Official 2023 NFL Draft Thread

[bobblehead]

Anybody have a guess what time we will pick?

The first 4 picks of round 2......after trades.

[red]

Anybody have a guess what time we will pick?

maybe between 10-10:30 ET.

if we stay at 13

[red]

Skoronski won't make it to us. Real GMs draft elite bug men early. You might see 3 OL gone before we pick. Skoronski almost certainly.

i don't think anyone has a clue where anyone is going in this draft.

i'm looking at mocks right now, and they are all over the place

[run pMc]

Washington and his 775 yards and 3 TDs over his 3 years in college?

This is the type of player that people are over drafting the shit out of right now that will probably still be around when we pick in the second

I wouldn't want a TE in R1 unless it was at pick 28 or later. TE is a tricky one with positional value. I like Washington as a true inline TE -- dude can block and should be a RZ weapon at a minimum. They'd still need another TE who was more of the Tonyan type, but that's doable. It looks like Washington is still there, so is Mayer. The only TE taken was Kincaid at 25. Some people were saying he was a top 15 or top 10 pick which was bonkers. Two RBs were taken. That tells you the positional value of a TE. You can find at least average to slightly above average ones into Day 3 with a little luck.

[Fritz]

It will be interesting to see how the first six or seven picks fall in round two. There was that run on WR's in round one, and I wonder if that will pick up again today early on. Mingo and Rice are two guys mentioned a lot in connection with GB, so it'll be interesting to see if they're there when the Packers pick. The tight ends - there's a cornucopia of them. But again, an early run on them might have Packer fans pooping their pants, But let's hope Guter is as cool as a cucumber. Most likely scenario: a couple of tight ends and one of the wide receivers are still sitting there when Guter comes up for #42. So he picks . . . an offensive guard. Then a tight and and wide receiver go next, so when Guter comes up on the clock, he's got to take a TE, so he grabs whoever's left. Or he reaches on a safety.

I don't like this safety class, at all. I'm hoping Guter won't do that. Take a couple in the middle rounds, per Harv's advice.

[Deputy Nutz]

Washington and his 775 yards and 3 TDs over his 3 years in college?

This is the type of player that people are over drafting the shit out of right now that will probably still be around when we pick in the second

If you are taking Darnell Washington to catch passes out of the gate then yes, you are over drafting him. If you are taking him because he might just be the best blocker in the draft then you are not over inflating him.

[Fritz]

A couple of people here on Rats seem to think Washington has some potential as a pass-catcher, too. I'd be thrilled if they got him today, though I'm not sure he'll be there by the eleventh pick of the round.

[Deputy Nutz]

A couple of people here on Rats seem to think Washington has some potential as a pass-catcher, too. I'd be thrilled if they got him today, though I'm not sure he'll be there by the eleventh pick of the round.

Well he didn't disappoint at the combine in terms of athletic ability and speed. He also has made some great plays catching the ball at Georgia, but Georgia also has Brock Bowers who might just be a top 5 pick in next year's draft. Bowers led the Bulldogs in receptions with 56 catches, 882 yards, and 13 touchdowns.

[Teamcheez1]

Looking around, there seems to be a school of thought that we missed by not taking Smith-Njigba. I was not enamored with him at the 13th pick. I think we can still pick up a good WR/TE in the second.

[Deputy Nutz]

Looking around, there seems to be a school of thought that we missed by not taking Smith-Njigba. I was not enamored with him at the 13th pick. I think we can still pick up a good WR/TE in the second.

I agree I think the Packers could make a lot of hay in the 2nd and 3rd round, especially at TE and WR. My question is where do you get a competent safety? Or maybe you don't and your defense sucks again.

[red]

I agree I think the Packers could make a lot of hay in the 2nd and 3rd round, especially at TE and WR. My question is where do you get a competent safety? Or maybe you don't and your defense sucks again.

Do they try Douglas there?

That’s all I can think of

[call_me_ishmael]

I would try to find a way to get 3 rd 2 picks here. If you get a TE, a WR, and maybe that CB like Ringo, you've got a stew going.

[Deputy Nutz]

Not sure. I am not one for moving CB to Safety. I think it worked for Woodson because he came down on the slot often and he was a hall of famer.

[RashanGary]

Douglas was awful inside. I don’t think he can do it. He’s a one or two year stop gap as depth at corner and gone.

