#400 Packers Unscripted: Pre-draft prep

and you're just like man, something of substance to talk about. Again, we're not going over all the scenarios of well if the Packers move back or move up or or trade their pick until you know next year. No, finally all the talking stops, we get some action. It is here. We're gonna focus this show on the draft as big an overall overview draft preview as we can give you

here in the time allowed on Packers Unscripted. I'm just going to dive right in here on offense west You look at where the Packers are on offense to me, and this is where I'm talking. You know, the the upper picks the Packers have, the Packers have four picks in the top seventy five of this draft, twelve at thirty in the first round, forty four in the second round, seventy five in the third round. So we're talking Thursday

and Friday's picks as they stand right now. When I look at where the Packers are on offense, I think the potential of those high using those high picks maybe falls more likely at offensive line and or tight end than perhaps any of the other positions. Now, of course, we know anything can happen. That's kind of the way I see this right now shaping up. What do you think? Well, I just think you know and again we know nothing

condition and everything we say. But I do think there's a lot of big people that are available here in the first round that could really make Brian Goodakuinsen his scouts think so, whether that's offensive line or defensive line, I think there's a lot of talent there that they're gonna have to consider. To me, it comes down to three questions in terms of looking at specifically at the number twelve position. One, how many quarterbacks go before? Then

maybe it's only one. We'll see what happens with Montez Sweat After some of the medicals and where he's gonna fall in two or three, I should say, is how many skill position players are we going to see get on a run here? Is it just gonna be t J. Hockinson? Is there someone else? You know, DK Metcalf, somebody else that that some team wants to potentially explore. Do you want to get one of the top guys at those positions?

Once all that shuffles out, I think you're gonna see what that board looks like for the Green Bay Packers. To me, though, I think it's offensive line. I think it's defensive line. I think the value is there at twelve, and then potentially the position you don't address, maybe it's there for you at thirty. Yeah. The interesting thing here

when you're talking the offensive skill positions. Everyone knows the two tight ends from Iowa teach J. Hockins and Noah Fanse being talked about as first round picks, But there's a lot of talk that maybe only one wide receiver is going to go in the first round talking Metcalf from from Ole miss and then a very good chance there won't be any running backs taken in the first round.

So it's an it's an unusual draft in the way that that is shaping up, but usual too in the standpoint that no cornerbacks probably are going to go in the top twenty either, unless somebody wants to go up and get Greedy Williams. So in terms of looking at these past few years, different in that regard where the

skill position players, the burners aren't really high on that board. Yeah, and that's where I think I'm with you Wes in that if you look at offense and defense, the prospects in the defensive front seven, whether you're talking defensive line, whether you're talking edge rushers, even those couple off the ball linebackers, the two Devons as I like to say, Devin White Devon Bush from l s U and Michigan respectively.

You look at defensive front seven picks in the depth of these offensive line picks, particularly the tackles of course those first the first round type guys, it just looks to me like there's going to be a pick of

the litter, so to speak, at twelve. If Brian Gouda Kunz decides to stay at twelve as opposed to move around now, he may move around as well, looking specifically at offensive line, though The other thing that intrigues me is that, say you look at five guys who are being talked about here that's kind of the top five. There are three of them, and I'm talking about Jonah Williams,

Dalton Reisner, and Cody Ford. Three of them are being talked about as potential guard or techackle, you know, not just being being pigeonholed, so to speak, strictly as a tackle. Those guard tackle type of guys could be really really interesting for the Packers and their their potential interest level.

It's a great point you raise here because if you look back at the Ted Thompson and now Brian Goods era, their m O hasn't been to draft an offensive linemen early in on in these drafts and move them to guard. They've liked to take those late round guys, sometimes on drafted guys like Lane Taylor who are tried in true guards, and then let them settle into those positions. Now that's

not to say they won't always do it. They did it with j. C. Treader in the fourth round out of Cornell, taking him as a tackle, moving him to center. But it would be interesting if they would, potentially this year make that decision that, Okay, well, we just like this guy as a prototype. We like him as a guy that could fit our scheme, and then we'll let all the other stuff figure it out later on Another player too, while he doesn't fit into your definition there

