Official 2025 Draft Thread

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…..

@ChilliJon posted:

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

I can’t believe you forgot about that, they kicked the Viking asses to get there

Everybody kicks the Vikings asses in the Playoffs.

Lots of folks just focus on 40 time when looking at a WR their teams draft.

Route running is way more important, and a better predictor of early success.

It should be noted all these guys are shorter than the Packers "ideal" metric.

• Xavier Restrepo
• Jaylin Noel
• Tez Johnson
• Kyle Williams

The route-runners in this first group have been excellent. They’ll be tough covers the moment they step on NFL turf.

— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) January 29, 2025

I look at the RAS scores much like the Ivy League schools look at SAT scores. There is a minimum score that someone has to get to be successful there. Their analytics show that if a student has for example sake, a 1400 SAT score (which correlates higher than high school grades do to IQ), with hard work they can be successful. Given that, someone with a 1600 SAT doesn't necessarily have an advantage in admissions. One they meet the minimum, it is then all the other things that come into play that they use in determining success in and outside the classroom. So for the NFL, once a player meets the athletic minimum other things that are (or should be) used are production, competition played against, coach ability, love of the game, attention to technical detail, etc. IMHO, those weren't weighted enough when drafting guys like Van Ness and Walker.

This is the OLB Mel Kiper mocked going to the Packers in R1...he likely didn't realize the Packers are no longer in the market for OLB Edge rushers under Hafley.

While plays like this bring plenty of oohs and aahs, they bring zero value in judging whether or not his skills project into being a first rounder.

He went up against a mammoth OL from Oregon, but he's exponentially quicker. He got the OL off-balance (shitty footwork, not gonna lie) and used momentum to floor the kid. That isn't working against experienced NFL RT.

Marshall lists him at 6'4", 248. He might be 248...I am skeptical he's 6'4"

He's just not long enough for what the Packers need in an edge rusher. They don't need another Brenton Cox or Kinglsey Enagbare...they need a power edge. They need someone for the position they thought they were getting VanNess to fill. They need a long term replacement for Kenny Clark more than an edge IMO.

🚨🚨🚨WOW!!! Marshall EDGE Mike Green!! Draft stock 📈📈📈 @MikeGarafolo @nfldraftscout pic.twitter.com/KSPIf6cN7x

— Larry Rudolph QBC Media (@qbcountry_media) January 29, 2025

I saw Betty White in that red shirt.

@Chongo posted:

This is the OLB Mel Kiper mocked going to the Packers in R1...he likely didn't realize the Packers are no longer in the market for OLB Edge rushers under Hafley.

While plays like this bring plenty of oohs and aahs, they bring zero value in judging whether or not his skills project into being a first rounder.

He went up against a mammoth OL from Oregon, but he's exponentially quicker. He got the OL off-balance (shitty footwork, not gonna lie) and used momentum to floor the kid. That isn't working against experienced NFL RT.

Marshall lists him at 6'4", 248. He might be 248...I am skeptical he's 6'4"

He's just not long enough for what the Packers need in an edge rusher. They don't need another Brenton Cox or Kinglsey Enagbare...they need a power edge. They need someone for the position they thought they were getting VanNess to fill. They need a long term replacement for Kenny Clark more than an edge IMO.

🚨🚨🚨WOW!!! Marshall EDGE Mike Green!! Draft stock 📈📈📈 @MikeGarafolo @nfldraftscout pic.twitter.com/KSPIf6cN7x

— Larry Rudolph QBC Media (@qbcountry_media) January 29, 2025

And on the next rep Connerly showed impressive fluidity and shadowed Green perfectly. Green also smoked Arionte Ersery from Minnesota inside, but then so did others because they saw AE kept oversetting.

Josiah Stewart from Michigan is even smaller.

I got to see some coverage snaps at lunch today and really liked Az Thomas’ reps. They matched him up today with Tez Johnson in slot formation to challenge him and he stayed in phase impressively. He’s tailor-made for Hafley’s defense and is only 20-years old. He’s a solid bet for the Packers draft.

Quincy Riley had some very good snaps, as well, with good instincts but a slight lack of recovery speed and maybe a touch of stiffness. My guess is he’ll go around the Packers third-round pick. Not gonna lie, drafting both would be intriguing and overhaul the position.

Jayden Higgins looked good at Receiver. I’m still not sure he’ll time well enough for Gutekunst, but his footwork and release look good.

Gray Zabel looked good again, reminding me a bit of Mike Flanagan. He looks a bit lanky inside, but just gets it done against all comers. He had a couple of iffy shotgun snaps that were the only downside.

Jonah Monheim looked good again, as well. He got some snaps at guard, including with Zabel at Center in team.

@Fandame posted:

I saw Betty White in that red shirt.

I think 55 was seeing angels after that rep. 

Good grief, that Marshall kid is half his size!

@Fandame posted:

I saw Betty White in that red shirt.

Not Reggie?

We talk about success, being competitive, winning Super Bowls. How bout being competitive, somewhat successful and not constantly stepping on your own dicks half the time? Cut down on the Tallywhacker stompin and  a Super Bowl could be realized!

Part of dick steppin’ is guys lacking the talent to do what’s needed of them.

@Pikes Peak posted:

Not Reggie?

Not in the red shirt. It was definitely Betty at 98 years old.

If Reggie was the one rushing, that OL, as big as he is, would have been flung about 10 yards at least. Even in college, Reggie would have rag-dolled him.