Grade the Packers Draft

[MaximusGluteus]

Sounds like someone really misses the PackerChatters forums.

[Chili]

12 hours ago, wgbeethree said:

1) ILB isn't a premium position and you don't draft them high.

True but look where that got us, ILB has been a hugely neglected position for years trying to get away with drafting unathletic later rounders. It's about time we adjusted our draft approach.

2) You don't draft older players high.

True unless he is one of the best, most productive and athletic player in his position then you can take the risk of drafting one.

3) You don't fall in love with a player and "overpay" for him in the draft.

True but sometimes circumstances forces teams to adjust outside their normal drafting patterns. A very small window remaining with Rodgers and pretty much no WR depth both forced our hand. So if we're going to "overpay" then lets do it with who you think is the best WR.

I feel like all three of these statements would have been resoundingly supported by the board and thought of as fundamental beliefs of the FO a week ago.

Also true, but sometimes you need to be flexible according to the current circumstances, you don't need to stick to those rules religiously.

 

[Cpdaly23]

6 hours ago, n8ghee said:

I’m not so sure about your last sentence being so correct anymore. The ILB position, over the past few years, at least in the free agent market, has had a marked increase in demand.

 

Now I wouldn’t put it as important as Edge, or Corner, or OT…but I’d argue having a great ILB is as important as it has been in 20 years.

 

Personally, I think it’s as important or more than C, S, RB, TE and maybe even OG.

 

The Bucs have two, the niners have great ILB play, the Bears have been solid there, the Seahawks did for a while…the idea of the Packers having that absolutely makes me salivate. Makes me salivate much more than it would to have great safeties or interior offensive lineman.

THIS.  ILB value fell during the 2005-2020 era when vertical passing games took over the league, but the value of ILB’s is increasing as a counter to the new “multiple” offensive systems that are exploding across the league (aka Shanahan/McVay/LaFleur offense).  Those offensive systems are predicated on running/playaction and taking advantage of the 2005-2020 trend of NFL defenses towards smaller, quicker lineman and defensive backs.  
 

I’m guessing these “hybrid” defenders- ILB’s that can rush the passer, cover TE or RB’s like a safety, and fill against the run are going to be more in demand moving forward.  And make no mistakes- the packers envision Walker as a hybrid defender.

[incognito_man]

8 hours ago, ChaRisMa said:

I was talking about the coaching staff he had developing him, because those are his mentors. Good input of typical forum quality.

your initial post was trash and deserved all the trash responses.

It's hilarious you consider yourself among "quality" posters when posting things like

"I turned off the draft after that pick"

"Carson Wentz is the best FCS product"

"The NDSU staff is trash"

You have a wildly inflated opinion of your own takes. Please don't consider yourself among the actual quality posters with good football takes here.

[{Family Ghost}]

19 minutes ago, squire12 said:

@ChaRisMa

Couple questions if you were drafting for GB

1.  Would you have traded up in the second to pick 34, yes/no?

If yes. What player would you have taken instead?

If no, what players would you taken at 53 and 59?

I like Watson the player ... didn't like the value of the trade-up.  Packers apparently tried to deal back into round one for Watson.  Maybe they should have skipped the Quay Walker pick and went something this.

22 Devante Wyatt

28 Christian Watson

53 Alec Pierce

59 Drake Jackson

There were some other inside backers available at 53 & 59, so if that was such a huge need they could have went with Troy Anderson, Chad Muma, or Channing Tindall.

[Norm]

35 minutes ago, squire12 said:

@ChaRisMa

Couple questions if you were drafting for GB

1.  Would you have traded up in the second to pick 34, yes/no?

If yes. What player would you have taken instead?

If no, what players would you taken at 53 and 59?

I will not allow him to respond to this

[Spartacus]

16 minutes ago, {Family Ghost} said:

I like Watson the player ... didn't like the value of the trade-up.  Packers apparently tried to deal back into round one for Watson.  Maybe they should have skipped the Quay Walker pick and went something this.

22 Devante Wyatt

28 Christian Watson

53 Alec Pierce

59 Drake Jackson

There were some other inside backers available at 53 & 59, so if that was such a huge need they could have went with Troy Anderson, Chad Muma, or Channing Tindall.

