2023 Packers roster ranking, 70-61: Veterans and newcomers battle for jobs

The Leap ranks the Green Bay Packers' 90-man roster in order of player caliber.

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With the Green Bay Packers on break until training camp and the personnel essentially frozen for the foreseeable future, The Leap has decided to use this time to release its 90-man roster rankings.

Our methodology: We ordered the players based on ability relative to their respective positions rather than the value of those positions. Put another way, this exercise prioritizes the "best" players, not necessarily the "most valuable" ones. That means the starting quarterback doesn't necessarily have to top the list because of the position he plays.

Each edition of the 90-man roster ranking will include a batch of roughly 10 players. Due to voting ties, some batches will feature one more or one fewer.

Today's slate showcases a combination of veterans with NFL experience and rookies clawing at the back of the 53, perhaps the most competitive part of the roster when it comes to securing jobs in Green Bay.

70. Kiondre Thomas

Position: cornerback
How acquired: street free agent (2022)

After kicking around a few NFL teams during his rookie season, Kiondre Thomas arrived in Green Bay last year as mostly an afterthought. That changed in short order when the former undrafted free agent held his own during training camp and managed to maintain the momentum through the preseason. Thomas played extensively in each of the Packers' three exhibition games in 2022, allowing just one reception for 8 yards on seven targets. He even offset his lone flag (an 11-yard penalty for defensive pass interference) with multiple pass breakups.

Thomas' push for the 53 ultimately came up short in 2022, though that said as much about the Packers' depth at cornerback than anything else. He has the requisite size (a quarter inch under 6-foot, 186 pounds) and athleticism (4.44 seconds in the 40-yard dash, 7.29 Relative Athletic Score) to stick in the NFL. While the corner room remains strong entering training camp, Thomas now has a full year in the system after spending all of last season on Green Bay's practice squad. The time to prove himself has come.

69. Chuck Filiaga

Position: offensive lineman
How acquired: undrafted rookie (2023)

Given the volume of offensive linemen the Packers have added in recent years, the outlook for an undrafted rookie like Chuck Filiaga might not seem so bright. Even after the position group's "top six" of David Bakhtiari, Elgton Jenkins, Josh Myers, Jon Runyan Jr., Yosh Nijman, and Zach Tom, Filiaga faces competition from four recent draft picks and a 2022 undrafted free agent who nearly made the final cut last season.

However, the former Minnesota and Michigan guard offers more than initially meets the eye. At 6-foot-6 and 321 pounds, Filiaga has the necessary mass to move bodies along the interior and the stature to feasibly play tackle. Positional versatility has always ranked as a top priority for Green Bay offensive linemen, especially the reserves. Filiaga also comes with an impressive pedigree (former consensus four-star recruit with 21 collegiate starts and 37 game appearances) and athletic profile (7.89 Relative Athletic Score). So despite the numbers game he'll have to navigate, Filiaga made the 2023 edition of The Leap's annual Packers UDFA prospectus.

T-67. Lew Nichols III

Position: running back
How acquired: seventh-round draft pick (2023)

With the top of the tailback depth chart solidified around Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon and everything else at the position up for grabs, a drafted rookie like Lew Nichols III would seem to have the inside track to a roster spot. The Packers will certainly give him a real shot, but the competition to become the third running back appears significant at this stage. Patrick Taylor has multiple NFL seasons under his belt while Tyler Goodson made a genuine push for the 53 last year and looks improved entering 2023.

As such, Nichols will probably have to flash during training camp and the preseason in order to earn his place on the Packers' roster. His build (5-foot-10, 220 pounds) resembles that of Taylor while his pass-catching skills probably overlap more with Goodson's, so it remains unclear exactly what niche he can fill.