Inbox: The Packers have plenty of room to do as they wish

Garrett from Buckeye, AZ

After rookie minicamp, what's the best way to kill time between minicamp, OTAs, and eventually training camp? I want football season here already.

You can watch baseball, or the NBA/NHL playoffs. Or read books. I run the gamut and appreciate the change of pace more each year.

Jeff from Champlin, MN

The picks every year are ultimately owned by BG, but I like the way the Packers allow some of their other personnel people to discuss the picks with the media. With hundreds of college players becoming available every year, I assume BG leans very heavily on the personnel dept. I assume these people have some very strong opinions on some of the players they scout and recommend. How does this process work and how much leeway do some of the more experienced scouts with past success receive w/BG?

I can't speak to the inner workings, but hearing from others in the personnel department is one of my favorite parts of the draft. Whether it was Jon-Eric Sullivan and Sam Seale in previous years, or Mike Owen, Milt Hendrickson and John Wojciechowski this year, I enjoy their perspectives.

Johnny from Fort Myers, FL

Mike, you mentioned, listening to the sound of the ball impacting the kicker's foot. There is a certain sound to that, and it works the same way in baseball. Buck O'Neill told me that there were only three players that had "that sound" when the ball came off their bats for a home run. One was Babe Ruth, one was Mickey Mantle, and the last was Bo Jackson.

It's hard to describe with kickers. I shouldn't have said it's entirely the sound, because how it looks coming off the foot matters too. But if it doesn't have the sound, it won't look good enough either.

Scott from Lincoln City, OR

Hey Mike, do you see the Rams' drafting Ty Simpson as a similar situation to when the Packers drafted Jordan Love? Do you think Stafford is having the same type of thoughts/feelings Rodgers had?

The similarity is obvious, except Stafford is two years older now than Rodgers was then. I don't know what Stafford is thinking and feeling, but how his contract situation shakes out for 2027 just got a lot more interesting.

Sean from Palatine, IL

Good morning Insiders! Up until last Thursday, I'd shake my head when a team moved up just one spot in the draft. Giving up draft picks to move up a singular spot seemed ridiculous! But after what went down between the Steelers and Eagles, I bet the Steelers wished they moved up just one spot.

Right, which is why such a move is not as head-scratching as many believe.

Darrel from Pueblo, CO

II, when building your draft board, obviously you take your team needs and player ratings into consideration. Do you also try to speculate what other teams needs/priorities are so you have some idea of available talent vs. pick position in case you want to move up?

That's in the discussion, but things can get unpredictable (see above). So it really just comes down to trusting your board more than anything else.

Jennifer from Middleton, WI

Hi Spoff, lots of discussion on scouting/GM process and I think the seventh-round trade is an interesting case study to eventually look back on. John Schneider is well respected here and elsewhere. I know Seattle was short on picks this draft, but we were low also and Gute normally wants as many as he can get. Yet, whereas Gute didn't see value in the guys left, Seattle saw enough value to give up a sixth to get two of them. That difference in their assessments is intriguing.

Maybe, but it also could be as simple as Schneider recognizing as defending Super Bowl champs with fewer roster spots available, Seattle wasn't the most attractive destination for UDFAs, so he wanted to grab a few guys in the seventh and avoid battles he might lose. He turned four picks into eight and three of his eight were in the seventh round.

Brad from Marion, IA

Attempting this without math in the Inbox … Assuming BG's reason for trading up to get Trey Smack is the whole truth, that would mean the Packers had many fewer round 1-7 graded players than total picks in the draft (257). Any idea how common this is?

It's not just common, it's practically a given.

Ted from Findlay, OH

Guys, what is your perspective on how the college portal has changed scouting and drafting? Seems like better players will be poached by larger schools and conferences reducing the need to scout the smaller schools (at least to the same degree as the past).

Teams still want to identify those players early, though, and develop sources at their original schools as they follow their careers. Yes, it's different, but they aren't waiting for the James Madison player to transfer to Virginia Tech before he's on the radar.

TK from Grafton, WI

The draft is very exciting, no doubt. Has there ever been a player who showed up to rookie minicamp or OTAs (or whatever comes first) that made you think either of these: A. Wow! This guy is going to be great! Or B. Uh-oh, this guy was a mistake! No names, just curious about an instant reaction, positive or negative.

Knowing I'm not a scout and understand next to nothing about these players compared to those who made the decisions, the polar-opposite first impressions in the spring are usually either, "Well, he sure looks the part," or, "I wonder if he needs the pads to go on."

Ben from Cripple Creek, CO

I find the comment "too many developmental picks" weird and not real world. There is actually a real world where Brandon Cisse comes in and, halfway into the season, he's our best corner. Expecting a superstar in the NFL after the first few picks (maybe even the first) is such an astronomical ask. The traits we took in each player had good value at where we picked them.

I look at every draft pick as developmental. The difference between the college and pro games is so much greater than most realize.

Margo from Solvang, CA

Bryan from Madison expressed surprise that there may be players who don't realize how hard they actually have to work in the NFL. I remember watching an episode of "Hard Knocks" featuring a player who had a compelling story from "Last Chance U" (I may watch too much football). He got drafted and during camp really did not work hard or try to push himself. Maybe he thought his reputation was enough. Coaches spoke to him and nothing changed. He was cut pretty quick. The NFL is the real deal.

Players truly must love the game, and need the game, to put their bodies and minds through what it takes to be successful at this level. That's the best way I can put it.

Doug from Salem, OR

Much has been said about the willingness to work as rookies. The transition is physical and mental. Physically gifted players require less preparation, and college life is a distraction. They are still kids. They now have full-time jobs. And they are surrounded by experienced men. How do the Packers evaluate this aspect of the transition?

