#530 Packers Unscripted: Looking ahead

general right now. And since we don't have O, T, A S and a minicamp and all of that to to preview and to cover due to the pandemic, this is almost going to serve as like a training camp preview. And maybe we'll do this show again, you know, sometime in July or August or what. I have a feeling we're gonna be doing a lot of things over and over again. Yeah, perhaps perhaps, But my point is I've got some questions for you, some overarching questions maybe where

things stand with the Packers roster. So I want to start with this one because this one comes up a lot in our insider inbox Portal Packers signed three free agents in the off season, Devin Functions, Christian Kirksey, Rick Wagner. Which of those three do you see having the biggest

impact on the Green Bay Packers. Yeah, without a question, in my mind, it's Christian Kirksey because one, it's a very young position now, with Blake Martinez and b J. Goodson both moving on to two different pastors this offseason. Kirksy is the only real established veteran. There are a

lot of young players behind him. He did he does have the injuries the last two years, only played in nine games the past two seasons, but before that he was an every down player for the Cleveland Browns and by all accounts, he could very well be that again now for the Green Bay Packers. You know that kind of eight dred nine hundred thousand snap lineback or in this defense. And I also just like his overall makeup.

I've said this since the very beginning when they when they signed Christian Kirksey, he was on the precipice of looking like a really elite all around linebacker prior to this whole situation, and unfortunately the injuries kind of set him back. But he's still only twenty seven. He still has the prime of his you know, he's in the prime of his career, and he has a great opportunity at this point to real establish himself in Mike Patton's defense,

a coordinator that he's worked with before. Yeah, I think you could make an argument in some respects for any one of these three guys as far as this question goes. You know, a lot of folks are looking for Devin Funch's to make a really big impact because the Packers did not add any draft picks at wide receiver. I think there's also a strong argument to be made for Rick Rick Wagner because, as we talked about on our last show, the Packers didn't draft that offensive tackle of

the future. They didn't they didn't draft spend that high draft pick on a guy who could be pretend actually that swing back up on the right side and the left side behind the two veterans Box tr and Wagner.

You just wonder what would happen, you know, say, if Wagner were to get hurt or if something were to go wrong there, do you end up sliding Billy Turner out to right tackle and then you know you're you're shifting things around a lot with your offensive line or one of the other young guys Alex light yosh Naiman, if they come on strong in training camp in the preseason, would they be ready to step in So Wagner, you know, not just because tackles are out there on an island,

but in some senses, he's kind of out there on an island as this free agent pick up for the Packers because they didn't build a whole lot of other reinforcements behind him. Just something that I think we're gonna have to watch as the season unfolds. Um. I also really enjoyed to kind of break the fourth wall here you and I both getting our COVID nineteen update phone calls at the same exact time from the Packers organization. If you're if you're a real strong viewer of unscripted,

you can kind of tell our radio sacre sees. Literally, Spot and I both looked down at the same exact time to see why our phones were ringing. At first I thought it was Spot. It turned out to be me. This this is the world we're dealing with now. Back in the day when we're in the studio, my phone's turned off, everything's fine. Lights are on Marvs in my ear but you know what, we're on zoom now. So these are the things that we have to adjust to.

That's right, and we'll just keep moving forward as best we can. All right. So, um, here's another one for you West heading into Say, if we were just a couple of weeks away from training camp, what do you think is the most interesting, intriguing position competition the Packers are going to have in whatever form training camp takes later this summer. Without a shadow of a doubt, it's

gonna end up being the secondary. And I'm gonna be broad and say the secondary because of the story I wrote earlier this week on Packers dot com about the nickel cornerback position. You can we can talk until you know to tomorrow about right tackle, the changes that inside linebacker. They didn't draft a receiver. They took a quarterback. There's

another running back. But let's be honest, like, the one thing the Packers got out in terms of where they exited that draft was pretty much where they started it in terms of their defensive backs and how they're going to handle that nickel cornerback position. Now, Brian Goodkin said right from the get go the week before the draft that Trumon Williams is still very much in play for them.

