Packers 2025 offseason

[GAME05]

Bosa was just cut by the Chargers, too. 

[OldHeidelberg]

13 minutes ago, GAME05 said:

Bosa was just cut by the Chargers, too. 

Almost sure to join his brother in SF I would think.

[JosephC]

Seattle wants a first and third round pick for DK Metcalf.  Metcalf also wants a new deal that would average 30 million per season.  This is from Dianna Russini, who works for The Athletic, so a credible source.

 

[Joseph Zarr]

26 minutes ago, JosephC said:

Seattle wants a first and third round pick for DK Metcalf.  Metcalf also wants a new deal that would average 30 million per season.  This is from Dianna Russini, who works for The Athletic, so a credible source.

 

Are the Seahawks on crack? A 1st and a 3rd?! And then you get to fork over $30 Mil/season? Yeah...ummmm...NO. Maybe they get a 3rd and a player in the deal. Maybe. It's like the Birds don't even consider historical reference. DK is a nice player and a worthy weapon. But, this is insanity if that's their baseline asking price.

[OldHeidelberg]

12 minutes ago, Joseph Zarr said:

Are the Seahawks on crack? A 1st and a 3rd?! And then you get to fork over $30 Mil/season? Yeah...ummmm...NO. Maybe they get a 3rd and a player in the deal. Maybe. It's like the Birds don't even consider historical reference. DK is a nice player and a worthy weapon. But, this is insanity if that's their baseline asking price.

Buffalo may be desperate enough to give up #30 and maybe a mid round pick swap that will include their 3rd. Metcalf seems too boom or bust for my risk tolerance at that price but I am sure the Packers are waiting to see what the price actually is.   

[OldSchoolSnapper]

They know that isn't happening. Put something insane out there and see which team comes the closest. It at least make it seem like you aren't desperate to get rid of him and won't just give him away. 

I bet they end up getting a 2nd if they're stubborn enough. I am sure they want this done before the draft.

[HarryDoyle]

Hard pass.

[Sixtolezcano]

7 hours ago, Joseph Zarr said:

Are the Seahawks on crack? A 1st and a 3rd?! And then you get to fork over $30 Mil/season? Yeah...ummmm...NO. Maybe they get a 3rd and a player in the deal. Maybe. It's like the Birds don't even consider historical reference. DK is a nice player and a worthy weapon. But, this is insanity if that's their baseline asking price..

 

 

At this point I would even think of adding an extra player would be an overpay. There is absolutely no way I would go any higher than a 3rd round pick. He just isn’t that good at that price (not to even mention an $30,000,000 contract) and another player that would be a headache for MLF.

[GAME05]

It feels like one of those things where they don't really want to trade him, so they throw up a stupid asking price and oh well if nobody bites.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

I think this thread has veered too hard the other way where people are really understating how good Metcalf is. Seattle hasn't been a truly good team for quite a while and the last time they were he had a great season. Even at his best, Russell Wilson has never really made WRs into stars. Geno Smith is a nice comeback story but they have been a mediocre team for some time now. The dude is 6'4, 235 and ran a 40 in 4.3 territory. He is an absolute freak of nature and he loves to block which has been a necessity under MLF. 

I am OK if people think it's dumb to trade a 1st for a guy you have to pay $30 million/yr immediately, and I'd agree. But I would 100% trade a 3rd and one of our mediocre WRs for him and not even blink. IMO this whole "wow the Packers have WR depth!" thing has gone overboard. We have 3 or 4 guys who don't scare anybody but are quality role players, and it has led to a misconception among some that our WRs are really good. They're not. A player like Metcalf would be huge not just because he is good, but it allows all those guys to stop carrying a burden they aren't good enough to carry.

I don't think the Packers get him though. I am sure they have inquired and stated what they're willing to part with, my guess is a 3rd or 4th, and that's that. They won't get into a bidding war. 

