#395 Packers Unscripted: Talking combine

the head coaches in general managers around the NFL. One of the key things that we heard from Packers GM Brian Gouda Kunst is really much the same what we heard last year here at this time when he was a first year GM, in that he dropped some hints that the Packers are going to be pretty active in free agency. He stuck to his word last year, no reason not to believe him this year. Right. Well, here's

the thing about this that I really like. As far as Brian Goodacuns is concerned, they want to be involved in every conversation. That was something he said from his first news conference as the new GM of the Green Bay Packers last year, and it's something that he lived up to now. He said from day one. He's also caution that by saying that doesn't mean we're gonna out and sign everybody, doesn't mean we're gonna trade for everybody.

But if Kyle Fuller's out there on a restrictive, you know, free agent contract, and they feel like they can get them, they're gonna offer them and you know, a deal, they're gonna go and try to maybe trade for a Khalil mac But here's the biggest thing for them, it's still draft in development. That's still the foundation of this thing. But if they can augment the roster with a few veterans here and there, that makes sense. That's an avenue

that Goodakods wants to explore. Yeah, now, not every free agent signing is going to be a home run. The Packers were active last year, but Mohammed Wilkerson unfortunately gets a season ending injury in in Week three. Larry we saw Byron Bell, he started half the season at right guard. He ends up going down with an injury. So nobody

bats a thousand in this free agency game. But Brian Goodacunst is committed to using that as a tool to help out this Packers roster where he feels it needs to help guys I think what we're seeing is Brian Gouda Kunst is just being Brian Gouda Kunst. He's not Ted Thompson. He's got his own approach, He's not Ron Wolf. He's got his own approach. And I don't think from year to year and draft to draft and free agency

to free agency that's going to change dramatically. He wants to be as you mentioned in the conversation on guys now, not everybody is gonna make sense, not everybody is going to fit financially, but he's going to explore those opportunities. And I really think at the end of the football day, it's just Brian being Brian. Yeah. And I think one of the things about this too, when you talk about him being in on every conversation, it's about being prepared.

It's about doing all of the legwork and all the preparation in advance so that when things kind of get fast and furious, so to speak, in terms of the market and guys potentially signing and getting offers from elsewhere, than the Packers are ready to pounce if it's the right opportunity for them. Right. And the exciting thing about this too is that Brian Goodens has been doing this for a really long time. Two decades spent in the

Packers personnel department. So you have to imagine, I mean he had his eye on, you know, Jimmy Graham for years. I mean he had his eye on bringing back potentially Trumont Williams and and seeing what he could do. And a guy like Mohammed Wilkerson who made sense based on his experience with Mike Petton. Now a lot of things are lining up. We're gonna see in about two and a half weeks here how this new free agent class

is gonna look the Packers this year. The one drawback to making those moves they don't have a compensatory pick, but they also got three other picks that they're gonna be able to work with to get him up to ten. So finding that perfect balance and also finding guys that could potentially come in here and find a role immediately is going to be the big chess match. Because as much as was made of Ted Thompson maybe not being a guy that explored free agency, he had a pretty

high batting average when he did it. Go that route. When you look at Julius Peppers, Ryan Pickett, Charles Woodson, even a guy like you know, Eric Walden that came in and made an impact. Those are the kind of things that I'm looking forward to seeing with Brian Goodkins, not only just being there every single year, but maybe finding that one guy that could potentially put them over the top. Mike, I want to make a point about you mentioned preparations. This is the NFL, and we haven't

cornered the market. The Green Bay Packers haven't cornered the market on brains, taltled or hard work. Okay, so everybody's prepared. The thing, the thing that separates you have to be prepared to pull the trigger, like you're gonna have all the studies done, but in your gut, you gotta have the courage and the wherewithal to pull the trigger. I think that's that's more of a mindset than anything else.

And I think last year, certainly Shoulder Brian good has that ability, that mindset and a willingness to pull the trigger. And one other thing I want to point out too, It isn't just about those five unrestricted free agency signed last year. It's also guy like Shot Brilon that gets brought in during the season. Right question of camp, it ends up being a guy that played a majority of their snaps down the stretch once the you know, those

soft tissue injuries cleared up. So things like that as well go a long way, because it isn't always just about promoting the next guy from the practice squad. Sometimes you've got to go out and find that veteran too. Yeah, And it is about having the courage of your convictions when when that opportunity is in front of you. Also, Gudakun said in a luncheon that we had with with several print reporters um over at Harry and Is. He's

down down the street here from the Convention Center. He said he doesn't feel like he has to make any salary cap saving type of moves in order to do potentially what he wants to in free agency. He essentially committed to Jimmy Graham for another year at tight End. I know there has been some speculation out there that that there would be a salary cap move involving Graham. Doesn't sound like that's going to happen. Still in wait

