Final Thoughts on 2025 Draft

[Thirteen Below]

So.... the big weekend has come and gone, except of course for the UFDA feeding frenzy.

What do we all think about it? I think most of us would agree that it lacked the real-time excitement and the "wow" factor of the last few drafts; it's been years since I've been less excited about a draft in progress - especially compared to how excited I was leading up to it.

I'm not going to complain about any of the picks, because Gutekunst has his reasons and he knows more about the state of the team than I do. I will, however, say that I'm pretty puzzled by a lot of them, largely because the way the draft played out didn't seem to correspond to what he was saying (or at least hinting) the last month or two about what the team needed and what he would be trying to accomplish.

I find it interesting that at least 3 and possibly as many as 5 of the 8 picks (depending on which source you go by) were pre-draft visits, although Williams appears to have been a virtual visit rather than a physical visit.

I also find it interesting how many of his picks seem to break with some of his established patterns. Not sure what to make of that. This is also the only year other than 2020 that he did not make a single trade, and it was one year that I would have most expected him to do so.

So what does everyone else think?

 

[Team Ronny]

It was a cool atmosphere being at the draft Friday night!!! Lots of people, lots of walking, but, overall very friendly people from every fan base. It was fun to see little Green Bay step into the spotlight! Wow did they deliver!!

I think the wr situation needed to be addressed, let's face it those guys down right stunk at times last season,and, once Watson got hurt, nobody stepped up. They drafted 2 guys with decent speed, the bigger guy is kinda Watson like,but, more of a do everything kind of guy. Golden, seems to be a faster, more polished version of Doubs.

The online guys, there are a few guys coming into free agency after this season. The 2nd Rd guy is a big boy.. probably gonna play alot. The defensive guys, mostly depth/rotational guys. I'm sure Hadley has some input into those picks.

Overall, hard to say if any of these guys will pan out. Gotta trust Gutey and the scouts.

 

[tynimiller]

It was a cool atmosphere being at the draft Friday night!!! Lots of people, lots of walking, but, overall very friendly people from every fan base. It was fun to see little Green Bay step into the spotlight! Wow did they deliver!!

I think the wr situation needed to be addressed, let's face it those guys down right stunk at times last season,and, once Watson got hurt, nobody stepped up. They drafted 2 guys with decent speed, the bigger guy is kinda Watson like,but, more of a do everything kind of guy. Golden, seems to be a faster, more polished version of Doubs.

The online guys, there are a few guys coming into free agency after this season. The 2nd Rd guy is a big boy.. probably gonna play alot. The defensive guys, mostly depth/rotational guys. I'm sure Hadley has some input into those picks.

Overall, hard to say if any of these guys will pan out. Gotta trust Gutey and the scouts.

I don’t understand the Doubs comp to Golden, can you unpack that as I am baffled?

 

[gopkrs]

Belton sure looks like our next left tackle. One of those all pro type guys that can protect and pave the road. If true, he and Golden will have made this draft.

 

[Thirteen Below]

Belton sure looks like our next left tackle. One of those all pro type guys that can protect and pave the road. If true, he and Golden will have made this draft.

Call me greedy, spoiled, and entitled, but after these last few drafts, I was kind of hoping for a couple more good players. But I think we will get a couple more good ones out of the rest of the class.

 

[Dantés]

Matthew Golden: Love the value of the pick. I think Golden can be a #1 option in a good passing attack in time, though he could be a #2 option and still pay off the selection.

Anthony Belton: The Packers got a lot of close looks at Belton and clearly were impressed with him. I think he provides a contingency at left tackle if Morgan doesn't pan out, but is most likely the heir apparent at RG.

Savion Williams: I did not see this pick coming, but I understand the desire to get the offense a RAC weapon. I think Williams would flop in most offenses, but LaFleur is one of the guys in the league who has a good chance of using him effectively.

Barryn Sorrell: It's really hard to poke holes in Sorrell's profile-- he's a great athlete, he had solid production, he's reportedly a hard worker with a high character. It seems at a minimum, he will be a valuable rotator.

Collin Oliver: I was surprised to see them take two edge defenders in back to back rounds, but I was a little suspicious if the Packers were interested in a DPR. If Oliver is just a speed rusher in obvious passing situations and a ST contributor, he will pay off the pick.

Warren Brinson: I don't know anything about him, but I was glad to see them finally address the iDL.

