Official 2018 Draft Thread

You guys will think I'm stealing from this article that Pete Dougherty just wrote: https://www.packersnews.com/st...e-packers/514946002/

I have had essentially the exact same perspectives for weeks now:

I think our biggest needs -- where we need better starters -- are in the following order: OLB (pass rusher), CB, WR, OT (RT) and G (RG). Depth is very much needed at TE, S, CB, WR and QB.

I hope Gutekunst is not done with Free Agency. I think we could and should sign 2-3 more guys who could fill those starter or key back-up positions. Examples: Dez Bryant at WR (starter), Eric Reid at S (starter), Breshaun Breeland at CB (starter), Matt Moore at QB (backup/2nd string, let 2nd year player Deshone Kizer be #3).

Don't want to reach. But if draft falls our way at #14 in first round, I do think Marcus Davenport would be a good pick as the pass rusher we want and need. And he may not be there if Charley Casserly is right: http://www.nfl.com/draft/2018/mock-drafts

I don't expect Gutekunst to trade up for DE Bradley Chubb or LB Trumaine Edmunds. I could possibly see him trading back a little in the first round, taking OLB Harold Landry and picking up an extra draft choice. OLB Leighton Vander Esch seems like he's made for the Packers, but would have to be considered a real darkhorse.

I agree with Dougherty, I don't see a CB/DB worth it at #14 (e.g CB Josh Jackson). Assuming CB Denzel Ward, S Minkah Fitzpatrick and S Derwin James will all be gone. Any of the three would be a good pick for us if they fell.

ILB Roquan Smith a really good player, might be there, but not sure he's good enough at 14 for what we need. If he had Ryan Shazier-type speed to cover the entire middle of the field, then yes. But he doesn't.

OT Mike McGlinchey might be decent value, as well as WR Calvin Ridley. Just tough to take players at those positions #1, but might be case of Best Player Available.

Assuming we don't take a CB in the first, I'd love a guy like CB Isaiah Oliver in the second round.

I actually hope we keep all our picks. Because unless we sign 3-4 more Free Agents, I believe we'll need all those picks.

Saquon Barkley spotted at barbershop in Giants gear

Giants reportedly view Barkley as "near-perfect" prospect

It's probably all smoke and mirrors, but it's also not as if that would be a terrible pick.

That's Gettleman trying to get the Browns to take Barkley #1 overall so he can have his pick of the QB's - reportedly Darnold.

Also, check this out....

https://forums.footballsfuture...wns-draft-rumblings/

It's a long post but interesting to me at least. I'll be watching to see what really happens & compare.

The second link, sure, but who knows what the first one (Barkley at the barbershop) means.

It'll be intertesting if the Giants like Darnold and the Browns actually like Rosen/Allen and the Browns wrangle an extra pick out of the Giants. 

Pakrz posted:

I think when you consider Rodgers' age (He'll be 35 this year), you would have to at least pause if a potential franchise QB is sitting there at 14.  

If that were to occur and Gute decided to take a QB, I wouldn't lose my shiit over it.  In a QB driven league, you either have a guy that can get it done or you don't.  We've seen both ends of that spectrum and know very well how important it is. 

There is no position on this team that is off bounds with the number 14. We really lack talent at every position.

Kicker?

Defensive line?

Fedya posted:

Kicker?

No

YooperPackfan posted:

Defensive line?

Absolutely if the right guy pops up. Big bodies that can play don’t grow on trees. 

Pakrz posted:

I think when you consider Rodgers' age (He'll be 35 this year), you would have to at least pause if a potential franchise QB is sitting there at 14.  

If that were to occur and Gute decided to take a QB, I wouldn't lose my shiit over it.  In a QB driven league, you either have a guy that can get it done or you don't.  We've seen both ends of that spectrum and know very well how important it is. 

During one mock I played, Sam Darnold fell to the Packers at #14. In other mock drafts, players who went after #14 were Vita Vea, DaRon Payne, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Denzel Ward, Calvin Ridley, Courtland Sutton, Mike McGlinchey, Will Hernandez, to name a few. Players can fall. Look at Aaron Rodgers in 2005..