He could be back. Thirty seven years young. Certainly played uh I thought exceptional last year considering his age and how much they needed him to be out there. That being said, good Kunts and Matt la Floor both very complimentary of a number of young corners and safeties on this roster already, among them Chandon Sullivan, the undrafted free agent that was picked up last May days after the Philadelphia Eagles cut him following the draft, got cut off

their ninety man roster. He ends up in Green Bay, Wisconsin and becomes a dime cornerback. And I thought played pretty well, you know it. I'm not trying to pat myself on the back here, but I thought this young man came in and pressed throughout training camp. If you go back and look at his numbers at the NFL scouting combine, he does have some impressive measurables and in some impressive drail work, and I thought that athleticism showed

up last year. Josh Jackson, you know you also have Kedar Home in the sixth round pick out of Toledo last year. Let's also touch on this to Mike. Very interesting. The Packers also talked about Darniell Savage being a guy that could potentially play the nickel corner spot, or maybe even JayR Alexander, although he's been on the perimeter here

the last few seasons. So they're going to be multiple and they're going to be deep in terms of how they approached that position, and they're when they have five cornerbacks on the field. That was my number one takeaway from this draft, because it wasn't like they took somebody that's like, Okay, this is gonna be the guy that's going to compete for that spot. They're going to look to find, either with Tremont Williams or someone else on

this roster, someone that's gonna take the reins of that job. Yeah, And I my answer to this question, I think it'd be really easy obviously to say wide receiver, right is you're gonna have Devin Funchius, Alan Lazard, m vs eq st Brown, Jake Kumer, all these guys competing for how they're gonna line up in the pecking order behind Yes, Reggie from from the CFL. That's right, He's in the mix. As well, but I'm not I don't want to go there with the wide receiver thing. I think that's that's

almost too obvious. My answer to this one is actually going to be backup quarterback. And the reason I say that, I think this is going to be a real legitimate competition here in because in a normal circumstance, you spend a first round draft pick on a quarterback you're expecting behind Aaron Rodgers. You're expecting to be the number two right away, just as Aaron Rodgers was in two thousand

five behind Brett Farve. But here's the thing West. The first time that Jordan's Love is going to take an actual snap in an eleven on eleven NFL practice, it's not in rookie mini camp. It's not going to be in O T A. S. It's not going to be in a full squad mini camp. It's gonna be in training camp his and and there's talk of course that maybe training camp is even gonna be shortened and truncated. We may not have the four preseason games. That what

we'll find all that out as we get down the road. So, in that respect, and with what Tim Boyle did last year,

establishing himself as the number two behind Aaron Rodgers. I think there's a legitimate competition here between Jordan Love and Tim Boyle for this year as to who's going to be the number two, because there's just no guarantee in my opinion that Jordan's Love in this type of environment and with the time frame that that we're potentially dealing with, that he's really going to be ready to be the number two ahead of Boil with all the preseason games

that he has under his belt. Yeah, exactly, Mike. I think you know, not only just the preseason games, but now he had an entire season where he was in that number two role. Um the guy that that did have the clipboard, that did add the headset, that was wearing the shoulder pads, and was going to go into the football game if something God forbid happened to Aaron Rodgers. He's played that role now for an entire season. He knows those pressure years and he's been able to prepare

his mindset now. Certainly, Jordan's Love has played a lot of football, so I expect him to push for that job. I expect him to be right in the middle of that competition. Also to throw out there to The Packers did release Manny Wilkins uh their their practice squad quarterback from a year ago from a s U. They signed Jalen Merton uh And if you know anything about his story, he actually did get a combine invite six ft four really two or thirty pounds, I mean a really good arm.

I mean he has the prototypical build for that position. So you know, don't completely you know, just look at those three at the top and just figure the competitions over there there over there, I think Morton could be a guy that pushes too. But all that being said, Jordan's love is the Frouki first round pick. It's going to be a challenging offseason. He's gonna have to overcome that. You'll have a chance to do that during the virtual offseason program. But I really I'm with you on that.

I think probably going all the way back to maybe what might two thousand and eight, I mean, when was the last time they probably had a competition like this In terms of a number two that looks like he's going to be, you know, an NFL football player. I think Tim Boyle does have a future in this league in a rookie first round pick that you know a lot of people are very high on. Yeah. Alright, Well, next question here for you, Wes the twenty nineteen draft class.

