Well, Sharpe, I decided to take fifteen minutes out of my life to watch Guter's presser after last night's picks, and I have come around to your point of view.Originally Posted by sharpe1027
Maybe not so much they didn't like him, but that they didn't like him nearly as much as a lot of other not-Packer-scouts did. in watching the presser, Guter says a couple of times, in a couple of ways, that the board fell really well for them, and that the guys he was tempted to go up to get ended up being available to them. He mentioned that he was tempted to move up but his own scouting department pushed back against that and urged him to be patient, and it worked out really well. I know these guys can't give us the whole truth of what went down, but after watching the presser, I am now more inclined to think the Packers basically got who they wanted, and they didn't want Dejean nearly as much as many of us did.
Other things of note: he said, a few times, that he wants his linebackers to be able to run and hit. He mentioned that speed is more important than ever, and he also mentioned - and I quote - "it's a 4-2-5 league," and then he followed that by talking, more than once, about two items: special teams and versatility. I would think Bitchsaccia still has great influence in the room, because Guter mentioned special teams work for Bullard, Hopper, and Cooper as important. So Hopper may be more of a depth guy and special teams guy, until he proves otherwise.
The versatility piece seems more important to the Packers than to other teams. They really don't want to get caught short trying to make personnel changes - get guys on and off the field to match up against the offense. They really really want guys to be interchangeable, so that no matter what the offense is calling, the Packers won't get caught in a mismatch. Plus, when guys get hurt, you won't have to play someone who is far less talented but happens to play the specialized role the injured player has.
Speed, according to Guter, is more important than ever before. So he wanted speed, and apparently he thinks he's got speed.
Someone asked about Marshawn ____'s fumbling (I keep thinking "Marshawn Lynch" but I know it's not), and Guter said it's very correctable. He also said something interesting - that they've studied whether hand size correlates with fumbling, and he said it does not. That should comfort smaller-handed men around the world.
Guter really seemed relaxed and confident - he said that the board fell really, really well for them. They got their guys. If he is to be believed, he wanted to move up because he got antsy that "his guys" would be gone, but his scouts pushed back against that and counseled patience, and he did get his guys. I know, it could be bullshit, but it didn't appear rote or shifty. But maybe Guter's a good liar. He did, after all, say he really really wanted Aaron Jones back...but ont he whole, I'd say he appeared to have gotten the guys he wanted.
I was encouraged that he mentioned, toward the end, that he wanted to move around today, either to move up - or to add picks next year. I like that. Look to the future. Have extra picks going into next year, while a team like the Vikes has a massive hole - already - in their 2025 draft. Guter also mentioned that he repeatedly has said he wants more competition in the room, that it's good for guys' development, so if he uses all eight today he'll be "golden" with that, too.
I'm feeling better for realizing, once again, that my opinions are half-formed and half-assed, and I don't know shit, so I might as well trust Guter for now and see how it shakes out.
So - to come full circle - yeah, I think you're right: we, the fans, and the "experts" loved DeJean more than Guter ever did. And maybe Hopper was a "reach" for the experts, but not for the Packers' scouting department. "They need to be able to run and hit," he kept saying about the linebackers.
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