3 underrated moves Green Bay Packers made in 2023 offseason

The Green Bay Packers offseason, up to this point, has largely been defined by losing Aaron Rodgers. That’s pretty understandable considering what the four-time MVP has meant to the franchise over the last 15-plus years. Rodgers has been the Packers’ superstar, the catalyst for their success. Losing him is obviously a big deal.

But this team is still going to put 11 guys out on the field and compete this season, believe it or not. The Packers are moving on with Jordan Love as their QB1, and they made some moves in the 2023 offseason to surround him with talent to hopefully keep this team relevant in the NFC North post-Aaron Rodgers.

It’s almost fair to say that every Green Bay Packers move made in 2023 has gone underrated by comparison to the Aaron Rodgers trade, but what moves — in particular — are flying under the radar? Let’s take a look at the top three.

Green Bay Packers top 3 most underrated moves of the 2023 offseason

1. Drafting WR Jayden Reed (second round pick)

It was not a shock, not even in the slightest, when the Green Bay Packers used their first-round pick on Lukas Van Ness, a defensive end out of Iowa. The Packers really stayed on-brand for the first-round of the NFL Draft, passing on the wide receivers available and waiting until the second round and beyond to add pass-catchers for young Jordan Love.

In the second round, they made a slightly surprising pick by taking Michigan State’s Jayden Reed, a player who has flown under the radar throughout the pre-draft process a little bit.

Although some prognosticators were higher on Jayden Reed than others, one of his bigger skeptics was Lance Zierlein of NFL.com, who graded him as a 4th-5th round player. Still, Zierlein sees what everyone else does, which is that Jayden Reed has outstanding ball skills

"Utility wideout with the ability to take snaps at multiple receiver positions while offering both kickoff and punt return talent. Reed looks smaller in many of his matchups, but he is rarely deterred by size. He’s too tight-hipped for stop-start routes on the tree, but he operates with good route speed and should improve his ability to separate with additional development and experience on the next level. His ball skills and feel for positioning on deep throws and jump balls are unquestioned. Limiting his focus drops on short and intermediate throws will be critical to becoming a long-term NFL contributor. Lance Zierlein, NFL.com"

When you look at his size profile and overall athletic makeup, I think you could reasonably compare Jayden Reed to someone like Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson coming out of Toledo a few years back. He can play inside or out, he plays fast, and he also adds value as a punt returner. I really like this pickup for the Green Bay Packers, adding a player like Reed to a receiver room that includes stud 2022 rookies Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson.