The Packers 2015 Draft

[pacman5252]

Not the most impressive class. My thoughts-

Rollins and Randall have definitely  underachieved so far. Call me crazy though I think they turn it around and play decent next year. GB corners have succeeded elsewhere recently, maybe with a scheme change they improve. They’ve both flashed at time. 

Ty was a solid pick for where he was a solid pick. Good utility player.

Ryan/Rip- alright, can fill depth at non impact positions and probably are 6 year guys that we don’t to have huge rolls but are okay.

 

Basically no impact guys. Some depth. Maybe Randall still has a shot. 

[TheOnlyThing]

On 1/19/2018 at 9:19 AM, TheOnlyThing said:

Many believe it takes at least 3 years to accurately evaluate a draft class. So what grade should the Packers’ 2015 draft class be given now that 3 years are in the books?

Round 1 Damarious Randall. The jury remains out on Randall. Good first year with a terrible ending followed by a terrible second year marked by injury. This year, after maturity/attitude issues early on, Damarious rebounded and played very well.

Round 2 Quentin Rollins. Seems like a good guy. He just lacked the speed needed to play boundary, the quickness to play the slot, and the football instincts to play anywhere. Also, injured two years running. Because Rollins was counted on to perform, other, better (former Packer) DBs are playing elsewhere. Ouch.

Round 3 Ty Montgomery. Ty is the ultimate Jack-of-all-trades, master of none. Drafted to be a WR/KR he did little in year 1 before going on IR. In year 2, he was invisible until Lacy & Starks went down and the team needed a RB. He gets credit for making the move and proving to be OK at RB in 2016. However, he lacks RB instincts and cannot take the pounding. He is behind at least 2 other RBs heading into 2018 and his pass blocking deficiencies work against him ever being a 3^rd down back in Green Bay. Who knows where, assuming he is not injured yet again, he’ll play in 2018.

Round 4 Jake Ryan. “Just A Guy” Jake is OK against the run, a liability against the pass, and has already been surpassed by 2016 4^th rounder Martinez. Under Dom and the previous GM the Pack obviously did not put much value on the ILB position so Ryan received considerable playing time. I predict his defensive snaps will plummet considerably in 2018 under new Defensive Coordinator Mike Pettine and that his time as (even a part-time) starter is over in Green Bay.

Round 5 Brett Hundley. After 3 years under MM’s wing and extensive playing time in 2017, Hundley has established that the other 31 teams that repeatedly passed him over during the 2015 draft were not wrong.

Round 6 Aaron Ripkowski. An average player at a position of little consequence, Rip’s playing time/contributions seem to drop precipitously in 2017. No big deal one way or the other using a 6^th rounder on a pedestrian player like Rip.

Round 6 Christian Ringo. Cut.

Round 6 Kennard Backman. Cut.

Well the jury is no longer out on Randall as far as the Packers are concerned given that the team was obviously desperate to unload him.

Randall's departure coupled with the fact Kizer's arrival should be the final nail in Hundley's career in GB and the already poor 2015 Packer draft class just got even worse.

Hard to imagine a team so dedicated to drafting and developing its own as the Packers were pre-Gute could get much less production than GB did out of the 2015 draft class.

 

[HighCalebR]

I didn't want to respond.. I really shouldn't..

HAVE YOU LOOKED AT THE 2015 CLASS AS A WHOLE? THERE'S 1 PERSON AFTER RANDALL THAT WAS TAKEN THAT YOU'D CALL A SUCCESS. WASN'T MANY AHEAD OF HIM EITHER. THE 2015 DRAFT CLASS SUCKED. 

We get it, you didn't like TT, move on.

[TheOnlyThing]

11 minutes ago, HighCalebR said:

HAVE YOU LOOKED AT THE 2015 CLASS AS A WHOLE? THERE'S 1 PERSON AFTER RANDALL THAT WAS TAKEN THAT YOU'D CALL A SUCCESS. WASN'T MANY AHEAD OF HIM EITHER. THE 2015 DRAFT CLASS SUCKED. 

 

Firstly, you may be correct that the 2015 draft sucked as a whole, which, of course, would seem to be a good argument against putting all of one's eggs in the draft and develop basket.

Secondly, I did not limit the Pack's lack of success in the 2015 draft to just the selection of Randall in round 1.

Heck, he currently looks to be the best Packers' pick of that draft despite the fact the team pretty much dumped him for whatever it could get yesterday.

Thirdly, while some might say Malcolm Brown, Devin Funchess, Eric Kendricks, Bernardrick McKinney (all linked as possible Packer selections prior to the draft) not to mention All-Pro safety Landon Collins or say Markus Golden (all of whom were picked after Randall) qualify as "successes," I can understand why those dedicated to perpetuating the myth that the Pack's prior GM remained and elite drafter during the latter half of his tenure (and left Gute with a stacked roster) would want to contend otherwise.

In any event, regardless of whether the previous GM is entirely blameless for the outcome (as some of his most devoted fans claim), the indisputable reality remains that, in 2015, the Packers will be getting diddly squat out of the 2015 draft class -- that is the players who should be in the prime of their careers.

Got to hope Gute will get to work to rectify that reality.

[ThatJerkDave]

Aaron Ripkowski, the gem of the draft.  

 

I am a TT fan.  But this draft looks a lot like some of Mike Sherman's stinkers.  

