2020 Packers Draft Thread

[brewcrewdue80]

Having a couple days to digest this draft class. Heres my thoughts. Ill give 4guys of 9 likely to play meaningful football on the field for GB. Love being one of them hopefully. So Dillon i like as 3rd down and short thumper that we didn't display well last season. Deguara is going to fill Vitale's role with better pass catching skills and open yhe playbook more. Hope he can block. After that, I dont like the LB pick. The OL picks I will go Runyan to make an impact. The last DL pick never know til hes playing or dropped.

Its a draft with 1 player (Dillon) who may see more than 4starts (Jones injury) this season and the rest backup benchwarmers if they even make the team. I'm not even going to anoint Love the backup starter to Rodgers for this season.

Thats nearly my best hope out of this class. The DL may make it rosier but not for some time.

 

Based on what positions were drafted i really expect a Large role for Sterberger and Deguara motion misdirection plays. Ervin motion misdirection with Jones in backfield. Deguara and Dillon short yardage plow plays. No deep threats going to make the offense boring. No chance over the 49ers Defense (much less offense)but the team may just get to play them in the playoffs. I have no outlook Rodgers will see the SB in a Green Bay uniform again.

[LouisEly]

A few thoughts after digesting for a day or two.

 

WR:

It's very possible that they looked at the WRs who were left at the end of the 3rd round and felt like they weren't any better than the ones that they already had.

Turns out, that is exactly the case:

 

https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/nfl-draft-2020-packers/2020/4/26/21237485/packers-gm-brian-gutekunst-2020-nfl-draft-wr-group-evaluation-explains-why-no-picks

[HiAndTight]

A few thoughts after digesting for a day or two.

 

WR:

It's very possible that they looked at the WRs who were left at the end of the 3rd round and felt like they weren't any better than the ones that they already had.

Turns out, that is exactly the case:

 

https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/nfl-draft-2020-packers/2020/4/26/21237485/packers-gm-brian-gutekunst-2020-nfl-draft-wr-group-evaluation-explains-why-no-picks

 

 

That makes plenty of sense to me. But it also means they kinda need to be aggressive in pursuing upgrades between now and at least the trade deadline. They'll have 3 more comp picks next year, so they have the ammo to get a Sanders type player. Or an OJ Howard.

 

Just drafting a WR'er because we needed a #2 WR'er doesn't make sense....BUT, it still doesn't change the fact that they do still have that need. And I don't really think Funchess changes that. So again, I'm perfectly fine with them getting Love and the fact that LaFleur thought so highly of him that he wanted to move up...and getting another back...and a move TE(not sur why people are saying he's a FB unless the Packers have said that and I haven't seen it). But I think another reasons fans are so upset is they're used to watching guys like Randy Moss, Marshawn Lynch, Tony Gonzalez getting traded before the season and the Packers not willing to pony up enough to make that deal. I'm hoping if a player like that comes available, the Packers are willing to add them.

 

 

Who knows, maybe OBJ wears out his welcome in Cleveland. More likely someone like Tyrell Williams is available after the Raiders went HEAVY on WR'ers starting with Ruggs or another team who added WR'ers ends up moving on from a veteran WR'er. But the Packers definitely still need to try and add someone who can help Rodgers now.

[Jaylyn]

LaFleur is moving the offense to a more 2018 Tennessee Titan approach. Short passes and a clock eating, pound the ball style. The Dillon pick explained, plus no need to draft a WR to be a deep down field threat, we already have one, Adams. The Love pick? LaFleur wants to try another Marcus Mariota type in his system, he thinks he can still make it work.

[adambr2]

Guess I've never really looked at the Tennessee Titans as an organization that anyone would want to duplicate. Particularly from a season where they were offensively mediocre by just about any measurement.

[Jaylyn]

Since I live in the Nashville TV viewing area. I get a steady dose of Titan news year round. No issues with that type of offensive approach, what I do find worrisome is that the Titans didn't start that deep run in last years AFC playoffs until they benched Marioto in week 7 and went with Ryan Tannehill. It hints that a Marioto or Love style QB is not necessary in order for the scheme to be effective. And yes, I'm thinking Love's ceiling is Marcus Mariota, not Mahomes.

