From Jordan Morgan to Evan Williams. These 2024 prospects hit their crucial third-year threshold and are poised to transform the Green Bay Packers' potential into a bona fide championship reality.
Year three is the pivotal moment for most players in the NFL who go on to become stars, and the Green Bay Packers are about to find that out.
In year one, you're a rookie. Any production is a bonus, while even the best players have their struggles. It takes a lot to get used to live in the NFL.
In year two, many players fall into a "sophomore slump". At the very least, the novelty of being in the NFL has faded and the day-in and day-out of the league becomes a job.
Year three is where things really slow down, though. The league starts making sense. The actual game on the field starts making sense and slows down. There's also a physical maturity that happens after two full offseasons in an NFL organization.
If a player is going to become a bona fide star, that fact is usually cemented in year three.
And that's what makes the 2026 season so intriguing for the Green Bay Packers. General manager Brian Gutekunst's 2024 draft class is about to kick off year three of their careers.
Several are expected to play massive roles for the Packers, and that's a really good thing if you're more a "glass half full" type of fan.
You can forget about players like Kalen King and Michael Pratt, who were day three picks and were never expected to do much anyhow. The real "meat" of Gutekunst's selections came No. 25 overall to No. 111 overall, and all of those players have a chance to stamp their name on this upcoming season in a big way.
First is offensive lineman Jordan Morgan, who the Packers selected with pick No. 25 out of Arizona. He's going to be the starting left tackle this season and the expectations are high.
Next came linebacker Edgerrin Cooper at No. 45 overall out of Texas A&M. Cooper had a dynamic rookie season and took on a massive role as a starting off-ball linebacker in year two. Heading into year three, Pro Football Focus beleives Cooper could be on the cusp of his first All-Pro season.
Green Bay Packers linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (56) celebrates tackling Chicago Bears running back Kyle Monangai (25) during their wild-card playoff football game Saturday, January 10, 2026, at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. © Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.Then comes safety Javon Bullard, who was selected No. 58 overall out of Georgia. He's "one of the hardest hitting safeties in the league", but in a serious sense, he's developed into one heck of a nickelback for the Packers.
Marshawn Lloyd was No. 88 out of USC and though his first two seasons have been riddled with injury and loss of potential, the Packers are at the very least going into 2026 hoping that he can be a dynamic RB2 to Josh Jacobs.
Linebacker Tyron Hooper at No. 91 out of Buffalo was a bit of a swing and miss from Gutekunst, but right after Hooper came safety Evan Williams at No. 111 out of Oregon State.
Williams was a full-time starter last season next to Xavier McKinney and he makes up one half of arguably the best safety duo in the league. A strong safety, Williams is always around the football and making plays.
These five players (and perhaps Hooper as a depth player) all project to make a massive impact for the Packers, and they each have their own star potential that they bring to the table.
If they can reach that potential in 2026, or even scratch the surface of it, that will go a long way towards propelling Green Bay into Super Bowl contention.
It's time for the class of 2024 to take over.
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