2022 Fourth Round Pick, #140, OL Zach Tom

[HarveyWallbangers]

Zach Tom vs Jermaine Johnson was pretty one-sided in a good way--unlike Sean Rhyan vs. Kayvon Thibodeaux.

https://twitter.com/JuMosq/status/1520993230589898752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1520993230589898752%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fforums.footballsfuture.com%2Findex.php%3Fapp%3Dcoremodule%3Dsystemcontroller%3Dembedurl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fi%2Fstatus%2F1520993230589898752

[call_me_ishmael]

This was the Packers best pick as far as value I am imagining. I think this dude has a good shot to be a good player. Classic Packers pick right here.

[run pMc]

Tom's arm length is exactly the Same as Bulaga's. Bulaga was an inch taller. So Tom has Bakhtiari's height and Bulaga's arm length. I remember McCarthy being asked if Bulaga's arms were long enough to play Tackle. McCarthy said he's never seen a guy who couldn't play Tackle because his arms were too short, but he has seen guys who couldn't play Tackle because their footwork wasn't good enough. In that video against Jermaine Johnson, Tom's footwork looks very good.

His footwork is very good and his agility scores back it up. Interesting dude because he went from playing C to LT... which makes me think he'll get a look at RT but was why I thought he might be the next Lucas Patrick (playing C-G).

Rhyan might end up doing that though. I could see a world where Rhyan and Newman fight for RG, and Tom/Njiman fight for RT.
Walker will be developmental guy...he has the physical traits but needs a lot of coaching up.

Jake Hanson is good as gone. I think Tom was a good pick.

[texaspackerbacker]

Yeah right, CMI hahahahaha. He looks to me to be the third of the three O Linemen we took.

[Sparkey]

Zach Tom vs Jermaine Johnson was pretty one-sided in a good way--unlike Sean Rhyan vs. Kayvon Thibodeaux.

https://twitter.com/JuMosq/status/15...93230589898752

That is a great vid. Tom does an awesome job of mirroring the defender while using excellent footwork to maintain his balance and keep his shoulder square to his target. NICE!

[run pMc]

Yeah right, CMI hahahahaha. He looks to me to be the third of the three O Linemen we took.

Zach Tom > Rasheed Walker.
If the OL is so bad (as you have often suggested), it would make sense to invest some draft picks in it and protect the franchise QB, agree?

[Joemailman]

Zach Tom > Rasheed Walker.
If the OL is so bad (as you have often suggested), it would make sense to invest some draft picks in it and protect the franchise QB, agree?

Two things I don't do. I don't argue with people who say the world is flat, and I don't argue with Tex about the offensive line.

[texaspackerbacker]

Zach Tom > Rasheed Walker.
If the OL is so bad (as you have often suggested), it would make sense to invest some draft picks in it and protect the franchise QB, agree?

I never said the Packers O Line is "bad". I said it is mediocre and overrated. They don't need to be very good pass blockers with Rodgers' mobility and quick release and intelligence. Rodgers is what makes them seem better than what they are. Similarly, the threat of the passing game makes run blocking less of a factor. Jenkins as a Guard and to a lesser extent, Runyan and Newman, along with Myers opened up a lot of nice inside holes. Outside runs weren't nearly as successful either with or without Bakhtiari. To a great extent, the run blocking was road grader style/inside zone plays. The thing I don't like about Tom (just based on reading) is he doesn't seem to have a lot of strength/doesn't seem to be a road grader. Walker does have that, and his flaws as a pass blocker would seem to be less of a factor at Guard than at Tackle. Again, just based on reading, Rhyan and Walker seem to be a lot more like I prefer than Tom.

The bottom line, though, is that we have five adequate starters, six when Jenkins is ready, so we didn't need any more than back ups. Granted, though, losing Turner, Patrick, and Kelly created a need for three back ups, though.

[bobblehead]

Two things I don't do. I don't argue with people who say the world is flat, and I don't argue with Tex about the offensive line.

I had a nice debate with Kyrie Irving about the flat earth. Then I turned to Carl Everett to talk dinosaurs.

[MadScientist]

I never said the Packers O Line is "bad". I said it is mediocre and overrated. They don't need to be very good pass blockers with Rodgers' mobility and quick release and intelligence.

The bottom line, though, is that we have five adequate starters, six when Jenkins is ready, so we didn't need any more than back ups. Granted, though, losing Turner, Patrick, and Kelly created a need for three back ups, though.

Mediocre and overrated is not adequate in my book. Rodgers quick release and intelligence was not enough against SF. Tom and Rhyan have a good chance to be an upgrade by next year if not sooner. You make the team better by upgrading positions are or will so become weak. The Packers were doing just that.

[Jaire]

Mediocre and overrated is not adequate in my book. Rodgers quick release and intelligence was not enough against SF. Tom and Rhyan have a good chance to be an upgrade by next year if not sooner. You make the team better by upgrading positions are or will so become weak. The Packers were doing just that.

Right. They lost to the Bucs and San Fran last year in the trenches on offense. Injuries had a lot to do with it too. But they've been needing to draft DL and OL for a long time. Gute's been rebuilding the OL for four years and they should be solid and deep for a long time now. Best draft in 10 plus years. Some of it is that the board fell pretty well for them.

