Packers Training Camp 2019

[Cadmus]

Alright, sorry it took so much time to update y'all, but it's been a long day. 

Let's go by position group: 

WR:

Probably the position I watched the most closely:

Hands down-- the standout player on the offensive side of the ball was Geronimo Allison, as much as I may not want to admit that. I tracked all of Rodgers targets on my phone and he  doubled the next closest WR/TE in terms of receptions. He flat out dominated practice today for a stretch that I've only seen from Nelson and Adams in recent years (in terms of WRs) and he commanded Rodgers attention on the regular. The catch he made over Brown was the highlight of the day (Brown was dam near on top of him--Allison just made a contested catch that bested the coverage), but he showed up regularly both before and after that catch. In the last four years I've been to a number of practices (somewhere in the teens) and this by far the best practice I've ever seen out of Allison. He also seems to have filled out his frame a little bit more--- I wouldn't guess he added much weight, but it looks like he might've added a few pounds of muscle in anticipation of the contract year. Overall, he also seems to have improved his flexibility and agility, which were demonstrated both in his routes and as a ball carrier. If the one practice was any indication-- I would expect Allison to be second in targets behind only Adams this season as he will operate as the primary slot WR in 11 personnel and the WR2 in 12 personnel. 

Our WR1--Davanate Adams-- not much to note of here except that Davante has definitely lost a few lbs. He's explosive as ever and runs routes at higher level than other WR on the roster. 

I thought Marquez Valdes-Scantling had a good day, but he was not targeted much and didn't really get an opportunity to shine until the end of practice. He's a Tyrell Williams/Tim Patrick type that operates smoothly as a route runner, but doesn't have the same twitch or explosion in routes as a player like Adams. He's a stone cold lock as the WR3 (I'd say at worst, but most indications seem to suggest that Allison has a pretty firm grasp on "WR2"---and that sentiment was reinforced by what I saw today). MVS had a nice catch to end practice,  but outside of that it was a relatively quiet day.  In terms of body, MVS was one of the players I was most disappointed to see live. Best case scenario he's the exact same size as last year, but I think he may actually weigh slightly less than when he entered TC as a rookie. There was a point where MVS and Allison were standing next to each other on the field and Allison looked like the bigger WR (and it had nothing to do with the fact Allison had sleeves), which was definitely not the case when I attended multiple practices last year. So either Allison added a bit of mass or MVS lost a bit of mass (or both)-- either way MVS definitely didn't take the step forward with his body that many of us were hoping for. In terms of route running, he's definitely improved and I thought he showed relatively well today. 

The most pleasant surprise today of the WR group was Trevor Davis-- at the moment he appears to be the WR4 in this offense and had more opportunities with Rodgers than St. Brown. I attempted to track overall (All QBS) targets/catches (unsuccessfully I might add) and from my unofficial count Davis tied for fourth with MVS (behind Allison, Adams and Graham).  Davis is another WR in a contract year and that definitely seems to have motivated him. He seems to have added a few more pounds to that frame, but most importantly he's running routes with more conviction this year. In the past, Davis often seemed to float through his routes at practice (and not in a positive way, more in a IDGAF---not giving it my all-- kind of way). That's doesn't seem to be the case this year-- Davis is attacking his routes and I saw him plant HARD multiple times as he worked through routes. It's the most confident I've ever seen Davis as a WR. He made a nice reception today on the east sideline and then used his YAC/PR ability to cut back across to the west side of the field as he made multiple defenders "miss". 

In terms of body, the most impressive WR was Equanimeous St. Brown. It seems he took another step forward in the weight room and has really filled out his frame in a way that makes him look like a legitimate NFL starter/potential star. St. Brown worked primarily with the second team today and seems to  be behind Davis. That being said--- he ran some really nice routes and I'm excited about his potential in the future. 

There's two WRs in a battle for WR6 and that's J'Mon Moore and Jake Kumerow. In my eyes, Kumerow seems to have lost a half-step or even a step since last year. I thought Kumerow had the worst practice of all the WRs that have a legitimate chance to make the roster. Moore was inconsistent as a route runner today, but he still has moments where you see him explode out of routes like only 1 other WR on the roster can. 

Jawill Davis was the only other WR that flashed at any point and I wouldn't say he had a great day. He missed a throw from Wilkins on what seemed to be a miscommunication and Manny was visibly perturbed by what transpired. 

