Official 2025 Draft Thread

[sharpe1027]

Say Derrick Harmon, Will Johnson & Mike Green are all available who ya got?

Green?

[Spaulding]

Say Derrick Harmon, Will Johnson & Mike Green are all available who ya got?

Tough choice. In the end I'd go with Harmon given the need for another big body up front and Clark's contract after this year.

Harmon showed good year to year growth and I love the thought of a DT pushing the middle of the pocket more than Green coming off the edge.

Green looks to have had maturity issues and really has only good year at a non power 5 school.

Johnson is tempting but I have the fear he's going to bite too many times in his attempts to make a splash play and that's a hard habit to break.

[Deputy Nutz]

i don't love Harmon's film in comparison to Grant and I think there is a lot of value at the DT position in this draft. If Will Johnson is there I think you draft him. He is the best corner in the draft without the injury. Mike Green had a great season of production at Marshall and had a hell of a Senior Bowl, I would probably draft him if he was there.

[Spaulding]

i don't love Harmon's film in comparison to Grant and I think there is a lot of value at the DT position in this draft. If Will Johnson is there I think you draft him. He is the best corner in the draft without the injury. Mike Green had a great season of production at Marshall and had a hell of a Senior Bowl, I would probably draft him if he was there.

I can't see Grant making it to #23 though. Given your avoidance of Harmon at our draft spot, at #23 would you consider Nolan whose seems to have a higher season based on his athleticism?

[Fritz]

But by the sounds of things, they do think he's not worth the contract. Basically, in this trade, the Packers would be paying ~$10M for the 3rd and 6th. That will make it a bit harder to sign or re-sign someone else.

Man, I'd pull the trigger on that deal. You're going to be stuck with Jaire and his salary (full) lor cut him and save some salary but not get anything in return. Why not suck it up and eat ten million and buy yourself a third and a sixth?

[Deputy Nutz]

I can't see Grant making it to #23 though. Given your avoidance of Harmon at our draft spot, at #23 would you consider Nolan whose seems to have a higher season based on his athleticism?

I like Harmon over Nolan. I think Nolan has a lot to work on.

[run pMc]

Harmon over Nolan.

If Will Johnson is there, you take him. Healthy he's a top 10 if not top 5 player, and they rarely drop that far. Same thing for someone like Travis Hunter or Ashton Jeanty. They are top 10 types of players.

Shaduer might be a Day 2 guy, he's accurate but he's short and he's not a super athlete. he screams decent backup/game manager type to me on the NFL level. The QBs this year aren't very good; Cam Ward could very easily bust if he has a crappy team around him.

I think Gute will lean DL in R1, and take a WR on Day 2. Shemar Stewart, Mykel Williams, Tyleik Williams, Derrick Harmon, maybe Kenneth Grant (who I do like)... either a big DE type or a DT who can play nose and provide pass rush. Corner and OL will be Day 3 developmental types.
Rationale on DL: the pass rush was not great last year, Slaton is gone, Clark and Wyatt might be gone after this year. At DE, Enagbare is in a contract year, LVN has to show the new DL coach something, and there's even talk that Gary could be gone if he underwhelms again.
Between Jaire, Kenny Clark, and Gary they had a lot of money tied up in not a lot of production and they are going to make some decisions about them soon.

Jaire is a mystery, but I think they would rather the cap space -- especially for 2026 -- than a player who plays 50% of the games at best.

I don't see a lot of trade-up/down in R1 for Gute. A lot of teams want to move down allegedly. The talent drops a tier pretty fast in R1, and the R2-tier is much deeper. It's likely Gute takes a guy he really loves at 23 that the concensus board has at like 38, and everyone screams about him overdrafting a guy when he's just making sure he got the guy he wanted, knowing they won't be there at 54.

Ultimately if they can play, they're good picks. Getting good value is even better.

[wthigoot]

Will there be a draft contest this year? I finally got on the board last year.

https://packerrats.com/showthread.php?32885-Official-2024-Packerrats-Draft-Contest

I'll start the thread if there is interest.

[Spaulding]

Will there be a draft contest this year? I finally got on the board last year.

https://packerrats.com/showthread.php?32885-Official-2024-Packerrats-Draft-Contest

I'll start the thread if there is interest.

Interested

[MadScientist]

Will there be a draft contest this year? I finally got on the board last year.

https://packerrats.com/showthread.php?32885-Official-2024-Packerrats-Draft-Contest

I'll start the thread if there is interest.

If you post it, we will play.

[Deputy Nutz]

Shemar Stewart gives me really bad vibes because he is a total Gute pick. Super athletic but lacks serious production. If I was smart I would have picked in the Packerrat draft contest.

