2021 NFL Draft Thread

[jay87shot]

It's about the time of year I like looking at draft prospects. It is currently hard to tell our needs because we will definitely have some cap issues. Some of Aaron Jones, Preston Smith, Corey Lindsley, Christian Kirksey, Dean Lowry, Billy Turner, Ricky Wagner (likely), and Kevin King (probably more) could be gone. I will stick to the needs now for guys I like.

Early WR= Rondale Moore, Rashod Bateman, Tylan Wallace, Chris Olave, Sage Surratt
Late WR= TJ Vasher, Ihmir-Smith Marsett

OL Early=Walker Little, Jackson Carman, Ben Cleveland, Tyler Linderbaum
Late OL= Zion Johnson, Rashawn Slater, Jimmy Morrissey, Dillion Radunz, Aleric Jackson, Tyler Vrabel, Cole Van Lanen

ILB =Dylan Moses, Chazz Surratt, Jabrill Cox, Monty Rice, Paddy Fisher, Pete Warner, Baron Browning

DL=Christian Barmore, Aiden Hutchinson, LaBryan Ray, Jay Tufele, Darius Stills, Alim McNeil, Lorenzo Neal, Jordan McWilliams, Isiahh Loudermilk

DB=Shaun Wade, Paulson Adebo, Isreal Mukuamu, Josh Jobe, Elijah Molden, Trey Dean III (s) Jevon Holland, Bubba Bolden, Reed Blankenship

Edge=Jayson Oweh, Myjai Sanders, Zaven Collins, Daelin Hayes, Charles Snowden

[jay87shot]

Here is my predictions way too early. We cut Preston Smith, Billy Turner, Christian Kirksey, Ricky Wagner, and Dean Lowry. We are 18 millon (using a cap of about 180) over the cap for next year and those cuts save 25ish million. Obviously that means we lose Aaron Jones, Corey Linsley, and Kevin King as well. We could probably re-structure ARodg and save some more.

1) T Walker Little. With Wagner, Turner, and Lindley cap causalities the line needs some upgrade bad. Jenkins, Patrick, and Runyan can play inside and RT would be a big big need.

2) WR Sage Surratt. Even with all the cap losses, it is time to invest at WR. Surratt has nice size, altheticism, and production to make a great 1/2 combo.

3)DL Jay Tufele. A big body to help the run d and Clark inside.

4)ILB Pete Warner. Another mid-round guy, maybe between Martin, Summers, Barnes, and Warner we could get some sort of production.

5) Edge Zaven Collins. As a Junior at Tulsa he might not come out but 4 sacks and 4 int's is an intriguing blend.

6) T Cole Van Lanen. OL depth, got to have a badger. CVL would be a great late round pick who could probably play 4 positions.

7)RB Trey Sermon. With no Jones and maybe Williams, AJ Dillon will need some help. Sermon has had a strange career. He has size and speed so a late round gamble would be worth it.

[IRNMN]

A few quick comments. If we're talking WR's then Dazz Newsome needs to be really high on the big board for this team. He checks pretty much every box for this team. If we are looking for a true slot type Dazz Newsome from North Carolina looks like a tremendous fit. Not a clean comparison here, but he has some parallels to Randall Cobb in my view. He still needs to develop a more diverse route tree, but that's not much of a knock to not draft the guy. You play him to his strength out of the slot early as he learns more diverse roles. He has nice vertical quickness and can create separately. Newsome also displays excellent body control to make highlight catches along the sidelines. Good hands. A very quick, physical player even with some limitations, but can block well. Routinely holds the ball even in contact. Also can pluck the ball. Newsome gives this group something they don't truly have either.

