Hi M&W, there have been some compliments about our UDFA class, with some singling out Josh Gesky as the one most likely to make the roster. Nothing is obviously guaranteed, but personally, I’m keeping an eye on R.J. Maryland and J. Michael Sturdivant as having opportunities in weakened positions.
Maryland, whose father Russell finished his decorated NFL career with the Packers in 2000, is someone to keep an eye on. He was a bit of a receiver/tight end tweener at SMU, but he played early and often, averaging more than 15.0 yards per catch during both his sophomore and junior seasons.
It seems odd to me that none of the pre-draft interviewed players were drafted by GB. Does this happen frequently? Is it possibly due to the lack of early picks this year?
There are many reasons why the Packers bring in prospects for pre-draft visits. Sure, it can signal potential interest, but those visits also can serve as final medical checks on players. So, I don’t read too many into the Packers not drafting any players who visited here. Like Mike said, Green Bay reportedly signed a couple guys who visited here as undrafted free agents. Ted Thompson did that all the time.
Gents, I believe in Gutey and believed we had at least 50 great players on the roster before the draft. Do you agree that the move to trade two seventh-rounders who likely would have struggled to make the 53, could possibly have been lost through waivers, for a kicker who could, just could, be winning us playoff games for the next 10 years or more, was a stroke of genius? Worst case position is we have a kicker to trade at the end of August for another pick next year.
For all you Pro Bowl diehards, can you guess how many Pro Bowlers have been produced in the seventh round over the past six years? Four: Brock Purdy, new Packers linebacker Zaire Franklin, punter Logan Cooke and special-teamer Ben Skowronek. That’s not to say you can’t find serviceable players in the last round. Green Bay did with Rasheed Walker, Carrington Valentine and Donald Driver way back in the day. But it’s more likely you get a rookie who lands on your practice squad Week 1 like Kalen King and Micah Robinson the past few years. History suggests the decision to trade up for Trey Smack is a low-risk, high-reward proposition.
John from Temple City, CA
Hello II, a few years ago I stopped looking at all the various articles that give the Packers draft grades. They are so biased and I don’t know what they base their assessments on. The so-called draft gurus only get a small percentage of the mock drafts correct. I believe this year the best mock had 7/32 correct. I for one love the fact that the Packers draft players that fit their needs and scheme regardless of their ranking. Keep up the great work and Go Pack Go!
You know what bugs me most about the draft industrial complex? Everyone has an opinion, but all that matters is what happens on the field in the fall. Also, NFL teams spend millions of dollars scouting players and have a good idea of what they are looking at once that process is over. Because on draft night, you’re not just picking players. You’re believing in them. You’re believing they can develop in your scheme and have success. The true measure of whether a draft deserves an A or an F is if your team is playing in January or drafting in the top five in April.
I wonder how many folks remember that Lukas Van Ness is the same age as some of the guys that just got drafted? I think we can all agree we’d like him to have put up more eye-popping numbers thus far in his career, but there is definitely still meat on the bone for his development.
I don’t even think we’ve scratched the surface yet. Like I said on “Unscripted,” Van Ness will get all the snaps he needs to shine this season. He’s either going to be EDGE1 to begin the year or starting across from Micah Parsons. Either way, the football field is his oyster.
Have you guys recovered from draft week yet? I was wondering if there has been any feedback about the first-round teams having only eight minutes between picks instead of 10. I thought things seemed to move along much better.
It was an improvement and kudos to NFL Network and ESPN for keeping things moving, too. With a few exceptions, it didn’t feel like TV was dragging too far behind picks coming off the board.
Why do you think other teams were not as high on Dani Dennis-Sutton as the Packers are?
Dennis-Sutton has the traits that teams want in an NFL edge rusher but some draftniks felt he needs time to develop his full arsenal of tools. That said, DDS coming off the board at No. 120 was way too late in my opinion. I really liked him in the third round. I absolutely love him in the fourth.
Tristin from Morristown, TN
I loved the Packers’ draft class, but there were too many selections (Brandon Cisse and Jager Burton) that seemed like developmental picks, and the Micah Parsons trade was supposed to send us into win now mode, wasn’t it?
The Packers are building to win a Super Bowl in 2026-27, but to do so, it’s the 2024 and 2025 draft classes that must take big steps forward. Any contribution Green Bay gets from its incoming rookies is extra credit.
