Donna from Darien, WI
Pretty good impression of Larry there, Wes.
I'd like to thank the Academy. It earned me a one-day switch with Spoff. Good morning!
Dan from Mauston, WI
How does one write about "what will actually happen" when (as with most things in the future) nobody knows?
I don't know, but it doesn't stop 'em from asking.
Steve from Middletown, KY
Speaking just offensively, is it true most playmakers are found in the earlier rounds? Besides the few elite big men, is it easier to find a gem for a big man in the later rounds or finding a gem at QB, RB, WR or TE?
I'd say finding a gem at a skill position is easier in the later rounds than a big man. As Ted Thompson used to say, the good Lord put only so many athletic big people on this planet. A great example this year is Michigan's Rashan Gary. A day after he says he's the best player in this draft, the 6-foot-5, 277-pound defensive lineman runs a 4.61. Most linemen just don't move like that. You gotta get them early.
Alvin from Livingston, MT
If we don't pick that Hockenson kid from Iowa with our first pick, I'm going to be upset. The kid is a beast. Please. Tell the higher ups I said to do this.
Going into next month's draft, I could easily see the fan base being split on T.J. Hockenson and Noah Fant. What a great year for the Hawkeyes.
Noah from Green Bay, WI
Of the two Iowa TEs, which one would be a better fit with the Packers and why? Is it realistic for one of them to end up here?
As recently as last week I was writing about how Hockenson was the darling and Fant was the "other" guy. Hockenson is still the better in-line prospect, but Fant's combine has everyone's attention. He wants to be the first tight end taken and did everything to help his case.
Jeff from Cedarburg, WI
"And finally, stop calling me Murph." I have to say Insiders, I'm so impressed with the leadership of the organization. Mark Murphy is a very sharp guy, makes smart decisions and speaks to them well. Gute is off to a great start at GM and they both made a confident hire in another seemingly sharp one, LaFleur. We'll see what happens, but this team has no reason to not believe in the direction they are headed. My question is, if Tonyan can develop into a stud, will they draft a TE?
Even if the Packers are very high on Tonyan (and they are, by all accounts), I still think it's worth drafting another young tight end to develop.
Ron from Frackville, PA
Just wondering, how long have they had the combine? I don't remember it back in the '60s or '70s. GPG
The first National Invitation Camp happened in 1982.
Courtney from Butte, MT
Do teams ever draft players just to keep them off the rosters of other teams?
Only if they like the player. Picks are too valuable to take a player just so another team can't. If that's the case (and there's nobody on the board a team wants at that spot), then trade the pick to a team in the market for a player at that position.
Austin from Manassas, VA
What's the ideal outcome for this offseason? I want to see us pick up one or even two safeties and OL help in FA. Load up on pass rushers in the draft. Re-sign Breeland. Everything else is icing on the cake.
Personally, I'm more interested in finding the next Robert Woods, a guy with upside at a palatable price, than signing the top free agent on the market. While the Patriots succeeded in netting Stephon Gilmore a few years ago, they've built championship teams with mid-level acquisitions like Lawrence Guy, Kyle Vanden Bosch and Cordarrelle Patterson, too.
Todd from Brighton, MI
NFLN claims there are 32 defensive players worthy of first-round selection. What have you heard? Hype? Stay humble guys.
It doesn't surprise me. There are at least a dozen worthy defensive linemen/outside linebackers.
Bruce from Green Bay, WI
What would be the better advantage(s) for Green Bay: playing a fullback that can catch passes or playing a tight end at the fullback position that can block? To me it seems playing a tight end would be the better advantage. He would give AR a bigger target to pass to and a bigger body to block with.
A fullback who catches passes for two reasons. I think Kyle Juszczyk is one of the league's best-kept secrets. He's versatile and dynamic as a pass catcher. I also feel it's better to have a 6-foot fullback who can get underneath blockers coming out of the backfield than deploying a 6-3 tight end at H-back. You win with leverage and fullbacks do it better than anyone.
Chris from Loat Hills, CA
If you had to build an entire team using players from only one position group, what position would you choose?
Wide receiver.
Florian from Kronach, Germany
Imagine you are the HC and can pick from two players at the same position. The first one is totally addicted to Green Bay and has been dreaming of playing for the Pack from the first day. The second one has slightly higher skills, but does not really identify with the city and is just here to be paid for his work. Your choice.
I'm going to go with Option B for one reason – Charles Woodson. Green Bay was just a job for him at first. Over the next seven years, it became something much more.
John from Hartford, WI
The Packers are now on the clock. When other teams propose trading picks, how is that executed? Phone calls? Email inbox that they choose to accept/deny? Just curious as I'm assuming it's total chaos in the draft room. Thanks.
The phone lines are always running.
Markus from Aurora, CO
What impressed you the most at the combine? What disappointed you the most?
D.K. Metcalf was already the top receiver on the board, but his 4.33 40 puts him in the land of the elite for a man his size. The biggest disappointment was not seeing Kyler Murray work out. I get it. It's a big risk for a guy who's universally considered to be the top QB in this class, but I still hoped to see him go through drills.
Dave from Janesville, WI
If Kyler Murray had measured 5-9 15/16 instead of 5-10, how far would he have likely dropped in the draft?
It's a quarterback league. If someone really, really wants him, they'll validate taking him wherever they're picking.
