May 6, 2025 • 31 mins
Mike and Wes return from their offseason break to discuss Green Bay hosting the draft (1:32) and to catch up on how the Packers' roster has changed for 2025, particularly at offensive line (5:14), wide receiver (10:32), defensive line (18:52) and cornerback (26:04).
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
Hi, everybody. Welcome back to Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com.
I am Mike Spuffer, joined as always by my trusted
colleague Wes Hodkoitz. Coming to you here from our studios
at lambeau Field. Back on the air West Packers Unscripted
as back, and this is a somewhat historic episode of sorts.
And I will let you explain what I mean by that.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Well. First and foremost, big thank you to our producer
behind the cameras here, Craig Schilbauer, our noble leader who
is stepping in because Matt Arvin effectually known as Arvin Marvin,
I should say mo name right. Matt was with us
for the first nine seasons of Packers Unscripted in some
shape or form. Obviously, Zach Budd did a tremendous job
(00:54):
this past year as our producer as well. Matt moved
on to a new phase of his life, going back
home to Michigan. We miss him dearly here at lambeau Field.
We press on without him, but Michael, you and I
ten seasons now of Packers on SCRIPTA going in. We're
not with Marv, but he is with us in spirit.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
He absolutely is. And we'll have to get his critique
of his boss. Craig's a first producer run at our
fancy little show here. But boy, we have a lot
to talk about, a lot of ground to cover because
we did take a bit longer break than we normally do.
But before we dive into everything that's been going on
(01:35):
in the off season here, I just have to get
your thoughts because it really was a to this point,
once in a lifetime and hopefully not much more than
a once in a generation type of thing. But green
Bay hosting the NFL Draft. All I'll say to start
off is that I think everything about it exceeded the
(01:58):
expectations that anyone could have had. It was absolutely tremendous.
It was phenomenal in every respect, not only for the
local team, but for the entire production. I like to
call it now the NFL's traveling road show. I mean,
that really is what the NFL Draft is. And I
thought the city of Green Bay, the fans, and everybody
(02:20):
in this organization outside this organization that was involved in
it absolutely hit it out of the park.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Mike, you and I could fill an entire episode of
Packers unscripted. Just giving kudos to the men and women
of this organization, discover Green Bay, everybody in the community
that made this thing happen. In my wildest dreams, Michael,
I don't think I could have envisioned a scenario in
which the NFL Draft would have been any better than
what we had in Green Bay. Certainly, there were the
(02:45):
theatrics on the stage. Two Packer players end up walking,
two future Packers end up walking across that stage and
embracing Roger Goodell. But the alumni that were involved, just
the amount of people, six hundred thousand people over the
three days, blowing the roof off of what the expectations
were in terms of how many folks were going to
be coming out here. I was chatting with people. I'll
(03:07):
never forget this. On Thursday afternoon, I was eating my
lunch inside a little common you know, promenade area, our
little commissary if you will, okay, and people were coming
up to me saying, Mandy, do you think folks will
show up? Like? What is this going to be like?
Is it going to look empty? Because you have the
title town, the lambeau Field, the Rest Center campus, And
I remember within hours of looking out at that same
(03:29):
area as that sea of people is out there in
the draft theater and in the general missionary behind it.
I could not have thought of a better experience. My
son was able to come down and check it out
a little bit. So many tremendous people involved in it,
and I didn't want to jinx it over the three days,
but I remember talking with our VP of security, Doug Collins,
(03:50):
a huge credit to him and his staff for everything
they did, and telling him I'm like, I could not
have envisioned this going off any better than it did,
and hopefully we will see it here on someday.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
That shot, the panoramic overhead type shot, if you will,
of the stage, the crowd on the Lambeufield Grounds, whether
you're shooting it with the stadium in the background or
with the stage as the background, whichever angle that shot
is going to, that picture will go down as an
(04:21):
iconic image in the history of this city and in
the history of the state, quite frankly, the entire state
of Wisconsin.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
It was.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
It was absolutely tremendous. But we have so much Packers
football to talk about. There is so much that has
happened since we last signed off free agency the draft.
Here's what I want to do. I think this is
the this is the best way to break it down here,
the boss get it to try to get it into
one show here, and then we'll see where our shows
(04:50):
the rest of the spring go from there. But when
you look at what happened with the Packers in free
agency and in the draft combined, for me, it breaks
down down into four position groups looking extremely different compared
to where the Packers were at the end of last season.
(05:10):
Two positions on offense, two positions on defense. So I
want to start on the offensive side because to me,
those two positions are wide receiver and offensive line. I'll
let you choose which one you want to go with first,
but I think those are the two position groups on
the offensive side of the ball that are undergoing the
(05:30):
most transition here as the Packers go from twenty twenty
four into twenty twenty.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Five one thousand percent, And realistically, when you look at quarterback,
running back, tight end, it's pretty much the same outlook
at all those positions. So it's sort of this dichotomy
between some pretty draft drastic shifts and pretty much business
as usual. Packers at the time in which we're taping
this haven't even added another quarterback to that room since
the end of the season, So be that as it may.
(05:54):
I will take over with the offensive line here. And
the main reason I'll do that is I felt like
this was the first Domino that really fit well with
the Packers offseason in how the thing's set up for them.
In the draft, ye, Aaron Banks is signed. He's brought
in left guard from the San Francisco forty nine ers,
big bruising, mauling type guard. That shift though, ends up
moving Elton Jenkins to center as Josh Myers now goes
(06:17):
and signs with the New York Jets. So a huge
seismic change that I remember being. We were talking about
this at the NFL owners meetings and there were some
rumblings about could Elton be moving to center? And Brian
Goudikuntz and Matt Lafour both said when we were down
at West Palm Beach, they feel like he can be
an all pro there and he's been a two time
Pro Bowl left guard, a selfless guy, a guy that
(06:39):
has done everything the Packers have asked of him throughout
these first six years that he's been in Green Bay. Well,
now he's going to make this move back to center,
where he was an All SEC type player there at
Mississippi State before he got drafted by the Packers in
the second round. Then you have Aaron Banks, and I
just I'm thinking in my head about what this interior
line could look like because it is you know, Sean
(07:01):
Ryan or Jordan Morgan are now Anthony Belton who was
added the Packers' interior. That line is going to be
about as big as I can ever recall height and
mass wise. I mean, these are big, big dudes that
are gonna be clogging up the middle of that area
and trying to, you know, create some space there for
Josh Shacobs. So deeper, stronger, and more athletic. I think
is sort of the overall feel of this group now
(07:23):
that Belton's been added in the second round and the
Packers got really fortunate last year, Michael and that they
didn't have a huge injury on the offensive line up
until Elton in the playoffs in that game against Philadelphia.
Other than just Jordan Morgan's shoulder issues, most of that
line started together all season. Other than I think Josh
Myers missed one game with a wrist, so you can't
(07:45):
always count on that so whether it's the competition that's
going to push that group forward for the starting five
in training camp or the guys who might step up
if somebody does go down, I think Brian Goodikutz has
done a really good job of fortifying that group and
giving Matt Lefluor and that coaching staff a lot of options.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
Yeah, and we'll have to see. A second round pick
was invested in Anthony Belton, as you mentioned, massive three
hundred and thirty five pound offensive tackle from NC State.