of that versatility. Andre Dillard, who was a teammate of Cole Madison at Washington State, another guy that could potentially be in that twelve spot. The number one thing, and we've discussed this earlier in the off season, that that I take away from the two thousand eighteen season is, to steal for a phrase from Vick Catchman, you need to get some more jars on the shelf there. The Packers have a veteran deep offensive line, but we've seen in three of the last four years how injuries can

really wither away that depth. I think you need to get a guy that can play both of those spots. You need to get another guy to develop there because they've had a lot of success at that position. The question for Brian good Kuntz and his scouts now is whether or not any of these four or five guys that could potentially be there at both twelve and thirty

could be you know, prospects that could fit that vision. Yeah, and Brian Gooda Kuntz went out in free agency and signed Billy Turner, a guy who is also a guard tackle. They didn't necessarily say this is the position that this guy is gonna play. So I think all of that makes the the offensive line prospects at the top of

this draft interesting. Um. And one more thing to consider too, There was a time long ago people don't remember but this, but in two thousand, third team and Brian Bloga tours a c L at family night, David bak tr was just starting to crack the lineup at right tackle. Things can change quickly. You need to adjust and you want to find some players that can help you do so over the course of a long season. Yeah, looking at

some other spots on offense. Um, if you don't get one of the top tight ends, one of those two Iowa guys in the first round, you don't really know

how that's gonna fall. But this, this draft has, this draft has a handful of tight ends that are definitely going to be in play, whether you're talking the middle of the second round, middle of the third round, middle of the fourth round where the Packers have two picks in the middle of the fourth round at one fourteen and one eighteen, so a total of six picks in

the first four rounds. You know, I don't have all the names off the top of my head, but whether you're talking Irv Smith from Alabama, Ja Sternburger from Texas, A and m um some other, um other other prospects yet um the Stanford Stanford tight on, another West Coast guy, there are some there are some ways here that even if those Iowa tight ends go off the board, that the Packers can potentially address and maybe find that tight end of the future, even if they don't find them

on Thursday night. It's a really fun draft for tight ends, and we have not been able to say that every year. It almost seems like for the last maybe three or four years, you and I have been talking about the dearth of tight end prospects at least up in these draft classes. Hockinson and Fans are are just for both of them be coming out of the same program is insane. They both have entirely different skill sets and they both look like they're going to be stars in this league.

And it's really interesting. They'll wear these picks line up because you don't know if Hockinson would be there at twelve, especially with some of these questions on the other top ten guys, maybe a team just wants to go with the surefire plug and play tight end. Wouldn't fault them at all for that. But at the same time, the the combine that fans had, it's not a given that he's going to be there at thirty for the Packers.

So this is where I think IRV Smith Jr. It's very interesting for him in this draft class because some people have him in the early second round, maybe even the late first round, middle second round. I really think his value in this draft is going to be determined by how early those Iowa kids go, because Smith, in a lot of years, Mike would be the top prospect at that position. Exactly what I was going to say in a different year, if Smith from Alabama might be

the top tight end. Everyone has NFL bloodlines, his father played in this league. He's coming out of a good program, and he has a really good build. I mean, it isn't the six five to fifty that a guy like Hockinson is, but very talented. Sternberger, obviously out of Texas A and M will be interesting to follow too. And then another guy I think is really intriguing is call Hale warning I'm gonna mess up his first name again,

wearing uh from San Diego State. This is a guy that was kind of a late convert to that position, but a big bodied guy that you might be able to have in the second day of the draft, maybe the third round. Just a lot of different guys that are gonna make NFL teams, including the Packers really consider that board. Yeah, And a couple of potential sleepers at tight end that we've done prospect primers on Josh Oliver from San Jose State and uh, shoot, the other one

is escaping me right now. Dawson Knox from from from Ole, miss Yeah, the Mississippi tight end. He's actually I should correct myself. Maybe his primer hasn't been on the website yet, but I know I did a lot of them. I did one on him, and if it's not up, it's

going up this week before the draft. But those are another couple of when you're talking you know, mid mid to even possibly late round guys depending on how this falls at tight end the other skill position cheer on offense West I want to touch on before we shift gears completely to the defensive side. Running back and wide receiver. We all know the Packers drafted three wide receivers last year.