[CWood21]

8 hours ago, TheOnlyThing said:

In any event, regardless of whether the previous GM is entirely blameless for the outcome (as some of his most devoted fans claim), the indisputable reality remains that, in 2015, the Packers will be getting diddly squat out of the 2015 draft class -- that is the players who should be in the prime of their careers

Imagine that.  Teams have bad drafts.  I mean, I could point to the other 31 teams and find one of their last five drafts that was a complete flop.  It happens.  I remember vividly that the two guys that Packers' fans were clamoring for with their 1st round pick was Stephone Anthony and Malcom Brown, both were picked within the next two picks.  Two seasons into Anthony's career, he was traded to the Dolphins for a Day 3 pick.  Meanwhile, Brown played in just over 50% of the defensive snaps this past season.  Let's not pretend like there was a bunch of All-Pro caliber players drafted right after him.  Not to mention, you probably would have crucified Ted Thompson had Rollins been the only pick the Packers made to improve their CB position.

[Packerraymond]

Well this draft sucked too. Love you Ted but man you deserve to be locked in the basement where they keep you now.

[pacman5252]

I’d say a D+. No real starters. Ryan, Ty, Rip all are key role players who I could take or leave.

[incognito_man]

11 hours ago, HighCalebR said:

I didn't want to respond.. I really shouldn't..

HAVE YOU LOOKED AT THE 2015 CLASS AS A WHOLE? THERE'S 1 PERSON AFTER RANDALL THAT WAS TAKEN THAT YOU'D CALL A SUCCESS. WASN'T MANY AHEAD OF HIM EITHER. THE 2015 DRAFT CLASS SUCKED. 

We get it, you didn't like TT, move on.

I conveniently can't see any OP posts but I like this response anyway!

[Packer_ESP]

2015 was bad yes, but I find the overall trend with DBs more disturbing. Last four drafts we've invested 5 out of 8 1st/2nd round picks in the secondary.

• HaHa has looked like a hit most of the time but last year was worrying.
• Randall was up and down and now is gone
• Rollins has looked bad and is coming from surgery, legit chance to not even make the 53 this year
• King is hopeful but far from a slam dunk, his shoulder issues are TBD
• Jones has all the athleticism in the world but didn't exactly light it up

I'm hopeful for HaHa, King & Jones but relying on hope is kinda terrifying after 5 high picks, I'd love to feel confident that we have one or two studs back there instead.

[TheOnlyThing]

On 1/19/2018 at 11:13 AM, Packerraymond said:

You've got Matthews, Cobb, Nelson, Bulaga coming off the books this year or next, that's close to 50m. Add in that this draft class is going to require very little money (I really only see Randall, Monty, Ryan Rip as guys we might attempt to bring back) to bring back and that means this team needs to be active in FA this offseason and next.

With Just A Guy Jake Ryan off to compete for Special Teams snaps in Jacksonville, the book is now closed on the Pack's 2015 draft (though we're still hoping something comes from those 6th and 7th round picks Gute was able to salvage for Hundley and Montgomery).

Also, credit to Packerray's prescience above in predicting, in January of 2018 (before Randall, Hundley, and Monty were traded, Jordy was cut, etc.), that the Pack would be active players in free agency in 2019 because of the crappy drafting.

[PossibleCabbage]

Just looking at the whole 2015 draft, is there a team that had a good haul that year?  Whole draft was pretty rough.

[TheOnlyThing]

1 minute ago, PossibleCabbage said:

Just looking at the whole 2015 draft, is there a team that had a good haul that year?  Whole draft was pretty rough.

Vikings selected Waynes, Kendricks, Hunter, and Diggs. 

[Joe]

This is the quintessential proof that Dom had a strong voice in the war room. You draft one guy who you plan to play out of place because his testing numbers warrant the move and it looks like a great decision his rookie year until he gets hurt over and over again rendering him a fraction of the player he may have been. The second guy you pick is even worse: he has a strong senior season and backs that up the first half of his rookie year until he gets hurt and sharply regresses. Then you draft yet another guy that shows a lot of good signs in his rookie year until he gets hurt, loses all explosion, and then gets moved to RB because you're too chicken**** to actually invest in the position. Then you draft a depth guy who's really a jack-of-all-trades master-of-none who blew an ACL last season. Then you trade up for a guy who was the #1 QB going into his Senior year, but then sharply regressed under IIRC an offensive minded coach. Then you draft a powerback as a FB who cannot carry that power from college to pro ball and is rendered obsolete. Then you draft the guy you think could be the next Mike Daniels who doesn't have the explosion or fight that Daniels does. Then you draft a TE that was undraftable and trade your 7th for a 6th in the following year...

[CWood21]

3 hours ago, TheOnlyThing said:

With Just A Guy Jake Ryan off to compete for Special Teams snaps in Jacksonville, the book is now closed on the Pack's 2015 draft (though we're still hoping something comes from those 6th and 7th round picks Gute was able to salvage for Hundley and Montgomery).

Also, credit to Packerray's prescience above in predicting, in January of 2018 (before Randall, Hundley, and Monty were traded, Jordy was cut, etc.), that the Pack would be active players in free agency in 2019 because of the crappy drafting.

Here's a warning for trolling.  You've been around long enough, and I (and Packerraymond) have told you enough times that you're not allowed to bump old threads with the sole intent of saying "I'm right".