Dylan from Belgrade, MT
Best o' luck.
T'anks.
Doreen from Swaledale, IA
Did anyone expect this pick?
I didn't. I apologize. I steered you all wrong, and you have every right to ignore my pre-draft prognostications from here to eternity. I didn't think Gutekunst would pick a QB this high right now, for all the reasons I've laid out ad nauseum, even though he went on record before the combine saying he might. As noted to Larry and Wayne on "Three Things," I'll never doubt Gutekunst again.
Tyler from Grantsburg, WI
Well, the preseason games just got a lot more interesting.
Sure did.
Paul from Ellensburg, WA
Hey fellas, help me not freak out. Why did we not only not use our first-round pick to maximize the window of our top-10 all-time QB, but trade additional capital to do so? This feels like waving the white flag on the Rodgers era.
It's not waving the white flag. It's making a sacrifice of immediate help for the long term. I understand the questioning and disagreement. As I said, I didn't see this coming, even though Gutekunst said he might do it. The only way I can read it is Gutekunst believes Love has a chance to be a really, really special player, as long as he has enough time to develop. So he wasn't going to pass him up, knowing that finding a successor for Rodgers would be inevitable soon enough, and the current situation allows him that time to develop without being forced to play too early. I don't see any other sensible or worthwhile interpretation.
Mark from Oak Harbor, OH
Well, for months you guys have said you don't draft the heir when the guy you have has so many years left and I completely agreed. What in the world possessed the powers that be to not only take a QB in the first round but to trade up to do it? We were one game from the Super Bowl and we need ILB help, DT help, and WR help. I don't get it. Trade back if you want to have need meet value, but trading up for a raw QB when Rodgers is still healthy is mind-boggling. Why do you think they did it?
See above.
Andrew from New York, NY
Tell me you didn't think they would draft Queen as soon as you saw that they were trading up.
I had at least three browser tabs open on Queen to start grabbing info for the bulletin story. I thought for sure that was the move.
Tyler from Edmonton, Alberta
Hey guys, first things first, thank you for all the hard work that you do, especially at times like the draft. My concern in this transaction is the trade rather than the pick. I understand the need for a QB of the future, whether it be in 2020 or in subsequent years. However, do you feel the trade up was necessary to avoid teams between 26 and 30? Do you believe other teams were thinking of trading back into the first round?
My guess is Gutekunst thought someone in the 30s (Indy? Detroit? New England?) had an eye on trading up in front of him for Love, and based on the talks he was having about trading, he knew there were a lot of offers getting tossed around for those spots in the late 20s.
Nathan from Portland, OR
Is there a pick that would have riled up the Inbox more than that?
It's hard to imagine one.
Flip from Minot, ND
Hey II....it's been since AR12's first collarbone incident since I've written in. But all the bad buzz since the pick has me a bit rattled too. Something inside me says that if we were looking for a QB, say in next year's draft, perhaps we don't get a chance to play much college football this year with the pandemic at hand? Perhaps we don't get a chance to go scout as much or don't get a real feel because of no fans? Taking a shot now may have been a step ahead of the competition in scary times.
Gutekunst said the current situation didn't factor into his decision, but I won't discount your thoughts.
Joseph from Salt Lake City, UT
Regardless of our outlook on the pick, it definitely eats at our society's desire for instant gratification...probably good for all of us. Hopefully, though, it does produce the delayed gratification the front office is looking for!
Not that Matt LaFleur would ever shy away from a challenge, but you could argue his task is now larger and more difficult. It's the same one McCarthy faced – try to win another championship with the future Hall of Famer and develop his successor at the same time. McCarthy came awfully close to going 2-for-2.
Sreedharan from Pewaukee, WI
Wes, you cannot do that! You cannot not have "good morning" at the end of your first response. Lots of us depend on that to identify the day's Insider. I was halfway down the list before I realized it could not be Mike.
Prior to the draft, no single subject elicited as much commentary in the Thursday submissions as this one. This crowd never ceases to amaze.
Jeremy from Lethbridge, Canada
I have to say that I'm surprised by Goodell's basement (which he toured on his Twitter). It's not unfinished. But it's also, uh, not luxurious?
Good to know, I guess.
John from Fairbanks, AK
Wow! I did not see that one coming. I expect there will be some angst in the Inbox today. I'll let others ask all the obvious questions. Just tell us what you think about this one. I'll keep watching snow melt and hoping for sports to come back.
I'm not convinced Gutekunst is done trading, and I think he has targets for key players he believes he can get in the second and third rounds or he wouldn't have made the sacrifices he did (immediate help, fourth-round pick) last night.
Les from Las Vegas, NV
Are the IT guys getting incentive bonuses, hazard pay? There ought to be a perk if they are living in a GM's basement or an RV is his driveway.
If Gutey is giving them access to his beer fridge, I'm sure that's enough.
