GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers got instant impact from their 2022 and 2023 NFL Draft classes. One of the early losers from the first three weeks of training camp is the injury report and its impact on the team’s five Top 100 picks from the 2024 draft.
During Saturday’s victory at Cleveland, the Packers suited up without first-round pick Jordan Morgan, second-round pick Edgerrin Cooper and third-round pick Ty’Ron Hopper and lost their other third-round pick, running back MarShawn Lloyd, to a hamstring injury after just two touches.
Lloyd’s not expected to be out long but, compounded with his missing the first six practices of training camp with a hip injury, he’s in danger of falling too far behind to be a significant contributor to start the season.
“It makes it extremely difficult, especially as a rookie, because you need the reps,” running backs coach Ben Sirmans said on Monday.
“It’s one thing to sit in the classroom, learn it, or even when you’re behind [the offense] seeing other guys run the exact plays that you’re going to run and you’re trying to take mental reps. It’s a lot different than hearing the calls made in the huddle, lining up properly, doing all those things.”
Other than Lloyd exiting after 14 snaps, coach Matt LaFleur called it a “pretty clean game” from a health perspective.
“Hopefully they all go like that,” he said.
LaFleur was tight-lipped about the other rookies.
Morgan, who quickly moved into the starting lineup at right guard, suffered a shoulder injury early in Tuesday’s practice.
Cooper suffered a hip injury before Family Night and was out all of last week.
Hopper suffered an ankle injury and missed the final practice last week.
“We’ll see where they’re at” for this week, LaFleur said, with practices on Tuesday and Wednesday, the joint practice at Denver on Friday and the second preseason game at the Broncos on Sunday night.
Safety Kitan Oladapo, a fifth-round pick, missed the entire offseason and the first six practices of training camp while recovering from a broken toe. Against the Browns, he played zero snaps on defense and nine on special teams.
LaFleur said Oladapo will be integrated into the defense this week.
“I don’t want anybody to be hurt,” LaFleur said of the injuries to the team’s high-profile draft picks. “It is what it is, and these guys are going to do what they can. I think it’s always a challenge for rookies because they don’t have a ton of reps under their belt and they don’t have that experience to really draw back on.
“So, every rep is absolutely critical for them, and we saw the effects of that in the game with some of the young guys that have been out and there were a couple mental mistakes that you don’t want to have happen. That’s why they’ve got to understand, whether it’s walkthrough, whether it’s team reps, every rep is so critical.”
Especially for Morgan, who was well on his way to winning a starting job. Morgan dropped out of practice following individual drills on Tuesday. A three-year starting left tackle at Arizona, he’s been learning a new position on the fly.
“He’s a rookie playing against Kenny Clark every single day. Ten-year vets might struggle with that a little bit,” offensive line coach Luke Butkus said. “Ups and downs, and he knew that, but he came in every day to work. We need to get him back, right? That’s how you get better. You practice.
“Little setback but he’ll be fine when he gets back. He’ll work at it. He’s in his playbook. He’s smart. He’s doing whatever we ask him to do to get back.”
Other than Morgan and safety Javon Bullard, Lloyd was the rookie best positioned to grab an early role on offense or defense. His game-breaking ability was apparent on his only carry against the Browns, when he bounced off a pile in the backfield, broke a tackle and gained 8 yards. His 0-to-60 speed, so to speak, is just different than veterans Josh Jacobs and AJ Dillon.
Running the ball is the easy part. Lloyd needs to work on his ball security and prove he can pass protect. The only way to show those skills is by doing it on the field.
“He, like most young players, needs a lot of reps,” Sirmans said. “But it’s going to come. I’m not overly concerned about it because, obviously, we talk about it all the time. It’s my job to make sure that he’s right and ready when his time comes.
“But the one good thing about him is that he’s very eager. He’s here early in the morning getting his body right, he’s sitting at the cafeteria studying and going through things. So, because he has that part of it as part of his DNA, I think at the end of the day he’s going to be fine.”
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— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) August 12, 2024Hard to believe we're down to two weeks of training camp and roster cuts are due in 15 days.
With that, here's my third #Packers roster projection of camp. ⬇️https://t.co/NBxYmLnETU
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