2022 Draft Grades

[lambeaulambo]

Grade the draft!:

 

[Sunshinepacker]

B

- Not excited by the Walker pick, I just don't think ILB is a valuable enough position to spend a first round pick on a player unless you KNOW that player is going to turn into Parsons or Leonard. He could become an elite player at the position, he has the physical tools certainly, but he reacts to play rather than diagnosing and anticipating. Hopefully he can learn to react less and anticipate what's going to happen; if he can do that then he'll be a terrific ILB.

- Like the Wyatt pick, only negative is his age but his production and physical attributes give me hope that the Packers will finally have another good dlineman to pair with Clark. I'm not worried about the off-field stuff, I'm sure the Packers did a LOT of work on that before using a first round pick on him.

- Really liked the aggressiveness to go get a WR they obviously liked in Watson. He has elite physical attributes and he's a good run blocker (something MLF likes). He's raw but he's shown flashes of being able to learn the route tree. Coaches need to get him to cut down on the focus drops but he could easily become a top-5 receiver in this league.

- Rhyan fits the mold as a tackle the Packers will turn into a guard. I'm going to call this a great pick based simply on the fact that the Packers are great at picking these kinds of guys and converting them to great guards.

Doubs - Good pick. Packers obviously realize the receiver room is barren and went after guys that, if they figure out a few things, could turn into absolute monsters on the field. Doubs could turn into a shorter MVS or Chris Godwin.

None of the other players really stood out as great picks or terrible picks. Overall, I think the Packers improved the defense and grabbed some guys that could blossom into great receivers in 2-3 years. They weren't going to get any ready-made receivers in this draft so they did the best they could and I think they did very well.

 

[OldSchool101]

Not excited by the Walker pick, I just don't think ILB is a valuable enough position to spend a first round pick on a player unless you KNOW that player is going to turn into Parsons or Leonard.

First of all I respect that opinion. I wanted to share something that popped into my head reviewing that evaluation. It’s not a condemnation of it, but a “sum of its parts” view. By itself, in a vacuum, your point is more Valid.

Walker is a Swiss Army knife in the mold of a Morgan Burnette. He can rush the passer, play the run, cover the slot and has fantastic range. Best of all he’s a downhill player, when he hits you… I noticed he wants to leave his brand on you. It’s very possible GB has one of the best pair of ILB in the league right now. We have not been effective in the Run because we have not the correct Personnel.
Wyatt and Walker and Stokes all played together. They are like bringing the band back together and they are like family. We have a dynamo X Georgia Defender at each level.

That position speaks to me like that 2020 Tampa move. Watch closely as the season progresses to our Run Defense verses 2021. I’ll bet money it’ll improve.

The group of
Preston, Kenny, Wyatt, Rashan,
Campbell Walker
Alexander Rasul Stokes
Amos Savage

(Backups of Reed, Lowry, Slaton, Enagbare, Barnes, Scott etc..)

I have our weakest link as Savage. Can you imagine saying that?
Darnell needs to feast on the mistakes forced by that All star front 7 this season. Rasul and Amos are ones that’ll make you pay dearly when throwing under duress. Walker is the D in Duress

 

[gopkrs]

A-I love the Walker pick. I think the first 4 picks can contribute this year...a big boost. The fifth pick could be a good O lineman. The rest is more wait and see.

 

[G0P4ckG0]

A-
Could have likely traded down and picked up Walker in the 2nd round. Otherwise I have no complaints about this draft

 

[milani]

B

- Not excited by the Walker pick, I just don't think ILB is a valuable enough position to spend a first round pick on a player unless you KNOW that player is going to turn into Parsons or Leonard. He could become an elite player at the position, he has the physical tools certainly, but he reacts to play rather than diagnosing and anticipating. Hopefully he can learn to react less and anticipate what's going to happen; if he can do that then he'll be a terrific ILB.