Mark from Iron Mountain, MI
Why no info on the two players signed off the waiver wire?
Because the transactions are not official. But assuming they go through, it's as though the Packers grabbed a couple of guys from last year's undrafted class that will just reduce the size of this year's undrafted class a tad.
Doug from Neenah, WI
You guys probably get asked this every year at this time but what constitutes a "priority" free agent compared to a regular free agent? Thanks for all your creative writings.
The "priority" guys in the undrafted class are the ones a team wants to target first because there are only so many roster spots. They often expect competition for those priorities.
Eric from Green Bay, WI
I'd like to add one more name to the "injured in college but worked out in the NFL" list: Frank Gore. He had major knee concerns coming out of Miami and has been nothing but available and durable his entire NFL career. I know he's the exception and not the rule, but no one could've forecasted his longevity and durability at this level.
Indubitably.
Richard from Madison, WI
Re: the "other guy" question, let me be reader No. 5,722 to point out that the "other guy" on the receiving end of all those passes at Fresno State from can't-miss superstar Derek Carr was this modest, unheralded fella named Davante Adams.
I don't think I'd characterize a player who, in his final college season, caught 131 passes for 1,718 yards and 24 TDs and was a consensus top-60 pick as "unheralded," but several readers chimed in with other responses to the "other guy" query so I'll post a few here.
Ron from Broken Arrow, OK
The answer is another Kansas State situation. In 1978 a scout went to Kansas State to check out linebacker Gary Spani (who was drafted in the third round by Kansas City) and noticed tight end Paul Coffman, who was offered a free-agent contract after the draft by the Packers.
Dave from Folsom, CA
Regarding question about scouting one player and finding another, I believe the UC-Berkley coach went to a CA junior college to watch a tight end and instead found Aaron Rodgers.
Mark from Minneapolis, MN
My version is not Packer-related, but one I'll never forget. I attended an Iowa vs. Penn State game in Iowa City as a 9-year-old, 50-yard-line seats 20 rows up, from a family friend. Several men with clipboards in front of us. EVERYBODY was there to watch Penn State tailback Lydell Mitchell. His "blocking back" was Franco Harris, who never touched the ball that day.
James from De Pere, WI
Good morning gents. Didn't the Packers draft Mark Tauscher after going to Madison to work out Chris McIntosh, who was selected by Seattle in the first round of the 2000 NFL Draft?
Geno, also from De Pere, chimed in that Wolf saw Tauscher playing hacky sack and noticed he had pretty good feet.
Mike from Las Vegas, NV
Who did the Packers select with the second-round pick they received for Javon Walker?
Thompson ended up trading that pick, and then kept trading down time after time with those draft assets. The chain reaction is difficult to reconstruct, but I believe the Walker trade ended up netting Daryn Colledge, Will Blackmon, Ingle Martin, Johnny Jolly and Tyrone Culver.
Stacey from Pardeeville, WI
Certainly a lot to digest. Agree or disagree: Gute's legacy is now categorically tied to Jordan Love?
Without question.
Ian from Sherman Oaks, CA
So is the sky falling? No matter how you slice it, this is going to be a pick that Gutekunst will be remembered for. It's interesting to consider that the last two times Packer GMs made big moves for a QB, they were also widely ridiculed initially. I'll reserve judgment for a later date and hope that this bold move will resemble the others.
All anyone can do in that regard is stay patient. That's not satisfying in the here and now. I get that. This is the biggest wait-and-see pick the Packers have made since Rodgers. Everyone should file his or her emotions and opinions away today and then decide: Do you want to be right or wrong?
Josh from Dublin, Ireland
Taylor Swift still being on the board after the Chiefs picked a RB is a surprise. What was the biggest surprise for you after Round 1?
In addition to Edwards-Helaire being the first running back taken, I was also surprised twice as many cornerbacks were chosen (six) as defensive linemen (three).
Brandon from Huntington Beach, CA
How should we feel right now?
That this draft has just gotten started.
Mike from Las Vegas, NV
How fun was that? Seeing all the GMs' and coaches' homes and the first-round picks reacting at their homes with their families. Well done, NFL. Well done.
I agree it was refreshing.
Joe from Sherman, IL
Will there be a bonus II on Sunday to cover rounds 4-7? Keep it up. Or should I say keep 'er movin'?
Sorry, no bonus II. Wes will write Saturday's column as usual and Monday's column will wrap up the draft. We'll have plenty of time to talk about these picks.
Matt from Chesterfield, MI
Well, I suppose we know what the talking heads will obsess over this offseason. Serenity now!
Yeah, something like that.
Scott from Anchorage, AK
Thinking about the next three days and the NFL coverage to expect; paraphrasing a wise, elder football sage – "The baloney really starts here." Good luck to you guys and hope you do not choke on too many baloney sandwiches in the II.
Whenever the baloney ends this year, it'll sure feel good. Happy Friday.
