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Packers’ 2020 90-man Roster Ranking: wide receivers and edge rushers populate spots 80-71

Young wide receivers and edge prospects fill out the bulk of spots 80-71 with a couple offensive linemen popping up, too.

Green Bay Packers v Baltimore Ravens Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images

The Green Bay Packers, like every other team in the NFL at this point in the offseason, have 90 players on their roster. Those 90 men have varying backgrounds, experience levels, and natural skillsets, but they can be defined into various strata of player.

Each year following the player acquisition phase of the offseason, Acme Packing Company conducts a ranking of the 90-man roster, based purely on the caliber of the players with no attention paid to positional value or value to the team. It’s an attempt to identify who the best players are on the roster regardless of position, and this year six of our contributors submitted rankings, which we have compiled into our master list.

Over the next week-plus, we will reveal the rankings ten at a time. Today we continue those rankings with spots 80-71.

#80: WR Malik Taylor

Highest ranking: 70
Lowest ranking: 83

Even after an offseason that featured pretty minimal additions at wide receiver, someone still has to come in at the bottom of the depth chart. Long and lanky with good speed, Taylor spent the 2019 season on the Packers practice squad but never got a chance to move up to the active roster.

#79: WR Darrius Shepherd

Highest ranking: 61
Lowest ranking: 90

Despite making the initial 53-man roster, the enduring image of Shepherd’s 2019 season was a pass bouncing off his facemask into the waiting arms of a Detroit Lions defender. Shepherd’s path to a roster spot in 2019 is clear but still difficult; he’s one of the few players on the Packers’ roster with true slot experience and can also return punts, though he was minimally effective in that role in 2019.

T-77: G Zack Johnson

Highest ranking: 68
Lowest ranking: 84

A good-sized guard prospect, Johnson is making a big leap from North Dakota State to the NFL. He’ll likely need a year of seasoning, but offensive linemen always have the chance to find early reps, so you never know.

T-77: T Cody Conway

Highest ranking: 67
Lowest ranking: 86

A potential sleeper prospect on the offensive line, Conway played nearly 3,000 snaps at left tackle for Syracuse and spent camp last season with the Tennessee Titans before an injury scuttled his rookie year. He signed with the Packers

#76: WR Darrell Stewart

Highest ranking: 69
Lowest ranking: 83

Fairly productive on some underwhelming Michigan State teams, Stewart’s marginal athleticism might make him a roster longshot. Still, he has decent size and it’s hard to completely bet against a guy who produced in a decent conference.

#75: EDGE Tipa Galeai

Highest ranking: 65
Lowest ranking: 82

The Packers’ edge rusher depth chart is pretty sparse beyond the Smiths and Rashan Gary, so someone should be able to find an opportunity to contribute there. Galeai wouldn’t be a bad bet, either. He was quite productive in college, but is also extremely light. He might need a year before he can really compete for a roster spot.

#74: RB Dexter Williams

Highest ranking: 57
Lowest ranking: 85

Williams couldn’t get on the field as a rookie, Matt LaFleur seems to consistently forget he exists, and the Packers drafted a running back in the second round. Other than that, Williams has a great outlook for 2020.

#73: CB Will Sunderland

Highest ranking: 63
Lowest ranking: 77

The Packers list Sunderland as a cornerback, but he played safety at Troy, too. Sunderland started his college career at Oklahoma, but an alleged burglary ended his time there. At 6-2, Sunderland has good size for a corner but his overall lack of athleticism might lower his ceiling.

#72: LB Krys Barnes

Highest ranking: 47
Lowest ranking: 84

Much like on the edge, there are opportunities aplenty at inside linebacker. Though the Packers did sign Christian Kirksey and draft Kamal Martin, the position is hardly settled. A strong showing on special teams and a few nice plays elsewhere might be enough for a long-time college starter like Barnes to make a run at a roster spot.

#71: EDGE Randy Ramsey

Highest ranking: 61
Lowest ranking: 78

One of two edge rushing prospects the Packers kept around all of last year, Ramsey was a productive college player at Arkansas and has some good positional versatility. He does lack the top-end athleticism of some of his edge competitors, but the position is wide open, and a year of experience might be enough of a difference for him to sneak onto the final 53.