Official 2025 Draft Thread

@Packmeister posted:

How many of us would like to see Jack Sawyer in the 1st round? I would.

I had to look Sawyer up to see if he was a Wisconsin Badger.

@Herschel posted:

I love Ayomanor. He fits the metrics GB seems to have, has solid deep speed, and can actually catch.

Sounds like a good pick, and especially so, when you consider the time Watson will miss in recovery from his injury.

@FLPACKER posted:

Picking at #23 our odds of getting an immediate #1 WR are better via Free Agency.

Agreed. I think the only way you get a WR who can be a #1 (or at least have the effect of making defenses dramatically alter their scheme to free up other things) is if you get a guy that can run a sub 4.4 and catch the ball. There aren't many of those guys, and they go top 5-10 if they have that skill set. Run deep and outjump the others guys for the ball

Even WRs that end up as multiple time Pro Bowlers often need a couple of training camps to learn the reads they need to make when they run patterns. It just shows how much most of us don't know about the intricacies of playing WR when MLF talked about how Love's second interception in the playoffs (which looked like a terrible decision) was at least partially due the WR (was it Heath?) running the route at 12 yards rather than 17 which gave the LB the chance to pick it off.

@Pack88 posted:

Also other things pop up remember Warren Sapp,  Jalen Carter or Laremy Tunsil.   A few guys will slip because of this.   

Randy Moss dropped to #21 in the 1998 draft. The Packers picked Vonnie Holiday at #19.

Ooooh, that hurts...

Shrine Bowl practices are underway and most guys there will be day 2/3 picks and there are some interesting ones.

CBs: Zy Alexander (LSU) and O'Donnell Fortune (Cock) are two intriguing guys who can play press.

Shevon Revel measured in and is doing interviews while recovering from a knee injury. He was probably a top-20 pick before that.

OL: Nick Huber (WI) and Joshua Gray (OR St) are also taking snaps at Center. Gray has also played Left Tackle at Oregon State and is a poor-man's Graham Barton.

I think the Packers are actually good at RT and LT.

@Herschel posted:

Shrine Bowl practices are underway and most guys there will be day 2/3 picks and there are some interesting ones.

CBs: Zy Alexander (LSU)

Zy & Jaire....the Alexander Brothers - sounds like a furniture store

@FLPACKER posted:

Picking at #23 our odds of getting an immediate #1 WR are better via Free Agency.

GB doesn't need to get even younger at WR.  Unless it is in addition to a vet.

I wouldn't just limit a search to FA's.  There is another group of players who only have a year or two left on their current contract that could be traded for.

Most of the top guys will be resigned by their teams but not all.  DK Metcalf is a name I've seen internet sources link to GB, FWIW.  But the list is long with big names that I'm sure a few will not resign with their teams.

2026 FA WRs

Gutey is NOT taking a WR in the 1st. It's just not in his DNA. He prefers 2nd or 3rd round or lower to get new blood at the WR position.

And he’s been failing miserably by doing so

Other than qb (and this may be debatable) rb and tight end every position can use an upgrade.  That upgrade includes  young guys getting better thru experience and dinged up guys coming back healthy and staying healthy. IMO BPA in every round of the draft and spending wisely for a FA or 2 is the way to go.  

It’s the GB way.

They can say BPA, but in reality position need does come into play. Giutey even alluded to that in his season-ending presser. They typically have a handful of guys who they have rated as similar, and then position need comes into play. He talked about it with the drafting of Jenkins in second round in 2019. Said they had DK Metcalf rated equally. So I would say that for the First Round, positions that would be unlikely are QB, TE, RB, OT, LBer, S. ... I don't see them valuing an interior offensive lineman highly enough to use a First Round pick on , so my best guess is that it will be a CB, Edge, Interior defensive lineman, or WR.

@PackLandVA posted:

I think the Packers are actually good at RT and LT.

Tom is #10 on that graphic, but Walker's pretty average and both guys are in the final year of their rookie contracts. Add in they drafted Jordan Morgan last year and it doesn't look like they're too confident at the position. My guess is their preference is to give Tom a new contract and let Walker test free agency.

Walker is inconsistent.  There are stretches where he's playing at an elite level and then others where he's looking like a late rounder.  Not sure what the deal is with that because he has played well against some elite edge rushers but not others - so the ability is there, just not consistently.  I do not know what the staff thinks of Morgan so far but I could see them taking someone they think could be a starting OT if such a prospect falls to 1RD23.