CB: 

There were two players that were standouts on defense and the first one was Kevin King who looks as healthy as ever (fingers crossed). He was extremely impressive in coverage and still oozes athleticism and length with that frame. If King can stay healthy to pair with Alexander, we might have a Top 10 CB duo on our hands. King has also added positive weight and looks slightly thicker through the torso. 

Jaire Alexander was Jaire Alexander

Ka'Dar Hollman and Tony Brown were both really impressive in coverage. I was impressed with Hollman's hips and he seemed a bit more fluid than what I initially saw from him at Toledo. Brown was sticky and aggressive as always. He definitely has the propensity to get a little overzealous at times, but he also has the look of a player that will finish his rookie contract in GB. 

Kabion Ento was one of the UDFAs that flashed at practice. The WR convert flashed really nice movement skills and some loose hips. He might be one to watch for when it comes time to assemble the PS. 

TE: 

Alirght, in a bit of a shocker Marcedes Lewis appears to be moving just a well, if not a little better than last year and had a pair of receptions from Rodgers. Our TE1,Jimmy Graham appears to lost a bit of weight in an effort to gain back some speed--  he looked solid and was 3rd in Rodgers targets and tied for 2nd in receptions with Davante Adams. Our presumptive TE2 Robert Tonyan has have gained more weight and appears to have that solid "TE build" he lacked last season. Rookie Jace Sternberger had a mostly quiet day, but he did have a nice reception over the middle in traffic. He ran good routes and appeared to move well, but that body appears to be a full year away from serious NFL contributions. 

S: Adrian Amos looked solid, but he didn't pop as much during the practice as I would've hoped. Raven Greene had a ton of reps with the first team defense and appears to have taken a second year jump. He also appears to be a lock for the final roster. The only thing noteworthy about Natrell Jamerson was the fact he was included in so many first and second teams reps. He moves well, but I didn't notice him flash during that particular practice. Finally, rookie Darnell Savage was back at practice and primarily stood on the sideline as they eased him in. To the eye, Savage appeared to be closer to 200 than 190,  which was encouraging. 

OL: I didn't spend a ton of time watching this position group, but there were a few tidbits. Billy Turner moves differently from all of the other OGs and it's hard not to notice him when you're watching the OL drills. Lucas Patrick had a lot of run on this particular day and looked solid, I think he's an underrated player on the roster and I think he sticks as one of the top interior reserves due to versatility. Yoshi Nijman caught my eye for two reasons: 1) he's physically imposing and a fantastic athlete, 2) he seems to be a long ways away from NFL relevancy...  saw him stand nearly straight up a handful of times. I think he has the ability to bend, so I'm not sure if this one is mental-- or simply requires more reps, but I'm interested to see how he looks in the preseason. 

RB: Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams were both shelved so Dexter Williams got a ton of work with the first team and had mixed results. Pros: he looks to be quick and decisive at the LOS-- he's definitely a one cut runner, Cons: he has questionable contact balance that was apparent and reinforced at practice. Dexter is also thinner through the lower half than I prefer in my RBs, but he appears to have frame that he can grow into a bit during the off-season. Back to the presumptive start real quick: Aaron Jones was another Packer I was disappointed in body wise. He may have gained muscle and lost fat, but I think he actually looks thinner through the lower half than last year. I have serious questions about whether he can be a 16 game starter in the NFL. With both Williams and Jones out, Tra Carson appeared to operate.as the second RB behind Dexter. He runs hard, but he's a limited runner at the NFL level. Finally, Corey Grant looked quick, but the agility questions are real, he had a rep where he burst up the middle about 5-6 yards past the LOS and then couldn't move laterally to avoid the LBer. He would've been murdered in a real game, so he was likely it was only friendly fire. 

ILB: 

I didn't focus on Blake Martinez, but he looked good the few times my eyes drifted towards him. Oren Burks truly looks like an over-sized safety, at one point he was standing next to Greene--- Burks simply looked like a stretched and slightly beefed up version of the safety. He had a relatively good day, and he dropped well into coverage. On one play he carried Graham down the sideline step for step and would've been there for the PD if Graham didn't push off right before the pass arrived. Ty Summers was active all day and looked impressive moving forward. However, he definitely struggled when asked to drop into coverage. He looked stiff and needed a few extra steps when asked to turn and run with TEs. Lastly, Curtis Bolton caught my eye. He moves well for a LBer and seems to be a logical candidate to back up Burks if he can push himself onto the final roster. He needs to cut down on the mistakes and missed tackles that haunted him in college if he wants to give himself a chance. 