We'll see probably when we get to OTAs where exactly
the Packers are going to begin his NFL journey and
where he'll be competing to crack the lineup, whether that
(08:22):
be at tackle or guard. They feel really good about
his ability to play tackle or guard on either side
of the line of scrimmage. The other piece of offensive
line news that we got this offseason is both Brian
Gudukunst and Matt Lefuur have mentioned that Jordan Morgan, last
year's first round draft pick whose rookie season unfortunately was
(08:44):
cut short by the shoulder injury which required surgery, and
he's been in the recovery process there by all accounts
going well, but he not only will be competing with
Sean Ryan at right guard, which is where he started,
which is where he began his NFL journey last year
as that rookie first round pick, but he's also going
(09:05):
to be competing with Rashid Walker at left tackle. So
Rashid Walker entering a contract year, he'll be a fourth
year player this year, a previous seventh round pick who
has stepped in at left tackle and done a yeoman's job,
as they say, with not only in the run game,
but protecting Jordan Love's blindside. But now last year's first
(09:26):
round pick is going to be competing with Walker at
left tackle. So with Belton in the mix, and then
Morgan maybe competing at left tackle or right guard, it's
going to be interesting to see just where things are
at the start of training camp, when the pads go on,
but then also where training camp finishes and when the
Packers are really getting ready for that Week one lineup
(09:47):
in September.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
For sure, and they obviously we've seen it with Jenkins,
You've seen it with Zach Tom There's versatility, there's guys
you can move around depending on how injuries shake out.
But realistically, I think one of the things that Packers
got really fourtune with last year is that Rashid Walker
did get through the whole season fine, you know, starting
all those games and being available, but it isn't always
going to work out that way. And you saw what
(10:08):
happened with David Bakhtiari when he had his injury and
the in the knee that just kind of kept lingering
and lingering and lingering. You need to have a plan
be available to them. So not only is Morgan gonna
be a guy that pushes Walker for that job, but
as Walker enters the last year of his rookie contract,
Tom at this point entering the last year of his
rookie contract, it's things that Packers have to keep an
eye on too as far as the future is concerned
(10:28):
with both Morgan and Belton potentially being involved with those
positions as well.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
Yeah, well at the wide receiver position. The other one
to discuss here on offense, it's, uh, we we've sat
here over the years many many times during the spring
during the summer talking about wide receiver competitions and it's
a it's an annual rite of passage in Green Bay
(10:53):
that that there is always competition in that room. But
I'm telling you, Wes, I don't know if the com
petition is going to be any fiercer than it will
be this summer. Because while the Packers will be waiting
for later in the fall when Christian Watson comes back
from his knee rehab, which by all accounts so far
(11:13):
is going well, and that's all good to hear, but
you've got Jaden Reid, Romeo Dobbs, Dantavian Wicks coming back.
The Packers have added a first round pick in Matthew Golden,
a third round pick in Savion Williams to that mix.
You've also you're also returning Bow Melton and Malie Heath,
guys who have you know, They've had their ups and
(11:35):
downs in terms of practice, squad, active roster, but we've
seen them play and contribute to Matt Lafleur's offense, and
they've caught passes from Jordan Love in some big situations.
And then Mkole Hardman was added from Kansas City as
a free agent wide receiver possible return man. You know,
we'll see how that sorts itself out. But wow, I mean,
(11:58):
the the collection of guys there with the potential. I
guess you'd call it the trading deadline acquisition. Down the
road of Christian Watson re entering that room when he
gets healthy. This wide receiver position is going to be
something to watch right from day one of OTA is
quite frankly.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
Yeah, and I'm sure Jason Vrabel is a kid in
the candy stop right with all these guys, and obviously
Ryan Mahaffey in that room too, and so many guys
you can develop out of this. And certainly you know,
first and foremost you have Dobbs, you have read obviously
as you mentioned, you know Melton wicks Heath, all these
(12:37):
guys are still young, They're still developing and still looking
for those breakout type years. But being able to put
in a first round pick the first time in twenty
three years the Packers have drafted a receiver in the
first round. Some would be with Golden's just prodigious speed,
a guy that is not just four to nine fast,
but also ran the fastest ten yards split. I mean,
(12:57):
this guy's quick as well. Yeah, at his size, being
able to master the rout tree. And I think the
thing that has impressed me the most, Mike, and you
and I have continually talked about this in the weeks
after the draft here. But this is a guy that
challenged himself. He was at Houston, he goes to Texas
and his stats get even better. This is a guy
that came on really strong for the Longhorns the second
half of last season because nothing was given to him
(13:19):
early on. As soon as he made that transfer. That
was a team that was competing for a national championship.
They already had a lot of talent on that roster
before he got there. And then, saveon Williams, you and
I saw him at the rookie mini camp and the
Packers they weren't throwing passes, we weren't running elaborate routes.
But this guy six four six, two hundred and twenty pounds.
(13:40):
The comment was made on the sideline amongst the reporters.
I mean, he is a grown man, and when you
still run in the four fours at that size, and
certainly there's some some wrinkles to iron out a little
bit with his game. There were some drops and things
like that at TCU, but all around, I mean, you
look at what the horn Frogs did. They wanted to
feed him the football, however, they needed to get into him.
(14:02):
The guy threw a pass last season. I mean, this
is a playmaker. And when you're looking at guys from
that level of football and you have these type of
programs building and tailoring their offenses around them, it shows
you that the raw talent is there and for Matt
Lafleur and that coaching staff to be able to develop
this and build game plans around it. I think the
(14:24):
most dangerous thing about this offense, and we said it
last year, but it's still true, is that on any
given down, you don't know which three or four receivers
you're going to see and how they could be utilized,
and that is a ultimate weapon for an offense. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
A couple of things that I'll say about the guys,
the two draft picks being added to the mix, Saveon Williams.
You mentioned the six four, two twenty, And when we
got our first chance to talk to the draft picks
in person on last Friday during the rookie mini camp,
I was in the group of reporters that that was
around Saveon Williams, and I was basically standing right next
(14:59):
to him, and it sort of hit me that it's like, boy,
I mean, not that Jordi Nelson was a small guy.
Not that James Jones was a small guy, but standing
next to a wide receiver who's six four two twenty,
it's like, Okay, this is a different type of football
player here. This is a different type of offensive weapon
than what the Packers normally bring in. And I think
(15:22):
in a lot of ways, the same can be said
for Matthew Golden, because, as Matt Lafleur said after the draft,
you can't coach four two nine, right, I mean, that's
just that's what he has, that's what he brings to
the table. But the really interesting thing too with Golden
is that that Texas team was bringing in two fairly
highly touted transfer receivers from the portal for twenty twenty four.
