Official 2024 NFL Draft Thread

[bobblehead]

To paraphrase Tex, who gives a fuck about the other teams? Ever since Wolf took over as GM, the Packers have been miserable at drafting Yokozunas in the first round - that is a fact.

Clifton, Tausher, Bak, Lang, Sitton, Wells, Linsley, hell, even the Fucking Center, among others, weren’t 1st rounders. If German Shepherd is smart, he’ll heed historical data, 1992-onwards, and refrain from drafting an offensive lineman in the first round in the upcoming draft. Avoid a defensive tackle like the plague, too.

Except they haven't been terrible. You have shown some success in other rounds. That doesn't make them terrible in the 1st. I broke down the ones you named. It wasn't a bad success rate.

[run pMc]

Michels and Verba were Wolf picks. So was Aaron Taylor, who was a decent player and a R1 pick as a Guard (!)

Best DL drafted since Wolf was probably Kenny Clark. You could make an argument for KGB, but if we're talking about R1 it's KC. The Packers' track record of drafting DL early has actually been... not good. The DL draft classes have not been great lately, although Karl Brooks could be a steal.

You can find value at any position later in the draft, but you still need high end talent to handle another team's high end talent.
If your OT is a late round guy with limited athleticism, there's a good chance he's going to give up one or two sacks in a game vs. Bosa, and that could change a game (or put your QB in the hospital).
You absolutely need to minimize that risk if you have a chance to.

I love some of the WRs in this class, but I just don't see them taking one in R1. It'll more likely be a Yokozuma, so get your crazy hate mail ready for Gute if you don't like it.

[texaspackerbacker]

Defensively, Pickett might’ve been the best 1st round Yokozuna to don the Green and Mustard Yellow, 1992-onwards, and he wasn’t even drafted by the Packers. Packers were fine and dandy with players like Brown, Dotson, Jenkins, Jolly and even the original Cletidus.

Sure, there are busts at every position. But the kung fu between a Butte and a, say, Hundley is more profound than that of a Cletidus and the rook who wore 94 for the Packers last season. In other words, the Packers should refrain from drafting offensive linemen and fat defensive linemen in the 1st round.

Pickett, of course, was a first round pick of somebody else, not the Packers. I'm generally in agreement with you about the "yokozuma" thing. I absolutely do not want a first round O Line pick, probably ever. D Line on the other hand is not a never-do thing in the first round, but for this year, we're pretty solid there already thanks to getting lucky with our 4th and 6th rounders last year. That plus my obvious disagreement with you about Kenny Clark. My position on the O Line, which many in here probably disagree with, you I'm not sure, APB, is that O Line is basically not very important. You can get by with mediocrity there if you have excellence at the "skilled" positions. That has been the situation with the Packers for decades, the quality level of the O Line and people like Bakhtiari being magnified way out of proportion in people's eyes by the quality of our QBs, RBs, and WRs. While really bad O Linemen like Marshall House can make a negative difference, merely mediocre O Linemen are plenty good enough, making it unnecessary and stupid IMO to draft an O Lineman in the first round.

[Anti-Polar Bear]

Michels and Verba were Wolf picks. So was Aaron Taylor, who was a decent player and a R1 pick as a Guard (!)

Best DL drafted since Wolf was probably Kenny Clark. You could make an argument for KGB, but if we're talking about R1 it's KC. The Packers' track record of drafting DL early has actually been... not good. The DL draft classes have not been great lately, although Karl Brooks could be a steal.

You can find value at any position later in the draft, but you still need high end talent to handle another team's high end talent.
If your OT is a late round guy with limited athleticism, there's a good chance he's going to give up one or two sacks in a game vs. Bosa, and that could change a game (or put your QB in the hospital).
You absolutely need to minimize that risk if you have a chance to.

I love some of the WRs in this class, but I just don't see them taking one in R1. It'll more likely be a Yokozuma, so get your crazy hate mail ready for Gute if you don't like it.

Ever seen a sumo wrestling match? Pretty much a couple of fat, unathletic fellows pushing each other around, and the one with the best techniques eventually wins the match. That’s offensive linemen in a nutshell.

Why waste a 1st on a Bulaga, who was average at best when he wasn’t injured, when you can get a Walker in the 7th? Walker obviously honed his techniques quite a bit since he got drafted.

Then there’s Cletidus. Below average pass rusher. Terrible run stopper. Nothing but an overpaid version of Dean Lowry. Clark, in a nutshell, ain’t a playmaker; ain’t a difference maker. 94 can do what Clark does. Why NFL GMs continue to draft Cletiduses, Wyattes, Joneses and Harrellses in the 1st is beyond fuck.

[Anti-Polar Bear]

Pickett, of course, was a first round pick of somebody else, not the Packers. I'm generally in agreement with you about the "yokozuma" thing. I absolutely do not want a first round O Line pick, probably ever. D Line on the other hand is not a never-do thing in the first round, but for this year, we're pretty solid there already thanks to getting lucky with our 4th and 6th rounders last year. That plus my obvious disagreement with you about Kenny Clark. My position on the O Line, which many in here probably disagree with, you I'm not sure, APB, is that O Line is basically not very important. You can get by with mediocrity there if you have excellence at the "skilled" positions. That has been the situation with the Packers for decades, the quality level of the O Line and people like Bakhtiari being magnified way out of proportion in people's eyes by the quality of our QBs, RBs, and WRs. While really bad O Linemen like Marshall House can make a negative difference, merely mediocre O Linemen are plenty good enough, making it unnecessary and stupid IMO to draft an O Lineman in the first round.

