2017 Draft/FA Needs - Ranked

[PackerDNA]

Perry finished 1.5 sacks behind Von Miller lol. Matthews wasn't healthy and can still contribute at an elite level once his shoulder heals. Fackrell looks promising. We will add another pass rusher or two through FA/draft

Ah, the danger of stats as a be all end all.
Do you really think there's a comparison between Perry and Miller as pass rushers?
There's your LOL!

 

[mradtke66]

The other rookie we drafted (Who's name escapes me) can't even make the active roster half the time.

Not really a valid complaint. You typically only dress 7 O-linemen on game day. Most of the league operates that way. 5-starters + 2 backups. Barclay isn't particularly good, but he's probably the best backup center we have with Tretter on IR, thus he HAS to be active on game day. That leaves Spriggs as the other, as he is obvious best backup swing tackle.

 

[Mark Andrew Hooley]

Ah, the danger of stats as a be all end all.
Do you really think there's a comparison between Perry and Miller as pass rushers?
There's your LOL!

No. I'm simply stating that he was productive this year.

 

[PackerDNA]

No. I'm simply stating that he was productive this year.

I'll buy that. However, I think if he wants to be paid like one of the game's top LB's say goodbye.

 

[Dantés]

Perry reminds me a lot of Melvin Ingram in terms of career trajectory (stylistically they're very different). Ingram showed flashes of good play for years in the midst of injuries, but always looked overmatched as the top pass rush threat. He had some productive seasons, but didn't look particularly scary. Then Bosa got to town this last season and quickly became "batman" and let Ingram play more of a "Robin" role. Ingram thrived and looked far more dangerous.

In my opinion, if Perry is your "Batman," you're not scaring many people. If he's your "Robin," you're in great shape. I would love it if they could find a pass rusher to draw some attention. Chandler Jones would be the obvious FA choice, but ain't getting our of Arizona. A draft pick might have to do. You're almost certainly not going to find an immediate stud at the back of round 1, but you could possibly find a good situational pass rusher to cause some disruption.

 

[Poppa San]

Perry reminds me a lot of Melvin Ingram in terms of career trajectory (stylistically they're very different). Ingram showed flashes of good play for years in the midst of injuries, but always looked overmatched as the top pass rush threat. He had some productive seasons, but didn't look particularly scary. Then Bosa got to town this last season and quickly became "batman" and let Ingram play more of a "Robin" role. Ingram thrived and looked far more dangerous.

In my opinion, if Perry is your "Batman," you're not scaring many people. If he's your "Robin," you're in great shape. I would love it if they could find a pass rusher to draw some attention. Chandler Jones would be the obvious FA choice, but ain't getting our of Arizona. A draft pick might have to do. You're almost certainly not going to find an immediate stud at the back of round 1, but you could possibly find a good situational pass rusher to cause some disruption.

Both bolded parts point to Clay Matthews. Defense still is this teams Achilles heal.

 

[Poppa San]

I honestly don`t know what the answer is.

Climb on the Cowboys bandwagon. They're America's Team. Oh wait, you're British. How 'bout the Raiders? Nah they're Mexico's team and there's that British thing again. Buffalo Bills? No? Canadian but closer to British than the other two. I know, the Jaguars. Their bandwagon is empty along with their stadium which is why they play several games in London each season which IIRC being in England is close to Britain.

 

[NelsonsLongCatch]

I'm delighted if we keep:
-Lacy
-Ty
-Michael

I also liked Crockett, still don't know what his injury was specifically.
I don't like seeing mock drafts having us use our #1 on a RB.

I would be "undelighted" if the Packers went into next year with Lacy, Montgomery, and Michael as the three running backs.

 

[Mark Andrew Hooley]

Let's just sign Trumaine Johnson as our shutdown corner in FA. Guy is a phenomenal cover corner. Sign Zach Brown at ILB who the Bills got for an absolute bargain. Randall and Rollins were great last year. This year injured! A shutdown corner makes a massive difference alone to our D.

 

[sdh09e44]

I would be "undelighted" if the Packers went into next year with Lacy, Montgomery, and Michael as the three running backs.

