Packers Huddle

Draft only.

Round 1: Jaxon Smith-Njigba WR OSU
Chirstian Watson is a really good player but he was in and out of the lineup all season with injuries. This offense completely falls apart with out him. Doubs hands IMO are too questionable for him to be a WR2. He could develop to be that but typically receivers hands dont improve. I do like Toure but he can be improved upon. JSN reminds me a lot of how Amon Ra St-Brown who I believed reminded me of a young Davante Adams. For my money this is the best route runner in the class and it isnt close. He isnt quite the playmaker Garrett Wilson is but I do think hes a better receiver. I do really need to see him run. I expect somewhere in the mid 4.4s but if he runs in the 4.5s and checks in under 6' which I anticipate I would slide him down my board significantly.

Round 2: Jordan Battle S Alabama
Im interested to see what Battle runs. I think he is a perfect fit to replace Amos. Hes experienced, tackles well, plays coverages smartly, and most importantly is a vocal leader. I think where I can see him struggling is not being an elite athlete. He really makes his bread by not making many mistakes. I do think he has a ton of value as a SS to come down and make plays in the run game, blitz, and with the depth we have at CB I dont think you need him to do much in terms of covering better receivers.

Round 3: Darnell Wright OT Tennessee
I truly believe Toms best position is LT. I think Bak has been too beat up to keep. Njiman I dont think is very good at all. Wright has played both sides of the line for Tennessee but has been at his best at RT. He is a massive tackle that gets good push in the ground game. More importantly though is how well he does as a pass blocker at his size in the SEC. A ton of their success came in the passing game this season and a huge part of that was the time they had to get the ball to a stacked cast of receivers. I think Wright is actually a plug and play RT in the NFL due to his experience at the position. 0 sacks allowed this season.

Round 4: Sam LaPorta TE Iowa
I truly believe in this player being a cant miss prospect at TE. Not necessarily the best blocker and he probably doesnt become a red zone threat either but he would certainly be a chain mover. He has pretty good athleticism, good hands, really good route runner, and is an after the catch menace. Rarely do you see TEs this good with the ball in their hands. Kittle comes to mind for me for a comparison minus the blocking which could come in time. He is beloved by his team mates for his effort. This will probably be a pick in almost all of my mock this offseason. Probably my favorite player in the draft to this point.

Round 5a: Jammie Robinson S FSU
Another player Im really a fan of. For a safety hes definitely on the smaller side. I would expect him to check in at 5'10 but he is all effort all the time. Hes a very active tackler. Its hard to not see him try and get in on every tackle just to give that extra push back on a ball carrier. He is pretty athletic and solid in coverage. FSU played him all over the field. I think his best role would be FS with the lack of height but I could also see aligning him in nickel or closer to the LOS for blitz and run support. At the very least he will be a strong STs player.

Round 5b: Roschon Johnson RB Texas
I think this is terrific value for a back that should be going in the 3rd round if he wasnt playing behind the best RB Ive seen since Adrian Peterson in Bijan Robinson. Johnson is a big strong power back that doesnt really have breakaway speed but gets by on being hard to tackle and really good vision. Hes also a really good receiver and pass blocker which has a ton of value for a backup RB. He really reminds he a bit of Najee Harris where hes a bigger back with a ton of utilization in the passing game. I love getting a steal like this even if hes similar in skillset to Dillon.

Round 7a: Durham Payne TE Purdoo-doo
All Payne does is catch TDs. Hes actually very productive as a pass catcher despite running like he has poop in his pants. Hes got good size and hands. He lacks athleticism and I dont think hes a great blocker however I believe in taking good football players towards the end of drafts or players with high risk/reward. Payne just seems to me like a good player who gets the job done.

Round 7b: Jordan Wright Edge Kentucky
Wright is big with long arms and thats about it. He really needs to gain weight to stack up against the run. One thing I do like is that Kentucky used him all over the field so he has a lot of experience doing different things in their scheme like rushing, covering, playing LB, and even getting some interior snaps. I dont think there is anything here but hes toolsy and experienced.

