Packers 2018 "What If" Draft

[Deputy Nutz]

Listening to local radio this morning and the question was proposed, "What if the Packers traded Aaron Rodgers to the Browns?"

So I thought this was a brilliant idea but they didn't considering anything more than the 1st and the 4th pick in the draft for Rodgers. I would think that Rodgers has 4 good years left and if he is able to follow in the footsteps of Tom Brady he could play another 6 years with out any significant regression. Rodgers has two years left on his deal but with the ability to franchise tag him the Browns could stretch it out and they have way more money under the current cap to give Rodgers and extension before the Packers could. The Browns could also meet his salary demands where the Packers are still trying to get a hometown discount from Rodgers.

I think the Packers would have to get more than just the 1st and 4th pick for Rodgers. If the Browns really wanted the deal they would be wiling to give up quite a bit to get him. I wish the Packers could also throw in Clay Matthews but I don't think anyone wants his contract. So we will just go with Rodgers for draft picks.

Packers get:
1st overall
4th overall
35th overall
101st overall

Browns get:
Aaron Rodgers

What will the Packer do with those draft picks?

1st Overall: Baker Mayfield The secret consensus among NFL teams was that Baker Mayfield was the top QB in this draft class. It was a well kept secret up until the day of the draft. The Packers could easily go with one of the other QBs but I think that Mayfield is the most pro ready in this draft and without Rodgers on the roster the Packers need to hit the ground running with this selection

4th Overall: Bradley Chubb This or Denzel Ward. Ward is good but how much better is he than the rest of the corners in this draft? Chubb is the top end pass rusher in this draft.

Packers 18: Jaire Alexander Packers trade back, and then trade up again and stay pat at corner.

35th overall: James Daniels The Packers love Iowa lineman and Daniels is no different. He can play center or guard and the Packers plug him at right guard.

Packers 45th: Josh Jackson Still too good of value to not go Jackson with this pick

101st overall: Da'Shawn Hand Packers use the first pick in the 4th round and beef up their defensive line.


So there it is. The Packers make one of the biggest trades in the history of the NFL. Gutey buries Ted Thompson last remaining legacy in Green Bay and rebuilds the Packers.

At the end of the day I don't think that the trade makes a lot of sense on either side especially trying to stay between the lines of how the draft played out. The 101st pick didn't have the impact I thought it would. I struggled finding the right guy for that spot. There wasn't a receiver, offensive lineman, or linebacker worth taking with that pick.

[texaspackerbacker]

So we woulda gotten the Browns #1 and 4 in the first, their 2nd round pick, and their 4th round pick for Aaron Rodgers? No Thanks. By a large margin, I'd just keep Rodgers.

And assuming we really would take Baker Mayfield with that pick, that makes it an even worse deal. I'd take several QBs over him. Rosen is my preference, even with the attitude.

[mraynrand]

Interesting. As I said in another thread, I can't imagine a situation for a GM (excepting the owner and maybe the coach) that has ever been better than the one John Dorsey got walking into Cleveland. There is no way on God's green earth he would have traded for Rodgers (well, not for all these picks - if he could steal Rodgers, then of course). Even so, why go that route when you have decent talent on your roster and a ton of high picks and oodles of cap space to maneuver. So Dorsey gets his guys from GB, loads up the roster and if he doesn't like the Hue of the coach (racist!) he can hire his own guy next year just like his mentor LB/CTE friend TT did walking into GB. The Browns are poised to be a great team for a decade - why screw that up bringing in a guy who might not last (well, nothing's guaranteed, but I suspect Rodgers will retire sooner than later - he has a fantastic brain and does not want CTE any more than Favre or TT do).

[texaspackerbacker]

Dorsey may have a good reputation, and he certainly did/does have a great situation, draft pick and young talent-wise, but (IMO) he fucked up horribly in this draft. Also, sticking with a record setting loser of a coach probably is a bad decision. I suspect that at best, the Browns might rise to the level of mediocrity the way things are.

