Thoughts on the Packers 2021 Draft Class

[tynimiller]

Did you not read what I said? I said TRADE UP for JOK or Marshall. Reading comprehension goes a long way. And it would've cost us a 3rd and a 5th. And JOK would have been more than worth it. Almost every elite defense the last 20 years has had a very good to elite off ball LB. And JOK is a 1st round talent.

i must have read too fast as I missed the trade up...even then I’d have strongly opposed the capital it would have cost to draft a guy that isn’t an off ball lLB nor is he a heavy safety.... big ND fan but he worries me as he isn’t any specific position and is terrible at getting through blocks which worries me at Pro level. Great young man tho

 

[tynimiller]

I would have preferred Stone Forsythe as opposed to Newman.

Agree I was worried if Stone would last till our 3rd round pick shocked he fell that far

 

[GreenReign]

Taking Myers over Creed Humphrey made ZERO sense. Humphrey is better physically, and has better tape. The Newman pick was also perplexing to me. He was embarrassed at the senior bowl and probably would've been on the board in the 7th. I'm starting to think Gute has no idea what he's doing. Starting to remind me of Matt Millen. But instead of taking WR's every draft he takes CB's.

 

[tynimiller]

Taking Myers over Creed Humphrey made ZERO sense. Humphrey is better physically, and has better tape. The Newman pick was also perplexing to me. He was embarrassed at the senior bowl and probably would've been on the board in the 7th. I'm starting to think Gute has no idea what he's doing. Starting to remind me of Matt Millen. But instead of taking WR's every draft he takes CB's.

oh god... that is ludacris to say. I had Creed over Meyers as well, but had them both circled as probable year one starters at center in rookie years.

The Newman pick intrigued me but I only had maybe two tackles over him at that time I liked....I still think he may slide inside, this draft makes me think they may see Jenkins as best value at a tackle spot if they can swing the interior positions.

 

[GreenReign]

oh god... that is ludacris to say. I had Creed over Meyers as well, but had them both circled as probable year one starters at center in rookie years.

The Newman pick intrigued me but I only had maybe two tackles over him at that time I liked....I still think he may slide inside, this draft makes me think they may see Jenkins as best value at a tackle spot if they can swing the interior positions.

I would rather keep Jenkins at LG. Its better to have an All Pro guard than it is a solid tackle. I've heard the Colts want to do the same with Nelson. In his case would you rather have a Hall of Fame guard or a rock solid tackle?

 

[tynimiller]

I would rather keep Jenkins at LG. Its better to have an All Pro guard than it is a solid tackle. I've heard the Colts want to do the same with Nelson. In his case would you rather have a Hall of Fame guard or a rock solid tackle?

i prefer him at guard personally, but I sense with these additions it makes the option more viable if needed...could see it happening till Bahk is back possibly, allowing Turner to maybe be the RT consistently all year

 

[PackFan2]

1.29: Eric Stokes, CB, LSU

2.62: Josh Myers, OC, Ohio State

3.85: Amari Rodgers, WR, Clemson

4.142: Royce Newman, OL, Ole Miss

5.173: Tedarrell Slaton, iDL, Florida

5.178: Shemar Jean-Charles, CB, App. State

6.214: Cole Van Lanen, OL, Wisconsin

6.220: Isaiah McDuffie, LB, Boston College

7.256: Kylin Hill, RB, Mississippi State

***

Favorite Picks: Amari Rodgers, Eric Stokes;

• Rodgers and Stokes have return ability. I don't think Hill has any experience returning but.. if Hill wants to cement his place as RB3... He better start on it. + Hill ran behind Elgton Jenkins in college that's dope.

Least Favorite Pick:

• TJ Slaton is my least favorite pick because I liked Cameron McGrone & Marlon Tuipulotu who were picked behind him. Weighing over 360 is a little concerning. Glad to see he's lost 30 lbs.. Hes athletic for a big man.. Good pass ability + strong bull rush

• However.. being that big he really didn't do a good job with run-stopping either. though he was primarily a 2 down linemen. Inconsistent motor. (Pauline, Reid, & Zierline)

Thoughts:

• Rooting for Cole obviously. WI kid. If he turns out to be Mark Tauscher 2.0.. Shiiidddd
• I like all the prospects except for Slaton.

 

[DoURant]

TJ Slaton is my least favorite pick because I liked Cameron McGrone & Marlon Tuipulotu who were picked behind him. Weighing over 360 is a little concerning. Glad to see he's lost 30 lbs.. Hes athletic for a big man.. Good pass ability + strong bull rush

Slaton said in an interview he would like to get down to 320 by the time the season starts. He isn't going to give us a ton of pass rush, but having a guy disrupting the run game, and freeing up linebackers to make plays behind or at the LOS has me optimistic the run defense will be improved tremendously.

 

[DoURant]

I'm not big on Draft Grades, especially before guys have completed their 1st season, and I prefer to evaluate after year 3. Regardless, CBS Sports graded every 2021 NFL draft pick, and this is what they gave all our draft picks.

1. Eric Stokes B+
2. Josh Myers B
3. Amari Rodgers A-
4. Royce Newman A-
5a. Tedarrell Slaton C+
5b. Shemar Jean-Charles B+
6a. Cole Van Lanen C+
6b. Isaiah McDuffie B+
7. Kylin Hill A-

On another note, I really like Daniel Jeremiah, I feel he has great knowledge at grading prospects and I feel his evaluation is pretty spot on, out of all the draft geeks. He had a top150 Big Board and here is how he had our top 3 picks ranked.

Rd 1, pick #29 Eric Stokes - #50
Rd 2, pick #62 Josh Myers - #57
Rd 3, pick #85 Amari Rodgers - #80

Another guy I value as a prospect grader is Tony Pauline here's how he had the 3 picks graded on his Big Board

Rd 1, pick #29 Eric Stokes - #44
Rd 2, pick #62 Josh Myers - #51
Rd 3, pick #85 Amari Rodgers - #114

Both guys show we got good value for Myers, and show that Stokes probably wouldn't have made it to pick #62. Jeremiah had Samuel rated higher than Stokes and Pauline was the opposite. Both felt Samuel was a slot CB in the NFL, and Stokes on the boundary. I feel GB felt that having a starter opposite Jaire at CB was the more important guy to find first, and that's why they took Stokes over Samuel.

 

[PackFan2]

really like Daniel Jeremiah,

I value as a prospect grader is Tony Pauline

Two evaluators, I respect. I like Zierlein for this takes on OL/DL, the big boys.

 

[PikeBadger]

Taking Myers over Creed Humphrey made ZERO sense. Humphrey is better physically, and has better tape. The Newman pick was also perplexing to me. He was embarrassed at the senior bowl and probably would've been on the board in the 7th. I'm starting to think Gute has no idea what he's doing. Starting to remind me of Matt Millen. But instead of taking WR's every draft he takes CB's.

In which case, we’ve got an army of Matt Millens on this board. ​

 

[PikeBadger]

I think we checked most of the boxes I was looking for considering we only had 9 picks. Would have liked to see another Edge with that 135th pick we traded. By only taking one slot WR, it appears that mgmt is confident they can get 3 out of those 4 re-signed.

 

[PikeBadger]

Slaton said in an interview he would like to get down to 320 by the time the season starts. He isn't going to give us a ton of pass rush, but having a guy disrupting the run game, and freeing up linebackers to make plays behind or at the LOS has me optimistic the run defense will be improved tremendously.

Guys like this make me nervous. Gives me flashbacks of Raji, Clete Hunt and Pickett who were notorious for not taking care of themselves in the off-season.

 

[DoURant]

I think we checked most of the boxes I was looking for considering we only had 9 picks. Would have liked to see another Edge with that 135th pick we traded. By only taking one slot WR, it appears that mgmt is confident they can get 3 out of those 4 re-signed.

It's a pretty full WR room at the moment, when you add Funchess and Rodgers to last years group. Going to be some choices to make (I see EQ and Malik Taylor needing to impress the most right now)

 

[DoURant]

Guys like this make me nervous. Gives me flashbacks of Raji, Clete Hunt and Pickett who were notorious for not taking care of themselves in the off-season.