[RobDeer 45]

I keep swinging back and forth on this.  Initially I thought, this might be the guy that could make a difference for us.  As I thought on it more I was worried about his production and the cost to get him so I started thinking this isn't the right move.  Now I do think we should go after him.  Not a 1st and 3rd, but maybe slightly overpay.  After Love brought up a little frustration with WRs not getting open, I started worrying about our guys for the first time.  I do think we need a weapon at WR that can be a go to in tough situations.  Also bringing a leader in for this group of pass catchers could give them a boost.  I think we should make a strong push to get DK......final answer????  😜

[JosephC]

There was a reporter who yesterday said that Seattle has a number of offers for Metcalf in hand and could confirm that one of those offers included a third round pick.  It doesn't sound like the market is very hot right now, but I would expect it to heat up.  Seattle is probably a bit hurt by the fact that there are 4 WRs IMO that carry top 20 overall grades in the upcoming NFL draft, and the free agent list includes Chris Godwin, Davante Adams and Amari Cooper.

Eventually, I think the price for Metcalf will end up being the value of an early-mid second round pick.  If a deal were to happen with Green Bay, my best guess would be something like-

Packers get - DK Metcalf, #137 overall pick in 2025 draft (very late fourth)

Seahawks get - #54 overall pick in 2025 draft (second round), #87 overall pick in 2025 draft (third round)

[OldSchoolSnapper]

57 minutes ago, JosephC said:

There was a reporter who yesterday said that Seattle has a number of offers for Metcalf in hand and could confirm that one of those offers included a third round pick.  It doesn't sound like the market is very hot right now, but I would expect it to heat up.  Seattle is probably a bit hurt by the fact that there are 4 WRs IMO that carry top 20 overall grades in the upcoming NFL draft, and the free agent list includes Chris Godwin, Davante Adams and Amari Cooper.

Eventually, I think the price for Metcalf will end up being the value of an early-mid second round pick.  If a deal were to happen with Green Bay, my best guess would be something like-

Packers get - DK Metcalf, #137 overall pick in 2025 draft (very late fourth)

Seahawks get - #54 overall pick in 2025 draft (second round), #87 overall pick in 2025 draft (third round)

This is exactly what I see happening. They post up for a 1st and 3rd, know it's ridiculous, the higher bidder offers a 2nd, but gets a pick(s) back in return as well.

#54 and #87 still stings a bit IMO. Those are 2 potentially high-impact players in this class on rookie deals for one dude with an AAV at $30mm. 

I think it's more likely #54 and a pick swap in the 5th or something. I just can't see GB in particular giving up that kind of value.

[BrewerFan]

On 3/6/2025 at 10:44 AM, OldHeidelberg said:

Buffalo may be desperate enough to give up #30 and maybe a mid round pick swap that will include their 3rd. Metcalf seems too boom or bust for my risk tolerance at that price but I am sure the Packers are waiting to see what the price actually is.   

I don't think Buffalo is that desperate. They have to keep building around Allen, but not sacrificing that much on one WR.

I think Metcalf is pretty safe, but a 1st and a 3rd?

On 3/6/2025 at 5:09 PM, HarryDoyle said:

Hard pass.

Yeah...I agree. I'm also not giving up a 2nd and a 3rd. I just don't believe a WR like Metcalf can make a big enough difference. Love had green in his face all day vs the Eagles...and the WRs we've invested a lot in dropped a LOT of passes last year. I'd keep building like we have for the most part.

54+Doubs ....or even maybe Wicks(I guess it'd depend on how confident you are on Wicks bouncing back) would be the highest I'd go.

I think we're on the right path, but if we trade a 1st and a 3rd...I'd just prefer we go after Garrett...or an elite LT but they're available even less.

[OldHeidelberg]

6 hours ago, BrewerFan said:

I don't think Buffalo is that desperate. They have to keep building around Allen, but not sacrificing that much on one WR.

I think Metcalf is pretty safe, but a 1st and a 3rd?

Yeah...I agree. I'm also not giving up a 2nd and a 3rd. I just don't believe a WR like Metcalf can make a big enough difference. Love had green in his face all day vs the Eagles...and the WRs we've invested a lot in dropped a LOT of passes last year. I'd keep building like we have for the most part.

54+Doubs ....or even maybe Wicks(I guess it'd depend on how confident you are on Wicks bouncing back) would be the highest I'd go.

I think we're on the right path, but if we trade a 1st and a 3rd...I'd just prefer we go after Garrett...or an elite LT but they're available even less.

