Official 2023 Draft Thread

@"We"-Ka-Bong posted:

All of you fantasizing about getting a TE should know that he will come in the 3rd round.  

The Packers have drafted 13 guys since 1992 that have played TE during the Favre/Rodgers era.

One only was a true difference maker at TE in being a guy you had to game plan against to stop (Finley)

Quarless, Franks, David Martin, Chmura, and Jackie Harris were all all solid to good, but not stars by any means.

The others were no better than guys you can find on any practice squad in the league.

It's interesting why TE is so hard to evaluate. Gronk lasted until the second round and he was a star almost immediately (but had to share targets with Aaron Hernandez his first year or so which depressed his rookie stats). Kittle and Kelce were 5th and 3rd rounders.

Kyle Pitts went 4th overall to the Falcons in 2021 and had a big rookie year but doesn't look to be on the Kelce/Gronk/Kittle level.

DeGuara - 3rd round - 2020

Sternberger - 3rd - 2019

Backman - 6th - 2015

RichRod - 3rd - 2014

DJ Williams - 5th - 2011

Ryan Taylor - 7th - 2011

Quarless - 5th - 2010

Finley - 3rd - 2008

Clark Harris - 7th - 2007 - long-snapper for about 13 years in the league

David Martin - 6th - 2001

Bubba Franks - 1st (14th overall) -2000

Chmura - 6th - 1992

Jackie Harris - 4th - 2000

This kid looks intriguing as a late round pick ... big and can run.

https://www.si.com/nfl/draft/news/zackkuntz

He's an intriguing prospect, for sure.

https://www.nfldraftbuzz.com/P...k-Kuntz-TE-PennState

TDN has him ranked #200. PFF ranks him #222.

Unfortunately, he doesn't have many games under his belt in two years of college.

I thought it was YA YA’s job to post links for possible camp fodder

@YooperPackfan posted:

Well I’ve never seen someone take so many swings and misses the way Ted Thompson did with the CB/S positions and Gutekunst is following right in his footsteps, using 9 1st and 2nd round picks on the defensive backfield since 2014 and have Jaire to show for it is downright brutal

Yup...their "formula" for certain positions needs to be given the heave-ho.

@FLPACKER posted:

This kid looks intriguing as a late round pick ... big and can run.

https://www.si.com/nfl/draft/news/zackkuntz

Tucker Kraft from South Dakota State is an interesting prospect. There have been a lot of highly hyped TE prospects from FCS schools, but this kid reminds me a lot of Mayer from Notre Dame...and I think C-Watson showed you can hit on great players in the FCS.

@FLPACKER posted:

This kid looks intriguing as a late round pick ... big and can run.

https://www.si.com/nfl/draft/news/zackkuntz

Kuntz started his career at Penn State, had season-ending knee surgery in October...not sure when he'll be ready for contact. It wasn't an ACL it sounded like, but he will be a project of sorts due to injury uncertainty.

@Chongo posted:

Yup...their "formula" for certain positions needs to be given the heave-ho.

The weird thing is that there doesn't seem to be any consistency in their formula. Their picks have busted for different reasons.

Josh Jackson was a guy who made plays in college but was too slow and stiff to play in the NFL.

Darnell Savage wasn't a playmaker in college but could run fast.

Randall was a college safety they thought was fast enough to play CB.

Josh Jones was a great athlete but had a reputation in college for mental errors.

At least Ron Wolf had a formula (post-Buckley). No short DBs and look for long, lanky guys that could change direction.

@Packmeister posted:

Here's a question for you...do you feel Lukas Van Ness is worth the #15 pick? I know this is pre-combine, pro days, etc. However, PFF has bumped him all the way up to #16 on their draft board. Look at the video footage and make an assessment...

Lukas Van Ness 2022 Highlights | Iowa DL | 2023 NFL Draft Prospect

Dream From Heaven

I  think Iowa kids have advantage in that 70% of the players can spell their home state. Put them in Massachusetts and look out.

Speaking of prospects, here's someone to keep an eye on...   

Christian Driver - Penn State

@Blair Kiel posted:

I  think Iowa kids have advantage in that 70% of the players can spell their home state. Put them in Massachusetts and look out.

If you really want to have an honest debate I would like evidence gleaned from scientific papers showing proper evidence and I would be willing to do the same. These days, that’s my threshold. Too many bullshit opinions out there masquerading as facts.

Fuck off.

Ah, yes...one big, happy family.

If people would stop expressing their opinions, we’d be fine.

It is a forum. What do you expect? I think we could all use a dose of respecting others, right? That might go a long ways. We are, after all, just amateurs following our favorite football team.

If you really want to have an honest debate I would like evidence gleaned from scientific papers showing proper evidence and I would be willing to do the same. These days, that’s my threshold. Too many bullshit opinions out there masquerading as facts. Otherwise, I don’t actually care. Nor do I consider myself to be all that learned on the topic. This I am convinced of though. You probably don’t know what you are talking about. But, your right to keep talking and my right to give you shit. Feel free to tell me to fuck off.

my suggestion is that we have someone other than gutey make the picks.

@Chongo posted:

"I do know this...most of the top TE in the league were not taken in R1. You can find Kittles and Kelces on Day 2 and 3."

Your statement is supported by this: Kittle's college stats....not really much to speak of, but the dude is a baller...

courtesy of wikipedia

The one thing that stands out is the TD to reception ratio.

To be fair to Kittle Kirk Ferentz has no offensive mind.

@Chongo posted:

Tucker Kraft from South Dakota State is an interesting prospect. There have been a lot of highly hyped TE prospects from FCS schools, but this kid reminds me a lot of Mayer from Notre Dame...and I think C-Watson showed you can hit on great players in the FCS.