All three of those guys will be back now learning a new offensive system with Matt Lafleur, a new head coach, Nathaniel Hackett new offensive coordinator coming in. At running back, we know the Packers have Aaron Jones and Jamal Williams. I think there are a couple of things that the

Packers might specifically target at those positions. Not necessarily very high in the draft, but I'm wondering if they can find a running back who maybe is one of these really cat quick, speedy guys that just creates a matchup issue, uh in certain situations for a defensive coordinator. And then at wide receiver, do you want to go out and find that prototypical slot receiver who can step in for Randall Cobb or do you just want to add to your stable and then see based on the guys that

you have, if somebody emerges as the slot receiver. Your thoughts on maybe which way the Packers go there? Well, first, I want to start off at the running backs because it's very interesting the situation the Packers find themselves in because for all intents and purposes, they have two really solid options there and in Aaron Jones and Jamal Williams. But as I believe, if it correct me, if I'm wrong in this, and if I am, I will be

the first one to admit it. But I believe it was Matt Lafleur that was talking about it this offseason, how you need to have three options there just because of how the season plays out. You saw it last year for him and with the Titans in even to some extent here in Green Bay. So in that regard, there are a lot of interesting prospects. David Montgomery probably fits that mold that you were talking about as a

guy that can pretty much do it all. Packers also have number eighty eight available if they want to go that direction with another kind of slash player playing eight eight that has the last name of Montgomery. Never know. Devin Singletary is a guy that I really like coming out of f a U. Yeah, Singletary is one who who's who's interesting to me. I looked at some stuff on him for a prospect primer, and yeah, there's there's a lot to be intrigued with. But Darryl Henderson, I mean,

Elijah holy Field, very famous name as well. There Bryce Love Benny Snell. I just think that over the course of this three days, we're gonna be really gonna find out what Brian Goodkins thinks about this class and how potentially those guys can maybe helped compliment Aaron Jones and Jamal Williams. Wouldn't surprise me either if the Packers don't even draft anybody, But I just think if they do take somebody at that position, it's going to be a

player they really really really like. Yeah, I I uh, I think a draft pick at running back is going to tell us a lot potentially about what exactly is the skill set that Matt Lafleur absolutely for in his offense. So that is definitely something to keep an one. With regards to wide receiver, Okay, we know Davante Adams is your number one Geronimo Allison will be coming off of an injury, but I would have to say is the

front runner for the number two wide receiver spot. At this point, You've got the three draft picks from last year, Valda Scantling, Jamon Moore, e q st Brown. You have Jake Kumero in the mix. You have Alan Lazard, a late season pick up in the mix. One thing I guess we'll have to see. To me, the Packers have of you know, have some depth there at wide receiver already going in. It's almost as though, if there is that difference making, playmaking type of wide receiver, who's there

at a good value in a certain spot. I could see the Packers maybe taking a receiver with with one of those picks on the first couple of days. But otherwise I'm just not sure if you if you pick somebody just to add another wide receiver to the mix, I don't know. To me, it's like whether you're talking that specific slot receiver guy or you're gonna or you're gonna go up top to draft a guy you think is the bona fide number two and go with Davante Adams.

I just don't know if you're gonna do much in the middle ground with everything that you already did last year in the draft at the position. It's just my gut feeling. Here's the thing that's very different from the Brian Goodkinst era from when we were with Ted Thompson here in Green Bay. Thompson really diversified the receivers a lot.

When you had Donald Driver, then you had Greg Jennings, and you had Randall cop You also had your Jordy Nelson's of the world too, But for most part they had guys that could do a lot of things and pretty much fit into that anywhere from five ten five eleven to six ft two six ft three range. Now they got a boatload of really tall receivers. Traditionally that

hasn't been the prototype for a slot player. But I think one of the things they've really stressed here the last couple of years is being multiple at that position, not having a guy that you just pinpoint as your slot guy and then you you go about your business. So the thing I'm looking for is, yeah, I don't I'm not expecting a Hakim Butler. I'm not expecting, you know, one of these big tall targets to come in. But do you look at one of those five ten guys?

