1a. Josh Allen, LB, Kentucky
The Packers have waited far too long to draft an edge rusher high, and they need to take one with one of their two first round picks. The ‘other’ Josh Allen has been a terror this season. His 1.8 tackles for loss per game ranks ninth in the FBS, while his 1.14 sacks per game ranks seventh. Allen is coming off a game in which he had two sacks against Vanderbilt. Earlier this year, he had three sacks against South Carolina. He is a monster, and he can play either on the inside or as an outside linebacker. Green Bay is sixth in the league in percentage of dropbacks where the defense applies pressure to the opposing quarterback. Mike Pettine is doing wonders with the defense already. Now, just think what he can do with some weapons at rushing the passer. Clay Matthews has actually been solid this year, but his days are gone as an elite pass rusher and he is a free agent following this season. Matthews would actually be better off moving to inside linebacker if retained. Nick Perry has actually played all six games so far, but he has not been heard from much. Other than his game-sealing sack and forced fumble against Chicago week one, he has been missing in action. Brian Gutekunst needs to rebuild the linebacking core, and this is a good start.
1b. Taylor Rapp, SS, Washington
Kentrell Brice has struggled mightily at the strong safety position and it has cost the Packers dearly. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix is a free agent and doesn’t seem to think he’ll be back in Green Bay next season. Clinton-Dix has had a nice bounce back season so far, with three interceptions and earning an 87.7 grade on Pro Football Focus so far, which is third among all safeties. Even if the Packers retain Clinton-Dix, strong safety is a major concern after Josh Jones has not panned out the way they wanted him to. Rapp has been a three-year starter for the Huskies, earning first team All-Pac 12 honors for the Huskies last season. He is both a good run defender and has had success covering man-to-man in the slot. Both are huge pluses. Not only has he had success covering slot wide receivers, but he is tremendous at blitzing. Pettine could use him many different ways. Rapp leads the Washington defense in both sacks and tackles for loss......as a safety. He has four sacks and five tackles for loss in his eight games so far. Should the junior come out, he would be a great pick toward the end of the first round for the Packers.
2. Jaylon Ferguson, EDGE, Louisiana Tech
Yes, I currently attend Northwestern State and Jaylon’s brother is a star wide receiver for us, so it would be cool to see him put on the Green & Gold. I think it would be better to use Matthews (if retained) as an inside linebacker like I mentioned above and you can never count on Perry playing a full 16 games, so it might be wise to use a few high draft picks on edge rushers. Adding Ferguson and Allen to Perry, Reggie Gilbert and possibly Matthews, you finally may have something. These two could produce big time numbers under Pettine. The Green Bay defensive coordinator is generating a pass rush from not much talent at linebacker. Bringing in major talent would do wonders for the Packers defense. They have drafted defensive backs early recently, and may have finally found some players. Pair them with a vaunted pass rusher, and there could be gold. Ferguson is having a monster season so far for the Bulldogs, leading the country with 9.5 sacks. I will say that he has had 7.5 of his 9.5 sacks in two games, though. He had 3.5 in his last game, a win over winless UTEP. Ferguson did have four against a good North Texas team that is 6-2 and slaughtered Arkansas 44-17 in Fayetteville.
3. Isaiah Prince, OT, Ohio State
Bryan Bulaga will be 30 by the time the next season rolls around, and has only played a full season once since his rookie year and has missed at least four games four times. He has played all six games so far, but is still working his way back from a torn ACL he suffered nearly a calendar year ago. The Iowa product is good when on the field, but he has not been on the field enough. Bulaga could be a prime cap casualty, as his contract expires at the end of next season and there won’t be much of a penalty if he is cut this offseason. Jason Spriggs has been a major bust, so they will need to look to the draft once again to try to find Bulaga’s replacement. He is a three-year starter at right tackle for the Buckeyes, and might slide right into that position as the day one starter.
4. Jon’Vea Johnson, WR, Toledo
Randall Cobb is a free agent, so Green Bay could use a slot receiver to replace him. Although, wide receiver could be further down the draft if they are big believers in Marques Valdes-Scantling and Equanimeous St. Brown, and Geronimo Allison is having a real nice so far. Cobb has not played a full 16 games since 2015, and he’ll be paid handsomely in the open market, and I can’t see the Packers getting into a bidding war to retain his services. The speedy Johnson has 351 yards receiving so far, and an impressive 20.6 yards per catch for the Rockets.
5. Corbin Kaufusi, DE, BYU
One of the bigger signings in free agency for the Packers was defensive Muhammad Wilkerson, but he had a season-ending ankle injury in the week three loss to Washington. His status is in limbo, but I would not be surprised to see him brought back on a one-year “prove it” deal once again. Still, the Packers need depth along the defensive line. Dean Lowry is a solid backup, but he is not a starting caliber player. Kaufusi has been strong so far this season, including dominating his matchup against probable first round pick David Edwards of Wisconsin. Kaufusi has six sacks on the year and has at least one in five of the seven BYU games. He is a gigantic man at 6-9 and could disrupt and deflect many passes just due to his height.
6a. Karan Higdon, RB, Michigan
Ty Montgomery is a free agent, and with him falling to the No. 3 running back spot, I see him leaving for a place where he could get more playing time. Higdon has played in six of Michigan’s seven games and has rushed for at least 100 games in all but one of the games he has played in. The 5-10 running back could be a late round steal, but his small stature could be worrisome.
6b. Kaden Smith, TE, Stanford
Green Bay could put this position higher on the list, to be honest. The last three years, the Packers have gone out in free agency and signed arguably the best tight end on the market. It is about time the team has went out and drafted one. The last time they have drafted a tight end and he panned out was Jermichael Finley in 2009. Stanford has had a number of tight ends who have been productive in the NFL in recent years from Zach Ertz to Colby Fleener to Austin Hooper. He is only a junior, so he very easily could go back to school. Smith is raw, but the size and athleticism are there for him to be an impact tight end at the next level.
7. Calvin Throckmorton, OT/OG, Oregon
Green Bay has struggled with its depth along the offensive line in recent years and drafting a guy in the seventh round is always a dart throw anyway. He is a junior as well, so he could go back to Oregon for his senior season. Throckmorton is a tackle at Oregon, but will likely move inside to guard in the NFL.
No comments:
Post a Comment