Inbox: He's off to a whale of a start

[Cheesehead]

A.J. from Brisbane, Australia


Curtis Bolton: Before his injury, he seemed like a surprising gem at inside linebacker. What are your thoughts on him returning this year?


His chances all depend on getting back to his pre-injury self. If he's able to do that by the start of training camp, I could see him finding a role on defense.


Tom from Keota, IA


Hey II, I'm interested in your opinion here. Excluding Aaron Rodgers from this discussion, which single player would it hurt the Packers most to not have on the field? I'm guessing a lot of people would say Davante Adams after this draft, but is there another player at another position whose absence would create a bigger problem for the team?


My other pick on offense right now would be David Bakhtiari. Dan has my choice on the defensive side.


Dan from Tomah, WI


I'd ask why we are still on this Jordan Love over WR thing but that's a wasted question. The young WR talent to go with Adams and Devin Funchess already seems like an upgrade to 2019. I'm more worried about interior DL. If Clark goes down, we have no quality backup in the middle. How was this not addressed in FA or the draft?


I thought this was the draft the Packers would find the next Clark, with the idea the two would be paired together for the foreseeable future. I said it several times. It wasn't the focus I thought it would be.


Chris from Eau Claire, WI


As second- and third-round picks, are A.J. Dillon and Josiah Deguara going to be catching all of Rodgers' TD passes?


Nicely done.


Bill from Graniteville, SC


Thanks for all you guys have done these past few weeks. I thoroughly enjoyed all your draft coverage. Can you please explain to me why those in the media, and even some fans, who have been crushing Aaron Rodgers for the past three years regarding his eroding skills, his lack of leadership, and myriad other elements of his game are now crushing the Packers for drafting a player they hope will be able to replace him in two or three years?


Great question. No, not great. Superb.


Kevin from Rockton, IL


How common is it for a team to decline the fifth-year option on a player before the fourth year of the rookie contract is played? What would be the benefit to the team (or the player, for that matter)? Can the team renege on the declination, after the fourth year is played, if the player has a breakout year?


It's in the terms of the CBA that teams have to decide on the fifth-year option in early May prior to the player's fourth season. It's a hard-and-fast deadline, no backsies.


Justin from Sammamish, WA


I saw something interesting about the top 10 picks from the 2017 draft. It said half have had their fifth-year options declined. Just further shows how uncertain a draft pick's future can be.


The draft in general is loaded with uncertainty. I'm pretty sure Wes and I spent a good chunk of this column between the combine and the draft trying to deliver that message.


Nicholas from Portland, OR


I'm now purposefully not clicking on any articles speculating about when Rodgers is leaving the Packers and how passively aggressively mad he is right now...minor victories.


In passive-aggressive fashion no less.


Bill from Wilmington, DE


Hi Mike, how many running backs were selected before A.J. Dillon? Is Dexter Williams in danger of being cut? He didn't see the field last year, but I was interested in seeing him get a chance to show his skill set.


Dillon was the sixth running back selected, and those first six were all taken between picks 32 and 62. A lot of folks are asking about Dexter Williams. All I know is it's up to him to put the coaches and the personnel department in a difficult position. He also has practice-squad eligibility.


Ron from Bethesda, MD


Was there a player in the draft that the Packers wanted but didn't get?


I'm quite certain of that, but when you're picking 30th, have just one pick in each of the first five rounds, and give up one of those to move up a few spots, you don't have a lot of maneuverability left to target specific players without sacrificing future draft picks, which has never been the Packers' MO.


Jim from Woodbury, MN


Aside from the obvious, how much tougher will it be for you to report on "virtual" workouts and the rest of the offseason?


We'll just have to see what kind of access we're afforded as the spring progresses. Normally, when OTAs would start in late May, we'd have a media access day once per week for three weeks, and then full access to the offseason-concluding minicamp in mid-June. None of that is happening. I'm just taking it week by week at this point, and we're going to do the best we can to continue providing content on packers.com. Right now, for me and Wes, the focus is on follow-up stories on the draft picks from talking to college coaches or other past connections, which started with Friday's piece on Dillon.


George from Olympia, WA


Which rookie will stand out the most this year?


The best thing for the Packers is if it's Dillon, Deguara or Martin.


Andrew from Green Bay, WI


Who will be the best player this year out of the free-agent pickups?


The best thing for the Packers is if Christian Kirksey, Rick Wagner and Funchess are all in the discussion for the right reasons.


Eric from Reedsburg, WI


Are the Bears truly bailing on Trubisky or is this a prove-it year for him?


He has to keep his starting job first. In the competition with Foles, the outside assessment appears to be Trubisky's the underdog.