Tracking every quarterback the Packers have talked to ahead of the draft

Let's talk about each prospect, in an order following the NFL Mock Draft Database consensus big board.

The evaluations come from James Foster, from A to Z Sports, and Dane Brugler via The Beast, on The Athletic.

Bo Nix (Oregon)

• Consensus board: 32nd
• Packers contact: Combine

Via James Foster:

Strengths

Above average arm talent, can make every throw; Good straight-line speed, with the fluidity/twitch to make defenders miss in open space; Attacks tight windows over the middle with anticipation; Quick, decisive processor. Doesn't linger on his first read; Has the play strength & pocket manipulation to avoid sacks. 7.3% pressure to sack % at Oregon; Makes accurate movement throws rolling out in both directions; Uses his eyes to manipulate underneath defenders & widen out passing lanes; Impressive touch thrower. Drops sideline shots in the bucket.

Weaknesses

Screen-heavy offense inflated his production; Was only asked to make a few difficult throws each game in Oregon's offense; Below average size; Frequently bails from clean pockets; Will make some bad decisions outside of the pocket. Several redzone prayers into triple coverage; Scattershot deep accuracy; Doesn't throw from a consistent base. Drifts away from clean pockets & makes unnecessary off-platform throws; Older prospect who took 5 years to become a high-level NFL prospect; Rushes progressions & is too eager to his his checkdown at times.

Spencer Rattler (South Carolina)

• Consensus board: 78th
• Packers contact: Senior Bowl

Via James Foster:

Strengths

Concise & effortless throwing motion with a flexible release; Excellent ball placement at every level of the field. Ranked 3rd in FBS in On-Tgt %; South Carolina's OL was a disaster in 2023; Stands in the pocket & throws dimes while he's getting hit; Above average athleticism; Instinctive playmaker with his legs & arm when he breaks the pocket; Accuracy doesn't suffer when he's on the move/throwing off-platform; Throws with sufficient velocity to attack tight windows; Can make full-field reads when he's given protection.

Weaknesses

Delayed blitz recognition; Very short for an NFL QB; Lacks play strength to break out of sacks; Can't throw over the pass rush from a compressed pocket; Inconsistent spatial awareness under pressure. Frequently steps up into crowded pockets; Spotty decision making. Will misjudge DB leverage & make dangerous throws; Needs to lead his receivers more consistently on in-breaking routes; Average arm strength. Struggles to beat deep coverage & forces WRs to work back to the ball.

Michael Pratt (Tulane)

• Consensus board: 127th
• Packers contact: Combine

Via James Foster:

Strengths

Clean footwork, repeatable throwing motion, & consistent ball placement; Pro-ready processing skills. Experienced & efficient making full-field reads; Uses pump fakes & eye manipulation to influence deep defenders; Outstanding touch-thrower, especially down the sideline; Throws with excellent timing and anticipation over the middle of the field; Links eyes & feet as he scans the field; Aggressive pushing the ball downfield, but willing to hit his checkdown; Decent straight-line speed; Tough & confident. Willing to stand in the pocket & take a hit; Led Tulane to 2 of its 3 10+ win seasons since 1940.

Weaknesses

Lacks high-end arm talent; Floats out-breaking targets, allowing defenders to undercut; Loses track of lurking hole/spy defenders; Elongated windup delays his release & creates strip-sack opportunities; Needs to speed up internal clock. Waits too long for deep routes to uncover; Mediocre peripheral vision to sense blindside pressure; Limited escapability/elusiveness to avoid sacks; Not a shifty or explosive athlete; Stares down targets in the quick game; >20% pressure to sack % in all 4 years as a starter.

Joe Milton (Tennessee)

• Consensus board: 174th
• Packers contact: Senior Bowl

Via James Foster:

Strengths

Generational arm talent. Has an RPG attached to his shoulder; Prototypical QB build. Tall enough to see the field, sturdy enough to absorb contact; Explosive & powerful athlete that delivers punishing blows to LBs in the open field; Excellent drive velocity. The ball teleports from his hand to the WR; Has the athletic traits to convert to TE; Showed some clever pocket manipulation & improved footwork sliding away from pressure; Doesn't need to set his feet to launch the ball 60 yards.

Weaknesses

Ball placement is unpredictable at every level of the field; Played in a gimmicky offense that only asked him to read half of the field; Poor field vision & awareness when throwing in-breaking routes; Mis-identifies/ignores safeties waiting to break on routes over the middle; Still a project after 6 years in college; One-speed passer. Struggles to adjust velocity or throw with touch.

Devin Leary (Kentucky)

• Consensus board: 275th
• Packers contact: Shrine Bowl

Via James Foster:

Strengths

Throws with velocity to the sideline. Can rip field-side deep outs; Can execute bootleg/rollout concepts & deliver the ball accurately on the run; Soft touch to layer intermediate passes over the coverage; Throws accurate dig routes with timing to maximize YAC; Willing to attack tight zone coverage windows over the middle of the field; 39 career starts; Adequate arm strength.

Weaknesses

Frequently underthrows deep sideline shots; d 17 batted passes in 2023 (led FBS); Heavy feet under pressure & marginal sack escapability; Small stature with limited athletic traits; Prolonged windup results in gradual release speed & poor ball security; Leads hook defenders into passing windows with his eyes; Poor judge of WR leverage & separation on out-breaking routes; Will be 25 by the start of his rookie season; Had 7 fumbles in 3/5 seasons as a starter; Production peaked in 2021.

QB John Rhys Plumlee (UCF)

• Consensus board: 412th
• Packers contact: Hula Bowl

Via Dane Brugler:

A true dual-threat quarterback, Plumlee is dynamic in the RPO game and throws well on the move with fast eyes and a strong arm. Overall, Plumlee struggles with inconsistent placement and decision-making as a passer, but his athletic instincts make him an interesting position-change prospect and candidate for the practice squad.

Gavin Hardison (UTEP)

• Consensus board: 504th
• Packers contact: Top 30 visit

Via Dane Brugler:

Hardison has an NFL arm, and the ball pops out of his hand. He is more of a "see it" thrower and tends to get happy feet when things aren't well-defined in coverage (needs to eliminate things quicker). He is comfortable running zone-read/RPO concepts. Overall, Hardison didn't put consistent ball placement on film, but he shows immense trust in his arm — which is both a strength and weakness to his game.

QB James Cahoon (Bridgewater State)

• Consensus board: N/A
• Packers contact: Podyum All Star Bowl

He doesn't have extensive profiles on either big board. However, Dane Brugler listed him as the 86th (and last!) prospect on the quarterback rankings of this class.