BONUS: All NFL Draft, All The Time, Plus a lot of Packers Content
Green Bay got Tom Shea’s worst draft grade, and Nicholas Stanziale has some thoughts on their quarterback controversy too.
Goldman’s note: It’s the first all-guest edition of A View Off a Ledge. I think it’s slightly ironic that it’s coming out on a Monday, when the last time I edited late on a Sunday to put out a Monday edition of anything I worked for some newspaper almost exactly a year ago. Guess it took me a year to be willing to work on a Sunday again.
Tom Shea bats leadoff with NFL draft grades, then Nicholas Stanziale will provide some context on the Aaron Rodgers story in his debut column.
I know I promised this thing would come out on Friday but hey, I guess I really just wanted to embrace my roots so welcome to the first Monday edition of A View Off a Ledge, subscribe, tell your friends and whatnot, stay safe. I’m taking the week off so we’ll see you again a week from Thursday unless something insane happens.
Let’s get started.
SHEA: Rounds 1-5 Draft Grades (Spoiler: The Packers Don’t Do Well)
By Tom Shea
Round 1
5 stars
Redskins: Chase Young, DE – Got the best player in the draft at number 2. The Skins are loaded on the edge now on the edge now with Young, Montez Sweat and Ryan Kerrigan. A great building block for Riverboat to work with.
Lions: Jeff Okudah, CB – Shutdown corners aren’t what they used to be thanks to offensive schemes being more versatile now than ever. But Okudah’s a stud, on par with Jalen Ramsey a few years back. Okudah Matata is the perfect panacea for Detroit’s 27th ranked pass defense.
Panthers: Derrick Brown, DT – Fantastic value at number 7, and a critical addition to a woeful run defense that ranked dead last in the league in opponent yards per carry. One of the best picks of the draft.
Cardinals: Isaiah Simmons, S – Kliff seems to have the offense figured out, now Simmons gives him great skill and versatility on the other side of the ball. A huge get for the 28th ranked pass defense.
4 stars
Bengals: Joe Burrow, QB – He and Tua will inevitably be compared into the ground. One way or the other, Cincy desperately needed new blood. Skyline Joe had the best college season ever, but can he build on it? His arm strength is fine but not great, but his accuracy is undeniably deadly.
Chargers: Justin Herbert, QB; Kenneth Murray, LB – Herbert epitomizes meh. Though the Bolts certainly needed a QB, he’s a pretty uninspiring pick at number 6. But Murray was one of the steals of the draft at 23, so a 3-star and 5-star pick make a 4-star round.
Browns: Jedrick Wills, OT – A clear win for the Brownies: They fill their biggest need with a blindside tackle for Baker Mayfield and get adequate value in the process. We may finally see what that offense can do.
Buccaneers: Tristan Wirfs, OT – Speaking of the Browns, the Bucs needed to avoid a 2019 Browns situation—where they had a bunch of shiny new toys but no protection up front. Wirfs should cure them of any such ills.
Broncos: Jerry Jeudy, WR – The ’Cos get a guy at number 15 who was top 5 on some big boards while also filling one of their biggest needs. They also did well to get Drew Lock some more help.
Vikings: Justin Jefferson, WR; Jeff Gladney, CB – The Vikes get their Stefon Diggs and Xavier Rhodes replacements at decent spots. A rare scenario where a winning team has 2 1sts.
Ravens: Patrick Queen, LB – like Denver, the Ravens filled a big need at a reasonable spot. They finally get their C.J. Mosely replacement to help a meager run defense.
3 stars
Giants: Andrew Thomas, OT – It’s a fine selection considering Danny Dimes sorely needs protection. But the value at number 4’s ok at best. Thomas! might be the best tackle in the draft, but he’s not head-and-shoulders above the guys who went closer to the mid-1st round. It could mean Nate Solder’s on the move.
Dolphins: Tua Tagovailoa, QB; Austin Jackson, OT; Noah Igbinoghene, CB – Tua alone would be a 5-star pick, as he’d be neck and neck with Burrow if not for a hip injury that seems to be ok. But Jackson and Igbinoghene were reaches at their respective spots. While o-line was certainly a need, It’s possible Jackson would’ve been there at number 30.
Jets: Mekhi Becton, OT – This pick gets 3 stars instead of 4 because Becton was lower than Wills and Wirfs on most big boards. He’s got more upside than those two, but he’ll have to prove he can hold up at his weight.
