2024 Draft Prospect Discussions

[Heyjoe4]

I don't think folks realize how special Emanuel Wilson's physical profile and what his measurables show and how well he did in limited snaps and illustrated excellent vision.

His BMI was reported to be around 32...making him one of the thickest backs in the rookie class this past year.
He ran a 4.55 forty at his weight...which for the record is better than Tank Bigsby's 4.56 who weighed thirteen pounds less.
His vertical and broad jumps were better than Achane's...and for his weight and build I'd argue was insanely better than some that may have beat his numbers.
His lateral quickness 3 cone was 4.39 which was about average in the class...astonishing if you looked at his build.

Everyone remembers how special Eddie Lacy was which was large part due to his size being able to move and do what he did....he is literally the more athletic version of Eddie....and in this off season changed some fat for muscle.

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Now I think there is as much of a chance Wilson never fulfills his athletic potential and is off the team in a couple years as it is he is our second leading rusher this year....but there is no denying the man can flat run the ball in a way a guy his size shouldn't be able to and a large part is he has a short range burst/acellaration for sure. Matter of fact his ten yard split is faster than Josh Jacobs (whose forty is much worse at 4.64), Jamaal Williams, AJ Dillon....

His ten yard split is faster than Josh Jacobs? And he's an UDFA from D2 Fort Sumter State or something and his draft eval has him pegged for bottom of the roster or PS. I thought I was watching closely last year and just didn't see anything. That tells me more than a 7.02 RAS and a good 10 yard split time.

I mean what did he actually do last year? He was on the roster so all these stats about what he might do as a rookie now are irrelevant.

What did I miss? Yards, TDs, anything? He had plenty of opportunity with Jones injured. Just don't see it Ty. Please show me some production numbers from his first year.

Absent that, let's see what happens in the draft and TC. I don't think Gluten is gonna pass on a RB because he has Emmanuel Wilson in camp. Never say never I suppose.

 

[Thirteen Below]

His ten yard split is faster than Josh Jacobs? And he's an UDFA from D2 Fort Sumter State or something and his draft eval has him pegged for bottom of the roster or PS. I thought I was watching closely last year and just didn't see anything. That tells me more than a 7.02 RAS and a good 10 yard split time.

I mean what did he actually do last year? He was on the roster so all these stats about what he might do as a rookie now are irrelevant.

What did I miss? Yards, TDs, anything? He had plenty of opportunity with Jones injured. Just don't see it Ty. Please show me some production numbers from his first year.

That's just it - he averaged fewer than 1 carry per game last season, so we had very little opportunity to see much of anything from him. And in those 14 carries, I honestly did not see much, but then again the sample size was tiny.

But I did see a couple of flashes. He had one pretty good run in the Niners game, that showed a little. And there were a couple of other plays among those 14 carries where he suddenly stutter stepped and then tore off a burst of speed, or slipped sideways to squeeze through a gap, but it just didn't amount to much... but it was surprising to see him do it so effortlessy and spontaneously. I just can't say I've seen enough of him to form an opinion, but if the Packers are that excited about him, I have to take their word for it. They know one hell a lot more about the man than I do (and for that matter, everything else about football).

Hopefully I'll be pleasantly surprised this September, but I really want to see more than 14 carries. I'd really love to see a full game where he gets 20 carries all on the same afternoon, and has a chance to get into a rhythm. Because that's the best way to judge a back; how well does he do as the game goes on, as he gets into a rhythm, adjusts to the defense, finds his confidence.

 

[Thirteen Below]

I don't think folks realize how special Emanuel Wilson's physical profile and what his measurables show and how well he did in limited snaps and illustrated excellent vision.

His BMI was reported to be around 32...making him one of the thickest backs in the rookie class this past year.
He ran a 4.55 forty at his weight...which for the record is better than Tank Bigsby's 4.56 who

If he is genuinely 5'11" and 237, his BMI is over 33. That's almost a human fire hydrant. The man is an amazing specimen, and a gifted athlete, there's no question about that. And a bigger back than Jacobs, which is something I'm not sure a lot of people reallze. I'm really intrigued to see what he brings to the table this fall.

What puzzles me, though, is why he only played a snap per game last year when Aaron Jones missed 6 games and was on a snap count in 4 or 5 more. Where was he? Was it his blocking? If the coaches are so high on him, why didn't they play him more? Especially in the latter part of the year, when Jones was still out in December? Why do they think he's going to make such a big leap this years; is the playbook really that complicated?

