Keith from Yorktown, VA
I don't know what this means, if anything, or how it compares to other drafts, but by my count, more than 140 of the 262 total picks were not taken by the team that had the pick originally. Numerous picks even changed hands multiple times. The draft sure is a crazy time.
Fluid doesn't quite describe it either. I'm still exhausted.
John from Jordan, MN
Sometimes a draft class has a theme. Do you have a sense of what the theme of this year's class is?
Size. Zach Tom and Samori Toure are really the only picks that don't have the prototypical size the Packers traditionally prefer at specific positions, and those guys aren't far off. Tariq Carpenter and Jonathan Ford are even bigger than the norm.
Kerry from Lakewood Ranch, FL
What is your pecking order in the NFC North after the draft and who do you think had the best draft in the division?
The Packers were the clear favorites in the NFC North before the draft and that hasn't changed. I also think they had the best draft in terms of immediate help, but they should have, taking three players in the top 34. The Bears had none, the Vikings one, and the Lions two, one of whom won't be healthy for at least half the season. As for the long-term impact of everyone's draft, there's no telling for a while.
Eddie from Onalaska, WI
Did the Packers draft a good wide receiver on Saturday? Indoubitably!
Please see yourself out.
Adam from Tokyo, Japan
When I first saw the Pack trade their two second rounds picks to get Christian Watson, I thought it was a good move. But as the round played out, it seems like they could have gotten Skyy Moore and another player. So did Gute panic?
I think the best way to read the move is the Packers thought very highly of Watson and saw a big drop-off on their board between him and the other receivers who were taken in the 50s, where the Packers originally sat. The charts say the Vikings won the trade from a value perspective, which I think speaks to Gutey believing he was getting a player "better" than the 34th pick. Yes, the Packers could have gotten Moore (or whichever receiver in the 50s) and another player. Gutey knew that. He wanted Watson.
Steve from Georgetown, TX
Gents, how does a guy with Watson's talent and measurables end up at ND State? Did he develop once he got there or was he just overlooked in high school?
Apparently he was rather small, well under 6 feet tall, and had a huge growth spurt toward the end of his high school career, so he was off the recruiting radar.
Kelly from Kimballton, IA
I hope Christian Watson and Jameson Williams both torch Andrew Booth forever!
It's funny those trades ended up producing players at those positions. That becomes a storyline to follow for years to come.
June from Severn's Park, MD
Mike/Wes, please acknowledge and provide analysis on Devonte Wyatt's unsavory off-the-field issue(s). This has not to my knowledge been addressed in a) Prospect Primer or b) post-draft coverage. My alter ego submitted a question to II Friday which was not published as well. The Packers have a stellar track record of not having players with significant character concerns on the team. This goes against the grain. II is often unfairly accused of being "homers" but this is an elephant in the room.
I didn't investigate any of that. The Packers did. Any analysis coming from me would be uninformed. Gutekunst addressed it Thursday night after drafting Wyatt, who was brought to Green Bay for a pre-draft visit. In case you missed it, here's what he said: "We went into that pretty deep with him to make sure we felt comfortable with the human being, to make sure that the incidences he had, he never put his hand on anybody, he never hurt anybody. It was two or three incidences that I think as a young person, he stubbed his toe. Again, we don't have a lot of tolerance, but we wouldn't have brought him here if we didn't feel good about the person."
Dan from Muskego, WI
Nakobe Dean. What happened? How could the mock drafts be sooooo different from what GMs thought of him.
Medicals. Lot of reports out there about an injury many teams believed would require surgery after his rookie season, if not interrupt it. Time will tell. Remember, nothing from the scouting combine has a bigger impact on the draft process than the medical checks, which often don't reach the media.
Dave from Lake Zurich, IL
Recent Super Bowl winners featured powerful front sevens. The Packers are now in that category.
The potential is certainly there, with good health, and if the top picks are ready to play.