49ers: Javon Kinlaw, DT; Brandon Aiyuk, WR – The Niners get a budget DeForest Buckner. Personally I think Jeudy or Ceedee Lamb would’ve been a steal at that spot while still filling a need, but they addressed that with Aiyuk later on.
Falcons: A.J. Terrell, CB – He was a slight reach based on the big boards, but the secondary was so far and away their biggest need that it justifies 3 stars. If Keanu Neal can stay healthy it’ll go a long way, too.
Cowboys: Ceedee Lamb, WR – A case where the gluttony of the pick and the obscene best-available-ness cancel out. Maybe this pigeonholes them into trading Michael Gallup, but if not, the ’Boys have the best WR trio in the league hands down.
Eagles: Jalen Reaghor, WR – Basically the same as Atlanta, not great value but fills a massive need. He’ll be a nice reprieve from Nelson Agholor’s fine china hands.
2 stars
Jaguars: C.J. Henderson, CB; K’Lavon Chaisson, LB – Henderson was a bit of a reach at number 9, though he makes sense as a Jalen Ramsey replacement. Chaisson gives them some skill on the edge in case Yannick Ngakoue walks, but he was even more of a reach at number 20. The defense should have a bounce-back year, but does the ’Shew have enough to work with?
Raiders: Henry Ruggs, WR; Damon Arnette, CB – I’m lower on Ruggs than most, but regardless of how you feel about him there’s no way he should go ahead of Jeudy and Lamb. Arnette was an even worse reach, though he also fills a need.
Titans: Isaiah Wilson, OT – The Titey Whiteys got their Jack Conklin replacement, but they reached pretty far to do it. A tradedown would’ve made more sense here.
Saints: Cesar Ruiz, C – I’m not anti-Ruiz per se, though the value wasn’t great. But the Saints are a team with relatively few needs and probably could’ve afforded to go best available. For example, Patrick Queen would’ve been a rock on that defense.
1 star
Packers: Jordan Love, QB – “But this worked for us 15 years ago!” It’s an unjustifiable pick for the 4th best QB when the current one is 36. Tee Higgins would’ve looked pretty good at that spot, or basically anyone else.
Seahawks: Jordyn Brooks, LB – Not quite as egregious as the Love pick, but Brooks was a massive reach on every big board and doesn’t even necessarily fill a need. Hell, Brooks wasn’t even the best inside linebacker on the board.
Chiefs: Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB – I’m in the camp that there’s no such thing as a luxury pick, even when you’re the defending champs. Clyde will be great for them, but the whole point of Andy Reid’s system is that even players like Damien Williams can be great. Nowadays it’s cliché to shit in RBs, but this is a poor allocation of resources.
Round 2
5 stars
Giants: Xavier McKinney, S – Dingus Dave did well here. McKinney should’ve been a first round pick, and he was easily the second best safety behind Simmons. The 29th ranked pass defense gets some great assistance.
Cowboys: Trevon Diggs, CB – a bargain in the latter half of the round and fills a huge need with Byron Jones out the door. They’ll face significantly better QBs than they did last year—make no mistake, Diggs will be called upon. With their first three picks, Big D got some of the best overall value out of anyone. They could be the comeback team of the year.
Bills: A.J. Epenesa, DE – The hellacious Hawkeye got some first round grades. The Bills D is great, but they were missing a piece up front, and Epenesa should fill that hole. Considering their first rounder got them Diggs, they’re one of the clear-cut winners of the draft.
Browns: Grant Delpit, S – Greedy gets his buddy! And the Browns fill another huge need with the 15th ranked overall player on Pro Football Focus. This is a stacked team on paper—we’ll see if coach Stefanski can finally get the most out of them.
Titans: Kristian Fulton, CB – Good recovery here after a weak first round pick. Music City gets the number 12 PFF guy. At worst he’ll be an awesome nickel back. More optimistically, he could push Malcolm Butler out the door next year.
4 stars
Jaguars: Laviska Shenault, WR – Fantastic pick. Shenault could’ve gone first round, and he provides the ’Shew with a worthy number two target behind D.J. Chark. It’s been too long since the Jags have had a prominent receiving corps [Editor’s Note: They’ve never had a prominent receiving corps].
Buccaneers: Antoine Winfield Jr., S – Brings great pedigree to an improved but still developing Bucs secondary. The front 7 has some monsters with Ndomukong Suh, Vita Vea, Jason Pierre Paul, Devin White, and Lavonte David. If Junior stabilizes the back end and Tom Brady takes care of the ball, the Bucs will be a handful.
Jets: Denzel Mims, WR – Mims also could’ve gone in the mid-second round area, and the Jets got him while trading back. With all due respect to Jamison Crowder, but none to Quincy Enunwa, Mims is arguably their best WR right away.
Vikings: Ezra Cleveland, OT – Decent value at number 59 and fills another big need opposite Riley Reiff. For an offense that relies on play action to open things up, it’s important that the “hog mollies” up front perform.
Chiefs: Willie Gay, LB – Like the Titans, the Chiefs turned it around from round 1. Gay not only grades well by the big boards but he gives their defense the potential quarterback they haven’t really had since Derrick Johnson.
3 stars
Bengals: Tee Higgins, WR – The diluted version of the Cowboys Ceedee pick where it’s decent value on the guy, but they didn’t necessarily need him. That could change, however, if A.J. Green decides to walk. Either way, Higgins is a nice piece for Burrow to have, even if he doesn’t get a ton of looks right away.
Patriots: Kyle Dugger, S – Nothing too crazy about this one, other than Lenoir-Rhyne which is no more real to me than the school from Accepted. While not a huge need he’s a solid second rounder and should be featured in some nickel packages.
Panthers: Yetur Gross-Matos, DE; Jeremy Chinn, S – I’m a bit conflicted on the value with YGM (not expecting that to stick). PFF ranked him just 68thon their board, but CBS, WalterFootball, and DraftTek all have him in the top 25. Either way it further solidifies a front seven that desperately needed reinforcements. Chin’s nothing special, but it’s pick 64 so it’s basically a third rounder anyway. And for what it’s worth, ESPN projects him to start.
Texans: Ross Blalock, DT – Solid pick. The defense needs all the help it can get, especially the d-line since J.J. Watt can’t be relied upon to stay healthy. He won’t be barreling over Quinton Nelson anytime soon, but he’s a nice prospect.
Bears: Cole Kmet, TE – Cole World’s a bit of a reach based on the big boards, but it’s a critical position for the Bears to fill. Either Mitch or Big Dick Nick Foles will need a reliable tight end. Trey Burton was a nice flash in the pan but he’s been ransacked by injury.
Broncos: K.J. Hamler, WR – Perhaps gilding the lily a bit—I would’ve gone with Ezra Cleveland instead, but it’s not the worst pick ever. Hamler’s a solid prospect, and this receiving core now looks pretty good. With Noah Fant going over the middle, Lock now has everything he needs in a receiving corps.
Seahawks: Darrell Taylor, DE – The value is just ok, but the Hawks did well to fill their biggest need: an edge rusher. We’re far removed from the Legion of Boom days, as the defense has become this team’s Achilles Heel.
Rams: Cam Akers, RB – See, I don’t hate every RB pick! The Rams didn’t get one of the big 2 RBs, but they couldn’t go into the year with just Darrell Henderson. Akers should be the lead back, but Henderson will be involved too.
2 stars
Colts: Michael Pittman Jr., WR; Jonathan Taylor, RB – Pittman gets a 3. Laviska Shenault’s a superior prospect, but perhaps Indianapolis was turned off by the injury concerns—they’ve certainly had their share of those. But Taylor makes no sense: Marlon Mack is already great, and their o-line could make current-day, 45 year-old Duce Staley look great. Taylor also has a ton of tread on the tires already after 926 college carries. Maybe he becomes a stud in the future, but the Colts window is theoretically open right now with Rivers at the helm.
Steelers: Chase Claypool, WR – I like Claypool as a prospect, but not the fit. He falls into a cluster of hopeful number two WRs with Diontae Johnson and James Washington. He’ll help in red zone sets, but they just signed Eric Ebron for that. Maybe he’s a long-term replacement if they don’t resign JuJu Smith-Schuster, but, like the Colts, the Steelers contention window is open right now.
Ravens: J.K. Dobbins, RB – My logic here is similar to the Chiefs taking Clyde Edwards-Helaire in round one, but I give it a 2 star instead of a one since the value’s better at 55. Mark Ingram is 30 now, but he’s still signed at a relatively cheap number for two more years, which is how much longer Lamar has on his rookie deal. Their moves should be catered towards capitalizing on that window, not on a spot that won’t be available in earnest until 2022.