 

[tynimiller]

If he is genuinely 5'11" and 237, his BMI is over 33. That's almost a human fire hydrant. The man is an amazing specimen, and a gifted athlete, there's no question about that. And a bigger back than Jacobs, which is something I'm not sure a lot of people reallze. I'm really intrigued to see what he brings to the table this fall.

What puzzles me, though, is why he only played a snap per game last year when Aaron Jones missed 6 games and was on a snap count in 4 or 5 more. Where was he? Was it his blocking? If the coaches are so high on him, why didn't they play him more? Especially in the latter part of the year, when Jones was still out in December? Why do they think he's going to make such a big leap this years; is the playbook really that complicated?

Rookie, and tiny school. Playbook digestion, play call and responsibility changes that all come out of one play but depend on defensive alignment and/or audibles and technique in blocking execution were the two biggest things I’d bet my house on.

 

[tynimiller]

His ten yard split is faster than Josh Jacobs? And he's an UDFA from D2 Fort Sumter State or something and his draft eval has him pegged for bottom of the roster or PS. I thought I was watching closely last year and just didn't see anything. That tells me more than a 7.02 RAS and a good 10 yard split time.

I mean what did he actually do last year? He was on the roster so all these stats about what he might do as a rookie now are irrelevant.

What did I miss? Yards, TDs, anything? He had plenty of opportunity with Jones injured. Just don't see it Ty. Please show me some production numbers from his first year.

Absent that, let's see what happens in the draft and TC. I don't think Gluten is gonna pass on a RB because he has Emmanuel Wilson in camp. Never say never I suppose.

I am not saying Gute is gonna pass a RB he sees immense value in because of him, but I also don’t think with the addition of Jacobs and resigning of Dillon that Gute is as tremendously worried about the position as many of us might be.

Wilson’s vision in many of his rushes in the preseason showed immense promise, even take away the 80 yarder, he still looked like more of a seasoned lane director and executor than a rookie tiny school prospect.

My projections of him is if we don’t spend a decent draft pick on a back, as yes for me I see a more dynamic and explosive back than anyone not named Dillon on our roster.

We go grab an Estime, or even higher a Wright or Benson of course I don’t expect Wilson to get a big chance unless injuries hit, but I know the All22 film of him from last year in his carries for preseason and few in season there was a lot to like.

 

[Dantés]

One of the bigger questions, to me, for pick #25 is whether or not GB considers Graham Barton as a legitimate tackle. If they do, he would make sense for them in round 1. If he's an iOL only in their eyes, I doubt they would spend a round 1 pick on him.

This is a comparison that, for some reason, didn't occur to me until now:

Bryan Bulaga:

-Left tackle at Iowa
-6053, 314#, 33.25" arms
-4.75 SS, 7.70 3C
-1.80 ten yd split

Graham Barton:

-Left tackle at Duke
-6053, 313#, 32.88" arms
-4.55 SS, 7.31 3C
-1.68 ten yd split

Barton and Bulaga have virtually the same exact build. Bulaga's arms were a mere 0.37" longer-- a negligible difference. Barton is a much better athlete, at least in his testing.

 

[Thirteen Below]

Rookie, and tiny school. Playbook digestion, play call and responsibility changes that all come out of one play but depend on defensive alignment and/or audibles and technique in blocking execution were the two biggest things I’d bet my house on.

Sounds like two very good guesses. We're used to seeing rookies come in and pick up the playbook, the schemes, and the assignments pretty quickly, but that probably has a lot do with Gutekunst drafting a very high percentage of players from major college football porgrams, with complex offenses and high expectations of their players. Not as big a leap for someone from Georgia, Miami, or Michigan as it is for someone from Fort Valley State University, 2500 students. I wonder if the big step up in conditioning levels is also a factor.

The thing that has puzzled me all season is that they seem to talk constantly about how much they love the guy, what high expectations they have of him, but they hardly ever give him any footballs to play with. But if the reasons you suggest are the answer, that maybe even speaks more highly of him - that they're willing to basically redshirt him for a full year so as not to push him too far too fast, because they think that the investment will pay off in the end.

How did he come here? I know he initially tried out with Denver, but I don't know if he was a UFDA invite or walk-on. I'm guessing that from there, he walked on in Green Bay all on his own.