I think If New England dangles #38 and another pick it's not a stretch to think Buffalo might try to top it, Seattle could benefit from so many teams interested. A lot depends on how you view Metcalf I guess, is he just a rich man's Watson or an Odell/Moss type talent who will dominate with the right team? Maybe the Bills are in play for Adams but I suspect he will end up in GB or LA. Godwin is in a tier below Metcalf and Adams in my mind so if the Bills want to go all in on 25 DK may be their best move.

I agree the Packers should stay out of a bidding war, I don't think I would trade #54 and Wicks for him but I am sure I would learn to like it if the Packers did. 

[BrewerFan]

8 hours ago, OldHeidelberg said:

I think If New England dangles #38 and another pick it's not a stretch to think Buffalo might try to top it, Seattle could benefit from so many teams interested. A lot depends on how you view Metcalf I guess, is he just a rich man's Watson or an Odell/Moss type talent who will dominate with the right team? Maybe the Bills are in play for Adams but I suspect he will end up in GB or LA. Godwin is in a tier below Metcalf and Adams in my mind so if the Bills want to go all in on 25 DK may be their best move.

I agree the Packers should stay out of a bidding war, I don't think I would trade #54 and Wicks for him but I am sure I would learn to like it if the Packers did. 

That's possible, I just took the Bills actions last year trading back to acquire more picks, dealing Diggs and having so little cap space(probably have to cut Von and restructure Allen just to be able to sign their draft picks)...and having good young WRs, I'm just think they're open to a WR, but not a 30M AAV WR who they  have to trade a 1st for. 

Especially after trading back and adding picks last year and the needs at WR. DK with that speed and size would be a great fit with Josh Allen. Plus, you can pretty much always play with the salary cap if you really want to. 

[JosephC]

Pre-free agency prediction of Packers off-season.  This is not "my plan," but rather a prediction of what the team does.

TRADE = CB-Jaire Alexander and 7th round pick (#239) to the Commanders.  Packers receive a 6th round pick (#207).  The Commanders have a ton of cap space (almost 74 million and that is AFTER they pay all the draft picks) and significant depth issues at cornerback, so this is a deal that could make sense for both sides.  If a trade cannot be made, Alexander is released to create salary cap space.

EXTENSION #1 = RT-Zach Tom.  5 years, 110 million, 42 million guaranteed.  30 million signing bonus, and between base salary + bonuses the yearly earnings are 4 million in 2025, 10.5 in 2026, 15.5 in 2027, 21.5 in 2028 and 28.5 in 2029.  Cap numbers break down as 10.126 million in 2025, 16.5 million in 2026, 21.5 million in 2027, 27.5 million in 2028 and 34.5 million in 2029.

EXTENSION #2 = CB-Eric Stokes.  2 years, 9.5 million, 4.5 million guaranteed.  3 million signing bonus, and between base salary + bonuses the yearly earnings are 1.5 million in 2025 and 5 million in 2026.  Cap numbers are 3 million in 2025 and 6.5 million in 2026.

Josh Myers is higher on the free agent lists than I would have expected.  So I'm speculating that Gutekunst does approach Myers but the ask is for too much money and too many years,

FREE AGENT #1 = DE-Dayo Odeyingbo.  4 years, 67 million with 39 million guaranteed.  20 million signing bonus, and between base salary + bonuses the yearly earnings are 1.5 million in 2025, 9.5 million in 2026, 15.5 million in 2027 and 20.5 million in 2028.  Cap numbers would be 6.5 in 2025, 14.5 in 2026, 20.5 in 2027 and 25.5 in 2028.  Odeyingbo to the Packers is the one Packer's rumor I've heard so far this off-season that I'd guess has legs.

FREE AGENT #2 = C-Bradley Bozeman.  2 years, 17 million, 8 million guaranteed.  5 million signing bonus, and between base salary + bonuses the yearly earnings are 3 million in 2025 and 9 million in 2026.  Cap numbers would be 5.5 million in 2025 and 11.5 million in 2026.  I'd guess Gutekunst is in love with Georgia center Jared Wilson, but it's currently looking like he might be an early-to-mid third round pick, which means the Packers would probably have to spend a second rounder to get him.  Even though Gutekunst has taken a round two center in the past, I think the team needs prevent him from doing it in 2025.  I also think Gutekunst would probably like Boston College center Drew Kendall, but I don't think there is enough quality center depth in this draft to roll into day three with Kendall being the only option.  So Gutekunst goes with plan B and signs an average player who is reliable that can be plugged in if Monk isn't an NFL quality starting center.  Bozeman also has 2 NFL seasons as a starting left guard, so there is some versatility there as well.