Going into the draft I thought OL and DL were the real needs. It will be rocky at WR, but the trenches were the real key. They are set up to contend for the next four years, as long as AR wants to pursue it.

[texaspackerbacker]

That solid and deep is all fools gold. We supposedly had a good O Line back in 2013 when Seneca Wallace among others was forced to play due to a Rodgers injury. The line got exposed then as pure crap. I suppose what we have now is better although Sitton and Lang and Lane Taylor had pretty good reputations too. The shitstorm in turned into without Rodgers wasn't all Marshall Newhouse.

I say again, mediocre is all you need with Rodgers, and we have that now. Rhyan is more of the same; Walker has potential; And Tom? You can have him. I don't see much quality there at all.

It may just be the best draft in "10 plus years", but if it turns out that way, it's entirely because of Watson and Wyatt.

[run pMc]

That solid and deep is all fools gold. We supposedly had a good O Line back in 2013 when Seneca Wallace among others was forced to play due to a Rodgers injury. The line got exposed then as pure crap. I suppose what we have now is better although Sitton and Lang and Lane Taylor had pretty good reputations too. The shitstorm in turned into without Rodgers wasn't all Marshall Newhouse.

I say again, mediocre is all you need with Rodgers, and we have that now. Rhyan is more of the same; Walker has potential; And Tom? You can have him. I don't see much quality there at all.

It may just be the best draft in "10 plus years", but if it turns out that way, it's entirely because of Watson and Wyatt.

This feels a bit like blame the OL when things are bad but credit the QB when they are good. I think we both agree it's more nuanced than that.
Seneca Wallace gave way to Tolzien who gave way to Flynn IIRC, and they still won the NFCN, largely by McCarthy figuring out he needed to ride Eddie Lacy (and especially Rodgers' return). You can't run without an OL. And you can't tell me there isn't a dropoff from Rodgers to Wallace, Tolzien or Flynn.

I agree Walker has potential, he has the measurables and experience to play T but I think he's immature and needs work on his fundamentals. If all that happens they have a good one. Zach Tom has really good feet and that's really important.

One last thing: Tex I think you prefer a certain style of OL -- more of the big physical mauler/road-grader. That's better suited to a power scheme than a zone scheme, which prefers agility over brute strength. You're going to see GB pick a lot of guys who might not be the biggest, strongest dudes, but they will be able to get to the second level or have the agility/balance to react to counters and protect rollouts/boots.

I actually enjoy seeing big maulers pancake and physically whip the defense too, but I don't think that's what GB drafts because it doesn't suit MLF's offense so I'm moving on. Zach Tom and Sean Rhyan fit MLF's mold for what they like: versatile guys with experience at tackle and good feet & athleticism.

[texaspackerbacker]

I definitely give Rodgers virtually all the credit for the O Line being perceived as good at pass protection. I think the way they bombed out in 2013 without Rodgers tends to prove that.

Yeah, you need decent O Line blocking for success in the run game, but it also makes a big difference if you have the threat of Rodgers passing and the D not set up so much to stop the run. And the debacle against Tampa in the playoffs that so many like to bring up as a negative about Rodgers actually exposed our O Line more than the QB or RBs.

Yeah, I prefer those road graders. What you said is true about outside zone scheme but inside zone - where the Packers thrived - not so much. I was pleased that the Packers got Myers, a big bruiser at Center, and Jenkins at Guard pretty much was a road grader. I think Runyan qualifies too and Newman I will give a maybe. Rhyan seems to be a road grader; R. Walker potentially is too; Tom obviously isn't - which is why I don't expect him to help much. Bakhtiari is/was everybody's sacred cow and ain't much of a road grader, but he never seemed to make much of an impact on outside zone plays.

As for LaFleur's mold, you're right about the flexibility/cross training aspect. His offensive scheme, though? That's kind of all over the board. I doubt pass first is his regular philosophy, but he intelligently recognized that when you have the GOAT QB, you adjust and pass first, and with Rodgers' mobility, pass blocking is less of a factor. And as I said, the inside zone run game is more suited to the road graders. The other typical LaFleur thing, a lot of gadgets and deception doesn't emphasize either kind of O Lineman except just to prevent penetration long enough for the play to develop, and for that too, the road graders get the nod.

[run pMc]

I definitely give Rodgers virtually all the credit for the O Line being perceived as good at pass protection. I think the way they bombed out in 2013 without Rodgers tends to prove that.

So then if Rodgers is why they are good or bad, you probably shouldn't ding the OL and blame them. A bad QB behind a good line is still going to be bad.

If you aren't sold on the OL picks, check this out:

https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/2022/5/3/23054775/green-bay-packers-offensive-linemen-2022-nfl-draft-sean-rhyan-zach-tom-rasheed-walker

I think Tom needs to get stronger, it will help his anchor -- which he'll need to improve if he's going against grown men -- but he's got feet and athleticism that's hard to beat. Also - Rhyan looked decent too. He's just a thick dude. Walker has potential also. I think they were all pretty good picks.