Gute's draft strategy no doubt will be impacted by who he thinks he can get in FA.  Then again, he drafted a bunch of S's after signing X, probably knowing the entire S room needed to be rebuilt.

There may not be an entire position group he needs to replace this offseason but he does need at least another blue chipper, two with some luck.  As others have suggested, that should be in at least one of the following WR, EDGE, CB, DL.  If I could only pick one it would probably be EDGE or a DL that was elite at pass rush.

Walker is average. They used a First Round pick on Morgan, so obviously they expect him to be above average. They drafted him to eventually be the LT.

Sure, best laid plans.  I just don't know what they've seen so far.  I don't recall glowing reviews.  They also have a history of drafting OT's that end up inside.

It appeared that Morgan wasn't strong enough or technically sound enough to be a full time starter this season. He has the athleticism to play tackle, let's see what an offseason of weight training does for him

So he’s Derrick Sherrod

Let's hope not.

NFC Super Bowl participants the past 14 seasons:

Philly 3, SF 3, LA Rams 2, Seattle 2, Atl 1, Car. 1, NYG 1, Tampa Bay 1, NFC North 0.

Sf has been in 3 and 2? How is that even possible?

Purdy.

A number of guys I’d have liked to see have opted out of the Senior Bowl, though still should be good.

Texas A&M DL Shemar Turner, a likely Top 50 pick, had to pull out of the Senior Bowl after learning that a stress fracture from camp, that needed a rod inserted into it, never fully healed, sources say.

Turner, who played on it all season, was advised to have no impact on his… pic.twitter.com/hfcpIBqoZf

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 28, 2025

Projected by a couple mocks to be a Packer. Recent injury history appears to work in favor of that prediction coming true.

Big fan of Restrepo...he always had a knack for finding the ball and making big plays. But being 5'10" and sub 200lbs means he will never be a Packer. (That was a joke, see Jayden Reed)

Great route running by Miami WR Xavier Restrepo pic.twitter.com/LCwqSGuGXQ

— The Draft Network (@TheDraftNetwork) January 28, 2025

Edelman
Height 5′ 10″, Weight 198 lbs

Before you make that comparison, the guy has to be assignment sure, able to run a route with absolute precision, make the really difficult catch, and have a horseshoe up their butt in the biggest games. Only then can you say a guy with those measurables will be a top pick and huge difference at the pro level.

Quincy Riley, definitely a prospect who will be available in R2 or R3...

@bvan posted:

Edelman
Height 5′ 10″, Weight 198 lbs

Oh there's plenty of guys of that size who are capable NFL players...Packers "generally" don't go with ones that short. But they weren't supposed to draft Reed either until they did.

Watching the National practice at lunch. Guys showing out:

Gray Zabel lining up all over the line and looking good in 1v1s

Jonah Monhein all at C so far, looking good, hands are fast.

Josh Connerly looking good at OT. Very fluid.

Jeffrey Bassa LB looks natural in coverage and filling gaps. Some thought maybe he’d move back to safety because he could end up sub-230#, but he looks big enough.

Wyatt Milum looking solid in OG reps.

Tez Johnson is still tiny. Like makes Restrepo look big,tiny.

I was hoping to see Azareye’h Thomas get some reps, but didn’t. Saw three Quincy Riley reps, all feisty, but probably two flags and one was a miscommunication between Restrepo and the QB.

@Chongo posted:

Oh there's plenty of guys of that size who are capable NFL players...Packers "generally" don't go with ones that short. But they weren't supposed to draft Reed either until they did.

Your key word is "capable." Yes, there are those guys, and they can be gotten in the middle to late rounds. Stars on the Edelman level, not so much. Cobb was near there; Reed may get there, but this past year something didn't click for/with him.

@Fandame posted:

Your key word is "capable." Yes, there are those guys, and they can be gotten in the middle to late rounds. Stars on the Edelman level, not so much. Cobb was near there; Reed may get there, but this past year something didn't click for/with him.

Edelman was a late 7th round draft pick. They threw a dart at the wall and hit.

Reed has been in the league two years...I'll give him another year. Lots of fans were ready to bail on Davante after a crappy year two. But he was a 2nd round as was Reed.

