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The Packers have widely been praised as one of the premier draft and develop organizations in football, but perhaps that reputation is becoming overblown.
While Green Bay’s ability to seamlessly transition from Brett Favre, to Aaron Rodgers, to Jordan Love is the envy of franchises across the NFL, and much of the Packers’ optimism in 2026 is centered around homegrown and ascending talent making some big leaps, not everyone is convinced that this is a roster built on a solid foundation.
Packers’ young core torpedoed in latest ESPN rankings
Over at ESPN, NFL analyst Aaron Schatz put together his annual rankings of the rosters across the league’s collection of players under the age of 30.
Schatz lists the Packers at No. 30 in the NFL.
“We’ll start on defense with linebacker Edgerrin Cooper,” Schatz writes. “Who will be 25 in November. Cornerback Carrington Valentine still qualifies for our list, as he will turn 25 in September, and safety/nickelback Javon Bullard is 23. Rookie second-round cornerback Brandon Cisse is only 21 years old.
“On offense, the important name is last year’s first-round pick, wide receiver Matthew Golden, who will be 23 on Aug. 1 after posting 29 catches for 362 yards in 2025. But much of the offense turned 25 in the past year, including tight ends Kraft and Luke Musgrave as well as linemen Jordan Morgan and Anthony Belton.”
Schatz goes on to write that the Packers don’t have a single ‘blue-chip’ player under the age of 25 on the roster.
Now, this could be a testament to the Packers going all in in recent years by trading draft capital for Micah Parsons and investing in veterans such as Xavier McKinney, Zaire Franklin, and Josh Jacobs, but lacking the young players to develop behind them should be a major concern for Green Bay.