(15:46):
It was Matthew Golden coming from Houston and it was
Isaiah Bond. I believe is the name coming from Alabama? Well,
Houston or Alabama. Which guy is going to get more
attention coming in from the transfer portal? It's the guy
from Alabama, right. But eventually who was the guy who
became the number one target for the Texas Longhorns. It
(16:07):
was Matthew Golden. His production, the stats, the numbers, all
of that bore that out, So a lot of excitement
obviously about what both of those guys can bring to
the table. Two receivers we've seen Brian Goodakunz double up
at positions in the draft before, but two very very
different receivers in different offensive weapons being thrown into the
mix here.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
And if you want to, I'm not saying you have to,
but one member of the Packers media corps did say
that Matthew Golden was going to be the pick.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
I know I was gonna. I was gonna let you
brag about yourself. You called it, you called it, he
was your pick. But first time in well, first time
in twenty three years, the Packers drafted receiver in the
first round.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
First time in twelve years.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
That you've been correct because I actually called, although I
have to say I was wrong because the Packers ended
up taking him in the second round. But I called
the Christian Watson pick a few years ago. The Packers
ended up getting him at the top of the second
round rather than taking him with one of their first
one of their two first round picks that year. But
(17:14):
that was the receiver that I actually pegged, and I
got it right, even though it was in the second round.
But congrats to you on nailing the Golden No.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
And be serious about that though for a second. The
reason why is that the more you learn about this guy,
and we've gotten a chance to talk to him now
a couple of times, and reading his backstory and where
he comes from in Houston, where it is you know,
he's from that area of Texas. He stayed home when
he originally went played at Houston for two years.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
Went to TCU on a visit and savee On Williams
was the was the player who was hosting him on
his recruiting visit. Ultimately didn't choose TCU, but he goes
back a little ways with Savian.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
Small football world. But I mean, this kid has a
lot of motivation, uh in Golden and being able to
see him and obviously he's talked about wanted to get
his grandmother's house back something. It sounds like those wheels
have already started turning. It's been abandoned since it was
taken away from his family, So that's something they should
be able to work out. But then also just you know,
(18:11):
he wears two for his grandma, and you know, listening
to his stories about his mother and then those two
kind of raising him. It gives you a lot of
reason to pull for this young man. And certainly once
you see him on the field, I mean, this guy's different,
and I think Packer fans are going to see that.
Speaker 1 (18:26):
Yeah, well, we do need to move on to the
defensive side of the ball, and we'll do so right
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(18:49):
Cousin Subs fifty plus years of better. All right, defensive
side the two positions obviously that are gonna look different
here in twenty twenty five, the defensive line and cornerback
for Green Bay might as well start on the defensive line.
And this is sort of the thing I've been throwing
it out there, whether it's an inbox or some other
(19:11):
radio shows I've been on. To me, the most interesting thing,
because I know there's been all the talk about the
pass rush, because yes, the Packers finished eighth in sacks
last year, but the pass rush wasn't good enough against
the Vikings and the Lions and the Eagles when they
needed it. There was all this inconsistency, which Brian Gudukuns
and Matt Lefluur have acknowledged. So there's been all this
focus on what are the Packers going to do about
(19:32):
their pass rush going into twenty twenty five. To me,
the larger question, or the next question after that, is
can the Packers improve the consistency and the reliability of
the pass rush without sacrificing the run defense because the
run defense had its highest league ranking in fifteen years
(19:53):
for the Packers last year since two thousand and nine
when Dom Capers was in his first year as coordinator.
Jeff Haffley's first year as coordinator, the Packers run defense
was one of the top six or seven in the league.
So you need to do something about the pass rush,
which they spent fourth and fifth round draft picks and
sixth round and a sixth round draft pick for that matter.
(20:16):
But can you change things up and get some more
improvement and reliability and everything there with the pass rush
without sacrificing the run defense. I think that's the question
that lingers.
Speaker 2 (20:27):
That's the number one thing the Packers have to do,
and they also have to do it without TJ. Slayton, right,
And if you go back to the twenty twenty one draft,
I think that was probably the best bang for your
buck pick the Packers got with getting Slaton in the
fifth round. YEP, a guy that I think a lot
of people at Florida were kind of hoping he was
going to go back for that senior year. He comes
out early, and to his credit, this is a guy
that had incredible physical gifts and really became an all
(20:51):
around football player by the time his time ended there.
It was interesting to me just seeing and obviously now
he's gone and signed with the Cincinnati Bengals, But you know,
there were people that were talking about some of these
first round defensive linemen and they were drawing comparisons. Lan
Zerline had comparisons. I forget which exactly guy was, but
said that his player comp was TJ. Slayton. So while
he's not the biggest name, he is a big void
(21:13):
for this Packer's defense and how they go about replacing
him is gonna be very critical. Now that being said,
TJ wasn't the biggest pass rushing threat that we've ever
seen in a Green and Gold uniform. That's where I
think the Packers are trying to find this balance because
it's an interior game and an it's an exterior game.
It's with those edge rushers as well. How do you
incorporate guys like Edgrin Cooper being able to use the
(21:35):
athleticism of a Kway Walker get those guys involved. I mean,
I think Isaiah McDuffie had a half sacked last season.
I mean, Jeff Hafley cooked up some really interesting schemes
utilizing slot cornerbacks and inside linebackers. But at the end
of the day, when the blueprint was drawn up last offseason,
it was about trying to get pressure with four. It
(21:55):
was about trying to maximize what they have and being
able to play back in some coverage and they had
to sort of mix that up. So very interested to
one figure out what the identity of this year's defense
is going to be into how the edge rushers and
the pass rushers are going to be incorporated into that.
Certainly we've heard it time and time again this offseason
Lucas Vanessas said it himself. I mean, everybody's expecting big
(22:18):
things from the former first round pick, where Shan Gary
I thought came on really well at the end of
last season, kingsleyan Igbari certainly, Brenton Cox Junior was kind
of a revelation during the second half the season finishes
with four sacks. And now you look at what they
did on Day three, those first two picks of Day three,
when you had Baron Serell out of Texas and Colin
(22:38):
Oliver out of Oklahoma State, two very different pass rushers,
two very different body types, but guys that the Packers
hope could potentially contribute to this rotation. Huge expectations on
that group this season, and I would imagine once we
get to training camp, probably the biggest microscopes will be
looking at that defensive front.
Speaker 1 (22:55):
Yeah, and I'm very intrigued, not to say that I'm
not intrigued with Baron Sirell and what he might do.
And we could probably do an entire show on everything
that went down in the fourth round on that Saturday
afternoon when he was selected. But I'm very interested to
see what Jeff Halfley does with a pass rusher like
Colin Oliver two hundred and forty pounder. He's only ten
(23:15):
pounds heavier than Edger and Cooper who's an off ball linebacker.
And Oliver was drafted in the fifth round. The Packers
felt the value was there with him because as an
undersized edge rusher, he can also play off ball linebacker
if you need him to. But Jeff Halflee in that
first year, for all the different things that he tried,
the Packers didn't really have somebody whose position is edge rusher,
(23:38):
but who is a speed guy, A pure speed guy.
He's undersized. He's not going to be out there on
the edge to defend the run. That's for Sean Gary
and Lucas Fanessa's job. Those are the edge guys that
are the two hundred and seventy plus pounds Colin Oliver
having that designated speed rusher coming off the edge. I'm
really interested to see what Halfley ends up doing with
(24:00):
him and where his creativity goes in that regard. And
then in the sixth round you bring in Warren Brinson,
the defensive tackle, interior defensive lineman from Georgia. He'll be,
you know, at times, you know, lining up next to
Devonte Wyatt, who, for as much as everybody talks about
Lucas Faness and Rashan Gary and trying to continue the
growth and the upward trajectory, Davonte Wyatt is a guy
(24:24):
who looked like he was headed there last year and
then a pretty nasty ankle injury kind of threw his
whole season, you know, off the rails, so to speak.