Why? Ty has tons of potential to be a nice RB after he puts in a full offseason preparing for it.
Lacy can come back on a team friendly deal and can certainly help the run game if he stays healthy.
Michael has upside too. I actually would be ok with letting Michael walk and just draft a RB in the middle rounds since it is a deep draft.


What other moves are there? We most certainly can't draft a RB early because of the significant needs at CB and LB. And there are no other RBs worth signing. So I am not really sure what you want to do at RB...

 

[sdh09e44]

Let's just sign Trumaine Johnson as our shutdown corner in FA. Guy is a phenomenal cover corner. Sign Zach Brown at ILB who the Bills got for an absolute bargain. Randall and Rollins were great last year. This year injured! A shutdown corner makes a massive difference alone to our D.

Yup. This team would be in great shape with Trumaine Johnson or Stephon Gilmore as the #1 CB. I would still be open to a Joe Haden trade too if those guys aren't signed.

 

[Patriotplayer90]

Perry reminds me a lot of Melvin Ingram in terms of career trajectory (stylistically they're very different). Ingram showed flashes of good play for years in the midst of injuries, but always looked overmatched as the top pass rush threat. He had some productive seasons, but didn't look particularly scary. Then Bosa got to town this last season and quickly became "batman" and let Ingram play more of a "Robin" role. Ingram thrived and looked far more dangerous.

In my opinion, if Perry is your "Batman," you're not scaring many people. If he's your "Robin," you're in great shape. I would love it if they could find a pass rusher to draw some attention. Chandler Jones would be the obvious FA choice, but ain't getting our of Arizona. A draft pick might have to do. You're almost certainly not going to find an immediate stud at the back of round 1, but you could possibly find a good situational pass rusher to cause some disruption.

Maybe Taco Charlton will fall to them. Unlikely, but he was projected that way in some mocks that I saw. His pro comp on the NFL draft profile is Chandler Jones. Looks like he's got a ton of upside. But TT will probably just pick a late 2nd round talent as usual.

 

[I asked LT to delete my acct]

Climb on the Cowboys bandwagon. They're America's Team. Oh wait, you're British. How 'bout the Raiders? Nah they're Mexico's team and there's that British thing again. Buffalo Bills? No? Canadian but closer to British than the other two. I know, the Jaguars. Their bandwagon is empty along with their stadium which is why they play several games in London each season which IIRC being in England is close to Britain.

Did I say at anytime I was jumping ship ?? I said I didn`t know what the answer was.

 

[Poppa San]

Did I say at anytime I was jumping ship ?? I said I didn`t know what the answer was.

Just expanding your horizons by suggesting options you wouldn't have considered old chap.

 

[I asked LT to delete my acct]

Just expanding your horizons by suggesting options you wouldn't have considered old chap.

But I`d miss the interaction with the moderators if I left old chap.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

What pick do we have ? 29 or 30 ?

The Packers will pick 29th as the Steelers had the better regular season record.

A little astounded pass rusher isn't mentioned more often, that'a a far higher concern than anything other than corner I think. Next season the Packers, currently, have Matthews under contract and that's it.

I agree that the outside linebacker position needs to be addressed this offseason as well. Fackrell is under contract for next season as well though.

Why not? Matthews was injured most of the year. He can still be a game changer. Perry had double digit sacks. Datone Jones has flashed. Fackrell looks like carving himself out a bigger role as a 3rd round pick. Another first or second round pass rusher will leave us strong at the position.

Thompson absolutely has to improve the depth chart at outside linebacker. While Perry put up double digit sacks he disappeared for long stretches and the entire unit had trouble putting constant pressure on opposing quarterbacks. With that being said the Packers should re-sign him.

Matthews has been in decline for several seasons and I don´t expect him to become a dominant force again. While Fackrell has shown some flashes during his rookie season there´s no reason to rely on him to make a huge impact next season.

I would like the team to sign an impact free agent as well as spend an early rounder on the position to significantly improve the talent level. Bringing back the same group won´t cut it in 2017.

Randall and Rollins were great last year.

Both Randall and Rollins had decent rookie seasons but were far from great in 2015.

