The Green Bay Packers surprised a lot of people with their performance throughout the 2023 season. Not only did they earn a spot in the playoffs, they became the first No. 7 seed in NFL history to win a playoff game, defeating the Dallas Cowboys.
Green Bay showed their youth and inexperience down the stretch of their Divisional Round matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, but this is a team on the rise. The youngest roster in the NFL making the postseason is a great foundation for the Packers to build upon.
The 2024 offseason will give them that opportunity to continue building. There are a few clear areas of need, and many people will look to their defense first. The safety position has been a need for years as an overhaul of the secondary could be on the horizon depending on what they decide to do with star cornerback Jaire Alexander.
However, based on the Mock Draft simulator used over at PFF, it is the offensive line that is the biggest need for the Packers this offseason. More specifically, offensive tackle. Based on the simulator, the player Green Bay should target is Joe Alt out of Notre Dame.
“At 6-foot-8, Alt brings elite size to offensive tackle. He’s been even better this year at using that size and length to his advantage, yet he maintains technique with leverage to mitigate any natural weaknesses,” written by PFF’s Big Board Analysis.
Finding a long-term answer at left tackle is certainly near the top of the Packers’ to-do list. David Bakhtiari isn’t someone the team can count on any longer to hold down that spot, as he played in Week 1 and wasn’t on the field again.
It is the second time in the last three seasons Bakhtiari played in only one game. Rasheed Walker and Yosh Nijman were solid stepping into the lineup, but Nijman is heading into free agency himself. If the Packers want to make a change on the interior of their offensive line, Zach Tom could kick inside, leaving a spot open for someone such as Alt bookending Walker.
However, if the Packers want a chance at selecting Alt, they will likely have to move up the draft board. Slated to be on the clock at No. 25, it would be shocking if Alt was on the board when it was Green Bay’s turn to pick.
Nearly every mock draft has Alt as one of the first two offensive linemen off the board behind Olu Fashanu out of Penn State. Both have been projected as top-10 picks, likely taking Alt out of the mix for the Packers.
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