And he came back, but he wasn't the same guy.
And then it took a while to really get fully
healthy again. And then we started to see it again
like a little bit more when he was fully past
the ankle injury. But Davonte Wyatt is a guy that,
(24:46):
especially as a former first round pick, just like Lucas
van Ness, they're going to be counting on to be
that two way defender on the interior the defensive line
against the run and getting after the quarter.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
Yeah, and why it affects a football game, ban I
mean when he is healthy. I mean the guy has
now I think ten and a half sacks the last
two seasons, and that's not even on a full bandwidth
of games and snaps. He's emerging and I think you
can see that, and you know, listening to some of
these guys. I know Kenny Clark has talked about the
excitement about wide and where his career is heading right now.
But at the same time, they can't all be just
(25:18):
jet rushers, right. You need guys that are gonna be
space eaters, two gappers, guys that are going to be
able to clog up against the run. And watching the
film of Brinson, who is a very selfless player at Georgie,
I mean, this guy started eight games his entire career.
They're played in almost I think maybe more than fifty
fifty six something like that, but only started eight, but
in terms of their rotation was so critical to what
(25:39):
they did. And when you look at his body type
Mike six foot five and that three ten pound range,
that is more of the defensive lineman that the Packers
have sort of manifested and developed over the last few years.
You haven't always had just the three hundred and forty
pound run stuffers like Slayton. So I think he'll fit
really well into the idea of what Green Bay wants
to do. But certainly getting hopefully a healthy Kenny Clark,
(26:00):
a healthy DeVante Wyatt, it's gonna be really critical to
what the Packers can do up front, all.
Speaker 1 (26:05):
Right, one more position to address today and then we'll
call it a day for now. Cornerback is a position
that has undergone a lot of personnel change, and we
still don't know at this point what exactly is going
to happen with JayR Alexander. It's been it's it's been
an ongoing story throughout the off season with no updates
as to where this is. So we set aside jay
(26:29):
R Alexander for right now. But personnel wise, the Packers
did not bring back Eric Stokes, Corey Ballentine, or Robert Rochelle.
That's a lot of depth in the cornerback room that
left big free agent signing in Nate Hobbs coming in
almost like in some ways like the second coming of
(26:50):
Keishawn Nixon from the standpoint of a guy who has
played a lot of slot cornerback, but the Packers also
believe he can play boundary cornerback on a regular basis.
Nixon proved last year that he could play both spots,
he could move to the outside and certainly hold his
own and then the one I guess I would say
(27:10):
almost two editions in the draft, the seventh round pick
and Michael Robinson and then Jonathan Baldwin coming in from UNLV,
A guy that most folks figured was going to be
drafted ended up being undrafted and and the Packers got him.
Kind Of one of those guys at the top of
the UDFA class will be another guy in the cornerback
(27:31):
room as some of this personnel turnover happens.
Speaker 2 (27:34):
You know, Brian Goodkuins is not like comparisons with players,
but I'm going to offer one with Hobbs. To me,
this is the quintessential Zadarias Smith type signing, where the
Packers see something in him that maybe wasn't all there
on film, but it was enough to entice him to
think that this guy could be something really special. Zadarius Smith,
(27:55):
when they signed him, had only started eight games the
previous year with Baltimore. He was seeing more or as
that pass rushing specialist. The Packers saw him as an
every down defender, the guy that could potentially affect the game,
in which he did for those first two seasons. Nate
Hobbs is in the similar light. Most of his workload,
most of his playing time came inside. But when you
look at the fact that he was as physical as
(28:16):
he was, and he didn't really rack up very many
penalties at all while operating in a position where you
are constantly under a microscope. Green Bay sees him as
having the size and the speed to be able to
play outside too. So whether or not you want to
travel certain guys with receivers, whether or not you just
want to play boundary, or whether it's just a situation
where you got to have five healthy players in depending
(28:37):
on who's available, you can move him around. Hobbs gives
you that type of versatility and that type of latitude.
I love everything that he's about. When again, when you
listen to his story, where he's come from and motivation
that has put him to this spot, this is a
guy that absolutely positively wants to be the best cornerback
in the league, and he feels like he has the
ability to do it. Now. That being said, there's a
(28:58):
huge question mark there with jy r lexand but I
feel like this particular year's team is better equipped to
handle whether twenty three is there or whether twenty three
is not. You've seen Carrington Valentine and how he's played.
I thought he came on really strong last year after
having those hamstring issues.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
I say, when he finally got healthy, you know, we
saw the Carrington. We saw the progression of a Carrington
Valentine in year two that we were thinking we were
going to see from the beginning, but he wasn't healthy
enough to show it.
Speaker 2 (29:27):
Ballhawk confident, everything you want to see. And when you
talk about seventh round picks, late round developing cornerbacks, these
are the type of guys Green Bay has had success
with a lot of tools in extremely young You know,
Max Harriston from Kentucky this year was I think in
the being a first round pick, people were talking about
him as potentially a Packers guy. Him and Carrington are
(29:48):
the same age. They're both I think two thousand and
three birth years. Okay, I mean that just shows you.
I mean Carrington was the youngest guy on this roster
his rookie season two years ago, still a lot ahead
of him. I think Keyshaw Nixon proved a lot of
people wrong last year that he could play inside outside.
The guys led the Secondari's led the cornerback room and
playing time the last two seasons. Oh and then, by
the way, you still have Xavier McKinney on the back
(30:10):
end with this thing with an all PFWA safety in
Evan Williams and check this a second round pick and
Jevon Bullard who can also play the slot. So the
Packers have built this room out to a point where
I feel like they can handle whatever ebbs and flows
are going to be thrown at them. But I think
a lot of that did start with Nate Hobbs and
(30:30):
is one of those projection signings that Brian Goodikuntz has
had a lot of success with.
Speaker 1 (30:33):
Yeah, I like what you say what you said about
the Hobbs signing, because when it comes to the draft,
we talk all the time about how it's a crystal
ball business and it's about making the investment based on
the projection of what you feel the player is going
to become. The free agent investment in Nate Hobbs is
the Packers making a projection as to what they believe
(30:55):
he can become because he's, even though he is a
fifty year player at this point, he is not a
finished product. And the Packers feel that he's got his
best football ahead of him and they're going to try
to capture that here in Green Bay.
Speaker 2 (31:08):
And like Xavier McKinney last year, who signed at twenty
four years old as an unrestricted free agent. Nate Hobbs
signs with the Packers this year as a twenty five
year old unrestricted for agent, so still very much his
best years ahead of him.
Speaker 1 (31:18):
Absolutely well, with that, we will call it a rap
on this edition, this comeback edition of Packers Unscript. I'd
be sure to follow all of our coverage of the
team on Packers dot com and as the spring goes
on here, we are going to do our best to
stick with our two shows a week, hopefully through the
end of the Packers offseason program, which would be when
(31:39):
we get to that mandatory mini camp in the middle
of June, and then we'll take another break before we
come back for training camp. But with that for Wes,
I am Mike, thank you for tuning in everybody, and
we will see you next time.
