GREEN BAY, Wis. -- When last year's NFL draft concluded, Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst might have been content if someone told him two of his picks would garner All-Rookie honors (including one mentioned for Defensive Rookie of the Year) and a third would be a regular starter.
But it would have been hard to imagine that happening without any significant contributions from three of his first five draft picks.
As good as the class turned out -- led by linebacker Edgerrin Cooper, the second-round pick who finished sixth in AP Defensive Rookie of the Year voting and was on the PFWA All-Rookie team, plus safeties Javon Bullard (Round 2) and Evan Williams (Round 4, PFWA All-Rookie team) -- the Packers got next to nothing from their first-round pick and two third-round picks.
Together, the trio of offensive lineman Jordan Morgan (25th overall), running back MarShawn Lloyd (No. 88) and linebacker Ty'Ron Hopper (No. 91) combined to play 214 snaps, not including special teams.
Morgan played 186 of those snaps over six games before a recurrence of the right shoulder injury -- initially sustained in the preseason -- ended his season, and none of those snaps came at his preferred position of tackle. Sixty-five of those snaps came at left guard in his lone start on Nov. 3 against the Lions, when Elgton Jenkins had to move to center to fill in for the injured Josh Myers. The rest of his snaps came in a rotation at right guard with Sean Rhyan. Morgan never played again after that Lions game.
"We didn't see him as much at tackle, which is obviously what he played in college and what he was drafted as," Gutekunst said after the season.
Myers, who will be a free agent next month, is the only offensive line starter who may not return. Where that leaves Morgan on the line depends on how the Packers replace Myers, if they decide not to bring him back.
Last year, the Packers used a fifth-round pick on center Jacob Monk, but he is untested, having not played a single snap on offense as a rookie. If Monk isn't the answer, then they could move Jenkins or right tackle Zach Tom to center.
"If that was best for the Green Bay Packers, absolutely," Gutekunst said when asked about moving Tom from right tackle. "I think he's established himself pretty well as a tackle in this league. Certainly I think he could play both left and right tackle. I think when we drafted him, we also thought he could be a very, very good center if we needed him to be. But yeah, again, he's one of those guys that can probably play all five spots. But he's established himself pretty well in this league as a tackle."
They could also let Morgan compete with left tackle Rasheed Walker, or they could move Tom to left tackle and let Morgan try to win the right tackle job.
The running back group functioned just fine without Lloyd, who battled injuries all season. First, there were hip and hamstring issues in training camp. In Week 2, he played 10 snaps against the Colts with six carries for 15 yards and one catch for 3 yards. An ankle injury landed him on injured reserve the next week, and shortly after he had returned to practice, he underwent emergency appendectomy surgery and also reinjured his hamstring. Like receiver Christian Watson last offseason, Lloyd made a visit to the hamstring specialists at the University of Wisconsin.
Still, despite Josh Jacobs' 1,300-yard rushing season and solid production from backups Emanuel Wilson and Chris Brooks, there is room for a talent like Lloyd in the running back room. And Jacobs let Lloyd know it.
"He made sure I stayed in it," Lloyd said after the season. "He always gave me pointers here and there. Josh had a really good year, and I do think and I do know that I can help him a lot. He had a lot of hits on his body, I'm there to help and he knows that. It's going to be fun when I get out there on the field to play with him."
Hopper played in every game, but most of it was on special teams. He finally played on defense in Week 12 against the 49ers, when he took part in seven snaps. He would play only 11 more defensive snaps the rest of the season.
With linebackers Isaiah McDuffie and Eric Wilson set to become free agents, perhaps Hopper will be slotted in to start next to Quay Walker and Cooper.
"He is a physical guy," Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said during the season. "I mean I think Coop's physical. But he can play on the edge, he can play Sam [strongside linebacker], where he's trained. He can play inside, too, but he is a physical guy. I like him."