2017 Green Bay Packers draft preview and predictions

[ReverendBrewmeister]

So, LouisEly: got any lottery numbers to pass along? Seriously, very good prediction thoughts on the players.

 

So far, I do like this draft. Never know how the players will turn out, but it looks like Thompson had a good analysis of what was needed and has picked that way, while still keeping value in mind.

 

A couple more rounds to go; never know what gems might get uncovered with them and UDFAs.

[Jenkins5]

Williams is perfect for what the Packers need him for. His running style matches the Packers down-hill, one-cut, pound style. He is that same upright, one cut guy Ryan Grant and James Starks were. Not as nimble or big as Lacy, but like Eddie; he will come at you and try to run you over. Every roster needs at least one down hill back and he fits mold.

 

Should be interesting with Aaron Jones in mix as well.

 

Yancey I believe right away is better than Davis & Janis.....Could compete with Allison for number 4! Biggest thing working against DeAngelo was that fact he played at Purdue who is pretty awful and have been his whole career there. 40 catches for over 900 yards and 4 TDs over 60 yards kind of shows his down field ability. He did the most with what he was given. He has some talent imo

[LouisEly]

So, LouisEly: got any lottery numbers to pass along? Seriously, very good prediction thoughts on the players.

I once hit five out of six - that's as good as I get.

 

As a general rule I think you can get good value for WRs in round 5, and I think Yancey is a good pick (maybe a round or two early), but the question I have is who do you cut to make room for him? Janis is one of the best special teams players in the league, and he's come a long way since drafted; he didn't play much as a receiver last year because their receivers were healthy, and they designed that end-around play specifically for him and his athleticism. Davis was drafted for his speed just last year. And you don't just cut a guy with Cobb's talent.

 

I was *this* close to putting Adams in the 3rd round. For a guy his size, running a 4.87 at the combine is pretty darned fast. The Packers have little patience for players who are suspended, and I think Guion is on the outside looking in. This draft is pretty thin with 3-4 DEs and there wasn't much left at that point. Adams will play. As for the Khyri Thornton comparison, Adams played against top talent in the SEC and Thornton is still in the league (and I think signed a multi-year extension this offseason); he just took a while to develop.

[colbyjack]

Agreed. Nicely done LouisEly, as I noted previously this is always one of the annual threads, either here or at LL the past few years, that I make sure to read from top to bottom.

[homer]

Yancey I believe right away is better than Davis & Janis.....Could compete with Allison for number 4! Biggest thing working against DeAngelo was that fact he played at Purdue who is pretty awful and have been his whole career there. 40 catches for over 900 yards and 4 TDs over 60 yards kind of shows his down field ability. He did the most with what he was given. He has some talent imo

 

He torched the Badgers last year. Reminds me a bit of James Jones.

[LouisEly]

Kofi Amichia was a pre-draft visit for the Packers and played LT for South Florida. Good athlete, ran a 4.99 at their pro day, but on the shorter side (6'3" 1/2") so he'll likely move to guard. This was the first pick in the draft of a player who NFL.com had not profiled.

[LouisEly]

Based on pre-draft visits, I'd put Ryan Watson, Eric Wilson, and Keion Adams at the top of the list for the 7th round.

[LouisEly]

So somewhat ironic, I just realized that the Packers passed on T.J. Watt to get Kevin King and Vince Biegel.

[patrickgpe]

Overall i am happy, TT knew he had to address the defense after the NFC championship and he did. my favorite 2 picks of the weekend are Aaron Jones and Vince Biegel.

[homer]

I'm very happy through round 6. The Round 7 guys didn't do much for me but then again...they're round 7 guys. Really like the kid out of BYU and the safety out of NC St (who is basically a faster Micah Hyde). I'm excited that they are finally addressing the speed issue on defense.

[LouisEly]

I have low expectations of 7th round picks, and that is really the point where you take the best player available, but there comes a point where you simply won't have roster spots to keep these guys barring any injuries. I like the Mays pick; I think he can be a sleeper, but they already had drafted two RBs. They will be hard pressed to have a roster spot for Yancey much less Dupre. Again, barring injuries they will likely have to put draft picks on waivers, at which it becomes somewhat pointless to draft them in the first place.

 

Very surprised they didn't go ILB, but Jones is 6'1" 220. I would not be surprised if the base defense is a 4-2-5 with Jones or Burnett as a hybrid SS/LB. That being said, why draft a WR or RB in the 7th you will probably have to put on waivers when you can draft an ILB who has a shot at a roster spot because of a lack of depth?