Edit: I just looked something up. I had competely forgotten that when Jones hurt his knee against the Chargers, they subbed Wilson in immediately, but that then he went down with a shoulder injury just a few plays later. He was on injured reserve until the first playoff game, so the entire 3 games that Jones missed in November/December (and the first game or two back, when he was on a pitch count), Wilson was not available anyway. I had totally forgotten that. That actually may go a long way toward explaining why he wasn't used more during either of the two periods when Jones was out; when Jones was injured early in the season, maybe Wilson just wasn't ready - but would have been had he not been injured.

 

[DoURant]

Here's Wilson's stats from last year. To start the season, he was the 4th RB behind Jones, Dillon, and Taylor. After Jones got hurt, he was 3rd on the depth chart. There weren't a lot of opportunities for him, but he showed he could catch the ball, and he broke a 31 yd run. In his limited amout of touches. He averaged 6.1 yds/att. Taylor is no longer on the roster, so I would say he is starting out 3rd, with a chance at 2nd on the depth chart.

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[ExpatPacker]

One of the bigger questions, to me, for pick #25 is whether or not GB considers Graham Barton as a legitimate tackle. If they do, he would make sense for them in round 1. If he's an iOL only in their eyes, I doubt they would spend a round 1 pick on him.

This is a comparison that, for some reason, didn't occur to me until now:

Bryan Bulaga:

-Left tackle at Iowa
-6053, 314#, 33.25" arms
-4.75 SS, 7.70 3C
-1.80 ten yd split

Graham Barton:

-Left tackle at Duke
-6053, 313#, 32.88" arms
-4.55 SS, 7.31 3C
-1.68 ten yd split

Barton and Bulaga have virtually the same exact build. Bulaga's arms were a mere 0.37" longer-- a negligible difference. Barton is a much better athlete, at least in his testing.

The fact that Barton isn't viewed as a legit tackle by most is concerning. That might make Mims a better choice, but with only 8 starts I would assume he couldn't be counted on to start at LT for at least the next year. If JC Latham were still on the board at 25, he'd be my pick above either of them no question.

 

[Heyjoe4]

His ten yard split is faster than Josh Jacobs? And he's an UDFA from D2 Fort Sumter State or something and his draft eval has him pegged for bottom of the roster or PS. I thought I was watching closely last year and just didn't see anything. That tells me more than a 7.02 RAS and a good 10 yard split time.

I mean what did he actually do last year? He was on the roster so all these stats about what he might do as a rookie now are irrelevant.

What did I miss? Yards, TDs, anything? He had plenty of opportunity with Jones injured. Just don't see it Ty. Please show me some production numbers from his first year.

Absent that, let's see what happens in the draft and TC. I don't think Gluten is gonna pass on a RB because he has Emmanuel Wilson in camp. Never say never I suppose.

 

[Heyjoe4]

Here's Wilson's stats from last year. To start the season, he was the 4th RB behind Jones, Dillon, and Taylor. After Jones got hurt, he was 3rd on the depth chart. There weren't a lot of opportunities for him, but he showed he could catch the ball, and he broke a 31 yd run. In his limited amout of touches. He averaged 6.1 yds/att. Taylor is no longer on the roster, so I would say he is starting out 3rd, with a chance at 2nd on the depth chart.

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Thanks DoURant, this is what I was looking for. So 14 carries for 85 yards on the season. I forgot he was the fourth back and so got very few snaps. It's nearly impossible to fairly evaluate a guy who played so little. A 6.1yd average on such a small sample size doesn't predict much. And IMO nothing in his pre-draft summaries shown explosive talent. And it was Ft Valley State, not Fort Sumter. Watching too many civil war shows I guess.

Anyway thanks for the season stats. I thought I missed something. As this all relates to the draft, I won't be surprised if Gluten takes someone on day 2 and another on day 3. Or he could save his higher picks for OT and D and take 2 RBs on day 3.

And finally, I hope Ty is right and this guy lights it up. Someone has to backup Jacobs, and I'm not crazy about Dillon.

 

[PikeBadger]

Agreed. I don't think a guy gets paid $12 mil/game and then needs that much time to learn the playbook. If the Packers are relying on Wilson and Dillon to carry the day at RB - well that's a problem. I didn't see anything from Wilson last year. Maybe I missed it.

I didn't say Jacobs wouldn't be the feature back. Just that I expect to see Dillon and Wilson get carries as well early. I expect La Fleur doesn't want to burn out Jacobs early in the season. This could very well be a 20 game season and I think all 3 of them will get work.
I'm actually more worried about Jacobs mastering his blocking assignments. I doubt LaFleur wants to get his QB wiped out in September.