I would argue if they are looking at ILB Paddy Fisher makes a great fit for this unit. Most don't project him as a 3 down guy, but a ton of potential, really physical guy. I think a lot of the knocks that I have seen some reports put out on Fisher are pretty inaccurate. He brings much-needed physicality to this defense. Really would be a nice complement to bolster the run defense efforts. Barnes in packages has looked solid and the two would complement well. Smart instinctive player who can be physical enough to force fumbles. Works well in zone, but hasn't been asked to do much in coverage so grading him in coverage is going to be difficult. Has a nose for big plays, often forcing fumbles as a tackler. Offers flashes of disciplined work in zone coverage, shading drop into routes entering area but not over-pursuing a potential throwing window. Guys like Fisher is something this team lacks. He's listed low right now on most draft boards, but I don't think that matches most teams. Fisher looks like a hard-nosed player who even if he doesn't become a star will have a valuable role at the next level.

[jay87shot]

I would be ok with Newsome in a middle round, I usually am not real high on WR from UNC but that isn't a good reason to discount him.

I love Fisher, he seems to be everywhere in the run game. If he runs ok I could see him getting boosted into the 2nd or 3rd because his tape is really good.

[crewfan13]

Without getting too in the weeds on who's cut and who isn't, I can't see us cutting both Turner and Wagner. I think at least one of them stays.

That being said, there's definitely ways to free up cap space yet too. Like you said, we can convert some of rodgers cash to a signing bonus. You can do the same with Z to an extent. It's not something we've done much in the past, but lately teams havs been putting voidable years on the back end of the contract for guys to spread the cap hit too. That might be worth considering this year too since I think the cap should go back closer to normal as we hopefully get through the pandemic.

Another option is an adams extension too. It won't be cheap to extend him, but it could lower his hit next year a little too.

[IRNMN]

Without getting too in the weeds on who's cut and who isn't, I can't see us cutting both Turner and Wagner. I think at least one of them stays.

That being said, there's definitely ways to free up cap space yet too. Like you said, we can convert some of rodgers cash to a signing bonus. You can do the same with Z to an extent. It's not something we've done much in the past, but lately teams havs been putting voidable years on the back end of the contract for guys to spread the cap hit too. That might be worth considering this year too since I think the cap should go back closer to normal as we hopefully get through the pandemic.

Another option is an adams extension too. It won't be cheap to extend him, but it could lower his hit next year a little too.

The good thing about the Packers choice on the OL is that they are pretty much locked in from the left side to right guard. It's really what to do at RT. If you keep Turner as a tackle his deal is pretty cheap, if you keep him as a guard Jenkins needs to bounce outside. However, Bak, Jenkins, Patrick, and Runyan all seem like safe bets to start. The OL question is really who gets cut and what they do in later rounds for depth. You keep Turner you basically have a two-year window to find a replacement. Cap savings is about the same, the dead cap carryover would be Wagner's cap hit would be 1.75 mils vs. Turner's 4.55 mil. My biggest issue with keeping Wagner would be health, performance-wise he has looked pretty solid. But you cut Turner and keep Wagner, the difference would be the 2022 money you get back from Turner they can spread out.

I'm still looking at a guy like Rashawn Slater he's got great lateral mobility but may end up being an inside guy, but with Jenkins versatility, you don't work so much about him. Slater sometimes can play with stiff hips. However, he's held his own on both sides of the line. Really physical lineman. I think he fits well with the OL group in the sense he can play multiple spots and they are left with a good problem to figure out where everyone fits best. There are 11 tackles in most big boards top 75. Even with Wagner or Turner looks like a pretty solid year to get a tackle, if that's the thinking Wagner makes the most sense to keep.

[jay87shot]

I like Slater a lot as well he has that tweener G/T athletic frame that we have liked in the past. He could be a great fit, with it being early it is hard to project value. I have seen Slater as a top 20 pick in some places and a mid-late 2nd in others. I think he is the best guard and probably a top 3 tackle when it comes to draft time.

A RB in the later rounds I have taken to is Elijah Mitchell from L-Lafayette, he has good size and put up nice receiving numbers. Since our backfield will have a lot of question marks a later round RB to pair with Dillon (or as a #3 if we can keep Jones or Williams) makes sense.

