2023 Packers Defense - Eight 1st round picks

[Spanky]

I was listening to The Athletic's NFL Podcast tonight while walking the dog. They noted the 2023 Packers will have eight 1st round picks on defense. Which is a lot.

Kenny Clark, Jaire Alexander, Rashan Gary, Darnell Savage, Eric Stokes, Quay Walker, Devonte Wyatt, and Lukas Van Ness.

Let's compare to how many 1st round picks started for some of the best/most famous defenses in history:

1962 Packers - 1
1972 Dolphins No Name Defense - 1
1976 Steelers Steel Curtain - 2
1977 Cowboys Doomsday Defense - 4
1985 Bears Monsters of the Midway - 4
1986 Giants - 3
2000 Ravens - 5


Let's hope the 2023 Packers defense can live up to their draft status. If they don't, do you blame the front office or the coaching staff?

It should be interesting.


Edit - And I will note these are all relatively recent picks. None are retreads from 10+ years ago who are on their last legs. This is a ton of high level draft capital invested in a defense.

 

[OldSchool101]

I was listening to The Athletic's NFL Podcast tonight while walking the dog. They noted the 2023 Packers will have eight 1st round picks on defense. Which is a lot.

Kenny Clark, Jaire Alexander, Rashan Gary, Darnell Savage, Eric Stokes, Quay Walker, Devonte Wyatt, and Lukas Van Ness.

Let's compare to how many 1st round picks started for some of the best/most famous defenses in history:

1962 Packers - 1
1972 Dolphins No Name Defense - 1
1976 Steelers Steel Curtain - 2
1977 Cowboys Doomsday Defense - 4
1985 Bears Monsters of the Midway - 4
1986 Giants - 3
2000 Ravens - 5


Let's hope the 2023 Packers defense can live up to their draft status. If they don't, do you blame the front office or the coaching staff?

It should be interesting.

Yes. Especially when you consider adding in our other weak points.
1. Rasul Douglas
*9 INT in the past 27 contests.
2. Devondre Campbell
*2021 1st Team All-Pro

It’s really a team that shouldn’t have any problems cracking the top 25% in scoring allowed (#8 or better)

 

[Deleted member 6794]

I was listening to The Athletic's NFL Podcast tonight while walking the dog. They noted the 2023 Packers will have eight 1st round picks on defense. Which is a lot.

Kenny Clark, Jaire Alexander, Rashan Gary, Darnell Savage, Eric Stokes, Quay Walker, Devonte Wyatt, and Lukas Van Ness.

Let's compare to how many 1st round picks started for some of the best/most famous defenses in history:

1962 Packers - 1
1972 Dolphins No Name Defense - 1
1976 Steelers Steel Curtain - 2
1977 Cowboys Doomsday Defense - 4
1985 Bears Monsters of the Midway - 4
1986 Giants - 3
2000 Ravens - 5


Let's hope the 2023 Packers defense can live up to their draft status. If they don't, do you blame the front office or the coaching staff?

In my opinion both the coaching staff and the front office would deserve part of the blame if the defense doesn't live up to expectations in 2023 once again. Unfortunately adding Luke Van Ness in this year's draft doesn't make me feel comfortable that the unit will suddenly perform at an elite level with the coaching staff from last season returning.

 

[AmishMafia]

I was listening to The Athletic's NFL Podcast tonight while walking the dog. They noted the 2023 Packers will have eight 1st round picks on defense. Which is a lot.

Kenny Clark, Jaire Alexander, Rashan Gary, Darnell Savage, Eric Stokes, Quay Walker, Devonte Wyatt, and Lukas Van Ness.

Let's compare to how many 1st round picks started for some of the best/most famous defenses in history:

1962 Packers - 1
1972 Dolphins No Name Defense - 1
1976 Steelers Steel Curtain - 2
1977 Cowboys Doomsday Defense - 4
1985 Bears Monsters of the Midway - 4
1986 Giants - 3
2000 Ravens - 5


Let's hope the 2023 Packers defense can live up to their draft status. If they don't, do you blame the front office or the coaching staff?

It should be interesting.


Edit - And I will note these are all relatively recent picks. None are retreads from 10+ years ago who are on their last legs. This is a ton of high level draft capital invested in a defense.

In my opinion, coaching is more important than talent. I feel like the Packer D has underperformed since year 2 of the Capers era. I was very disappointed we kept Berry for another year. I hope he surprises me, but I don't expect a top 8 defense. 12-15 is the best I think.

 

[AmishMafia]

I was listening to The Athletic's NFL Podcast tonight while walking the dog. They noted the 2023 Packers will have eight 1st round picks on defense. Which is a lot.

Kenny Clark, Jaire Alexander, Rashan Gary, Darnell Savage, Eric Stokes, Quay Walker, Devonte Wyatt, and Lukas Van Ness.

Let's compare to how many 1st round picks started for some of the best/most famous defenses in history:

1962 Packers - 1
1972 Dolphins No Name Defense - 1
1976 Steelers Steel Curtain - 2
1977 Cowboys Doomsday Defense - 4
1985 Bears Monsters of the Midway - 4
1986 Giants - 3
2000 Ravens - 5


Let's hope the 2023 Packers defense can live up to their draft status. If they don't, do you blame the front office or the coaching staff?

It should be interesting.


Edit - And I will note these are all relatively recent picks. None are retreads from 10+ years ago who are on their last legs. This is a ton of high level draft capital invested in a defense.

By the way, the stats are a bit deceptive. In 1962 there were 14 teams in the NFL. Stokes and Clark went 29th overall and would have put them in the 3rd round in 1962. The only 2 players taken in the top 14 are Gary and Van Ness.

 

[Spanky]

By the way, the stats are a bit deceptive. In 1962 there were 14 teams in the NFL. Stokes and Clark went 29th overall and would have put them in the 3rd round in 1962. The only 2 players taken in the top 14 are Gary and Van Ness.

That's fair point, but if you look at 1962 Packers defenders taken in the first 32 picks of draft, the number only increases to 3.

 

[Dantés]

It's been a massive investment, but it's still hard to judge the results because 4 of the 8 are too new to assess.

Stokes was up, then down, then hurt.

Walker and Wyatt were in their rookie seasons.

Van Ness obviously hasn't seen the field yet.

Of the other four:

-Kenny Clark: Hit
-Jaire Alexander: Hit
-Rashan Gary: Hit
-Darnell Savage: Miss

Personally, I was most disappointed in Barry last year. He had way, way more talent to work with than many of the DC's whose defenses finished ahead of the Packers.

 

[OldSchool101]

Logically this year should see dividends from all these D draft selections. In general, we’re getting more typically into that group experience level as a whole where there should be an increase in production.

 

[PackerDNA]

No excuses. They live up to the billing this season or the billing was BS.

 

[PikeBadger]

No excuses. They live up to the billing this season or the billing was BS.

Agree. If they don't perform well this season, every coach on the defensive side of the ball needs to be let go imo.