Alright, it's been over 24 hours since the loss and the divisional round is over. Time to stop with the moping bullshit and look to next season. To paraphrase Bill Belichick, "We're on to the Draft." With the Bills losing to the Chiefs, our 1st-3rd round picks are locked in.
In addition, Over the Cap
projects the Packers with 3 comp picks, one each in the 5th, 6th and 7th rounds.
Going off of this, GB will have a whopping 11 picks. With four Day 2 picks and six Day 3 picks, GB will have lots of picks to address holes on the roster which begs the question, "what positions does GB need to address?"
Defense
1. Safety: with only Johnson Jr signed through next season, the safety room could see a total makeover. Savage despite flashes hasnt lived up to his 1st round draft status. Ford quietly had a quality season that should merit discussion of bringing him back but the salary cap might complicate this.
2. Corner Back: At this point, GB should operate under the assumption that Stokes will not return to rookie form. It sucks for Stokes but beyond Alexander this group was wanting this season. Valentine was a nice find in the 7th but teams were able to target him during the season. Adding a high end body to the room couldn't hurt.
3. Dline: Gutey struck gold with Brooks in the 6th last year and Slaton provided solid run defense. After that things get murky. After a solid camp Wooden faded away during the season. Wyatt generated loads of pressures on pass defense and penetration on run defense but failed to finish often. Lastly, Clark's contract ends after the 2024 season. At age 28, GB might extend Clark to keep him around and to provide instant cap relief but Gute might look for a replacement this year.
4. ILB: Quay matured this year mentally but his game didn't take a large leap forward (though under a possible new defensive coordinator there's enough to give hope he can). After a dark horse All Pro year in 2021, Campbell hasnt lived up to his contract. McDuffie plays with his hair on fire and is a solid complementary piece while Wilson is a ST ace. Moving from Campbell and adding a 1-2 year athletic project might be a move.
5. Edge: a position that the team has invested heavily in recent years. Gary isnt going anywhere while Van Ness looked like he was beginning to find his feet at the end of the year. Despite getting up in age Preston played well enough that the team might need to pause on moving on from him in the off season. Enagbare provided solid rotation+ST snaps before suffering a late post season injury in Dallas while Cox remains a tantalizing prospect. This position could go up in priority if Preston is cut and/or they think Enagbares injury will be a slow recovery.
Offense:
1. QB....I kid I kid!
1. Interior offensive line: I'm cheating here by lumping together the OG and C positions. Jenkins, after a sluggish start, started to look like his preinjury self. On the other hand, Runyans contract is up, Newman has underwhelmed after a solid rookie season and inconsistency from Myers, this area could use an injection of talent. Does the team believe that Rhyan can take a step and become the starting RG? If so than drafting a C high could happen. If not, Myers might stick around with a new RG.
2. RB: Dillons contract is up and he's been a disappointment after a solid 2021 season and Jones is almost a dinosaur in RB years but still played at an elite level when healthy. Jones has a decent cap hit but could be back. If so, GB needs to draft a complementary piece. Jones works best when given 15-18 touches a game with another back that can give 10-12 quality carries. Behind Jones and Dillon are Taylor and Wilson, two players that have some nice traits but not something to lean on.
3. A TE that can play the H-Back role: GB has seemingly found a lethal combo in Musgrave and Kraft and a intriguing piece in Sims. What the team lacks is a mauling blocker that can lineup in the backfield. Its not a coincidence that the team played better once Deguara saw his snaps cut in favor of Kraft. Rodgers repeatedly scourned him his last two years here, the coaching staff lost faith in him this year and Love, who often looked his way in previous playing time in 2021 and 2022, rarely gave him targets this year. Throw in hit and miss blocking and Deguaras spot is in jeopardy.
4. OT: After Bakhtiari went down with an injury, Walker was immediately plugged in after a solid preseason. Walker struggled to the point that he split snaps with Nijman. However, Walker upped his game and looked like a legitimate OT guarding the blindside. On the other side, ZT was the most consistent player on the offensive line and played at an All-Pro level at RT. The two took some lumps vs San Fransisco but as 2nd year players there's still room to grow. This combined eith the team potentially moving on from Bakhtiari and Nijman, there is a need for a swing OT.
5. WR: After the cupboard being bare at the beginning of last year, this unit saw a dramatic turnaround this year. Despite injuries Watson proved to be an electric weapon that can wreck havoc and demand attention from a defense. Doubs proved solid route running, steady hands and a red zone targets. Rookies Reed and Wicks came on like gangbusters. Reed for his ability to line up anywhere and make plays while Wicks repeatedly beat opposing DBs at the line to create separation. Heath relished his spot as a goon/blocking WR and Melton proved to be a nice downfield target. That said, if a talented WR is at the top of the board in the 2nd or 3rd round, Gute shouldn't be afraid to pull the trigger especially to fortify the position against Watsons hamstring issues.
What say you?
Originally Posted by: Mucky Tundra