Round 1 (26) - Jordan Love, QB Utah State

[lupedafiasco]

Pete Dougherty with a pretty good summary of the Love pick.


image.png


Unusual draft ushering in era of profound change for Packers' offense
https://eu.packersnews.com/story/sports ... 023726001/

To me if you want to get a QB to groom for a few years get it in a later round. Could have waited a bit and taken a flier on someone. I would have personally liked Eason. Try and groom him and if it doesnt work out then you take your swing in the 1st round. This was entirely too early to draft a QB with 4 years remaining on a deal you just signed an offseason ago. Realistically the only out is 3 years from now. I know they could in 2 and save some cap but at the cost of a hit equal to that of a star player. Then they redid Rodgers deal to push money back making the cap hit worse.

As for Love his 3 major flaws are correctable. Decision making, field vision, and accuracy/mechanics. Time will tell if he can make it happen. The TT regime going for QBs isnt very good after Rodgers. I guess it only takes one to validate everything you do even if you waste a ton of picks and run a team into the ground. Hundley and Kizer were damn near the same QB to me and Love kind of fits in the same mold as a moderately athletic QB with plenty of arm talent but no accuracy or field vision to speak of. Time will tell if he develops differently.

[British]

Pete Dougherty with a pretty good summary of the Love pick.


image.png


Unusual draft ushering in era of profound change for Packers' offense
https://eu.packersnews.com/story/sports ... 023726001/

To me if you want to get a QB to groom for a few years get it in a later round. Could have waited a bit and taken a flier on someone. I would have personally liked Eason. Try and groom him and if it doesnt work out then you take your swing in the 1st round. This was entirely too early to draft a QB with 4 years remaining on a deal you just signed an offseason ago. Realistically the only out is 3 years from now. I know they could in 2 and save some cap but at the cost of a hit equal to that of a star player. Then they redid Rodgers deal to push money back making the cap hit worse.

As for Love his 3 major flaws are correctable. Decision making, field vision, and accuracy/mechanics. Time will tell if he can make it happen. The TT regime going for QBs isnt very good after Rodgers. I guess it only takes one to validate everything you do even if you waste a ton of picks and run a team into the ground. Hundley and Kizer were damn near the same QB to me and Love kind of fits in the same mold as a moderately athletic QB with plenty of arm talent but no accuracy or field vision to speak of. Time will tell if he develops differently.

Problem is, later round QB selections have a close to zero success rate at becoming starters. I don't mind that approach too, the Packers ran a successful cottage industry in the 90s of drafting and trading QBs. But how many 5th rounders (Eason) become franchise QBs?

Choosing the time to try and get the next franchise QB is not a luxury teams have. Sure, ideally Love would have come along in a year or two but that's not how it works.

The timing wasn't right for many of the teams that passed on Rodgers. In hindsight should they have taken him? Absolutely.

The Dolphins have spent 20 years trying to find their next QB. Same for the Browns. The Bears have done everything from trading two firsts, a third and a backup QB for Cutler to trading up to #2 overall for Trubisky and have still failed.

If you have a shot at a guy you think could be a star you take him, even if it's not ideal timing.

[TheSkeptic]

No matter your opinion, this is interesting.

[NCF]

Was the video cut off? I never got to the interesting part.

[RingoCStarrQB]

Pete Dougherty with a pretty good summary of the Love pick.


image.png


Unusual draft ushering in era of profound change for Packers' offense
https://eu.packersnews.com/story/sports ... 023726001/

To me if you want to get a QB to groom for a few years get it in a later round. Could have waited a bit and taken a flier on someone. I would have personally liked Eason. Try and groom him and if it doesnt work out then you take your swing in the 1st round. This was entirely too early to draft a QB with 4 years remaining on a deal you just signed an offseason ago. Realistically the only out is 3 years from now. I know they could in 2 and save some cap but at the cost of a hit equal to that of a star player. Then they redid Rodgers deal to push money back making the cap hit worse.

As for Love his 3 major flaws are correctable. Decision making, field vision, and accuracy/mechanics. Time will tell if he can make it happen. The TT regime going for QBs isnt very good after Rodgers. I guess it only takes one to validate everything you do even if you waste a ton of picks and run a team into the ground. Hundley and Kizer were damn near the same QB to me and Love kind of fits in the same mold as a moderately athletic QB with plenty of arm talent but no accuracy or field vision to speak of. Time will tell if he develops differently.