Micah Johnson: I had wondered through the process if the Packers would leave cornerback until the late rounds and that ended up being the case.

John Williams: This is a very "Packersy" OL prospect in the new school sense (i.e. a little bigger and not quite as agile).

Overall Takeaways:

-To me, the Golden pick was mainly about one this-- being able to beat man coverage. With Watson on the shelf, they needed more speed on offense and he has a great combination of movement skills and ball skills.

-Day 2 emphasized to me how much this team is prioritizing running the football. Belton will be a road grader, most likely at guard. He plays with tons of natural power. Williams will likely operate as an extension of the running game, be that out of the backfield or with catch and run opportunities.

-I would have liked to see more of an emphasis on the interior of the defensive line. They clearly intend to put Clark back at the 1T, but the options behind him are basically non-existent. Hopefully we see them add more unless Brinson and/or Stackhouse really surprise.

 

[Team Ronny]

I don’t understand the Doubs comp to Golden, can you unpack that as I am baffled?

Doubs is the more steady handed receiver, who makes difficult catches look easy, from what I saw of Golden, he has similar abilities. Granted he is faster than Doubs, probably close in size as well. Can he be a better version of Doubs, who knows

 

[OldSchool101]

It was clear where we focused on upgrading. It was the 5th time across 50 years we went Offense trifecta with 1-2-3 selections.OL will get a significant boost and through that pushed better depth.

WR got 2 players who will see earlier playing time and who together upgrade the Room if Watson is out for any reason. Our Run block should prove formidable.

Day 3 was led by our 2nd biggest need. Pass Rush. Yet we also got some guys who are really good Run stoppers by wisely selecting an interior Georgia Bulldogs.

While underwhelming or not overly flashy past RD1, this draft quietly plugged or 2 biggest weaknesses. Pass O and Pass Rush They went after need in a win now which was wise imo. The last 2 seasons we picked Offense 1-2-3 was 2020 after our NFC championship loss and 2011 after our last SB Win

 

[David Ciembronowicz]

Draft is over, IDFA just about done, GB brought in multiple players on DL, OL, WR, CB but no one, not even staff knows if the guys coming in will actually fix the holes in this team. Nothing will be known until they get through next weeks workoutss and then pre-season- then, maybe we will know if the GB draft and UDFA signings actually bear fruit.

 

[rmontro]

I thought it was cool when Seth Rollins came out. And the fact that he came out for the Bears went perfectly along with his newly heel persona. Couldn't have scripted that better.

I'm not going to complain about any of the picks, because Gutekunst has his reasons and he knows more about the state of the team than I do. I will, however, say that I'm pretty puzzled by a lot of them, largely because the way the draft played out didn't seem to correspond to what he was saying (or at least hinting) the last month or two about what the team needed and what he would be trying to accomplish.

Maybe he was putting out misinformation to throw off other teams. I imagine there's a degree of paranoia that hovers around GMs around draft time.

 

[Thirteen Below]

I thought it was cool when Seth Rollins came out. And the fact that he came out for the Bears went perfectly along with his newly heel persona. Couldn't have scripted that better.


Maybe he was putting out misinformation to throw off other teams. I imagine there's a degree of paranoia that hovers around GMs around draft time.

And this would have been a very good year to use the old maskirovka (that's Russian for "deception and misinformation"). The conventional wisdom around the league was that we were desperately in need of DL and edge, and somewhat less so cornerback. So when he drops a few hints that he's probably going to be shopping in the DL, edge, and CB aisles, people saw that as confirmation of their own clever hunches.

What drew less attention was the fact that they invited 7 WRs for Top 30 visits (including a virtual visit by Travion Williams), and 7 OL - fully 50% of the visits. Their first 2 picks were spent on WR and OL; in retrospect, that was the true indicator of Gute's top priorities.

That careful attention to those two positions probably shows that those were the two positions Gute wanted to be most absolutely certain he was getting right; with only 8 picks, he didn't want to depend on double-dipping, like he often does.

Also, of the 28 visits (2 of them virtual), Green Bay drafted 4 and signed 2 more as UFDAs - a total of 6 players, 1 out of every 5 who visited. I don't think Gute ever tipped his hand anywhere near that clearly before, and most of the league never realized it until it was over.

And frankly, neither did any of us!