I don’t think OL is unimportant. It’s just that the talent gap between Fucking Center (Jenkins) and Dick Dietrich (Deiter, the former Badgers guard who was draft by the Mermen in the 4th round of the same draft as Jenkins) is not as wide as that of DK Metcalf and Allen Lazard.

No doubt a Packer offense featuring Metcalf and Deiter would be better than the one featuring the Fucking Center and Lazard.

[Anti-Polar Bear]

Bulaga was good. And Sherrod would have panned out if they didn't ruin his leg. Verba had a long successful career. Clark is a really good pro. Jones and Michels were flops. Michels was drafted by wolf wasn't he??

Clark is a good pro? Since when? No one, especially not the 69ers, is shy about running right up Clark’s butt hole and no sure as fuck ain’t afraid of Clark’s dudly pass rush.

[Fritz]

Michels was drafted by Wolf, yes. I agree with you, Bobble, about Sherrod. He had a bit of the dancing bear thing going on, but also the makings of a good left tackle, kind of like Clifton - supreme pass blocker, decent run blocker. "Jones" - I'm not sure who you're referring to there. Aaron Taylor I remember. And yes, Clark is a really good pro.

[Joemailman]

Michels was drafted by Wolf, yes. I agree with you, Bobble, about Sherrod. He had a bit of the dancing bear thing going on, but also the makings of a good left tackle, kind of like Clifton - supreme pass blocker, decent run blocker. "Jones" - I'm not sure who you're referring to there. Aaron Taylor I remember. And yes, Clark is a really good pro.

Might be referring to Datone Jones, who was JAG at best.

[ThunderDan]

Might be referring to Datone Jones, who was JAG at best.

That is Fat One Jones per my autocorrect in a game day thread once.

[Patler]

I don’t think OL is unimportant. It’s just that the talent gap between Fucking Center (Jenkins) and Dick Dietrich (Deiter, the former Badgers guard who was draft by the Mermen in the 4th round of the same draft as Jenkins) is not as wide as that of DK Metcalf and Allen Lazard.

No doubt a Packer offense featuring Metcalf and Deiter would be better than the one featuring the Fucking Center and Lazard.

What? Did you discover that the talent gap between pick # 44 and pick # 78 is less than the talent gap between pick #64 and an undrafted player? Are you sure? Shocking!

[bobblehead]

I don’t think OL is unimportant. It’s just that the talent gap between Fucking Center (Jenkins) and Dick Dietrich (Deiter, the former Badgers guard who was draft by the Mermen in the 4th round of the same draft as Jenkins) is not as wide as that of DK Metcalf and Allen Lazard.

No doubt a Packer offense featuring Metcalf and Deiter would be better than the one featuring the Fucking Center and Lazard.

Seems like a fair comp. 2nd rounder to a 4th and then a 2nd rounder to an UDFA.

edit: should have read it through. Could have figured out someone realized his ridiculous post.

[Anti-Polar Bear]

Seems like a fair comp. 2nd rounder to a 4th and then a 2nd rounder to an UDFA.

edit: should have read it through. Could have figured out someone realized his ridiculous post.

Fine. Now compare the Fucking Center to your boi, “Josh Newman.” Nijman ain’t anything special but he is, in fact, a better tackle than the Fucking Center. Aren’t tackles supposed to be more valuable than guards? Nevertheless, the talent gap between Fucking Center and Nijman ain’t as titanic as that of Metcalf and Lazard.

Much like Wolf’s decision not to draft Moss fucked Bert Favor, German Shepherd’s incompetent decision to take the Fucking Center over Metcalf (or AJ Brown) pretty much costed Butte a ring or two.

[Anti-Polar Bear]

Sure, it’s nice to have a D’Brickashaw Ferguson protecting the QB’s blindside. But the kung fu (skill) between a Ferguson and a, say, Marshall Newhouse ain’t as material as that of a Butte and a Jon Kitna.

Premium picks should be used on playmakers like the Claymaker and J-Alex, not Elgton Jenkins, Kenny Clark and Derrick Sherods. Sure, there are hits and busts at every position. But replace Clark with, say, Cletudus Hunt, and the production would be extremely similar.

Try replacing the Claymaker with Frank Zombo. The difference in kung fu is significant. Therefore, gotta use premium picks on finesse playmakers, not fat Yokozunas.

This post needs to be reposted.

[Fosco33]

I appreciate apb being the silly contrarian.

To think OL and DL lacks extreme strength, technique, agility, etc and that there’s not a huge difference in quality is one of the silliest things I’ve ever read.

Best player available - ideally one that you need.

[KYPack]

This post needs to be reposted.

Why? It's totally stupid.