2018 Green Bay Packers Training Camp: Rodgers Extension Reportedly Done

[CheezWizHed]

[sarcasm]Dude can't catch the ball in Lambeau. Pass.[/sarcasm]

 

Seriously, I'm not sure he is a fit. If he is cheap, but I doubt he will be. Obviously, he was cut from the cowboys for a reason.

[GAME05]

Help me out with Bryant. At some point he was one of the better receivers in the League--never a burner, but he could out-muscle you and go up to get a lot of balls. He's not all that old yet football-wise, so I can't imagine he's lost a lot of the speed he had yet. Is he more of the one-hit wonder who had a couple great seasons but he just stopped trying?

 

Not that the Packers are in desperate need of another starting WR, though. Cobb and Adams are plenty enough to be able to draft an early- to mid-round WR and hope he develops in a year or two.

 

I love the House signing. The DB crew is kind of that solid-but-unspectacular, but there's no huge glaring holes unless there's a big injury. Hopefully adding a pass rusher in the draft should really round the defense out to be solid all around.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Help me out with Bryant. At some point he was one of the better receivers in the League--never a burner, but he could out-muscle you and go up to get a lot of balls. He's not all that old yet football-wise, so I can't imagine he's lost a lot of the speed he had yet. Is he more of the one-hit wonder who had a couple great seasons but he just stopped trying?

 

Not that the Packers are in desperate need of another starting WR, though. Cobb and Adams are plenty enough to be able to draft an early- to mid-round WR and hope he develops in a year or two.

 

I love the House signing. The DB crew is kind of that solid-but-unspectacular, but there's no huge glaring holes unless there's a big injury. Hopefully adding a pass rusher in the draft should really round the defense out to be solid all around.

 

Part of Bryant's decline is that Dak Prescott just isn't a very accurate (or good) QB. You are right, Bryant has never been a speedster. He's had enough speed, though, to go with his power. I would consider him a little stronger, and probably little faster version of James Jones.

[Brewer Fever]

He has absolutely lost a step. He returned two punts for TDs his rookie year. I saw a highlight of one of them yesterday where multiple would be tacklers had an angle on him but he overcame the angle on sheer speed. He lost that speed long ago but make no mistake it was once there. Granted he played faster than he timed, but he's nowhere near what he once was. Yes, he could surely benefit from a more accurate passer throwing to him, but when he came out of college he was the total package not just a big target. Given that the missing element to the Packers receiving core is speed, I'm not sure how much of an upgrade he'd be over what we have. Adams, Cobb, and Graham bring the things Bryant now does at this stage in his career. He only makes sense if it's cheap imo.

[Bnowell4evr]

This is a similar situation to when the Packers signed Andre Rison. He was considered done after a stay in Cleveland and Jacksonville.

 

We all know how that worked for the Packers.

[JohnBriggs12]

He can't get separated from defensive backs and you basically have to throw him open on his limited routes. It is part of the reason Jordy is no longer a Packer. Why would we even go down this road? Makes no sense.

 

Here's why:

 

Bryant in 2017: 69 Receptions, 838 yards, 12.1 yards per catch, 6 TD's

 

Nelson in 2017: 53 Receptions, 482 yards, 9.1 yards per catch, 6 TD's

 

Nelson will be 33 next season. Bryant doesn't turn 30 until November.

[PeaveyFury]

Putting Bryant in a situation with a future HOF QB makes me think of the Moss move to the Pats in 2007. Thought to be washed up when playing with an underwhelming QB, then has a major career reboot with a quality offense.

 

His stat lines are interesting. Elite WR for 4 years, but very pedestrian for the last 3. Hard to ignore the QB change as a potential cause of some of that change.

[Jenkins5]

Best QB in football, Jimmy Graham to stretch middle, Bryant & Adams to stretch outside & two of the best jump ball getters.....Cobb with everything underneath.... sounds good to me..

 

If you are concerned about Bryant needing to be thrown open, I’m pretty sure we have a QB who can handle that. Bryant is very good WR even healthy. Probably still a top 10. He just hasn’t stayed healthy. Dak like Wilson is a winning QB but not a guy who really helps WRs put up numbers.

[superfly]

I don't buy at all that Dez is done. When he had an actual (accurate pocket passing) QB running the show he was among the best. Between Dak's accuracy and the 'Boys riding Zeke there isn't much to go around. I wouldn't pay 15 million or something to bring him here but i'm absolutely interested in him coming to GB.