Hi, everybody. Welcome back to Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com.
I am Mike Spuffer, joined as always by my trusted
colleague Wes Hodkoitz. Coming to you here from our studios
at lambeau Field. Back on the air West Packers Unscripted
as back, and this is a somewhat historic episode of sorts.
And I will let you explain what I mean by that.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Well. First and foremost, big thank you to our producer
behind the cameras here, Craig Schilbauer, our noble leader who
is stepping in because Matt Arvin effectually known as Arvin Marvin,
I should say mo name right. Matt was with us
for the first nine seasons of Packers Unscripted in some
shape or form. Obviously, Zach Budd did a tremendous job
(00:54):
this past year as our producer as well. Matt moved
on to a new phase of his life, going back
home to Michigan. We miss him dearly here at lambeau Field.
We press on without him, but Michael, you and I
ten seasons now of Packers on SCRIPTA going in. We're
not with Marv, but he is with us in spirit.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
He absolutely is. And we'll have to get his critique
of his boss. Craig's a first producer run at our
fancy little show here. But boy, we have a lot
to talk about, a lot of ground to cover because
we did take a bit longer break than we normally do.
But before we dive into everything that's been going on
(01:35):
in the off season here, I just have to get
your thoughts because it really was a to this point,
once in a lifetime and hopefully not much more than
a once in a generation type of thing. But green
Bay hosting the NFL Draft. All I'll say to start
off is that I think everything about it exceeded the
(01:58):
expectations that anyone could have had. It was absolutely tremendous.
It was phenomenal in every respect, not only for the
local team, but for the entire production. I like to
call it now the NFL's traveling road show. I mean,
that really is what the NFL Draft is. And I
thought the city of Green Bay, the fans, and everybody
(02:20):
in this organization outside this organization that was involved in
it absolutely hit it out of the park.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Mike, you and I could fill an entire episode of
Packers unscripted. Just giving kudos to the men and women
of this organization, discover Green Bay, everybody in the community
that made this thing happen. In my wildest dreams, Michael,
I don't think I could have envisioned a scenario in
which the NFL Draft would have been any better than
what we had in Green Bay. Certainly, there were the
(02:45):
theatrics on the stage. Two Packer players end up walking,
two future Packers end up walking across that stage and
embracing Roger Goodell. But the alumni that were involved, just
the amount of people, six hundred thousand people over the
three days, blowing the roof off of what the expectations
were in terms of how many folks were going to
be coming out here. I was chatting with people. I'll
(03:07):
never forget this. On Thursday afternoon, I was eating my
lunch inside a little common you know, promenade area, our
little commissary if you will, okay, and people were coming
up to me saying, Mandy, do you think folks will
show up? Like? What is this going to be like?
Is it going to look empty? Because you have the
title town, the lambeau Field, the Rest Center campus, And
I remember within hours of looking out at that same
(03:29):
area as that sea of people is out there in
the draft theater and in the general missionary behind it.
I could not have thought of a better experience. My
son was able to come down and check it out
a little bit. So many tremendous people involved in it,
and I didn't want to jinx it over the three days,
but I remember talking with our VP of security, Doug Collins,
(03:50):
a huge credit to him and his staff for everything
they did, and telling him I'm like, I could not
have envisioned this going off any better than it did,
and hopefully we will see it here on someday.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
That shot, the panoramic overhead type shot, if you will,
of the stage, the crowd on the Lambeufield Grounds, whether
you're shooting it with the stadium in the background or
with the stage as the background, whichever angle that shot
is going to, that picture will go down as an
(04:21):
iconic image in the history of this city and in
the history of the state, quite frankly, the entire state
of Wisconsin.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
It was.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
It was absolutely tremendous. But we have so much Packers
football to talk about. There is so much that has
happened since we last signed off free agency the draft.
Here's what I want to do. I think this is
the this is the best way to break it down here,
the boss get it to try to get it into
one show here, and then we'll see where our shows
(04:50):
the rest of the spring go from there. But when
you look at what happened with the Packers in free
agency and in the draft combined, for me, it breaks
down down into four position groups looking extremely different compared
to where the Packers were at the end of last season.
(05:10):
Two positions on offense, two positions on defense. So I
want to start on the offensive side because to me,
those two positions are wide receiver and offensive line. I'll
let you choose which one you want to go with first,
but I think those are the two position groups on
the offensive side of the ball that are undergoing the
(05:30):
most transition here as the Packers go from twenty twenty
four into twenty twenty.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Five one thousand percent, And realistically, when you look at quarterback,
running back, tight end, it's pretty much the same outlook
at all those positions. So it's sort of this dichotomy
between some pretty draft drastic shifts and pretty much business
as usual. Packers at the time in which we're taping
this haven't even added another quarterback to that room since
the end of the season, So be that as it may.
(05:54):
I will take over with the offensive line here. And
the main reason I'll do that is I felt like
this was the first Domino that really fit well with
the Packers offseason in how the thing's set up for them.
In the draft, ye, Aaron Banks is signed. He's brought
in left guard from the San Francisco forty nine ers,
big bruising, mauling type guard. That shift though, ends up
moving Elton Jenkins to center as Josh Myers now goes
(06:17):
and signs with the New York Jets. So a huge
seismic change that I remember being. We were talking about
this at the NFL owners meetings and there were some
rumblings about could Elton be moving to center? And Brian
Goudikuntz and Matt Lafour both said when we were down
at West Palm Beach, they feel like he can be
an all pro there and he's been a two time
Pro Bowl left guard, a selfless guy, a guy that
(06:39):
has done everything the Packers have asked of him throughout
these first six years that he's been in Green Bay. Well,
now he's going to make this move back to center,
where he was an All SEC type player there at
Mississippi State before he got drafted by the Packers in
the second round. Then you have Aaron Banks, and I
just I'm thinking in my head about what this interior
line could look like because it is you know, Sean
(07:01):
Ryan or Jordan Morgan are now Anthony Belton who was
added the Packers' interior. That line is going to be
about as big as I can ever recall height and
mass wise. I mean, these are big, big dudes that
are gonna be clogging up the middle of that area
and trying to, you know, create some space there for
Josh Shacobs. So deeper, stronger, and more athletic. I think
is sort of the overall feel of this group now
(07:23):
that Belton's been added in the second round and the
Packers got really fortunate last year, Michael and that they
didn't have a huge injury on the offensive line up
until Elton in the playoffs in that game against Philadelphia.
Other than just Jordan Morgan's shoulder issues, most of that
line started together all season. Other than I think Josh
Myers missed one game with a wrist, so you can't
(07:45):
always count on that so whether it's the competition that's
going to push that group forward for the starting five
in training camp or the guys who might step up
if somebody does go down, I think Brian Goodikutz has
done a really good job of fortifying that group and
giving Matt Lefluor and that coaching staff a lot of options.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
Yeah, and we'll have to see. A second round pick
was invested in Anthony Belton, as you mentioned, massive three
hundred and thirty five pound offensive tackle from NC State.
