Aw hell… I can’t quit you!
This is a difficult draft to predict because they have a lot of roster holes – meaning simply not enough players at that position – that they need to fill. They have some cap space but will likely need if/when they trade Rodgers to absorb his additional cap hit. They only have two TEs with NFL game experience. They only have three WRs with NFL game experience. They only have three DL who have made a tackle in a NFL game. Their FA signing at safety, Tarvarius Moore, played a total of 41 snaps on defense in 2022. They don’t have a kicker or backup QB on the roster with NFL game experience. They will need to draft at least one player at each of those positions and at least two at WR, maybe TE.
Here goes:
1st round (#15): Darnell Washington, TE, Georgia – what we know about the Packers is that they like guys who are athletic freaks that have plus size for their position and they like guys from big programs. Washington is that freak as demonstrated by his 9.85 RAS, 4.64 40-time, and a ridiculous, elite-for-a-WR 4.07 short-shuttle. I think the Marcedes Lewis comparisons are unfair because, first, Lewis ran a 4.80 40 and a 4.75 short-shuttle, and second, we’re seeing the 38-year-old version of Lewis, not the 23-year-old version. Georgia has been successful because they have guys who are team players who accept their role and Washington was one of those guys. He can be and has been a receiving mismatch and threat as evidenced by his career 17.2 ypc, and he’s a beast to bring down in the open field. I’ve said before that Washington is the player in the draft who can help Jordan Love the most because of his blocking and receiving abilities, and he reminds me of an offensive version of Rashan Gary – elite athleticism, unrefined technique, average production, but huge upside. This could very well be a trade-down scenario. (Replaces Marcedes Lewis) If he’s still available: Brian Branch, S, Georgia – while Branch didn’t put up the big combine numbers that were expected, he’s still regarded as the best prospect at a position the Packers need to fill. His football intelligence and instincts are through the roof, he’s a team leader, and the post-season showed why. He’s also one of the best tacklers to come out of college in recent history as PFF credited him with only three missed tackles on 122 attempts over the last two seasons, and the Packers really need better tackling. He finished his career at Alabama with just four missed tackles to his name. It’s possibly the most absurd stat for any prospect in this draft. He also had 14(!) TFLs last season - as a safety. Safety is one of the positions where instincts more than make up for a 0.1 seconds/40-yards, and he can be that single-high or split centerfielder that the Packers need on the back end of their defense. Maybe he's a high-floor guy, but it’s a really high floor. Don’t be surprised if it’s: Keion White, DE, Georgia Tech – defensive end with plus size and freakish athleticism but a bit raw on technique. Sound familiar? Starts out as a TE at a non-Power-5 school, switches to DE and transfers to a Power-5 school. Sound familiar? White does things that 6’4”, 280 lb guys should not be able to do. There is a rep versus Virginia where White turns and runs with a running back down the sideline on a wheel route and was step-for-step with him. Not surprising that he was hand-timed between 4.65 and 4.75 at his pro day, and he also put up 30 reps on the bench at the Combine. Can stand up or put his hand in the dirt, can play and set the edge and move inside on passing downs. High motor and team leader who was voted captain in his second season with Georgia Tech and while not a finished product has a ton of upside. The Packers have a need at DL, specifically end, and it’s a weak class for DL and especially DE. If it’s best player available, that might be White here, and the more I talk about it the more I think it happens.
2nd round (#45): Jartavius Martin, S/CB, Illinois – Martin played both CB and safety for the Illini, taking more snaps in the slot but plenty as the deep safety. Showcased his athleticism at the Combine with a 4.46-40, and an eye-popping 1.47 10-yard split and 44” vertical. Has a strong burst to close and plus ball skills with the speed and range to play over the top as a single-high safety. One of the best tackling DBs in the draft. It’s a weak class for safeties with athleticism, and Martin has the ability to play multiple positions as the Packers need a free safety and can use another CB while Stokes is out. (Replaces Adrian Amos in 2023, Darnell Savage in 2024) If he’s still available – Luke Musgrave, TE, Oregon State – I think there’s a strong chance that the Packers both move down from #15 and move up from #45, especially if they get a pick or two from the Jets. If they do, they could likely be targeting Musgrave. Musgrave showed his athleticism at the Senior Bowl and at the Combine, and his nimble feet and experience as a skier showed his ability as a route-runner. 9.95 RAS, but while he gives good effort with his blocking it’s still a weakness as he got blown up a few times at those Senior Bowl practices. Some injury risk here, as he’s only played 18 games over the last three seasons. Don’t be surprised if it’s: Will McDonald, Edge, Iowa State – explosive, athletic edge rusher with elite agility and bend and a knack for making it really hard to block him. Over his last four seasons amassed 34 sacks and 40 TFL. Was reportedly timed at a ridiculous 6.60 on the 3-cone at their pro day. He’s a bit on the light side, and holding up against the run is his weakness, but he has length (35” arms) and a quick first step that allows him to get penetration and make plays in the backfield.