 

[Thirteen Below]

First, I want to say I really appreciate how much effort and insight you put into this. I'm glad Old School chimed in too, hopefully Tyni will find it interesting enough to set aside some time for it. Love to hear even more from him, although obviously he's had a lot to contribute to other threads.

-To me, the Golden pick was mainly about one this-- being able to beat man coverage. With Watson on the shelf, they needed more speed on offense and he has a great combination of movement skills and ball skills.

I saw another dimension to it, especially in the larger context of Savion Williams in Round 3.

At the end of the 2023 season, the Packers had good reason to believe they had by far the best group of 1st and 2nd year receivers in the NFL, and a Top 10 quarterback. Gute had every reason to believe that the entire group would likely take a step forward in 24, and Green Bay was only a couple of pieces away at a few other position groups from making a serious run at the Lombardi.

And we had a couple of promising young WRs who weren't quite good enough to start, but showed promise to improve and fight for a starting role.

Come 24, that.... didn't happen. At all. None of it.

3 of the 4 receivers {Watson, Doubs, and Wicks) either failed to take the next step forward, or outright took a step back. Reed was (at best) a push. More yards, but fewer catches and TDs.

Further, the "insurance" players, Melton and Heath, did not seize the opportunity to step up and show that they were ready to pick up the slack.

So Gute had no idea which version of the WRs we were going to see in '25 - the '23 producers, or the '24 disappointments. Which was dangerous on 2 levels; 1st of all that Green Bay would have a poor '25 season, and 2nd, that going into '26, we were not going to have enough information to decide on who needs to be extended and who needs to be let walk.

This draft looks like "covering your *** on every level". He replaced Watson's role in the offense by giving Lafleur a serious downfield threat, which should immediately make our whole offense function much better.

But we're also getting a good look at 2 new WRs who may be ready to replace our present WRs going into '26, and insuring competition for the current WRs and making sure they know we're looking for their replacements, so they'd better get their act together. I think Gute is expecting some improvements from the current players, but is not comfortable assuming it. He's making sure that one way or another, WR is covered next year.

-Day 2 emphasized to me how much this team is prioritizing running the football. Belton will be a road grader, most likely at guard. He plays with tons of natural power. Williams will likely operate as an extension of the running game, be that out of the backfield or with catch and run opportunities.

1000%.

Gutekunst and Lafleur seem to increasingly understand that the key to making a Top 10 quarterback successful is to impose the running game on the other team. They stood there on the sideline last season too many times, helplessly watching while the opposition manhandled our people in the trenches, and apparently decided that we're going to be doing the manhandling.

I like that direction.... during the Lombardi dynasty years, and the Favre Super Bowl and MVP seasons through the early 2000s, it was the O line who made everything else happen - Wahle, Rivera, Clifton, Timmerman, Dotson, Winters, and Ahman Green and Dorsey Levens who made everything possible... and then Clifton, Sitton, Bulaga, etc in Rodgers' early years.

Despite our history of HOF quarterbacks, Green Bay's most dominant years have always been built on the foundation of a superb offensive line and punishing running game That's the traditional Packer culture. Gutekunst finally seems to be rebuilding that foundation.

-I would have liked to see more of an emphasis on the interior of the defensive line. They clearly intend to put Clark back at the 1T, but the options behind him are basically non-existent. Hopefully we see them add more unless Brinson and/or Stackhouse really surprise.

Gutekunst has expressed a couple of times that he and Hafley feel that the D line have turned a corner and will have a big year in '25. The fact that he didn't invest early picks, or even a lot of picks, on that position group seems to suggest he's pretty certain of it.

5 or 6 months from now, we'll know whether he's right.

 

[rmontro]

At the end of the 2023 season, the Packers had good reason to believe they had by far the best group of 1st and 2nd year receivers in the NFL, and a Top 10 quarterback. Gute had every reason to believe that the entire group would likely take a step forward in 24, and Green Bay was only a couple of pieces away at a few other position groups from making a serious run at the Lombardi.

And we had a couple of promising young WRs who weren't quite good enough to start, but showed promise to improve and fight for a starting role.

Come 24, that.... didn't happen. At all. None of it.

Good point. Another thing I would add is that Gute is probably going to rise or sink with Jordan Love's fortunes, and he wants to make sure that he has plenty of weapons. So stock that receiver room.

 

[tynimiller]

Okay...this will be long...but there are so many ways to reflect on a draft.

