2018 Draft Review

[Pokerbrat2000]

Not addressing pass rush is a head scratcher.

It doesn't take nostrodomus to see that next years draft will be all about desperation at OLB, and pass rush in general.

Burks is another WTF pick. His athleticism is great, but his football tape was awful - I mean OMG awful. I hope he turns out, but I don't know how a guy who is that bad on tape even gets drafted let alone in the 3rd round.

I wanted Ted gone, and absolutely wanted Capers run out of town; but, I don't think we did near enough to really contend this year...

Hence, another wasted year off of Rodgers career.

Is "another wasted year off of Rodgers career" your prediction or Nostradamus's?

 

[wist43]

Is "another wasted year off of Rodgers career" your prediction or Nostradamus's?

Both, lol...

We'll be better simply because Capers is gone, but pass rush is one of the most important aspects of the game, and we're severely lacking.

I'm hoping Gilbert progresses... he's the only player we have in development that might turn into something.

Fackrell, Biegel, and Ryan can't play and all 3 need to be cut. Matthew's is old, and Perry is always injured. Martinez is okay, but limited.

Burks had a great combine, but was a complete train wreck as a player.

The Packer scouting dept. puts way, way too much stock in the combine. Based on his play, Burks shouldn't have even been drafted.

Maybe they can coach him up and he'll eventually get it figured out; but my God does he have a long way to go... simply a terrible, terrible football player.

When Perry and Matthews go down - and they will - we'll be in big trouble in that front seven.

 

[AmishMafia]

Both, lol...

We'll be better simply because Capers is gone, but pass rush is one of the most important aspects of the game, and we're severely lacking.

I'm hoping Gilbert progresses... he's the only player we have in development that might turn into something.

Fackrell, Biegel, and Ryan can't play and all 3 need to be cut. Matthew's is old, and Perry is always injured. Martinez is okay, but limited.

Burks had a great combine, but was a complete train wreck as a player.

The Packer scouting dept. puts way, way too much stock in the combine. BBased on his play, Burks shouldn't have even been drafted.

Maybe they can coach him up and he'll eventually get it figured out; but my God does he have a long way to go... simply a terrible, terrible football player.

When Perry and Matthews go down - and they will - we'll be in big trouble in that front seven.

Biegel was injured and missed training camp and most of the season. When he did play, it was sparingly. It was a foot injury, so there was no way for him to keep in shape much of the time he was out.

Burks was a complete wreck as a player? What game tape did you watch him play to draw that conclussion?

 

[wist43]

Biegel was injured and missed training camp and most of the season. When he did play, it was sparingly. It was a foot injury, so there was no way for him to keep in shape much of the time he was out.

Burks was a complete wreck as a player? What game tape did you watch him play to draw that conclussion?

Watch the Alabama and Tennessee game film...

Just awful. He's so bad I'm not sure how Vandy could even justify keeping him on the field.

As for Biegel, he wasn't very good in college. He's unathletic and mechanical. I know everyone points to his combine numbers, but he has never shown to be a very good football player.

It would seem that the Gute regime might not be that different from the TT regime.

Alexander and Jackson are light years better than Randall, but if the Packer scouting dept is continuing to draft combine guys over football players, then the entire scouting dept is cancerous and needs to be made over.

 

[AmishMafia]

Watch the Alabama and Tennessee game film...

Just awful. He's so bad I'm not sure how Vandy could even justify keeping him on the field.

As for Biegel, he wasn't very good in college. He's unathletic and mechanical. I know everyone points to his combine numbers, but he has never shown to be a very good football player.

It would seem that the Gute regime might not be that different from the TT regime.

Alexander and Jackson are light years better than Randall, but if the Packer scouting dept is continuing to draft combine guys over football players, then the entire scouting dept is cancerous and needs to be made over.

Burke - I saw the Alabama low-lights and it looked bad. I have also heard from very knowledge football people say that he played extremely well most of the season. Against Alabama, the Vandy DL was blown off the line and a ILB doesn't stand a chance to see or diagnose the play. I looked for other game clips and didnt find any. Bama whooped em 59-0 and shouldn't be taken as absolute.

Biegel, I watch a lot more (most) Wisconsin games than Vandy games (none). Watt always stood out more than Biegel did and I was less than impressed with the pick. I thought his ceiling was average player, at best. I'm not giving up on him though. I am encouraged that he is looking like he has really been working out hard.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Not addressing pass rush is a head scratcher.