Gutekunst has been bragging about how much they like Wilson for what it's worth.

 

[Heyjoe4]

I didn't say Jacobs wouldn't be the feature back. Just that I expect to see Dillon and Wilson get carries as well early. I expect La Fleur doesn't want to burn out Jacobs early in the season. This could very well be a 20 game season and I think all 3 of them will get work.
I'm actually more worried about Jacobs mastering his blocking assignments. I doubt LaFleur wants to get his QB wiped out in September.

Gutekunst has been bragging about how much they like Wilson for what it's worth.

Thanks for the clarification Pike. And you make a good point about managing Jacobs' snaps. He already has miles on him, and a RB's career is notoriously short. Having a reliable backup is almost a "must have" for a winning team.

And RBs have to block. They don't all block, or with varying degrees of success. And protecting the new franchise QB is job number one. I expect an OT will be the first or second pick as well.

Finally on Wilson, I wasn't dissing him. He just didn't get enough playing time last year to draw any conclusions. But if Gluten likes him, that's good enough. I don't recall how good Wolf and TT were at working the later rounds of the draft and UDFA, but Gluten has a good record in that regard.

It will be interesting to see where (if?) he takes a RB. He has the picks, but it's a lousy draft at the position. Given all the needs on D, he'll probably do what Ty suggested and take two guys on day 3.

 

[Heyjoe4]

Great article in the JS today about Gluten's process/strategy for drafting and when to move back, add a pick, and still get the targeted player. (This will be his seventh draft. Damn, time flies.)

Here's an interesting quote. He's not afraid to keep adding talent to even this very young team:

"To me, there’s just never enough. You never have enough ammunition to build your room so there’s significant competition in every room.

“We have 11 right now. I’d love to end up with 13, 14 or more. I would never shy away from that.”

We've been talking about RBs in the last few posts. I won't be surprised if he adds two RBs. When he adds them is up in the air.

 

[Schultz]

Thanks DoURant, this is what I was looking for. So 14 carries for 85 yards on the season. I forgot he was the fourth back and so got very few snaps. It's nearly impossible to fairly evaluate a guy who played so little. A 6.1yd average on such a small sample size doesn't predict much. And IMO nothing in his pre-draft summaries shown explosive talent. And it was Ft Valley State, not Fort Sumter. Watching too many civil war shows I guess.

Anyway thanks for the season stats. I thought I missed something. As this all relates to the draft, I won't be surprised if Gluten takes someone on day 2 and another on day 3. Or he could save his higher picks for OT and D and take 2 RBs on day 3.

And finally, I hope Ty is right and this guy lights it up. Someone has to backup Jacobs, and I'm not crazy about Dillon.

I would be very surprised if GB drafted 2 RBs. Then again, I am very surprised every year, and not just with the Packers picks.

 

[tynimiller]

I would be very surprised if GB drafted 2 RBs. Then again, I am very surprised every year, and not just with the Packers picks.

There are three things which I don't see as what I think ought to be done which in all likelihood Gute does one of them:

- Doesn't draft a safety until our fifth pick or later.
- Drafts a WR before Day2 ends.
- Doesn't draft an OL until our fifth pick or later.

 

[Heyjoe4]

There are three things which I don't see as what I think ought to be done which in all likelihood Gute does one of them:

- Doesn't draft a safety until our fifth pick or later.
- Drafts a WR before Day2 ends.
- Doesn't draft an OL until our fifth pick or later.

That's interesting. I'm sure most of us would say he'll never do any of these things, and then he goes ahead and does it. I forget which year he didn't take any O linemen, not a single one.

Just a guess, but I think drafting a WR before day two ends is the most likely of these unlikely scenarios. The other two deal with S and OL, two areas of need, so unlikely. He doesn't need a WR, or at least not before day three, but a player drops who is just too good to pass on.....

Thanks for making the draft even more interesting.

 

[Poppa San]

Thanks DoURant, this is what I was looking for. So 14 carries for 85 yards on the season. I forgot he was the fourth back and so got very few snaps. It's nearly impossible to fairly evaluate a guy who played so little. A 6.1yd average on such a small sample size doesn't predict much. And IMO nothing in his pre-draft summaries shown explosive talent. And it was Ft Valley State, not Fort Sumter. Watching too many civil war shows I guess.

Anyway thanks for the season stats. I thought I missed something. As this all relates to the draft, I won't be surprised if Gluten takes someone on day 2 and another on day 3. Or he could save his higher picks for OT and D and take 2 RBs on day 3.