Do you look at one of those because there's several of them and that five ten to six foot range that would fit the more traditional slot role. But and you don't need to use necessarily a to get one of those guys. I mean you look at my point. Yeah, I mean you look at the way that this goes out. You wrote about Hunter Renfree Renfro already from Clemson, But I mean then you got what is it here? I was just looking, um, Yeah, I mean Penny Hard from Georgia State is five eight. I mean, you've got a

bunch of guys in that six foot range. I mean, and early on Marque's Browns five nine Oklahoma out Oklahoma. So that is gonna be much like we're talking about with the running back position. Seeing exactly what they do at receiver, I think is also gonna be a real telltale sign of how they view the receiver position and what it's gonna look like in terms of their assignments going into Yeah, alright, well, I want to take care of some sponsor business and then we'll get back to

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fuels the greatness of Packers fans everywhere. Try the delicious classic chicken noodle soup. Just visit your local supermarket and ask for Campbell's Chunky Soup. Official sup partner of the Green Bay Packers. Okay, getting back to the defense of side of things, Looking at some of those top picks the Packers have again to rattle them off for your twelve, thirty, forty four and seventy five are your picks on Thursday and Friday in the first three rounds if Goodacoon stays put,

which we know is no guarantee. But I think the point you brought up at the beginning of the show is really interesting when you look at the front seven and how this draft could fall at the top. Mantes sweat and what with the type of athletic ability and what he did at Mississippi State and where he was being talked about a month or two ago or coming out of the combine too. Now all of this the medical issue that we're hearing with regards to something about

an enlarged heart. And I don't want to get into all the medical without knowing exactly what's being talked about. But what we're hearing is that some teams are taking them off their board entirely supposedly because of this medical issue. Teams are going to have different opinions on that. But when you're talking about a guy who was projected as a potential top ten, top twelve pick and now all of a sudden nobody knows where he's gonna go, that's a you know, that's the old wrench thrown into the

system here. And when you're trying to figure out who's going to be there at twelve, and we don't know what the Packers are thinking with regards to Sweat or if they like other players better. Well, and the other thing was too, I mean, coming off of Sweats Combine, I just wrote him off that he's not going to be there at twelve. I didn't think. And if he's not there at twelve, that means that some other team took him, which means another player falls to the Packers.

How that domino effect, you know, plays out, We're going to find out on Thursday night. But I love this draft for defensive players I mean, Quinn and Williams is being looked at his potentially once in a generation type player. Devin White is probably my favorite player in this year's draft. I just think he's athletic and versatile. He's he might be mine as well, and he's coming out of Dave

Randa's system. I'm not saying there's just you know, pinpoint parallels between what a Randa does and what you know, Mike Petton does, but I just I really like what he brings the tables and every down player. Ed Oliver was running really hot. Now there's been some questions about him, it's still a real good talent. Rashaan Gary is a phenomenal interview. I mean, I find a story fascinating, his goals in life and what he wants to achieve, and

just seeing exactly who's gonna be there. Again, it's just gonna depend on the dominoes here, but you know Boss is gonna go, you know, Josh Allen's gonna go, you know Williams is gonna go. Figuring it out from there. I mean, it's it's kind of just a toss up, But I mean there's just so much talent that I think is really going to make teams consider him. Yeah, you look at you look at three guys from the

in the defensive front seven from Clemson. You've got Dexter Lawrence and and Cleveland Farrell and the other defensive lineman. His name is escaping me at the moment. He's Christians Wilkins. Yeah. I believes the kid that graduated like two and a half years or whatever. Yeah, and he's probably he could be the one who's drafted the first out of those three. But but just the Clemson defensive alone is giving you that ed inside linebacker you mentioned Devin White. The other

Devon is Devin Bush from Michigan. Everything that I'm seeing and reading indicates that there's a there a significant drop off at inside linebacker after those two to kind of everybody else that's in the draft. So that's another thing that's interesting to me. Now, the Packers obviously have Blake Martinez as a key communicator, signal caller, and and tackle machine so to speak. In this Mike Petton defense. You spent a third round pick on Orn Burke's last year.

You're looking for that second year jump from him. But you just wonder if one of those Devon's is there at number twelve, with as big of a drop off as they're saying there is at that position in this draft. You wonder if now I don't think Devin White is going to be there. I think maybe the question is whether Devin is whether Devin Bush would be there. You wonder if Brian Gudakunst, you know, makes that move right there.

