Cheesehead
Well-known member
- Mar 19, 2019
- 2,854
- 0
Scott from Palos Park, IL
I have now seen more than one mock draft that lists DL as Green Bay’s most pressing need. Big guys are always good but have I missed something about the D-line’s deficiencies? Mock? More like mockery.
It’s not a knock on the Packers’ defensive line. I think it speaks more to the depth in the draft. Defensive line isn’t like cornerback, safety or inside linebacker, where the very best play every down. You need a rotation. Green Bay has drafted at least one defensive lineman in each of the last 22 drafts.
Jake from Athens, GA
When pick 12 comes up and Gute is figuring out what he wants to do, will he try to project what the board will look like at 30 and factor that into his decision? Like if he thinks a top-tier DL will still be available at 30, is he more likely to draft OL at 12, or is pick 12 so important that it’s more of a bird-in-the-hand kind of situation?
I asked Gutekunst a version of this question on Monday. His reply was nothing really changes when you’re picking twice in the first round as opposed to one selection. If a guy is good enough to be picked 12th and helps improve the team, then the Packers are going to take that player.
Matt from Wauconda, IL
My prediction for the Packers’ draft: Two first-round picks that play for the Pack for 10-plus years at a Hall of Fame level. Too much to hope for?
Hope? No. Expect? Yes. How about a Pro Bowl or two first?
Pedro from Porto Alegre, Brazil
When was the last time the Packers had the No. 1 pick in the draft?
1959. The Packers took a quarterback named Randy Duncan, out of Iowa. He never played a down for them. Instead, Duncan went to the CFL and played two years for the B.C. Lions before washing out. He passed away in 2016.
Dan from Toledo, OH
Back to the QB discussion, Brian Gutekunst knows at some point he will have to take a QB. If he spends four drafts not calling in top QB prospects and one draft calling in top QB prospects, in which draft do you think he will be taking a top QB prospect? The ultimate smokescreen is building a smokescreen years in advance.
Say what you want about Ted Thompson’s approach to the draft, but he hit it on the head in keeping everybody guessing. The less teams know, the better it is for your team on draft night. Otherwise, there’s no way the Packers ever land Clay Matthews back in 2009.
David from Coeur d Alene, ID
I had read somewhere that TT tended to rank his prospects in blocks of equal value rather than individually, sort of like a series of drawers ranked from top to bottom. When his turn was up, he went to the highest drawer with any names remaining and, since all names in that drawer were considered of equal value, he could sort through and pick the one of greatest need. Therefore, claiming to be drafting BAP, but in reality, drafting for need. Think there’s any truth to this line of reasoning?
I don’t know if that was exactly the approach Thompson took, but he was pretty open about how need could be the tiebreaker when assessing value to players. At the end of the day, however, the objective was to take the best player for the best value at the best time. He wasn’t about to reach for a player simply out of positional need.
Joe from Green Bay, WI
I was hoping to see a Prospect Primer on local talent Max Scharping.
No Primer, but we did write a story on the former Green Bay Southwest standout.
Tom from Fairfield, CT
Regarding the timing of calculating potential compensatory picks, is there a calendar year-end date that determines which year is affected by a particular free-agent transaction? So do the four free-agent acquisitions by the Packers and the loss of Cobb, Matthews, Ryan, etc., affect different years or are they all in the same year for these purposes?
May 7 is the day NFL teams relinquish their rights to any unsigned unrestricted free agents so long as they don’t offer a tender to retain them (New England went that route with LeGarrette Blount a few years ago). After that day, unrestricted free agents can sign elsewhere without it counting towards the compensatory equation.
Tom from Douglassville, PA
When are the draft picks allowed to report to Green Bay? Are they allowed to come in early and start going over the playbook and working out, or do they have to wait for training camp to begin?
They’re a part of the team as soon as the Packers draft them. Assuming the rookie orientation camp is next weekend, most will report to Green Bay on Thursday. The following week, they get worked in with the rest of the veterans.