OLB: Not a ton here that hasn't already been said. Za'Darius Smith, Preston Smith and Rashaan Gary are all physically imposing. Preston moves different than the other two and simply displays more consistent bend. Za'Darius will get after you and that was nice to see, as he could serve as an important tone setter for the defense. I barely noticed Gary if I'm being honest. Kyler Fackrell both looked and moved fantastic. Last year he looked like a player that had recently put on 15-20 pounds and was figuring out how to keep it on. This year--Fackrell appears have truly grown into that body and looks a legitimate 255. He was standing next to Reggie Gilbert at one point and they appeared to be similar in size, which wasn't the case last year. I get the feeling that Fackrell will avoid being a one hit wonder. 

QB: Aaron Rodgers is the QB1, shocker. Tim Boyle seems to be the second most talented QB on the roster, but he needs to find more consistency. There's a few times where if you squint you can see a grade-school Wentz, but he still needs to work on accuracy especially on some of his intermediate throws. DeShone Kizer didn't do anything to stand out today, he had a few bad deep balls that were way off the mark. Manny Wilkins can throw a pretty spiral when he wants to, but I'm not sure what kind of opportunity he'll get behind Boyle and Kizer. He had a missed connection with Jawill Davis and he was visibly upset with the WR, he ran up to the WR after the play, but it didn't seem like Davis was interested in what he had to say. What I'm saying: frustrations appeared to run both ways.

DL: FInal position group: Montravius Adams was the other defensive standout of practice and disrupted the run multiple times. He completely blew up plays on at least two separate occasions. Based on the single practice, I think I'd assume Adams was one of the primary factors in cutting Mike Daniels. Adams appears to be in fantastic shape and was regularly out there with Kenny Clark. Newly extended Dean Lowry looks good physically and that body seems ready to shoulder a significant number of snaps. The 2019 UDFA standout-- Tyler Lancaster looks even thicker through the lower half than last year. He's an immovable object in the run game, but stills shows "just enough" explosion/agility to shed OL when he's not busy eating blocks. Finally, Kingsley Keke looks like a player who has regular weight fluctuations. I'm not going to say he's rookie season Kofi Amichia bad in terms of body, but it ain't pretty and I highly doubt he sniffs a Year 1 impact. 

 

[boratt]

43 minutes ago, Cadmus said:

Alright, sorry it took so much time to update y'all, but it's been a long day. 

Let's go by position group: 

WR:

 

I was there too. That catch by Allison was amazing, the highlight of the day, but of course we didn’t have a good angle on MVSs deep ball so hard to say for sure. 

 

Allison does look thicker. His body has changed for the better for sure. I could easily see 1000 yards from him out of the slot. 

 

MVS just has that body type. It’s not going to change much, same way Randy Moss always had lean legs. It’s just who he is. He was quiet, but he was always on the field with Davante, Allison and Graham so my understanding is a lot of those plays are drawn up for a progression that leans toward the veterans. I watched him closely though. His routes are on point. He’s so fast and quick. He’s quiet now, but I expect him to be our big play guy. He stretches the field with his speed and I can easily see 800 yards out of him and a ton of them over 20 and over 40 yards. He ran a lot of go routes so clearly MLF is using him as a deep threat and a decoy.

[Donzo]

On 7/30/2019 at 9:00 AM, Victor1124 said:

Has Adams proven otherwise in the first two years of his career? You are taking coach speak about a player a few days into training camp compared to what we have seen for two years.

I get that Adams was a 3rd round pick with good athletic ability but how people view him seems more like your imagination than any tangible evidence. All I have seen is a guy who can eat some blocks and basically stalemate at the line of scrimmage or get pushed back. I have seen basically no ability to get off blocks consistently, penetrate, or disrupt a play in the backfield which is pretty important. 

I want Adams to do well and like hearing things about him improving. I would argue him having a good year might be the most important thing to our defense besides Kevin King staying healthy.

It is definitely possible he makes a huge jump in his third year and plays well but none of us have seen any evidence on the field yet that disproves that he isn’t very good. Let’s hope that changes. 