1 star
Lions: D’Andre Swift, RB – another case of a team ignoring greater concerns. Swift should be a good receiving complement to Kerryon Johnson, but it comes at the expense of a defense that can’t stop anyone and an offensive line that’s gotten Matt Stafford destroyed.
Eagles: Jalen Hurts, QB – Packers take Jordan Love, Eagles: hold my beer, or something like that. I don’t mean to dump on Hurts, who could be a Jacoby Brissett type guy down the road. But the two Jakes, Eason and Fromm, lasted until Day 3 and would’ve been way better value. I get that Wentz is unreliable, but this certainly wasn’t the pick to address that.
Dolphins: Robert Hunt, G – If you’re gonna reach for a position, guard’s not the one to do it with, even if he is the top guy. With the exception of QB and maybe LT, a rebuilding team like Miami shouldn’t be gunning for any 1 position, anyway. Like a fish outta water, this is a flop.
Packers: A.J. Dillon, RB – Aaron Jones proved he could be a 3-down back and an effective one, but apparently that meant nothing. It’s not even a Swift situation where Dillon’s a receiving complement—he’s not. Through two rounds the Pack are the clear-cut losers. [Editor’s Note: Can’t wait for BC people to trash me for Tom’s take, just so excited to hear how much this pisses people off.]
Rounds 3 through 5
5 stars
Cardinals: Josh Jones, OT; Leki Fotu, DT; Rashard Lawrence, DT – As exciting as the offense was last year, Arizona still needed a tackle across from D.J. Humphries going into the draft. PFF ranked Jones 14th overall on its board, and the Cards got him with the 72nd pick. Meanwhile, Fotu and Lawrence help shore up a shoddy d-line.
Saints: Zack Baun, LB; Adam Trautman, TE
It took us until Day 2 to get our drug-test related heist of the draft, and the Saints got it in Baun. So he doesn’t beat me up, I’ll clarify that he didn’t actually fail a test, but got flagged for a diluted sample. Trautman’s a luxury pick, but one of the best tight ends in the draft. Picking him gives New Orleans flexibility to run some 2 TE sets with Jared Cook.
Panthers: Troy Pride, CB – The ’Thers had a huge hole across from Donte Jackson. Pride is not only ranked well above where he was selected (pick 113) on all the big boards, but he’s got upside to boot, as PFF highlights his natural ability for man coverage. He should play a role right away.
4 Stars
Bengals: Logan Wilson, LB; Akeeme Davis-Gaither, LB – Like Pride, Davis-Gaither was also a steal with great natural ability. Wilson was a bit weak in terms of value, but he’s another piece for that woeful defense. A 5 star and a 3 star make a 4.
Lions: Julian Okwara, LB; Jonah Jackson, G; Logan Stenberg, G – The Lions made up for their second round faux pas well here. Okwara and Jackson were good value pickups early in the third round, and Stenberg’s not bad in the fourth. The latter two might add a couple years to Stafford’s lifespan.
Ravens: Justin Madubuike, DT; Devin Duvernay, WR; Malik Harrison, LB; Tyre Phillips, G; Ben Bredeson, G – Madubuike was one of the better picks of the third round—they made up for picking Dobbins in the second. He helps fill the void left by Michael Pierce. Duvernay gives them a sorely needed second receiver behind Hollywood Brown. Harrison and Bredeson are nice adds as well. Phillips was the only questionable one, as he didn’t even show up on some of the big boards.
Rams: Terrell Lewis, LB; Terrell Burgess, S; Brycen Hopkins, TE – Rams got a nice pair of Terrell’s, probably the best pair of Terrell’s ever drafted. It was important for them to cash in on these picks after selling their souls for the dream team that never was. Hopkins could form a nice TE tandem with Tyler Higbee.
Vikings: Cameron Dantzler, CB; D.J. Wonnum, DE; James Lynch, DT; Troy Dye, LB – the Vikings crushed this draft. Dantzler, Lynch and Dye cover all 3 units of defense and were all picked well below their projected slots. Only Wonnum prevents this from being a 5, as I struggled to even find him on big boards.
