The Green Bay Packers took a quarterback in the 2023 NFL Draft by selecting Sean Clifford with the 149th overall selection in the 5th round. Some may have think he went earlier than his projection but the Packers seemed to stick to their board.
With Jordan Love set to take over at starter, the only other quarterback on the roster before drafting Clifford was Danny Etling. There isn’t much NFL experience in the QB room with Love the only one to have a career start.
Clifford finished his collegiate career with 10,661 passing yards and 86 passing touchdowns which make him Penn State’s all-time leader in those categories. He was a 4-year starter that excelled in operating zone reads and mobility to leave the pocket and move the chains.
He is a very experienced college quarterback but the question is if that’ll prove to be at the NFL level. As Love will be the starter, Clifford is projected to compete with Danny Etling for the backup position in Green Bay. Etling spent last year as Green Bay’s third string QB but will get an opportunity to compete for the backup spot this season.
It seemed like the Packers’ logic into drafting Clifford is that he’s a proven college quarterback who can immediately use that in the film room and on the field. They might view him as someone who can use his knowledge and experience to help out Love but be able to help the Packers remain competitive if need be.
It seemed like Green Bay made it a point to add a third quarterback to their roster ASAP as they spent a 5th round pick on Clifford. He should bring immediate competition to the backup spot and should be someone looking to prove himself.
It should be interesting to see how the Packers utilize their quarterbacks come preseason considering none of them have game experience aside from Love’s short stints on the field.
Quarterback will definitely be an interesting position to look out for this offseason for Packers fans. Training camp and preseason should give a brief evaluation of their quarterback room.
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Javier Delgado is a lifelong Packers fan who is currently majoring in sports journalism at Arizona State University. He writes for PackersTalk.com and you can follow him on twitter at @javierrdelgadoo.
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