By watching how they go about the business of being a young pro. Coaches can tell by the questions rookies ask (or don't ask) in meetings how much they've been studying the playbook on their own versus just while they're at work.

Eric from Skokie, IL

This may be a stupid question or one that's too early to determine but are there any trades the Packers could make now for a 2027 first-rounder? If so, what would make the most sense?

Assuming you're talking trading draft picks (not players), it's practically impossible to figure out a fair deal now without knowing where in each round Green Bay's picks fall.

Russ from Henrico, VA

How much does not having two first-round contracts balance out the Micah Parsons contract over time? Are Gute and Ball both happy?

There's no comparison. Parsons' average cap hit over the next four years (before getting to the void years tacked onto the end) is $40.5M per year. Matthew Golden's contract as a first-rounder last year has an average cap hit of $4.4M over four years. So, sorry for the math, the two missing first-rounders this year and next (TBD on the latter, by the way) don't even account for one-fourth of Parsons' average cap charge.

Craig from Brookfield, WI

How realistic is it to hope that Micah Parsons and Tucker Kraft could get back to where they left off (at some point)? Does their type of injury generally diminish a player's speed and strength long-term? Or has modern medicine made strides in getting people with those injuries back to 100%?

There are no guarantees, and no two injuries/surgeries/recoveries are the same. But I've seen more players come all the way back good as new like Watson than the alternative.

Dale from Owatonna, MN

We made the playoffs with so many guys injured. Does it feel like we are getting more players than just the draft? Kraft and Parsons were the obvious missing pieces, but if Lloyd, Williams even Reed are at full strength for the season it feels like we gain more than just our new players.

Throw in Tom and Wyatt, along with Watson (who missed the first six games last year) and Banks (who was banged up early on), a suitable replacement for Hobbs and a fully healthy kicker … but that's this league. You have to deal with it. The Packers dealt with it well last year until they didn't.

David from Vicksburg, MI

If the Packers run a 3-4 defense who are going to be the four LBs right now playing?

Franklin and Cooper on the inside, with LVN at one edge and Sorrell/Oliver/Cox/Dennis-Sutton at the other, until Parsons returns.

Ross from Summerville, SC

Gents, do you anticipate that Zaire Franklin will be wearing the green dot for the defense this year?

That would be my first guess, but one potential consideration is if Gannon's planning a dime package (six DBs) with only one linebacker on the field and it's Cooper, then we'll see.

Justin from Thousand Oaks, CA

Lots of talk about how the CB room will shake out and I'm curious: Is the designation CB1 more about recognizing your top guy, or does CB1 actually have a function that's different than CB2? If so, does that role change depending on the coordinator, and any sense how it might be different under Gannon?

It really depends on particular matchups and game plans. If the plan is to travel with the opponent's WR1, you use CB1. Or if someone's getting less safety help, that's CB1. Absent those circumstances, there's less distinction.

Mark from Austin, TX

What does the II crystal ball say contract extensions will look like for Kraft, Christian Watson and Devonte Wyatt? Would GB be able to re-sign all three of them without restructuring other players' contracts?

I don't know what they'll look like, but with around $20M in cap room, only six draft picks to sign, and no first-rounder, the Packers have plenty of room to do as they wish, given most extensions are structured with lower first-year cap numbers. To boot, Wyatt's cap charge for 2026 on the fifth-year option is $12.9M (fourth highest on the team), so extending him would probably create short-term space.

Ben from Avon, IN

With Calais Campbell signing with the Ravens and expecting to play for his 19th season at age 40, it made me wonder; Do you think Mr. Campbell is worthy of the Hall of Fame?

Yes. Not only has the longevity at his position reached legendary status at this point – if he starts every game this year, he'll top 275 in his career (mercy) – but in his prime he was a six-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro (one first team, two seconds). He's had fewer than four sacks in a season only once since his rookie year.

Jeff from Flemington, NJ

Really enjoyed reading thru Cliff's article on one of my all-time favorite Packers, Clay Matthews. I think it's safe to say he'd have triple-digit career sack totals if not for the unselfish switch to ILB, and that's not even mentioning all the called back sacks from the very questionable "falling on the QB" rule change. Being as high-profile as he was, on one of the league's most popular teams, really seems like he unfairly got the brunt of that rule change. Is that even still a rule?

Sure is. I recall him losing two sacks to the full-body-weight rule, but how many more he would've had without the position change in 2014 (which almost got the Packers to a Super Bowl) is hard to say. My favorite play of Matthews' career wasn't even a sack. It was his rookie year, in the first Favre-Rodgers showdown at the Metrodome, when he just ripped the ball away from Adrian Peterson and ran the other way for a TD. My jaw hit the press box table.

John from Bartow, FL

Looking at this season's opponents, and with the likelihood of Kraft/Parsons out for first few weeks, do you think the schedule makers take that into account when deciding some of the marquee matchups at all? Like I would sure hate to get a Week 1 Bears rematch missing the same players as we do for the playoff game. I would rather see them each play at full roster strength especially how one game even early can determine so much later on.

They don't look at it from a competitive standpoint, but from a ratings one. When it comes to the Packers, I don't think the schedule makers and networks care because the TV audience will be there, regardless. With, for example, the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes' ACL return, that's a different story.

Dave from Comer, GA

So, Mike...that autographed photo of Vic Ketchman. Is he on his lawnmower, pumping gas in a parka, or on the beach in flip-flops? We need to know!

All of the above. Happy Friday.