We'll see probably when we get to OTAs where exactly
the Packers are going to begin his NFL journey and
where he'll be competing to crack the lineup, whether that
(08:22):
be at tackle or guard. They feel really good about
his ability to play tackle or guard on either side
of the line of scrimmage. The other piece of offensive
line news that we got this offseason is both Brian
Gudukunst and Matt Lefuur have mentioned that Jordan Morgan, last
year's first round draft pick whose rookie season unfortunately was
(08:44):
cut short by the shoulder injury which required surgery, and
he's been in the recovery process there by all accounts
going well, but he not only will be competing with
Sean Ryan at right guard, which is where he started,
which is where he began his NFL journey last year
as that rookie first round pick, but he's also going
(09:05):
to be competing with Rashid Walker at left tackle. So
Rashid Walker entering a contract year, he'll be a fourth
year player this year, a previous seventh round pick who
has stepped in at left tackle and done a yeoman's job,
as they say, with not only in the run game,
but protecting Jordan Love's blindside. But now last year's first
(09:26):
round pick is going to be competing with Walker at
left tackle. So with Belton in the mix, and then
Morgan maybe competing at left tackle or right guard, it's
going to be interesting to see just where things are
at the start of training camp, when the pads go on,
but then also where training camp finishes and when the
Packers are really getting ready for that Week one lineup
(09:47):
in September.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
For sure, and they obviously we've seen it with Jenkins,
You've seen it with Zach Tom There's versatility, there's guys
you can move around depending on how injuries shake out.
But realistically, I think one of the things that Packers
got really fourtune with last year is that Rashid Walker
did get through the whole season fine, you know, starting
all those games and being available, but it isn't always
going to work out that way. And you saw what
(10:08):
happened with David Bakhtiari when he had his injury and
the in the knee that just kind of kept lingering
and lingering and lingering. You need to have a plan
be available to them. So not only is Morgan gonna
be a guy that pushes Walker for that job, but
as Walker enters the last year of his rookie contract,
Tom at this point entering the last year of his
rookie contract, it's things that Packers have to keep an
eye on too as far as the future is concerned
(10:28):
with both Morgan and Belton potentially being involved with those
positions as well.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
Yeah, well at the wide receiver position. The other one
to discuss here on offense, it's, uh, we we've sat
here over the years many many times during the spring
during the summer talking about wide receiver competitions and it's
a it's an annual rite of passage in Green Bay
(10:53):
that that there is always competition in that room. But
I'm telling you, Wes, I don't know if the com
petition is going to be any fiercer than it will
be this summer. Because while the Packers will be waiting
for later in the fall when Christian Watson comes back
from his knee rehab, which by all accounts so far
(11:13):
is going well, and that's all good to hear, but
you've got Jaden Reid, Romeo Dobbs, Dantavian Wicks coming back.
The Packers have added a first round pick in Matthew Golden,
a third round pick in Savion Williams to that mix.
You've also you're also returning Bow Melton and Malie Heath,
guys who have you know, They've had their ups and
(11:35):
downs in terms of practice, squad, active roster, but we've
seen them play and contribute to Matt Lafleur's offense, and
they've caught passes from Jordan Love in some big situations.
And then Mkole Hardman was added from Kansas City as
a free agent wide receiver possible return man. You know,
we'll see how that sorts itself out. But wow, I mean,
(11:58):
the the collection of guys there with the potential. I
guess you'd call it the trading deadline acquisition. Down the
road of Christian Watson re entering that room when he
gets healthy. This wide receiver position is going to be
something to watch right from day one of OTA is
quite frankly.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
Yeah, and I'm sure Jason Vrabel is a kid in
the candy stop right with all these guys, and obviously
Ryan Mahaffey in that room too, and so many guys
you can develop out of this. And certainly you know,
first and foremost you have Dobbs, you have read obviously
as you mentioned, you know Melton wicks Heath, all these
(12:37):
guys are still young, They're still developing and still looking
for those breakout type years. But being able to put
in a first round pick the first time in twenty
three years the Packers have drafted a receiver in the
first round. Some would be with Golden's just prodigious speed,
a guy that is not just four to nine fast,
but also ran the fastest ten yards split. I mean,
(12:57):
this guy's quick as well. Yeah, at his size, being
able to master the rout tree. And I think the
thing that has impressed me the most, Mike, and you
and I have continually talked about this in the weeks
after the draft here. But this is a guy that
challenged himself. He was at Houston, he goes to Texas
and his stats get even better. This is a guy
that came on really strong for the Longhorns the second
half of last season because nothing was given to him
(13:19):
early on. As soon as he made that transfer. That
was a team that was competing for a national championship.
They already had a lot of talent on that roster
before he got there. And then, saveon Williams, you and
I saw him at the rookie mini camp and the
Packers they weren't throwing passes, we weren't running elaborate routes.
But this guy six four six, two hundred and twenty pounds.
(13:40):
The comment was made on the sideline amongst the reporters.
I mean, he is a grown man, and when you
still run in the four fours at that size, and
certainly there's some some wrinkles to iron out a little
bit with his game. There were some drops and things
like that at TCU, but all around, I mean, you
look at what the horn Frogs did. They wanted to
feed him the football, however, they needed to get into him.
(14:02):
The guy threw a pass last season. I mean, this
is a playmaker. And when you're looking at guys from
that level of football and you have these type of
programs building and tailoring their offenses around them, it shows
you that the raw talent is there and for Matt
Lafleur and that coaching staff to be able to develop
this and build game plans around it. I think the
(14:24):
most dangerous thing about this offense, and we said it
last year, but it's still true, is that on any
given down, you don't know which three or four receivers
you're going to see and how they could be utilized,
and that is a ultimate weapon for an offense. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
A couple of things that I'll say about the guys,
the two draft picks being added to the mix, Saveon Williams.
You mentioned the six four, two twenty, And when we
got our first chance to talk to the draft picks
in person on last Friday during the rookie mini camp,
I was in the group of reporters that that was
around Saveon Williams, and I was basically standing right next
(14:59):
to him, and it sort of hit me that it's like, boy,
I mean, not that Jordi Nelson was a small guy.
Not that James Jones was a small guy, but standing
next to a wide receiver who's six four two twenty,
it's like, Okay, this is a different type of football
player here. This is a different type of offensive weapon
than what the Packers normally bring in. And I think
(15:22):
in a lot of ways, the same can be said
for Matthew Golden, because, as Matt Lafleur said after the draft,
you can't coach four two nine, right, I mean, that's
just that's what he has, that's what he brings to
the table. But the really interesting thing too with Golden
is that that Texas team was bringing in two fairly
highly touted transfer receivers from the portal for twenty twenty four.