His arm talent is impressive. It'll be up to the coaches to bring him along.

[dsr]

Belechick passed up a HOF QB

In 2000, Belichik passed up a HOF QB 6 times. You must have been laughing that weekend.

[dsr]

'Just not really feeling the strategy here, short-term or even long-. We'll see.

Here's the strategy. The strategy is that if a GM thinks that a QB is potentially a really good starter and perhaps even Hall of Fame, the GM drafts him. Thompson did it with Rodgers, and it would be hard to say he was wrong; though at the time it was very easy to say he was wrong and people did, loud and clear.

Same with Favre. It was very easy to say it was a waste of a first round pick, and people did say it. With hindsight, was Wolf right to make the trade? Most people would say so.

So with hindsight, is Love good enough? Who knows. Hindsight doesn't work this early in a man's career. But QBs are drafted in the first round because the GM thinks the draftee will be a good, perhaps great, perhaps HoF QB. That's the strategy.

[Labrev]

'Just not really feeling the strategy here, short-term or even long-. We'll see.

Here's the strategy. The strategy is that if a GM thinks that a QB is potentially a really good starter and perhaps even Hall of Fame, the GM drafts him. Thompson did it with Rodgers, and it would be hard to say he was wrong; though at the time it was very easy to say he was wrong and people did, loud and clear.

Same with Favre. It was very easy to say it was a waste of a first round pick, and people did say it. With hindsight, was Wolf right to make the trade? Most people would say so.

So with hindsight, is Love good enough? Who knows. Hindsight doesn't work this early in a man's career. But QBs are drafted in the first round because the GM thinks the draftee will be a good, perhaps great, perhaps HoF QB. That's the strategy.

We HAVE a HoF QB. He's not playing at that level, granted, but if we did not have full faith in a rebound, we should have just let him walk or traded him out. So why draft one if you are not going to enjoy the full longevity of HoF QB's career in the first place?

There is a such thing as too early, like the Pats spending a 2nd on Jimmy G while Brady still had more than 4 good years in the tank. Rodgers has way more arm than Brees and Brady ever did, and they kept going strong well, 41 and 41 respectively. Rodgers is 36; 4 more good years is a conservative estimate.

[British]

What I like about it, is it shows Gute won't shy away from the tough decision if he thinks it's best for the franchise.

What does everyone say about the draft? Don't reach for position. Especially in the first round. Take the best player on your board. Trust your scouts, trust your process, trust your board.

Seems clear Love was likely their best player available. Probably the last guy with a first round grade considering they were picking at the end of the round. Probably with a high first round grade.

It was a very TT pick. And like his predecessor I like how Gute doesn't seem phased by shock jock opinions or irate keyboard warriors. He seems able to distance himself from the emotion of the decision. Which fans may struggle with as we're emotional, but will probably bode well for his long term decision making.

[salmar80]

'Just not really feeling the strategy here, short-term or even long-. We'll see.

Here's the strategy. The strategy is that if a GM thinks that a QB is potentially a really good starter and perhaps even Hall of Fame, the GM drafts him. Thompson did it with Rodgers, and it would be hard to say he was wrong; though at the time it was very easy to say he was wrong and people did, loud and clear.

Same with Favre. It was very easy to say it was a waste of a first round pick, and people did say it. With hindsight, was Wolf right to make the trade? Most people would say so.

So with hindsight, is Love good enough? Who knows. Hindsight doesn't work this early in a man's career. But QBs are drafted in the first round because the GM thinks the draftee will be a good, perhaps great, perhaps HoF QB. That's the strategy.

We HAVE a HoF QB. He's not playing at that level, granted, but if we did not have full faith in a rebound, we should have just let him walk or traded him out. So why draft one if you are not going to enjoy the full longevity of HoF QB's career in the first place?

There is a such thing as too early, like the Pats spending a 2nd on Jimmy G while Brady still had more than 4 good years in the tank. Rodgers has way more arm than Brees and Brady ever did, and they kept going strong well, 41 and 41 respectively. Rodgers is 36; 4 more good years is a conservative estimate.

