Is this the worst draft in this decade for the Packers?

[El Guapo]

I am still hopeful that the current group of WR's ends up being more impressive than I am giving them credit for possibly being. Or Gute picks up another Vet WR via a trade or Free Agent situation.

Maybe we should hope that Davante Adams blows out his ACL in camp, so that Rodgers has to spread the ball around again like he did last season! Of course, I truly hope nothing bad happens to Davante, but Rodgers needs to pull the stick out of his ****. When Sterling Sharpe went down with his neck injury, Favre finally spread the ball around to a bevy of talented WRs. Rodgers needs to stop with holding his WRs to high standards, and just wing the ball to guys as they get open.

 

[Pugger]

Going into this draft, the goal is to do whatever it takes to close the large gap between the Packers and the 49ers, and it is large.
This draft was done like the 49ers do not exist.
Rd1- could have had Tee Higgins WR- Clemson-1167 yards and 14 TD's
or Michael Pittman, USC 1275 yards and 11 TD's
Rd2- could have been Zack Baun, Wisconsin- to replace martinez

The Packers are not better than last year and did not close the gap to catch the 49ers.

Bad Draft!!!

I agree about those WRs but is Baun better than Christian Kirksey? Perhaps Gute and MFL didn't feel the need to draft an ILB with Kirksey on the roster?

 

[Dantés]

Gutey is either stupid or a liar. Anyone who looks at the current Packers receiver corps and thinks all is well--that person is a moron.

I also give Gutey no credit for saying WR's weren't there when they drafted. He orchestrated that by moving up in the first to take a project QB. He wasted both his first and his fourth to do that.

Thank you for your nuanced take.

 

[tynimiller]

There is so much swirling around this time of year that's not verifiable, but according to Peter King, Gutekunst was trying to trade up in round 2 for one of his WR targets but couldn't get a deal, and then stopped trying after they came off the board.

I have heard Mims and Pittman.

 

[tynimiller]

Gutey is either stupid or a liar. Anyone who looks at the current Packers receiver corps and thinks all is well--that person is a moron.

I also give Gutey no credit for saying WR's weren't there when they drafted. He orchestrated that by moving up in the first to take a project QB. He wasted both his first and his fourth to do that.

Honestly at #62 I only had Bryan Edwards worth a pick at that position. Gute and Co. may have not liked him as I did.

At #94 I didn't have any WR I felt was worth a pick at that position...now knowing we didn't have a fourth I could have given a HUGE reach to Joe Reed or Gandy-Golden but man that would have been a reach. Duvernay going a few picks earlier was who I was watching leading up to #94.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Maybe we should hope that Davante Adams blows out his ACL in camp, so that Rodgers has to spread the ball around again like he did last season! Of course, I truly hope nothing bad happens to Davante, but Rodgers needs to pull the stick out of his ****. When Sterling Sharpe went down with his neck injury, Favre finally spread the ball around to a bevy of talented WRs. Rodgers needs to stop with holding his WRs to high standards, and just wing the ball to guys as they get open.

While I understand what you are saying, I am in the camp of 2019 fielded way too many underdeveloped WR's for the Packers. I think when Rodgers had more bonafide targets to throw to (Cobb, Nelson, Adams), he was able to spread the ball around more. But when you put Shepherd, MVS, GMO and Kumerow on the field and Adams isn't playing, getting those 4 the ball more isn't a "light bulb moment" of "ahhhh seeee, these other guys have something", because for the most part that "something" wasn't consistently there all year long for them, with or without Adams on the field.

 

[Toad1924]

I'm not saying they are exactly the same thing. I will say, however, that if Love goes on to have a solid career for the Packers, it will have turned out to be a worthy pick. By the same token, if he turns out to be Brian Brohm, it will have been a wasted pick. Only time will tell.

I think it is more complicated than this. If Love becomes a solid/mid-tier starting QB but we gave up a 1st and a 4th with a HOF QB's career winding down, I don't think the pick is worth it. IMO, for this selection to be worth it either (or possibly both) of the following scenarios need to occur:

1. Love needs to be a borderline elite QB
2. GB needs to be a true contender over these next few seasons without the picks used to select Love (even if we come up just short of a SB, there could be speculation related to the opportunity cost of selecting Love)

If Love ever plays to the level of Rodgers is currently at, that will be a great outcome. The issue I have is that we actually have that high level QB play at the moment and should try to capitalize on that while we have it. And I don't just mean drafting a talented WR, I also mean filling glaring holes on the defense.

