Ted Thompson vs Brian Gutekunst usage of 4th round picks so far, couldn't be more different. This is probably going to seem stupid, and it's completely the wrong time of the year, but I finally have some free time, so I'm looking up the information and ranting now, about the different uses of 4th round selections.

Ted Thompson used 4th round selection as among the top groups, and while he sure wasn't perfect (who is?) he used the 4th round selections to add quality depth to the roster, selecting guys that would stick around and help be clue for this team, selecting guys like LB Poppinga, CB Blackmon, G Sitton, G Lang, CB House, DT Daniels, OT Bakhtiari, IOL Tretter (pretty good starter with the Browns), ILB Jake Ryan (pretty good until injuries), ILB Martinez, DL Lowry, RB Williams


Some of these, such as G Sitton and DL Daniels were 4th round compensation selections, were we lost a FA and got a draft selection. In fact, the Packers MIGHT be getting a 4th round comp pick this coming year for Martinez (we might of gotten one for Bulaga as well, but playing % is a part of the formula, and injuries knocked Bulaga's playing percent down to about half, so he's comp selection will probably be a 5th instead). The Martinez comp pick would mean a second 4th round pick, which MIGHT mean Gute will actually select in the 4th round for once (don't bet on it).

Since 2018 (Gute's 3 years) Gute has had control of 5 different 4th round picks (Packers own 3 selections, plus comp pick for Lang and trading of Haha to Washington)... only 1 of those 5 picks have been used to trade a Packers player, WR J'Mon Moore, would can move like WR Davante Adams but couldn't catch a cold if you do a surprise ice bucket challenge in dead of winter and lock him outside.

The other four 4th round were used to trade up (one for ILB Burks, two for S Savage and one for QB Love). Burks (like Moore) had great movement for his size but had horrible flaws out outside of that. Savage's makes sense, as he's great potential and it was known the Raiders were looking for a Safety (who grabbed SS Johnathan Abram). The Love selection will always be a bit of a mystery, because pre-draft rumors said the Colts were looking up, but post draft one reports said they weren't looking trade up and there might not of been any teams looking to trade up and grab Love except the Packers, so Packers might of loss a 4th to grab a player sooner they could have waited for. Packers original 4th round pick was used by the Lions to select DT Da'Shawn Hand whom might of been starting next to Clark instead of Clark.


I'm just saying, it'd be nice to actual use those 4th rounder to find some mid-round steals which Thompson seemed to keep doing over and over, such as like G Sitton, G Lang, DT Daniels, OT Bakhtiari, IOL Tretter, or ILB Martinez. As Savage shows, it is worth trading up at times, but as Thompson shows, sometimes it's nice finding great steals and having more chances in the mid-draft as well. Rant over.

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I heard a quote today that I believe to be very true. Mark Schlereth was telling a story about Joe Gibbs. Gibbs said athletes win you the first three quarters of a game, but character players win the game in the fourth quarter. The character player was (assuming here) someone who lives and bleeds football. If you want an example of that, I would say the late Kevin Greene is the epitome of this.

Regarding 4th round picks. I really struggle to find all the hoopla over draft selections and where players were selected. All these guys can play, but can be they coached at the next level? If you give any good teacher 22 coachable players, you're going to win a shit ton of games. Football is the truest of true when it comes to being a team sport. You get all those guys on the same page, they will dominate. Look at the Packers 2014 OL. It was a bunch of parts, but together they formed a dominate OL because of their health and togetherness.

Probably separate topic, but people who say they'd draft Tom Brady in the first round are fools. You know he wasn't gonna go until 199th, so wouldn't you use your 5th round pick to get him? Why burn up a 1st round pick on a guy you can get for a 5th? This is a strategy a lot of GM's will use. It is also why kids are labeled a BUST before they even play two seasons in the NFL. There are expectations unfairly and unjustly placed onto them.

That being said -- I'm with Ron Wolf on this mantra. If you like a guy, (e.g. Brett Favre) you do whatever you need to (trade 1st round pick) to get them.

Of the players listed. Mike Daniels was easily the most over rated 4th round pick listed. That guy was a great talker and fooled a lot of people who didn't watch him play. The only ones in the 4th round that were listed that were really good were the OL. Poppinga, Blackmon, House, Lowry, Williams were players who can't win too much if they are in the top 25 of your 53. Martinez is someone I liked, but I'm bias because I just liked how he came to work, did his business and that was it. He didn't do a little dance every time the RB he was mistakenly trying to cover dropped the ball.

I would like the Packers to have more success with guys drafted in the top 100. I also think GM's outsmart themselves. They'll have a guy graded 3rd round top 16, but all projections show he's gonna be undrafted or won't be drafted until 5th round so they pass on them. Stories like this come out after the GM or someone on the staff has retired and who knows if it is true. Knowing how confident (or arrogant) GM's can be, I tend to believe it to hold truth.

But I really feel that Joe Gibbs quote fits our roster quite true. We have a ton of athletes and it seems we start off dominate. Also, if we get punched in the mouth, we don't have the character players to show resolve and fight back.

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You can rant if you want to. Personally I believe you have to look at the entire work including UDFAs, trades and FAs of a GM not isolate one particular round.
As far as Gute, it's entirely too early to judge him.
Looking at the draft in particular most draft picks don't pan out no matter which round they are selected in.
As to comparing Ted and Gute, Overall Ted's first round picks were nothing to brag about. Gute has had more success so far.
You may not understand why Gute traded up to take Love but there is no way of knowing if another team would have taken him before GBs pick. You also don't know if Packer fans will be glad they got him 5 years from now.

I prefer to wait for the facts are in before ranting.

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I believe to have a good team you need the right balance between quality and quantity of players... and Gute has been fairly good at quality, but the team is lacking in quantity in a number of areas.

That's where Thompson did well filling in with the 4th rounders... not sure what Zero has against Daniels, but those linemen were pretty good pickups in the 4th.

Just to be clear, I don't think one method fits all, and you should adjust each draft year strategy to that specific draft year... but so far Gute clearly hasn't picked well in what used to be a stronger selection area for the Packers

And I think we can all agree that Burks so far hasn't been worth a 3rd much less a 3rd and 4th...

And while I'm sure some will disagree, I think you can question a draft move before you know how said player will turn out,.for example, I extremely question the Bears trading up for Mitch Trubisky as it happened... and Bears fans wish they got one.of the next two QBs. With QB Love, we don't know how he'll be, but the next QB following him is looking pretty good so far, and as far as we know, no one was looking into trading up for a QB in the late 1st, despite reporters looking into afterwards and teams normally being open to what's happened after the draft happens, with some flufff to the guys they selected.

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