(15:46):
It was Matthew Golden coming from Houston and it was
Isaiah Bond. I believe is the name coming from Alabama? Well,
Houston or Alabama. Which guy is going to get more
attention coming in from the transfer portal? It's the guy
from Alabama, right. But eventually who was the guy who
became the number one target for the Texas Longhorns. It
(16:07):
was Matthew Golden. His production, the stats, the numbers, all
of that bore that out, So a lot of excitement
obviously about what both of those guys can bring to
the table. Two receivers we've seen Brian Goodakunz double up
at positions in the draft before, but two very very
different receivers in different offensive weapons being thrown into the
mix here.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
And if you want to, I'm not saying you have to,
but one member of the Packers media corps did say
that Matthew Golden was going to be the pick.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
I know I was gonna. I was gonna let you
brag about yourself. You called it, you called it, he
was your pick. But first time in well, first time
in twenty three years, the Packers drafted receiver in the
first round.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
First time in twelve years.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
That you've been correct because I actually called, although I
have to say I was wrong because the Packers ended
up taking him in the second round. But I called
the Christian Watson pick a few years ago. The Packers
ended up getting him at the top of the second
round rather than taking him with one of their first
one of their two first round picks that year. But
(17:14):
that was the receiver that I actually pegged, and I
got it right, even though it was in the second round.
But congrats to you on nailing the Golden No.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
And be serious about that though for a second. The
reason why is that the more you learn about this guy,
and we've gotten a chance to talk to him now
a couple of times, and reading his backstory and where
he comes from in Houston, where it is you know,
he's from that area of Texas. He stayed home when
he originally went played at Houston for two years.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
Went to TCU on a visit and savee On Williams
was the was the player who was hosting him on
his recruiting visit. Ultimately didn't choose TCU, but he goes
back a little ways with Savian.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
Small football world. But I mean, this kid has a
lot of motivation, uh in Golden and being able to
see him and obviously he's talked about wanted to get
his grandmother's house back something. It sounds like those wheels
have already started turning. It's been abandoned since it was
taken away from his family, So that's something they should
be able to work out. But then also just you know,
(18:11):
he wears two for his grandma, and you know, listening
to his stories about his mother and then those two
kind of raising him. It gives you a lot of
reason to pull for this young man. And certainly once
you see him on the field, I mean, this guy's different,
and I think Packer fans are going to see that.
Speaker 1 (18:26):
Yeah, well, we do need to move on to the
defensive side of the ball, and we'll do so right
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(18:49):
Cousin Subs fifty plus years of better. All right, defensive
side the two positions obviously that are gonna look different
here in twenty twenty five, the defensive line and cornerback
for Green Bay might as well start on the defensive line.
And this is sort of the thing I've been throwing
it out there, whether it's an inbox or some other
(19:11):
radio shows I've been on. To me, the most interesting thing,
because I know there's been all the talk about the
pass rush, because yes, the Packers finished eighth in sacks
last year, but the pass rush wasn't good enough against
the Vikings and the Lions and the Eagles when they
needed it. There was all this inconsistency, which Brian Gudukuns
and Matt Lefluur have acknowledged. So there's been all this
focus on what are the Packers going to do about
(19:32):
their pass rush going into twenty twenty five. To me,
the larger question, or the next question after that, is
can the Packers improve the consistency and the reliability of
the pass rush without sacrificing the run defense because the
run defense had its highest league ranking in fifteen years
(19:53):
for the Packers last year since two thousand and nine
when Dom Capers was in his first year as coordinator.
Jeff Haffley's first year as coordinator, the Packers run defense
was one of the top six or seven in the league.
So you need to do something about the pass rush,
which they spent fourth and fifth round draft picks and
sixth round and a sixth round draft pick for that matter.
(20:16):
But can you change things up and get some more
improvement and reliability and everything there with the pass rush
without sacrificing the run defense. I think that's the question
that lingers.
Speaker 2 (20:27):
That's the number one thing the Packers have to do,
and they also have to do it without TJ. Slayton, right,
And if you go back to the twenty twenty one draft,
I think that was probably the best bang for your
buck pick the Packers got with getting Slaton in the
fifth round. YEP, a guy that I think a lot
of people at Florida were kind of hoping he was
going to go back for that senior year. He comes
out early, and to his credit, this is a guy
that had incredible physical gifts and really became an all
(20:51):
around football player by the time his time ended there.
It was interesting to me just seeing and obviously now
he's gone and signed with the Cincinnati Bengals, But you know,
there were people that were talking about some of these
first round defensive linemen and they were drawing comparisons. Lan
Zerline had comparisons. I forget which exactly guy was, but
said that his player comp was TJ. Slayton. So while
he's not the biggest name, he is a big void
(21:13):
for this Packer's defense and how they go about replacing
him is gonna be very critical. Now that being said,
TJ wasn't the biggest pass rushing threat that we've ever
seen in a Green and Gold uniform. That's where I
think the Packers are trying to find this balance because
it's an interior game and an it's an exterior game.
It's with those edge rushers as well. How do you
incorporate guys like Edgrin Cooper being able to use the
(21:35):
athleticism of a Kway Walker get those guys involved. I mean,
I think Isaiah McDuffie had a half sacked last season.
I mean, Jeff Hafley cooked up some really interesting schemes
utilizing slot cornerbacks and inside linebackers. But at the end
of the day, when the blueprint was drawn up last offseason,
it was about trying to get pressure with four. It
(21:55):
was about trying to maximize what they have and being
able to play back in some coverage and they had
to sort of mix that up. So very interested to
one figure out what the identity of this year's defense
is going to be into how the edge rushers and
the pass rushers are going to be incorporated into that.
Certainly we've heard it time and time again this offseason
Lucas Vanessas said it himself. I mean, everybody's expecting big
(22:18):
things from the former first round pick, where Shan Gary
I thought came on really well at the end of
last season, kingsleyan Igbari certainly, Brenton Cox Junior was kind
of a revelation during the second half the season finishes
with four sacks. And now you look at what they
did on Day three, those first two picks of Day three,
when you had Baron Serell out of Texas and Colin
(22:38):
Oliver out of Oklahoma State, two very different pass rushers,
two very different body types, but guys that the Packers
hope could potentially contribute to this rotation. Huge expectations on
that group this season, and I would imagine once we
get to training camp, probably the biggest microscopes will be
looking at that defensive front.
Speaker 1 (22:55):
Yeah, and I'm very intrigued, not to say that I'm
not intrigued with Baron Sirell and what he might do.
And we could probably do an entire show on everything
that went down in the fourth round on that Saturday
afternoon when he was selected. But I'm very interested to
see what Jeff Halfley does with a pass rusher like
Colin Oliver two hundred and forty pounder. He's only ten
(23:15):
pounds heavier than Edger and Cooper who's an off ball linebacker.
And Oliver was drafted in the fifth round. The Packers
felt the value was there with him because as an
undersized edge rusher, he can also play off ball linebacker
if you need him to. But Jeff Halflee in that
first year, for all the different things that he tried,
the Packers didn't really have somebody whose position is edge rusher,
(23:38):
but who is a speed guy, A pure speed guy.
He's undersized. He's not going to be out there on
the edge to defend the run. That's for Sean Gary
and Lucas Fanessa's job. Those are the edge guys that
are the two hundred and seventy plus pounds Colin Oliver
having that designated speed rusher coming off the edge. I'm
really interested to see what Halfley ends up doing with
(24:00):
him and where his creativity goes in that regard. And
then in the sixth round you bring in Warren Brinson,
the defensive tackle, interior defensive lineman from Georgia. He'll be,
you know, at times, you know, lining up next to
Devonte Wyatt, who, for as much as everybody talks about
Lucas Faness and Rashan Gary and trying to continue the
growth and the upward trajectory, Davonte Wyatt is a guy
(24:24):
who looked like he was headed there last year and
then a pretty nasty ankle injury kind of threw his
whole season, you know, off the rails, so to speak.