Photos of PK, ST, OL & RB prospects working out at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Friday, March 1, 2019.
Dan from Prescott, AZ
Kyler Murray, first pick? Good for Pack, bad for AZ.
Very good. As Brian Gutekunst said last year – the more first-round QBs on the board, the better for the Packers with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback.
Eddie from La Crosse, WI
I see that Montez, the OLB from Mississippi State, ran a 4.42 without breaking a ... umm ... without even perspiring. Pretty good for a guy who has always been told, "Never let them see you..."
That young man earned himself some money on Sunday.
Cliff from Granville Centre, Nova Scotia
So 300 college players are invited to the combine, and there are (32x8=) 224 draft picks, including the 32 compensatory ones. Given that there are a number of players drafted who aren't invited to the combine, what percentage of the 300 don't get drafted? What percentage of the rest don't get signed on as an undrafted free agent?
I don't have exact numbers, but my guesstimate would be maybe 35-40 players don't get drafted. Tony Brown was one of those players last year.
John from Denver, CO
What does Kyler Fackrell's contract situation look like and what is his ceiling if he gets paired with a healthy, dominant counterpart on the other side?
Fackrell is under contract for one more season. Last year was big for the former third-round pick, but Fackrell knows he has to do it again in 2019. I think he could benefit from a speed threat on the other side of the line.
Marin from West Lawn, PA
Should a player have a mediocre combine, are coaches and scouts willing to look beyond this performance if the player showed a consistent and steady performance during his college playing days?
Absolutely. You take it all into consideration. If a team wrote off Micah Hyde because of his 40 time in 2013, it missed out on a safety who easily would be a first-rounder in a re-draft. The draft process is a series of tests spread across three months. Bad days happen. Teams have to determine whether it's a just bad day or a bigger red flag.
Curt from Spirit Lake, IA
Larry McCarren mentioned the long history of drafting Iowa Hawkeyes and the dollars being well spent in the players as well as character that you get. What players stand out in this draft that have great character to go along with being a potentially great player?
Christian Wilkins jumped off the podium to me Saturday. Not only is he one of the top prospects in this year's class, the Clemson defensive lineman also earned his bachelor's degree in communications in 2½ years. Scouts have unanimously praised his personality. He was a lot of fun to listen to.
Josh from Winfield, IL
I'm just excited to watch Davante burn more of the best corners in the NFL again this year. His cuts are unlike anything I've ever seen from a Green Bay receiver.
They're pretty spectacular.
Dan from Waupun, WI
Good morning Insider Inbox, guys. They measure QB hands, do they also measure WR hands?
They measure punter hands.
Drew from Croton-on-Hudson, NY
We always see height and weight listings for players, but shouldn't percent body fat always be considered along with weight? Is that an important measurement at the combine, or do teams rely more on "eye test" and film study to decide how much muscle goes along with the weight?
Now, that's gettin' kinda personal, isn't it? I kid, but I'm not familiar with body fat being a part of the combine measurements – unless the player wants to put it out there.
Robert from Vancouver, WA
Watching the combine this weekend got me thinking how these guys prepare. The question is, are there firms that train these guys? If so, who? Then how do the players afford them being college students? Do the agents front the money? Tell me more about this process.
Most agencies set players up and cover the cost of training. Late-rounders and undrafted free agents sometimes have to pay for it entirely themselves. In other cases, agents will front the money and then take those costs out of the player's first contract.
Steve from Granger, IN
I really hope we go after both Jadeveon Clowney and Le'Veon Bell in FA. I think both would provide the immediate veteran impact we desperately need. Then, grab a ferocious edge rusher for our first-round pick...possibly moving up and going after Bosa, if the price is not too high. Do you think Brian Gutekunst is looking at these kind of FA signings or is this financially unrealistic in your opinions? Thanks guys!
I want a new car…and a sauna…and new 64-inch HD TV…and maybe a new fence for my backyard. If the price is not too high, I'd also like a seven-day, six-night vacation in the Maldives…and a cruise to Barbados.
Sam from Madison, WI
Just curious...do the scuffles in the food line at the combine derive from senior media members stealing the lunches of their younger counterparts?
Let's just say when the young scribes see Spoff coming, they move to the other line.
Gordy from Plymouth, WI
Wes, I'm a little disappointed in you. The fan from London was asking you how would an expansion team begin acquiring coaches/players and you dismissed it by saying you didn't think expansion was in the cards, which I agree with, but the fan was asking to have it explained to him, which you could easily have done to help him understand.
I don't do second-level hypotheticals. Sorry.
Richard from Racine, WI
What is the highest-round pick the Packers have made that the player made a significant contribution to the team or even made a Pro Bowl?
Once upon a time, there was a quarterback named Bryan Bartlett Starr. For a 17th-rounder, he was pretty decent.
James from Durango, CO
Insiders, I think we have a slogan for next season, "Stop calling me Murph!"
I see your "Stop calling me Murph!" and raise you a "Stop calling me Biff!"
Keith from Normal, IL
Hello guys, I'm curious to know what you had at Steak 'n Shake. Hope it was super tasty.
I'm a sucker for a banana milkshake. Delicious. Well, we have to get this show back on the road to Green Bay. Thanks for following the coverage this past week. There's much more coming this week. Have a great Monday, folks.