- Like the Wyatt pick, only negative is his age but his production and physical attributes give me hope that the Packers will finally have another good dlineman to pair with Clark. I'm not worried about the off-field stuff, I'm sure the Packers did a LOT of work on that before using a first round pick on him.

- Really liked the aggressiveness to go get a WR they obviously liked in Watson. He has elite physical attributes and he's a good run blocker (something MLF likes). He's raw but he's shown flashes of being able to learn the route tree. Coaches need to get him to cut down on the focus drops but he could easily become a top-5 receiver in this league.

- Rhyan fits the mold as a tackle the Packers will turn into a guard. I'm going to call this a great pick based simply on the fact that the Packers are great at picking these kinds of guys and converting them to great guards.

Doubs - Good pick. Packers obviously realize the receiver room is barren and went after guys that, if they figure out a few things, could turn into absolute monsters on the field. Doubs could turn into a shorter MVS or Chris Godwin.

None of the other players really stood out as great picks or terrible picks. Overall, I think the Packers improved the defense and grabbed some guys that could blossom into great receivers in 2-3 years. They weren't going to get any ready-made receivers in this draft so they did the best they could and I think they did very well.

We have tight ends on our roster. I just do not think we are very good there. Tonyan will help but in tight defensive games like our last one that is where you can win or lose. I guess they are hoping DeGuera will blossom.

 

[OldSchool101]

We have tight ends on our roster. I just do not think we are very good there. Tonyan will help but in tight defensive games like our last one that is where you can win or lose. I guess they are hoping DeGuera will blossom.

It pained me to see Likely chosen 1 selection before we picked. Although I don’t think they were thinking TE in hindsight.

That is a position that’s not super expensive to work a trade or acquisition etc.. I really feel like we’re 1 more stellar pass catching TE away from being really prolific on Offense. Someone like Cook in his prime etc. Maybe just maybe.. they feel like we’ve got a group of Big Receivers that serve a similar purpose idk. What was the smallest Receiver, like 6’2” 200

 

[kevans74]

A- no complaints, surprised there was no Safety but it's fine bc I like Amos (the more likely cut due to cap hit) so in theory it's better they didn't draft a Safety

 

[Raleigh NC Packers Fan]

I think that it was a good draft, I gave it an A. I just wish we could have gotten Pickens, Pierce, or Moore to go along with Watson.

With that being said, I don't think it would have changed the fact that our receiving corps still needs work, since we are in a win now mode with winning a Superbowl the main goal.

I think we still need to make a trade for a wr. or sign a veteran free agent, even though I think drafting Watson was a much needed first step towards strengthening the receivers.

If there is enough cap space left over after acquiring a new receiver, we then need to sign a safety or edge rusher.

 

[Poppa San]

I think that it was a good draft, I gave it an A. I just wish we could have gotten Pickens, Pierce, or Moore to go along with Watson.

With that being said, I don't think it would have changed the fact that our receiving corps still needs work, since we are in a win now mode with winning a Superbowl the main goal.

I think we still need to make a trade for a wr. or sign a veteran free agent, even though I think drafting Watson was a much needed first step towards strengthening the receivers.

If there is enough cap space left over after acquiring a new receiver, we then need to sign a safety or edge rusher.

Is there really room to sign a veteran WR? Watson, Rodgers, Doubs, Lazard (is he signed?) are locks with Cobb and Watkins almost so. A veteran would be competing with the last two for a spot. Not counting the wannabees that were on the practice squad last season and the last draft pick Toure.

 

[kevans74]

Is there really room to sign a veteran WR? Watson, Rodgers, Doubs, Lazard (is he signed?) are locks with Cobb and Watkins almost so. A veteran would be competing with the last two for a spot. Not counting the wannabees that were on the practice squad last season and the last draft pick Toure.

Will Amari make the team though?

Besides TE, this is probably the most complete Packers team I've seen in some time.

