The Green Bay Packers have been hit by multiple serious injuries to key players early in the season, including Jayden Reed and Edgerrin Cooper, who will be out for the year.
With the coaching staff looking for answers on both sides of the ball, it is time for two former top-100 draft picks to stand up and be counted.
Head coach Matt LaFleur announced on Wednesday that Savion Williams would be practicing, which he did in a limited capacity as he works his way back from an ankle injury. LaFleur did not rule out him playing against the Bears on Sunday, and it sounds like he has a legitimate chance.
Williams was a surprising pick in the third round after the Packers had already picked a wide receiver in the first, and his rookie year never really got
off the ground due to injuries which bothered him all the way back to training camp.
When he was healthy enough to play – and even then he was doing so through a foot issue – he was buried in a deep wide receiver room behind Reed, Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Matthew Golden and Dontayvion Wicks.
He did make some noise this summer before sustaining another injury, and now it is only Watson and Golden definitely ahead of him on the depth chart, with Green Bay looking to find a reliable third option among options like Williams, Bo Melton, Skyy Moore and J. Michael Sturdivant.
Williams’ versatile skillset could be very useful for a Packers team looking for more yards-after-catch and rushing yards in the offense. He had more rushing attempts (11) than targets (10) as a rookie, and his gadget ability could help ignite the ground and quick passing game.
Green Bay’s pass catchers have struggled with drops early in the season, which is uncharacteristic given their track record.
Although one of the knocks on Williams coming out of college was concentration drops, he excels in contested catch situations, showcased by his highlight-reel grab in the Giants game last season.
Besides simple drops, there have been plenty of times when Jordan Love needs his receiver to make a play for him on a jump-ball or with a diving catch early in the season, and they have not often come through. Williams could provide a boost in that regard.
On the other side of the ball, Cooper’s injury could present an opportunity for 2024 third-round pick Ty’Ron Hopper to carve out a legitimate role in the defense for the first time, having played only 157 snaps on defense in his NFL career so far.
The Packers’ linebacker depth is about as good as a team could reasonably hope to have between Hopper and Isaiah McDuffie, albeit neither of them are Edgerrin Cooper.
A curious and unpopular pick at the time, Hopper was not forced into the lineup and has had two years to learn behind some players who have been there and done it.
McDuffie is obviously the more experienced and trustworthy option, and will likely play the lion’s share of run downs, but without Cooper, the Packers do not need another steady linebacker, they have that in Zaire Franklin. They need some sizzle, and McDuffie is not that.
If Jonathan Gannon is looking for some semblance of the skill set Cooper brought to the table, Hopper is more likely to provide at least some answers. Whether he is any better in coverage than Franklin or McDuffie, who have real question marks, remains to be seen.
Hopper is not going to walk into the starting lineup, but if he cannot find some way to rotate in and be of use after two years to develop, it probably is never going to happen for him. Now is the time to see if he can make an impact.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers need third-round picks Savion Williams, Ty'Ron Hopper to step up