Burks is another WTF pick. His athleticism is great, but his football tape was awful - I mean OMG awful. I hope he turns out, but I don't know how a guy who is that bad on tape even gets drafted let alone in the 3rd round.

Hence, another wasted year off of Rodgers career.

I agree that it was surprising the Packers didn't address their pass rush during the draft. In addition Burks didn't seem to be worthy of being selected in the third round.

Overall Gutekunst did a pretty good job during his first draft though, especially considering he was able to acquire a first round pick in 2019 from the Saints as well.

While the Packers currently don't seem to be one of the favorites to win next year's Super Bowl they might surprise a lot of experts if their draft picks perform at a decent level.

Fackrell, Biegel, and Ryan can't play and all 3 need to be cut. Matthew's is old, and Perry is always injured. Martinez is okay, but limited.

When Perry and Matthews go down - and they will - we'll be in big trouble in that front seven.

Fackrell shouldn't make the roster this season but there's no reason for the Packers to give up on Biegel or release Ryan at this point. It's true that the team currently relies too much on Matthews and Perry to provide pass rush from the edge but hopefully either Gilbertt develops into an impact player or Gutekunst brings in another veteran at the position.

It would seem that the Gute regime might not be that different from the TT regime.

The Packers trading Randall, signing Graham and Wilkerson in free agency as well as Fuller to an offer sheet combined with reportedly being in talks with several other veterans indicate the current front office is taking a different approach.

 

[PackerDNA]

Gute is definitely different. I agree with HRE and others that this is a 2 year mini rebuild, though.

 

[thequick12]

I don't believe the Packers plan on using Alexander on returns. Montgomery might present an option returning kickoffs but he's definitely not a fit on punts. Therefore I believe Davis will make the roster again based on his special teams performance.



The Packers don't have any other receiver on the roster best suited to play in the slot. Therefore Cobb will definitely make the roster and most likely his contract won't be renegotiated.



Williams was a decent punt returner early in his career but he's too old for the job now. In addition he has only returned two punts for a total of one yard over the past seven seasons.

I believe I said he could be the 3rd option as an emergency and I believe that to be true. Nobody was saying he was gonna be the primary punt returner.

 

[Mondio]

Gute is definitely different. I agree with HRE and others that this is a 2 year mini rebuild, though.

I think it remains to be seen if he's all that different.

Thompson made more moves when we had a roster and cap that dictated we make moves. He traded up when we were building to get who he wants when building.

Everyone is quick to point at Graham, Mo and Williams. Woodson,Pickett, Marquand ring a bell? Built a team to go to the Super Bowl and Fabre and Co couldn't get there. When we needed to re-tool and changed QBs, was aggressive in trading to get back into first round and got 2 key pieces to super bowl run again.

It will be interesting to see what Gute does when he has what he considers a strong roster that they think can win it and how many changes he's willing to make season to season.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

I believe I said he could be the 3rd option as an emergency and I believe that to be true. Nobody was saying he was gonna be the primary punt returner.

I don't believe the Packers will consider Williams as a potential returner for this season no matter what.

 

[wist43]

I'm generally encouraged, but not very trusting of the organization as a whole when it comes to building a defense.

Who in the organization had voice enough to pull the trigger on Randall, when McKinney was there for the taking??

Who in the organization drives the philosophy that downplays the importance of pass rush in general, and ILB specifically??

Who in the organization puts combine results on at least a par, if not more importance on, game tape??

The Packers as an organization have a long track record of making a mess of trying to play defense.

I think it goes deeper than just TT and Capers. I'm hoping Gute can straighten the problems out.

 

[Mondio]

that's some funny stuff right here.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Who in the organization drives the philosophy that downplays the importance of pass rush in general, and ILB specifically??

You complained about the Packers reaching for an inside linebacker in the third round in Burks just days ago. Can't have it both ways.

 

[wist43]

You complained about the Packers reaching for an inside linebacker in the third round in Burks just days ago. Can't have it both ways.

I was all for drafting McKinney, who has proven to be a very good player.

I was not in favor of drafting Randall, who has proven to be a bust.

Nor am I in favor of drafting Burks who, like Randall, didn't play the position he was drafted for for any length of time.

I also don't like weighting the combine over game tape.

By combine results Burks belongs in the HOF. By his game tape he shouldn't have even been drafted.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Nor am I in favor of drafting Burks who, like Randall, didn't play the position he was drafted for for any length of time.

I also don't like weighting the combine over game tape.