Eagles: Davion Taylor, LB; K’Von Wallace, S; Jack Driscoll, G – Job well done, Birds. Taylor has explosiveness and could take pressure off that secondary, though he’s mostly upside at this point. Wallace is great value and brings championship experience. Driscoll’s a steal in the late fourth round, too.
Chargers: Joshua Kelley, UCLA – There it is: my highest RB grade. Austin Ekeler, as great as he is, isn’t an every-down back. The 220 pound Kelley gives them the thunder and lightning duo they thought they had with Melvin Gordon last year.
3 Stars
Jets: Ashtyn Davis, S; Jabari Zuniga, DE; La’Mical Perine, RB; James Morgan, QB; Cameron Clark, OT – Busy busy! Davis makes a great complement to Jamal Adams and could ultimately replace him. Zuniga and Perine are more projects than anything. Morgan’s a nice add for a team that got exposed without a competent backup QB last year, though it’s worth wondering if they got the right guy. Clark’s a solid fourth rounder and gives the line further depth.
Jaguars: DaVon Hamilton, DT; Ben Bartch, OT; Josiah Scott, CB; Shaquille Quarterman, LB – Hamilton’s a very nice pick, as the front 7 had just about everything, with the exception of a nose tackle. Bartch was a steal in the fourth round and should help out the ’Shew next year. Scott is ok, but the big boards have Quarterman as a reach.
Buccaneers: Ke’Shawn Vaughn, RB – I like them going RB here, but why not Zack Moss? He’s superior both statistically and in pre-draft rankings. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt that they know more than me: the ultimate keyboard warrior. But that bumps them down from a 4 star grade to a 3.
Cowboys: Neville Gallimore, DT; Reggie Robinson, CB; Tyler Biadasz, C – Gallimore was like Lamb, and not just because they’re both Oklahoma guys: great value, but not necessarily needed. Robinson was a reach in the fourth, but the saving grace here is Biadasz, who could fill in for a former Sconnie center who played for the Boys: Travis Frederick.
Bills: Zack Moss, RB; Gabriel Davis, WR – Moss is solid value and insurance for Devin Singletary, who was great as a rookie but still needs to prove he can be an every down back. Davis gives them the perfunctory third receiver to deploy with Diggs and John Brown.
Browns: Jordan Elliott, DT; Jacob Phillips, LB; Harrison Bryant, TE – Elliott was rated number 23 overall by PFF, and the Browns had a hole up front—that’s a 5-star pick. But Harrison was a reach and Bryant was unnecessary with Austin Hooper and David Njoku on the roster, so the grade has been knocked down a couple pegs.
Chiefs: Lucas Niang, OT; L’Jarius Sneed, S – Both solid, if unspectacular, picks. Niang allows them to breathe a sigh of relief should Eric Fisher or Mitchell Schwartz go down. Sneed’s a converted corner and could be a nice complement to the Honey Badger’s Wildman style. Giants: Matt Peart, OT; Darnay Holmes, CB – Decent prospects, though New York already grabbed a tackle and a corner. Maybe it’s to light a fire under Thomas and McKinney, but they could’ve filled a couple of their various and sundry needs instead.
2 Stars
Redskins: Antonio Gibson, WR; Saahdiq Charles, OT – Gibson was questionable at best. He’s got good speed, but it didn’t translate to production at Memphis. And Charles by all accounts was a reach in the fourth round. Not great reinforcements after hitting a home run with Chase Young.
Seahawks: Damien Lewis, G; Colby Parkinson, TE; DeeJay Dallas, RB – Lewis isn’t a bad pick, but the other two are puzzling. There’s no need for Parkinson with Will Dissly and now Greg Olsen on the roster. Dallas doesn’t really have a spot either with Chris Carson and Rashad Penny.
Broncos: Michael Ojemudia, CB; Lloyd Cushenberry, C; McTelvin Agim, DT; Albert Okwuegbunam, TE – Pretty poor effort after starting off the draft strong. Ojemudia helps out the secondary but he should’ve gone later. Agim and Albert are not only reaches but also don’t really fill needs. Cushenberry saves this from being a 1 star grade.
Falcons: Matt Hennessy, C; Mykwal Walker,LB; Jaylinn Hawkins, S – Hennessy’s a decent pick, but he won’t help them until next year when Alex Mack walks. Walker and Hawkins are pretty brutal reaches. Like Denver, the center saved them from the lowest grade possible.
