Who Will be the Next Packer Great? (26 or younger)

As the Packers retool their roster and a movement is made to make the roster younger, some are beginning to think about who will be the next “great” Packer. For some people they want to make sure the jersey they purchase will be able to be worn for numerous years or for others it is about who they will cheer for moving forward. Many Green Bay fans realize that a team so steeped in history must provide a face of the franchise and produce the next Packer all-time great that could see his name posted inside the hallowed Lambeau field. For the purpose of this article, let us debate who will be the next “great” Packer 26 years old or younger. In order to have a proper discussion we must define greatness and have a rubric to judge the players on. For this debate we will define “great” as standing out during a set time period (the next 10-15 years). The greatness rubric will include the following qualities:

1.Work ethic

2.Talent/Physical ability

3.Attention to detail

4.Clutch

5.Instincts

6.Passion/effort

7.Mental acuity

8. Leadership

Using these parameters I have picked 6 current Green Bay players that may have a chance for greatness. Here they are in no particular order:

- Rashan Gary: The 25 year old seemed well on his way to greatness until an injury derailed his last season. At 6’5 and 228 pounds Gary already has 22.5 sacks and 135 career tackles. Rashan’s athletic numbers are off the chart with a RAS score of 9.95. He might be at the top of our list assuming he comes back from injury. Looking at our rubric I would give him an 8/8. His off season workouts are legendary and the defense was not the same when he went down last season. Some may question the clutch part of our rubric but I go back to the game against the 49ers in the playoffs at Lambeau 2 years ago. Despite a loss, Gary and the Packers defense were absolutely dominant.

- Quay Walker: One of the youngest players on my list is the 6’4 240 pound linebacker from Georgia. With 121 tackles and 1.5 sacks, the expectations of Quay this year should be high. Running the 40 in 4.52 seconds and an RAS of 9.63, Walker certainly has the talent to be great. Using our rubric I would grade Quay as a 5/8. Getting kicked out of essentially a playoff game versus Detroit costs him points on our rubric in the clutch, leadership, and mental acuity categories. That being said, Quay Walker can learn from his mistakes and become a great Packer, especially playing at a position the Green Bay Packers have overlooked for many years.

- Christian Watson: Several of my own children have already decided Christian is great and are also sporting his jersey. The 24 year old who seems to run even faster than his 4.3 40 time, exploded on the scene last year. At 6 '4 and 208 pounds he finished last year with 41 catches, 611 yards, and 7 touchdowns as a receiver. With a 9.96 RAS score and a wonderlic score of 38, Watson seems like a good bet to be great. However, I gave him a 6.5/8 on our rubric. Christian has not had the opportunities to show off his clutch skills other than a few prime time games and I am not sure if I have seen enough film to score him high on his route running instincts. Watson is already the leader in a very young wide receiver room and has shown his ability to learn multiple positions.

- Jordan Love: If you took a poll on the most obvious candidate for the next Packer great, it would probably be the quarterback. At age 24 Jordan has the physical skills, size (6 '4 and 219 pounds) and athleticism with a 8.46 RAS score. In limited opportunities he has completed 60% of his throws and had a wonderlic score of 27 which puts him in between Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert. Using our rubric I gave Jordan a 6/8. He has already shown work ethic and leadership throughout his time in Green Bay but we have not seen enough to grade him high on instincts and clutch. We did see flashes against Philly but not as much during his other very limited opportunities. He will definitely have a chance to improve his score this upcoming season. Jordan Love has shown leadership skills throughout his 3 years and especially during the Rodgers saga.

- Jaire Alexander: Probably the one player that has a head start in this contest is 26 year old Jaire Alexander. At 5 '10, 196 pounds, and an RAS score of 9.54, Jaire has all the physical skills to be elite. During his short career he has thus far tallied 244 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 10 interceptions. Using Herb Adderly’s career 48 interception numbers Alexander has a long way to go but did nab 5 interceptions last year. For our rubric I gave Jaire a 6.5/8. Perhaps with Rodgers and some of the other older players gone Alexander will become more of a leader this year but I have not seen enough. I marked Jaire off for attention to detail as he sometimes seems to take gambles or is lackadaisical in coverage. That being said he will be one of the top contenders for being another great Packer cornerback.

- Tucker Kraft: Most Packer fans as they read this are wondering why I put Kraft and not Musgrave and to be honest I believe several players in our latest draft class could make the list (Musgrave, Reed, Van Ness) but there is something that intrigues me about Tucker. He just seems like a perfect Packer type. His life story is so intriguing and the leadership and character he showed by staying at SDSU make him a great fit in Green Bay. At 6’5, 254 pounds, and an RAS score of 9.58 he has the ability to be a threat in the run and pass game. For this rubric I gave Kraft a 6/8. While Kraft has performed in the clutch during his college career, the NFL is several steps up from SDSU. He also must show he can be a leader in the tight end position room that is very young as well as improving his instincts in the passing game. If Tucker can step into the starting lineup I will be one of the first people to buy that jersey.

There are many players that certainly deserve to be on this list but the likelihood of more than 6 potential great players in one time period is low. While we hope to match the Lombardi era Packers roster and have double digit great Packers I will settle for 6 right now. Shakespeare once said “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” Which Packer 26 years old or younger will make your next great Packer list using the above rubric?