[Point Beer Is Best]

I feel like adding Bryant would be redundant. The Packers are very, very good in the red zone but struggle between the 20's. Adding Bryant kind of just makes you a little better in an area you already excel at at, especially after you've already added Graham.

 

They need a legitimate stretch-the-field speed WR that Janis & Davis never became. They don't have that guy who can take the top off the defense, and it didn't work with Davis & Janis because those guys couldn't catch or run routes consistently. That is arguably their most prudent need on offense (if they are comfortable with some combination of Patrick/McCray/Murphy manning the right side of the O-line), and they should spend a Day 2 pick to address it.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

VERY interesting draft-related tidbits out of 1265 this morning ...

 

The Packers are exploring trade-up scenarios in the event Bradley Chubb falls out of the top 5 picks. They view him as the only sure-fire difference making pass rusher is this year's draft. They also like Minkah Fitzpatrick and Derwin James, but would hope that one of them falls to 14, rather than trade up for either.

 

Also, there is scuttlebutt within Packer brass that the Patriots are dead set on drafting Brady's successor this year, and they LOVE Lamar Jackson, and would be very interested in Josh Rosen should he fall to the mid-teens. Would #23 and #31 be enough for the Packers to give up #14, especially if there is a player they like on the board?

[paul253]

I wondered if the Packers were interested in moving up for Chubb. I also wondered if they would perhaps take their pick and try to parlay it into multiple first rounders, maybe a lower one this year and another one next year. Really a lot of ways they could go here.

[young guns]

Trading down would be tough for me to take because this is a real chance to get a legit playmaker on defense. Though 2 picks would increase the odds one would hit.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

So much of it is going to depend on where those QBs go. Allen, Mayfield and Darnold should be gone in the first 5 picks, then Rosen and Jackson could go anywhere from 6 to 20. If the Packers are going to stay at 14 or move up, it is better if all those QBs go early obviously. If the QBs fall, though, and the defensive guys get picked through, dropping down 9 spots and grabbing another late 1st is a solid plan. There are a lot of holes on this team that need filling, and that late 1st is a prime spot to grab another solid prospect.

 

Don't forget, too, that there will be solid veteran types available via trade, and a 31st pick can get you at least a solid starter, if not a Pro Bowler via trade.

[LouisEly]

Trading down would be tough for me to take because this is a real chance to get a legit playmaker on defense. Though 2 picks would increase the odds one would hit.

My take on this draft class is that there is a dropoff around #10 overall, and the talent likely available at #14 isn't much different than the talent that is likely to be there in the early 2nd round. I'd take #23 and #31 as the talent isn't going to be much lower than at #14, especially #14 to #23.

 

This is a draft that doesn't have a lot at the top, thus the temptation to move up for Chubb, but I think has a lot of depth where even the 5th rounders won't be that much lower in talent than mid-late 2nd rounders.

[PeaveyFury]

23 and 31 would be an overpay, based on the value chart. I'd likely do that, but we'd probably have to throw our third back to even things up. We probably need to fill three holes in the draft, and two 1sts and a 2nd probably help do that (DB, WR, Edge).

 

It seems PLAUSIBLE that if Joshua Jackson doesn't go to GB at 14, he could be there at 23. That possibility gets more likely if Ward and/or Fitzpatrick falls a ways as well. If not, Jaire Alexander is likely there, and Harold Landry and Marcus Davenport could be as well if the QBs go early and everything else slides.

 

If the question is would you prefer Landry or Davenport(23), Alexander or Donte Jackson (31) and a WR (James Washington?) (45), or Joshua Jackson (14) and Washington (45)? I probably prefer the first option as it fills more holes.

 

If it's a question of whether giving up draft capital (probably our third) to move up a few slots and have Chubb and Washington(I'm choosing Washington just to be consistent), it gets more interesting from a talent standpoint, but one hole doesn't get filled right away. I think I'd prefer this to Jackson/whomever, though, regardless.

[superfly]

I'm going to be in the minority here on one of them, but there's (2) guys I want to come away with in the first round that are realistic in our range. Courtland Sutton or Minkah. Sutton in particular just screams future beast to me, and with the cost of WR's in free agency I think the possible reward is far greater with Sutton than it would be taking a DB. I don't put much stock in Jimmy Graham being here for the long haul, he's got a year or two maybe of good play before he really drops off IMO so by then Sutton would be in theory ready to take over.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

I'm going to be in the minority here on one of them, but there's (2) guys I want to come away with in the first round that are realistic in our range. Courtland Sutton or Minkah. Sutton in particular just screams future beast to me, and with the cost of WR's in free agency I think the possible reward is far greater with Sutton than it would be taking a DB. I don't put much stock in Jimmy Graham being here for the long haul, he's got a year or two maybe of good play before he really drops off IMO so by then Sutton would be in theory ready to take over.