The bottom line for me is: If Love becomes a great long-term QB for us, I could care less if the timing of picking him was sub-optimal and we don't get 100% benefit from his rookie contract. I don't care if Love has to sit a season or so more than AR did, if he's the next decade. I plan on watching the Packers long term, not just in 2020.

Also, if Love is a bust, Gutey is gone. Exact same thing that would've happened to TT if AR had been a bust. Anyways, if Love doesn't pan out, count me in the Fire Gutey -club. But not before.

Yeah, AR could remodel his game, find a second wind, avoid all injuries and keep playing great 'til over 40. He also could not do any of those things. I'm hoping for the former, but will not rain hellfire on the organization for overspending to prepare for the latter.

I have said I'm disappointed we didn't get the WR boost we need, but Gutey isn't completely out of options to add that yet. Trade deadline wasn't yesterday, and there's a chance that circumstances will lead to some team getting rid of a WR2 -level guy we can sign.

The "tank, draft a great cheap ready-to-play rookie QB, surround him with UFAs, rule for a few years, let the QB walk, rinse and repeat" -theory some posters have brought up sounds real nice. Until you realize the lottery mega jackpot -level odds of everything going right with it, and the high risk of failure in it resulting in a team that'll keep tanking unintentionally. Zero teams have actually done that, they may have good reason not to.

[British]

Here's the strategy. The strategy is that if a GM thinks that a QB is potentially a really good starter and perhaps even Hall of Fame, the GM drafts him. Thompson did it with Rodgers, and it would be hard to say he was wrong; though at the time it was very easy to say he was wrong and people did, loud and clear.

Same with Favre. It was very easy to say it was a waste of a first round pick, and people did say it. With hindsight, was Wolf right to make the trade? Most people would say so.

So with hindsight, is Love good enough? Who knows. Hindsight doesn't work this early in a man's career. But QBs are drafted in the first round because the GM thinks the draftee will be a good, perhaps great, perhaps HoF QB. That's the strategy.

We HAVE a HoF QB. He's not playing at that level, granted, but if we did not have full faith in a rebound, we should have just let him walk or traded him out. So why draft one if you are not going to enjoy the full longevity of HoF QB's career in the first place?

There is a such thing as too early, like the Pats spending a 2nd on Jimmy G while Brady still had more than 4 good years in the tank. Rodgers has way more arm than Brees and Brady ever did, and they kept going strong well, 41 and 41 respectively. Rodgers is 36; 4 more good years is a conservative estimate.

The bottom line for me is: If Love becomes a great long-term QB for us, I could care less if the timing of picking him was sub-optimal and we don't get 100% benefit from his rookie contract. I don't care if Love has to sit a season or so more than AR did, if he's the next decade. I plan on watching the Packers long term, not just in 2020.

Also, if Love is a bust, Gutey is gone. Exact same thing that would've happened to TT if AR had been a bust. Anyways, if Love doesn't pan out, count me in the Fire Gutey -club. But not before.

Yeah, AR could remodel his game, find a second wind, avoid all injuries and keep playing great 'til over 40. He also could not do any of those things. I'm hoping for the former, but will not rain hellfire on the organization for overspending to prepare for the latter.

I have said I'm disappointed we didn't get the WR boost we need, but Gutey isn't completely out of options to add that yet. Trade deadline wasn't yesterday, and there's a chance that circumstances will lead to some team getting rid of a WR2 -level guy we can sign.

The "tank, draft a great cheap ready-to-play rookie QB, surround him with UFAs, rule for a few years, let the QB walk, rinse and repeat" -theory some posters have brought up sounds real nice. Until you realize the lottery mega jackpot -level odds of everything going right with it, and the high risk of failure in it resulting in a team that'll keep tanking unintentionally. Zero teams have actually done that, they may have good reason not to.

Yes, the teams that have won with a rookie QB have not actually then traded said QB. They've signed them. And the plan can just as easily turn into stacking Trubisky failure onto failure.

Favre proved he had plenty left in the tank when we drafted Rodgers. Yet picking Rodgers was still the right call.

HoweverI don't think Gute will necessarily get fired if Love is a bust. Lots of low first rounders bust. Gute will be judged on wins and if the Packers are winning he'll be fine. Heck if the Packers win a SB with Rodgers in the next 3 years Gute will be a hero.

