The Oregon Ducks held their pro day on Tuesday. According to Tony Pauline, an NFL sraft analyst for Sportskeeda.com, the Green Bay Packers had some heavy hitters in attendance. General manager Brian Gutekunst was flanked by Jon-Eric Sullivan, the VP of Player Personnel, and Jon Wojciechowski, the Director of Player Personnel.
During the 2024 NFL Draft, Gutekunst opened Day 3 of the draft by trading up for Oregon defensive back Evan Williams.
To dig a little deeper, there could also be the Dan Lanning connection. Lanning was the defensive coordinator of the Georgia Bulldogs and coached current Packers players, Quay Walker, Devonte Wyatt and former Packer Eric Stokes.
The Ducks have a handful of players, headlined by Derrick Harmon who could be on Green Bay’s board during the 2025 NFL Draft.
Derrick Harmon, DT
The Michigan State transfer is the type of disruptor that Gutekunst is looking to add. He had 55 pressures this past season, which was the most among defensive tackles. To go along with that he recorded five sacks, 11 tackles for loss and 25 run stops. This is a guy with bully power to drive offensive lineback backward to cave in the pocket. Against the run, he’s stout at the point of attack. He puts down roots to anchor and control his gap. He’s got good initial quickness. He checks all the boxes and if he’s on the board when the Packers are on the clock with the 23rd overall pick, it would be shocking if he wasn’t the selection.
Jordan Burch, DL
Burch is a well-put-together defensive lineman who can line up all over the defensive line. He’s got a quick first step and has violent hands. The athletic defensive lineman plays with a ton of power to cave in pockets. Despite missing some games due to an injury, Burch recorded 11 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, six pass deflections and 32 pressures. It would not be shocking if the Packers open the draft by taking Harmon in the first and follow it up by taking Burch in the second round.
Jeffrey Bassa, LB
A former safety, Bassa has excellent play range and is a smooth mover. He moves well laterally to make plays sideline-to-sideline. Bassa has patient feet in coverage and desirable movement skills. He has the short-area burst to be an effective blitzer. Over the past two seasons, he recorded 38 pressures and 1.5 sacks. Bassa logged 441 special teams snaps during his collegiate career. With his quickness and toughness, Bassa could provide an immediate impact on special teams as a rookie. The Packers will likely look to add a linebacker on Day 3 of the draft. With his special teams experience, Bassa could be a potential target.
Jamaree Caldwell, DT
Caldwell started his college career at the JUCO level before transferring to Houston in 2022. During his two seasons in Houston, Caldwell recorded 13 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks. He transferred to Oregon for the 2024 season and recorded five tackles for loss and knocked down three passes. At 6-2, 342 pounds, Caldwell is a space eater. He has the mass and powerful base to clog up running lanes and keep linebackers clean. Caldwell has violent hands. For a man his size he has good initial burst off the snap and has some twitch to him. He didn’t record a sack this season, but he did record 25 pressures. The Packers need to replace TJ Slaton and Caldwell could be an ideal target on Day 3 of the draft.
Jordan James, RB
The human pinball. James has excellent contact balance. This past season he forced 58 missed tackles and picked up 740 yards after contact. The Packers don’t have a need at running back, but with five Day 3 picks at his disposal, Gutekunst may want to get in on this talented running back class and James would be a solid addition to what’s an already solid running back group.
Josh Conerly Jr, OT
A five-star recruit out of the state of Washington, Conerly started 28 games at left tackle over the past two seasons for the Ducks. He has quick feet with the lateral mobility to match edge quickness and shut down the corner. Conerly fires out of his stance to quickly get into defenders and is a good athlete in space.
Ajani Cornelius, OL
Cornelius has strong hands and is a powerful run blocker. He’s played almost exclusively at right tackle during his collegiate career, he could be a candidate to kick inside at the next level. The Packers have a rich history of taking college offensive tackles and kicking them inside to guard. Cornelius could be a Day 3 target and would provide the Packers with some versatility and depth.
Terrance Ferguson, TE
Ferguson is one of the top tight ends in this draft class and could go as early as the third round. If he goes that early, don’t expect him to be in Green Bay. If he somehow slips to the fourth round, then maybe the Packers start thinking about adding Ferguson to the mix. He’s a natural hands catcher and a balanced route runner. He’s got the quickness to create yards after the catch. Given Luke Musgrave’s inability to stay on the field, the Packers may start thinking about finding Tucker Kraft a new Robin. Ferguson could be the next one to don the cape.
Dillon Gabriel, QB
Gutekunst has drafted a quarterback on Day 3 of the draft in back-to-back years. He could look to make it three years in a row, especially considering Malik Willis is entering the final year of his contract. Gabriel isn’t the biggest quarterback and his size (5-11, 205 pounds) may actually have him off Green Bay’s board. However, he has plenty of experience and he could prove to be a great long-term backup. He understands concepts and does a good job of reading the defense. He’s quick to get the ball out to his playmakers and will be somebody that you can throw out there and trust he won’t make bad decisions. He finished his lone season at Oregon with 30 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also added seven rushing touchdowns.