Talk about a potentially dominant D and great OL lol

 

[AKCheese]

Watson was the ONE guy I wanted in this draft. Not taking him at 28 and keeping our 2 seconds may have been a mis-play

 

[OldSchool101]

Watson was the ONE guy I wanted in this draft. Not taking him at 28 and keeping our 2 seconds may have been a mis-play

I agree. Except I had us using a 3rd Rounder 92,53 packaged to move up. So it’s really just the cost of doing business. We saw what happened at WR in Round 1 and 50/50 Watson is likely gone by #42-43 overall.

Another way to look at that in Gutes Defense was the Packers were still given Walker and Watson combined for the net cost of a #59 selection in exchange for Davante and about $25M to spend.

A. Rasul, Tonyan, Reed, Sammy, Walker, Campbell and Wyatt

Or

B. Davante, #59

The best part is, From what I’ve seen..
Group A are just thankful to play for the Packers.

Group B didn’t want to be a part of this team and were traded

 

[Sunshinepacker]

We have tight ends on our roster. I just do not think we are very good there. Tonyan will help but in tight defensive games like our last one that is where you can win or lose. I guess they are hoping DeGuera will blossom.

I don’t see drafting tight ends as that valuable. Unless you can draft an elite prospect (which this draft didn’t have) rookie tight ends don’t produce. I’m more a believer in signing another team’s disappointing tight end coming off his rookie deal. The VAST majority of rookie tight ends aren’t any good until their second contract.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Is there really room to sign a veteran WR? Watson, Rodgers, Doubs, Lazard (is he signed?) are locks with Cobb and Watkins almost so. A veteran would be competing with the last two for a spot. Not counting the wannabees that were on the practice squad last season and the last draft pick Toure.

First of all Lazard hasn't signed his tender so far but he will be back with the team as he's not allowed to sign with another team anymore. If the Packers add another veteran receiver it's entirely possible Rodgers ends up being cut.

 

[PikeBadger]

A- no complaints, surprised there was no Safety but it's fine bc I like Amos (the more likely cut due to cap hit) so in theory it's better they didn't draft a Safety

I was very surprised as well that a safety wasn't picked somewhere along the line. There must be some semblance of confidence yet in Scott, Davis and Gaines on the coaching staff.

 

[Schultz]

I voted B because there was not a B+ option.

 

[Poppa San]

First of all Lazard hasn't signed his tender so far but he will be back with the team as he's not allowed to sign with another team anymore. If the Packers add another veteran receiver it's entirely possible Rodgers ends up being cut.

Will Amari make the team though?

Unless he is traded for a #3 caliber safety or another TE to throw in the mix, I expect Rodger's to be on the team before Cobb or Sammy.

 

[Magooch]

I guess I would call it a B+ or A- but leaning towards (and voted) A.

- As we have heard GB only had 6, maybe 7 WRs with a first-round grade. My own speculation but I think there were probably only 2-3 that they would've been willing to move up for (Wilson, Williams, London) and I think the price to do so would've been too steep. So while it was kind of frustrating, with the way the board fell I'm okay with not taking a WR in round 1.

- It sounds like many around the league were higher on Quay Walker than the media and mocks would have led you to believe. Hearing a lot of chatter that many had him graded as the top LB in the draft and that the Saints heavily considered taking him and that he wouldn't have made it by the Patriots pick. And I think Wyatt at 28 was good value and fills a big need.

- It sounds like GB was likely willing to take Watson at 28 and was planning on doing so if Wyatt wasn't there (Gute made it sound like they expected Wyatt to be gone by then). So while it initially might've seemed like a lot to give up to get to #34 - most trade charts have that trade going in favor of the Vikings - I view it more or less as trading two seconds for the #28 pick, which ends up being about equal or a slight "win" for us.

- Rhyan (and Tom, to a lesser degree) has "Packer lineman" written all over him. I expect at least one to be a starting player by the end of the season and it wouldn't shock me if both were.

- From what I've seen most mocks had Doubs as something like WR15 or thereabouts on their "big boards" and usually a top-100 pick, if not right on the fringe. No complaints at 132; I expected him to be gone by then.