[Pugger]

I'm really lukewarm on him from his scouting-reports. He does not read like "can't miss" to me. He's pretty much Deshone Kizer as a prospect (not saying he's going to bust like Kizer, especially not given a much better situation for his formative pro years, just that this type of prospect is not rare/can't-miss).

And the idea that the opportunity to draft a QB like this, for a team like us that often picks late, will not come in the nearer future... is a pretty clear non-sequitur. The obvious flaw with the statement is: it just happened.

Not only that, but we moved up to take him, which is always an option if you feel like you need to go "get your guy" that year.

And, like I said, guys like this are not THAT rare. Kizer was a 2nd if you are set on that mold of QB. If you're more flexible, Ravens got Lamar Jackson at 32. Wilson was a 3rd.

Point is, we are past the point where you need to be picking high to get a franchise QB, readymade or developmental.

Fascinating take on a lot of levels.

Let's start up top. Of COURSE he's not "can't miss." Can't miss QBs go top 5 (and some of those still bust). Read Mahomes' scouting reports. Read Deshawn Watson's. Paco posted them earlier in this thread, I'll post them again:

10. Patrick Mahomes, QB Texas Tech — Kansas City Chiefs (from Buffalo)
Grade: C-
Analysis: Calling Mahomes a project is a major understatement. He’s nowhere near ready to play in the NFL. And, honestly, he may never be. Between his inconsistent accuracy due to poor mechanics, his tendency to bail from clean pockets and his lack of field vision, he’s going to leave as many big plays on the field as he creates. This was a risky pick.

12. Deshaun Watson, QB Clemson — Houston Texans (from CLE via PHI)
Grade: C+
Analysis: The Texans finally get their quarterback of the future. Or so they think. I’m not so sure Watson will ever develop into a top QB, but he’ll be an improvement over what they’ve had in Houston the last few years. That’s not saying a whole lot. The Clemson star needs to hit the deep ball more consistently and do a better job of reading defenses.

You're using rare exceptions like Wilson and Prescott to justify a strategy that is shaky at best.

Let's look at the top passing yardage guys from last year, and draft position:
1. Jamies Winston: #1 overall
2. Dak Prescott: #135 overall
3. Jared Goff: #2 overall
4. Phillip Rivers: #4 overall
5. Matt Ryan: #3 overall
6. Russell Wilson: #75 overall
7. Tom Brady: #199 overall
8. Derek Carr: #36 overall
9. Carson Wentz: #2 overall
10. Patrick Mahomes: #10 overall
11. Aaron Rodgers: #24 overall
12. Jimmy Garapolo: #62 overall
13. Deshawn Watson: #12 overall
14. Baker Mayfield: #1 overall
15. Kyler Murray: #1 overall

We're past the point of needing to use a premium pick for a franchise QB? Come on. Nine of the top 15 were top 15 picks. Rodgers and Carr in the 20-40 range. Jimmy G and Wilson in the 60 to 75 range. Prescott and Brady 4th round or later.

So that's 10 of 15 in the First Round. 11 of 15 in the top 40. 13 of 15 in the top Two Rounds.

That's not an accident.

And it shows how hard it is to scout QBs for this league. Too many QBs are taken high in the hopes of finding a decent one for the most important offensive position that flame out spectacularly.

[Pugger]

Here's the strategy. The strategy is that if a GM thinks that a QB is potentially a really good starter and perhaps even Hall of Fame, the GM drafts him. Thompson did it with Rodgers, and it would be hard to say he was wrong; though at the time it was very easy to say he was wrong and people did, loud and clear.

Same with Favre. It was very easy to say it was a waste of a first round pick, and people did say it. With hindsight, was Wolf right to make the trade? Most people would say so.

So with hindsight, is Love good enough? Who knows. Hindsight doesn't work this early in a man's career. But QBs are drafted in the first round because the GM thinks the draftee will be a good, perhaps great, perhaps HoF QB. That's the strategy.

We HAVE a HoF QB. He's not playing at that level, granted, but if we did not have full faith in a rebound, we should have just let him walk or traded him out. So why draft one if you are not going to enjoy the full longevity of HoF QB's career in the first place?