By combine results Burks belongs in the HOF. By his game tape he shouldn't have even been drafted.

I agree that Burks seemed to be a reach in the third round. That indicates the Packers put value on the inside linebacker position though.

 

[gbgary]

he's a passing-down ilb only. our ilb's in coverage have been a problem. since this is a passing league i bet he plays a lot. might turn out to be a good pick.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

he's a passing-down ilb only. our ilb's in coverage have been a problem. since this is a passing league i bet he plays a lot. might turn out to be a good pick.

It seems Burks is an upgrade over both Martinez and Ryan in coverage. I definitely prefer not to have him on the field on running plays though.

 

[Heyjoe4]

I didn't see any threads similar to this, so I apologize if there is one. Mods, you may move it if you wish since you seem to want every thing in one singular thread anyways (jokes).

1- Jaire Alexander: I mean, he's a stud. At worst on Week 1 he'll be our NB. I think he can move around to match up on smaller, quicker guys on the inside or outside (like Stefon Diggs). Reminds me of a Sam Shields/Chris Harris Jr type. Also has a good shot at being our PR if Trevor Davis doesn't make the final roster. Depending on how King and Jackson develop, Alexander will either end up as a slot CB or outside, he can play either and both are very important.

2 - Josh Jackson: Never thought he would be there. I think we were actually going to pick Dante Pettis, but SF traded in front of us to get him. Jackson is a nice double up pick, I would assume he'll end up playing outside and possibly even as a single high safety if he doesn't work out at CB. Great ball skills, great in zone, not so good at tackling and not so great in man. Depending on how these guys develop, we could have one of the best secondaries in the NFL in a couple years. Crazy.

3 - Oren Burks: He'll start out as the Dime ILB. He's a coverage LB, and I hope we play him where he wins. Very explosive, can match up with TE's and RB's coming out of the backfield. Does pretty well in zone coverage, which is something none of our LB's can currently do. You can really tell that Gute wants our team to be athletic. He'll play a lot in coverage, don't think he'll start next to Martinez right away though.

J'Mon Moore, MVS, and EQSB all have a shot to make the roster. I love tripling up at the WR position, and all of these guys are pretty similar. I think Moore has the best shot, and MVS has a shot to make it in the Jeff Janis role if he can be a good gunner. I don't think EQSB makes the roster. Most likely a practice squad guy. Will be interesting to see how this all plays out...Adams and Cobb are really the only WR's that are safe.

Cole Madison is a nice little project to develop at guard. He fits the Packer OL type pretty well. Good in pass protection, meh as a run blocker, needs to get functionally stronger, former OT. That is a Packers OL draft pick to a tee.

JK Scott was the best punter in the league. According to Bob McGinn's report, an NFL ST's coordinator said Vogel would've been about the 5-7th best punter in this draft. Scott can hit punts with a 5+ second hang time...which is freaking nuts. We won't have very many punts returned with this guy. Stud. Plus he grew up a huge Packers fan.

James Looney...7th round pick, don't care.

Hunter Bradley...I would assume this is our new long snapper. Important position that we've been trying to upgrade for years.

Kendall Donnerson is really athletic and that's all I know.

I think we got at least 3 immediate starters (Alexander, Scott, Bradley), 2 guys who will play significant time on defense (Jackson and Burks), at least one WR who will either be our WR3 or WR4 (just pick one tbh, but I would pick Moore), and an OL who could eventually be a starter but should at least be a good backup. That's a pretty good haul! Oh...and did I mention that we got a 2019 1st round pick?!

Gute gets a solid A from this guy.

Nice thread and summary of what on paper was an “A” draft. If half of these guys succeed it will be a success, and I think Cole Madison may be a sleeper as Bakhtiari and Linsley were. I’d like to see the right side of the OL a little stronger. Spriggs I’m afraid is a bust. But the Pack usually finds good guys to plug holes and protect ARod. At this point, and with what’s available, I think the WRs will be fine. A lot will depend on Allison. Still not crazy about cutting Nelson, but I trust the judgement of Gluten. It would be wild if the secondary dramatically improved. Alexander as PR makes David expendable, and that’s ok with me. Finally, I don’t think Hundley makes the roster and it’s silly to put him on the PS. Let’s just hope we don’t have to test our backup QB this year. Anyway, loved your summary.

 

[thequick12]

I was all for drafting McKinney, who has proven to be a very good player.

I was not in favor of drafting Randall, who has proven to be a bust.