FREE AGENT #3 = CB-Mike Jackson.  2 years, 8 million, 3 million guaranteed.  3 million dollar signing bonus, and between base salary + bonuses the yearly earnings are 1.2 million in 2025 and 3.8 million in 2026.  Cap numbers would be 2.7 million in 2025 and 5.3 million in 2026.  If the Packers take an early round (1/2) cornerback, then Valentine, Nixon and a rookie are the top 3, so Stokes and Jackson are really here for depth purposes, and after adding some rookie free agents, signing Jackson pretty much eliminates the need for the Packers to have to target a second cornerback in the draft.  I've only found Jackson in one top free agent cornerback list on an "indy" site (WalterFootball), and he is nowhere to be found on the cornerback list for any "major" media outlet...so I am assuming he will be cheaply priced.  He played in a pretty remarkable 98.9% of defensive snaps for Carolina last year, and held up fairly well (from the information that I was able to scrape together), so maybe he'll end up going for more money.  We'll have to wait and see.

I plugged all this into OverTheCap's calculator and remaining cap room after these deals would be 30.2 million in 2025, 37.6 million in 2026 and 104 million in 2027.  So after paying rookies, the Packers would still have a bit over 20 million in cap space left for another extension or two that would probably occur later.  Only having 37.6 million in 2026 may seem a bit tight at first glance, but Jenkins has an 18.5 million dollar salary and Gary has an 18 million dollar salary...just moving those two base salaries to signing bonuses would push the cap space to over 60 million, so the above extensions and free agent contracts all seem to fit within the constraints of the salary cap.

THE DRAFT

Gutekunst loves athletes, so here we go-

ROUND ONE (#23) = Maxwell Hairston/CB/Kentucky

Had been grading as a late round two pick, but probably sits late round one/very early round two post-combine.  I don't think he'll be picked ahead of #23.  Nixon may want to be a CB1, but Gutekunst will likely expect the configuration to be Valentine and Hairston and then Nixon as the nickel CB from day one.  I also think Florida State's Azareye'h Thomas and East Carolina's Shavon Revel may be preferred as they are both significantly taller...but they didn't run at Indy.  If either of these guys are sub-4,4 during the Pro Day, Gutekunst would likely pick one of them because of the height factor (for the record, Hairston is 5-11 1/4, so he's not really undersized for a cornerback - by comparison, Jaire Alexander, Gutekunst's first pick, was 5-10 1/4 at the 2018 combine).

TRADE = Eagles get pick #54 (2nd round) and #160 (5th round).  Packers get #64 (second round) and #96 (third round).  Gutekunst had targeted Iowa State WR-Jayden Higgins for a trade up, but when Higgins goes way higher than expected, Gutekunst isn't blown away by what is left at #54 and looks to trade down.  Eagles move up to #54 to select Purdue OG-Marcus Mbow.

ROUND TWO (#64) = Elic Ayomanor/WR/Stanford

6-1 3/4 with long arms, big hands, 4.44 40-yard dash and 38.5 inch vertical jump.  2 years at Stanford - 125 catches, 1844 yards, 14.8 yards per catch, 12 touchdowns.

ROUND THREE (#87) = Ty Robinson/DT/Nebraska

Listed at 310 pounds on Nebraska's site, was 288 pounds at the combine.  Likely can play inside or outside.  Packers pick him with the idea of him being in the 305-310 range and playing inside.

ROUND THREE (#96) = Smael Mondon Jr./LB/Georgia

Undersized (224 pounds) coverage linebacker with plenty of experience in a top program (32 starts).  Gutekunst loves Bulldogs.

ROUND FOUR (#123) = Caleb Rogers/OG/Texas Tech

Every draft has to have at least one "what the hell" pick and this is it.  The Packers are 1 or 2 offensive linemen short at this point, and their next pick does not happen until #200, and the board is super-thin for offensive linemen that late in this draft.  Gutekunst would rather take a left tackle to provide insurance if Jordan Morgan cannot back up Rasheed Walker, but ends up taking a college right tackle that projects to guard in the NFL.  Rogers had an incredible 55 college starts....if I have this figured correctly, 36 starts at right tackle, 16 starts at left tackle, 2 starts at left guard and 1 start at right guard.  I think he's grading out more as a 6th rounder at this point, but Gutekunst over-drafts him here based on the combine numbers.