Raiders: Lynn Bowden, WR; Bryan Edwards, WR; Tanner Muse, LB; John Simpson, G; Amik Robertson, CB – Five picks here and I’m not sure any of them are good. Bowden’s ceiling is Percy Harvin—that’s not saying a ton. Edwards is fine but not great value where he went. Muse and Simpson were reaches. Robertson might actually be the best out of all these guys since he could contribute right away as a slot defender.
Colts: Julian Blackmon, S; Jacob Eason, QB – Blackmon’s a reach, though they did need a defensive back. Eason’s great value in the fourth round and could ultimately be Rivers’ successor, but that doesn’t help a team with hopes of contending in 2020.
Patriots: Anernee Jennings, LB; Devin Asiasi, TE; Dalton Keene, TE – We all know what happened the last time the Pats took 2 TEs! (Warning: not fact checked). Problem is they passed on Trautman, Hunter Bryant (who oddly enough went undrafted), and Hopkins both times they sent their picks in—all of whom were more highly rated on all the big boards. Could be a case of Belichik feeling himself. Jennings was slightly overdrafted, but he’s a high floor low ceiling guy who could help them right away. Credit them for addressing a need, but not great picks overall.
Steelers: Alex Highsmith, LB; Anthony McFarland, RB; Kevin Dotson – The guys themselves are fine, save McFarland who’s shown flashes but has just 1648 college yards to his name. But they just don’t help the team this year, which is imperative with Ben only having maybe a year or two left. Highsmith could replace Bud Dupree next year, and Dotson will keep Stephen Wisnewski honest, but those’re the best-case scenarios.
1 Star
Dolphins: Brandon Jones, S; Solomon Kindley, G – They somehow screwed the pooch again. All the big boards cite Jones as a massive reach. Kindley’s alright, but did they really need yet another guard?
Texans: Jonathan Greenard, LB; Charlie Heck, OT; John Reid, CB – Three strikes you’re out! These guys fill up meager depth charts, but they were all drafted well before they should’ve been and thus shouldn’t be expected to contribute much, if anything.
Titans: Darrynton Evans, RB – You might be thinking “nice pick, Titans needed a backup for Henry.” WRONG! Devonta Freeman, Carlos Hyde, Lesean McCoy and Lamar Miller are all still free agents. Any one of them could’ve been signed as insurance without using the pick. Evans, despite some nice college numbers, doesn’t even rate that highly in the pre-draft rankings. He’s not a receiving back who will complement Henry like Dion Lewis did.
Packers: Josiah Deguara, TE – A glorified halfback. I thought we were done with this. Just when you think Miami’s running away with the LVP award, a franchise that knows better gives it a run for its money.
Final Grades:
1) Carolina Panthers: 13 Stars
T2) Minnesota Vikings: 12 Stars
T2) Cleveland Browns: 12 Stars
T4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 11 Stars
T4) Dallas Cowboys: 11 Stars
T4) Cincinnati Bengals: 11 Stars
T4) New York Giants: 11 Stars
T8) Arizona Cardinals: 10 Stars (only two picks, both five stars)
T8) Baltimore Ravens: 10 Stars
T8) Detroit Lions: 10 Stars
T8) New York Jets: 10 Stars
T12) Denver Broncos: 9 Stars
T12) Jacksonville Jaguars: 9 Stars
T14) Los Angeles Chargers: 8 Stars
T14) Buffalo Bills: 8 Stars
T14) Tennessee Titans: 8 Stars
T14) Philadelphia Eagles: 8 Stars
T14) Kansas City Chiefs: 8 Stars
T19) New Orleans Saints: 7 Stars
T19) Los Angeles Rams: 7 Stars
T19) Washington Redskins: 7 Stars
22) Seattle Seahawks: 6 Stars
T23) Atlanta Falcons: 5 Stars
T23) New England Patriots: 5 Stars
T23) Miami Dolphins: 5 Stars
T26) Houston Texans: 4 Stars
T26) Pittsburgh Steelers: 4 Stars
T26) Indianapolis Colts: 4 Stars
T26) Las Vegas Raiders: 4 Stars
T30) San Francisco 49ers: 3 Stars (only 1 pick in first 5 rounds)
T30) Chicago Bears: 3 Stars (Ditto)
32) Green Bay Packers: 3 Stars
Tom Shea, known to his friends as Thomas!, is, admittedly, a bit of a charlatan. He is brilliantly able to conceal his spoiled Steelers and Penguins fandom under the guise that his Pirates anguish makes him relatable to the masses. You can find him on Twitter @TomShea5ft11. No description can prepare you for that experience.