Terry from Sun Prairie, WI
What rookie will have the biggest impact next season?
Injuries aside, it'll be among the top three picks, unless one of the O-linemen quickly wins a starting job like Josh Myers and Royce Newman did last year.
Ron from Shorewood Hills, WI
By strengthening an already strong defense, might the Packer brass be planning for a post-Rodgers era where a stout defense could keep the Packers in most games even without a powerful offense? In other words, it'll likely be very difficult to win scoring battles with a young or less-than-elite QB.
As I mentioned the other day, I think the Packers continue developing a team that can win games in different ways. For now, they're trying to build the most balanced squad they can around their still-very-elite QB to give them the best chance to win a title. It's not any more complicated than that to me.
Bruce from Norwalk, CT
Money aside for the moment, the Packers traded away Adams, perhaps the best receiver in football, for a first and a second and then traded away two seconds for an unproven player at the same position. Not a very good outcome on the surface. Now add money back into the equation and the Packers also were able to keep Rasul Douglas and De'Vondre Campbell. Though often referred to in a different context, it really is all about the money.
I'll repeat, Campbell was re-signed and the Packers were under the cap with Adams' franchise tag number. To say they were able to keep Campbell because they traded Adams isn't accurate. But if you want to look at it in totality, in my view the Packers lost Adams but gained Douglas, Jarran Reed, Sammy Watkins, Walker and Watson – five players who might not be here if Adams were. And maybe they still get Walker or Watson anyway, but in that case Wyatt would be elsewhere.
Mike from Hudson, WI
Regarding father-son combinations that were drafted by the Packers, I remember Ron Pitts playing for the Packers but I don't think he was drafted by the Packers. Any other examples of father-sons playing for the Packers whether by the draft or trade?
You're right, the younger Pitts was drafted by Buffalo but played for the Packers. The Flanigans, Jim Sr. and Jr., both played for the Packers, but the younger one was drafted by the Bears. QB Anthony Dilweg, drafted by the Packers in 1989, is the grandson of Packers great Lavvie Dilweg, whose pro football career began before the advent of the draft in 1936. For the record, Christian Watson's father, while drafted by the Packers, never played in a regular-season game for Green Bay and is technically not on the franchise's all-time roster.
Dan from Allen, TX
Re: Scott from Albertville, MN, and his question on Packer draft picks becoming head coaches. Dave Wannstedt was drafted by the Packers in 1974, so we can add him as well.
With the 376th pick in the 1974 NFL Draft, the Green Bay Packers selected … the future head coach of the Chicago Bears who would never play a regular-season game for the Packers and go 1-11 coaching for the archrivals against them. It's a weird small world sometimes.
Tom from Walker, MI
Is there a cap on how many UDFAs a team can sign?
The offseason roster limit is 90. Draft picks don't technically count against that number until they've signed their contracts.
Jimmy from Bristol, UK
Overall, draft looks good, but I was surprised no tight ends were selected or signed as undrafted free agents. With Robert Tonyan still rehabbing, was this a surprise to you as well?
I thought the Packers would draft one, but Gutekunst doesn't spend a draft pick at a position just to say he did. I thought his post-draft comment about what they think they might have in Tyler Davis was illuminating.
Shannon from Ovilla, TX
I know jars on the shelf, but three more offensive linemen this year is a bit of a surprise. Do you think this is preemptive in case Elgton Jenkins can't be re-signed after this year? I also loved the subtle response Wes had to Chipper from Alaska on Saturday. Another reason I enjoy the daily II.
I don't think drafting three O-linemen for a third straight year is about contract concerns with Jenkins. It's about two of the three picks from 2020 providing no impact thus far (Stepaniak retired; Hanson hasn't played), plus losing Turner and Patrick in the offseason and not re-signing Kelly. And for all the fun everyone is having (rightly so) with the W's, Team Dub, Doubs, etc., Wes's crack to Chipper took the cake for me over the weekend. This old baseball fan is still smiling.
Dan from Toledo, OH
We all get so worked up about if Aaron Rodgers is going to come to the offseason program early to work with the new WRs but Gute made an excellent point that I hope doesn't go unnoticed when he said, it's good for the new guys to get some orientation in the offense before working with Rodgers. I've never thought about that before but it would be hard for a high school freshman to take calculus if he never learned basic arithmetic.
Huh, that sounds an awful lot like the very point I made when asked about the topic a couple of weeks ago, and some readers jumped all over me for it.
Dar from Mansfield, TX
Does Gutey using his mid-round picks on O-linemen projected for guard/center suggest that Elgton Jenkins might be headed out to right tackle this season?
Speaking of points previously made, I'm going to stick with what I said earlier. I think Jenkins will be inserted wherever he can provide the biggest upgrade based on how everyone else is playing.
Brian from Trego, WI
Hey guys, fabulous job on the draft coverage! Now the fairy dust settles and the work begins. Given the fact that Rodgers has at most three years left in GB and he has a history of making receivers "earn his trust," do you think Rodgers will adjust his expectations and be more open to trusting his new receivers to compress the time it takes to contribute to the team?
I expect Rodgers to strike the balance between demanding a certain standard of play and understanding the learning curve. He's said himself he's gotten better at that and comports himself differently than 6-8 years ago.
Steven from Ladysmith, WI
Are you surprised that no CBs were taken?
A little, but edge rusher was the bigger need, and when they didn't address that until the end of the fifth – and then six corners went off the board before the Packers' first pick in the seventh – I wasn't shocked.
Ed from Phoenix, AZ
Hello Insiders, I really liked the Pack's draft selections, as they added some high end defensive talent, speed and depth at WR, O-line, and some guys who can contribute on ST. My favorite was Kingsley Enagbare in the fifth round, IMO a steal there. Curious as to your thoughts. Anyone stands out to you?
As I mentioned in both my feature story on Enagbare and our final Three Things video, the No. 3 and 4 edge rusher spots are wide open. There's a path to rookie playing time for Enagbare.
Mark from Missoula, MT
I got to see Samori Toure live when he played for Montana in the FCS playoffs. He had 12 receptions for 303 yards and three touchdowns. Obviously, that won't be the literal translation to the NFL, but Griz nation is pulling for him to succeed. Did he catch (no pun intended) either Mike or Wes's eye while playing in the Big Ten for a year?
I attended the Wisconsin-Nebraska game at Camp Randall last season, and a pretty good Badgers defense had trouble with Toure (seven catches, 113 yards, TD). His transition to the highest level of college football went plenty smoothly.
Matt from London, UK
Jonathan Ford and T.J. Slaton went to the same middle school? What kind of food do they serve in that cafeteria?
Apparently lots of it.
Joe from Swansea, IL
Now that the draft is behind us (cheers erupt from the II crowd), do you think there are areas of the club that need additional bolstering, either with undrafted free agents or veterans still on the market? Or is this pretty much the roster we'll see when camp opens?
There's always a chance for more additions, at almost any spot. As the spring progresses and teams see where they stand depth-wise at certain positions, players will become available. The Packers will be making their own assessments and monitoring who pops loose.
Joshua from Appleton, WI
Looks like the Packers were drafting to create depth and competition. Which one of the position groups drafted are you most excited to watch? I'm most looking forward to the DL lineup battling it out. Other than Kenny Clark it looks to be anyone's game.
D-line, receiver, edge rusher, plus right guard and right tackle.
Chris from Minneapolis, MN
Did Quay and Devonte go to each other's birthday parties?
One last "Draft Day" reference before we move on.
Cody from Lake Villa, IL
I think it's important for all the fans to remember that no matter who we draft, we won't know what we have until we're well into the season or even a few seasons down the road. Gute and staff has done very well for us thus far. To me that isn't debatable. Now the long wait begins for preseason.
Happy Monday.
