2024 Packers roster ranking, 50-41: Key backups and rookies jostle for positioning

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

With the Green Bay Packers on break until training camp and the personnel essentially frozen for the foreseeable future, The Leap will use this time to reveal its annual 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 slightly more or less.

Today's slate features those on the fringes of making the 53-man roster, mostly young players searching to solidify backup and special-teams roles to make a splash and sneak onto the regular season squad.

T-47. Evan Williams

Position: safety
How acquired: fourth-round draft pick (2024)

Please forgive the somewhat misleading headline with four players tied at 47, there is technically no 50th ranking on the list. We placed them in alphabetical order for consistency, but Evan Williams would be at the top of this tied tier if we were ranking likeliness to make the roster.

Importantly though, that’s not the exercise. Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst surprised many with the Williams selection after doing the same in the third round with a player set to pop up on this list shortly. He’s a versatile safety from Oregon with blitzing ability, the skill set to play in the box or deep, and has a chance to push for a starting spot right away. Pro Football Focus graded him 75-plus in three straight seasons. That said, he’s well behind second-round pick Javon Bullard on these rankings which could be a harbinger of how the depth chart plays out.

T-47. Kalen King

Position: cornerback
How acquired: seventh-round draft pick (2024)

If the Packers flipped Williams and Kalen King in the draft order, most informed draft observers would not have thought it strange. King profiled as a potential first-round pick before the 2023 season. Then injuries, struggles, and a loss of confidence robbed King of the chance to be a top pick.

Even with the inconsistent tape and mediocre athletic testing, King projected as an early Day 3 pick (while Williams was seen more like a mid-to-late one). Falling to the seventh round belies King’s ability and in particular his skill set as a willing tackler near the line of scrimmage.

Don’t be surprised if King pushes for the CB4 spot, and he’s a sneaky candidate to play the nickel if Keisean Nixon suffers an injury.