 

I like Sutton as well. Great size at 6'4" and 216, and while he doesn't have lid-lifting speed, he should be fine in that area as well. Also strong and should be able to beat press coverage. If he is still around in the 2nd round, he's be a great pick.

[pacopete4]

I really wish the draft was just Saturday and Sunday. I hate the new format.

[CheezWizHed]

I really wish the draft was just Saturday and Sunday. I hate the new format.

 

Agreed, but on Thursday/Friday... I hate waiting.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

I see many mocks advocating for the Packers to draft Harold Landry, the edge rusher from Boston College. I only have one response to that: Carl Bradford.

 

They are extremely similar players measurable-wise (Landry has a bit longer arms), and both were very productive as collegiate pass rushers. The Packers soon found out that Bradford was too small and not a good enough athlete to be an effective edge rusher in the NFL, and since cutting him, he has kicked around several practice squads and is close to washing out of the league. Landry was more productive in college, and is predicted to go much higher than Bradford as a mid-1st rounder. However, whoever drafts him I predict will eventually come to the same conclusion that the Packers did with Bradford. If he's the Packers' pick at 14, it would be a HUGE mistake.

 

I think the Packers are keyed in on taking one of the 3 top DBs in the draft (Ward, Fitzpatrick or James). Ward would be your more-prototypical perimeter CB, while James is an athletic safety (think Nick Collins) while Fitzpatrick is a hybrid of the two, profiling as a more talented, smarter Demarious Randall. I heard rumblings this morning that they are talking to the Raiders about possibly trading up to #10 to better assure that one of those guys will still be there.

 

If they don't trade up, I predict they trade down to a little later in the 1st round, and grab some more solid capital in the process. The boards aren't really falling great for them right now if they stay at 14. I think they could trade down to the mid-20s and still grab a guy like Davenport. Like I mentioned a few days ago, the Pats want a QB, and their two 1st rounders are very much in play. If one of the top 4 QBs drops, or if the Pats are that enamored with Lamar Jackson, there could be a deal there.

[pacopete4]

I don't think it can be said enough about the importance of this draft. It can either set the Packers up for another nice run in the later parts of Rodgers career OR it can set the wheels in motion for a lot of other things to happen with this franchise. Pressure is on in Green Bay, not that it hasn't been for awhile.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

I don't think it can be said enough about the importance of this draft. It can either set the Packers up for another nice run in the later parts of Rodgers career OR it can set the wheels in motion for a lot of other things to happen with this franchise. Pressure is on in Green Bay, not that it hasn't been for awhile.

 

Agreed. I don't necessarily think the Packers are in a rebuild, but they are in drastic need of a restock, as last year proved that their depth at some positions (QB, TE, CB, WR and OLB) is among the worst in the league. When you have players that have proven to be injury-prone as your starters at those position, it is absolutely imperative that you have strong depth available. That's why it wouldn't surprise me to see the #14 pick parlayed into a lower 1st rounder along with an additional 1st or a 2nd.

[FVBrewerFan]

I'm a retired draftnick, so I really don't research the players anymore. One thing I do know from closely following the draft for many years, it's tough finding a pass rusher. The drop-off from a true stud to the rest of the pack is usually tremendous. For years the Packers have tried to find one, and have failed rather miserably.

 

Is Chubb special ? I do not know. If he is, I have no problem if the Packers move up to get him, but they better be right. Otherwise, they can sit where they are and have a choice of 2-3 really good DBs, which they also need anyhow. Or they could make a couple a couple trades to move down in the 1st, and up in the 2nd. Ending up with 4 picks late 1st/ early 2nd would be pretty interesting.

[PeaveyFury]

I'd be interested in trading up for a guy like Ward, but I'm not sure I like a trade up for the other two. I'm seeing some mocks that have Chubb falling a bit because of need drafting, so I'd be very interested in moving up to 10 at the cost of a third to get him. Many other drafts suggest he could go at #2, so who knows what tomorrow will bring.

 

Beyond that, is Smith enough of a sure-thing at LB to consider moving up if he falls to that #10 range? Or is he too undersized for Pettine's scheme?