I hope both of these scenarios play out but either will be extremely difficult to achieve.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

There is so much swirling around this time of year that's not verifiable, but according to Peter King, Gutekunst was trying to trade up in round 2 for one of his WR targets but couldn't get a deal, and then stopped trying after they came off the board.

This will be where the "anti-Love" crowd will crucify Gute until or unless Love turns into a superstar. Had Gute found a way to trade out of the 1st round (picks up an early 2nd and 4th), he would have had the firepower to pick one of those coveted WR's in Round 2 with either his first traded for pick or using his 4th rounder(s) along with the #62 pick to slide further up the board.

I guess the next 3-4 yrs will tell us if he made the right moves.

 

[CanadaCheese]

I agree about those WRs but is Baun better than Christian Kirksey? Perhaps Gute and MFL didn't feel the need to draft an ILB with Kirksey on the roster?

Apparently they did and they apparently thought Wagner is a solid replacement for Bulaga and last years receiving group and Funchess gave them solid balance at #2 and 3 receivers....thus the controversy since many on this and other boards and the majority of football people across the country think it’s a flawed approach

 

[RicFlairoftheNFL]

I have to agree with all those who have expressed the idea that evaluating a draft class within hours of its conclusion is premature. Silly, in fact. Just my opinion.

As I recall, some Packer fans were furious with Ted Thompson for selecting Aaron Rodgers in the first round while a perfectly viable future first ballot HOF quarterback was on the roster. In hindsight, most would conclude it was the best draft pick of his tenure in Green Bay.

Whether that proves to be true or not for Gute is yet to be determined....Although I am sure some already think they know, and no one is going to talk them out of it.

I'm more still pissed about Ted handing him the reins a full year before he was ready for it.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

I think it is more complicated than this. If Love becomes a solid/mid-tier starting QB but we gave up a 1st and a 4th with a HOF QB's career winding down, I don't think the pick is worth it. IMO, for this selection to be worth it either (or possibly both) of the following scenarios need to occur:

1. Love needs to be a borderline elite QB
2. GB needs to be a true contender over these next few seasons without the picks used to select Love (even if we come up just short of a SB, there could be speculation related to the opportunity cost of selecting Love)

If Love ever plays to the level of Rodgers is currently at, that will be a great outcome. The issue I have is that we actually have that high level QB play at the moment and should try to capitalize on that while we have it. And I don't just mean drafting a talented WR, I also mean filling glaring holes on the defense.

I hope both of these scenarios play out but either will be extremely difficult to achieve.

I think you are overthinking it.

The selection of Love should only be graded on one and only one thing. Will he have a career in the NFL as a starting QB with the Packers or another team? If its a successful career with Green Bay, great pick. If its with another team, but the Packers get something valuable out of trading him, great pick. If he mostly rides the bench and isn't on the team in 4 years, bust. Fortunately or Unfortunately, we will all have to wait several years for that grade to come in.

Now the doom and gloomers might say "doesn't matter if he is successful, drafting him may have cost us a Super Bowl". To which I would ask which player(s) in this years draft did we miss out on by drafting Love and does that player(s) instantly change our path to a Super Bowl?

If Love turns out to be the Packers 3rd HOF QB in a row, the payoffs could be ten fold of what a Patrick Queen or a Tee Higgens could have been for the Packers. This was a calculated risk by Gute that the long term payoff of Love was worth the short term loss of drafting another player (s) instead.

 

[Dantés]

I think you are overthinking it.

The selection of Love will only be graded on one and only one thing. Will he have a career in the NFL as a starting QB with the Packers or another team? If its a successful career with Green Bay, great pick. If its with another team, but the Packers get something valuable out of trading him, great pick. If he mostly rides the bench and isn't on the team in 4 years, bust.