HOLES AND/OR NEEDS ADDRESSED - A
The most simplistic way of viewing a draft is asking did it fill positions which had need or holes to plug...this isn't the same as looking to the future but the immediate. While it can dramatically hinder a teams' future looking or drafting solely this way it is however one way to review/reflect upon a draft.

Going in we were arguably short a BIG body along our defensive front, edge room needed filled and a wide receiver. That's truly the only positions that needed holes filled, again not talking future or need for upgrade we talking bodies.

This draft filled the WR room with a hole from Watson injury and some have said also Doubs concussion issues...Matthew Golden and Savion Williams did that. Gute also drafted and signed two bigguns along the defensive front, Warren Brinson (traditional) and Nazir Stackhouse (UDFA NT type) both have a real shot of making the team and filling out that room. Finally, the edge room needed a body and Gute grabbed not one but two in Sorrell but also Oliver.

Toss in adding a DB, a few RBs, a consensus draftable LB and from a body perspective Gute did his thing.

FUTURE NEEDS - A
Thinking of what the team has coming down the pipeline when it comes to contracts and issues with roster structure is another way of looking at the current draft...and to be fair it has seemed at times Gute leans into this line of thinking quite a bit. I saw these areas of concern going into the draft; 3 offensive lineman facing contract years and we let Dillard walk who was a depth piece, WR has impending contracts coming, CB is unknown, DL decisions pending Wyatt now and Clark future year...edge is always a place where depth is needed and Enagbare is in his final year too.

The offensive line needed help from a depth perspective but also a future perspective and biggun Anthony Belton is a guy I circled in green well over a month ago as a Packer...yes he was slightly heavier than we traditionally take but dude still slipped under the 7.8 3 cone AT THAT size and was really only 6 pounds over our seemed threshold. The turning point for many on Belton was when he showed up to the Senior Bowl seemingly ten pounds lighter and his feet seemed different. His drop set was lightning and he quickly illustrated to all he was not just a slide inside prospect...what he's done at NCST at Left Tackle has a real likelihood of occurring at the next level as well. Add in John Williams, INSANE strength and can absolutely be a mauler - 11 inch hands and tackle length arms, he has the size for outside but I envision his strength and mauler mentality would be awesome sliding inside. Tyler Cooper to boot as a pure guard and udfa - is nearly as strong as Williams and has a bit more explosion out of his stance, could be an excellent depth piece along the interior and allow Monk to focus on center being his main back up role.

Along the other trenches we saw a massive amount of investment as well...Warren Brinson is an incredible athlete who has seen snaps at Georgia clear back to 2020, and you don't contribute there if you don't have some juice. Toss in the surprise addition of Nazir Stackhouse in udfa and I believe we just found our Slaton replacement honestly....and on the trench edges we added two very different but extremely likely to succeed guys in Sorrell and Oliver.

Cornerback is the one position where they didn't do much, but again until we hear from Jaire or the team that he is gone, we have to assume he is here and that changes everything in a big way. Despite that we did add a CB Micah Robinson with some real nasty mentality despite being just 5'10' and shy of 190lbs. I do envision him being a PS stash possibly a year but he made the transition from Furman to Toledo and excelled...now another massive level of competition change is before him...but some more depth competition is there. This is the one position that until further notice just needed a continuation of putting depth bodies and competition in there...could he be another Carrington?? Who knows.

Pick by Pick...

First Round - Pick 23 - Matthew Golden WR (He was 47 on my top 100)
Okay, I'm about to say something that is likely to come under attack by some but whatever. Immediately when his name was drafted I felt a similar way to when we called Love's name in 2020....I didn't like the pick, and wouldn't have done it - BUT I understood it. I liked Higgins even more in the first than Golden, but when it boils down to it that is solely because I like to know precisely what I'm getting more so and Golden has a lot of aspects of being a wide receiver that are on the upswing and yet I'm not sure where those items end up washing out at. His route running really didn't start making strides until the season had already started...but showing that progress is a good thing and I never expected to read anyone describe him with the term "excellent or good route runner" so kudos to him and his camp because it was clear that became a legit thing he was working on. I also hesitate with smaller profiled WRs working on the outside, BUT like I've shared with others there are a number of them even in the current NFL putting DBs in blenders along the outside that are sub-6 footers. Golden to me if he reaches his ceiling is that Tyreek Hill type guy...he's not winning any yards after contact awards and will be easy to bring down BUT his yards after catch may be special if he sees a crease because while he cannot handle fighting through anything, you don't have to if you are faster than everyone. Worst case I envision a better handed MVS...which even MVS's biggest critics would admit that is not a low floor to set for a prospect really cuz that likely means Golden is giving us 800 yards and 8 TDs or so a year.
TYNI GRADE - B+ I would have personally called Higgins if WR, Conerly Jr if OL and Donovan Ezeiruaku if Edge