ROUND SIX (#200) = Jaylin Conyers/TE/Texas Tech

Another Red Raider.  Modest college production as a pass-catcher but had a great workout at Indy.

ROUND SIX (#207) = Chimere Dike/WR/Florida

Ex-Badger ran a 4.34 40-time at Indianapolis and has always been the down-the-field threat.  Although Dike isn't great at doing anything else, he's worth a roll-of-the-dice 7th rounder as a possible field-stretcher.

ROUND SEVEN (#251) = Ethan Downs/DE/Oklahoma

269 pounds, 4.69 40-yard dash and 32 reps at 225.  IMO, below-average to bad results in the 20 yard shuttle and the 3-cone drill.  3-year starter at Oklahoma, totaled 29 tackles for loss and 12 sacks over those 3 years.   

 

[Sixtolezcano]

1 hour ago, JosephC said:

Pre-free agency prediction of Packers off-season.  This is not "my plan," but rather a prediction of what the team does.

TRADE = CB-Jaire Alexander and 7th round pick (#239) to the Commanders.  Packers receive a 6th round pick (#207).  The Commanders have a ton of cap space (almost 74 million and that is AFTER they pay all the draft picks) and significant depth issues at cornerback, so this is a deal that could make sense for both sides.  If a trade cannot be made, Alexander is released to create salary cap space.

EXTENSION #1 = RT-Zach Tom.  5 years, 110 million, 42 million guaranteed.  30 million signing bonus, and between base salary + bonuses the yearly earnings are 4 million in 2025, 10.5 in 2026, 15.5 in 2027, 21.5 in 2028 and 28.5 in 2029.  Cap numbers break down as 10.126 million in 2025, 16.5 million in 2026, 21.5 million in 2027, 27.5 million in 2028 and 34.5 million in 2029.

EXTENSION #2 = CB-Eric Stokes.  2 years, 9.5 million, 4.5 million guaranteed.  3 million signing bonus, and between base salary + bonuses the yearly earnings are 1.5 million in 2025 and 5 million in 2026.  Cap numbers are 3 million in 2025 and 6.5 million in 2026.

Josh Myers is higher on the free agent lists than I would have expected.  So I'm speculating that Gutekunst does approach Myers but the ask is for too much money and too many years,

FREE AGENT #1 = DE-Dayo Odeyingbo.  4 years, 67 million with 39 million guaranteed.  20 million signing bonus, and between base salary + bonuses the yearly earnings are 1.5 million in 2025, 9.5 million in 2026, 15.5 million in 2027 and 20.5 million in 2028.  Cap numbers would be 6.5 in 2025, 14.5 in 2026, 20.5 in 2027 and 25.5 in 2028.  Odeyingbo to the Packers is the one Packer's rumor I've heard so far this off-season that I'd guess has legs.

FREE AGENT #2 = C-Bradley Bozeman.  2 years, 17 million, 8 million guaranteed.  5 million signing bonus, and between base salary + bonuses the yearly earnings are 3 million in 2025 and 9 million in 2026.  Cap numbers would be 5.5 million in 2025 and 11.5 million in 2026.  I'd guess Gutekunst is in love with Georgia center Jared Wilson, but it's currently looking like he might be an early-to-mid third round pick, which means the Packers would probably have to spend a second rounder to get him.  Even though Gutekunst has taken a round two center in the past, I think the team needs prevent him from doing it in 2025.  I also think Gutekunst would probably like Boston College center Drew Kendall, but I don't think there is enough quality center depth in this draft to roll into day three with Kendall being the only option.  So Gutekunst goes with plan B and signs an average player who is reliable that can be plugged in if Monk isn't an NFL quality starting center.  Bozeman also has 2 NFL seasons as a starting left guard, so there is some versatility there as well.

FREE AGENT #3 = CB-Mike Jackson.  2 years, 8 million, 3 million guaranteed.  3 million dollar signing bonus, and between base salary + bonuses the yearly earnings are 1.2 million in 2025 and 3.8 million in 2026.  Cap numbers would be 2.7 million in 2025 and 5.3 million in 2026.  If the Packers take an early round (1/2) cornerback, then Valentine, Nixon and a rookie are the top 3, so Stokes and Jackson are really here for depth purposes, and after adding some rookie free agents, signing Jackson pretty much eliminates the need for the Packers to have to target a second cornerback in the draft.  I've only found Jackson in one top free agent cornerback list on an "indy" site (WalterFootball), and he is nowhere to be found on the cornerback list for any "major" media outlet...so I am assuming he will be cheaply priced.  He played in a pretty remarkable 98.9% of defensive snaps for Carolina last year, and held up fairly well (from the information that I was able to scrape together), so maybe he'll end up going for more money.  We'll have to wait and see.

I plugged all this into OverTheCap's calculator and remaining cap room after these deals would be 30.2 million in 2025, 37.6 million in 2026 and 104 million in 2027.  So after paying rookies, the Packers would still have a bit over 20 million in cap space left for another extension or two that would probably occur later.  Only having 37.6 million in 2026 may seem a bit tight at first glance, but Jenkins has an 18.5 million dollar salary and Gary has an 18 million dollar salary...just moving those two base salaries to signing bonuses would push the cap space to over 60 million, so the above extensions and free agent contracts all seem to fit within the constraints of the salary cap.

THE DRAFT

Gutekunst loves athletes, so here we go-

ROUND ONE (#23) = Maxwell Hairston/CB/Kentucky

Had been grading as a late round two pick, but probably sits late round one/very early round two post-combine.  I don't think he'll be picked ahead of #23.  Nixon may want to be a CB1, but Gutekunst will likely expect the configuration to be Valentine and Hairston and then Nixon as the nickel CB from day one.  I also think Florida State's Azareye'h Thomas and East Carolina's Shavon Revel may be preferred as they are both significantly taller...but they didn't run at Indy.  If either of these guys are sub-4,4 during the Pro Day, Gutekunst would likely pick one of them because of the height factor (for the record, Hairston is 5-11 1/4, so he's not really undersized for a cornerback - by comparison, Jaire Alexander, Gutekunst's first pick, was 5-10 1/4 at the 2018 combine).

TRADE = Eagles get pick #54 (2nd round) and #160 (5th round).  Packers get #64 (second round) and #96 (third round).  Gutekunst had targeted Iowa State WR-Jayden Higgins for a trade up, but when Higgins goes way higher than expected, Gutekunst isn't blown away by what is left at #54 and looks to trade down.  Eagles move up to #54 to select Purdue OG-Marcus Mbow.

ROUND TWO (#64) = Elic Ayomanor/WR/Stanford

6-1 3/4 with long arms, big hands, 4.44 40-yard dash and 38.5 inch vertical jump.  2 years at Stanford - 125 catches, 1844 yards, 14.8 yards per catch, 12 touchdowns.

ROUND THREE (#87) = Ty Robinson/DT/Nebraska

Listed at 310 pounds on Nebraska's site, was 288 pounds at the combine.  Likely can play inside or outside.  Packers pick him with the idea of him being in the 305-310 range and playing inside.

ROUND THREE (#96) = Smael Mondon Jr./LB/Georgia

Undersized (224 pounds) coverage linebacker with plenty of experience in a top program (32 starts).  Gutekunst loves Bulldogs.

ROUND FOUR (#123) = Caleb Rogers/OG/Texas Tech

Every draft has to have at least one "what the hell" pick and this is it.  The Packers are 1 or 2 offensive linemen short at this point, and their next pick does not happen until #200, and the board is super-thin for offensive linemen that late in this draft.  Gutekunst would rather take a left tackle to provide insurance if Jordan Morgan cannot back up Rasheed Walker, but ends up taking a college right tackle that projects to guard in the NFL.  Rogers had an incredible 55 college starts....if I have this figured correctly, 36 starts at right tackle, 16 starts at left tackle, 2 starts at left guard and 1 start at right guard.  I think he's grading out more as a 6th rounder at this point, but Gutekunst over-drafts him here based on the combine numbers.

