The Second Year Jump No One Is Talking About

Last year, the Packers made some draft picks that fans feeling confused (or worse).

Perhaps the most confusing choice was using a 3rd round pick on a tight end with modest college production that some pundits had rated as an UDFA candidate.I know I was caught off guard and definitely didn’t see the pick coming.

So what were the Packers thinking when they took Josiah Deguara?

The fact that they took him so much higher than pretty much anyone had him ranked tells us one of two things. Either:

1) NFL talent evaluators had him much higher than independent draft prognosticators

Or

2) The Packers had him targeted as a must-have player and weren’t willing to risk him being available at their next pick

While we can’t rule out option 1 (though many teams don’t even use an h-back like Deguara), I feel like option 2 is more likely. The Packers traded away their 4th round pick earlier in the draft and, because of all the compensatory selections in the 3rd and 4th rounds, would have had to wait 81 picks – nearly 3 rounds worth of players – for their next selection.

I believe the Packers didn’t want to risk him not being available at pick #175, so they snatched him up at pick #94. 

Matt LaFleur had a year under his belt as head coach and understood what kind of players he wanted as he continued to build his offense. It appeared that a versatile h-back like Josiah Deguara was a priority. He was really the only player in that mold available, so they were clearly looking to add that element to their offense. It’s not a big leap to imagine that this was influenced by seeing how LaFleur’s friend and mentor Kyle Shanahan used Kyle Juszczyk – a player similar to Deguara – in his offense in San Francisco.

Last year, there were positive reports out of camp and as the season began, Deguara saw limited snaps. However, he made an impression with his mobile blocking – his biggest flash came when he sprung Allen Lazard on an end-around by taking out two Vikings defenders with one hit.

An ACL tear tragically cut his rookie year short a couple weeks later. Deguara has a lot of rehab to finish upon the physical end (and, as reported earlier, will start training camp on the PUP list), but he did get a full year to absorb the playbook and learn the system so that he can be mentally prepared for the upcoming season. If he can get back in shape physically, he can change the face of the offense in ways we’ve only been able to see in glimpses.

Last year, the Packers frequently used Marcedes Lewis as an extra blocker, but he was an in-line blocker (like having an extra tackle) not an on-the-move blocker. No one else on the roster moves like Deguara or can get in front of rushers to block in space the way he can. When he went down, a solid section of the playbook probably went down with him.

This year, LaFleur will be able to add all those plays and concepts back into the fold. With a full two years worth of installs already in place for this offense, adding the Deguara chapters back in will make things even harder on defenses.

Josiah Deguara probably won’t light up the stat sheet or win anyone a fantasy championship, but he can add a new dimension to the offense and make a bigger jump than any other second year player on the team.