[pacopete4]

Why would Love be compared to a running QB? He wasn’t that in college. Rarely did he move the chains with his legs.

[rickh150]

The one thing that often is forgotten in this... Rogers practiced in the Packers system for three years before he was expected to play. If he had to play immediately in 2015, he could have done much, much worse. He might have flopped for two or three years and have been shipped out of Green Bay. Remember, the Packers were terrible in 2015 already (4-12) with Favre and only 8-8 the next year. No playoffs. Both records probably would have been worse with Rogers. That extra time gave him time to learn the nuances of the offense and allowed him to get better behind closed doors.

 

I think the Packers see this maturation process of Rogers as the blueprint for Love. Way too often players are pushed into the spotlight too quickly at the QB position on bad teams, and it proves disastrous. It's the toughest position in all of sports.

 

Do the they need Love now? Many say no. Yet, the Packer backup QBs have been beyond terrible in the last decade. I'm not sure why this had to be. Why we couldn't pick up a serviceable aged veteran to win a game as a backup is troublesome. Perhaps this draft pick will partly cover our butt in case of injury from our star over the next few years, as well, even though Love likely is closer to the failures of the last decade than a serviceable replacement now.

 

Could they have picked a player that covered a need better? Of course. But if the Pack feels Love is the guy, they are going to give him all the opportunity they can to put him in a great position to eventually take the reigns after Rodgers is done.

[MrTPlush]

We drafted that running back in the 2nd round and now everyone thinks we have this two-headed monster and are going to resort to this ridiculous run heavy offense. Problem is Aaron Jones is a FA after this year...is he not? Almost seems more likely they are just prepping for the departure of Aaron Jones...not some huge transition to a run offense.

 

Because of course I think the odds we give big money to Aaron Jones near zero percent.

[bjkrautk]

We drafted that running back in the 2nd round and now everyone thinks we have this two-headed monster and are going to resort to this ridiculous run heavy offense. Problem is Aaron Jones is a FA after this year...is he not? Almost seems more likely they are just prepping for the departure of Aaron Jones...not some huge transition to a run offense.

 

Because of course I think the odds we give big money to Aaron Jones near zero percent.

 

Both Jones AND Jamal Williams are free agents after the season. I think it's likelier the Packers re-sign Jones than Williams (and are more likely to sign Jones than letting both players walk).

[LouisEly]

Peter King reporting that the Packers tried to move up in the early/mid 2nd round to get a WR, but the ones they were targeting were picked before they could strike a deal.

 

Sounds like they had Love ranked in at least their top 15, possibly top 10, overall and wanted a WR but only one who had a 1st round grade and would be a real difference-maker right away.

[Jaylyn]

For those who don't think the offense is changing, lots of hints in the read.

https://www.espn.com/blog/green-bay-packers/post/_/id/48979/are-packers-trying-to-take-ball-out-of-aaron-rodgers-hands

[monkeyman343434]

My question is, if they're moving more to a run heavy type of offense, then why are they placing such a high value on a QB? Plus, if you're going more run heavy, don't you need a good defense? Which they did nothing to address. The pieces just don't add up.

[pacopete4]

Do you want a lousy QB in any situation? It usually helps to have that position be good.

[brewcrewdue80]

We drafted that running back in the 2nd round and now everyone thinks we have this two-headed monster and are going to resort to this ridiculous run heavy offense. Problem is Aaron Jones is a FA after this year...is he not? Almost seems more likely they are just prepping for the departure of Aaron Jones...not some huge transition to a run offense.

 

Because of course I think the odds we give big money to Aaron Jones near zero percent.

 

Both Jones AND Jamal Williams are free agents after the season. I think it's likelier the Packers re-sign Jones than Williams (and are more likely to sign Jones than letting both players walk).

 

Thinking ahead who would GB Franchise tag after this season? Jones 1?

