Maybe MarShawn Lloyd Can Fix This Shocking Packers Problem

The Green Bay Packers will draft eight players, give or take, in April’s NFL Draft. They’ll probably sign a player or three in free agency.

The most important addition to the roster, so to speak, might be last year’s third-round pick, MarShawn Lloyd, who was limited to a mere 10 snaps as a rookie because of a long list of ailments.

An explosive and multitalented running back, Lloyd could fix an incredible hole in Green Bay’s offense.

In 2024, Jordan Love and Malik Willis combined to complete 47 passes on third down that produced a first down. Not one of those went to a running back.

Checkdowns and swing passes are among the easiest yards on the field. Just throw it into the flat and let the running back do this thing.

Whether it was the absence of Lloyd, the reluctance of Love or the play design of coach Matt LaFleur, the Packers too often made things more difficult than necessary on third down.

That played a role in the Packers ranking a mediocre 15th on third down. According to Stathead, 31 quarterbacks threw at least 70 passes on third down. From that group, Love ranked last in completion percentage (52.7). Between Love and Willis, the Packers ranked 21st in third-down success through the air. Only the Rams were worse among playoff teams.

The following list shows the top 10 teams in scoring this season as well as the Kansas City Chiefs, who won the last two Super Bowls and will host the AFC Championship Game on Sunday. The four teams who have a shot at the Super Bowl combined for 37 first downs on third-down catches by their backs.

Lions (first in scoring): 6 (Jahmyr Gibbs, 4).

Bills (second in scoring): 9 (Ty Johnson, 5).

Ravens (third in scoring): 10 (Justice Hill, 8).

Buccaneers (fourth in scoring): 8 (Rachaad White, 6).

Commanders (fifth in scoring): 6 (Austin Ekeler, 5).

Bengals (sixth in scoring): 11 (Chase Brown, 7).

Eagles (seventh in scoring): 9 (Saquon Barkley, 6).

Packers (eighth in scoring): 0.

Vikings (ninth in scoring): 11 (Aaron Jones, 9).

Broncos (10th in scoring): 7 (Javonte Williams, 4).

Chiefs (15th in scoring): 13 (Samaje Perine, 9).

Former Packers running back and current Minnesota Vikings star Aaron Jones and the Chiefs’ Samaje Perine led NFL backs with nine third-down receptions that they turned into first downs.

The jury, obviously, is out on Lloyd and his ability to be a passing-game playmaker in the mold of Jones, Perine or Hill. He transferred to USC for his final college season. While he caught only 13 passes, he turned those into 232 yards with a 17.8-yard average.

“I think it was just his overall ability not only as a runner but the ability to catch the ball,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said during the draft. “He’s a 220-pound man. He’s packed in a tighter frame but like his ability to make people miss (and) he’s got a little juice to him.”

Among running backs in the draft class with at least 100 carries in 2023, Lloyd was No. 2 in yards per carry and No. 1 in yards per reception. So, the explosiveness is there to be a third-down X-factor. Because of injuries, he played in only one game in the preseason and one game in the regular season.

“The good thing about him is he’s a pretty explosive player, not just in the run game but also in the pass game,” running backs coach Ben Sirmans said before the start of OTAs. “Then you kind of forget about how thick he is, so he’ll be physical enough to break tackles but then also fast enough to give you those long, home run plays.”

Despite playing in only one game, Lloyd thought he got better this season.

“Honestly, not being on the field, I got better mentally, emotionally, being able to be there with the teammates,” Lloyd said at the end of the season. “Every practice, every meeting, I’m in every meeting.

“My coaches still give me the game test as if I’m playing. So, I know the plays. Everything mentally is pretty good, so that’s the way I got better. Even though I wasn’t able to go out there and play, I still made sure like I was, when people made plays, I thought (about) what I could have done different or just try to put myself in each experience.”