ROUND SIX (#200) = Jaylin Conyers/TE/Texas Tech

Another Red Raider.  Modest college production as a pass-catcher but had a great workout at Indy.

ROUND SIX (#207) = Chimere Dike/WR/Florida

Ex-Badger ran a 4.34 40-time at Indianapolis and has always been the down-the-field threat.  Although Dike isn't great at doing anything else, he's worth a roll-of-the-dice 7th rounder as a possible field-stretcher.

ROUND SEVEN (#251) = Ethan Downs/DE/Oklahoma

269 pounds, 4.69 40-yard dash and 32 reps at 225.  IMO, below-average to bad results in the 20 yard shuttle and the 3-cone drill.  3-year starter at Oklahoma, totaled 29 tackles for loss and 12 sacks over those 3 years.   

 

We would be way worse off at CB in ‘25 than in ‘24 with this prediction of Valentine, Harrison (rookie) and Nixon starting. I’d rather take Barron (if he’s still available) or Amos (Miss) and would definitely consider Revel Jr. (E Car.) and Morrison (ND) even with their injuriy concerns over Harrison. Most sites are predicting Harrison late second/early third round. 

[LouisEly]

What I don't like about Harrison is that he is a liability when it comes to run support and tackling in general.  Lean frame to begin with, poor tackling technique leading to missed tackles, and how physical is he going to be in run support (or anytime) with that shoulder injury?

2nd round, yes, but not #23.  Not with that shoulder injury.

[Joseph Zarr]

Goodness DK Metcalf is a very good NFL player and an extremely fun weapon to have in your offense. I am very very glad the Packers didn't give pick 55 and spend $150 Million on his talents. They can use that money more wisely across the roster, imho.

[LouisEly]

Davante Adams to the Rams apparently, 2/$46M with $26M guaranteed.  A little more than I would have thought, but that seems to be the case with just about every WR in free agency.

[LouisEly]

1 hour ago, Joseph Zarr said:

Goodness DK Metcalf is a very good NFL player and an extremely fun weapon to have in your offense. I am very very glad the Packers didn't give pick 55 and spend $150 Million on his talents. They can use that money more wisely across the roster, imho.

And with the Seahags releasing Tyler Lockett, I wonder if GB would have to leapfrog them in order to get one of the top WRs, or if with JS-N the Seahags will wait and address WR later.  Regardless, SEA is a threat to pick WR in rounds 1-3 and GB may have to move ahead of them if there's a WR falling to them who they really like.

[Joseph Zarr]

Given how MVS closed out his season for the Saints, I would be entirely unsurprised to see a 1 yr reunion deal. That feels like a realistic Packers signing.

[JosephC]

3 hours ago, Sixtolezcano said:

We would be way worse off at CB in ‘25 than in ‘24 with this prediction of Valentine, Harrison (rookie) and Nixon starting. I’d rather take Barron (if he’s still available) or Amos (Miss) and would definitely consider Revel Jr. (E Car.) and Morrison (ND) even with their injuriy concerns over Harrison. Most sites are predicting Harrison late second/early third round. 

Since the combine I have only found two updated rankings from writers who are high profile enough to be getting feedback from NFL personnel.  Daniel Jeremiah has Hairston at #32 in his rankings and Lance Zierlein has Hairston's grade tied for 31st best with two other players.  So I think Hairston is solidly in the late round one/early round two area currently.  As far as Barron, Jeremiah has him #8 and Zierlein's grade has him tied at #19...so I considered him gone by pick #23.  Amos...Jeremiah has at #41 and Zierlein has his grade tied for #66, too low for me to predict that he would be Gutekunst's pick.  The guy who I keep going back to is Azareye'h Thomas.  For no reason in particular he is the guy who I think the Packer's could take, but I felt uncomfortable with that projection considering he hasn't run yet and Gutekunst so clearly prefers "athletes."    

[CheezWizHed]

On 3/5/2025 at 11:01 AM, Joseph Zarr said:

If true, I like quite a bit:

Very Packersy target. He is likely going to grade out as a 'League Average' guy. I think he's a bit better than that. And, let's be honest: Even if you think he's League average, the Packers need that after last season's D-Line performances. I personally think he's young, has traits and decent production, and would thrive in Green Bay.

"Can't talk to him until Monday"... too funny! 😂😏