Gutey’s Got A Type 
Written by Michael Rodney, 04/22/2020

If the first three girls someone goes out with have long blonde hair, there’s no guarantee that the next girl will also have long blonde hair, but the odds are pretty good. Everybody has a type – be it a high school senior looking for a prom date or an NFL general manager looking for college football players to draft.

Brian Gutekunst has conducted only a pair of drafts as the general manager of the Green Bay Packers, but based on what he did in 2018 and 2019, he does seem to have a specific type on each of the three days. Based on that albeit brief history, we can at least take an educated guess as to which players might interest him over the weekend.

ROUND 1

CB Jaire Alexander (2018)
LB Rashan Gary (2019)
FS Darnell Savage (2019)

All three players Mike Mamula ’d the NFL Combine (hit the link if you need to look it up). They ran faster and/or jumped higher than at least 90 percent of the players at their respective positions. Based on that criteria, here are some of the workout warriors who could be of interest to the Packers late in the first round:

LB Jordyn Brooks (Texas Tech) – He would be a reach at 30, but few linebackers – college or pro – are blessed with a better skill set.

WR Chase Claypool (Notre Dame) – He’d be another reach at 30, but the 240-pounder moved better at the Combine than many of the receivers who weighed 40 pounds less.

OT Ezra Cleveland (Boise State) – His measurables are outstanding, and he looked extremely fluid in the drills.

OT Austin Jackson (USC) – He looked as good as expected in shorts, but his inconsistent play should make him a fringe first-rounder.

QB Jordan Love (Utah State) – He ran 4.7 at 225 pounds, and his passes looked like they were being fired out of a cannon.

WR Denzel Mims (Baylor) – Six-foot-three wide receivers aren’t supposed to run 4.38. He also looked smooth and explosive in the drills.

LB Patrick Queen (LSU) – The 230-pounder moved around in drills better than many of the corners.

RB Jonathan Taylor (Wisconsin) – He looked fast in college, but few people were expecting him to run 4.39 at 226 pounds.

CB A.J. Terrell (Clemson) – He erased his awful performance in the championship game by running 4.42 and looking fluid in drills.

ROUNDS 2 & 3

LB Oren Burks (2018)
CB Josh Jackson (2018)
OL Elgton Jenkins (2019)
TE Jace Sternberger (2019)

If Gutekunst went for the head cheerleader in round 1, he mostly had eyes for the captain of the debate team in rounds 2 and 3. Jackson, Jenkins, and Sternberger didn’t wow anybody at their respective Combines, but all three players enjoyed excellent final seasons in college. Based on that criteria, here are some of the players who could be on Gutekunst’s radar come Friday:

OL Hakeem Adeniji (Kansas) – He wasn’t overly impressive at the Combine, but he’s an experienced and versatile player who could start early.

CB Damon Arnette (Ohio State) – He’s not nearly as talented as ex-teammate and projected top-5 pick Jeff Okudah, but he played very well last season.

OL Tyler Biadacz (Wisconsin) – Badgers O-linemen seldom look all that impressive in March, but they usually get the job done in September.

TE Harrison Bryant (Florida Atlantic) – His 40 was a bit disappointing (4.73), but he’s a smooth and savvy route runner who’s built for today’s NFL.

CB Cameron Dantzler (Mississippi State) – He’s a big corner with fairly fluid hips who might slip to day 3 because of a slow 40 (4.6).

DL Raekwon Davis (Alabama) – He didn’t show much explosiveness in drills, but that’s not his game. Stuffing the run is what he does best.

WR Bryan Edwards (South Carolina) – He looked like Geronimo Allison in comparison to Mims, but he might wind up being the better pro.

DL Leki Fotu (Utah) – He looks like the Pillsbury Doughboy, but he’s extremely strong in the lower body. He’s tough to move in the run game.

QB Jake Fromm (Georgia) – Sandwiched between Love and Jacob Eason, his passes sometimes looked like a Phil Niekro knuckleball.

RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire (LSU) – Small and not that fast (mid 4.5s) is usually a lethal combination, but this guy just makes plays.

LB Malik Harrison (Ohio State) – He didn’t look like a special athlete at the Combine, but he looked like a special player at times last season.

OL Jonah Jackson (Ohio State) – He’s not big or particularly athletic, but a lot of more talented defensive tackles couldn’t beat him last season.

WR Van Jefferson (Florida) – He’s an average athlete with a limited ceiling, but he’s a polished receiver who’ll be a solid No. 2/3 in the NFL.

TE Cole Kmet (Notre Dame) – He showed decent athleticism at the Combine, but his physicality is what makes him the top tight end in the draft.

DL James Lynch (Baylor) – He looks like a sixth-round pick in shorts, but he could go late on day 2 because his tape is so impressive.

WR Michael Pittman (USC) – He looked like a tortoise compared to some of the other wide receivers, but he’s going to be a good pro.

WR Laviska Shenault (Colorado) – He ran a disappointing 40 (4.58) that will probably knock him out of round 1. That’ll make him a steal on day 2.

SS Geno Stone (Iowa) – Like so many former Iowa players, he’s a lot more impressive in the fall than he is in the spring.

ILB Justin Strnad (Wake Forest) – His 40 time was disappointing (4.74), but he looked more athletic than many of the linebackers who ran faster.

DE Curtis Weaver (Boise State) – If Rashan Gary produced like this guy in college, he would’ve been the first or second pick in last year’s draft.

ROUNDS 4-7

LB Kendall Donnerson (2018)
DE Kingsley Keke (2019)
CB Ka’dar Hollman (2019)
DE James Looney (2018)
OL Cole Madison (2018)
WR J’Mon Moore (2018)
WR Equanimeous St. Brown (2018)
LB Ty Summers (2019)
WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling (2018)
RB Dexter Williams (2019)

Of the 10 offensive and defensive players selected on day 3, eight ran 40s that were faster than the average at their positions. In fact, most ran times that were much faster. Moore and Williams were the exceptions.

Based on that criteria, here are some very speedy players who could find themselves Packers by the end of Saturday:

LB Shaun Bradley (Temple/4.51)
LB Carter Coughlin (Minnesota/4.57)
DT Carlos Davis (Nebraska/4.82)
DT Khalil Davis (Nebraska/4.75)
CB Javaris Davis (Auburn/4.39)
OT Jack Driscoll (Auburn/5.02)
RB Antonio Gibson (Memphis/4.39)
CB Javelin Guidry (Utah/4.29)
CB Madre Harper (Southern Illinois/4.42)
WR John Hightower (Boise State/4.43)
OL Kyle Hinton (Washburn/4.88)
TE Bryson Hopkins (Purdue/4.66)
LB Tanner Muse (Clemson/4.41)
OG Danny Pinter (Ball State/4.91)
CB Troy Pride Jr. (Notre Dame/4.40)
WR Joe Reed (Virginia/4.47)
LB Davion Taylor (Colorado/4.39)
DE Jonah Williams (Weber State/4.67)

Michael Rodney wrote: