There will be loads of time and threads about various high-profile decisions that need to be made by the team or players, including of course Rodgers, but also big contracts like Bakhtiari, and a decision on Aaron Jones' contract which jumps this year.
Some free agents, too, though not many. Amos, Nixon, Reed, Tonyan, Big Dog
While it's impossible to fully map an offseason blueprint without speculating about them, it's pretty easy to talk draft without doing so. And the SENIOR BOWL is coming right up, so it's time to start paying attention to these guys
Here's what I'm looking for in terms of team needs; obviously can't fill 'em all through the draft, but they're all options to be drafted. This is very early; I need to look, watch, read, much more. But I always like to start with some guys on my radar. I've bolded my favorites
Safety
Guys I like:Whether or not Amos stays or goes, it's time to find someone else for the back end. Amos definitely lost a step this year; Savage was up and down and all around (including the slot). Ford was a really nice pick-up, if he returns, but could be upgraded still
- Brian Branch This is really a one-safety class in terms of high-value, do-it-all guys. That doesn't mean there aren't any other options for role players or developing players, but Branch, projected to be picked right around 15th, is the guy to come in and contribute right away
- J'Yair Brown (Penn St) and Chris Smith (UGA) are nice 3rdish round options who can play a role early and develop into starting caliber players
- Brandon Joseph (Notre Dame) might be an under-the-radar guy who's a jack of all trades, master of none. Maybe an Amos-type (4th rounder initially) who is just assignment sure and smart with good instincts
Tonyan and Lewis are free agents. Deguara is just a role player. Tyler Davis looked lost on offense in the preseason. The developmental guy on the PS they just signed is a flier. The position could be empty
- Darnell Washington: I am obsessed with the notion of this guy joining the team, though his draft stock may be no-man's land for us (late first, early 2nd). If he's there with our second round pick, I run to the podium. He's got Big Dog size and is a blocker for UGA, but he also has Big Dog athleticism--from when he was drafted. His receiving game will need development, but all TEs need development. The upside is outstanding. I can't even imagine what could happen if he spends a year as Lewis' understudy and internalizes that type of mentality and then blossoms into a much much bigger receiving threat over the course of his rookie contract
- Michael Mayer: Obviously we have to talk about TE1 in the draft class. He's an all-around type like Hockenson was, but not quite as good at blocking as a rookie. He's expected to be drafted around the middle of round 1, so we're in range and we have a need. I was a HUGE Hockenson fan, but this guy is lacking that edge that had me excited. He seems safe, but not special
- The class is deeeeeep so if we miss out early, there are a ton of options, and it's hard to know how they'll stack in terms of draft order and draft stock. Luke Musgrave (yes, the coach's son) is a really good all around option as a Tonyan replacement, but after missing most of the year with injury, he could be a 2nd rounder (too rich) or a 5th rounder (outstanding value). Sam LaPorta (Iowa) is kind of similar, but a step down for me
- I am all the way out on Dalton Kincaid. He's like 25 and still has major development in terms of blocking and strength
Face it: when push came to shove this year, we got no push. Josh Myers is starter-quality, but certainly a disappointment. Jenkins is locked in for a while and seems better at LG than any other position (though Isaiah Buggs ate his lunch last weekend). We can keep Nijman on a tender one more year, and Tom should get much better as he adds strength, but... I'm really looking for a RT with some fire who could be shifted inside to OG in the event that Caleb Jones or Rasheed Walker actually develop. And then a back-up plan for Myers. He might just not be it. I liked the idea of a big center who has strength and guard size, but he's not executing. The good thing about Cs with guard size is they provide interior depth at multiple positions (I remember Hanson; but yeah)
- Cody Mauch is my current top choice for "firey RT who could possibly play G if we don't need him outside. He's a finisher. He has Green Bay lineman hair. He's talented enough. He's another NDSU guy so we have those championship bloodlines. He's projected to go somewhere around our second pick, so I now have a conflict of interest between Darnell Washington and Mauch. Given the hoice, it's Washington for me. But this is a name to watch
- Broderick Jones (Georgia) and Dawan Jones (Ohio St) might be options in round one (D. Jones more of a second rounder to me, but who knows). Dawan is huge, Broderick is more technically sound. They have both had good college careers, though Broderick is safer and Dawan is more projection. I didn't include Paris Johnson here, who is also a round one option and is Dawan's more refined teammate, because 1) I think he's OT2 and off the board before we pick and 2, I just don't love him. He got abused by Georgia's freshman backup EDGE in the playoff game and while that guy is likely a 2025 first-round pick.... meh
- As always my ideal for the OL position is to mine the middle rounds for athletic outliers and I won't really have a handle on that until measurables start coming in. But expect a LOT more names at this position
- Steve Avila (TCU) might be a good guard-sized C option in the mid rounds; I hold it against you less if you're abused by Georgia defenders who are going to go top 3 overall in THIS draft and if you're projected to go in the mid-rounds, not round one
Enegbare was a nice surprise, but we still need one more piece here to pair with Gary and push Preston Smith into a rotation. Prior to week 10 or so, this was a HIGH level need, but now it's just a premium position where you can upgrade and never can have too much
- BJ Ojalari, Nolan Smith, and Dylan Horton are all very talented, second-round edge players with high motors. I would flip for any of the three. Horton MIGHT even last until round 3. Smith is a bit undersized weight-wise, but is actually the best run defender of this group, so I'll allow it. I should probably include Hamilton from Ohio St in this RANGE, but I need to know more about why his intense talent and skills didn't translate to production. That's not necessarily bad (Gary), but it might be.
- This is another deep position, so I'm focusing a bit more outside of round one, but also because 15th is a weird spot for this year's edge class. Myles Murphy is probably gone, I have questions about Tyree Wilson, who is also probably gone but shouldn't be, and it's too rich for my blood for Luke Van Ness. Jared Verse was a big target for me until he decided to go back to school
- I genuinely could have included twice as many names for those second round edge players, so I just highlighted my favorites (bold, you see), but it does make me hopeful that some quality edge talent slips into round 3. Doubtful, but hopeful
Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs will be a nice core to the corps, if you will. Hopefully we keep (or add) at least one veteran around to keep the learning and development going. But we could use a third option--maybe a dynamic slot (though I'm not going small) or maybe someone good enough to push Doubs into the slot. Preferably someone who can line up anywhere
- Xavier Hutchinson and Andrei Iosivas are two guys I can't help but gravitate toward. They're both playing at the Senior Bowl I think, so this could change. Hutchinson is a prototype WR, can line up wherever, has good size, gives good blocking effort, is fast enough. He may lack a single elite trait to push him into day one, so he's looking more around a mid-to-late second round choice. He's a guy who may rise in the process if he runs well, because he does everything pretty darn well. Iosivas is almost definitely going to rise. He's baby Watson. Raw, lower level of competition, 6'3" and elite track speed. He's projected around the 4th/5th, but will almost certainly rise. The way our offense relies on the threat of Watson, I want to develop another. Both guys are over 200 pounds and both guys have a physical element to their game. They would fit in perfectly
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba is someone I can't nail down. On one hand, he could be the dynamic slot weapon I want. On the other, he might go in the first round after a full year of being hampered and mostly completely out with a hamstring injury. On the third, also bad hand, all the write-ups say he lacks a second gear and really elite speed. But, like, I watched him play in 2021 and he was amazing. I wanted him so badly. I'll have to keep processing these emotions to figure it out. The last thing I want is another guy who felt like a dynamic slot, but is actually just a mediocre athlete with perfect college usage.
Stay tuned for more throughout Senior Bowl week. I'll probably just start stringing names into a list like I usually do as guys catch my eye in positive or negative ways. Even this was very limited to what I happen to remember this morning.
has Branch slotted #25 as a CB