(Bonus – if the Packers get one of the Jets 2nd round picks for Rodgers) Jalin Hyatt, WR, Tennessee – Slender WR with deep speed to stress defenses, Hyatt blows past man coverage and his deep threat will lighten the box. Averaged almost 19 ypc and had over 1200 yards and 15 TDs, with 5 of those TDs against Alabama. When Hooker went down, so did Hyatt’s production. If he’s still available: Kelee Ringo, CB, Georgia – boundary corner with size, length, and speed. Physical, can press with the best and not afraid to support the run at all. Scheme-independent, plays well in man or zone. Had some troubles with comeback routes and tracking deep balls, and called for nine penalties in 2022. 9.61 RAS. Don’t be surprised if it’s: Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame – a complete TE who does everything well. Good receiver, good blocker, polished route runner. Didn’t show the athleticism that some expected, but the list of TEs who are both good receivers and good blockers is a short list. Former teammate Kyle Hamilton once said that if there’s one thing that he learned during the draft process, “it’s that NFL teams love them some Michael Mayer”. Not the highest ceiling, but a high floor and is as NFL ready as any TE in the draft.
3rd round (#78) – Trey Palmer, WR, Nebraska – speed demon who set Nebraska’s record for receiving yards in a season despite his production tanking when their starting QB went down with injury. Topped all WRs at the combine with a 4.33 40 and has long arms and strong hands. Has good burst off the line with a quiet engine that he can turn on and leave defenders in the dust. Also a great returner, has returned both a punt and a kick for a TD, and was used on jet sweeps and gadget plays. Route running needs refinement, tends to get by on athleticism over technique. Eerily similar to Jalin Hyatt, but played with a worse QB and can probably be had a round later. (Replaces Randall Cobb) If he’s still available: Jordan Battle, S, Alabama – three year starter for Alabama, which says something with the talent they have. Highly instinctive player who always knows where he is supposed to be, it’s rare that you will see film where there is a busted coverage on his part. Mostly lined up as a deep safety, but also has and can play in the box. Not the most athletic, that might get exposed on the next level, but good enough where he can succeed deep in a split safety alignment like Barry typically plays. Don’t be surprised if it’s: Andrei Iosivas, WR, Princeton – WR with plus size and elite athleticism, but questions about playing at a lower level of competition and limited route tree. Sound familiar? 6’3”, 205, Iosivas is a bit raw because he never participated in spring practice – he was on the track team. Decorated heptathlete, finished 3rd in the country and set an indoor record in the 60-meter dash. While he ran a limited route tree, he’s a good route runner and can drop his hips and get in and out of his breaks. Small-ish hands, but only seven drops for his career. 9.92 RAS. Playing across from Watson could cause nightmares for defensive coordinators.
4th round (#116) Viliami Fehoko, DE, San Jose State – strong, tough, active, with a nasty streak to him, Fehoko has been very productive in both rush and pass defense. Mountain West defensive POY, Fehoko had 19 TFL and 9 sacks along with 66 pressures and 69 tackles, and over his last three seasons amassed 22 sacks and 44 TFL. Physical and strong at the point of attack, PFF also gave him a 90.9 run grade. Not the most lengthy, he’s a bit of a tweener at 6’4”, 276, but can probably add some weight and be an adequate DE. (Replaces Dean Lowry) If he’s still available: Adetomiwa Adebawore, DE, Northwestern – Combine wonder who is short-ish for DE (6’2”) but has long arms (6’10” wingspan), athletic but wasn’t terribly productive. Sure, Northwestern was bad and not in pass defense a lot, but those athletic traits should have produced more as his awareness and instincts were below average. Could play edge on run downs and move inside on passing downs. Don’t be surprised if it’s: Charlie Jones, WR, Purdue – one year production wonder, Jones was simply uncoverable this past season at Purdue. Despite being their only WR threat, he still caught 110 passes for over 1300 yards. Perhaps most impressive was his performance in the Big Ten Championship where he torched Michigan – and top prospect D.J. Turner – for 13 catches for 162 yards. Great returner, he’s returned both a punt and a kick for a TD. Answered questions about his athleticism at the Combine where he ran a 4.43 with a 1.51 split. Ideal slot WR, maybe not a deep threat, but eats zone defenses alive.