I also think CB in the middle rounds would make sense, Josh Jobe could somehow be an underrated Alabama CB since he only had 1 INT in 3 years. As a late 2nd or 3rd rounder I think he would be a very high floor pick at corner.

I know this won't happen but is there any chance we would or could trade Jordan Love. Say to the Saints for a 2nd and 2022 3rd. I know Gutenkunst wouldn't likely admit to a mistake but I would rather get picks and get a backup like Josh Rosen or maybe Gardner Minshew (doubt the Jags would trade for 4th or 5th rounder) and maybe a flier on a 6th or 7th round 3rd qb. I could be wrong and hopefully I am but I just don't have a lot of expectations for Love (without seeing him play).

[IRNMN]

With no combine this year it's going to be a nightmare to figure out where people are going to be slotted. As for the RB, it's going to be dependent on who we can bring back Jamaal or Jones for the type of back we would be looking for.

Jobe could be an interesting player. He may need a year of seasoning. I think with Jobe it depends on where you're looking at him. If you get him some time in the second a solid pick, if you get him in the 3rd or closer to the third I think it's a complete steal. Then again draft rankings are going to be a bit wonky again this year. Some other names I think they could be looking at CB wise early I really like Elijah Molden. Jaycee Horn looks like a solid fit as well. Asante Samuel has some intrigue.

I don't see them moving Love. At this point he has little to no trade value, if they eventually decide to move in a different direction is going to be higher down the road because no one has Love is ready to start before 2022. IMO they're doing him a ton of favors by burying him in the depth chart because really there are not many eyes on him before he's supposed to be ready. They're going to keep a lot of his development really hush. Frankly, it might be better if we're not hearing a whole lot about him at this point. They drafted him for a reason and I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt the last two drafts they've added Gary, Savage, Jenkins, and Dillon, 3 of those 4 players were picks with some level of risk, and I'm not sure even some of the scout would have dreams Jenkins would have matured so quickly. All 4 have all begun to show flashes of being solid NFL players if not studs.

One side note I wouldn't be shocked if they draft another QB at some point (later rounds) in the next draft or a year from now and that won't at all be an indicator of where Love is or is not. This draft doesn't have a lot of mid-round QB's either they are going early or late in the draft. Trevor, Fields, Wilson, and Trey Lance to Mac Jones is a huge gap, Mac Jones to the rest of the pack is a canyon. Maybe draft Sam Ehlinger and try to turn him into a Taysom Hill-type player. He isn't going to cut it as a pure passer in the NFL.

[alabastertubby]

with the discussion switching do any of you see different coaches and or schemes brought in. the 3-4 D is intriguing because it's almost holy grail like. i can say in Green Bay we don't draft well for it nor do we know how to scout for it. dump it. the successful schemes are investing high picks in linebackers every year or two. this is limiting.

[Pcs Papa]

Gotta go to a 4-3 line, draft someone like Barmore. Clark, Barmore, Gary and Z Smith would be nice.

[IRNMN]

A lot to consider with the defense. I'm not sure switching schemes is going to make a major difference. The issue for this defense often comes down to quality not so much the tactics.

We have a secondary that can make plays, but sometimes fail to make tackles. You feel pretty good about Alexander, Savage, and Amos (may be cut, but I don't see how they can), but the rest of the secondary really is a touch on the liability side when it comes to both coverage and tackling. We are going to have to allocate a good amount of effort to shore up both the slot corner spot and the opposite of Jaire. Guys who are sound tacklers should be the priority. They need to take a corner or two in this draft without a question.

I would put Barmore as more of a 3 technique fit, to be honest. With this defense, I would love to add a space-eater type guy like Tyler Shelvin. But this team doesn't really run a true 3-4 to begin with.