STANZIALE: Aaron Rodgers vs. The Green Bay Packers
By Nicholas Stanziale
In the middle of a national emergency and global pandemic, a town populated with just over 100,000 residents is receiving more media attention than the largest cities within the United States. The reason that is the case is simple: The Green Bay Packers decided to use their first-round selection in the 2020 NFL Draft on quarterback Jordan Love.
To Aaron Rodgers’ displeasure, they did not use that selection on one of the deepest wide receiving draft classes in the history of the league. A year removed from a 13–3 season and only a few months removed from being 60 minutes away from a Super Bowl appearance, Packers General Manager Brian Gutenkunst and his front office told Rodgers and the rest of the Packers roster that they simply weren’t good enough to invest in the now.
With questions circling on if the 2020 season will actually be played, the bigger question within Packerland is what’s going on?
Rodgers has been adamant his entire career about finishing with the organization that took him under similar circumstances, to Brett Favre’s chagrin, in 2005. He’s also been vocal about playing well into his forties (he’s 36 now).
“Seeing some of my favorite players growing up finishing up now or have finished up in the last two or three years—the Derek Jeter’s, the Kobe Bryant’s, the Tim Duncan’s—doing it their entire career in one place, that makes things pretty special,” Rodgers said during training camp in 2017.
With this being true, many—including myself—cannot understand the head scratching move made late on draft night by the Packers front office. While many compare this to the Brett Favre situation, let’s get one thing clear here: things are different this time.
When the Packers drafted Rodgers in 2005, he was arguably the top-rated quarterback in his draft class, everyone thought his favorite team growing up (the San Francisco 49ers) would select him with the first pick of the draft, yet he somehow fell to 24.
While Love wasn’t even a top 3 quarterback prospect in his class and wasn’t expected to go early, the Packers still jumped four teams—that didn’t need a quarterback—to get the man that led the FBS in interceptions last season.
The tone Rodgers has struck regarding his future in Green Bay strikes a marked contrast with how his predecessor, Favre, was discussing his future before Rodgers arrived in Wisconsin: He’d been threatening retirement for the previous two to three offseasons.
Most importantly, though, is how the team performed just prior to the Green Bay’s front offices’ decision to add Rodgers in the first round: The 2004 Packers got demolished in the wild card round—it was apparent that team was not making a deep run anytime soon. Meanwhile, the 2019 Packers were—potentially—a run stopper away from a berth in the Super Bowl. The 2019 NFC Championship game proved two things for the Packers: They needed another weapon for Rodgers and they needed a big run stopper on the defensive side of the ball to pair with Kenny Clark.
Somehow, the Packers didn’t draft any of those positional needs. Instead, in the top 3 rounds, they took Love, Boston College running back A.J. Dillon, and Cincinnati fullback/tight end hybrid Josiah Deguara.
Let me remind everyone that the Packers main rusher, Aaron Jones, was tied for total touchdowns in the 2019 season with Christian McCaffrey, who just got a $39 million-plus guaranteed extension from the Carolina Panthers.
Although I do not believe this was a “power-hungry” move by Gutenkunst and head coach Matt LaFleur, I do believe that they messed up this draft, big time.
While I get the thought process of going after Love, it’s just too early. Rodgers has four years left on his current deal—Love’s rookie deal will be expiring at the same time. If the Packers let Rodgers finish his contract out, and boy, they better, Love will have sat for four years—one more than Rodgers did—and the Pack will have to renew his deal.
With the media in a frenzy right now and opinions coming from all angles, there is only one certainty in Green Bay: The Packers will not trade or cut Rodgers these next two years. I cannot make a valid argument that they won’t do it two years from now, but I can assure the entire world that they won’t these next two seasons.
If the Packers were to cut or trade the 36-year-old before the 2021 season, they would accrue around $51 million in dead cap space. No team in any sport in their right mind would take on that kind of dead cap space under any circumstances. Now, if they were to do it after the 2021 season, they would save roughly $20 million, according to Spotrac’s data.