Nor am I in favor of drafting Burks who, like Randall, didn't play the position he was drafted for for any length of time.

I also don't like weighting the combine over game tape.

By combine results Burks belongs in the HOF. By his game tape he shouldn't have even been drafted.

Don't think there's anyway you can call Randall a bust. Especially because the Packers chose to play him out of position. Even playing out of position hes had a decent start to his career. Playing in 39 out of 48 regular season games he has 10 ints, 2 returned for tds, 32 passes defenesed, 1 fumble recovery, and 142 combined tackles 124 solo. In 5 playoff games he has another 23 tackles and 2 ints. He's definitely a play maker

 

[HardRightEdge]

Gute is definitely different. I agree with HRE and others that this is a 2 year mini rebuild, though.

I've seen nothing to change my mind that a 2 year plan was in order going into this offseason. I don't agree that's the Gutekunst plan.

 

[thequick12]

I agree that Burks seemed to be a reach in the third round. That indicates the Packers put value on the inside linebacker position though.

Not sure that adds up to be good. I get it's cool they finally put value on a fast athletic ilb prospect. But reaching to do so is never good. I think Burks would for sure still have been there at the first pick of the 4th round but I guess we'll never know

 

[HardRightEdge]

Not sure that adds up to be good. I get it's cool they finally put value on a fast athletic ilb prospect. But reaching to do so is never good. I think Burks would for sure still have been there at the first pick of the 4th round but I guess we'll never know

Josh Jones was drafted to play the same role projected for Burks...a one or two down coverage backer. Jones didn't work out very well in that role; he'll be competing at SS. It stands to reason the Packers expect Burks to play dime backer; if he can do more then he'll play more.

 

[sschind]

Not sure that adds up to be good. I get it's cool they finally put value on a fast athletic ilb prospect. But reaching to do so is never good. I think Burks would for sure still have been there at the first pick of the 4th round but I guess we'll never know

If you are even considering trading up for someone its obviously for a player you think will really help the team so in general I don't have a problem with a move like that. While we may think the player will still be there a dozen or so picks later (like you said we will likely never know) the GM either doesn't think sor he doesn't want to risk it so he makes the move. He is only going to do that with a specific player in mind and only then if its a player he really wants so unless his talent evaluation skills are way off its not a bad move. If he thinks that highly of someone chances may be good that someone else sees it as well. There is such a thing as overpaying and reaching but but when you are talking about that point in the draft I don't know if it applies as much. For all those who thought St. Brown would have been a good 3rd or 4th or 5th round pick what does that say about reaching?

That's why I don't fault the Bears GM for moving up the one spot to get Trubisky two years ago. He obviously saw something special and he wanted to make sure he got him. It may not work out but the idea is not flawed. You can play the if game all you want but it goes both ways.

Though it didn't involve trading up that's why I agree with Cleveland's decision to run the draft (at least the first pick) this year. You have a guy in mind you want and you think he is the best you do what it takes to get him. I won't listen to arguments about him being the 4th best QB or he would have been there at #4 yada yada because no one else's opinion matters on the subject. People said "take Barkley and get the best QB left at #$) The point here is why let someone else dictate who you will draft, or as someone on NFL.com said "If you have the pick of the litter why settle for the runt" Again it may not work due to the player selected but the idea is still sound.

Look at it this way. Would you rather have a GM who identifies a prospect as one who he really thinks will help and makes sure he gets him or one who says "I really like this guy but I'm just gonna sit here and wait and maybe I get him maybe I don't" It depends on if you want an aggressive GM who has a plan in mind and goes after the players he wants or if you want a more passive one who is willing to take what others leave for him. I think Gute is more the former and until his talent evaluation is proven lacking I prefer it that way.

 

[wist43]

Don't think there's anyway you can call Randall a bust. Especially because the Packers chose to play him out of position. Even playing out of position hes had a decent start to his career. Playing in 39 out of 48 regular season games he has 10 ints, 2 returned for tds, 32 passes defenesed, 1 fumble recovery, and 142 combined tackles 124 solo. In 5 playoff games he has another 23 tackles and 2 ints. He's definitely a play maker

You don't trade a recent 1st rd pick for a bag of chips if he isn't a bust.

Yes, you can roll out some stats, but not included in those stats is the poor tackling, blown assignments, overall soft play, and lousy attitude.

He's not a good football player, and he's a worse teammate.

Terrible pick.

 

[Mondio]

You got the attitude part right. 1 out of 5 observations ain't bad lol