General manager Brian Gutekunst and the Packers have made adding explosive young talent with upside around quarterback Jordan Love a top organizational priority, and may be about to turn major attention to the defense.

Even after selecting linebacker Edgerrin Cooper in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Green Bay would be wise to invest the kind of resources it has in recent years on offense, on the defensive side of the ball to boost coordinator Jeff Hafley’s unit.

That might be the direction the Packers take when their first-round pick is announced in April, in Green Bay.

Could the Packers Take One of 2025 NFL Draft’s Top Pass Rushers?

Texas A&M Standout Nic Scourton has been a disruptive force throughout his collegiate career and could be the caliber of player who winds up high on the Packers’ draft board.

NFL Analyst Ian Valentino projects the Packers to snag Scourton with the No. 24 overall pick in this spring’s NFL Draft.

“If the 2025 NFL Draft went in the order of the most physically intimidating humans,” Scourton writes in his latest mock draft for The 33rd Team. “Nic Scourton would be a top-five lock. A rare athlete at 285 pounds, Scourton offers top-tier fluidity, strength, length, and power.

“Green Bay will need to be patient as he improves his hand technique and pad level, but it has a major need for versatile bodies in the trenches, so Scourton will get the reps required to grow.”

Through his three collegiate seasons, including two at Purdue to begin his career, Scourton has produced 17 sacks with 31 tackles for loss and 109 total tackles, underscoring his ability to be a disruptive force up front.
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Adding Scourton on the edge, with Cooper continuing to develop, could prove to be a dominant foundation to continue building out the rest of the defense upon and potentially help close the gap on teams such as the Lions and Vikings standing in the Packers’ way for a Super Bowl berth.