There is a such thing as too early, like the Pats spending a 2nd on Jimmy G while Brady still had more than 4 good years in the tank. Rodgers has way more arm than Brees and Brady ever did, and they kept going strong well, 41 and 41 respectively. Rodgers is 36; 4 more good years is a conservative estimate.

The bottom line for me is: If Love becomes a great long-term QB for us, I could care less if the timing of picking him was sub-optimal and we don't get 100% benefit from his rookie contract. I don't care if Love has to sit a season or so more than AR did, if he's the next decade. I plan on watching the Packers long term, not just in 2020.

Also, if Love is a bust, Gutey is gone. Exact same thing that would've happened to TT if AR had been a bust. Anyways, if Love doesn't pan out, count me in the Fire Gutey -club. But not before.

Yeah, AR could remodel his game, find a second wind, avoid all injuries and keep playing great 'til over 40. He also could not do any of those things. I'm hoping for the former, but will not rain hellfire on the organization for overspending to prepare for the latter.

I have said I'm disappointed we didn't get the WR boost we need, but Gutey isn't completely out of options to add that yet. Trade deadline wasn't yesterday, and there's a chance that circumstances will lead to some team getting rid of a WR2 -level guy we can sign.

The "tank, draft a great cheap ready-to-play rookie QB, surround him with UFAs, rule for a few years, let the QB walk, rinse and repeat" -theory some posters have brought up sounds real nice. Until you realize the lottery mega jackpot -level odds of everything going right with it, and the high risk of failure in it resulting in a team that'll keep tanking unintentionally. Zero teams have actually done that, they may have good reason not to.

The thing is after Aiyuk went off the board at #25 who was the next WR with a first round grade? This draft really didn't go well for us as far as the WR position is concerned. I suppose they could have stayed at #30 and taken Higgins or Pittman (who were the first 2 picks in the second round) but perhaps Gute didn't have these 2 with first round grades so he decided to take a QB they both liked that was in reach.

[Drj820]

Sure if Gutey is right and Love is a future HOF then he is a genius. Also if he busts and we still win SB, sure his leash will be extended massively as it should be.

But lets not act like that is the probably outcome. The truth is we got worse at all our weaknesses this offseason besides a slight uptick at WR, and most of our good players came from TT and are due big pay days in the next couple years.

[Pckfn23]

Almost six hours after Utah State finished obliterating New Mexico in October 2018, David Yost sat in the quarterbacks room at the Aggies’ facility, grading his team’s 61-19 win. It was around 10:30 p.m., otherwise known as when college kids in Logan, Utah, would embark on that night’s extracurricular adventures.

Yost, then Utah State’s offensive coordinator, watched as his quarterback, a 19-year-old redshirt sophomore named Jordan Love, completed 23 of 34 passes for 448 yards and four touchdowns while running for another in the Aggies’ seventh consecutive victory.

Yost thought he was alone, just him and the soothing film of his signal-caller eviscerating yet another opponent.

“All of a sudden, I hear something,” Yost said. “ … I hear some giggling or laughing or something, and it was somewhat loud. So I just peek out and it’s coming from our running back room, which is like the next room over by the offensive staff room. So I go out the door, I go and open up the door. And there are about eight dudes sitting there at about 10:30 at night on a Saturday night after a win, and they’re all players.

“And Jordan is sitting right in the middle. He’s running the clicker.”

Yost asked what they were doing.

“Just watching the game, coach,” they responded.

“Most of the other guys were all seniors or juniors, and they’re all hanging out at night watching the game video from that day. And Jordan’s kind of leading the whole group as far as running the clicker and being loud in that way,” Yost said. “It was just funny how I don’t think a lot of other guys who are going to be picked in the first round a year later were hanging out at 10:30 watching their game after a 50-point win when there’s a lot of other things to do that late for college guys.”

Talk to other former coaches and teammates, however, and you’ll realize that’s typical Jordan Love, a football junkie who teammates gravitate toward for his infectious personality and appealing leadership, no matter the time of day.

Perhaps more important right now than what Love will do on the field for the Packers is how he meshes with his future Hall of Fame superior Aaron Rodgers and the rest of a Packers locker room, whose culture last season improved drastically from previous years. The Packers chose Love with the 26th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, undoubtedly the most controversial of all 255 selections this year.