Although the drama and hysteria is at an all-time high, Rodgers isn’t going anywhere for at least the next two years.
That drama and hysteria hasn’t subsided—perhaps because Favre came out to the public and told the world that he believes Rodgers won’t finish his career with Green Bay, and that Rodgers is, “let’s just say surprised by the move to take Love.”
Favre obviously still holds some resentment towards the Packers for what happened from 2005-2007, but who’s to say that Rodgers won’t welcome Love, with…well…love.
If there’s one person who knows what it’s like to be treated like s—t as a rookie, it’s Rodgers, and I truly do not believe that he is going to walk into the locker room and treat Love the way Favre treated him.
Favre also said he believes that Rodgers doesn’t owe anything to Love—that it’s not his job to mentor him. This is all similar to what he said in 2005—something along the lines of, “I don’t owe Aaron Rodgers anything. … Nowhere in my contract does it say that I have to get Aaron Rodgers ready to play.”
Favre is wrong.
Sure, it’s not written in Rodgers contract that he has to get any quarterback sitting behind him ready to play football, but if Rodgers truly cared for the Packers organization and about winning, he would help Love get ready. If Rodgers goes down, Love is coming in, and if Rodgers wants a shot at one more ring, he needs all the wins he can get.
He won’t get those wins if Love isn’t ready to go.
Rodgers’ previous comments indicate that not only does he truly care about the Packers, he also has lots of affection for the Packers organization—he must care about the long-term success of the franchise, and whether people like it or not, Love is the future of this franchise. Maybe Favre is right—it’s not Rodgers’ “job” to get the rookie ready—but it’s certainly in his best interests to do so.
And, for everyone—cough cough Marcus Spears and Stephen A. Smith—who believes Rodgers should demand a trade, they are massively mistaken. The Packers have one bad draft and people have jumped down their throats, making outlandish claims that the Packers haven’t done anything in Rodgers’ career to help him.
Yes, the Packers haven’t really helped the guy out that much when it comes to the defensive side of the ball. But this organization has given Rodgers everything and more when it comes to his weapons and protection. He had phenomenal pass catchers and weapons at the start of his career, including Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, Jermichael Finley, Ryan Grant and James Jones. Green Bay then brought in newer weapons that played a huge factor later on in Rodgers’ career as well—Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Devante Adams, Jared Cook, and, most recently, Aaron Jones.
Rodgers has even had consistent offensive line play from the day he was named the starter in 2008: Chad Clifton, Scott Wells, T.J. Lang, Bryan Bulaga, and Josh Sitton. Those guys lasted a long time, and when their careers in Green Bay were coming to an end, the Packers brought in new and talented pass protectors to keep Rodgers upright: David Bahktiari and Corey Linsley.
If all that isn’t enough for people who proclaim that the Packers have given Rodgers nothing, the organization even brought in veterans to play up front for a season at times, like Jeff Saturday and Jahri Evans.
Given all that, I don’t quite get the narrative that the Packers haven’t given him “offensive” help. Hell, the organization even brought in guys like Jimmy Graham and Martellus Bennett to sure up Rodgers’ receiving corps. Yeah, they busted, but it’s not like Ted Thompson and Gutenskunst have sat on their asses the past 15 years and said to themselves, “you know what, let’s not help Aaron out.”
All of what’s going on in cheese land just seems like a circus, but let’s get the facts straight.
The Packers defense looked it’s best in years last season. The entire team only lost two big names in Bulaga and Blake Martinez—and no offense to Martinez, but he’s not all that great. If/when the 2020 season kicks off, the Green Bay will have another offseason invested in the new LaFleur offense and new toys will be there to help the head coach both run the ball more and better utilize play-action.
But, most importantly, Aaron Rodgers is going to have a chip on his shoulder that hasn’t been there since he won the Super Bowl in 2011. The rest of the NFL better be worried, because Rodgers is going to come out firing.
Nicholas Stanziale is a student at Marist College and a prospective broadcaster and journalist. He lives and dies by sports, especially by how the Green Bay Packers, New York Yankees, New Jersey Devils, and Villanova Basketball are doing.
Jack Goldman is the publisher of this here newsletter and an independent reporter who in his spare time goes to Boston College. This week, he was mostly the editor of this newsletter. You shouldn’t follow him on Twitter @the_manofgold and you definitely shouldn’t hit that button down there and subscribe to A View Off a Ledge.
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