Official 2023 NFL Draft Thread

[HarveyWallbangers]

Dick Rod.
Tonyan is slowly turning into him, I fear. No ability to RAC, but if he gets open he'll catch it.

IMO Dillon didn't run the same last year as the year before. Seemed like he was easier to tackle. He got a little better late so maybe there's hope, but for a big fast guy he doesn't often run like it.
I still think he's a good RB2, I'm not sure they've used him correctly or put him in the best spots to succeed -- especially this last year, where he was getting RPO handoffs from shotgun. That's not his best setup. I think you want to hand off to him with QB under center and let him get a little bit of build up speed so when he get to the line he's knocking guys back or hitting the hole fast enough to cause problems for the back 7 of a defense.

I thought Tonyan looked better towards the end of the year. It takes some guys longer to fully recover. I'd give him one more, one year "prove it" deal.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Yeah, needs all over. They don't have a roster to compete to win a Super Bowl.
QB - Need a back
RB - Not a need but a 3rd back is needed
TE - Tonyan is a nice option, I like him but he isn't top tier TE and he is a free agent
OL - Lots of depth and from LT, LG, C you might not find a better ratio of talent, but injuries haven't been kind to them. Right side was horrible towards the end of the season
WR - So young, only gonna add another young player, but certainly a need there

DT - Clark is a stud, too many plays. Wyatt is young and looks the part towards the end of the year. Where is the depth? They Need a 3rd guy!
OLB/Edge - Smith makes a lot of money, Gary should be 100% come the start of the season and Engabare may continue to improve into a really nice guy. They could make a splash because they cut Smith, but I would say a less of a need than other positions but you can't move on from Smith if you don't take a high end guy in the draft
LB - Walker is athletic but has to improve his fundamentals, controlling his emotions, and technique/reads for him to be really good. Campbell seems not athletic enough to be considered in the nickel package.
CB - Alexander is a top 3 guy in the NFL, Stokes was having a down year before he got hurt. the lighting in the bottle may be gone when talking about Rasul Douglas. I don't like his lack of top end speed and guess work. Need a legit nickel or #3 corner.
Safety - Huge need Amos is a liability in coverage to much of a swing and miss guy in open field tackling. Savage is flawed in his understanding of playing scheme football. He might find life as a nickel but the Packers desperately need impact players at safety.
Kicker - They need one.

Fair.

TE - Deep draft. I like the thought of Musgrave or Kincaid in round 2 or LaPorta in round 3, if available.
WR - We almost have to bring in a vet. I like the idea of Robert Woods at the right price. Need another draft pick.
DT - Not a ton of size in this draft. Mazi Smith (great power/speed ratio, but motor runs cold), Keeanu Benton, Jaquelin Roy, Keondre Coburn, and Jerrod Clark seem like good fits.
EDGE - We need one. Fortunately, this is a great draft--especially for a team that likes big edges.
S - Amos really struggled the first half of last year, but I thought he got back to his old self in the second half. Could Rasul move to S?

[Joemailman]

Fair.

TE - Deep draft. I like the thought of Musgrave or Kincaid in round 2 or LaPorta in round 3, if available.
WR - We almost have to bring in a vet. I like the idea of Robert Woods at the right price. Need another draft pick.
DT - Not a ton of size in this draft. Mazi Smith (great power/speed ratio, but motor runs cold), Keeanu Benton, Jaquelin Roy, Keondre Coburn, and Jerrod Clark seem like good fits.
EDGE - We need one. Fortunately, this is a great draft--especially for a team that likes big edges.
S - Amos really struggled the first half of last year, but I thought he got back to his old self in the second half. Could Rasul move to S?

Have you looked at Keion White yet? Seems like a physical freak who needs work on technique. I've seen him rated anywhere from a top 10 to an early 2nd round pick. Started out at Old Dominion and transferred to Georgia Tech in 2021. Missed most of 2021 with an injury, so has only had really 1 year against top competition. Heard he had a great Senior Bowl Week.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Have you looked at Keion White yet? Seems like a physical freak who needs work on technique. I've seen him rated anywhere from a top 10 to an early 2nd round pick. Started out at Old Dominion and transferred to Georgia Tech in 2021. Missed most of 2021 with an injury, so has only had really 1 year against top competition. Heard he had a great Senior Bowl Week.