We're still fairly limited at LB. Barnes has shown the most upside at LB and Martin some promise, but you would almost have to take two LB in this draft. Martin's healthy would be the biggest question mark surrounding him, Kirksey likely is gone, and the other LB's you can't trust. The good news is I would personally grade the LB class pretty well. Parsons, Collins, Owusu-Koramoah, and maybe even Bolton all grade pretty similarly all 4 likely to get 1st or sub-1st round grades. At the same time, no matter what scheme they play they will need to add an LB even if they trust Barnes/Martin, they will need depth. At the end of the day it may be too much of shift at this point with a limited cap and you know they are going to need to use high capital on the offense as well whether that is OL, RB is to be seen.

It's not impossible to shift but may not be the best year to do so.

[alabastertubby]

with the short college season/ no season it's going to be especially difficult to scout for the draft. that in itself is not a good reason to delay a switch to a different scheme. if LB's are "impossible" to scout for use the scheme that minimizes the amount of them. based on need i see high round picks going WR, corner, D line and safety with maybe TE if a guy slips. Tonyan is going to get a wad of cash waived in front of him and he might be gone. that leaves LB's as a distant second need. i think Rodgers was more frustrated than thinking of retirement after Tampa's game but if he does retire than the plan changes i think. it's still a weak division but winning the division and seeing what happens after gets us nothing. let's change the focus to winning it all.

[PackerBum9786]

CB, DL, ILB all have to be priorities. I know everyone is going to keep saying WR but, If they wouldn't bring one in last draft I don't see them spending high on one this draft, though there are a couple I would love to see including Amon-Ra St. Brown.

I have heard, haven't really looked ay anything though, that the CB class is weak this year so that hurts. There is no way they are going to go into the season with Chandon Sullivan as the starter opposite of Jaire. King is gone unless it is on a very reasonable contract, Jackson is pretty much gone and i really don't understand whats going on with him, he played very well when he was brought in but, he was healthy scratches for the last several weeks. I know they said it was due to special teams play but, really I think thats a bunch of crap.

DL, I think Adams and Lowery are gone and it showed this year we definitely need another guy in there with Kenny Clark.

ILB - everything has been pretty much said about this position since 2011.

[bigfishguy85]

With the CB situation as it is, I don’t see how we scratch the 3-4. We simply don’t have 4-3 personnel in the front 7. Gary and Z probably aren’t well suited to having their hand in the ground all the time and they’re both liabilities in coverage/playing in space. To switch to a 4-3, you’d need DE’s plus OLB’s and I don’t know what you’d do with a or Gary. Oddly enough, Preston is the only one of that group that would fit.

I dunno what we do at cb. King absolutely has to go. He has his moments of being pretty good but his inconsistency and penchant for getting burned has been cringeworthy for a while. Based on his IG content, he fancies himself as a very highly paid player, let somebody else overpay for that piece of garbage. That said, who do we replace him with? Cause Sullivan is ok as a 3 or 4, but he can’t start.

[crewfan13]

with the short college season/ no season it's going to be especially difficult to scout for the draft. that in itself is not a good reason to delay a switch to a different scheme. if LB's are "impossible" to scout for use the scheme that minimizes the amount of them. based on need i see high round picks going WR, corner, D line and safety with maybe TE if a guy slips. Tonyan is going to get a wad of cash waived in front of him and he might be gone. that leaves LB's as a distant second need. i think Rodgers was more frustrated than thinking of retirement after Tampa's game but if he does retire than the plan changes i think. it's still a weak division but winning the division and seeing what happens after gets us nothing. let's change the focus to winning it all.

I'm not 100% sure we go wr that early. I think we could use a Tyler Ervin/Tavon Austin replacement. We could take a guy early who can play that role and do alot more. But I also think you can find that akillset in the 3rd-5th. Mvs and Lazard are decent 2nd and 3rd options, especially when you have a number 1 as good as adams.

LB is a weird spot for us and it's similar to how we've been at alot of spots in the past. Kirksey will be cut, but will probably also have little interest on the market. So bringing him back on the cheap after cutting him is possible. But to me, we either add a high end talent at ilb or role with what we have. I just go bpa late, so if we take one in the 6th or 7th, then whatever but to ke, our lives group has some upside. I'd rather either take a guy with real upside who could legit be a stud or just role with what we have.