2019 Green Bay Packers draft preview and predictions

[reillymcshane]

Why is Jawaan Taylor falling?

I was wondering that as well. Weird. Perhaps there's something people know that they simply don't want to talk about. Could be medicals or character things.

 

Like Jason Groome dropping in the MLB draft a few years ago. There were things about the kid that scared off a lot of people - but no one wanted to be specific - and just said 'character' issues. But all the teams knew about those things. Just no one talked about it.

[brewcrewdue80]

Why is Jawaan Taylor falling?

 

When it comes to OL, I'd generally guess intellect. Maybe reading a playbook.

[PeaveyFury]

Sounds like there is concern about a knee issue for Taylor...

[patrickgpe]

Reading up on Savage, I'm liking him as a player more. Got dinged by people due to his lack of size - but he's a guy who has just made plays.

 

I'm guessing the Packers knew someone would take him ahead of them at #30 - so they pulled the trigger on the deal.

 

I'm guessing a receiver in the 2nd. There are some decent ones who could be available. AJ Brown, Marquis Brown, K'Neal Harry, DK Metcalf, Irv Smith Jr.

 

Anyone of those guys would be good value in the 2nd round.

.

Obviously packers hoping he is the next earl thomas. Heard the raiders were after him at 24. I’m happy they kept their 2 and would love brown or harry here. Sad that they missed out on the Iowa tight ends, just not sure if smith is the answer but he would fit a need. I just hope they go offense tomorrow, after focusing on defense in free agency and today

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Guys I really like for Round 2:

 

1. Dalton Risner, G/T

2. A.J. Brown, WR

3. Greedy Williams, CB

4. Cody Ford, G

5. Jawaan Taylor, T (maybe ... seems like a great value now)

 

Maybe Jace Sternberger ... but would prefer him in the 3rd.

[reillymcshane]

Darn. Pats picked Harry. Liked him as a potential 2nd rounder.

 

Oh well, still some nice players on the board.

 

Here's a few that really interest me.

 

OL Cody Ford (big steal if you can get him)

OL Jawaan Taylor (why the big drop is intriguing)

WR AJ Brown (Love this guy - smart, productive)

WR DK Metcalf (not enthralled by his production - but he has some really amazing skills. Big bust potential - but also big potential - making him intriguing)

TE Irv Smith (solid, all around TE)

 

Those are just a few guys that are of interest. There are a couple of defensive backs I like - but with a safety drafted already, I doubt we go that direction).

[True Blue Brew Crew]

Parris Campbell is going to be a star. Hoping like heck he's there at #44

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Parris Campbell is going to be a star. Hoping like heck he's there at #44

 

Played a lot in the slot, and has true WOW speed. Also pretty good size at 6'1", 210. I agree ... he'd be fun. Packers have never had a receiver with that kind of speed.

[Jaylyn]

Like the Savage pick, a little pricey, but I love his aggressive approach. The Gary pick is a puzzler, a Wonderlic Score of 9? Maybe a bad day. The shoulder issue is much more concerning, seems like his rookie year will be a redshirt one. Granted, he has amazing physical abilities, just not a fan of a pick made on "potential". Given the choice between the two, I would have preferred Chase Winovich. Who despite his limitations, will be more successful than Gary in the NFL.

As far as who is left, Ford, Taylor, and Brown will probably snapped up quick. A couple I like are WR Andy Isabella and C/OG Hjalte Froholdt, who was destined to play in the NFC North!

[Pugger]

Arent the "best" CB and S still out there?

 

Gary and Savage weren't exactly the names I had been hoping for, but they're Packers now.

I don't mind giving up a pair of 4th rounders to move up...just not sure you had to move up that far.

Seems really a stretch to move up for him -- I guess the club loved him and knew someone else would take him.

 

But let's be honest - hardly anyone mocked Savage this high - or even in the 1st round. Seems like a reach.

 

I'm disappointed because I think we had better guys available. I'm good with a safety - but not this high.

 

I guess the team loved him.

 

Just because a player isn't mocked does that mean he is a reach?

 

A lot of folks have been disappointed in Josh Jones at SS so perhaps this is why this position was addressed this high?

Edited April 26, 2019 by Pugger

[Pugger]

The more video I see of Savage, the more I love that pick. Yeah he can get knocked for his size, but the dude flies to the ball and can tackle! If Amos is the enforcer and QB in the secondary, Savage is the ball hawk. Playing next to a steady eddie like Amos is going to make Savage look like a star. I am getting really excited to see this defense play now.

 

J. Alexander isn't the biggest guy out there either.

[Pugger]

Where is all this ‘2nd Rounder at best’ stuff coming from? He was 20th overall on Kiper’s board. Just because you haven’t heard of him doesn’t mean it’s not a good pick....

Most rankings had Savage going in the 2nd or 3rd round. That's where it's coming from.