Which of those draft picks do you see taking the biggest step forward in your number two? You know, it would be easy to say Rashan Gary. And that's exactly why I'm gonna say Rashan Gary. Uh. The way that this lays out for this young man, I know all eyes were on him last year. Uh, and expectations were incredibly high for him, and they still are. But you gotta remember they had Kyler Facer in a very interesting

role last season. He was not only the number of the number three guy at outside linebacker that was going to be the first off the bench in many cases, he also played that coverage linebacker role when they wanted to take somebody off the ball a little bit. Well, that guy's gone. Now, Kyler Facer has set sail. He's in New York, so there is And by all accounts, the Packers haven't really had a big signing that's gonna

come in and take those snaps. It would make the most sense, as I wrote an Insider inbox this week, to put those snaps on Rashaan Gary, so that was foreigner and fifty snaps last year for Kyler Facral. I think Gary played in the two range. People very critical, you know, the only two sacks and this, that and the other. Give this guy some time. He was twenty

one years old. The fortunate thing was that that shoulder thing that he was dealing with last year, he said, I believe he told robbed him Omsky after this season, he's not going to read that didn't require surgery, so

he was able to get into a full offseason. I just think when you have Zadarius Smith and Preston Smith doing what they're doing right now in leading the way that they're leading, and the experiences that they had getting used to an edge rushing role in the NFL as well, that's such a valuable resource for them and for him, and and also with Mike Smith in that room, I expect for Shawn Gary to take a big step in. Yeah, And I think there are a lot of other candidates

potentially to to answer this question. When you're talking about King's Ley Kiki on the defensive line in a position where the Packers didn't add a draft pick. We've talked a lot about ja Sternber obviously at tight end, and how much his playing time increased in the back half of his rookie season into the playoffs and now with Jimmy Graham no longer there for the Packers, that Sternberger's

a guy who's gonna step up. But if my answer to this question, I'm sticking in the first round of the draft, actually, and I'm gonna say Darnell Savage, and I'm saying that obviously Savage stepped in, he was a starter from day one. But a couple of things here. One you mentioned he might be in the mix potentially to play some nickel corner, some slot corner and expand his skill set a little bit. So that's really intriguing. But the other thing I'll say too is that Savage

is a guy his his speed, his skills. The next step for him is to start to become a playmaker, not just in every down starter, not just you know, the the guy who stepped in from day one, but to start making those those big time game changing, you know,

type of plays. And when I look at a I another guy in the secondary, different position corner as opposed to safety with Savage, but Kevin King his third year in the league last year, and you could argue it wasn't even really his third year because his first two years he you know, he missed time with injuries and stuff. He didn't really have two full seasons under his belt, I guess is what I'm saying. All of a sudden, Kevin King becomes the team leader in interceptions last year

with five. That's something that Darnell Savage could potentially do. He got a couple of picks as a rookie, but if suddenly that number goes up to four or five or six, then he's he's a big time playmaker in the secondary that quarterbacks are gonna start to worry about more. I think Darnell Savage is a guy who could really take a big step forward in and and the other thing about last year's draft class Darnell Savage and Elton Jenkins.

First time since two thousand fourteen the Packers put two guys from the same draft class on a pf W A all rookie teams. So, I mean, the ceiling is just you know, huge for these guys and where they're going to be able to potentially take this thing. Elton Jenkins,

I think, for my money, Mike. I can't think of a rookie that came in and knocked the doors down the way he did since probably David baktri in terms of just being able to I'm not gonna I'm gonna stop short of saying master the position, but not looking like a rookie second round pick that you know, not I think a lot of people are gonna be patient with And you look at the way that you know, also, Corey Linsley gets thrown into that too, the way the

Packers have been able to throw some of these rookies and young offensive lineman in there and play as well as they have. Uh, you tip your cab to Jenkins, because, as I've said over and over again, it's really special when you can draft a player and within that first year knock on wood. You know, barring injury, this looks like a guy that you can plug into your offensive line for the next decade and not think twice about it. Yeah,

no question about it, all right. Well, next question, speaking of players taking steps forward, put aside the draft class, Put aside the twenty nineteen draft class. A third or fourth year guy that you're going to have your eye on the Packers that you're looking to take that next step with his career. It's burs it has to be. And this is a guy that was a third round pick two years ago. I love Oran has a tremendous

head on his shoulders, incredibly intelligent. You can already tell that this guy is gonna do so many great things once his football career is over. But he wants it to be a long and prosperous football career. And you look at the past two offseasons, Mike. Both times it was Taylor made for him to step into the starting lineup. Last year, it really looked like he was going to be able to do that and maybe even push Blake