Second Round - Pick 54 - Anthony Belton OL (76 on my top 100)
Massive Belton fan...pun intended. I shared further up some about him but this dude likely played closer to 350 during the season and even then he still was incredibly light on his feet but most had him pegged for a likely guard at the next level given his strength and massive body would be tough on iDL everywhere AND his feet might not be enough on the outside. I personally never saw that and was hoping the Senior Bowl would be his coming out party, and it was! He showed up slightly thinner and his footwork was impeccable. His drop set step was faster, his hand technique illustrated a cleaner approach too even...by the end of the senior bowl I heard most teams had put him back in the "he can be our tackle" bucket. I had him on my board at 76 but had a strong feeling he could find his way into the second round...there just weren't a lot of guys with his girth, arms, hands and feet to go with it.
TYNI GRADE - A If going OL I had him as the guy, but I would be lying if I didn't admit I had Mike Green and Trey Amos both as my preferred pick.

Third Round - Pick 87 - Savion Williams WR (was my 137th rated prospect)
This pick was the "wait...what??!!" pick of the draft. I loved Savion and when reviewing him, I loved a lot of what he could do. He instantly reminded me of Cordalle Patterson and I couldn't help but picture MLF having him in his system. I actually had him as a predicted third rounder in the Amish contest because IF we didn't go WR early I felt he paired with like a Royals or Horton or Felton would be the double dip strategy...I never expected he'd be part of a double dip but not this way. Savion has elite vision, and he can take hits and keep rocking. I had visions of him being more of a H Back type TE usage throughout the system if I'm honest and his frame and willingness to block could truly make MLF deploy him in that sense. If he shows some real blocking ability I wouldn't be shocked if the guy that he really takes snaps from is Ben Sims and Luke Musgrave in the short term. As excited as I am for the pick I just don't like it when paired with the fact we had already invested HEAVY with our first at the WR position. Another I get it, I love it, but wouldn't have done it type pick...
TYNI GRADE B- I was screaming for Josaiah Stewart or Barryn Sorrell I remember and if we went DL I wanted CJ West or Ty Robinson

Fourth Round - Pick 124 - Barryn Sorrell Edge (He was 91 on my Top100)
I'm going to call it now...if Sorrell becomes as good as I think personally he could be, that footage of him staying in the green room and getting to come out and essentially experience the unimaginable for a fourth round pick will be something we see time and time again. I fell in love with this young man the more I dug into him and his story and just everything. Named the defensive lineman of the time in Mobile (Senior Bowl) for the American team, top 10 athletic profile of his position group via Next Gen Stats for those at combine...not to mention a steady and consistent contributor at Texas each year there. BUT to be fair, nothing is refined yet...he doesn't win reps from a technician stance or a planned attack stance which is where I expect getting to learn and watch at the next level is going to grow his game in a big way. Everyone remembers I was high on Enagbare...well Sorrell is really what would spit out of a machine if typed in "give me Enagbare version 2.0 with upgrades". He's not as long as Enagbare but their builds otherwise are similar, and from a prospect development very similar. Seems fitting that if he is the guy I think he is, he will make resigning Enagbare not needed.
TYNI GRADE A+ He was the guy on I would have wrote down, but my notes say I was also looking to Joshua Farmer DL and Elijah Roberts....I wanted Jalen Royals here but we never should have, but I LOVE HIM.

Fifth Round - Pick 159 - Collin Oliver Edge (167th on my board)
Oliver was a guy once we drafted Sorrell I kind of stopped looking at...but this dude is a hybrid artist that truly showcases the off ball linebacker speed and ability that I could see him being a very exciting piece for Hafley to use because he could potentially line up anywhere. Production is Oliver's name and if he hadn't had a foot injury this past year, many think he'd have been a lock for a top100 pick...he is however an atypical type guy from a physical stance, little shorter arms than you'd like, only 6'1' but insane strength and his bend around the edge is special and not many have. Worst case we just drafted a likely ST starter his entire time he spends in the league...but his raw potential to create havoc is going to be awesome to see if it translates into the NFL.
TYNI GRADE A- I was leaning towards Yahya Black, Jackson Slater or Bilhal Kone at this pick.

