Green Bay Packers: How have the 2021 rookies performed thus far?

How has the Green Bay Packers 2021 rookie class looked to this point? The results are somewhat surprising.

The Green Bay Packers 2021 NFL Draft class drew solid praise from some experts and evaluators, but they also got poor grades from some as well. The needs were addressed pretty well across the board, but the safe, sensible way wasn’t praised for a team that looked to be all in after their offseason of bringing back running back Aaron Jones.

The Packers yet again dove hard into the offensive line, selecting three players like they did in 2020. They finally drafted another wide receiver, and put in resources to the secondary as well. So how are the rooks looking through three weeks of the NFL season?

Josh Myers has done extremely well to this point, and has landed in the top 10 of many rookie power rankings around the blogosphere, including here at NFL Mocks. He’s played great football in both phases of the game. As a run blocker, he’s strong at the point of attack and has worked well sustaining initial combo blocks as his fellow lineman work to the second level. Myers plays with great control and balance and rarely gets out of position. He doesn’t give up much ground in pass protection, and stays patient looking for work and will help out when leverage starts to be lost next to him. There are still some communication things to work on post-snap and involving the snap (that fourth down play against SF was clearly some error based on the reaction of Aaron Rodgers), but overall it’s high marks for Myers to this point.

Eric Stokes will likely always be set side-by-side with this corner class (especially Greg Newsome and Asante Samuel Jr.), but he’s already logging plenty of snaps with the Green Bay Packers in his young career. Stokes made a couple big plays against the Lions in key spots to keep momentum in Green Bay’s favor, and played a ton of snaps against a talented 49ers group Sunday night.

His transitions are still a work in progress when he plays off-coverage, and some of the balance issues from college are still showing up. However, his physical style of play is helping him out, as he isn’t letting receiver dictate at the top of routes. Stokes meets them at the top of stems and doesn’t make things easy. It’s led to a couple penalties, but that’s bound to happen. When he plays in press at the line of scrimmage, he’s great at carrying receivers vertically and can recover with ease. More reps to develop consistency is the way to go, and he will be fun to watch all season.

Royce Newman rounds out the group of Green Bay Packers who have started a great deal to this point. The reviews should be mostly positive, as he’s done a good job, especially surrounded by other young guys like Myers. Newman has been better in pass protection, where he can anchor well and use his tackle experience to mirror and pick up stunts. This past week was a tough assignment, as Arik Armstead gave him struggles with his length and quick get-off. Newman has had some issues against the run, but when he can reach the second level he can sustain blocks. There’s no reason to believe he can’t secure the spot long-term, but patience will be key.

The other rookies have gotten their shot, mostly on special teams. T.J. Slaton has flashed in his limited reps with good pop in his hands and effort, but it’s clear he’s deep on the depth chart right now. Amari Rodgers is another who isn’t going to see much in year one without an injury. His special teams contributions on punt returns haven’t been promising. He’s been working horizontally too much, which is odd for a player who was smart after the catch in college. Kylin Hill will hopefully get more looks in the running back room for the Green Bay Packers, but he’s brought the juice as a kick returner and will only gain more trust as the season goes on.

It’s hard to confidently state the 2021 NFL Draft class is a good one through three weeks, but it’s so far so good with this group for the Green Bay Packers. Brian Gutekunst and company continue to hit on offensive line evaluation, and it’ll be interesting to see how much these guys make an impact deeper into the season.