Martinez for that dime linebacker role. Well, again an injury pops up and again the Packers had to go out and acquire a veteran inside linebacker to fill in as Burke's with sidelines. So him having to get these late starts into regular seasons that set him back the past two years. But this guy has so much ability and his body and he has a great makeup for the game of football and defensive football. In two thousand twenty,

He's a guy that played safety, played defensive back. He grew into his body and he became an inside linebacker. This isn't some bloated hybrid that's just trying to, you know, make away in the league. Or In Burkes is an inside linebacker that can run with guys. So if he can stay healthy, Mike, if he can really grab onto that number two role. As much as I talked about Christian Kirksey, and he's a great pickup for the Packers, I think if he stays on the field, it's really

gonna benefit this defense. But or In Burks. They used the third round pick out of him on him out of Vanderbilt two years ago for a very specific reason, and it's time for him to be able to grab that job. Yeah. And actually Brian Goodkins traded up for that third round pick to use or In Burkes as well. Um, this is where I am going to dip into the receiver conversation because the guy that I'm really intrigued to

watch here is e q st Brown. And the reason I say that obviously, his second season in the NFL was lost to injury, but if you go back to his rookie year when the Packers had spent three Day three draft picks at wide receiver Jamon Moore, Marquis Valdis Scandling, and Equanimius st. Brown. By the end of that rookie season, St Brown was the guy who was the furthest ahead on the depth chart as far as those three guys

were concerned. And then the twenty nineteen season, he just never was really able to get it started due to the injury and it cost him the entire year. Now, this is a guy you talk about, and we could list, you know, any number of guys that have a huge

opportunity knocking in. But if you're e Q st Brown and you just missed your entire second season due to injury, and then you watched as the Packers signed one wide receiver and free agency and then didn't draft any wide receivers, the opportunity you have in front of you to put that you know, lost season to injury behind you and to get back to really pick up where you left off at the end of your rookie year. That's the

opportunity that st Brown has. I want to bring it down memory lane a little bit here, and and I love to talk about equ some more. You made some great points on him. If this guy would have been a red shirt going into Notre Dame. He'd be coming out now first if you would write in his entire time there. So he's a young man, a lot of ability there. But let's let's take a little bit of

a trip down memory lane, Mike. There is one year, one year out of the now eleven NFL drafts I've covered where I thought the Packers made a legitimate mistake not drafting a player at a position that was two thousand thirteen. They decided against taking a safety. They decided, Okay, m D. Jennings drawn mcmill and that's where how we're going to proceed. That was ill advised and and you know, my compliments to both guys, they're both fantastic guys. I

really loved empty Jennings, good dude to deal with. But they left a hole there. The next year they responded, They took Haha, Clinton Dicks, They moved Mike a hide from cornerback to safety or began that transition, and they overhauled the position. That spoke volumes about what the Packers felt they needed to do to improve what had probably been in two thousand thirteen and Achilles heel for them.

I mentioned that story because I think this was a big thing for Brian Goodkins to put the faith that he has in that receiver's room on those guys and not use a first round pick on it, not trade up, not trade back, just decide that, you know what, we signed Devin Funchous. We have several young guys at that position that we think we can help us. We're gonna trust that talent and trust and ability. There's a risk there, there's a gamble, and we'll see when two rolls around

exactly where they ended up falling on that. But if I'm e Q, if I'm mvs. Jake Kumero, Reggie Begelton, I mean even Allen Lazard, who I think right now everyone would agree is probably Pencilan is the number two at this point. All those guys, this is a tremendous opportunity for them to show that, you know what, the faith that Brian Goodkin is placed in us, in this position room, in this group, there's good reason for it. We're going to capitalize on that opportunity. Yeah, I totally

agree with you. Absolutely. One more I'm gonna throw at you here West before we sign off. Okay, and this is your this is the opportunity to say something off the wall, just in just in case it sticks later. Okay, but here's the question, what is a potential story in for the Green Bay Packers that no one is talking about right now? Josh Jackson, you can go as off the wall as you want to on this go ahead. I don't know if it's off the wall. He's a

second round pick, but I'm gonna say, Josh Jackson. I think by the end of two thousand and twenty, Josh Jackson will be a starting cornerback in the NFL. I think that this guy got off to a really rough start. He really had to get thrown into the fire in two thousand eighteen. He dealt with that foot injury early in camp in two thousand nineteen, and then just wasn't able to really regain that momentum on the defensive side of the ball. I still think he's a really good

special teamer. I think the way I look at it, I'm not sure exactly how the defensive thing is going to turn out if his ceiling has been reached. I still think Josh Jackson could be a tenure player in this league. Is a special team contributor. I think he's that good in that area. I really truly do. But there's a reason why the Packers drafted him where they did. There was a reason why there was conversation about him being a first round pick at times in two thousand

and eighteen. I went back and read his bio, his draft uh NFL dot com draft page, and his strengths and weaknesses, and this is a guy that people were saying was going to be a starter within one year. He had that ability. I just think Josh Jackson is going to get a great opportunity this offseason, this upcoming season to prove that he still can be that guy.