I've gotten through QB, RB, WR, and TE. I'm about 10 deep into OT.

From my evalution + just reading bios and some highlights, I'd give these grades for each position. This is just based on what the Packers like, and it's subject to change after I watch all of these guys. Scale 1-10.

QB 6
RB 7
WR 4
TE 9
OT 3
IOL 7
DT 5
EDGE 8
ILB 3
CB 9
S 3

[HarveyWallbangers]

I might be judging to positively because overall I think it's an average draft, but I think TE, IOL, EDGE, and CB are the strongest groups. WRs are small. ILB and S are weak.

[run pMc]

I might be judging to positively because overall I think it's an average draft, but I think TE, IOL, EDGE, and CB are the strongest groups. WRs are small. ILB and S are weak.

In terms of prospects, seems like TE, EDGE, CB and RB are above average but the others are generally ok. Last year's safety draft class was better.
Not impressed with WRs this year compared to the last few. I think they bring in a cheap vet and a Day 3 pick there.

[Joemailman]

Michael Mayer is the best overall TE in this class. But Dalton Kincaid is the best receiver among TE's.

[call_me_ishmael]

I kind of like that little homie that's Greg Jennings from OSU. I have seen several clips over the last few days and dude just looks like a great route runner. I have a hunch he is gonna be a much better pro than collegee player, and he was pretty damn good in college when healthy.

[Deputy Nutz]

On Paper this draft talent sort of sucks, but games aren't won on paper.

[run pMc]

I've been on the Kincaid bandwagon for a while. I think he can do everything Tonyan can but faster, and break a tackle or two.
I haven't really seen Musgrave but he hasn't played a lot. Supposedly people love him and are expecting him to blow up at the combine.

the Greg Jennings from OSU is that Jaxon Smith-Obama kid or whatever. Not tiny at 6' 200, but seems like a natural fit in the slot and with Watson outside he would have a lot of room to operate. I suspect he's not as athletic as some WRs but he gets open and put up crazy numbers on a team with both Olave and Wilson. I don't think they even look at a WR until R4 this year. Getting an athletic TE might be a bigger priority and help their RZ woes.

[run pMc]

On Paper this draft talent sort of sucks, but games aren't won on paper.

It's not the deepest draft, that's for sure. I wouldn't be against them pulling a 2018 and trading down to pick up future picks. I think next year's draft will be better.
Either way, I think they can find a couple of decent players in areas of need (TE, S).

[Joemailman]

Combine schedule.

[texaspackerbacker]

Fair.

TE - Deep draft. I like the thought of Musgrave or Kincaid in round 2 or LaPorta in round 3, if available.
WR - We almost have to bring in a vet. I like the idea of Robert Woods at the right price. Need another draft pick.
DT - Not a ton of size in this draft. Mazi Smith (great power/speed ratio, but motor runs cold), Keeanu Benton, Jaquelin Roy, Keondre Coburn, and Jerrod Clark seem like good fits.
EDGE - We need one. Fortunately, this is a great draft--especially for a team that likes big edges.
S - Amos really struggled the first half of last year, but I thought he got back to his old self in the second half. Could Rasul move to S?

EDGE in the first round is what I want, and a not so big Edge guy would be better in the rotation anyway IMO.
Safety in round two probably; I've liked the idea of Rasul at Safety for a long time, and now without Gray as DB coach, maybe. And I think Amos stays, and I like the young guys on hand. But a S in the 2nd still makes sense.
TE about the 3rd, yes, and I like LaPorta. This too, though, is hardly a short term need.
DT: Clark, Wyatt, Slaton, Slayton, and Ford to me is plenty other than a late round or FA pickup.
WR: Watson, Doubs, Toure, Lazard (probably IMO), Cobb on vet minimum or near it contract - nothing except late round or FA needed there unless we lose Lazard. Getting a veteran like Woods fairly cheap couldn't hurt, though.

None of these IMO rise to the level of "need". Kicker we probably do need but that is a late round or FA thing. Ditto that for backup QB.