Hopefully he takes this opportunity to heart and stays the course with getting his body in better playing shape and weight.

 

[Dantés]

I don't know i have a pretty damn good track record of these sorts of things. I remember wanting us to trade up for Justin Jefferson last year. I remember wanting to trade back and take DK Metcalf in round 1 a couple years ago. I wanted Landon Collins or Benardrick McKinney over Demarius Randall, I absolutely hated the Datone Jones pick, I wanted us to draft DeAndre Hopkins that year BAD, he was my #1 rated WR, and well, we all know how that one turned out. Switching it over to another sport, way back in 2009 I wanted my Seattle Mariners to draft Mike Trout over Dustin Ackley, as he was my 2nd rated player in that draft behind only Strasburg. Yet Trout didn't go until pick 24 if I recall. So I tend to think I know what I'm talking about when it comes to these kinds of things. Feel free to screenshot and revisit in a couple years.

Hey man, you could be Ozzie Newsome for all I know. People can say anything about anything.

My point is this:

Saying "I don't like this pick because I don't think the player is good" is one thing. You might be right or you might be wrong. Time will tell.

Saying "I don't like this pick because I'm calling it a reach because some media board had the player lower" is lame. The boards that matter are the one's we don't have access to. None of us have any idea who was/wasn't a reach and who would/wouldn't have been available later. So it's pointless analysis-- unprovable in either direction.

 

[AmishMafia]

As far as Myers being a reach, I thought so to. But with the guys I thought were better still on the board, and Gute still going with his guy, it wasn't a reach by his board. The Pack have been good with their scouting OL lately. Jenkins, Runyan, and FA Billy Turner, they have done a l right and deserve a chance for these guys to prove themselves. Saw a comparison, btw, of Jenkins scouting report and Myers. VEry similar!

And you think trading up for Rodgers cost us a decent amount (3rd and 4th) to move up less than 10 spots in the 3rd....moving up for either Marshall or JoK would have been insane and not worth it for either of them most likely and in general.

I thought we overpaid for the move up. But when Gute explained that it was a close call between Rodgers and Myers at #2, then it became a bargain. On our board, he was a value in the 2nd.

 

[tynimiller]

As far as Myers being a reach, I thought so to. But with the guys I thought were better still on the board, and Gute still going with his guy, it wasn't a reach by his board. The Pack have been good with their scouting OL lately. Jenkins, Runyan, and FA Billy Turner, they have done a l right and deserve a chance for these guys to prove themselves. Saw a comparison, btw, of Jenkins scouting report and Myers. VEry similar!

I thought we overpaid for the move up. But when Gute explained that it was a close call between Rodgers and Myers at #2, then it became a bargain. On our board, he was a value in the 2nd.

I wasn’t sure he’d be there at 62 so I felt ecstatic when I saw we traded and he was still available

 

[Dantés]

Here are some thoughts on the upside and the down side for each of the Packers selections:

Eric Stokes, CB, UGA:

• Upside: Elite boundary corner who can play effectively in a variety of coverages and takes the ball away.
• Downside: A stiff who plays because of draft pedigree, but gets shredded by effective route runners.

Josh Myers, OC, OSU:

• Upside: Top 5 center overall; foundation piece of the offensive line.
• Downside: Perennial backup who can't play with enough leverage or stick to blocks.

Amari Rodgers, WR, CLEM:

• Upside: Triple threat big play machine in the receiving, motion, and return game.
• Downside: Occasional gadget piece whose athleticism doesn't translate.

Royce Neman, OL, MISS:

• Upside: Reliable starter at RT or OG.
• Downside: Backup who you hope never sees the field.

Tedarell Slaton, iDL, FLA:

• Upside: Immovable two gapper who shuts down opposing running games and offers the occasional bull rush.
• Downside: Eats his way out of the league.

Shemar Jean-Charles, CB, APP:

• Upside: Primary slot corner whose feistiness and ball skills really help the defense.
• Downside: Size and athleticism limitations keep him from being able to get to the catch point like he did in college.

