Grading the 2018 Packers Draft

[RashanGary]

Jaire Alexander
Good rookie
Ascending possible star 2nd year player
Elite corner

Marquez Valdez Scantling
Limited Big play rookie
Limited Big play 2nd year player
Rounding out his game big play 3rd year

JK Scott/Hunter Bradley
Special teams contribution

Josh Jackson
Bust

Oren Burks
Bust

J’mon Moore
Bust

Cole Madison
Bust

EQ
Below average WR

James Looney
Bust

Kendall Donnerson
Bust



We got an elite corner, a decent WR and some special teams contribution. Thanks to Jaire being an elite player, it gets bumped up to a B draft. Alexander has HOF potential and just changes the complexion of an otherwise bad draft.

[red]

thank god for jaire

i'm nowhere near as high on mvs as most of you, but he's been ok for a 5th rounder. i don't see him as a solid #2 but an OK #3 or 4

its drafts like these that will kill your team

[RashanGary]

thank god for jaire

i'm nowhere near as high on mvs as most of you, but he's been ok for a 5th rounder. i don't see him as a solid #2 but an OK #3 or 4

its drafts like these that will kill your team

Not really. Jaire is a shut down corner. MVS is a nice piece. And the special teams adds something. Jaire makes this draft ok because he’s a really hard piece to find

[call_me_ishmael]

Pretty good draft is 3 solid starters. This draft has 1 very good player and the rest are street free agents. This is an ass draft Alexander aside.

I give this one a C because Alexander is so good and the trade was so damn savvy. Rounds 2-7 are an F.

[run pMc]

MVS is a good pick for a R5. JK Scott had some games where he legitimately flipped the field his rookie year but he's been pretty meh since then.
The R2-4 picks are what hurt this draft. I'd give it a C. If not for Jaire this would be an F. Getting a shutdown corner and a R1 pick in the next draft is pretty good. I'd sure take Jaire over Marcus Davenport, who most were saying would be our pick pre-trade.

[RashanGary]

C makes sense. Seems like consensus is this draft gets a C and the 2019 draft gets an A. Gute is batting a B average on his measurable drafts. He needs to be a little better if we’re gonna win a championship

[call_me_ishmael]

You are jumping the gun again Hoss. We'll see how it goes. How can you judge the GM three years in when the team is largely carried by pissed off HOF qb? Early signs are encouraging for sure. Way too early to be an A in 2019. Looks promising. It could just as easily be that Gary and Safety are not the players we have seen flashes of, though. Guard is a stud either way, though. Keke and Gary have done nothing so far though and are all potential with encouraging signs. I'm very optimistic but we'll see.

[RashanGary]

You are jumping the gun again Hoss. We'll see how it goes. How can you judge the GM three years in when the team is largely carried by pissed off HOF qb? Early signs are encouraging for sure. Way too early to be an A in 2019. Looks promising. It could just as easily be that Gary and Safety are not the players we have seen flashes of, though. Guard is a stud either way, though. Keke and Gary have done nothing so far though and are all potential with encouraging signs. I'm very optimistic but we'll see.

We can’t make judgements just yet, other than the 2018 draft and free agency moves. But Gute is starting to be assessable, more so each year that passes. My gut says he’s been solid so far, but not amazing. He needs to get a little better and we have a chance at a title.

[smuggler]

Pretty good draft is 3 solid starters. This draft has 1 very good player and the rest are street free agents. This is an ass draft Alexander aside.

I give this one a C because Alexander is so good and the trade was so damn savvy. Rounds 2-7 are an F.

You suck at evaluating players. Pick-to-pick, the draft leaves us wanting more, but calling a receiver like MVS a "street free agent" makes you look like a California politician - dumb as fuck.

[call_me_ishmael]

You suck at evaluating players. Pick-to-pick, the draft leaves us wanting more, but calling a receiver like MVS a "street free agent" makes you look like a California politician - dumb as fuck.

I suck at evaluating players? Maybe - I mean I'm not an NFL GM.

