If there is one thing that the Green Bay Packers have on their roster heading into training camp this year it is an abundance of youth. Green Bay will be relying on numerous young players, some more experienced than others, in major roles for the 2023 regular season.
So, it should be somewhat of a surprise how many Packers were present on the Top 25 NFL players 25 years of age or younger list that Cody Benjamin put together over at CBS Sports. Benjamin used the September 7th start of the season as the cutoff for players to be 25 and under.
This year’s rookie class was left off the rankings as well, as it is an exercise in seeing who has played well and projecting who may continue ascending. Some positional value was used in the rankings as well.
That means Packers star cornerback Jaire Alexander was ineligible for the list, as he turned 26 in February. He made the just too old list of the piece. It turns out he was the only player who had a chance to make the list, as not a single Packer made the top 25.
Four players from their divisional rivals did make the list as Justin Fields of the Chicago Bears came in at No. 25. Amon-Ra St. Brown and Penei Sewell of the Detroit Lions came in at Nos. 24 and 22. The list was topped by Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who was the clear-cut No. 1.
The only other Packers player to land remotely close to the list was wide receiver, Christian Watson. He was among the honorable mentions with 23 other players. If Watson can carry over the production that he ended the 2022 season with, he will certainly find himself in the mix once again for this list in 2024, the last season that he will be eligible.