Prospects for Packers to Avoid in 2024 NFL Draft | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

It's probably not going to happen in the first round, but at some point, the Packers will likely draft an off-ball linebacker. The Packers released De'Vondre Campbell in a cap-saving measure, but haven't done anything to replace him yet.

That makes the Packers need at linebacker beside Quay Walker a significant need.

Fortunately, the Packers have a lot of draft capital to make sure they land a starter at the position. With five picks in the top 100, they can move up or down the board and target a player who makes sense for them.

It shouldn't be Payton Wilson, though. Wilson has the athletic profile that the Packers seem to like. He scored an impressive 9.81 relative athletic score with his pre-draft testing that included a 4.43 40-yard dash.

Wilson is the 90th overall player on our big board and the fourth-ranked off-ball linebacker, though. The primary concern is an extensive injury history that goes all the way back to 2018. Matt Holder summed it up in his scouting report:

Injuries: 2018 (knee, missed first season at NC State rehabbing from surgery in high school), 2021 (shoulder, missed all but 2 games, had surgery and missed spring practices), 2022 (upper body, missed 1 game; shoulder, missed 1 game)

Wilson's athleticism is tantalizing. However, the Packers already have an excellent athlete in Quay Walker who covers a lot of range. It would be fine to sacrifice some of the athleticism to get a linebacker who carries less injury baggage and can be more of a downhill player.