LeRoy Butler’s replay absolutely would’ve held up if the TD had been called back. One of the Aaron Rodgers‘ highlights that keeps popping up on YouTube is the one of him vs. Chicago where he’s dancing in and out of the pocket, finally steps up from about 45 yards out, throws a missile to Davante Adams down the middle as he’s getting high-lowed by two Bears defenders, and Adams catches it for the TD. WOW! Only there was holding on the play and the TD didn’t count. Still an amazing play!
Hey, don’t let a yellow handkerchief stand in the way of a good memory.
Good morning, Wes. Thank you for the in-depth draft analysis in the latest “Packers Unscripted.” Your opinion about taking a top OT at 15 or not at all sounds perfectly logical. How many seventh-round tackles do we need to stockpile? Would you apply the same logic to the running back room? If you like Bijan Robinson at 15, then you don’t need to draft another. If not, do you keep hoping to find the next Aaron Jones on Day 3?
The only issue with that comparison is how few running backs are drafted in the first round these days. For example, there wasn’t a single one last year. The meant Kenneth Walker slid into the second round, Dameon Pierce into the fourth and Isiah Pacheco being available in the seventh. My take on Robinson is that if he’s the best player at “15,” I’d work the phone and see if someone wants to trade up to take him. Green Bay used a premium pick on AJ Dillon three years ago. That’s who I’m riding with.
When is the last time the Packers didn’t draft an offensive lineman? It seems they have core players there already.
2015, which came after Green Bay’s starting five of David Bakhtiari, Josh Sitton, Corey Linsley, T.J. Lang and Bryan Bulaga played together in 17 of a possible 18 games (including playoffs). That’s the only example in the last 25 years of the Packers not drafting an offensive lineman.
Hi guys! Most GMs and scouting departments have certain athletic profiles that a prospect must have in order to make it on their board. We see guys fall in the draft all the time because of short arms or slow 40 times. How do scouts and GMs go about deciding when to ignore the testing numbers and trust the tape?
Every GM does it differently. Some will favor certain tests and drills more than others in prospects. Other times, they’ll throw out the numbers and let the film speak for itself. Micah Hyde is a good example of that. It all goes back to trusting your eye and baseline numbers. Ron Wolf is still the grandfather of that here in Green Bay, passing down lessons the Packers’ personnel department uses to this day. The possibilities are limitless when everything aligns.
Michael from Thomson, Illinois
If the Packers can consistently make plays in the run game, should there be any reason for them to pass the ball more than 30 times a game?
Perhaps not. When Matt LaFleur was Tennessee’s offensive play-caller in 2018, Marcus Mariota and Blaine Gabbert attempted more than 30 pass attempts in a game on only three occasions – and the Titans’ attempts fell below 25 passes when Derrick Henry broke out during the final four games.
Gents, how much of the Pack history of not picking a WR in the first round has to do with how low in the round they were always picking due to their success? I’m sure the thought process was, we’ll get comparable talent in the next couple rounds, a HOF QB should make them better anyways. And there are fewer large 300-pound athletic men around than there are WRs so…Picking this early in the draft, it’s almost more chance of a bust because of expectations or a letdown not getting a playmaker.
That’s a good point, but I also think it has the most to do with the Packers’ high hit rate when drafting receivers in the second round. You don’t need to invest first-round picks into a position when you’re consistently developing Pro Bowlers who were drafted in the second. Conversely, there were years when Green Bay didn’t have as much success with defensive linemen, and in turn, invested more resources into the position in the years that followed.
We’re all thankful that Patrick Mahomes isn’t a Bear. And many of us were disappointed when Minnesota drafted Justin Jefferson ahead of GB’s selection. With that in mind, are there any players that you really hope don’t land in the NFC North ahead of the 15th pick this year?
Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The Packers already are going to have to do deal with Justin Jefferson, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams (once he’s back) for the next decade. I either want JSN in Green Bay or as far away from the NFC North as possible.
Wes, Mike talked conviction as the determining factor where players land on any given team’s board. Do you believe that if all 32 teams worked together, they could assemble a consensus first-round draft order? Would they all be convicted about the same 32 college players? Or are there too many talent assessors and too many variables to achieve consensus? Is that in fact the beauty, mystery, intrigue, surrounding the draft?
I doubt you put get 32 people a room together and get them to agree on anything, let alone teams. Draft boards mushroom as the draft progresses. I think most will start very lineal and slowly branch out over Day 2 and 3. By the time you get into the later rounds, I’d bet no two boards look remotely similar. One teams fifth-rounder may be another’s primary free agent and vice versa.