Rodgers has four years remaining on an extension he signed in August 2018, and before the draft said he wants to play for the Packers even beyond that. Last season, he guided them to the NFC Championship Game and posted an NFL-best 6.5 touchdown-to-interception ratio (26:4).

How his relationship with Love unfolds will be one of the NFL’s most intriguing storylines this coming season, if only because of how unceremoniously the relationship between Rodgers and Brett Favre began in 2005, and the Packers’ plans to one day replace Rodgers with the 21-year-old.

Whether Rodgers likes Love and how the rookie fits in may seem like trivial matters, but their relationship will prove to be important while embarking on a potentially awkward next chapter in franchise history.

“He’ll show up with his eyes wide open, his ears open and probably his mouth shut,” Yost said. “Won’t say much, he’ll ask questions when he has one. He’ll talk just to fluff it up. … I think over time, Aaron will figure out how good of a person this guy is and how this guy just wants to learn and just do everything he can to be the best player he can be. They’ll have a really good relationship.”

Love arrived in Logan a sinewy 6-foot-4, 190-pound quarterback at only 17 years old and fourth on the depth chart.

Even as he scraped the bottom of the quarterback pecking order as a first-year redshirt, Love befriended junior starter Kent Myers, who took Love under his wing. They routinely were the last ones in the facility watching film, with the teenager peppering the first-stringer with questions: what he saw on certain plays and how to apply what they learned in the classroom to the field.

Love shadowed and studied him, and the next season he earned spot snaps late in the first quarter or early in the second quarter of some games. In Utah State’s eighth game of the season, with the Aggies sitting at 3-4, the redshirt freshman Love assumed the quarterback duties from the senior Myers and guided Utah State to a 3-2 finish before losing to New Mexico State. 26-20, in the Arizona Bowl.

What Rodgers might look for in his understudy this season, Myers saw in a similar situation four years ago.

“It didn’t feel like he was trying to push me out or anything like that … when he was behind me, he just asked a lot of questions. When I was in there watching film, he always wanted to join me,” Myers said. “ … Now that I look back at it, it’s the same situation. Aaron Rodgers is in there, he’s the leading guy, and it’s the same thing when I was at Utah State. Jordan learned as much as he could, and when he was given the opportunity, he came in and seized the moment. I think he’ll do the same thing with the Packers.”

What Myers remembers even more than how Love acted as a backup was how he acted as the starter.

“When he came and started over me, just how we both did it, it was very professional,” Myers said. “We were still friends. A lot of people that try to break us up are like, ‘Oh, Jordan, you’re the guy.’ He never saw it like that. Me and him never had those conversations, like ‘Oh, I’m starting over you and I’m younger.’ I think that shows a lot about him. … He did it with class and that’s why, to this day, we’re still good friends.”

During his redshirt sophomore season, Love dominated the Mountain West Conference by throwing for 3,567 passing yards, 39 total touchdowns and a 64 percent completion rate. The Aggies finished 11-2 and crushed North Texas, 52-13, in the New Mexico Bowl.

Even as NFL buzz permeated throughout Logan, Love remained the same.

Love and a small group of teammates played basketball, cooked on the grill, played video games and visited a nearby dam to observe nature.

Ron’quavion Tarver, Love’s No. 1 wide receiver on the 2018 team, recalls how Love and his mom treated him to dinner after a game and how, when Tarver needed a ride to a workout, Love provided one.

“If I was to say I had a best friend in Utah, it would be Jordan,” Tarver said. “And you could ask the other players, too. They would say the same thing. … I felt like I got drafted in the first round when Jordan got drafted.”

Said Utah State left tackle Alfred Edwards: “The thing about Jordan is he never put himself above any of us. He was just one of the guys, even with the NFL hype, really since 2018. He’s always been the same dude. … I feel like what makes the job easier is he’s a genuinely good guy. He’s a good teammate, too. You wanna block your butt off for him.”

Added former Utah State running back Gerold Bright: “He has a gravitational force that seems to attract everyone from white, black, purple, orange, different backgrounds. He can just attract anybody because of the way he carries himself. He’s always a guy that’s always smiling, his personality is full of energy, he’s a goofball, he’ll make you laugh, he’s approachable.”