So, if we get BPA in the first I would like to see guys with cool names get considered in the second. Uchenna Nwosu or Ogbonnia Okoronkwo. Like "KGB" pass rushers that fans will struggle to pronounce their names and the opposing team will struggle to defend when they rush the QB.

Dorsey will have to have his best poker face on in RD1 if he has a particular QB he wants.  If he's not ok with "whoever is left" at #4, he has to go QB at #1.  I think Barkley will be there at #4 because it's hard to imagine someone picking at #2 or #3 and not taking one of the QB's.  Barkley may be the best player in the draft but being a QB driven league, that doesn't make him the most valuable.  In fact even though RB's have had a bit of a resurgence lately, he may still drop below the top QB's and top D players simply because the position is easier to fill with guys from all over the draft.  I know he may be the best prospect since AP but teams may not see his position as top priority on their draft boards.  

If Dorsey isn't 100% convinced that the QB he takes with the 1st pick is in fact going to become the franchise starter for the next decade he's better of taking Barkley with the first pick.

It doesn't seem like anyone can agree between Darnold, Rosen, or Mayfield which one of those guys is going to be the best NFL talent. 

My slide rule abacus is broken right now but I'll bet there is a mathematical equation and result that shows taking Barkley 1 and then whoever is leftover from Darnold, Rosen, or Mayfield is a better play long term than potentially guessing on the wrong QB with the 1st pick and not having Barkley available at 4. 

Add the following players to the Packers’ list of 30 pre-draft visits, per sources: Kolton Miller, T, UCLA: Projected first-round pick Justin Watson, WR, Penn: A second-or-third day pick Dante Pettis, WR, Washington: A likely second-day pick.

Rob Demovsky, ESPN Staff Writer

Dante Pettis has been linked to GB quite a bit.

Herschel posted:

14-to-10 would be the third-rounder. Plus corner is very deep this year, IMO. I'd rather have Davenport, Anthony Miller and Isaac Yiadom than Ward and Uchenna Nwosu, for example. 

Ant Miller is really exciting. Think he's gonna be a good one. 

https://www.jsonline.com/story...e-packers/514946002/

ChilliJon posted:

Dante Pettis has been linked to GB quite a bit.

Anthony Miller as well. WR needs attention and I'd be surprised if it's not addressed by round four.

Is Pettis better value in rd3 than Miller is in rd2? Pettis has additional value as a punt returner. 

I'd rather Michael Gallup over Pettis in round three. He's tough and versatile.

Any of the teams that need a QB could do worse than picking Barkley while they develop a young QB. Look what Elliott did for DallAss and Prescott, and what they did without him.
Cleveland, with their picks this year, are obviously in the best position to pull that off. Buffalo has an outside chance, but they would have to give up significant picks (IMO), likely including their first round pick next year. Any other team (NYJ, Denver, NYG, et al) would have to mortgage their immediate future to accomplish that, and I don't think that's wise in this salary cap-era.

sschumer - Packer Fan HoF'r posted:

 

ILB Roquan Smith a really good player, might be there, but not sure he's good enough at 14 for what we need. If he had Ryan Shazier-type speed to cover the entire middle of the field, then yes. But he doesn't.

 

I believe Roquan Smith is actually faster than Shazier was . Combine 40yd dash times  : 4.51 (Smith) vs 4.58 (Shazier).

Edit : my bad, used info from http://nflcombineresults.com/p...=Shazier&i=21048 Shaziers 40 is innacurate/estimate

Roquan's speed is not an issue. 

I don't know where you got the 4.58 from, but this article cites a sub 4.40 on Shazier's pro day:

https://www.foxsports.com/nfl/...race-practice-060816 

Fedya posted:

The second link, sure, but who knows what the first one (Barkley at the barbershop) means.

Unless he has been hired to be the Giants new GM, it doesn't mean squat.

FLPACKER posted:

I don't know where you got the 4.58 from, but this article cites a sub 4.40 on Shazier's pro day:

https://www.foxsports.com/nfl/...race-practice-060816 

 

And I ran a 4.65.

Yesterday.

It would have been nice had Shazier run at the combine (or Smith the 3-cone) to have some direct comparisons.