Now the doom and gloomers might say "doesn't matter if he is successful, drafting him may have cost us a Super Bowl". To which I would ask which player(s) in this years draft did we miss out on by drafting Love and does that player(s) instantly change our path to a Super Bowl?

If Love turns out to be the Packers 3rd HOF QB in a row, the payoffs could be ten fold of what a Patrick Queen or a Tee Higgens could have been for the Packers. This was a calculated risk by Gute that the long term payoff of Love was worth the short term loss of drafting another player (s) instead.

Bears, Lions, and especially Vikings fans have been getting a lot of jollies out of laughing at the Packers draft class. Imagine if Love ends up being another great QB... the Packers will have gone from 1992 to ~2035 with an unbroken string of great quarterbacks. I'm guessing they won't be laughing so hard any more.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Honestly at #62 I only had Bryan Edwards worth a pick at that position. Gute and Co. may have not liked him as I did.

I loved what I read about and saw from Edwards. I think his foot injury and not being able to participate at the combine or be examined by teams made him slip from a mid 2nd rounder to a mid 3rd rounder. I half expected Gute to grab him at 62, which some may have called a reach. Raiders got him at 81 and I think they are going to be quite pleased with what they got.

 

[CanadaCheese]

Bears, Lions, and especially Vikings fans have been getting a lot of jollies out of laughing at the Packers draft class. Imagine if Love ends up being another great QB... the Packers will have gone from 1992 to ~2035 with an unbroken string of great quarterbacks. I'm guessing they won't be laughing so hard any more.

Conversely what if he doesn’t?
Always two sides to every argument in a world of uncertainty and “what if’s”

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

I find that when having these types of discussions, we also have to remember what the team needs were in prior years. What did the Packers desperately need out of the draft when he took a bunch of late WRs in 2018.

Historical Perspective since Gute took over.

In 2018 Gute and the Packers were still trying to fix the secondary. Throwing even more draft resources at it and the entire defense. However, I think he knew that WR was an area of future concern and thus he fired 3 draft shots in its direction. Moore (4th round), MVS (5th), ESB (6th).

The 2019 draft, nothing put towards WR. Yet, both Nelson and Cobb were lost over the 2 years since Gute took over. Moore had 1 foot out the door, both MVS and ESB showed some promise as rookies.

2020 Draft. Moore is out the door, MVS has one foot out and ESB hasn't played in a year. Lazard, much like MVS and ESB did shows some signs of potential. A CFL player is signed, as well as a low end FA Vet. No shots fired in the draft.

 

[CanadaCheese]

Historical Perspective since Gute took over.

In 2018 Gute and the Packers were still trying to fix the secondary. Throwing even more draft resources at it and the entire defense. However, I think he knew that WR was an area of future concern and thus he fired 3 draft shots in its direction. Moore (4th round), MVS (5th), ESB (6th).

The 2019 draft, nothing put towards WR. Yet, both Nelson and Cobb were lost over the 2 years since Gute took over. Moore had 1 foot out the door, both MVS and ESB showed some promise as rookies.

2020 Draft. Moore is out the door, MVS has one foot out and ESB hasn't played in a year. Lazard, much like MVS and ESB did shows some signs of potential. A CFL player is signed, as well as a low end FA Vet. No shots fired in the draft.

“And now for the rest of the story....”
Accurate recap
Looks like we can’t draft very good WRs by this data although current FO likes what we have....it will be interesting the comments looking forward in three years but until then it just allot of guessing and wondering “what if?”

 

[smacker]

Is this the worst draft in this decade for the Packers?
I don't know, only time will tell. I would just like to know what the Packers are trying to do? Rebuild, fill needs, move from Division winner to Superbowl winner? I don't see a consistent strategy. I am certainly no football expert, but I still feel like I am missing something with this draft.

 

[Toad1924]

I think you are overthinking it.

The selection of Love should only be graded on one and only one thing. Will he have a career in the NFL as a starting QB with the Packers or another team? If its a successful career with Green Bay, great pick. If its with another team, but the Packers get something valuable out of trading him, great pick. If he mostly rides the bench and isn't on the team in 4 years, bust. Fortunately or Unfortunately, we will all have to wait several years for that grade to come in.