[Fritz]

Or do you reach and pick a guy who's gonna be mediocre or worse?

If you're going to take some safeties, take a few later on and see what happens, unless someone falls into your lap in the second round. But who?

[Deputy Nutz]

I like the three Alabama guys. Battle, Branch and Hellams. I think Battle and Branch will be gone by the end of round two and Hellams you can probably get day 3.

Skinner is also interesting. Hurt and couldn't test but he is big and physical, something they can use to replace Amos.

I am thinking you could possibly keep Savage at nickel, reduce Douglas's role with Stokes coming back, then you would have to replace the safeties position completely.

[run pMc]

I like Battle. Branch is fine as a slot corner. Hellams got burned a lot.
Haven't watched Skinner. After Aaron Rouse and Kevin King, I'm wary of giant secondary players.

I think they will take a safety, but I would be very surprised if it was before R3. Carpenter is moving from S to LB, so they have one less ST safety from what feels like a group of 20. If the season were to start today it's probably Savage and Ford starting. Maybe they figure it won't matter that much with Barry still at DC and Jerry Gray now gone.

Rasul might be able to move to safety, but all indications have been that he's staying at corner. If he's staying at corner, he should be an outside corner, not a slot guy. Full stop.
He's not a bad player at all, but I don't know if he's around after this season with his contract.

Their secondary is such a weird collection of players. It feels like the old square peg/round hole dilemma with roster and scheme, compounded by having a drooling idiot controlling the pegs.

[Fritz]

Maybe they'll take a couple of safeties with those fifth- and sixth-round picks they have.

That fourth rounder's going to be their next offensive tackle - maybe on the right side. Watch.

[run pMc]

Maybe they'll take a couple of safeties with those fifth- and sixth-round picks they have.

That fourth rounder's going to be their next offensive tackle - maybe on the right side. Watch.

If it's an OT it's gonna be Freeland or Saldiveri.
Dawand Jones is supposedly a big character risk type. Shutting down at the Senior Bowl after one day and not doing much at the Combine or Pro Day turned off a lot of scouts.

No idea who they'll pick, but I do think they take at least one player at CB, S, and WR. Probably two DL.
At WR I'm still eyeing Dontayvion Wicks, although A.T. Perry is out there too.

If Kelee Ringo keeps dropping, do you take him in R4 and convert him to Safety?

Lots of picks, lots of needs. I like that they filled a couple of roster holes so far. I'd say DL and S are the next big ones. Can't do it all in one draft, but Gute might be trying.

[sharpe1027]

I think they still need another WR.

[run pMc]

I think they still need another WR.

agree

[Sparkey]

Colby Wooden DL Auburn

[pittstang5]

Colby Wooden DL Auburn

Looks like he'd be a 4-3 DE, but they announced him as a DT. I don't think he's an OLB. I don't know where he fits in this defense.

Seems like a project that could be a decent backup. But - I've read he's eats and sleeps football, is the hardest worker on the field and is a coaches dream. I like that!

[Bretsky]

He is a defensive lineman for sure. Pass rusher who you could put inside or outside. Lot of talent for a competent defensive coordinator to utilize

[Bretsky]

Giving a great interview right now.

[pittstang5]

NM

[Fritz]

Looks like they value flexibility quite a bit.

[RashanGary]

Other than the QB and kicker, I like rounds 1-6. They’ve got a shot. Depth must have deep dived after the 6th round because the 7th doesn’t look good for us.

[Joemailman]

Other than the QB and kicker, I like rounds 1-6. They’ve got a shot. Depth must have deep dived after the 6th round because the 7th doesn’t look good for us.

Depth might have deep dived earlier than that which is why he used picks on a backup QB and kicker. I think Gute did a good job with a draft that wasn't real strong outside of the TE, CB and EDGE positions.

[MadScientist]

Looks like they value flexibility quite a bit.

Makes sense. It really helps with the game day roster to have a guy be able to back up more than one spot.

[texaspackerbacker]

They pretty much loaded up where they needed to load up and avoided what they didn't need. I'm fairly pleased with the draft overall.

It's been all about Rodgers for a dozen or so years whether the team succeeded or failed. Now, it's all about Love. The pieces are there to go 13-4 or 14-3 as much as in the past. Will Love take them there? Being a pessimist really goes against the grain with me. I'm fighting that pessimism, but I'm just not there yet to predict success with Love. I'm hoping to be wrong, though.