 

Dillon RB1/Deguera RB2 next season not signing either? Glad Gute and MLF have that potential hole filled.

 

Peter King reporting that the Packers tried to move up in the early/mid 2nd round to get a WR, but the ones they were targeting were picked before they could strike a deal.

 

Sounds like they had Love ranked in at least their top 15, possibly top 10, overall and wanted a WR but only one who had a 1st round grade and would be a real difference-maker right away.

 

So trading up in the 1st round cost the team the resources to. Trade up in the 2nd round and get the WR they were comfortable with. I wonder, 5th rd not enough, 3rd round too much. Denzel Mims went 3picks before GB's pick, Van Jefferson 5, then Claypool 13, KJ Hamler 16, Kmet 19, and Shenault 20.

 

3 picks is next to nothing same as 5 so they had no inkling on pairing a 6th with another 6th or just the 5th. So Ive gotta go that they wanted nothing to do with Mims or Van Jefferson. The 13picks or higher then must be the last of the guys they were targeting and theyd have to use the 3rd round pick to begin moving that far up.

So that said a failure they moved to phase 2, improving on short yardage with Dillon and Deguara which still such a reach on for 3rd round. I have to say that Gute has his guys predetermined vs flexibility roster fill based on moves of last season and this year in the draft. He wasnt going to walk away without Savage, not without Dillon, and not without Deguara. And I assume not without Love once he fell below 22. Maybe his draft board was Aiyuk, Jefferson, or Reagor as 1st pick and Love was must get if they werent there.

 

That is the only take I can have out of this class. We ought to do better on 2nd or 3rd and 2yards or less to go. 4th down and 1 situations. Theyve got the added lineman for depth or running a 6th man for the line (Runyan) Gute is going to the flea market with his draft capitol and spending Big Box prices on what he buys.

[adambr2]

I understand the logic behind *some of* the moves. I still hate the moves.

 

Obviously, I'm not alone, as the grades from our draft from almost any source range from "bad" to "horrifcly bad".

 

I understand draft grading isn't perfect and you can't really completely evaluate them for 2 to 3 years. But you won't find many "awful" drafts that turn out to be "terrific" in retrospect. Nor do you find many that get graded terrific that turn out to be awful in retrospect. Both happen, but they are very, very rare.

 

Most drafts are right there in the middle and usually are the ones that can go either way.

[adambr2]

Do you want a lousy QB in any situation? It usually helps to have that position be good.

 

Certainly you want a great QB in any situation, but they're certainly more critical for pass heavy operations.

 

I can understand his point that a run first offense needs a top defense to be championship level and we didn't do much to address that. We must be counting on tremendous second year strides from guys like Gary and Savage and really hoping to get positive contributions from Christian Kirksey.

[LouisEly]

Just because GB didn't trade up doesn't mean they didn't have the capital to do so. It could mean that other teams didn't want to move down (had their eye on particular players), or that other (NFC) teams probably don't want to help make GB any better and wanted GB to overpay. It takes two to tango. Remember, Seattle asked for more for #27 than Miami wanted for #26 because Gutes was on the phone with Seattle and said, "Hold on, we have a better offer".

 

It said "early/mid 2nd round", so Mims/Jefferson were not the guys they wanted and Claypool/Hamler probably were not the guys - they probably were Higgins, Pittman, or Shenault. The 4th round pick wasn't going to move them up to the early 2nd; that would have taken their 3rd round pick.

[patrickgpe]

agreed, the packers could have traded up, even if it meant overpaying. For example the saints completely overpaid the packers to move up 2 seasons ago, Packers could have done something like that, but it takes 2 to tango.

[brewcrewdue80]

Just because GB didn't trade up doesn't mean they didn't have the capital to do so. It could mean that other teams didn't want to move down (had their eye on particular players), or that other (NFC) teams probably don't want to help make GB any better and wanted GB to overpay. It takes two to tango. Remember, Seattle asked for more for #27 than Miami wanted for #26 because Gutes was on the phone with Seattle and said, "Hold on, we have a better offer".