Sixth Round - Pick 198 - Warren Brinson DT (Wasn't on my board...which only goes to 225, UDFA priority)
Warren Brinson was a guy I spent only a few moments watching to be fair, but I knew his profile and he was on my UDFA list to target. You don't get snaps as a freshman in 2020 and not be good enough...but to hold snaps clear through this year at one of the hardest schools to get time at, you have to be capable. A traditional style 3 tech, I think he will put pressure on guys ahead of him and make the room better but I don't see him making roster this year, I hope we can keep him on PS though.
TYNI GRADE C My board had value at OL spot with Cornelius, Lundt or Monheim leading the way, but given what we had already drafted I actually was hoping we'd call TE Thomas Fidone's name.

Seventh Round - Pick 237 - Micah Robinson CB/DB (Wasn't ranked on my big board but I did have a 7th grade on him)
Micah doesn't fit either the height or weight we traditionally go to, BUT he is still framed out similar to our normal minimal threshold. I got to watch some Micah film as I was really deep diving into Caleb Ransaw (safety) that I was VERY HIGH ON. Micah and Caleb were constantly around the ball or defending it. He was targeted 47 times in coverage, gave up just 22 receptions and 1 TD while chipping in 2 INTs and 4 break ups. His final two years with Furman preceding Tulane he gathered in 5 INTs, so his hands are one of his good qualities. For his size he is a rather surehanded tackler. I envision GB might just slide him inside and let him focus on working on slot corner work. Like Brinson I don't place the odds in his favor of being on the final roster but I think he has a better shot...I actually think he could potentially cross train some safety work too...
TYNI GRADE - B (I was hoping for Cobee Bryant, Zy Alexander or Tommi Hill to add to the CB room here)

Seventh Round - Pick 250 - John Williams OT (I had him at 163rd on my big board)
John had zero business having to wait this long for his name to be called. 11 inch hands, 33.88 arms, 28 reps on bench, 1.78 ten yard split and adaquate but not crazy agility testing....John is the epitome of college tackle to guard in the NFL prospect. Has had snaps for five years, but last two held down LT for the Bearcats. Literally gave up 1 sack this year, after a 2 sack year last year. His pass blocking efficiency per PFF is off the charts to the good. If we'd called his name in the fourth I'd have wondered if over drafted, fifth I'd felt good about...here nearly at the end of the draft I'm ecstatic. He instantly IMO allows Monk to really hone his center craft as our primary backup and likely could let the team task Williams with learning guard positions.
TYNI GRADE - A+ (VERY few guys were left that had higher grades; Zy Alexander, Cobee Bryant - two CBs I wanted earlier but didn't expect here. I honestly had Nazir Stackhouse (NT) / Joshua Gray (G) and John WIlliams as the three I wanted for the trenches on either side.)

Overall I would give Gute and Co an A- overall. It wasn't necessarily as I envisioned and I might have a more critical opinion this year due to me arguably having this be the class I've spent the absolute most time on and building my big board out myself. BUT UDFAs are crucial to the review process of anyone IMO grading a teams' performance.

UDFAs Just going to note a couple...