[run pMc]

Do not want a TE in R1. Musgrave or Kincaid in R2 would be fine, or LaPorta in R3-4. Tucker Kraft or Davis Allen are other options. Depending on if they bring Lewis/Tonyan back I could see them take two TEs in the draft and hope at least one of them sticks. TE is one of the positions you don't have to draft early to get a good/average one, and I like Mayer but think the positional value might not be there.

Safety - I think it depends on the scheme, people say Brian Branch and I like him but he looks like a star/slot guy and he wasn't even the full time safety. I like Jordan Battle better in a later round. Chris Smith from Georgia is a little small but he would be an upgrade from Rudy Ford, and even guys like Brandon Joseph or Jai'yir Brown could help them, especially if they are concerned with communication, lining guys up, and playing split zone coverages.

DT/EDGE - I think they look here early. Ford and Slayton are barely on the roster and not sure they should be. I like TJ Slaton but he's not a pass rusher. Wyatt hopefully gets stronger and plays more. How many DL will they rotate per game? They need 4 players here at least, possibly 5 to cover themselves in case of injury and not embarass themselves anymore than they did last year in run defense. Do they even use a 5-tech anymore, and if so who would that be? Edge is a need -- Preston is on the back side of 30 and he's fine but he's not a star or playmaker a DC is going to worry about. Enagbare is a solid depth guy and good #3, but you'll want to add someone here to improve the pass rush until Gary is back and even after that. If they don't take an edge early they will take one later as a developmental guy. Garvin is not a quality #3, he's ST fodder and emergency depth a la Tipa.

WR: they need one. Cobb is ancient, Lazard likely too pricey, and they will want to keep building the roster here as well as bringing in a veteran presence into the room. Wouldn't be shocked if they draft a speedy guy who can be a PR/KR if Nixon leaves in FA. If Watson is your only deep threat, this offense will struggle if/when he pulls a hammy or worse.

Most of the areas of need are where they have players they should replace because of performance, or where they lack depth. There aren't a ton of Day 1 starter spots, but that doesn't mean they aren't needs. One injury and the depth gets tested.

[texaspackerbacker]

It's a well known fact that D Linemen often take several years to get good. I'm confident that Wyatt is gonna reach at least Kenny Clark level. And Slaton is about as good as what a lot of teams have in the middle. I for one was impressed with Slayton last preseason - I'd have rather they kept him over Lowry. and Ford was good enough to keep and should be better this year. I say again, that's plenty except maybe a 7th rounder or UDFA.

I guess we are in agreement about an EDGE early, I would say first round kinda by default - no other particular need. If they didn't think P. Smith could still play, they'd have cut him instead of restructuring. Gary will be back, I say sooner rather than later. Engabare looked damn good. Garvin and Tipa and Hollins are adequate as the 4th, 5th, and 6th, but yes, move 'em all down a notch and get a first rounder for the rotation.

I have to admit, I'm not up to speed on who's available in the draft of Safetys, and I guess I would pick one in the 2nd or 3rd. But as I have said, I really don't see much immediate need there either. I expect Amos back. I also expect Nixon and Ford back (no politics intended hahahaha). I could see Savage in the Slot and Douglas at Safety maybe. And I have a better opinion of the young PS guys than some do. I don't know how much of the DB problems were on Gray and how much were on Barry, but I'm hopeful things get better with the new guy.

WR, I'd bet money (although not a whole lot) that Lazard is back and that Cobb stays at a greatly reduced price (BTW, I wonder if that $6m cap plus figure still reflects about $7 million or whatever for Cobb). "Ancient" Cobb is better IMO than what most teams have as their 5th or 6th WR. If I'm wrong about Lazard, we could use somebody in maybe the 4th round, but I doubt I'm wrong. I don't see them paying $3-5 million for a guy like Woods or whoever when they could just as well overpay Lazard by several million if need be. If Nixon comes back, as he probably will, he said he wants to have a try at WR too. I agree, though, a speed guy/returner in the 5th to 7th round would be a good idea.

I guess you have a different idea than I do about "needs". I don't think a rotational player/3rd guy when two are starters is a "need" for example. And I don't think a guy who probably would start in a year or two is considered a "need" either.