 

In regards to your first paragraph, yes Adams has proven otherwise, and it has nothing to do with "coach speak"... The progress Adams made from his rookie training camp, with a fractured foot,  in 2017 to the last three games in 2018 was excellent. Couple that progress with his exceptional off season, Adams is now the opposite of "trash".

Your second paragraph is just silly. Your fourth paragraph is incorrect.

[St Vince]

Kind of disappointed I haven't heard anything about Jace either good or bad. he was one of  players I wanted us to draft. Was hoping he would flash in camp to give me hope that we finally gotten the TE position fixed. On the positive side I'm hearing good things about Tonyan 

[Arthur Penske]

20 minutes ago, St Vince said:

Kind of disappointed I haven't heard anything about Jace either good or bad. he was one of  players I wanted us to draft. Was hoping he would flash in camp to give me hope that we finally gotten the TE position fixed. On the positive side I'm hearing good things about Tonyan 

I bet we start hearing about Jace about this time in 2020.

[Arthur Penske]

15 hours ago, St Vince said:

Crazy Tony may be in trouble if this kid continues to impress.

Doubt it. Always need CBs depth.

[ThatJerkDave]

6 hours ago, Cadmus said:

 

In terms of body, the most impressive WR was Equanimeous St. Brown. It seems he took another step forward in the weight room and has really filled out his frame in a way that makes him look like a legitimate NFL starter/potential star. St. Brown worked primarily with the second team today and seems to  be behind Davis. That being said--- he ran some really nice routes and I'm excited about his potential in the future. 

 

I will bet that he will always look the most impressive.  

[Lodestar]

1 hour ago, St Vince said:

Kind of disappointed I haven't heard anything about Jace either good or bad. he was one of  players I wanted us to draft. Was hoping he would flash in camp to give me hope that we finally gotten the TE position fixed. On the positive side I'm hearing good things about Tonyan 

Jace is pretty raw even for a tight end, and his body is at least a year away. I'd be surprised if we see him on the field much this year.

[Leader]

2 hours ago, Lodestar said:

Jace is pretty raw even for a tight end, and his body is at least a year away. I'd be surprised if we see him on the field much this year.

I hope thats not the case....if for no other reason than to eliminate the "AR doesnt trust first year guys" rule. Better to get that first year started and done with IMO. He can still catch passes with his current body....so I'm hoping he's in the offensive mix.

[St Vince]

1 hour ago, Arthur Penske said:

I bet we start hearing about Jace about this time in 2020.

Man I hope you're wrong, had high hopes for him this year.

[craig]

Yeah, Jace hasn't gotten a lot of comments.  Haven't really heard negative, just hasn't been mentioned much.  

I agree with Penske and Lodestar, he may be a next-year guy.  

Which might not reflect negatively on him?  *IF* Graham is healthy and effective, that's one good reason not to need Jace.  And *IF* Tonyan is healthy and effective and good, that's a second happy reason not to need Jace.  That would be great, if both of those guys are good for this year, but then we could also look ahead to a post-Graham world where we still have two good-receiving TE's in Jace and Tonyan.   That would be the ideal world.  

Other note:  Sometimes camp catches that get the most attention are very difficult contested catches.  But I wonder if that might not also reflect that a guy didn't create separation.  Those may get lots of tweets and quotes; but if another guy is a little quicker and gets more open enough to have an easy pass and an easy catch, might not the latter guy actually be better, even if enabling a seemingly easy completion doesn't prompt many tweets?  

[Victor1124]

1 hour ago, St Vince said:

Kind of disappointed I haven't heard anything about Jace either good or bad. he was one of  players I wanted us to draft. Was hoping he would flash in camp to give me hope that we finally gotten the TE position fixed. On the positive side I'm hearing good things about Tonyan 

[Fl0nkerton]

 

[JBURGE]

28 minutes ago, St Vince said:

Man I hope you're wrong, had high hopes for him this year.

Well tight end has historically not been a position rookie's do well. Need to know the blocking assignments along with all the receiving stuff. And like someone said, he did not necessarily come here pro ready

[ReadyToThump]

As stated by a couple in here before, it's not fair to judge a rookie in his first year. But I think Sternberger will be one of those players I will always have to make myself hold back the "I told ya so" saying. Wasn't a fan of his then and still am not. 

 I'm pretty happy with how our draft turned out but here I am wondering how guys like Khalen Saunders, Chase Winovich, Chauncey GJ, Hakeem Butler would look in green & gold.