Lacy can come back on a team friendly deal and can certainly help the run game if he stays healthy.

I don´t trust Lacy to stay in shape after he wasn´t able to keep his weight under control for two consecutive seasons. Therefore I would prefer to let him walk away in free agency.

 

[PikeBadger]

Just for clarity (as others have mentioned) Spotrac has the Packers at 35.5M in space in 2017 before any moves are made.

The following cap casualty candidates (not expecting all or even most would be cut) will add the following totals to that initial figure:

-Matthews: 11.1M (15.2 minus 4.1 in dead money)
-Shields: 9M (12.1 minus 3.1 in dead money)
-Starks: 3M (3.75 minus .75 in dead money)

So technically they stand to have nearly 60M if they want it. I tend to think Matthews is more likely to be restructured or straight kept rather than cut, but I'd move on from the other two for sure (which would mean 47.5M in space).

Certainly they have plenty to keep who they want and make a good acquisition or two in FA. Although we should bear in mind that as the cap rises, cap space won't go as far as it once did. Contracts are getting progressively larger.

Imo, cap space will go as far as it always did. Rodgers cap allocation is rising slower than the cap increase. This team is not on the hook for a large amount of guaranteed money compared to many teams. There is a lot of options for personnel moves and contract restructuring right now. How mgmt prioritizes things will be interesting.

 

[Dantés]

Imo, cap space will go as far as it always did. Rodgers cap allocation is rising slower than the cap increase. This team is not on the hook for a large amount of guaranteed money compared to many teams. There is a lot of options for personnel moves and contract restructuring right now. How mgmt prioritizes things will be interesting.

Yeah, I didn't mean to imply that the cap won't go as far as concerns the entire roster. Just that the cost of contracts will increase along with the cap itself.

 

[ExpatPacker]

Also think Zach Cunningham out of Vanderbilt is this years " we haven't had a legit ILB in years so maybe draft this guy TT cause he can probably be it"

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But unfortunately, once again we have some more serious needs elsewhere so drafting a potential QB of the defense is impossible.

Zach Cunningham will probably be drafted well before the Packers are on the board.

 

[NelsonsLongCatch]

Why? Ty has tons of potential to be a nice RB after he puts in a full offseason preparing for it.
Lacy can come back on a team friendly deal and can certainly help the run game if he stays healthy.
Michael has upside too. I actually would be ok with letting Michael walk and just draft a RB in the middle rounds since it is a deep draft.


What other moves are there? We most certainly can't draft a RB early because of the significant needs at CB and LB. And there are no other RBs worth signing. So I am not really sure what you want to do at RB...

I love Montgomery and what he brings to the position, but what is the precedent of a wide receiver successfully transitioning to running back? And I'm not talking about a guy switching positions before being drafted, I'm talking about a guy drafted as wide receiver and making the switch in his second NFL season. Is Montgomery a 100 touch/year guy? 200 touches/year? 300 touches/year? 400 touches/year? There are a lot of unknowns to go into the 2017 season with Montgomery as the only option on the team.

Eddie Lacy followed his fat season with an injury season. Lacy is two full season removed from putting together a solid, full season of running the football. Team friendly contract or not, is he worth bringing back? Plus Lacy is the kind of guy who needs 20 carries to use his big body to wear down a defense. Will he ever get 20 carries again with the increased focus on the pass game and Montgomery's new role?

Michael is just a guy. He has flashes, but you have to consider why he's been on three teams and the Packer were able to pick him up mid-season off of waivers.

The solution could/should come in the draft. This is where free agency comes into play. If the Packers sign a starting corner, all of a sudden corner is not an absolute Round One need. Also, don't forget that some of the best running backs in the league weren't first round picks. David Johnson, Jordan Howard, anybody playing on the Falcons or Patriots were later round picks.

 

[Sunshinepacker]

No. I'm simply stating that he was productive this year.

Problem with Perry is that much of his production only came when matthews was playing; when Matthews was out and the defense focused on Perry, he disappeared. That would seem to indicate that he's not ready to be a primary threat on defense. But who knows, he's only been in the NFL for five years, maybe he's just a slow developer.