And he came back, but he wasn't the same guy.
And then it took a while to really get fully
healthy again. And then we started to see it again
like a little bit more when he was fully past
the ankle injury. But Davonte Wyatt is a guy that,
(24:46):
especially as a former first round pick, just like Lucas
van Ness, they're going to be counting on to be
that two way defender on the interior the defensive line
against the run and getting after the quarter.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
Yeah, and why it affects a football game, ban I
mean when he is healthy. I mean the guy has
now I think ten and a half sacks the last
two seasons, and that's not even on a full bandwidth
of games and snaps. He's emerging and I think you
can see that, and you know, listening to some of
these guys. I know Kenny Clark has talked about the
excitement about wide and where his career is heading right now.
But at the same time, they can't all be just
(25:18):
jet rushers, right. You need guys that are gonna be
space eaters, two gappers, guys that are going to be
able to clog up against the run. And watching the
film of Brinson, who is a very selfless player at Georgie,
I mean, this guy started eight games his entire career.
They're played in almost I think maybe more than fifty
fifty six something like that, but only started eight, but
in terms of their rotation was so critical to what
(25:39):
they did. And when you look at his body type
Mike six foot five and that three ten pound range,
that is more of the defensive lineman that the Packers
have sort of manifested and developed over the last few years.
You haven't always had just the three hundred and forty
pound run stuffers like Slayton. So I think he'll fit
really well into the idea of what Green Bay wants
to do. But certainly getting hopefully a healthy Kenny Clark,
(26:00):
a healthy DeVante Wyatt, it's gonna be really critical to
what the Packers can do up front, all.
Speaker 1 (26:05):
Right, one more position to address today and then we'll
call it a day for now. Cornerback is a position
that has undergone a lot of personnel change, and we
still don't know at this point what exactly is going
to happen with JayR Alexander. It's been it's it's been
an ongoing story throughout the off season with no updates
as to where this is. So we set aside jay
(26:29):
R Alexander for right now. But personnel wise, the Packers
did not bring back Eric Stokes, Corey Ballentine, or Robert Rochelle.
That's a lot of depth in the cornerback room that
left big free agent signing in Nate Hobbs coming in
almost like in some ways like the second coming of
(26:50):
Keishawn Nixon from the standpoint of a guy who has
played a lot of slot cornerback, but the Packers also
believe he can play boundary cornerback on a regular basis.
Nixon proved last year that he could play both spots,
he could move to the outside and certainly hold his
own and then the one I guess I would say
(27:10):
almost two editions in the draft, the seventh round pick
and Michael Robinson and then Jonathan Baldwin coming in from UNLV,
A guy that most folks figured was going to be
drafted ended up being undrafted and and the Packers got him.
Kind Of one of those guys at the top of
the UDFA class will be another guy in the cornerback
(27:31):
room as some of this personnel turnover happens.
Speaker 2 (27:34):
You know, Brian Goodkuins is not like comparisons with players,
but I'm going to offer one with Hobbs. To me,
this is the quintessential Zadarias Smith type signing, where the
Packers see something in him that maybe wasn't all there
on film, but it was enough to entice him to
think that this guy could be something really special. Zadarius Smith,
(27:55):
when they signed him, had only started eight games the
previous year with Baltimore. He was seeing more or as
that pass rushing specialist. The Packers saw him as an
every down defender, the guy that could potentially affect the game,
in which he did for those first two seasons. Nate
Hobbs is in the similar light. Most of his workload,
most of his playing time came inside. But when you
look at the fact that he was as physical as
(28:16):
he was, and he didn't really rack up very many
penalties at all while operating in a position where you
are constantly under a microscope. Green Bay sees him as
having the size and the speed to be able to
play outside too. So whether or not you want to
travel certain guys with receivers, whether or not you just
want to play boundary, or whether it's just a situation
where you got to have five healthy players in depending
(28:37):
on who's available, you can move him around. Hobbs gives
you that type of versatility and that type of latitude.
I love everything that he's about. When again, when you
listen to his story, where he's come from and motivation
that has put him to this spot, this is a
guy that absolutely positively wants to be the best cornerback
in the league, and he feels like he has the
ability to do it. Now. That being said, there's a
(28:58):
huge question mark there with jy r lexand but I
feel like this particular year's team is better equipped to
handle whether twenty three is there or whether twenty three
is not. You've seen Carrington Valentine and how he's played.
I thought he came on really strong last year after
having those hamstring issues.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
I say, when he finally got healthy, you know, we
saw the Carrington. We saw the progression of a Carrington
Valentine in year two that we were thinking we were
going to see from the beginning, but he wasn't healthy
enough to show it.
Speaker 2 (29:27):
Ballhawk confident, everything you want to see. And when you
talk about seventh round picks, late round developing cornerbacks, these
are the type of guys Green Bay has had success
with a lot of tools in extremely young You know,
Max Harriston from Kentucky this year was I think in
the being a first round pick, people were talking about
him as potentially a Packers guy. Him and Carrington are
(29:48):
the same age. They're both I think two thousand and
three birth years. Okay, I mean that just shows you.
I mean Carrington was the youngest guy on this roster
his rookie season two years ago, still a lot ahead
of him. I think Keyshaw Nixon proved a lot of
people wrong last year that he could play inside outside.
The guys led the Secondari's led the cornerback room and
playing time the last two seasons. Oh and then, by
the way, you still have Xavier McKinney on the back
(30:10):
end with this thing with an all PFWA safety in
Evan Williams and check this a second round pick and
Jevon Bullard who can also play the slot. So the
Packers have built this room out to a point where
I feel like they can handle whatever ebbs and flows
are going to be thrown at them. But I think
a lot of that did start with Nate Hobbs and
(30:30):
is one of those projection signings that Brian Goodikuntz has
had a lot of success with.
Speaker 1 (30:33):
Yeah, I like what you say what you said about
the Hobbs signing, because when it comes to the draft,
we talk all the time about how it's a crystal
ball business and it's about making the investment based on
the projection of what you feel the player is going
to become. The free agent investment in Nate Hobbs is
the Packers making a projection as to what they believe
(30:55):
he can become because he's, even though he is a
fifty year player at this point, he is not a
finished product. And the Packers feel that he's got his
best football ahead of him and they're going to try
to capture that here in Green Bay.
Speaker 2 (31:08):
And like Xavier McKinney last year, who signed at twenty
four years old as an unrestricted free agent. Nate Hobbs
signs with the Packers this year as a twenty five
year old unrestricted for agent, so still very much his
best years ahead of him.
Speaker 1 (31:18):
Absolutely well, with that, we will call it a rap
on this edition, this comeback edition of Packers Unscript. I'd
be sure to follow all of our coverage of the
team on Packers dot com and as the spring goes
on here, we are going to do our best to
stick with our two shows a week, hopefully through the
end of the Packers offseason program, which would be when
(31:39):
we get to that mandatory mini camp in the middle
of June, and then we'll take another break before we
come back for training camp. But with that for Wes,
I am Mike, thank you for tuning in everybody, and
we will see you next time.
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