Cole Van Lanen, OL, WISC:

• Upside: Reliable starter on the inside, most likely at guard.
• Downside: Pass pro limitations keep him from even making the roster out of camp.

Isaiah McDuffie, LB, BC:

• Upside: Starting off-ball linebacker who can remain on the field for passing downs without being a liability.
• Downside: Never rises above the level of core special teamer.

Kylin Hill, RB, MSU:

• Upside: Forces his way into the RB rotation-- would be an RB2 or even lead of a committee elsewhere.
• Downside: Healthy scratch every week.

 

[Schultz]

You make good points so I will give my opinion on the draft. I truly believe that the people who do this for a living know more than I do. I also believe that forums like this is for people to share their opinions.

Pre-draft- I was hoping for 1 trade up. I was thinking a 4&5 or 4&6 to move up in the 4th round or a 5 & 6 to move up in the 5th. I also believed we could address 1 more position in FA after the draft. Based on needs I was hoping the 1st 3 picks would de a OT-CB & DE. I would have gone with the right ILB or WR and pushed those needs back a spot thus the need for the trade up. The middle 3 picks I felt WR-OL-DB if we had not already taken a WR. The last 3 picks DT-RB- then another WR/KR if we did not draft 2 WRs yet and neither was a KR. Otherwise I would have gone TE. If an ILB was not taken in the first 3 rounds the rest were off my list. Now there is no way a board falls the way you want thus the need for the FA where things did not work out.

What actually happened. The 1st 3 picks were CB-OL-WR. No complaints. Were they the 3 guys I would have taken, or in the order I would have taken them? No, but as explained in the opening I trust an NFL FO over my opinion. The trade up did happen. The middle 3 picks were OL-DT-CB. My only issue here is I would have rather had a DE than a DT. Maybe they solve this in FA. The final 3 picks went OL-ILB-RB. I thought the 3rd OL was to make sure they got someone who could play Tackle. After reading that they probably drafted a C & 2 Gs I am disappointed in this pick. Not the player but the position. As stated I did not want a late round ILB but since the WR they got also returns punts if this is a good ST pick I trust the pros. They then got a RB that I cannot believe was still there at 256. So without using any players names or stating who I (a fan) thinks is better than the guys who get paid to do this think my only concerns are that OT until Bahk gets back may be an issue and they still need another DE in my opinion.

 

[DoURant]

Pre-draft- I was hoping for 1 trade up. I was thinking a 4&5 or 4&6 to move up in the 4th round or a 5 & 6 to move up in the 5th.

My thoughts were trading out of the 1st, collecting assets to move around the draft to target specific guys, or using a 4th rd pick to move up a couple spots in the 2nd, or a bigger move in the 3rd.

 

[gopkrs]

My thoughts were trading out of the 1st, collecting assets to move around the draft to target specific guys, or using a 4th rd pick to move up a couple spots in the 2nd, or a bigger move in the 3rd.

I really like the way you are thinking here. It is going to depend on how well our 1st two choices do. Quite a bit riding on them.

 

[DoURant]

I really like the way you are thinking here. It is going to depend on how well our 1st two choices do. Quite a bit riding on them.

I always thought one of the (2) 4th rd picks was going to be used as an asset

edit: and the first 2 picks took care of 2 glaring needs

 

[PackerfaninCarolina]

Love this draft. Someone finally hit Gute on the head with a 2 by 4 and told him to get star power.

Now I say do whatever you gotta do to put Rodgers back on the throne here because we have a big time Superbowl roster if he's our QB this year.

If he's our QB with this roster, then let's make sure Tampa Bay gets dragged up here in the playoffs so we can kick Tom Brady's overrated butt. This roster would kick his *** by 21 points guaranteed in Lambeau.

 

[Sanguine camper]

I liked the draft with the exception of the 3 o lineman picks. Coming out of college, Humphrey is better all round player than Myers. Myers' problem with pass protection raises a huge red flag for me. I also agree that spending a fourth round pick for Mewman looks steep for a guy who doesn't look like he can help at a thin tackle position.