I don't know why folks get so worked up over the draft. It means exactly nothing -- zero -- zip -- nada -- until whomever they pick faces NFL competition. I think everyone got super excited about Tony Mandarich as well and we know how that turned out... 

sschumer - Packer Fan HoF'r posted:

You guys will think I'm stealing from this article that Pete Dougherty just wrote: https://www.packersnews.com/st...e-packers/514946002/

 

x4, not for dummys. 

I think we’ve had as much borrowed as we borrow on this site.

Herschel posted:

FLPACKER posted:

I don't know where you got the 4.58 from, but this article cites a sub 4.40 on Shazier's pro day:

https://www.foxsports.com/nfl/...race-practice-060816 

 

And I ran a 4.65.

Yesterday.

It would have been nice had Shazier run at the combine (or Smith the 3-cone) to have some direct comparisons.

I think you mixed the 6 and the 4 up. 

That was today, after cramping and stiffness from moving 40 yards yesterday. 

I was hand timed by the Ohio State assistant because he's bored after Pro Day is over. 

Old-timers pro-day? 😁

If you go down to Arlington for the NFL draft you can run a 40 down there too while players are super-imposed vs. you

Fedya posted:

Kicker?

We can always raid Bayern Munich.

PackerPatrick posted:

So, if we get BPA in the first I would like to see guys with cool names get considered in the second. Uchenna Nwosu or Ogbonnia Okoronkwo. Like "KGB" pass rushers that fans will struggle to pronounce their names and the opposing team will struggle to defend when they rush the QB.

All 3 Nigerian.

No coincidence.

Why can't we (x4) ever get the fun Nigerians?

https://www.jsonline.com/story...win-james/520960002/

Herschel posted:

Why can't we (x4) ever get the fun Nigerians?

We got Goalline instead.

Packdog posted:

sschumer - Packer Fan HoF'r posted:

 

ILB Roquan Smith a really good player, might be there, but not sure he's good enough at 14 for what we need. If he had Ryan Shazier-type speed to cover the entire middle of the field, then yes. But he doesn't.

 

I believe Roquan Smith is actually faster than Shazier was . Combine 40yd dash times  : 4.51 (Smith) vs 4.58 (Shazier).

Edit : my bad, used info from http://nflcombineresults.com/p...=Shazier&i=21048 Shaziers 40 is innacurate/estimate

Roquan's speed is not an issue. 

If I was GM of the Packers and Roquan Smith was still on the board at 14 it would take me 2 seconds to make that pick.  Absolute no brainer he is a fast play maker something the defense needs badly.   That being said I hightly doubt he will any available outside of the top ten without trading to get him.

The Heckler posted:

Packdog posted:

sschumer - Packer Fan HoF'r posted:

 

ILB Roquan Smith a really good player, might be there, but not sure he's good enough at 14 for what we need. If he had Ryan Shazier-type speed to cover the entire middle of the field, then yes. But he doesn't.

 

I believe Roquan Smith is actually faster than Shazier was . Combine 40yd dash times  : 4.51 (Smith) vs 4.58 (Shazier).

Edit : my bad, used info from http://nflcombineresults.com/p...=Shazier&i=21048 Shaziers 40 is innacurate/estimate

Roquan's speed is not an issue. 

If I was GM of the Packers and Roquan Smith was still on the board at 14 it would take me 2 seconds to make that pick.  Absolute no brainer he is a fast play maker something the defense needs badly.   That being said I hightly doubt he will any available outside of the top ten without trading to get him.

I think there's a good shot with all the QBs taken that he could be one of those top 10 talents that falls into the Packers lap.

With Rueben Foster pretty much out of the league for the time being I don't see any way Smith get's past SF. That's if he lasts that long. 

Greg Cosell's player evaluation series (outstanding) got to Tremaine Edmunds today. Greg commented that he's a better athlete than football player today. He also said he'd be a little concerned about his ability to play ILB immediately. He made these points primarily based on Edmunds being 19 years old. 

Cosell wrapped up by saying that after watching 6 game tapes of Edmunds he thinks he projects as a better edge rusher than stack LB in the NFL. 

I wonder if teams see Edmunds the same way. And if so is it possible he drops out of the top 10? Not likely but I think there's a better chance Edmunds slips a bit and not Smith.