The only problem I have with these type of posts is the thought that everyone else plays the draft the same way with the Packers not jumping up. The Packers were very obviously going to take a WR in the 2nd round. Other teams would have surely jumped in front of GB to grab these WRs if needed. I have no doubt at least one if not multiple teams would try to get ahead of GB to take a WR of the caliber of Alec Pierce before the Packers. 

[{Family Ghost}]

2 minutes ago, Spartacus said:

The only problem I have with these type of posts is the thought that everyone else plays the draft the same way with the Packers not jumping up. The Packers were very obviously going to take a WR in the 2nd round. Other teams would have surely jumped in front of GB to grab these WRs if needed. I have no doubt at least one if not multiple teams would try to get ahead of GB to take a WR of the caliber of Alec Pierce before the Packers. 

Definitely true .. I made the same point in another thread.  It's not a sure thing Pierce would have been there.  Skyy Moore and Trey McBride were still on the board as well .. maybe one those two would have made some sense.  I'm fine with what we did in getting Watson.  I think he's a potential sky is the limit guy.

[Norm]

Get Up basically saying we're an 8-8 team this morning. 

[OneTwoSixFive]

55 minutes ago, Chili said:

@wgbeethree 1) ILB isn't a premium position and you don't draft them high.

@Chili True but look where that got us, ILB has been a hugely neglected position for years trying to get away with drafting unathletic later rounders. It's about time we adjusted our draft approach.

Not first rounders at ILB, but not late picks either. Ryan (Round 4 2015), Blake Martinez (Rd 4 2016), Josh Jones S/ILB hybrid (Rd 2 2017), Oren Burks (Rd 3 2018). There hasn't been roaring success there, but resources have been spent.

Now they have one good ILB in Campbell, they are doubling down.

[Chili]

One scout called Christian Watson the next Randy Moss coming out of the FCS (or something along those lines anyway)

Somori Toure broke Randy Moss record for the most yards in a game.

I noticed Tyquan Thornton has the most Randy Moss-like traits in the draft, Skinny and fast with excellent ability to pluck the ball out of the air. Guess where he went.....New England. Belichick must've seen the similarities and then proceeded to trade up for him. Ahead of Pickens and Pierce too.

Just a little something I've noted throughout the draft, Randy Moss name kept cropping up in some shape or form.

Edited May 2, 2022 by Chili

[TheEagle]

2 hours ago, OneTwoSixFive said:

So, what would your too-early takes on which NFC North team had the best draft ?

Neutrals might think it was Minnesota (who often win the most-improved awards before the season starts). Personally, I preferred Green Bays draft overall, though I admit Minny filled their roster holes well.

I though Detroit had an excellent draft (and I loved their draft last year as well). They'd probably be my no.1 but they did have the advantage of very early picks.

Chicago, well, meh. It did them no favours to be without their first round pick.

So I'd go, in order, Detroit, Green Bay, Minnesota (who I thought all did well), then Chicago.

I don't think anybody thinks Minnesota won the draft this year--which might actually be a good sign for them. I would give good grades to Detroit and Green Bay and lesser grades to Chicago and Minnesota, but draft grades right after the draft are pretty pointless.

[AlexGreen#20]

Quay Walker: D

I have little doubt that Walker will be a passable ILB. My hesitation about this pick predominantly stems from his position and the talent around him. If he doesn't become an elite off-ball LB, I'm not going to like the pick, just because the impact of off-ball LBs are less than other positions. Krys Barnes isn't the reason this team was losing games, so if Walker isn't the sort of guy that wins games, this is a tough pick.  

As far as his ability to become that ILB, Walker runs well and has the length to drop and play the zones and alleys, that alone has real value. But his ceiling will be determined by his instincts and his ability to see action and shed blocks in the run game. Georgia had so much talent on the Defensive Line that he was kept really clean all year. 

Making any definitive statement regarding his abilities in these facets of the game is difficult just due to a lack of plays where he was forced to make a quick call and dip under a blocker. Piecing these limited plays together, he has solid tape, but it's so scattered and there are so few of them that being confident about these abilities is difficult for me.