and see mode. As far as Randall Cobb and Clay Matthews, those guys with the expiring contracts, they're gonna let that play out and just see what see whether they fit financially and all that. Those things that Larry mentioned, whether or not the Packers bring the veterans back, Yeah, I mean, it's all the conversations you have to have between now

and then. I remember going back to two thousand fourteen or two thousand fifteen, actually after the two thousand fourteen season, right to the eleventh hour with Randall Cobb and in Brian Bulaga not sure whether or not those guys are gonna be back. They end up signing them right on the eve of the open free agency. That those guys going to markets. Right between now and then, so many

things are going to happen. I think the biggest thing for the Packers right now is trying to, as Brian Good said, getting as much information as they can about where this team is at, where the roster is at, and finding the right players that fit that vision and beyond. It's kind of funny when it comes to decisions in football. They get made when they have to be made, We get taken up to that point, We'll do it. That's

that's often how it works in this business, for sure. Well, another topic that we heard from both the general manager and head coach. Matt Lafleur on Wednesday was with regards to the running backs and wide receivers here with the Packers, and at running back you have Aaron Jones and Jamal

will Yams a one to punch there and Wes. Matt Lafleur talked a little bit about how he likes to have not just the workhorse back, but that combination of guys in the backfield because last year, his first year as a play caller with the Tennessee Titans, that was really really valuable to him to have two guys to turn to. Yeah. Absolutely, And and the thing that's interesting to me is all these guys that they come out of that Mike Shanahan coaching tree. His son Kyle was

talking about that yesterday at the podium. But Mike always preferred going with a single back for most part. Now, they went through a lot of them over the years in Denver and even Alfred Morris and Washington, but he always liked feeding that one guy, the younger guys from this with when you look at what Kyle's done now and San Francisco, when he was a play caller in Atlanta,

multiple guys. You look at Matt Lafleur, multiple guys, and I thought he illustrated very well why he has that philosophy. Last year in Tennessee, Dion Lewis got the ball a lot the first half of the season, kind of starts to wear down, then they feed Derrick Henry. It was grand kind of parallel to what happened here in Green Bay where Aaron Jones and Jamal Williams both had their moments, but neither guy was really featured for the entire sixteen

game schedule. I think you have to have that mentality. I think it's important to have that mentality. The Packers have isolated on those two guys as being the future that position and Matt Flor's plans for both of them. Yeah. You know what's kind of interesting is when Matt Lafleur talks about the Packers personnel, you get a fresh perspective and you get more of an appreciation for what is here.

And I know this is kind of broadening our topic just a bit, but Matt Lafleur, Okay, he comes in first time head coach and and sees sees what's in the in the stable here? What do we got to work with and and he mentioned this as the lunch was going on. We've got perhaps the best quarterback ever to play the game. That's nice place to start if you're coming in first, nice place to start. Hey, what are the other things you really need? Offensively? What are

the key pieces of that puzzle? Well, left backle we've got maybe the best in the business, and David Baktiar, if not the best, one of the best, certainly, I mean no question about it. And then another thing people covet around the National Football League, a true bona fide number one wide receiver. So those are three critical pieces to the offensive puzzle that are sitting in Green Bay when Matt Lafore walks in the door. Now, those are

really attractive commodities to build your offense around. Yeah, and when you look at those wide receivers that are behind Davante Adams, a lot of excitement, a lot of anticipation for what may happen in year two with the three wide receivers that the Packers added in the draft. And we're studying here last year in Indie Marquis Velde, Scantling, eq St Brown, Jamond Moore. Now we saw Velde Scantling and st Brown take a little bit of a step

forward in their rookie seasons. They both made their share a big play is Valdes Scantling had the most catches and yards of the bunch. But uh yeah, this transition to Matt Lafleur's offense, now we'll see what happens in that regard. But these guys are pros now, they've been through it. There are some expectations here that their game

is gonna rise to another level. Yeah, and there's a chance too, I mean that they're gonna have to get pushed here because you have Geronio also potentially coming back, though he is a restricted free agent. The Packers have drafted twelve different receivers in the last six years, so I mean there's a chance that you know they're going to go out and find another one in the draft too. You have to be able to keep up with the

pace of play in the NFL. The exciting thing about it the Packers drafted for size and speed last year with those three guys. Valdes Scantling showed it immediately. He's a big play target. He's a guy that could potentially really challenge and stress a secondary with what he can do over the top. And then even Econemius st. Brown. One thing that impressed me about him showed a lot of versatility in terms of being able to play the boundary and also the slot during some of the times