Tucker's college stats: (they look a lot like Kittle's...lol)

STATS    REC    YDS    AVG    TD    LNG    ATT    YDS    AVG
2022       27     348    12.9      3       57       3         8       2.7
2021       65     773    11.9      6       38       3         9       3.0
2020        7        90    12.9      0       31       1         4       4.0

@Blair Kiel posted:

Fuck off.

Can we say FUCK here  ?             

@MichiganPacker posted:

The weird thing is that there doesn't seem to be any consistency in their formula. Their picks have busted for different reasons.

Josh Jackson was a guy who made plays in college but was too slow and stiff to play in the NFL.

Darnell Savage wasn't a playmaker in college but could run fast.

Randall was a college safety they thought was fast enough to play CB.

Josh Jones was a great athlete but had a reputation in college for mental errors.

At least Ron Wolf had a formula (post-Buckley). No short DBs and look for long, lanky guys that could change direction.

You forgot the he was a top-flight point guard in the MAC part of the formula that led Ted to select a slow and unathletic Q. Rollins in round 2.

And good thoughts to your wife as you try and distract yourself engaging in mindless blather with the rest of us.

@Packmeister posted:

Tucker's college stats: (they look a lot like Kittle's...lol)

STATS    REC    YDS    AVG    TD    LNG    ATT    YDS    AVG
2022       27     348    12.9      3       57       3         8       2.7
2021       65     773    11.9      6       38       3         9       3.0
2020        7        90    12.9      0       31       1         4       4.0

No idea where this site is getting it's 40 time from, but if accurate ,Tucker's 4.77 is a far cry from Kittle's 4.52

https://www.nfldraftbuzz.com/P...-TE-SouthDakotaState

@The Grinder posted:

Can we say FUCK here  ?             

Reported.

@Blair Kiel posted:

If people would stop expressing their opinions, we’d be fine.

Oren Burks made a play on special teams.for Niners yesterday.

Any player on a NFL roster 3+ years after leaving college has had a very successful football career.

@Packmeister posted:

Here's a question for you...do you feel Lukas Van Ness is worth the #15 pick? I know this is pre-combine, pro days, etc. However, PFF has bumped him all the way up to #16 on their draft board. Look at the video footage and make an assessment...

Lukas Van Ness 2022 Highlights | Iowa DL | 2023 NFL Draft Prospect

He's similar to Za'Darius Smith, but still somewhat raw. His pass rush moves are mostly straight power. He's a better athlete than Epanesa.  With a good coach/DC he'll probably be very good,.

@FLPACKER posted:

No idea where this site is getting it's 40 time from, but if accurate ,Tucker's 4.77 is a far cry from Kittle's 4.52

https://www.nfldraftbuzz.com/P...-TE-SouthDakotaState

It's probably an estimate...

@The Grinder posted:

Georgia Bulldogs.  Initials  D.W.         

This kid is someone I think could be a real darkhorse for GB. I don't see GB drafting a TE in R1, certainly none from this class, except this kid. Everything relies on his athletic upside, but he's young and he's an absolute freak of a specimen. Guys that big and long should not be able to move like that. If his 40 time is sub-4.7, god forbid sub-4.6, then he will be a top 20 pick no doubt. Him vs. other college athletes looks like Andy Reid in that punt/pass/kick contest.

@Herschel posted:

He's similar to Za'Darius Smith, but still somewhat raw. His pass rush moves are mostly straight power. He's a better athlete than Epanesa.  With a good coach/DC he'll probably be very good,.

Will be interesting to see LVN's testing numbers, to me that will dictate his draft slot. If teams see an athletic upside, like they did with Gary, then he will rise into the top 20 conversation because he's big and he hustles. If he has good or pedestrian testing numbers, then maybe you think his ceiling isn't quite as high and he goes in R2 somewhere. I think the latter is probably his trajectory, he seems like a guy who will do really well in the NFL on an already stacked DL where he gets a lot of 1on1's.

@MichiganPacker posted:

The weird thing is that there doesn't seem to be any consistency in their formula. Their picks have busted for different reasons.

Josh Jackson was a guy who made plays in college but was too slow and stiff to play in the NFL.

Darnell Savage wasn't a playmaker in college but could run fast.

Randall was a college safety they thought was fast enough to play CB.

Josh Jones was a great athlete but had a reputation in college for mental errors.

At least Ron Wolf had a formula (post-Buckley). No short DBs and look for long, lanky guys that could change direction.

I think Randall, Jones and Savage were athletic specimens that could become great with the right coaching. All of their college tape the athleticism was very apparent and they showed some traits that made you think they could grow in the NFL...very similar to Jaire. It's hard to gauge the mental side, that's the downfall with those three. They were always a step behind, not a step slow. Jaire is a step ahead always. It's easy to look back and call them busts, but honestly the athletic upside is always so tempting.

Jackson was a step slow AND a step behind. The kid from Miami(OH) was just overdrafted, he shouldn't have gone close to where he went. He should have gone in R5 and gotten a lot of time on the PS. Even looking back, that pick was clearly just an absolute gamble they took...didn't work.

Not sure VanNess will be there at 15...he really is a throwback 5 technique...can bring pressure off the edge, from the inside, and stunts incredibly well. adding him next to 97 and 95...DFH. JJ Watt vibes.

Bucky Brooks Mock Draft pick

I would be just fine with Brian Branch at 15.

Could definitely see us taking Branch at 15

Hope the hell not, we need offense

We do need offense, which is why I also wouldn't mind seeing Michael Mayer selected there.

Maybe an even better option is to trade down and get some more picks, if a suitable trade partner can be found...