 

It said "early/mid 2nd round", so Mims/Jefferson were not the guys they wanted and Claypool/Hamler probably were not the guys - they probably were Higgins, Pittman, or Shenault. The 4th round pick wasn't going to move them up to the early 2nd; that would have taken their 3rd round pick.

 

The 4th round pick moved them to 26 in the 1st round. And i mentioned that 5th. Or 6ths would have moved them up a little to grab Mims/Van but it would take the 3rd to move up at least where the upper group of WRs were picked. Too much to afford losing the 3rd round pick when your tunnel vision was set on Dillon.

[LouisEly]

If they thought highly of Mims, they would have moved up for him. They tried to move up to the early/mid 2nd round according to Peter King; if they tried moving up to the early/mid 2nd to get a WR, they surely would have moved up a couple of slots to get Mims if they liked him better than Dillon. They just didn't think that highly of Mims.

 

It wasn't tunnel vision; it's that they think Dillon will be a more valuable piece to their offense than Mims or any other WRs who were available then.

[brewcrewdue80]

If they thought highly of Mims, they would have moved up for him. They tried to move up to the early/mid 2nd round according to Peter King; if they tried moving up to the early/mid 2nd to get a WR, they surely would have moved up a couple of slots to get Mims if they liked him better than Dillon. They just didn't think that highly of Mims.

 

It wasn't tunnel vision; it's that they think Dillon will be a more valuable piece to their offense than Mims or any other WRs who were available then.

 

The next RB taken was at 76. 86 after that and 93 just before our 3rd round pick. There were a number of higher pre-draft guys expected to be gone before then, like Baun. Why not have traded down? After you traded up? If that WR group he was clamoring to snag one was all gone that was 13 picks or more from your selection, there is a great amount of time to get on the phone alert youre looking to trade down. And Id have to assume some of the same notion with Deguara. How is he not capable to move back where the pick more suits the value to the player? Like I said earlier I would estimate he could have gotten a top 100 pick with the value of not reaching on his picks. Lets just go with pick 1 or 2 of 4th rd. Akeem Gaither OLB or Saahdiq Charles OT from LSU. Its the 2nd draft bringing this up. We'll see if it happens again next season. Will he learn from this post draft media ranking and adjust his style? Or will he be out there spending $20 for $17 return value.

[PeaveyFury]

If they thought highly of Mims, they would have moved up for him. They tried to move up to the early/mid 2nd round according to Peter King; if they tried moving up to the early/mid 2nd to get a WR, they surely would have moved up a couple of slots to get Mims if they liked him better than Dillon. They just didn't think that highly of Mims.

 

It wasn't tunnel vision; it's that they think Dillon will be a more valuable piece to their offense than Mims or any other WRs who were available then.

 

The next RB taken was at 76. 86 after that and 93 just before our 3rd round pick. There were a number of higher pre-draft guys expected to be gone before then, like Baun. Why not have traded down? After you traded up? If that WR group he was clamoring to snag one was all gone that was 13 picks or more from your selection, there is a great amount of time to get on the phone alert youre looking to trade down. And Id have to assume some of the same notion with Deguara. How is he not capable to move back where the pick more suits the value to the player? Like I said earlier I would estimate he could have gotten a top 100 pick with the value of not reaching on his picks. Lets just go with pick 1 or 2 of 4th rd. Akeem Gaither OLB or Saahdiq Charles OT from LSU. Its the 2nd draft bringing this up. We'll see if it happens again next season. Will he learn from this post draft media ranking and adjust his style? Or will he be out there spending $20 for $17 return value.

 

If he adjusts his style because of post-draft grades, he should be fired. Post-draft grades are for the fans. All he should care about is how the draft is graded 3-5 years from now.

 

As it has been said before, you need to accept that the Packers' draft values are different than yours. And so far, that has worked out pretty well in a lot of ways. We'll see if this works out well over the next couple of years as well. Also, trading down doesn't happen without a 2nd willing party. Considering where the Packers were positioned later in the rounds, it's very feasible that interest in their picks was limited. We'll never know what was or wasn't an actual option, it's all just theory and speculation by us fans who know very little overall about the process.