 

Kudos to Mel Kiper for being in on him that high - but again, most people did not.

 

The disappointment is when there is a belief that the pick is a reach because he would have been available later. It doesn't mean the guy isn't going to be good - no one is saying that. It's a simple belief that the pick was too high. Now, that belief may be very wrong as other teams may have been on Savage in the 1st round as well - but if not, it's disappointing that we gave up resources for a guy who we could have had later.

 

But unless one can see the draft boards of all of these teams no one can really say if any particular player would be available later on or if a pick was too high. I for one will withhold my opinion on any of the kids we take this week until I actually see them play at this level.

[OnTheBlack]

Guys I really like for Round 2:

 

1. Dalton Risner, G/T

2. A.J. Brown, WR

3. Greedy Williams, CB

4. Cody Ford, G

5. Jawaan Taylor, T (maybe ... seems like a great value now)

 

Maybe Jace Sternberger ... but would prefer him in the 3rd.

 

 

 

Man...I want to see offense, but Greedy Williams is press man corner in the draft.

 

You have to give Rodgers some weapons, but...maybe not until round 3.

[OnTheBlack]

Like the Savage pick, a little pricey, but I love his aggressive approach. The Gary pick is a puzzler, a Wonderlic Score of 9? Maybe a bad day. The shoulder issue is much more concerning, seems like his rookie year will be a redshirt one. Granted, he has amazing physical abilities, just not a fan of a pick made on "potential". Given the choice between the two, I would have preferred Chase Winovich. Who despite his limitations, will be more successful than Gary in the NFL.

As far as who is left, Ford, Taylor, and Brown will probably snapped up quick. A couple I like are WR Andy Isabella and C/OG Hjalte Froholdt, who was destined to play in the NFC North!

 

 

I like Winovich a lot as well. But lets not pretend we can state definitively who is going to have the better career. And Gary's first year is not a "redshirt." He played with the same issue last year at Michigan. He's not a pitcher. He can play with a bad shoulder. He should still be an impact player in year one. Especially given where he'll be on the depth chart. If the team can get the most out of him, he'll be in the running for DROY. That's a huge if though. And actually, looking beyond stats, his QB Pressures and hits were impressive. Still, did not have the college career he should have. Need to hope we can tap into his massive potential at the next level.

 

The reason he dropped is simple. He dropped because he is about as physically gifted as a 6'4 280 LB human being can be, but he didn't set the NCAA sack record like Ferguson or even post double digit sacks. He should have dominated, but didn't.

 

A 9 wonderlic means very little playing as a DE. This is your gap. If they run, tackle. If they pass, get the QB. It's the easiest position to learn.

 

 

I was a fan of his coming into the draft, just not at 12. I really hopes he validates the decision to pick him as he could legitimately turn into a 15-20 sack a season type player.

[OnTheBlack]

Darn. Pats picked Harry. Liked him as a potential 2nd rounder.

 

Oh well, still some nice players on the board.

 

Here's a few that really interest me.

 

OL Cody Ford (big steal if you can get him)

OL Jawaan Taylor (why the big drop is intriguing)

WR AJ Brown (Love this guy - smart, productive)

WR DK Metcalf (not enthralled by his production - but he has some really amazing skills. Big bust potential - but also big potential - making him intriguing)

TE Irv Smith (solid, all around TE)

 

Those are just a few guys that are of interest. There are a couple of defensive backs I like - but with a safety drafted already, I doubt we go that direction).

 

I feel like he's a little overlooked because of the two Iowa guys. Irv Smith is more than just solid. He led FBS in yards after catch for TE's and I think could develop into a 700+ a year type guy.

 

Metcalf, I'd feel better about in the 2nd. I still don't like him, but he is a monster.

 

Ford and Taylor are both obvious. I'd have to be convinced Ford could hack it at tackle.

[HiAndTight]

Going for triangle numbers. Not sure how I feel about that.

 

That being said, Michigan ran a defense where the DL focused more on controlling the line and freeing up the LBs to make plays.

 

 

Yes, and because he happened to be a supremely talented 6'4 280 pounder they moved him inside to DT.

 

 

I said this in another thread, but I assumed since the knock on him was a lack of production that it was an effort thing, but everything you read about him is that his effort is off the charts, he has a big-time motor and doesn't quit on a play. Well...if you take a edge rusher and move them to tackle in a 4-3 scheme, they're not going to put up huge numbers.

 

This guy has all the talent in the world, in GB he can play a 5 technique or stand up and rush from outside. He's basically a Clowney type athlete who fell to us at 12 because of how he was used at Michigan.

 

His wonderlic score would bother me if he was a QB, OL, but as an edge guy, it's probably as simple as you can get when it comes to learning how to play the game.