But again, he's going to be leaving some other you know, defensive front or edge rusher type players still on the board. That's the thing, right, I mean, you obviously you only have one peg to fill the holes, so I mean figuring out what you want to do with it is always interesting. But then you look at what ro Kuan Smith did last year for Chicago and showing up Vic Fangio's defense, being the top ten pick early on in

the top inside linebacker on the board. I think both of those guys are going to be really good NFL football players every down, players built for defenses in two thousand nineteen UM. But again, it depends on what the Packers want to do. They feel good about Blake Martinez, but we also know that Mantra, you can never have good enough football players. They had to use a safety at that other inside linebacker position for the most of

last season. You know, do one of those two guys make you consider going back to a more traditional player in that role. Yeah, And when you look at the safety position, if there is a position on defense, even after free agency, with you know, signing the two Smiths at outside linebacker, signing Adrian Amos at safety, there's still basically a wide open starting spot on this Mike Petton

defense at safety. Right now. I don't see the Packers using the twelve pick at safety, but certainly there are going to be some options there at number thirty a couple of guys that we've talked about. Thornhill from Virginia is an interesting prospect as a guy who has played some corner, had a lot of cover skills intercepted I believe six passes last year as a center field for the for the Cavaliers, So a lot of a wide

ranging skill set there. And then of course, the the descendants, so to speak of the Packers Hall of Famer Herb at Ely, I'm talking about Nasir Adderly now if I have it correct, from the story I wrote from the Combine, it's Nasir's grandfather who is a cousin of Herb. But

Nasir and Herb have known each other. They they connected during high school and they've known each other for a while now, so he's well aware of the of the bloodlines and everything, and and that name and what it means in terms of, you know, a pro football Hall of Famer and the family and the Green Bay Packers and whatnot really interesting prospect from Delaware that you know, the Packers might consider at thirty or at forty four

something like that, you know, on Thursday or Friday. And atterly, is a phenomenal football name to have. Obviously his his cousin. Don't get me into figuring out the trees of all that. I don't never have understood that second cousin, once removed or whatever. But the thing I love most about him, though, who does in my opinion, maybe you disagree, who does he really remind you of? To me, it's Nick Collins.

I just you look at where he came from, his humble beginnings, the school pedigree, and and just played out of his mind at that level. Ball hawking pedigree, A smart football player that seems seems to have a good natural fit for the position, whether it's Greenberrier. Otherwise, I think they're getting a good player in aderaly Um. But as you mentioned, I mean also some other talented guys

in this Taylor rap from Washington. The former teammate I believe of Kevin king over there coming out of d b U H was sort of an under the radar prospect became a really solid football player for them. So yeah, a lot of talented safeties and a lot of guys that you consider going with Amos back there. Yeah, all right, well, I think we could talk about this draft preview stuff till till the cows come on. You've got something I'm going to There's one more guy I want to talk

about because we didn't get to it. It was the number one name on everybody's tongue after the combine. Do you remember who that was? Brian Burns coming out of the edge rushing position. I swear to you, Mike, after his combine, I had every Packer fan on Twitter saying, go get that guy. He could potentially be in the cards there as well. But it's gonna depend on what they want to do after signing these other outside linebackers.

I just want to leave that on the table. You can never have enough edge rushers, and Burns really increased his stock over the last couple of months. Yeah, he did. He's a guy who was who is being who is being talked about now as a top fifteen guy one a couple of months ago that wasn't necessarily He put himself in a great position, put on good, healthy weight, a really good football player. Has seems like he has

zone tendencies to be able to do some dropping. I just think he's gonna be He's gonna help somebody out in this draft and could potentially be another player the Packers have to consider at twelve. Alright, well, we'll do one more show this week before the draft on Thursday, But for now we're going to sign off on this edition of Packers Unscripted. Be sure to follow all of our coverage of the team on Packers dot Com. Subscribe to us if you're a podcast listener on iTunes like

us there as well. If you don't mind, you can follow him on Twitter at west had i Am at Mike Spofford at Packers for the team account. Thanks for tuning in, everybody, See you next time.