And finally, I hope Ty is right and this guy lights it up. Someone has to backup Jacobs, and I'm not crazy about Dillon.

Taylor was the fourth back. Wilson was kept on the 53 and Taylor was game day elevations from the PS. When he ran out of options, he was cut and went to the NE practice squad. Packers resigned him for the season after Jones and Wilson were injured around Thanksgiving.

. I forget which year he didn't take any O linemen, not a single one.

Last year was that long ago?

 

[Dantés]

The fact that Barton isn't viewed as a legit tackle by most is concerning. That might make Mims a better choice, but with only 8 starts I would assume he couldn't be counted on to start at LT for at least the next year. If JC Latham were still on the board at 25, he'd be my pick above either of them no question.

Historically, the Packers have been much more willing to use guys like him at tackle than other clubs and they’ve been highly successful doing so.

 

[DoURant]

Taylor was the fourth back. Wilson was kept on the 53 and Taylor was game day elevations from the PS. When he ran out of options, he was cut and went to the NE practice squad. Packers resigned him for the season after Jones and Wilson were injured around Thanksgiving.

Last year was that long ago?

That's right, but then Wilson was injured in November, missing 4 games, plus Jones was already out at that time, so they brought Taylor back to team up with Dillon in the backfield.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Gutekunst has been bragging about how much they like Wilson for what it's worth.

Not worth all that much, unless you are MLF and Gutey is giving it to you straight.

I too hope that Wilson turns into a Pro Bowl RB, that the Packers decide to trade to the Vikings for 3 1st rounders, 3 2nd's a 3rd and a 6th.

Every team has their 2-3 Wilson's on the roster and PS, but not many of them end up doing a whole lot. In an interview with Wilson prior to the Falcons game, he said the biggest adjustment for him in the NFL has been "The speed of the game". Fort Valley State University isn't a hot bed for NFL talent and Wilson may have had limited success there, but it was against not so talented players. He was known for his straight up, pound and ground running style, wearing his opponents down. I really don't see him getting a chance to do that, unless he can up his game speed to that played in the NFL. To me, some of that "game speed" is learned, instinctual running, might be too late for Wilson to do that against the best players in the Sport.

 

[tynimiller]

Pro Bowl....LOL I think even his biggest advocates would say that's a pipe dream, while riding a unicorn. Wilson is a back with the tools, has changed his body structure this off season and is rumored to have gotten even quicker. Even if we draft someone, Wilson is going to have a large part to play in how this room shakes out.

 

[Firethorn1001]

I'm probably in a very small minority that would like it if the Packers drafted a WR in the 1st 4 rounds. Preferably a Watson speed type body that could potentially serve as kickoff returner #2 aside Nixon with the new KO rules. As fans, we have historically had a bad habit of significantly overvaluing every back end WR we have on the roster. If they can get a WR to improve upon the Pitts, Heath, Dubose, Toure's of the world, I hope they do it. Especially with 11 picks and especially since not 100% sold on if Watson's hamstring woes are behind him. If not, then this is year 3 of potentially half the games missed by your #1 deep threat and that isn't ideal.

While I think they could use a WR from the roster standpoint, there is a part of me that wants them to draft a WR just for the sheer social media drama since a large segment of people think that they should just ignore the WR position all together.

 

[DoURant]

I don't think Tavion McCarthy will be on the Packers board, due to his size, but I'm pulling for him to get a shot in the NFL either as a late rd pick or UDFA. I'm a graduate of Northern Michigan University, and Tavion played for my alma mater, before finishing up his college football career at Mercer in 2023. Many of you will remember seeing the viral clip of him doing a 44 inch verticle this year. He also did 23 reps on the bench, which is impressive for a DB. The Draft Network did an interview with him, thought I would share.

The Draft Network

TDN

www.thedraftnetwork.com

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Pro Bowl....LOL I think even his biggest advocates would say that's a pipe dream, while riding a unicorn. Wilson is a back with the tools, has changed his body structure this off season and is rumored to have gotten even quicker. Even if we draft someone, Wilson is going to have a large part to play in how this room shakes out.

Again, I hope Wilson is a smash! I just wouldn't bank on it if I were Gute. Given Dillon is only on a 1 year deal, with few guarantees and Wilson is your next guy up as of now, I expect Gute to go after at least 1 RB in Rounds 3-4 and possibly another later on. Having 4 solid RB's is a good problem to have. Right now the Packers have 1 1/2.