When Packers head coach Matt LaFleur called Yost less than a week before the NFL Draft to chat about Love, he asked nothing about football.

LaFleur knew about Love’s erratic redshirt junior season in 2019, during which he threw 12 fewer touchdowns and 11 more interceptions than in 2018. He knew Love’s decline occurred, in part, because nine offensive starters and the entire coaching staff left after the 2018 season, save for the graduate assistant who only signaled plays from the sideline. He knew about Love’s bazooka of an arm and mobility that, despite that rocky 2019 season, enabled him to be a first-round prospect.

So in the 45 minutes the two coaches spoke, because Love couldn’t visit Green Bay in person because of COVID-19-imposed travel restrictions, LaFleur only wanted to know about Love the person, not the player.

“It’s not the throwing part, it’s not getting on the board and talking football, it’s more of when he walks down the hall, who says hi to him?” Yost said. “What did the secretary say about him? What did the trainers say about him? What did the strength staff say? When he walked by his teammates, how did those guys react? He missed that stuff, so we had a really good talk about that because I think he checks all those boxes as an individual, as a leader and as a person that you want in your program.”

In addition to speaking with Yost and others, LaFleur, offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and passing game coordinator Luke Getsy connected with Love through FaceTime before the draft.

“The one thing I took away from that is, this guy is a humble guy,” LaFleur said. “We showed some of his really good clips, which he is extremely talented, as well as some clips that weren’t the best. What I love about him is just the accountability he took for everything, whether it was a good play, bad play. I think that gives you a chance any time you have that kind of mindset.”

Who knows how Love will pan out as a quarterback? His on-field abilities may not truly matter for the Packers for another two years, maybe four years, maybe ever. You can debate the Patrick Mahomes comparisons and align his attributes as a 21-year-old next to Rodgers’ as a 36-year-old, but none of that matters right now.

What does, since Rodgers isn’t going anywhere for the time being, is how this year’s controversial Round 1 NFL Draft selection blends in to avoid the friction that arose 15 years ago, the last time the Packers boldly picked a quarterback in the first round.

“What the Packers are getting is a quarterback that wants to learn, is willing to learn and he’s very capable of coming in and progressing in an NFL system,” Utah State head coach Matt Wells said. “ … But he’s a guy that’s a great teammate. He’ll walk in the facility and he’ll work. He’ll gain respect from those around him by how he treats them as well as his work ethic.”

By all accounts, from former teammates and coaches, this time around shouldn’t be a problem.

“I’m behind one of the great quarterbacks in the league,” Love said. “So just being able to sit behind him and learn, what’s better than that?”

[Labrev]

Yes, the teams that have won with a rookie QB have not actually then traded said QB. They've signed them. And the plan can just as easily turn into stacking Trubisky failure onto failure.

Favre proved he had plenty left in the tank when we drafted Rodgers. Yet picking Rodgers was still the right call.

HoweverI don't think Gute will necessarily get fired if Love is a bust. Lots of low first rounders bust. Gute will be judged on wins and if the Packers are winning he'll be fine. Heck if the Packers win a SB with Rodgers in the next 3 years Gute will be a hero.

Favre may have had lots of above-average years left, but there were two problems that superseded that with him:

(1) He had been continually teasing his retirement with us, before AND after taking Rodgers, so there was reason to believe he'd hang 'em up even before he was "done"-done (especially with how much injury he used to play through)

(2) Favre was THE problem with the Green Bay Packers at that time. He had become a choke artist who single-handedly pissed away lots of good, Championship-caliber Packers teams with playoff INTs. Cutting Favre's tenure here short was fine because Favre needed to go.

I have not been happy with Rodgers's play of late (although, I do feel like last year was an overall step in the right direction after two years of going downhill), but I am not convinced that we are at the point where he is pretty much the only thing holding us back the way Favre was.

[Drj820]

Yes, the teams that have won with a rookie QB have not actually then traded said QB. They've signed them. And the plan can just as easily turn into stacking Trubisky failure onto failure.

Favre proved he had plenty left in the tank when we drafted Rodgers. Yet picking Rodgers was still the right call.