when the Packers were struggling with injuries in there. So those two guys, I think particular, you have to be excited about what their upside could be in this offense. I think it's kind of interesting. Towards the end of the last season, Marquis Velda scantling MVS alphabet soup, you know, but m V e q NVS. But anyway, uh NVS says, you know, he's looking forward and there's going to be a new head coach and all that's becoming clear, and he goes, you know what's gonna be cool next year

is everybody's a rookie. Everybody's learning a new system instead of us. You know, you kind of stick out like a sore thumb when you got a bunch of veterans in the room, you know, with Randall Cobb and DeVante Adams and so forth, and you're the rookies and you've got to learn and everything and everybody else knows it. But now everybody you know, looking at page one again,

we're starting over to some extent. Again, you can't replace experience, and those experienced guys do always have a leg up until you get three or four years in the league. But I think it's a little different approach for the young fellas we're talking about. Yeah, I would agree with you. And when you look at the running backs and wide receivers on the Packers roster, as excited as they are about them, certainly no guarantee or no message that the

Packers are just standing pad at those positions. We could see the Packers aventually add at both of those spots here in the draft. Brian Goodakoot's going into this draft with ten picks. Yeah, absolutely, And I mean you look at the running back position, I think you're pretty well set there with what you do have with Aaron Jones

and Nelson Jamal Williams. But last year proved with Capri Bibs coming in, you sometimes need that third option as well down the down the line, So that could be an area that depending on if they find a guy that could fit well into the system. And La Fleur talked about that the hits those running backs taken and how they can wear down. It's it's one of those things that sometimes even just two might not be enough.

And as far as receiver, the big question slot, I mean, I think you do need a prototypical slot, particularly in this offense. Randall Cobb is an unrestricted free agent. We'll see how that plays out. They have guys that can do it. Davante Adams did it, but I mean, I still think you need to have a guy that's more fit for that spot on a down end and down

out basis. To some extent, right now, the Packer wide receiver corps is real heavy in the big guy type receiver, the type of receiver you can't bang around, you can't muscle, generally speaking, bigger than the corners they play again, so like they've got a lot of that body type right now. It'll be interesting to see if they expand what's in the toolbox that receiver as a draft and free agency going Yeah, and when you look at the top of this draft, the Packers going into it with a tremendous

opportunity here, however you want to look at it. The first three picks for Brian Goudacunster in the top forty four of this draft because of that trade with the New Orleans Saints in the draft last year to get the extra first rounder, and then six of the first ten picks are in the first four rounds. And you could see yesterday West when we were talking to Brian Goudacunst at lunch, how excited he is about the opportunity and how important this draft really could be for the

future of the Packers. Yeah, it's a kid walk into a candy store and his mom telling him he can have whatever he wants. I mean, it's the situation every general manager in the league really, you know, Craves And the thing that's interesting about the two picks. I ran the old Jimmy Johnson draft value chart on it. I mean those two picks, you you bundle them up together that even get you to number four based on the

value of it. So, I mean there's some maneuverability. They're involved as well in terms of what they want to do if there's a guy that they like, if they don't feel like it's last year's draft where you can move back from fourteen and still have two or three guys that you really, you know, covet five or six picks down the line, you know, maybe go up and find someone. So this is the earliest they've picked since

two thousand nine. I can't even recall the last time they had two first round picks going into a draft, let alone being able to, you know, kind of put the board up and start to play around with it. Ron Wolfe had that in his first draft and got rich. But well, yeah, he got a quarterback named Brett Farve

with one of those first round picks. I was talking to Brian yesterday during an interview we're doing for another program, and I don't know how you guys feel about it, but last year at the draft when he picked up that extra number one and still drafted Gyro Alexander, I mean last year when he when he did it, when he made the move, it was cool. But it's kind of done the round now that it's us here and he's got two number one, whether he uses them, deals him,

what have you? Going into the draft with that kind of ammunition and ammunition now it is really it is smoking cool. Yeah. Yeah. Well, the Packers sitting at number twelve with their first pick, as West mentioned, the highest slot they've had since two thousand nine, which was when they took b J Rogie at number nine overall. Gudakos was asked about, well, will you potentially trade back again like last year, the opportunity at number twelve could be

a really, really big time player. He suggested it would take maybe something really significant in order to move back, which maybe means he'd trade and pick up another first rounder next year. I mean, who knows, right right, I mean, you always have that possibility out there. I think the biggest thing for the Packers right now, whether it's one, whether it's to whatever ends up shaking out, they have

to find playmakers. They have to find difference makers, and this looks to be a draft based on what we've seen so far through the end of February that could do it. Yeah, alright, Well, with that, we will call it a wrap on this edition of Packers Unscripted. We will be back with a couple more shows here from the scouting Combine in Indianapolis. Thanks for tuning in everybody. We will see you next time. M