5th round (#149): Jordan Howden, S, Minnesota – walk-on turned 49 game starter, Howden has played over 3,000 snaps in his career and is a highly instinctive player who’s rarely out of position and displays good route recognition. Solid tackler, Howden was tied for 4th in PFF tackling grade among safeties. Showed good athleticism at the combine, running a 4.49 with a 1.55 split, and at his pro day posted a 39” vertical and 6.87 3-cone. Only two missed tackles on 51 attempts last season. Logged over 500 snaps on special teams. (Replaces Gaines/Abrams/Abernathy/Moore) If he’s still available: DeWayne McBride, RB, UAB – Conference USA RB who averaged over 7 ypc and had over 1700 yards with oily hips and can swivel around would-be tacklers. Sound familiar? For his career, McBride averaged 7.3 ypc over almost 500 carries and over the last two seasons has combined for over 3,000 yards and 31 TDs. Good vision, slippery, great at making tacklers miss and getting the extra yard, but limited pass catching reps and occasional fumbles will push him down. Don’t be surprised if it’s: Matt Landers, WR, Arkansas – cue the MV-S comparisons, Landers is a tall, lean, fast WR. Caught in a talent logjam at Georgia, he transferred to Arkansas where he averaged over 19 ypc this past season and 19.6 ypc for his career. Ran a 4.37 40 at the combine, good for a 9.91 RAS. Still raw, needs route refinement and has some focus drops, he’s a developmental prospect like MV-S with upside.
5th round (#170): Dylan Horton, Edge, TCU – in TCU’s playoff game against Michigan there was a play early in the game where Michigan’s QB scrambled out of the pocket to his left and went up the sideline with nobody around and looked like he was going to score untouched. Then, out of nowhere, a TCU defender came flying in and knocked him out of bounds at the 1 yard line. Michigan then fumbled on the next play, and the rest is history. That playmaker was Horton, who was rushing from the opposite side. Horton had a breakout year, recording 10.5 sacks, 48 pressures, and 15 TFLs. High motor, high effort player with an explosive first step. Often played on the DL where he didn’t hold up well against the run, his better fit is on the edge where his upper body power and hand usage is adequate. (Replaces Galeai/Hamilton/Garvin, fills in for Gary) If he’s still available: Zack Kuntz, TE, Old Dominion – rare player who scored a perfect 10 RAS, Kuntz is the athletic freak of all freaks who won the state 110 meter hurdles despite his size. Proved it at the combine where he ran a 4.55 40 with a 40” vertical and 6.87 3-cone. But you have to wonder why he couldn’t get on the field at Penn State and transferred down to Old Dominion instead of another P-5 school. Don’t be surprised if it’s: Daniel Scott, S, Cal – solid, all-around football player who excelled at special teams at Cal his first few seasons when stuck behind some future NFL safeties. High football IQ, rarely out of position, has plus ball skills with six INTs and three forced fumbles over the last two seasons. Proved his athleticism at the combine running a 4.45 40 with a 39” vertical and a 6.75 3-cone. Needs to clean up his tackling technique, as he had too many missed tackles. Has the size to cover TEs, can play in the box or deep.
7th round (#232): Jake Moody, K, Michigan – Moody may be the best in a year that isn’t strong on kicking talent. Has a strong leg, as evidenced by his 59-yard FG against TCU. For his career made 82% of his field goals, and kicked outdoors on grass in a northern climate. The Packers don’t have a kicker on the roster currently with any NFL game experience, and with four 7th round picks, I wouldn’t be surprised if they packaged two 7ths to move up to get him. (Replaces Mason Crosby) If he’s still available: SirVocea Dennis, LB, Pitt – smallish LB but very productive and instinctive. Showed well on their pro day, running in the low 4.5s with a 40” vertical. 36 TFLs over the last three seasons and plenty of special teams experience. Don’t be surprised if it’s: Jerrod Clark, DT, Coastal Carolina – 6’4”, 330 lb former HS TE turned interior DT who routinely found his way into the backfield with 10 TFL this past season. Team captain with 81” wingspan, good footwork from his days as a TE, could probably be more disruptive if he lost some weight and moved to DE.