HoweverI don't think Gute will necessarily get fired if Love is a bust. Lots of low first rounders bust. Gute will be judged on wins and if the Packers are winning he'll be fine. Heck if the Packers win a SB with Rodgers in the next 3 years Gute will be a hero.

Favre may have had lots of above-average years left, but there were two problems that superseded that with him:

(1) He had been continually teasing his retirement with us, before AND after taking Rodgers, so there was reason to believe he'd hang 'em up even before he was "done"-done (especially with how much injury he used to play through)

(2) Favre was THE problem with the Green Bay Packers at that time. He had become a choke artist who single-handedly pissed away lots of good, Championship-caliber Packers teams with playoff INTs. Cutting Favre's tenure here short was fine because Favre needed to go.

I have not been happy with Rodgers's play of late (although, I do feel like last year was an overall step in the right direction after two years of going downhill), but I am not convinced that we are at the point where he is pretty much the only thing holding us back the way Favre was.

Yeah absolutely. Last year the only game that we could legitimately have blamed Rodgers would have been week 17 against the lions...and we won that one anyways. Hes no where near the main issue yet for any losses.

[Pckfn23]

Plenty of blame to go around if that's what one wants to do and Aaron has his fair share of it.

[Foosball]

A Packer GM Tradition;

Going back to Wolf. The Packer’s GMs early in their regimes went out and got their own QB.

Wolf - Favre
Thompson - Rodgers
Gute - Love

[YoHoChecko]

Does anyone have any insight into the dissonance between several scouts saying they had concerns about Love's personality or maturity not being QB-face-of-the-franchise kind of caliber... and the article 23 posted with his coaches and teammates talking up with work ethic and leadership?

I mean I know these sorts of things come out every year about dozens of people and there's often a degree of different opinions...

just wondering if anyone had better insights into some of those quotes?

From McGinn's series of scouts' takes...

AFC scout: “If he doesn’t go first round it’s because of character. He has the skill set to go first round. … It’s more stupid, immaturity &%$@.

NFC scout: “The body language was awful and the accuracy was worse. He didn’t look like he knew what he was doing or that he wanted to play. ... I don’t see the attitude.

NFC scout: “He’s a risk-reward guy. You question the makeup. He got arrested for weed. You don’t want the face of your franchise getting arrested for weed. … He’s soft-spoken and confident. Not great on the board. You know, good luck.”

AFC scout: “Don’t like him. Excellent athlete. Arm talent. Has never been coached and no supporting cast, but I worry about the intangibles. Ain’t my kind of guy.”

From the more recent article:

“Most of the other guys were all seniors or juniors, and they’re all hanging out at night watching the game video from that day. And Jordan’s kind of leading the whole group as far as running the clicker and being loud in that way.

When he came and started over me, just how we both did it, it was very professional. We were still friends. A lot of people that try to break us up are like, ‘Oh, Jordan, you’re the guy.’ He never saw it like that. Me and him never had those conversations, like ‘Oh, I’m starting over you and I’m younger.’ I think that shows a lot about him. … He did it with class and that’s why, to this day, we’re still good friends

Ron’quavion Tarver, Love’s No. 1 wide receiver on the 2018 team, recalls how Love and his mom treated him to dinner after a game and how, when Tarver needed a ride to a workout, Love provided one.

“If I was to say I had a best friend in Utah, it would be Jordan,” Tarver said. “And you could ask the other players, too. They would say the same thing. … I felt like I got drafted in the first round when Jordan got drafted.”

Said Utah State left tackle Alfred Edwards: “The thing about Jordan is he never put himself above any of us. He was just one of the guys, even with the NFL hype, really since 2018. He’s always been the same dude. … I feel like what makes the job easier is he’s a genuinely good guy. He’s a good teammate, too. You wanna block your butt off for him.”

Added former Utah State running back Gerold Bright: “He has a gravitational force that seems to attract everyone from white, black, purple, orange, different backgrounds. He can just attract anybody because of the way he carries himself. He’s always a guy that’s always smiling, his personality is full of energy, he’s a goofball, he’ll make you laugh, he’s approachable.”

I sorta feel like the character stuff is mostly older-school guys who are reacting to the (later dropped) weed charge? Is that too simplistic?