10 Quick Things: Round 1
Here are 10 things worth knowing after the first round of the 2022 National Football League draft:
1) Don’t blame general manager Brian Gutekunst for not drafting a wide receiver on Day 1. The consensus top four at the position (Drake London, Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, and Jameson Williams) were off the board after 13 picks, and it wasn’t worth trading up for Jahan Dotson or Treylon Burks. Also, there wasn’t a seventh player who deserved to be selected last night. As I’ve written many times in recent weeks, this was the wrong year for a team picking in the 20s to need a wide receiver.
2) Absolving Gutekunst of blame doesn’t change the fact that the Packers are currently worse off at wide receiver than every team in the league. And while you can be sure a pass-catcher or two will be drafted tonight, the chances of that player making a major contribution next season are pretty slim. You have to hope Gutekunst has a plan to improve the position for 2022 – whether that’s signing a free agent or trading for a proven veteran who doesn’t want a $100 million extension.
3) It’s really interesting to see what’s happening with star wide receivers around the NFL. Kansas City and Tennessee had no interest in paying over $25 million per year to Tyreek Hill and A.J. Brown while Miami and Philadelphia were more than happy to spend that amount. As they say, different strokes for different folks. Which way of doing business is right? Only time will tell, but I’ll put my money on the front offices that have won a combined 49 games in the past two seasons.
4) The Packers concluded the 2020 season with journeyman Christian Kirksey and undrafted free agent Krys Barnes starting at inside linebacker. They’ll likely begin next season with first-team All-Pro De’Vondre Campbell and newly-minted No. 1 pick Quay Walker starting at inside linebacker. It’s pretty amazing to see a team that undervalued inside linebackers for nearly two decades spend $50 million and a first-round pick on the position in the span of about six weeks.
5) I need to spend a lot more time watching tape of Walker. My first impressions are that he’s a terrific athlete who’s going to make an immediate impact versus the run but who needs plenty of work in man coverage. Fortunately, Joe Barry was long considered to be one of the best linebacker coaches in the league prior to being hired by Green Bay as defensive coordinator last year, and current inside linebackers coach Kirk Olivadotti did a terrific job with Campbell last season.
In the top video, Walker (#7) chases down Alabama’s Bryan Robinson in a hurry and then gets the 225-pound running back to the ground with a beautiful form tackle. In the above video, Walker uses his hands poorly at the top of the route and allows a far less talented receiver (Alabama’s 245-pound tight end Cameron Latu) to get separation. In the handful of Georgia games I watched, plays similar to these two showed up quite often.
6) I confidently mocked Devonte Wyatt to Green Bay three weeks ago but changed my mind at the last minute because I thought his age would scare off Gutekunst. Turns out it didn’t. The 24-year-old is a perfect fit for this defense. He can play anywhere along the line, and he should be an absolute terror alongside Pro Bowler Kenny Clark in the dime. Wyatt ran under 4.8 at over 300 pounds at the NFL Combine in March, and more importantly, he looks every bit that fast on tape.
7) Speaking of the dime, the Packers could roll out seven former No. 1 picks (Clark, Walker, Wyatt, Rashan Gary, Jaire Alexander, Eric Stokes, and Darnell Savage) in that package next season. Toss in a first-team All-Pro (Campbell) and a pair of Pro Bowl alternates (Preston Smith and Adrian Amos) and that side of the ball will arguably be the most talented in the entire league. Anything less than a top-5 finish in yards and points against would have to be considered a major disappointment.
8) I already received e-mails from multiple readers who insist the Packers will now be equipped to win in January with defense, so there’s no reason to be overly concerned about the wide receivers. I had to remind those good people that the Packers held San Francisco to 13 points (six not counting the blocked punt) and still lost in the divisional round because the offense could manage only a field goal in the final 54 minutes – and that was with Davante Adams on the field.
9) Some of the wide receivers who could interest the Packers today include Georgia’s George Pickens, North Dakota State’s Christian Watson, Alabama’s John Metchie, Western Michigan’s Skyy Moore, Cincinnati’s Alec Pierce, Purdue’s David Bell, and South Alabama’s Jalen Tolbert. Of this group, Pickens is the most talented, and Moore is probably the one most ready to contribute as a rookie, but will his lack of size (5-9 1/2, 191) keep him from being considered by Gutekunst?
10) It should be noted that Wyatt is the second defensive lineman acquired by Green Bay this offseason with a domestic violence arrest in his past. And while neither Wyatt nor Jarran Reed was charged, it’s certainly not a great look for the organization. Unlike Reed, Wyatt didn’t put his hands on the woman involved in the incident, but he reportedly kicked and damaged her door before being confronted by the police. It’s unlikely the late Ted Thompson would’ve welcomed either player.
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