7th round (#235): Jared Wayne, WR, Pitt – Canadian-born combine snub who proved everyone wrong on his pro day where he ran in the low 4.5s, had a 41” vertical, a 6.85 3-cone, and 4.06 short-shuttle. Good size (6’2”, 209) and productive (1,063 receiving yards in 2022 which was 3rd in the ACC just behind A.T. Perry and Zay Flowers, 17.7 ypc). (Replaces Allan Lazard) If he’s still available: Brenton Strange, TE, Penn State – if the Packers go with more of a receiving TE early in the draft, they may want to double-up with a strong blocking TE such as Strange. Strange gets after it as a lead blocker, and has good athleticism in a compact frame (6’4”, 250) that can play TE or H-back. Don’t be surprised if it’s: Dontavyon Wicks, WR, Virginia – Wicks had a big 2021 when he had over 1,200 receiving yards and averaged over 21 ypc. But he struggled as Virginia’s QB play struggled in 2022. Didn’t show well at the combine and had issues with drops, but did better at their pro day, posted a 39” vertical, and has long arms and big hands.
7th round (#242): E.J. Jenkins, TE, Georgia Tech – developmental prospect who played some WR but has the body and receiving skills for a F-TE (6’6”, 245). Impressed at his pro day, running a sub-4.60 and looking good in his route running. (Replaces Robert Tonyan) If he’s still available: John Ojukwu, OT, Boise State – two-time 1st Team All-WAC LT and 2nd Team in 2020, Ojukwu has the length that makes it very difficult to get around him as he has 35” arms and an 84” wingspan. His 3-cone was 5th best at the Combine among all OL, and his short-shuttle 2nd best. Struggles in space, below average lateral slide quickness, might be a long-term fit at guard. Don’t be surprised if it’s: Marte Mapu, S/LB, Sacramento State – big nickel/LB prosepcct who was the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year, over the last two seasons Mapu has tallied 20 PBUs, 6 INTs, and 12 TFLs. Big hitter with size and length to cover TEs and support the run.
7th round (#245): Scott Matlock, DT, Boise State – two-time 2nd team All-Mountain west, very productive in 2021 with 7 sacks and 8.5 TFLs, but his production dipped in 2022 to 6 TFL and 2 sacks. Bonus - has caught two TD passes as a goal line TE. Showed his athleticism at their pro day, running a 4.81 40 and putting up 29 reps on the bench. 9.66 RAS (Replaces Jarren Reed) If the Aaron Rodgers trade is completed before the draft: Sean Clifford, QB, Penn State – it’s a weak year for QB’s once you get beyond the top five, but if/when the Packers trade Rodgers they will need a backup. Clifford doesn’t have the highest upside, but he’s a four-year starter in the Big Ten who has thrown for over 10,000 career yards. Don’t be surprised if it’s: Jake Witt, OT, Northern Michigan – former Upper Peninsula Mr. Basketball who only played on an 8-man HS football team, he played basketball at Michigan Tech before transferring to Northern Michigan and picking up football, initially at TE. Raw but highly athletic. Moved from TE to RT due to injury and shut down Ferris State’s Caleb Murphy who set a NCAA record with 25.5 sacks last year. Ran a sub-4.8 at his pro day with 34” arms. Will need to spend at least a year on the practice squad but has upside.
UDFAs:
Holton Ahlers, QB, East Carolina
Lew Nichols, RB, Central Michigan
Ben Sims, TE, Baylor
Henry Byrd, OT, Princeton
Eric Abojei, OG, Wyoming
Trevor Downing, C, Iowa State
Keytaon Thompson, WR, Virginia
Garrett Maag, WR, North Dakota
Ryan Miller, WR, Furman
Jordan Perryman, CB, Washington
Quindell Johnson, S, Memphis
Caleb Johnson, LB, Miami
Zeke Vandenburgh, LB, Illinois State
Matthew Jester, Edge, Princeton
Deslin Alexandre, DE, Pitt
Shakel Brown, DL, Troy
Joe Doyle, P/K, Memphis
In nine games this year, Tyler Black has seven hits, eight walks, three home runs, six stolen bases, and three hit-by-pitches.