If the Packers made a ludicrous deal like mentioned above, they would be right there with the Browns or worse for long term mediocrity. A healthy Aaron Rodgers plus the heaping pile of mediocrity Ted left us with otherwise equals a contender, maybe a Super Bowl team. That's not speculation; That's recent history. He has said he intends to play into his 40s; Are you calling him a liar? Rule changes make that feasible; A big ego makes it probable.

[mraynrand]

Dorsey didn't have a choice with the coach. Much like Sherman, Hue was guaranteed a third year by the owner. This was non-negotiable. If you may recall, the Brows have had astonishing turnover in leadership: 2-2-1-2 were the number of years for the coaches preceding Hue. So he took the job ONLY on the condition of three guaranteed years from Haslem. There were plenty of rumors that virtually no one would take the job, especially since they had put in place the crazy mostly non-football analytics guys as "GMs"

[mraynrand]

He has said he intends to play into his 40s; Are you calling him a liar?

Sure, that's what I'm doing, calling him a liar.

What I think is that he's gonna keep getting hit, despite the rules and he's not going to enjoy the next concussion. He's just too smart to want to increase his risk of getting CTE. If nothing else, watching TT and Favre rapidly decline will influence him. (Actually, if Favre really goes south fast, that might be big enough to rapidly change the sport). Anything is possible of course...

[The Shadow]

I suspect Rodgers will walk away from the game before really risking his health.

[mraynrand]

I suspect Rodgers will walk away from the game before really risking his health.

So you think he won't return in the fall?

[The Shadow]

Of course he will. Cole Madison is in the house!

[gbgary]

you forgot to mention a ton of money for next free agency period and no cap issues for several years.

[texaspackerbacker]

So ya'all are saying Rodgers is less of a man than Tom Brady or Drew Brees or Brett Favre for that matter? I don't doubt he is a smart guy, but ego trumps that. Besides, this whole concussion kerfuffle is grossly overrated, and I expect the players know that.

[Zool]

this whole concussion kerfuffle is grossly overrated,

Science be damned!

[mraynrand]

Science be damned!

Well, it's not perfectly clear what the numbers are/will be in apples for apples comparisons. CTE is real, and long-term effects of repeated collisions are real (the longer they occur of lifespan and the total number correlates with severity of symptoms). But what still remains to be fleshed out is concussion symptoms compared to controls from other sports where collisions happen. Some of the numbers from Lacross and soccer are interesting. Again, what really seems to matter is the number of collisions over a lot of years, so some collision sports that have a shorter run (high school and/or college only), and people who play fewer years in high school, college, and NFL don't have the same prognosis. A good comparison will be more aggressive and longitudinal hockey and soccer players. (the acceleration of headers in soccer are almost twice as much as football hits and hockey head-to-head collisions are in-between).

Science of this is not 'settled' - other than correlation of sustained/repeated impacts over years - and much of the reporting is hysterical.

[mraynrand]

So ya'all are saying Rodgers is less of a man than Tom Brady or Drew Brees or Brett Favre for that matter? I don't doubt he is a smart guy, but ego trumps that.

This is a confused statement. I see no element of 'manhood' in making a decision about possible brain trauma, other than 'being a man' would be to make a rational decision based on perceived risk weighed against life goals for your family and yourself. I think all four pretty much do that with the various aspects weighted differently.

[hoosier]

Well, it's not perfectly clear what the numbers are/will be in apples for apples comparisons. CTE is real, and long-term effects of repeated collisions are real (the longer they occur of lifespan and the total number correlates with severity of symptoms). But what still remains to be fleshed out is concussion symptoms compared to controls from other sports where collisions happen. Some of the numbers from Lacross and soccer are interesting. Again, what really seems to matter is the number of collisions over a lot of years, so some collision sports that have a shorter run (high school and/or college only), and people who play fewer years in high school, college, and NFL don't have the same prognosis. A good comparison will be more aggressive and longitudinal hockey and soccer players. (the acceleration of headers in soccer are almost twice as much as football hits and hockey head-to-head collisions are in-between).

Science of this is not 'settled' - other than correlation of sustained/repeated impacts over years - and much of the reporting is hysterical.

Another comparison would be parents. If one decides that the difference between adolescent brains and adult brains is a deal breaker, we could study adolescent parents.