So, my thoughts on the Green Bay Packers picks from both day one and two of the NFL draft. They are very Gutekunst-esque, and I knew a lot of those “rumors” that came out the day before and the day of the first night didn’t make sense and were smokescreens.
Of course I have made some of my thoughts public already on Twitter, and the live stream I did on day two, but I will get all my thoughts out here organized. So let’s get to it, and don’t forget to check out my other writings.
Round one, Pick 13: Lukas Van Ness – ED – Iowa
From as far back as a month or two, he was one of the players I was predicting the Packers would draft. I kept saying either Van Ness, Myles Murphy, or Broderick Jones. He just made too much sense. The former Hawkeye is young, highly athletic, plays a premium position, has long arms, and plays with power. That’s why the JSN or Michael Mayer, or even Dalton Kincaid, talk that popped up last minute never made sense.
He will play a good chunk early on until Rashan Gary is back, but we should still see a lot of Kingsley Enagbare, as well. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were packages with him standing up over the center like Za’Darius Smith used to.
Round two, Pick 42: Luke Musgrave – TE – Oregon State
Musgrave was a player that I had identified as a potential fit for the Packers awhile ago. My only question was if LaFleur would want to — or know how to — use him? Since Gutey has been GM, the only tight end he has drafted was Josiah Deguara, who is more of an H-back. So that was a bit of an unknown.
Musgrave is an athletic freak, but you have to know what type of player you are getting when you draft him. I’ve made this comparison many times, but he is similar to Mike Gesicki in the sense of how you use him, and his skill set. He is not the type of tight end you line up at the Y 100% of his snaps. He is tall, long, and a bit linear. He’s not much of a blocker, although he can improve.
The former Beaver is a seam stretcher who wont get a lot of YAC unless he has a open lane. The best way to use him is probably detached 70-ish% of the time.
Round two, Pick 50: Jayden Reed – WR – Michigan State
Reed is an interesting one. Out of full transparency, he wasn’t on my Packers draft board. I debated with myself on whether to have him on or not; I liked his film, but his arms were only 30 1/2″. The Packers typically like their receivers 32″ or longer, but of course Amari Rodgers had 30 1/2″ arms. Otherwise he hit all their benchmarks and his low RAS was mostly due to size and a not-so-great vertical.
The former Spartan also played bigger than his measurements. He dropped some weight for the combine, weighing over 190 at the Senior Bowl. He will be a weapon on offense and special teams.
Round three, Pick 78: Tucker Kraft – TE – South Dakota State
Kraft was another player that I had earmarked early on as a good fit with Green Bay. He is the type of tight end the Packers usually go for. Good size, good athleticism, and a solid all-around player as both a receiver and blocker. He has a wide body and can box out defenders. Kraft can also play inline or split out.
The former Jackrabbit of course still needs to be a better blocker and work on his routes, but he should develop into a solid Y tight end. Some have compared him to a better Dallas Goedert.