 

Overall I give it a C. I think they could have moved back a few spots and still gotten King, or one of Witherspoon (very similar player)/Moreau. I like the Adams pick more than most, the J. Jones pick is growing on me (particularly if they go the 4-2-5 with three safeties), and of course I love the Biegel and A. Jones picks. Not sure if Williams has the speed to do what they need, and I think they could have gotten Yancey later and shored up ILB in the 5th and taken a shot at Dupre as a priority UDFA.

[brewcrewdue80]

Or I guess use that 7th rd pick on Dupre? I'm a fan. Sure they have a lot of extra RBs now, but I think maybe you're taking a different route with Special Teams. An extra RB over Linebacker type. I don't like seeing Montgomery or Cobb or players who are 1st team Offense returning punts/Kicks. Exerting energy and maybe taking a hit that suddenly changes your 1st team offense on the fly. Cobb used to be a game-changer his early years with the ball, but he's nowhere near that now. Find 1 of the 3 RBs to work as a RB, 2 if you replace Michael. Get 1 or 2 of the WRs/RBs to be your Special Teams.

[Jenkins5]

Loved draft. King wouldn't have held out much longer. Most thought he was going late first & there was a run on CBs. He gives us the positives of Gunter but without all the negatives such as 4.6-4.7 speed & lack of ball skills. King could be a big time player for us! Jones was outstanding pick for the same reason I wanted Peppers. He is an uber athletic, box defender. He can cover slots, play over the top, or drop inside to be a 220 explosive MLB. He is nasty hitter & tackler. Adams is no Thorton or Worley & he will prove that quick. He may be a Daniels type sleeper. All the ability in world & finally put it together this season in a defense that didn't scheme for him to make plays but just eat blocks. Beigel was TTs guy over Watt whole time from way it sounded. People forget how good he was early in career with Badgers! Look at sophomore year stats! Shobert & Watt kind of stole headlines past two seasons. Vince also missed the meat of the season with his surgery this season. His test outs where far greater than I ever expected. All 4 I think will be contributors by year 2. King & Jones right away.

 

The RBs

Williams is my guy. Maybe favorite pick. He could be heavier for his running style yes but his style is made for our system. He is a straight, downhill, one cut, upright, smash mouth runner. Same that made Grant a star here & that lead to Starks breakout early in career (think super bowl year). Moreover, he compliments Ty! A. Jones will be interesting. Think he gives you a lot what Michaels does. Well rounded back. Mays I don't know enough about.

 

WRs

I've said early I really like both. I honestly think Janis, Allison, and Davis are in trouble. Yancy playing at Purdue with zero help from his team was outstanding. Think he is has body and downfield treat needed. Someone said James Jones earlier & I think that is very good comp. advanced route runner, strong body & hands, tracks ball well down field, physical enough to beat DBs off line. He isn't elusive or shifty, kind of tight but a west coast offense possession receiver.

 

Dupre is my guy though with all his potential. Remove 2 star RBs who are 1st Round talents & give him Mettenberg at QB at LSU & it is a whole different college career for him. He is a freak athlete. Believe he was a high school long, triple, & high jump champ. His catch radius is off the charts. He can run & stretch field. Like Davis, both are built more slight & struggle off the line. He needs to get much stronger. He has Janis like athletic ability (except little slower & smaller) but he can actually catch the ball consistently. I was shocked he dropped so low... thought 4th or 5th round. He came out early & shouldn't. Like Charles Johnson, he needs time to develop but on a team like GB, hard to do or give roster spot to.

 

Like the pick at guard but seems to a bit of a project. That's fine though. They plan on playing him a guard, trying him at center, and could slide out to tackle if ever needed. Don't think he will ever be a star or even a true starter but hope for versatile Tretter. Think Kyle Murphy is guard of the future & I have a lot of confidence in him there. I think he was a great find late in draft that people shouldn't sleep on. Evans is just a stop gap for him.

 

Overall 4 guys who can help defense, a versatile OL for depth, and then added a lot of competition at RB & WR. By season start, we will have the best WRs & RBs that came out of competition. Have to believe one of the 3 backs rises to occasion. My money is on Williams because they need his style back.

 

Remember Michaels is back & he is most electric homeruns threat in group. Now he has had an off-season to learn playbook (hopefully) and could be interesting if he takes that next step. Him & A. Jones are similar. Think it's one or the other.

 

Ty

Williams

Michael or Jones

Ripkowski

 

Slip Mays or udfa onto practice squad.

 

Wr

Nelson

Adams

Cobb

 

Then battle is on with or last 2-3 spots (think they go 6) in order I go:

Allison

Yancy

Davis/Janis (one cut)

Dupre practice squad due to being too raw

 

My hope at DB is:

FS Clinton Dix

SS Burnett

CB King & Randell

Nickel J. Jones (Hydes spot)

Dime Rollins (Haywards slot CB spot)

 

We live in Dime. Rollins is not an outside guy, he was drafted to replace Hayward inside on the slot.

