Paul from Pompano Beach, FL
Good morning, not a question but well wishes on your upcoming weekend – it’s a once in a lifetime experience! Enjoy! Here’s hoping that the end of the NFL season is also celebrated in Green Bay! Go Packers Go!
What an incredible time to traverse this Packers universe. We obviously have a job to do, but I’m just trying to be present and take it all in because you never know if we’ll ever have this opportunity again. I hope anyone who attends the draft feels likewise. This day is for Green Bay and the state of Wisconsin. On a personal note, I’m gonna be thinking about my Grandpa Hank who loved this team with all his heart and shared that passion with me. He would’ve been over the moon with having the draft in town.
Here’s to showing the NFL good ol’ Wisconsin hospitality and many chants of “Go Pack Go.”
Who is a team you could see trading up in the first round?
Denver or Houston could be strong candidates to move up to get one of the top skill-position players for their young QB. Perhaps the Packers, too, if there’s a receiver, cornerback or defensive lineman they really covet whom they don’t feel will be there at No. 23.
Would you say it’s not about how a team wants their salary cap structured, but rather about paying players you want to keep and need to keep at their market value? Some years ago, I dug into the salary caps of NFL teams. Perennial Super Bowl contenders all had the same formula: 10-12 core players who took 60-65% of the cap, and the only exception(s) to the QB getting the biggest bite, the QB was on a rookie deal. I’d imagine this still holds true today.
100%. The NFL is making record profits, which drives up the salary cap and player costs. The league’s elite deserve every cent owed to them. The challenge for NFL teams is making sure it’s money well-spent on their end, which is why the Packers enjoy developing and extending their own. That not only keeps homegrown talent in Green Bay but you also have a better grasp on the players you’re investing in.
Years ago, I asked a local college basketball coach what he looked for from his players from year to year. I expected something about skills or knowledge…nope. He said physical development. Is the athlete quicker, faster, stronger each season? Would an NFL coach answer similarly? Good luck to the new Packers draftees. GPG!
I think Matt LaFleur’s response to Larry McCarren on Luke Musgrave perfectly answers this question – the Packers are expecting a Year 3 leap from Musgrave because he’s “bigger, stronger, faster.” Experience matters but doesn’t discount the role physical maturation has in the strides a young player makes. Many players are still growing into their bodies throughout their rookie contracts.
Do you think the absence of trades of first-round picks is due to the perceived lack of quality in this draft? I know QBs move the needle the most and there aren’t many considered worthy of a first-round pick, but zero trades have to happen for a reason.
There haven’t been many marquee trades with most of the premier talents who flirted with departing their current team (e.g. Maxx Crosby and Myles Garrett) signing extensions with their current clubs. Players are staying put and teams are holding onto their draft capital.
Brian Gutekunst made a comment about feeling “prepared” in regard to the unexpected that happens during a draft – a team trading up or a run on a position earlier than expected maybe. Do you think this confidence is more so in his ability to find good players no matter where the pick is or in his ability to maneuver the board as necessary to find the best bang for his buck?
Gutekunst is very comfortable swimming in that current and I think most of it has to do with knowing the subject matter inside and out. Gutekunst always does a good job of maximizing value. He set the tone right away with his first draft in 2018. Nobody gets every pick right, but staying true to your process gives a GM the best chance to produce a high batting average.
Morning Wes. So, we made it! As I don’t follow college football all that much and would never pretend to know what the Packers’ draft thoughts are, my only request is our pick not have an injury history from this past season, at least nothing that cost multiple games and could be nagging. Thanks.
I hear you and I’m sure Gutekunst does, too. That’s what the medical background checks are for.
Dean from Leavenworth, IN
Draft Day! A prediction (guess). Cleveland will be looking for a QB at 33, and when the picks reach the 20s, they start hearing two teams picking after them are looking to move back into the first round for a QB. The Packers trade 23 and their fourth (124) for 33 and a third (67). Does that make any sense to you Weston?
On paper, that would be a decent trade for Green Bay. DraftTek’s trade-value chart scores that as an 835-808 “win” for the Packers. It all depends on how the board falls. We’ll stick a pin in it and see how it plays out.
John from Stevens Point, WI
Ready…set…go! Time for the draft. What are you expecting to see from the Packers? Will there be trades of players or positions in the draft? Seems there are so many possibilities.
I don’t see any players getting traded, but I feel like the Packers finish with 10 picks after trading back a time or two. Total guess on my part, but that’s my prediction.