[Fear The Chorizo]

I could care less what pundits rated a draft two days after it happened. Post draft grades the day after are hilarious to read a few years later.

 

For example, the 2011 seahawks draft was given F to D plus grades by many experts. That draft included kj Wright in the 4th and Richard Sherman in the 5th. They had few early round picks due to other trades, but they also landed two starting offensive lineman in those rounds for the team that won a super bowl.

[LouisEly]

If they thought highly of Mims, they would have moved up for him. They tried to move up to the early/mid 2nd round according to Peter King; if they tried moving up to the early/mid 2nd to get a WR, they surely would have moved up a couple of slots to get Mims if they liked him better than Dillon. They just didn't think that highly of Mims.

 

It wasn't tunnel vision; it's that they think Dillon will be a more valuable piece to their offense than Mims or any other WRs who were available then.

 

The next RB taken was at 76. 86 after that and 93 just before our 3rd round pick. There were a number of higher pre-draft guys expected to be gone before then, like Baun. Why not have traded down? After you traded up? If that WR group he was clamoring to snag one was all gone that was 13 picks or more from your selection, there is a great amount of time to get on the phone alert youre looking to trade down. And Id have to assume some of the same notion with Deguara. How is he not capable to move back where the pick more suits the value to the player? Like I said earlier I would estimate he could have gotten a top 100 pick with the value of not reaching on his picks. Lets just go with pick 1 or 2 of 4th rd. Akeem Gaither OLB or Saahdiq Charles OT from LSU. Its the 2nd draft bringing this up. We'll see if it happens again next season. Will he learn from this post draft media ranking and adjust his style? Or will he be out there spending $20 for $17 return value.

May I present to you the 2005 Green Bay Packers draft:

 

https://www.footballoutsiders.com/nfl-draft/2005/2005-report-card-report

 

Green Bay: The discrepancy here is all about Aaron Rodgers. Bell understands why they took Rodgers but says it "prevented the choice of an immediate impact player." Rang and Borges cannot overlook the value of getting Rodgers with the 24th pick, and the Rodgers selection is the only thing cited by Maske in giving them an A. The other point of contention is which needs that the Packers addressed. Rang loves the pick of receivers Terrance Murphy in the third round and Craig Bragg in the sixth, while Kiper, who likes Murphy, says the Packers did not need a receiver and that "there is just not enough defensive help in this class." Everyone agrees that second round pick Nick Collins, a cornerback from Bethune-Cookman, was a major reach. I think Pierson may sum it up best: "If Rodgers eventually replaces Favre with any degree of success, it will be a great draft. Grade: C-."

 

"Everyone agrees that second round pick Nick Collins... was a major reach."

 

Even without hindsight, after Green Bay made the pick the Ravens GM called TT and congratulated him because they were going to pick Collins two picks later in the 2nd round.

 

Fan reactions:

https://247sports.com/nfl/green-bay-packers/Article/Fans-mixed-on-Packers-draft-104192879/

 

My favorite one:

 

Draft Grade: F-

Here's why: Is Thompson still working for Seattle? When I watched opposing offenses run roughshod over the pathetic GB defense (a line that puts almost no pressure on the QB, backs who can't defend the pass - unless, of course they hold, players who can't tackle) ("Remember the Titans" isn't just a movie title), my first thought wasn't, "what this team really needs is a backup QB."

It doesn't matter who the defensive coordinator is. If your players have no talent (or brains, Draft pick Nick Collins scored a 10 on the Wonderlic test!), you're not going to stop the opposing offense. One of the few players from last years team with talent now wears purple, and the defense gets zero help from the draft?

 

Nobody has any idea what a team's draft board looks like, no matter how many internet yahoo's rankings they look at. There's a reason they are writing on the internet and not employed by a NFL team to do pre-draft evaluations.