Round 7c: Sevyn Banks CB LSU
Its quite possible this guy just cant stay on the field. He started his college career as a highly recruited CB at OSU and did pretty well before getting hurt. He then transferred to LSU where he again got hurt this time with a spinal cord bruise that took him off the field in a stretcher. I would make him a priority UDFA and just draft him. He has length and great athleticism. His cover skills are very good IMO. Hes played under two of the best DB developing programs in the nation so hes received good coaching. The only thing working against him is bad luck.

I haven't spent much time looking at the draft yet, but I would say I'd be pretty happy if it fell like this. Thanks for putting in the work.

I love the idea of a WR and S in the first two rounds; some combination. We truly need both in a big way.

I also don’t expect you to have a trade in the mix for your first mock. But if ever there were a year that I think Guty would move up for a special player (last year notwithstanding), it’s this year. Of course, I said that same thing last year too. Lol.

Scott4Pack wrote: ↑

11 Jan 2023 18:02

I love the idea of a WR and S in the first two rounds; some combination. We truly need both in a big way.

I also don’t expect you to have a trade in the mix for your first mock. But if ever there were a year that I think Guty would move up for a special player (last year notwithstanding), it’s this year. Of course, I said that same thing last year too. Lol.

I don’t really think there’s anything we would need to trade up for. We could move up for an edge but is that good value? We would lose compensation for a player coming off the bench or taking snaps from Preston who we have big money invested in. We are set at CB where this class is really stacked at. Trade up for an OT? No thanks.

Scott4Pack wrote: ↑

11 Jan 2023 18:02

I love the idea of a WR and S in the first two rounds; some combination. We truly need both in a big way.

I also don’t expect you to have a trade in the mix for your first mock. But if ever there were a year that I think Guty would move up for a special player (last year notwithstanding), it’s this year. Of course, I said that same thing last year too. Lol.

Until you identify a player, I think it's premature to say, "trade up for the hell of it"

The only player I can potentially see trading up for is Quinten Johnston WR of TCU if he just completely dominates the combine but I just really hate how poor his hands are for a potential top 10 pick.

I mean of course we can also build a Time Machine and tank away are games like we should have done in the first place.

lupedafiasco wrote: ↑

11 Jan 2023 19:23

The only player I can potentially see trading up for is Quinten Johnston WR of TCU if he just completely dominates the combine but I just really hate how poor his hands are for a potential top 10 pick.

I mean of course we can also build a Time Machine and tank away are games like we should have done in the first place.

Christian Watson tanks for no one.

I really like a ton of these guys. To the extent that I think the draft stock will rise on most way out of this range. The 3rd, 4th, and both 5th round picks all might go a round higher--or at least they would if I were drafting. (less so LaPorta, but possibly. I think 4th is a good area for him)

There's some podcast I listened to (I have 3 and I can't recall which of them) that thinks the backup RB from Texas might squeak into Rd 2 once the process plays out, which seems rich for my blood, but you and them are right to identify the potential value from playing behind Bijan

Have fun with that.

go pak go wrote: ↑

11 Jan 2023 19:05

Scott4Pack wrote: ↑

11 Jan 2023 18:02

I love the idea of a WR and S in the first two rounds; some combination. We truly need both in a big way.

I also don’t expect you to have a trade in the mix for your first mock. But if ever there were a year that I think Guty would move up for a special player (last year notwithstanding), it’s this year. Of course, I said that same thing last year too. Lol.

Until you identify a player, I think it's premature to say, "trade up for the hell of it"

Not saying that. :-)

Nice work. Love the positional adds even if they aren't my fav players....I get the moves.

The wrs run hot and cold for me in this class. I'd love Boutte is imo the one who can be a star at the next level. He's my 1. My guy that screams Packers and the best hands catcher I've seen in a minute is Rashee Rice. If he runs well he's a 1st rounder

Backthepack4ever wrote: ↑

15 Jan 2023 16:10

Nice work. Love the positional adds even if they aren't my fav players....I get the moves.

The wrs run hot and cold for me in this class. I'd love Boutte is imo the one who can be a star at the next level. He's my 1. My guy that screams Packers and the best hands catcher I've seen in a minute is Rashee Rice. If he runs well he's a 1st rounder

Agree. I too love Rashee Rice and think he would fit in nice with our group.