MVS is just a guy in my opinion. I'd say that is the Packers opinion as well as he is not a starter and is likely to be the #4 receiver for them this year. Maybe I'm wrong - we shall see. He has ass hands, isn't evasive, and is limited in what he can do as far as routes. He is a #4 or #5 on most teams so far in my opinion aka JAG. What is your evaluation of MVS and why do you believe he is better than a #4 or #5 on most teams?

I guess my view is there are ample MVS's available in the league - at any given time you can find a similar player and put them in and have similar production (yes, there are factors like knowledge of the system, experience with QB, etc etc). I truly don't think there is much difference in output between White Wolf Kumerow and MVS with similar opportunities. In fact, if I were a betting man I would pick WWK but that is a discussion for a different day.

[Joemailman]

I suck at evaluating players? Maybe - I mean I'm not an NFL GM.

MVS is just a guy in my opinion. I'd say that is the Packers opinion as well as he is not a starter and is likely to be the #4 receiver for them this year. Maybe I'm wrong - we shall see. He has ass hands, isn't evasive, and is limited in what he can do as far as routes. He is a #4 or #5 on most teams so far in my opinion aka JAG. What is your evaluation of MVS and why do you believe he is better than a #4 or #5 on most teams?

I guess my view is there are ample MVS's available in the league - at any given time you can find a similar player and put them in and have similar production (yes, there are factors like knowledge of the system, experience with QB, etc etc). I truly don't think there is much difference in output between White Wolf Kumerow and MVS with similar opportunities. In fact, if I were a betting man I would pick WWK but that is a discussion for a different day.

MVS has his faults obviously, but you're off here. His 690 yards receiving were 56th in the NFL and his 6 TD's were 29th. That puts him in low 2nd/high 3rd receiver category. Plus, he stays healthy, as he hasn't missed a game in 3 years. That alone makes him more valuable than injury-prone guys like Lazard, ESB and Funchess. What the stats don't show is the number of underneath throws that are open because teams have to respect MVS' deep speed. He was the 19th WR drafted in 2018. He counts as a minor steal.

[run pMc]

MVS is the 2nd best player in that draft class (for GB). I don't think he's JAG or terrible.
In fact, his contract is up this year, would you want to resign him for, say 2y/$5M? I'd take that. I wouldn't be surprised if someone offered him something closer to $6M/yr.

MVS has had some brutal drops, but he is a legit deep/big play threat, and blocks his ass off -- even in the games where he doesn't get a single target. I don't think he's a 1000 yard receiver, but he's an iffy #2 and very good #3WR who stretches the field. There aren't may 6-4 guys who run like him in the league... and as a Day 3 pick you knew he was a project. Day 3 picks are basically gambles and if you have enough of them you're bound to hit on a few. If Aaron Jones is a home run, MVS is a base hit that might get stretched into a double.

The guy I've been waiting to do something is EQ...I thought he was really good in college, but all he's been in the pros is injured. MVS has shown far more than ESB.

Jaire is a burgeoning star. He and MVS make this draft. The rest are basically gone, end-of-bench depth or ST players. Yes, there's value in having ST demons, you don't want them to be your Day 2 picks. I revise my grade to C+.

[SudsMcBucky]

MVS is the 2nd best player in that draft class (for GB). I don't think he's JAG or terrible.
In fact, his contract is up this year, would you want to resign him for, say 2y/$5M? I'd take that. I wouldn't be surprised if someone offered him something closer to $6M/yr.

MVS has had some brutal drops, but he is a legit deep/big play threat, and blocks his ass off -- even in the games where he doesn't get a single target. I don't think he's a 1000 yard receiver, but he's an iffy #2 and very good #3WR who stretches the field. There aren't may 6-4 guys who run like him in the league... and as a Day 3 pick you knew he was a project. Day 3 picks are basically gambles and if you have enough of them you're bound to hit on a few. If Aaron Jones is a home run, MVS is a base hit that might get stretched into a double.

The guy I've been waiting to do something is EQ...I thought he was really good in college, but all he's been in the pros is injured. MVS has shown far more than ESB.

Jaire is a burgeoning star. He and MVS make this draft. The rest are basically gone, end-of-bench depth or ST players. Yes, there's value in having ST demons, you don't want them to be your Day 2 picks. I revise my grade to C+.