- I would've thought Enagbare was a low-2nd, high-3rd player at worst. Shocked he was available at the end of the 5th. Similarly, I would've pegged R. Walker to be right around that top-100 range; again I couldn't believe he was still around nearly 150 picks after that.

- Of course I don't have particularly high expectations for Carpenter, Ford, and Toure, but no complaints either. The 7th is always more or less gambling but I think all three have some interesting qualities that should allow them to contend for a roster spot.

So, not a ton to complain about... Probably my only reservation was that we probably could've stood to invest more in DB and probably at TE, where it seems like there is little-to-no assurances beyond this season...

 

[PikeBadger]

Watson was the ONE guy I wanted in this draft. Not taking him at 28 and keeping our 2 seconds may have been a mis-play

You're correct if Wyatt becomes a bust or jag. If he becomes an integral part of a stellar defense, I won't be viewing it as a misplay at all.

 

[Spanky]

Incomplete. We have no idea how good or bad this draft is for at least a couple of years and more like three.

 

[El Guapo]

I feel like a bear waking up from hibernation. I saw some names flash across my phone but still haven't really researched anything. I watched the first twelve picks of the draft while I was on an airplane, reading the Cliff Christl Packers history book. Once I saw the run on WRs at the end of the top 10, I knew that our draft would be focused elsewhere. Getting an ILB and DT before a WR seemed reasonable at that point.

My general feelings on rating draft classes:
* Draft time - no way to really rate it
* At the start of Season 1 - we still know nothing
* Midway through Season 1 - we mostly know nothing, but have a decent gut sense of who can play but will still have to wait
* After Season 1 - we know the studs, but don't know about the late bloomers and the injured
* After Season 2 - we should be able to rate most of the draft class reasonably well, one or two developing players aside
* After Season 3 - we can assess a draft class with most certainty

 

[speakhands]

Of course, no one knows. But how I felt:

R1 - LB Quay Walker - C+
R1 - DL Devonta Wyatt - A-
R2 - WR Christian Watson - C
R3 - OL Sean Rhyan - B+
R4 - WR Romeo Doubbs - B
R4 - OL Zach Tom - A
R5 - Edge Kingsley Enagbare - A+
R7 - S Tariq Carpenter - A-
R7 - NT Jonathan Ford - B
R7 - OL Rasheed Walker - A
R7 - Samari Toure - B

 

[Schultz]

Day1 - me happy
Day- 2 me shaking my head
Day - 3 me even happier

 

[Magooch]

I feel like a bear waking up from hibernation. I saw some names flash across my phone but still haven't really researched anything. I watched the first twelve picks of the draft while I was on an airplane, reading the Cliff Christl Packers history book. Once I saw the run on WRs at the end of the top 10, I knew that our draft would be focused elsewhere. Getting an ILB and DT before a WR seemed reasonable at that point.

My general feelings on rating draft classes:
* Draft time - no way to really rate it
* At the start of Season 1 - we still know nothing
* Midway through Season 1 - we mostly know nothing, but have a decent gut sense of who can play but will still have to wait
* After Season 1 - we know the studs, but don't know about the late bloomers and the injured
* After Season 2 - we should be able to rate most of the draft class reasonably well, one or two developing players aside
* After Season 3 - we can assess a draft class with most certainty

I like the way Chad Reuter (nfl.com) puts it regarding immediate post-draft grades.

"Grading teams' drafts immediately after the event is necessary in order to provide the proper evaluation of their actions in the moment. Waiting three years to evaluate draft classes, without accounting for how the decision was viewed at the time, usually leads to revisionist history.
If a prospect is considered a great pick the day of the draft but doesn't work out in the long run, that's a completely different evaluation of his new team's decision than identifying a player who was considered a reach at the time he was picked. Immediate draft grades provide a foundation for future evaluations."

(FWIW, he gave us an "A" for Day One, "A-" for Day Two, and "A" for Day Three, with an overall grade of "A")