[texaspackerbacker]

I have intentionally avoided thinking much about draft picks until after the Packers make them. It's more a matter of what position should we take or prioritize and which ones do we have no need of, early in the draft anyway. However, I have read most of what others are saying in here, a lot of it seeming to be good sense, some not so much.

Ideally, we draft a super high quality Corner in the first round, but as happens so many years, it sounds like most of them will be gone before our pick. And then there's the thing about great college Corners not being great in the NFL too often. I really don't like the idea of drafting a "yokozuma" or whatever APB calls them, either O or D, in the first or second round. This year, though, D Line might be the biggest need. If we could get a absolute shut down run stopper, that might be worth a top pick. It Harmon that? I don't know, maybe. IMO, we're pretty solid at Edge Rusher now, but that's a position like Corner, if somebody really stands out, you take him. And then there's WR. We're loaded with 2nd tier guys. As nice as it would be to get a truly top tier WR, it seems like there's a lot more potential for disappointment at that position than others. I was thrilled when we drafted Watson, and he hasn't exactly panned out. Egbuka seems a lot like Jefferson, but I wouldn't bet a #1 pick on it. I see a lot of people in here are picking Egbuka in the 2nd or even lower. That IMO would be great if it happened, but a shaky assumption that he would fall that far.

Positions to avoid early: QB, RB, TE, O Line, Safety.

[Deputy Nutz]

Tex, one this draft has some depth at the defensive line, but I really think the top tier has the most bang for its buck. To me Kenneth Grant is the top defensive lineman in this draft. Although he is massive, he isn't just a two gap run stuffer. His recognition and reaction are really damn good. He could be a three down lineman in the NFL. I think Graham gets a lot of play and will be the first defensive lineman taken in this draft by a wide margin but I think a lot of his production can be contributed by playing next to Grant. Harmon is probably the third best because he is larger than Nolen, and plays the run a little better, but both lack the recognition and reaction of Grant and Graham. If Grant fell to the Packer I would personally think taking him is a no brainer.

I think Tyleik Williams might have the most upside because of his size and ability, but he needs to get a lot stronger and play with a little more aggression in beating blocks. Norman-Lott is very similar to Williams although not as big, but when he goes he goes.

The Packers need an impact player at receiver, and although we want to be specific in terms of size and position, the Packers need playmakers outside of their tight ends to make plays catching the football. The best chance they have for this is taking Egeubka, Golden, or Higgins. McMillian will go in the top ten. I wouldn't hate if they took Egeubka in the first round if available and I don't think Higgins is that big of a reach if they took him with the 23rd pick. Tre Harris is a second round pick. He did a lot of damage in 2024 against some sub tier programs, he isn't as dynamic he gets a lot of balls on comebacks which is a really important route at any level, but he is a post runner, although he does a nice job determining the angle of his break it isn't an overly difficult route.

I really like Jack Bech, some will want to compare him to Jordy Nelson, but that's just because they are white. Bech is probably one of the top route runners in this draft, and really understands defensive coverage and the appropriate angles to get over and under zone coverage. He also does a great job of catching the ball in traffic. Packers need a receiver that can work in tight spaces and come down with the ball.

[run pMc]

I like Bech too, and agree this is a good draft for D-Linemen.
If you're taking one in R1 they better be a difference maker and/or a three down player. Drafting a designated pass rusher type or a run-stopper only is a big investment in R1 - they are going to play 30-40% of snaps at best.
For all the "yokozuma" talk, look at the Eagles and their top 5 OL and very good DL. They won in the trenches this year. Saquon is very talented, but he runs for half those yards in NY. OL and DL is a solid 20-25% of your roster, you HAVE to make constant investments in it or else you have a sieve.

I don't think they will take an OL high, where would they start? They need some players who can back up now and start eventually. That sounds like Day 3 picks.

They lost TJ Slaton and didn't replace him, Kenny Clark looked mortal, Devonte Wyatt is basically in a contract year... there will be a call for more players there whether you like it or not. Might as well start now when there's a good draft class for it. Ideally a 3 down player and that usually comes early. They need pass rush, so maybe DE. Depends on the way the board falls.

Corner is a need, but I'd argue it's like OL -- backups now, starters eventually. Outside they have Nixon, Hobbs and Valentine with Bullard in the slot and they could put Nixon or Hobbs in slot if need be. They have Day 1 starters, but if someone gets hurt (and they will) then they need someone to step in. That's a Day 2 or Day 3 pick (or both) IMO.

WR is kind of a need too, I think MLF will find better ways to use Reed and Kraft, but they do need someone who can be a deep threat, and right now I don't see that player on the roster.

[Bretsky]

Shemar Stewart gives me really bad vibes because he is a total Gute pick. Super athletic but lacks serious production. If I was smart I would have picked in the Packerrat draft contest.

Lucas Van Ness