Nazir Stackhouse NT Georgia- is an absolute steal of a UDFA...I expect him to make the team before Brinson or Robinson would...I'd almost bet on him over Oliver even, that is how much I think his role is needed on this roster and how well I think he can answer that call.
Tyler Cooper Guard Minnesota - Pure guard noted above in beginning of post has excellent potential to hold down a spot in the future, I fully expect PS stash.
Julian Fleming WR Penn state- interesting guy...bigger WR framed receiver that is slow and many felt he could be a potential Hback or TE at the next level but I think his route to success is proving he can separate and use his frame to be a possession style receiver at the next level. He broke out with Ohio State in 2022 but then was grossly overshadowed in 2023 so he transferred to Penn State...where honestly he did a nothing burger. I have read some fans thinking he is a steal...negative, chance he doesn't even make it to TC if I'm honest which is tough because he was at one time considered one of the best WR prospects out of High School in the nation.
Jamon Dumas-Johnson LB Kentucky - A vastly more explosive version of McDuffie I really like him and expected him to go in the fifth or so...if he can learn to process and trigger more appropriately and not over rush things he could fight into a spot...LB like Safety is a sneaky depth spot for a roster spot.
Johnathan Baldwin S UNLV - look out for him to push through teams for a spot...the back end of the safety room is a sneaky spot for an UDFA to grab a spot IMO.
Amar Johnson RB South Dakota State - Tucker Kraft sees a teammate come that can flat out fly, 4.39 forty time this 5'10' 205 pound dude ran for 1,222 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2024, but he also has solid hands for a RB too. Jacobs and Lloyd have things on lock...but can Amar challenge Brooks or Wilson?? I don't know but I like having him in house for it. I think one of our two udfa RBs stick on the PS
Buggs (Kahzir) Brown CB FAU (by way of Maine) - Now this guy has a big frame 6'1' 223lbs but yet ran a 4.53 and I'm intrigued where the Packers see him. He's played outside CB for four straight years, first three for Maine and then this past year at FAU. His strength and size was very troublesome for WRs to overpower or win jump balls against, he only really suffered against real burner type WRs...I heard some consider him a SS candidate but his versatility and experience lining up outside makes him an intriguing UDFA signing.

 

[Curly Calhoun]

Let's be honest - None of us, including Gutey, really knows how any of these guys will work out. The hope is that Golden can develop into a true number one receiver, and I think that's a reasonable expectation. When Watson was absent last year it seemed to have a trickle-down negative effect on the rest of the receiving corps, and no one really stepped up as "the guy". If Golden with his speed can take the top off of the defense and free some guys underneath, the offense can be a whole lot more productive.

That, in turn, takes pressure off of the defense, and Jeff Hafley I believe has done a pretty decent job on that side of the ball. Getting two edge rushers and replacing Slaton with Brinson (or possible FA Stackhouse) should keep us in decent shape there. I also believe the Packers are banking on Carrington Valentine and possible Kaylen King to be contributors in the secondary, we'll see how that works out. Jaire is as good as gone I believe.

The interesting picks for me were in rounds 2 and 3. Belton looks like a mauler who will add muscle to the run game. He might be a tackle, but a switch to guard is not out of the question. Either way he'll compete for a starting role. Williams from TCU was the surprise, and I can't wait to see what the Pack has in mind for him. Some wide receiver, some tight end, some wildcat, some running pack, kick returns - It's all on the table. Does his presence mean the end for Mecole Hardman? Maybe, but not necessarily. LeFleur is a creative guy offensively, and I can see him utilizing multiple gadget players.

This was a fascinating draft by Green Bay.


Go Pack Go.

 

[OldSchool101]

Great thoughts thanks.

Really the key player from each draft that’s expected to perform quickly in a “Win Now” season (which I think we qualify) is Day1. You’ll get a couple others that pop, but you expect Day1 to produce or possibly be an upgrade.

So the common question Im hearing around the league is “Can Matthew Golden be a WR1?” But the real question should be can Golden outperform Watson? My question would be.. Could Christian Watson have transferred to The Texas Longhorns in his Junior Year and finished the season

#9 in receptions in the SEC
#3 in Rec Yards in the SEC
#1 TD’s in the SEC
*104 yards per contest in his last 4 games against Georgia, Clemson, Arizona State and Ohio State

Now this isn’t beat up on Christian Watson day. But Christian is a good model because he’s the one who’s temporarily being replaced. It is a fair question to ask who was a better prospect coming into their Rookie season because that’s where his replacement is currently at.

Christian is a pretty good WR, but he’s been nowhere close to a WR1. His most productive season in the NFL was 611 yards, 7TDs (Rookie season). So while Christian is missed, this is a Strong WR3 on many teams, maybe a lesser WR2 as far as raw production.

IMO Golden doesn’t NEED to be our WR1 or anyone’s WR1 in 2025.
To be fair, he just needs to eclipse those above numbers to be an upgrade. Historically we’ve been Running the ball more. In 2024 our carry load was the most since Ahman Green was suited up. We just spent substantial resources at OL this offseason to upgrade. We also backed it with a very good (and very big) LT. Golden needs 700 yards, 7 TD’s (Kraft type numbers) to improve our Roster from last season.

So with that said. I think many would agree that Golden is more than capable of that type production. Savion is merely a bonus WR.