My thoughts on MVS as well. Definitely, at worst, a solid #3. Does he have warts? Yeah, but he does some really good things, as well.

[RashanGary]

It was the first Gute draft. He had moving parts in his personnel department. It landed us a super star corner and a deep threat WR along with some ST contribution.

I EXPECT Gute to improve as he settles into the position.

The Gary/Savage/Elgton/Keke draft shows a lot more promise. And so did Dillon/Deguara/Runyan.

I think Gute is showing enough early to keep him around a little longer and see what we can do.

[smuggler]

MVS will have provided 4 years of production and then return a 4th-ish round comp pick. To get that from a 5th rd pick is outstanding. He'd have been worth a 2nd round pick, probably. Still a sub-par draft, but don't talk shit on MVS.

[Tony Oday]

MVS will be a top 10 WR this year.

[call_me_ishmael]

MVS will have provided 4 years of production and then return a 4th-ish round comp pick. To get that from a 5th rd pick is outstanding. He'd have been worth a 2nd round pick, probably. Still a sub-par draft, but don't talk shit on MVS.

LMAO he ain't returning a 4th round comp pick. The best center in the NFL did that, not a 3rd or 4th receiver. THat said, it doesn't really matter, we can agree to disagree. MVS is just a guy in my book. A fast guy, but there are lots of guys that are fast out there.

I see Tony's drunk again lol

All that said I hope I'm wrong and the Packers dominate.

[RashanGary]

Jaire is better than an average starter
MVS is a little less than a starter

They average each other out and make 2 quality picks
The STs is a slight bump


Gutes probable worst draft wasn’t that bad. Thompson had a couple stinkers.

[run pMc]

MVS won't be a top 10 WR this year, and he won't net a R4 if he leaves. Not unless he suddenly turns into Randy Moss, which I'd estimate is about 0.01% likely.
I could see him having a good season and getting in the 600-800 yard range again, and attracting some attention in FA (especially given the GB cap situation, and the cap should go up) with GB getting something as a comp pick, but I'd think it would be closer to a R6 pick.

Most WRs don't have long careers. MVS isn't a superstar but he's a good "supporting cast" player and is a proven deep threat defenses have to respect. That, plus the way MLF uses play action, makes the rest of the offense more effective. He was a good pick by Gute. Jaire and he aside, the rest were underwhelming and overall Gute's 2018 draft was pretty meh.

Do you count getting the 2019 R1 as part of the 2018 draft? If you do, it supports an argument for a C or C+ grade, but 3 years in I wouldn't call this a "solid B" grade draft. You need a 3rd starter (Scott/Bradley aside) from this group, and I don't see one.

[Tony Oday]

MVS will have 1,100 yards 60 catches and 8 TDs

[RashanGary]

I think Lazard and MVS will share the #2 role. I’m very high on Lazard. He’s a tough, smart, skilled player. Tonyan too. I expect MVS to have about 750 yards because he’s splitting catches with so many guys and we’re a running team. But he should be near the top of the league in big catches again.

[Joemailman]

I think it will be tough for any WR's not named Adams to get more than 700 yards. MVS, Lazard, Rodgers and Funchess (or ESB) will be splitting the 2nd and 3rd WR reps. Last year Packers WR's combined for about 2600 snaps. 774 went to Adams in 14 games. That comes out to 2.4 WR's per snap. Using that as a basis, Adams would get about 880 snaps if he plays in 16 games (admittedly a big if). That would leave about 1720 snaps among the rest of the receivers. Even if they all went to the 2,3 and 4 receivers, that comes out to an average of 570 snaps per receiver, or about 36 snaps per game. That is far fewer than the 793 snaps at 50 per game that MVS had last year. Unless one guy establishes himself as the clear #2, it's unlikely any of those guys will match, much less exceed what MVS did last year.

[Bretsky]

I think Lazard and MVS will share the #2 role. I’m very high on Lazard. He’s a tough, smart, skilled player. Tonyan too. I expect MVS to have about 750 yards because he’s splitting catches with so many guys and we’re a running team. But he should be near the top of the league in big catches again.