The last "throw a dart and get a star WR" the Packers had was Driver.

@mrtundra posted:

Yes, We saw what a pass rush did for Detroit, vs the vikings. Also, for a while, the vikings pass rush was disruptive against the Lions. Since both those teams are in our division, we can see how a strong pass rush worked against both teams.  Gute's focus, in the Draft and in FA, should be on doing what it takes to win the North. No more of this 1-5 crap. Time to dominate!  Pass rushers have to be at the top of the list, and a speedy, deep threat WR, right behind it.

And a corner who can cover right behind that.

@D J posted:

If healthy, he'll be long gone.

Sometimes, if you want to make it to the big game, you have to make big moves.

So many needs, not enough high draft picks. But we do have some CAP room to sign a FA or two which is nice.

@Pikes Peak posted:

Other than qb (and this may be debatable) rb and tight end every position can use an upgrade.  That upgrade includes  young guys getting better thru experience and dinged up guys coming back healthy and staying healthy. IMO BPA in every round of the draft and spending wisely for a FA or 2 is the way to go.  

It’s the GB way.

It is, but it hasn't been working for a long time now.  Time to end the insanity and change things up a bit.

I only caught a few moments of the American practice but I did see a few reps from who I wanted: Shemar Stewart from Texas A&M. The guy’s an absolute freak, and a Packers type of player. Think Packers era Julius Peppers only bigger and not quite as tall (and of course not as savvy) or a bigger, faster Bryce Paup.

And he’ll most likely be the second guy to go from his own D-line behind Nic Scourton.

The downside is, like Gary, he didn’t put up big stats, but he’s extremely disruptive and moves even better and with more bend at 25# heavier.

@Chongo posted:

Reed has been in the league two years...I'll give him another year. Lots of fans were ready to bail on Davante after a crappy year two. But he was a 2nd round as was Reed.

I'm going to beat this dead horse to glue do here goes one more time.

Davante didn't simply "suck in his second year".  He showed all the traits and ability you could want as a rookie - he was the best WR on the field vs a DAL team in the playoffs that had Dez Bryant.  Year 2 he was injured and they had nobody else to throw to.

Reed wasn't injured this year, as far as I know.  He can work on eliminating the drops and maybe improve his separation skills a little but by the end of year 2, I think we've seen what he is.  Doesn't mean he won't have a better year 3.

@Harry Manback posted:

It is, but it hasn't been working for a long time now.  Time to end the insanity and change things up a bit.

As much as I hate to say this. And lord knows I hate saying it after a decade of monumental failure doing so. GB needs to draft the best CB as they can get as early as they can get him.
GB invested in McKinney. And McKinney disappeared after Jaire went away.
Haffley needs 2 press man corners. It’s what drives his defense. It opens up his ability to get diabolical.
None of the above matters if Love isn’t fully healthy and ready to go week 1. Or if Jaire doesn’t really want to be here.

And Tee Higgins FA signing would work just fine too.

@Harry Manback posted:

It is, but it hasn't been working for a long time now.  Time to end the insanity and change things up a bit.

Right.

Let's blow it all up because 67 wins over the last 6 years is certainly "not working for a long time."

@Harry Manback posted:

It is, but it hasn't been working for a long time now.  Time to end   insanity and change things up a bit.

Let's see, how do we change things up??        Oh I know,,  I know.     Bring George Allen back from the dead and have him trade every draft pick for an old vet.  That is what he did for years in Washington.   

@Boris posted:

Right.

Let's blow it all up because 67 wins over the last 6 years is certainly "not working for a long time."

It all depends on how you define success. If being competitive is your definition of success, then all is well in GB. If winning championships is the measure of success, we have been a huge failure especially considering the 30ish years of HOF level QB's and the embarrassing playoff choke jobs (especially those when favored at home).  I think MLF and Gute are more than competent, but are they among the best of the best? I think that is the bigger question and being above average probably isn't good enough. They are going on 7 years to right the ship. There are major issues with this roster and they are probably at least two years away at the minimum.

It’s still hard to win a SB. Philly is trying to win their 1st after being around forever. With some historically  good fucking teams.
Be competitive. You never know when you’ll catch a few flyers like Pickett and Wilson and Starks that change everything.
It’s hard to win a SB.

Philly won one with Nick Foles

Like I said. It’s hard to win 2 SB’s…..