What's the future for Karl Brooks, Luke Musgrave, and secondary contributors from the 2023 draft class?

The Green Bay Packers always extend young core players, but spend judiciously on role players. So where does that leave key members of the 2023 draft class?

There’s nothing uncertain about the future of Tucker Kraft beyond his health. Assuming he suffers no major setbacks, he will become the highest-paid tight end in the NFL by Thanksgiving.

But beyond Kraft, the 2023 draft class for the Green Bay Packers still has something to prove. None of the other players firmly established themselves as members of the core, and while Brian Gutekunst and Russ Ball don’t have to make a decision on them until this time next year, their plan will directly impact how they approach this month’s draft.

The Packers always plan ahead with their draft picks, readying the team for impending departures. The way the draft goes will signal how they feel about this crop of players, and the fact that it’s not obvious who will get an extension already tells us this group is on shaky ground.

Lukas Van Ness

Green Bay has until later this spring to decide on its former first-round pick’s fifth-year option that will come in between $13 and $15 million. For a starting edge defender, that’s a modest figure, and that’s how Van Ness enters the 2026 season opposite Micah Parsons.

Van Ness showed clear signs of improvement in training camp last season, and Micah Parsons immediately bonded with the hulking former Iowa standout.

Tom Silverstein from The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel recently reported that if the Packers don’t pick up Van Ness’ option, the team could work toward an extension instead — fifth-year options are fully guaranteed, and Green Bay may want to keep his cap number down in 2027.

Picking up the option would provide the Packers framework for a deal, though, as Kingsley Enagbare recently got $10 million annually from the New York Jets and unless Van Ness develops into a high-impact player this season, he couldn’t command much more than his option number on the open market even as pass rusher salaries explode, thanks, in part, to Parsons.

Luke Musgrave

It feels over in Green Bay for Musgrave. The Packers couldn’t rely on him consistently with Tucker Kraft injured, and while Musgrave has value as a vertical tight end, his inability to offer much of anything in the run game undercuts his value to the team. He’s not quite good enough as a receiver to fulfil a Mike Gesicki-type role in the offense, but not sturdy enough in-line to provide a facsimile of Kraft’s blocking.