 

House is 3rd CB Outside. He is great option to step in for either if one struggles. Thought it was a great sign for depth. Randell has all the tools to be really good outside but so hot & cold. House could allow Randle to kick inside to slot as well if Rollins is hurt per usual or not getting job done.

 

Gunter (outside) & Brice are good for depth but shouldn't be on field anywhere near how much they had to be.

[CheezWizHed]

Well, with cutting Jackson and Michaels, we are relying pretty heavily on this rookie crop again. Michaels being cut is a surprise as I expected him to compete in TC at least. His inability to pickup the playbook must have been pretty bad for them to simply cut ties with him at this point.

 

At CB, I would expect King to be a backup for this year with House and Randall starting. Jones was certainly targeted for the slot and I think Rollins playing there makes sense, but I wonder if Gunter would make sense there also. His lack of foot speed wouldn't be so obvious inside. Not to mention his height and ability to jam become big advantages there.

 

I would guess at the WR area, Davis, Janis and Dupre are going to play for one spot. I'm sure they could find someone to trade for Janis given his ST abilities. Dupre could easily land on the PS. Davis was so up and down last year and given the normal improvements that happen in the second year, he could good enough to pass up Allison or be bad enough to become Janis w/o his ST superman abilities.

[bjkrautk]

Michaels being cut is a surprise as I expected him to compete in TC at least. His inability to pickup the playbook must have been pretty bad for them to simply cut ties with him at this point.

 

Largely have to agree; somewhat torn between being complementary to the team in giving Michael a chance to find a new club where he could make the 53-man, vs. wondering why we're letting him go before a trio of late-drafted rookies take a single snap in camp. Barring injuries, you'd have to assume 2 of the guys make the opening day roster, with the 3rd ending up on the practice squad.

 

I do wish instead of taking a 3rd RB, they'd have tried to find another OL...but that's a minor gripe on a player who probably won't end up making the roster (particularly for a thin year in OL prospects). Having signed Evans to play guard makes it a bit easier to take a pass at the position in the early rounds this year, take another year to see what you have in Kyle Murphy, and plan to make a higher-priority pick in 2018.

 

Classic needs, not BPA, draft by TT. Now we get to wait a few months before we (i.e., the fans) get to figure out if the new guys are any good.

[Jenkins5]

Was not expecting Michaels to not even be able to compete for a job. Putting a lot of pressure on at least 2 rookies, and not very experienced Ty. I'm now on board with at Jamal Charles pick up. Need some type of vet around for these guys. At this point, he can't be commanding much. Even if he is nearly out of gas, would one year as a rotational back who brings ton of knowledge & leadership to field & film room.

 

Coaches have work cut out for them this season to get these guys ready! I like them but none are Zeke who will take world by storm.

[LouisEly]

Remember, in order to go on the practice squad they have to pass through waivers first. If they show to be good players, someone else will likely claim them, a la Charles Johnson and Lawrence Guy.

[CheezWizHed]

Barring injuries, you'd have to assume 2 of the guys make the opening day roster, with the 3rd ending up on the practice squad.

 

I wouldn't assume that. They normally carry 5 RB/FB on the roster. So right now, you have Ty and Rip as locks. Then you have the 3 rookies and Joe Kerridge (UDFA FB promoted from PS last year). So, Kerridge and Mays are probably playing for one spot. If Mays shows anything in short yardage situations, I would imagine they keep him over Kerridge.

 

I would bet money that we won't be signing Jamal Charles (barring injury at least). Michaels was a better bet than Charles. And we see what happened there...

[LouisEly]

Hey, Deon-Tay McManus was invited to try out for the Packers! Not officially a UDFA yet, but could be!

[brwrsfan]

Charles signed with the Broncos, so we can rule that one out.

[homer]

McGinn leaving JSOnline. That sucks.

[patrickgpe]

McGinn leaving JSOnline. That sucks.

probably the best sports writer the journal sentinel has ever had, with respect to not only his writing, but his connections.

[bjkrautk]

McGinn leaving JSOnline. That sucks.

 

I will absolutely and without question miss his draft coverage; great insights from NFL scouts, and fairly reliable projections.

[docduany]

That is horrible!!! Now who am I going to quote! Christl and McGinn have been without a doubt the best Packer writers I've had the pleasure of reading.

[LouisEly]

UDFAs

Michael Clark, WR, Marshall – the Packers had scouts at Marshall’s pro day, and Clark checked in at 6’5.5”, 217, and ran a 4.50; played only one season at Marshall after transferring from St. Francis

The Packers have in fact signed Michael Clark as a UDFA.