The Packers have 'serious speed' with pair of rookies

It is a bit ironic that the Green Bay Packers find themselves boasting a rookie class that is chock-full of athletic potential in the first season in the post Aaron Rodgers-era.

The constant complaint for Packers fans during Rodgers' 18 seasons in Green Bay was that the organization didn't surround him with enough help on offense (those critics seemingly forget about the likes of Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, Davante Adams, Jermichael Finley, James Jones and Randall Cobb in their primes but that's besides the point). The same excuses can't be made for Rodgers' successor, Jordan Love, though. 

The Packers put major draft stock in offensive upside in 2023, with three picks in the Top 80 that went toward offensive skill players: Tight end Luke Musgrave (Round 2, Pick 42), wide receiver Jayden Reed (Round 2, Pick 50) and tight end Tucker Kraft (Round 3, Pick 78). 

All three have big potential for Green Bay, though Musgrave and Reed — the two second round picks — have stuck out so far early on in their rookie offseasons. Their speed, according to lineman Elgton Jenkins, has been noticable. 

"Man, I was looking at Luke Musgrave and Jayden Reed a lot. Our weapons, man, they got some serious speed, Jayden and Luke," Jenkins recently told 'Good Morning Football', per NFL.com. "Just being able to see them out there running and getting vertical up the field, running routes and stuff like that, it really put a smile on my face. I'm ready to see what's in store for those guys. I feel like the future's bright for those guys. … Luke Musgrave and Jayden Reed, I've got a lot of high expectations for those guys in Year 1, for sure."

Musgrave, from Oregon State, missed most of the 2022 season with a knee injury, but in 2021 he caught 22 passes for 304 yards (13.8 per game) and a touchdown. In his two games played in 2022, he caught 11 passes for 169 yards (15.4 per game) and two touchdowns.

He's a 6-foot-5, 253 pound sculped athlete who ran a 4.61 40-yard-dash at the NFL Combine.

Reed, from Michigan State, was a versatile weapon who was a finalist for the Paul Hornun Award — given to college football's most versatile player — in 2021. 

He put up 2,866 yards and 26 touchdowns in college (three seasons at MSU with a freshman season at Western Michigan) while also returning three punts for touchdowns.