Guys that have phenomenal instincts and a real nose for the ball carrier tend to be very visible and rack up huge tackle stats. I didn't see that out of Walker. Part of it is undoubtedly due to his role in that defense, but it's something that gives me pause.

+

Devonte Wyatt: B

Age and a lack of statistical production scare the hell out of me, but the tape is good, and if you're going to draft a standout UT late in the first round, there's going to be some potential warts.

+

Christian Watson: B

You needed to take a body high here. Of the 2nd tier of guys, Watson has the highest ceiling and is arguably primed for the biggest Day 1 impact. 

+

Sean Rhyan: C

Adding another body to the interior. I don't think Rhyan will be ready to take over one of the Guard spots immediately, but he should be groomed to step in when Runyan inevitably walks. 

+

Zach Tom: A

I really like this pick. Tom has a very developed game, he just lacks some strength. Whether he can gain that strength in an NFL weight room will determine his career path. If he can put on some weight enough to develop an NFL anchor, he has Bakhtiari potential. He's a darkhorse candidate to be the RT of the future pending an Elgton Jenkins extension. 

+

Kingsley Enagbare: D

Enagbare reminds me a lot of a poor man's Nick Perry. In order to succeed in the NFL, he's going to need to be a power rusher because his get off and his bend are sub par, but he likes to speed rush around the edge. He lacks Perry's top tier explosiveness however. He's going to need to develop some very crafty moves and handwork if he's going to succeed. Personally I don't see it.  

+

Tariq Carpenter: C

ST body with some potential defensive upside.

+

Jonathan Ford: D

Another fatty with some odd potential. I just don't really see the upside that a guy like Slaton has, and realistically how many of these prospects are we working to develop at a time?

+

Rasheed Walker: B

Athleticism and upside is there. He played well in college, he just needs A LOT of refinement. When Yosh Nijman inevitably leaves us for greener pastures, Walker has the potential to play in that swing spot. 

+

Samori Toure: B

I like this pick. He balled out at the FCS levels and then remained productive while at Nebraska (which isn't easy to do). If he makes the team, he'll cut his teeth on Special Teams for a year. 

1st Round Picks: 4 Credit

2nd Round Picks: 3 Credit

3rd-4th Round Picks: 2 Credit

5th-7th Round Picks: 1 Credit

Walker: 4 x 1.0 = 4

Wyatt: 4 x 3.0 = 12

Watson: 3 x 3.0 = 9

Rhyan: 2 x 3.0 = 6

Tom: 2 x 4.0 = 8

Enagbare: 1 x 1.0 = 1

Carpenter: 1 x 2.0 = 2

Ford: 1 x 1.0 = 1

Walker: 1 x 3.0 = 3

Toure: 1 x 3.0 = 3

= 49 credit points/20 credits = 2.45 GPA

C+ Draft

 

Edited May 2, 2022 by AlexGreen#20

[TheEagle]

2 hours ago, {Family Ghost} said:

I like Watson the player ... didn't like the value of the trade-up.  Packers apparently tried to deal back into round one for Watson.  Maybe they should have skipped the Quay Walker pick and went something this.

22 Devante Wyatt

28 Christian Watson

53 Alec Pierce

59 Drake Jackson

There were some other inside backers available at 53 & 59, so if that was such a huge need they could have went with Troy Anderson, Chad Muma, or Channing Tindall.

I liked our draft, but I don't have a problem with this take. I would have done the same. That being said, I'm excited overall about this draft. I like Watson for our scheme and I would have been okay with drafting him as high as #22.

[vegas492]

Personally?  I give the draft for the Packers an A.  But, I'm simply a fan and I'm totally buying into these picks.

I can see where the draft community (outside of NFL teams) would say this is a C+ draft for GB.

Why?

We didn't do enough for Aaron Rodgers.

We took an off-ball ILB.  Not exactly a game changer.

We took an old DL.

We took a project via a big trade up where we didn't get value.

And I think that is fair.

But man, I dig our draft.  We see what one LB did for the defense last year.  Now we have another one.

We have the best DL that I can remember, and we got a DL with rush skills.

We really solidified that OL with versatile guys.

We got an EDGE to take some snaps as needed.

And we got the best athlete at WR.

Really?  It is up to the coaches to make this an A three years from now.