go up by the minute, locking Love in at his current value and expecting him to keep his future value makes the most sense.

“It’s pretty amazing what Brian has done,” one AFC executive told me this week. “He traded Aaron (Rodgers), takes a chance on Jordan (Love), goes young with his roster and they somehow get better.

“He’s got the youngest team in the league and it looks like they’re just get started. I mean, those last two draft classes are something else.”

What Gutekunst has done in the last two drafts is mind-boggling. And it’s enormous reason the Packers haven’t missed a beat in the post-Rodgers era.

Former Packers general manager Ron Wolf, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015, used to say if he could find three starters and a pair of solid backups in a draft, it was wildly successful. Gutekunst has blown those numbers out of the water.

In 2022, Gutekunst used first round picks on linebacker Quay Walker and defensive end Devonte Wyatt. Walker has started from the second he arrived in Green Bay, while Wyatt is an emerging talent.

Gutekunst’s next four picks were second round wideout Christian Watson, third round guard Sean Rhyan, fourth round wideout Romeo Doubs and fourth round tackle Zach Tom.

Watson has been plagued by injury, but could be the most talented player in the draft class. Rhyan has alternated series with Jon Runyan for several weeks now, and is the Packers’ likely starter at right guard next season.

Doubs earned a starting job from Day 1 and had a breakout game against Dallas in the NFC wild card round, when he caught six passes for 151 yards. And Tom has been the Packers’ best offensive lineman this year and looks like a future Pro Bowler.

In addition, Gutekunst found valuable reserve outside linebacker Kingsley Enagbare in the fifth round, and tackle Rasheed Walker in the seventh round. After playing in just one game as a rookie, Rasheed Walker has filled in admirably at left tackle since David Bakhtiari went down after Week 1.

Add it up and Gutekunst could have found as many as seven starters in that 2022 draft.

“That’s not too shabby,” safety Darnell Savage said. “We’ll take that.”

Amazingly, Gutekunst might have fared even better with his 2023 draft class. During the Packers’ win at Dallas last week, five of Gutekunst’s 13 picks started and 11 made major contributions.

First round outside linebacker Lukas Van Ness has played just 32.9% of the snaps this season, but has flashed and could be an impact player as soon as next year. Second round tight end Luke Musgrave missed six weeks with a lacerated kidney, but still ranked sixth on the team in receptions (34) and yards (352).

Second round wideout Jayden Reed led the Packers in receptions (64), receiving yards (793) and tied for first in receiving touchdowns (seven). Third round tight end Tucker Kraft (31-355-2) blossomed late and could be a future star.

Fifth round wideout Dontayvion Wicks (39-581-4) might wind up being the best of all these gifted pass catchers, while sixth round defensive end Karl Brooks surprised with four sacks. Seventh round cornerback Carrington Valentine started 13 games due to injury and trades and has more than held his own.

In addition, fourth round defensive end Colby Wooden and seventh round safety Anthony Johnson have shown promise in limited snaps. Sixth round kicker Anders Carlson has displayed potential during an up and down season, and fifth round quarterback Sean Clifford was the No. 2 signal caller all season.

“Yeah, we’ve got a lot of help from this (draft) class,” defensive end Kenny Clark said of the 2023 draftees. “You never know how it’s going to go with young guys, but they’ve all done a great job.

“I don’t know if it’s our best group of rookies since I’ve been here. That’s for you guys to decide. I just know they’ve given us a ton of help.”

Since the Super Bowl era began in 1966, the Packers have won four titles. And with each championship came a memorable draft class or two.

Vainisi found Starr and Forrest Gregg in his historic 1956 draft, then landed Jim Taylor, Jerry Kramer, Dan Currie and Nitschke in 1958.

“I loved Jack Vainisi — all the players did,” Hornung told me in a 2011 interview. “He even got along with Lombardi. He was a football man — that’s what he was. Pure and simple. He brought so much talent to Green Bay.”

Wolf had a handful of impressive draft classes himself. His finest might have come in 1995, though, when he selected cornerback Craig Newsome, wideout Antonio Freeman, guard Adam Timmerman, linebacker Brian Williams and fullback William Henderson.

All five of those players were starters a year later when the Packers won Super Bowl XXXI.

And Ted Thompson’s 2005 draft class (Aaron Rodgers and Nick Collins) and his 2009 class (B.J. Raji, Clay Matthews and T.J. Lang) were integral in Green Bay winning Super Bowl XLV.

These current Packers have a ways to go before Gutekunst is mentioned among men like Vainisi and Wolf. But the last two draft classes have Green Bay — and Gutekunst — set up for great things in the years ahead.

“This is just the start for them,” the AFC executive said. “They’re so young that barring injury, they’re only going to get better. What Brian (Gutekunst) has done is pretty amazing.”

And what Packer Nation is viewing right now might only be the beginning.