 

[Sunshinepacker]

I love Montgomery and what he brings to the position, but what is the precedent of a wide receiver successfully transitioning to running back? And I'm not talking about a guy switching positions before being drafted, I'm talking about a guy drafted as wide receiver and making the switch in his second NFL season. Is Montgomery a 100 touch/year guy? 200 touches/year? 300 touches/year? 400 touches/year? There are a lot of unknowns to go into the 2017 season with Montgomery as the only option on the team.

Eddie Lacy followed his fat season with an injury season. Lacy is two full season removed from putting together a solid, full season of running the football. Team friendly contract or not, is he worth bringing back? Plus Lacy is the kind of guy who needs 20 carries to use his big body to wear down a defense. Will he ever get 20 carries again with the increased focus on the pass game and Montgomery's new role?

Michael is just a guy. He has flashes, but you have to consider why he's been on three teams and the Packer were able to pick him up mid-season off of waivers.

The solution could/should come in the draft. This is where free agency comes into play. If the Packers sign a starting corner, all of a sudden corner is an absolute Round One need. Also, don't forget that some of the best running backs in the league weren't first round picks. David Johnson, Jordan Howard, anybody playing on the Falcons or Patriots were later round picks.

I think you're argument starts on the wrong path. It was thought coming out of college by many that he would make a better RB than a WR. Had the Packers moved him to RB in his rookie season then he would just have always been a RB; perhaps the question should be why the Packers (and Stanford) had a RB playing WR? As for number of touches, that's an unknown with EVERY player. Freeman on the Falcons missed huge parts of last year but then was healthy most of this season. Montgomery is a good-sized RB, he's not even close to small. I'm not saying just hand the starting job to Ty but he certainly looks capable of being a primary RB in the NFL if MM will actually give him a chance and learn from other offenses how to use a guy with his skills.

 

[PackAttack12]

I don´t trust Lacy to stay in shape after he wasn´t able to keep his weight under control for two consecutive seasons. Therefore I would prefer to let him walk away in free agency.

He couldn't manage his weight in a contract year. I've seen enough.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Hey guys! Former Charger Fan here from San Diego (Packers were my childhood team)
I consider myself a draftnik and consider myself a fairly consistent presence on the Chargers forums for all draft discussions.
... but you know ho really has me salivating are the TEs in this draft. Njoku or O.J. Howard are sitting there and I am all about these prospects. IMO they are the best T.E. prospects to come out maybe since Vernon Davis. Njoku is a FREAK athlete that, if I recall correctly, has the 2nd highest high jump for The U football team ever... and is on the cusp of olympic qualifier high jumps.
O.J. plays with similar play speed and is an absolute gem of a run blocker. Very well rounded player.
I know the need for corner weighs heavily, but if you get a chance of one of these two guys I'd have to take my shot.
What do you guys think?
(I know that Cook is a FA)

Welcome to the Board as well as your returning to the Green Bay Packers!

As far as TE, I for one am hoping for Cook to be resigned and think there is a good shot at that. So if that happens, TE may be a position the Packers won't be looking too hard at in the draft. However, if Cook isn't resigned, it jumps right up there as a high position of need.

 

[NelsonsLongCatch]

I think you're argument starts on the wrong path. It was thought coming out of college by many that he would make a better RB than a WR. Had the Packers moved him to RB in his rookie season then he would just have always been a RB; perhaps the question should be why the Packers (and Stanford) had a RB playing WR? As for number of touches, that's an unknown with EVERY player. Freeman on the Falcons missed huge parts of last year but then was healthy most of this season. Montgomery is a good-sized RB, he's not even close to small. I'm not saying just hand the starting job to Ty but he certainly looks capable of being a primary RB in the NFL if MM will actually give him a chance and learn from other offenses how to use a guy with his skills.

I don't think my argument starts off wrong. If Montgomery was a running back the whole time, he probably would've played running back in college and/or been drafted as a running back. I like what I saw from him and he could definitely be a starting running. I have no doubt that if used correctly, he could be an outstanding player. I don't want to the options behind him to be Eddie Lacy and Christine Michael and/or James Starks.