 

 

I didn't love this pick when I first heard it, but just doing a little reading and then when you look at his vertical, his 40, his 3 cone, he's a freak athletically. He COULD be that superstar we've been looking for.

 

He's also raw when it comes to his technique apparnenly, but if he loves football as much as it's reported, he can learn and develop those moves.

[HiAndTight]

Gary has a large enough frame that he could easily be a 3-4 DE, particularly if he lines up next to one of the Smiths as an edge rushing OLB - given the Packers' offseason OLB signings, I'd guess Gary winds up just maintaining his weight right where it is. Daniels, Clark, and Gary as the 3 base DL is interesting with Smiths bookending them.

When your 4th best pass rusher had 10.5 sacks last year, you've got a pretty darned good pass rush.

 

 

You really see Fackrell as the type of guy who's ever going to duplicate that type of production again? It seemed like he had a lot of hustle sacks and or sacks where the QB was flushed out and they came in bunches vs poor QB's. I think he had 6.5 of those in two games.

 

I know they'll stick with him, but I like Reggie Gilbert more than I do him right now.

 

Gary on the other hand, I think you said he was played out of position or the reason his production lagged was scheme. I think you nailed it there. If he was put on the outside and just allowed to rush the passer, I think he'd have put up much better numbers. Instead they used him in the trenches and he still played well. Not as well as you'd like, but it shows how versatile he is.

[PeaveyFury]

The Packers made the point in one of the pressers last night that they felt that Gary's production was down because he was drawing doubles and triples, freeing up other guys to make the actual plays. Their point was that even if the numbers didn't always jump out, he was impacting the game that way.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Regarding Gary's Wonderlic score ... he's dyslexic. A good friend of mine is dyslexic, and he's always had difficulty with any type of timed standardized test. He's also one of the smartest people I know.

 

Gary is a two-time academic All Big Ten. I have no concern over his Wonderlic score.

Edited April 26, 2019 by Joey Meyer Bombs

[PeaveyFury]

I was leery of drafting guys like Smith and Metcalf in the 1st, especially when Metcalf was somewhat crazily linked to us at 12, but they'd be really good value in the 2nd, IMO. Greedy Williams was the top corner in the draft at one point earlier this offseason. I expect someone will grab him quickly tonight, but if he makes it to the Pack I wouldn't be stunned if that's where they go.

[Noche]

I’m pretty happy with the picks. Gary was academic all big 10 and 1st team all-big 10 last two years and people still rag on his smarts and production? Hmmmm

 

Savage looks like a playmaker too.

 

I’d like to see a slot receiver and more defense on day 2. So far, so good.

[brewcrewdue80]

On Gary and his Wonderlic, I seen he was dyslexic too. Now, saying you're not worried in that because he plays on the DL, isn't that sorta putting him where that type of score needs to go? Keep it as simple as possible? During the PFF stream after the pick and their immediate dislike, it was there's not any moves, he just bull rushes. So, he didn't make the OL need to adjust to any move. Simply put your body on his. This may explain the production failure. Like a pitcher tipping it's pitches or only throwing FBs. Now, I swear the first Packers post listed him as a LB and not DE/DL. So I hope he can learn that position and the ability to think and dissect pre-snap where he's supposed to make the play.

 

On that end....

 

Savage really stood out able to dissect moments after the snap where to go. He was flying to the ball like he called the play for the other team. It was almost legendary in my mind. I had to watch another 45min. of highlight tape because it was so fun to see a guy just seem twice as fast to the rest of the defense and disrupt or make the play. Any play that is in front of him he looked he could make. The only negative I have is the height and anything thrown over the top of him. He's going to get destroyed by guys that are big or up and go getters(OBJ) with an accurate thrown over the top throw. He's there to make the play, but not on a jump ball. To make the tackle, swipe the hands while pulling a catch in. So, in that regard, I'd hope the man he's responsible for isn't a deep threat or Big. Around the endzone those corner routes will be brutal if he's responsible.

 

I do look forward to the amount of plays he busts up. That'll be fun to watch.

[JosephC]

Four of the first day one/day two picks for Gutekunst have posted really good 40 times.

 

Jaire Alexander = 4.38

Josh Jackson = 4.56 (the exception)

Oren Burks = 4.59

Rashan Gary = 4.58

Darnell Savage, Jr. = 4.36

 

I have to wonder if this will be a long-term trend for Gutekunst? It almost seemed like at the end of Thompson's reign that the Packers used the 3-cone drill as a primary evaluating tool with the big men.

[patrickgpe]

seems like the value is in Brown, Smith, Taylor or Ford in the 2nd.

 

Also someone like Greedy Williams, doesn't really fill a need but definitely is a faller.

 

Alot of OL talent out there besides the 2 I mentioned.

[FVBrewerFan]

Greedy Williams definitely fills a need. They have Alexander, aging Williams, and often injured King.