The Lizard is that guy you always cheer for. Outstanding person; very media and fan friendly. Try hard guy. The Underdog. Whitewater Jesus with way more talent. But dude is not a 2. Joe is right in his assertion; but the reason is we don't have a WR 2 on our roster

[Upnorth]

MVS will have 1,100 yards 60 catches and 8 TDs

Depending on injury the last 2 numbers are possible. I think if his usage goes up his ypc goes down

[texaspackerbacker]

When you've got a guy who is 6'5", is fast enough get open deep fairly often, is fairly surehanded, blocks as good as most TEs, and apparently is not an attitude problem, how is that guy not a quality #2 receiver? For that matter, how is somebody who is 6'4" with 4.37 speed that actually shows on the football field, is also a good blocker and a hard worker, how is that guy not a quality #3 with a fair chance to suddenly stop with the drops and become top 10 WR?

[HarveyWallbangers]

The Lizard is that guy you always cheer for. Outstanding person; very media and fan friendly. Try hard guy. The Underdog. Whitewater Jesus with way more talent. But dude is not a 2. Joe is right in his assertion; but the reason is we don't have a WR 2 on our roster

Lazard is a legit #2 in this offense.

[RashanGary]

Lazard is a legit #2 in this offense.

I agree. Judging him after a groin injury is like judging Adams when he had the ankle. Lizard is gonna break out.

[Jaire]

edit: wrong draft year. Sorry Grading the draft after 2 months:

I have to give it a C. The picks are solid. It's the strategy the last two years that really really bothers me. And I can't shake it. They should have taken Jenkins or Barmore with the first pick. You just don't get those quality of line prospects often when you pick low. Their biggest problem against TB was in the trenches. That's where they lost the NFCCG two years in a row now. Gute was too focused on CB in the run up (he went to every top cb predraft); there were good cbs on day 2 and Stokes might have lasted to their second pick. In any case Barmore & Jenkins just seem the better pick and bigger need. I don't like the position -- center & Rb -- in round two. In the long term this is going to hurt imo.

On the whole, Gute has picked above average. Just not happy with the day 1-2 strategy.

[Upnorth]

Grading the draft after 2 months:

I have to give it a C. The picks are solid. It's the strategy the last two years that really really bothers me. And I can't shake it. They should have taken Jenkins or Barmore with the first pick. You just don't get those quality of line prospects often when you pick low. Their biggest problem against TB was in the trenches. That's where they lost the NFCCG two years in a row now. Gute was too focused on CB in the run up (he went to every top cb predraft); there were good cbs on day 2 and Stokes might have lasted to their second pick. In any case Barmore & Jenkins just seem the better pick and bigger need. I don't like the position -- center & Rb -- in round two. In the long term this is going to hurt imo.

On the whole, Gute has picked above average. Just not happy with the day 1-2 strategy.

No way 31 other teams between pick 1 and 2 pass on stokes. Too much upside. 2nd is early for a centre but I think centre is of nassuve importance in Lafluer mind. Re:barmore there was a lot of red ink about to this draft. Best of the worst position group is a hard rd 1 sell when kings issues were so front of mind

[Jaire]

As to the 2018 draft, sorry again.

I kinda have to count it as Savage, MVS, and Jaire. I expect both Savage and MVS to improve. So it's a B+ / A-

[Jaire]

No way 31 other teams between pick 1 and 2 pass on stokes. Too much upside. 2nd is early for a centre but I think centre is of nassuve importance in Lafluer mind. Re:barmore there was a lot of red ink about to this draft. Best of the worst position group is a hard rd 1 sell when kings issues were so front of mind

I put Jenkins as my number one option. I don't know the "red ink" on Barmore. They seem to love him in NE so far. I never saw (or heard) what the red was. Maybe I just missed it.

I just meant there was a chance only Stokes fell. Not only that but lots of good cb prospects went in round three (deep db draft). But I won't change my view on center or Rb.

LIS this has always been my initial reaction to both drafts and my long term assessment. Nothing at all against individual players.