Green Bay Packers Pre-Draft Ramblings

With the NFL Draft less than a week away, it is time for some of my pre-draft ramblings–which is basically a brain dump of everything Green Bay Packers related that has been on my mind.

– Of course, we want the Packers to find impact players right away, but the draft is about planning ahead as well. Two positions that appear to be in decent shape for 2022 but become very thin in 2023 are safety and tight end. Currently, under contract next season at each position are Vernon Scott and Josiah Deguara–that’s it. So don’t be surprised to see any early-round picks spent on tight end or safety.

– Edge rusher is a position that I’m pretty much expecting Green Bay to address early on. While Smith and Gary both ranked in the top-10 in terms of total pressures generated in 2021, there were issues against the run, and a lack of impact plays when they weren’t on the field. Edge rusher is one of the most important positions in the game and a heavily rotated one as well, which means depth is important–OLB coach Jason Rebrovich mentioned that he wants a weekly rotation of four players. Everyone wants Green Bay to find that first-round receiver, but a first-round edge rusher selection would be a very Packers-esque move.

– Whether it’s the draft, free agency, or preferably both, the Packers need to bring in some competition for Yosh Nijman at right tackle. Nijman held his own last season; however, he hasn’t played right tackle since his final year of college, and in general, he still needs to continue developing. Right now, the only healthy tackles on the roster are him, David Bakhtiari, and maybe Cole Van Lanen–although he may be better suited at guard. The tackle depth is thin, but a draft pick plus a Dennis Kelly or Rick Wagner-like addition will quickly turn that around. 

– Equipped with 11 draft picks and Brian Gutekunst’s history in the draft, it sure feels like Green Bay is going to trade up once again. In Gutey’s four drafts, he has moved up within the first three rounds five different times and done so in the first round three separate times. If there is a run on receivers early, we could see him be aggressive in order to get his guy. 

– We know that the Packers have to add to the receiver position, but in terms of their specific needs, the Packers need a go-to option on the boundary, a vertical threat, and some added YAC would be nice as well. Players who fit each of those molds include George Pickens, Tyquan Thornton, and Treylon Burks, among others. 

– Many mock drafts that we’ve seen have Green Bay taking two receivers with their first four picks–and understandably so. However, my prediction is that they only select one receiver within the first two rounds and then perhaps another third or fourth-rounder. For one, there are other needs to address as well, but I could see the Packers feeling good about a receiver room made up of Watkins, Cobb, Rodgers, Lazard, and for example, Pickens and Thornton. 

– I do believe that Watkins is going to be on the Week 1 roster just given the current state of the receiver room, but from a salary cap perspective, that isn’t a guarantee. Of Watkins’ total earning potential in 2022, which is up to $4 million with incentives, only $350,000 is guaranteed by Green Bay.

– In a recent article, I created a shortlist of first-round targets for the Packers. I began with the top-50 or so on The Draft Network’s big board and from there crossed off positions that the Packers haven’t typically addressed in the first round–this includes TE, LB, IOL, RB, as well as QB, given that Rodgers just re-signed and Love is still on the team. I then crossed off any players above 21-years-old because, since 2009, the Packers haven’t drafted a player in the first round who was over 22, and since 2015, they’ve selected just one player who was 22. Lastly, of Gutey’s 33 RAS eligible picks, 26 have scored above 8.0–so anyone below that mark was crossed off as well. This left me with eight players, which include Daxton Hill, Logan Hall, George Pickens, David Ojabo, Trent McDuffie,  Kaiir Elam, Chris Olave, and George Karlaftis. 

– IDL coach Jerry Montgomery told reporters that the team would like to add a pass-rush presence along the interior defensive line. Two names to know who fit that mold are Logan Hall and Perrion Winfrey. 

– Typically, the Green Bay Packers covet big-bodied wide receivers–meaning they stand at least 6’0″ — and often taller — and weigh at a minimum of 195-200 pounds. However, many of the top receivers in this class don’t hit those thresholds. It will be interesting to see how or if the Packers adjust. A few players who do hit those marks are George Pickens, Treylon Burks, and Alec Pierce. 

– Two popular names that have often been mocked to the Packers over the last month have been WR Jahan Dotson and OT Bernhard Raimann–however, neither meet the typical thresholds that the Packers have for first-round picks. Dotson is on the smaller side, and he also didn’t test all that well. Meanwhile, Raimann is going to turn 25-years-old during his rookie season.

– Even if the Green Bay Packers land one of the top receivers in this draft, the receiver room overall is going to take a step back in 2022 without Davante Adams. However, Green Bay has the opportunity to better round out the rest of the roster, something they’ve already begun doing. With the freed-up cap space from trading Adams, the Packers signed De’Vondre Campbell, Rasul Douglas, Robert Tonyan, and Jarran Reed. They now have four picks within the first two rounds and five in the top-100 to continue elevating other positions, which hopefully mitigates Adams’ absence.

– If the Packers hold on to their third-round pick, it just feels like it is going to be a tight end. We know there is a need, as mentioned above, and I believe that Green Bay will have a few options on the board at that time, potentially including Greg Dulcich, Jeremy Ruckert, and Cade Otton. 

– While we all look to the draft to provide those big boosts to the roster, more often than not, those upgrades are going to come from players already on the team who assume larger roles and take those Year 2 and 3 leaps that so many successful NFL players make. A few names to watch are TJ Slaton, Jon Runyan, Josh Myers, Royce Newman, Josiah Deguara, and Eric Stokes, among others.

– Every draft under Gutekunst, he has selected at least one offensive lineman–including six over the past two drafts alone. With the depth of that unit not nearly as strong as it was a season ago, I’d sharpie in at least two offensive line selections for the Packers in this year’s draft. 

– In the past, we’ve seen Gutey pair up veteran free agent signings with early-round draft picks. A couple of examples include signing Tramon Williams and then drafting Jaire Alexander. Or Signing the Smiths to then draft Rashan Gary–and there are several other examples out there. Well, if we are trying to read the tea leaves, two potential early-round picks could be receiver and interior defensive lineman.

– The Packers may have lost Davante Adams, but this roster is still really good.