Now the doom and gloomers might say "doesn't matter if he is successful, drafting him may have cost us a Super Bowl". To which I would ask which player(s) in this years draft did we miss out on by drafting Love and does that player(s) instantly change our path to a Super Bowl?

If Love turns out to be the Packers 3rd HOF QB in a row, the payoffs could be ten fold of what a Patrick Queen or a Tee Higgens could have been for the Packers. This was a calculated risk by Gute that the long term payoff of Love was worth the short term loss of drafting another player (s) instead.

I get what you are saying but I don' think I'm overthinking it.

I personally will not consider the selection successful if Love is just a capable starter given the context in which the franchise currently stands (HOF QB, NFCCG, Love on the bench for ~3 years of his rookie contract, needs at several positions).

Love might be great (I never said he won't be and I'll root for him when his time comes) and if he is great, it will be a great pick (I never said it can't be). We know Rodgers is great.

My preference is that we win Super Bowls. Not make the playoffs and get beat down by complete teams year after year.

 

[rmontro]

I personally will not consider the selection successful if Love is just a capable starter given the context in which the franchise currently stands (HOF QB, NFCCG, Love on the bench for ~3 years of his rookie contract, needs at several positions).

And looking back at the Rodgers pick, the Packers didn't win another Super Bowl with Favre after passing on using the first round pick to improve the team as it was. Fortunately, that pick turned out well in the long run.

It sounds like MLF wants to make the team less reliant on a quarterback, however. Which is probably a good thing. I watched Super Bowl XXXI again yesterday, it was on Fox. That team was firing on all cylinders, it was really good on offense, defense, and special teams.

 

[Mondio]

And looking back at the Rodgers pick, the Packers didn't win another Super Bowl with Favre after passing on using the first round pick to improve the team as it was. Fortunately, that pick turned out well in the long run.

It sounds like MLF wants to make the team less reliant on a quarterback, however. Which is probably a good thing. I watched Super Bowl XXXI again yesterday, it was on Fox. That team was firing on all cylinders, it was really good on offense, defense, and special teams.

We obviously didn’t win another one with Favre, but I’d argue they certainly built a team that could/should have before he “retired”

 

[rmontro]

We obviously didn’t win another one with Favre, but I’d argue they certainly built a team that could/should have before he “retired”

Could have, certainly. Should have seems a bit strong.

 

[Sunshinepacker]

And looking back at the Rodgers pick, the Packers didn't win another Super Bowl with Favre after passing on using the first round pick to improve the team as it was. Fortunately, that pick turned out well in the long run.

It sounds like MLF wants to make the team less reliant on a quarterback, however. Which is probably a good thing. I watched Super Bowl XXXI again yesterday, it was on Fox. That team was firing on all cylinders, it was really good on offense, defense, and special teams.

It's REALLY hard to win without a great QB. Deciding to go that route is basically saying, rather than finding one great QB, I'm going to find a bunch of elite defenders and win with defense. That might be the best route if you don't already have a great QB, but that's not really the case with the Packers.

 

[TornSolace]

Agreed, but even you said it, most of us did not expect nor desire this move at QB until 2021 or even 2022. I still think there is something we don't know going on with Rodgers and the Packers. I get that the Packers really like Love, but something doesn't fit. Then again, I don't think the next 2 picks really fit either, with Dillon being the possible exception. I don't think they want to pay Jones and Dillon will be an immediate contributor and probably your 2021 starter if he works out.

And since it's now staring to get around that we don't take care of our players I think the best players we get will have to be drafted. Look how they are treating Rodgers who is going to want to play for us? We don't pay and they crap on the person who has carried them for years

 

[Curly Calhoun]

I'm more still pissed about Ted handing him the reins a full year before he was ready for it.

Had to - He was in the last year of his rookie contract, and Green Bay needed to evaluate him before they either locked him up or let him walk.

And Brett was playing the diva again, retiring and then unretiring. It was time.

 

[RicFlairoftheNFL]

Had to - He was in the last year of his rookie contract, and Green Bay needed to evaluate him before they either locked him up or let him walk.

And Brett was playing the diva again, retiring and then unretiring. It was time.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand Brett went 8-8 almost making the playoffs...Rodgers went 6-10