If he stays healthy, he can be that guy. Because the thing about it is, you know there there have been some guys that you know, you see him come through and every team, every city, they're a high round draft pick, things don't work out and they end up being a problem child. Josh Jackson was not that guy. He did not cry, he did not whine, he did

not complain. He did his job. And if the Packers stand panic cornerback, whether it ends up being nickel cornerback, dime quarterback, I think he's gonna have an opportunity to find his way to the defense in that second chance to show that, Okay, this was the ball hawk that we wanted out of Iowa and he can be that

player in the NFL. Yeah, I'm really intrigued to see what Jackson does in as well, assuming that he can hit the ground running so speak as the healthy player that he was when he first showed up as a rookie. I'm gonna go a little bit off the wall here, West. I warned you the Packers have a veteran tight end on this roster who's only been I believe, to one Pro Bowl in his career. His name is Marcedes Lewis. And I just wonder, I just wonder Jimmy Graham is gone.

The Packers other tight ends are really young. We saw Marcedes Lewis catch a touchdown past late last season. Just how much is he gonna be potentially a red zone target here for Aaron Rodgers? And I can see I can see Aaron Rodgers having a lot of fun with this because this stat has taken off about the fact that Aaron Rodgers has thrown only one touchdown pass and his entire career to a first round draft pick, Well,

guess it was Marcedes Lewis last year. So I can just see every time Rogers can hit Lewis for a touchdown pass, then he can say something after the game. But well, I have to, you know, add to that statistical in my career of throwing touchdowns to first round

draft picks. As I said, I'm kind of having fun here and and you know, going a little bit off script, but uh, I just I think mar I think Marcedes Lewis could end up being more than just the blocking tight end as much as he's going to play that role in this offense. With the way Matt Lafleur wants to run the ball, the Packers are going to have kind of this three headed monster in the backfield and all that now with a j. Dillon added to Aaron

Jones and Jamal Williams. But I think we're gonna see Marcedes Lewis, particularly in the red zone, goal line situations, those short passes to get it to the finish line. I think he's gonna play a little bit bigger role and just maybe, just maybe Rogers throws him enough touchdown passes to get him into consideration for maybe his second Pro Bowl. Of his long and distinguish that is a heck of a going outside the box. We're gonna see it. Hey, dude, I had to I had to try, right, I have

to try. So that would have to be a record, right if I mean that would have to be a record. If Mercedes Lewis would actually be able to put together a Pro Bowl season, that would be at least ten years between the states because he went and to thousand ten. I don't know if anyone else has done that. I think it'd be a great story. I hope, I hope. I hope in six months you and I are talking about that. Yeah, I hope we get to see some football too. But but the thing is, I want to

just point this out. I do like that story because it kind of reminds me, did you ever play city league basketball at all? No? At No, I haven't played basketball since college intramurals when I got it when I got a ten cent signing bonus from a fraternity team that I was not part of the fraternity. They're gonna keep that down. The n c A is gonna come and find you. Spot. You're gonna take away your old

scholarship to Lawrence. They sent me a dime in inner office mail to a sign on the dotted line and join their intermural team. Anyway, story for another day. Point being old man strength. Every city league, basketball league I ever played, and there's always that old guy that's probably thirty years older than the other guys. But he's big, he's strong, and he posts up in the paint and nobody can stop him. Mercedes Lewis two thousand, twenty man

put it on the board, all right. Well, with that, we will call it a wrap on this edition of Packers Unscripted. And just a reminder, the NFL schedule is coming out on Thursday evening, so be sure to keep your eye on Packers dot com as soon as it is available. We will have all the details and on our next show, our next Unscripted West, we will be breaking down the schedule, going over all of those details with what lies ahead in as uncertain as everything perhaps is.

But for now, for Wes, I am Mike. Thank you for tuning, and everybody stay safe and we will see you next time.