2016 Off-Seasons Needs

57packer

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Well, we're close to the halfway point and we know the Packers are a Super-Bowl quality team. Probably too early to talk about the off-season, but hey, we have an OT thread and a FA thread so why not a wish list/need thread. (Plus I have some time on a rainy Sat and leaves too wet to rake.) Here are my thoughts by position (only talking draft since TT just doesn't really do FA):

FB - no need. Even if Kuhn retires or is not re-signed, go with Rip and grab an UDFA for camp.

RB - no need. I'd love to add a speed guy with receiving skills to add another dimension, but they had that option with Neal this summer and cut him. If all they want is bigger pounding type backs, they've already got 'em. Starks can likely be re-signed for decent money and Harris has potential. Grab an UDFA or two for camp.

QB - no need. Keep Tolzien for modest money if you want, or let him walk and go with Hundley. We'll be fine either way. If Tolzien leaves, which is likely, pick up an UDFA for camp and groom Hundley so you can trade him for a higher draft pick in 2017 or 18.

WR - no need. With Jordy coming back and 4 youngsters already on the squad there is no need to re-sign Jones or draft one high. With TTs success at drafting WRs I won't argue if he does pick one.

TE - mid-round need. I'd like to see them add another TE to the mix. Rodgers is OK. Quarless is a FA, has peaked, and probably needs to be let go. Perillo and Backman seem like "just guys" though Backman could get better with more time.

OT - early round need. The line is good but BahkT is the weak link right now. Maybe he's not 100%, but he was the weak link before the knee. I'd be good with taking a versatile guy who might fit at LT, RT or even OG (like Bulaga) so you get some return on the pick if he's not a LT. Plus, both Sitton and Lang are FA's after 2016 so you might need an inside guy if TT decides not to spend money on both.

OG - late round need - maybe. Again, I'd like to add talent and depth to the OL. Barclay might not be back and Taylor is just a guy. Maybe Walker works out, but I'd still like to add one, especially if we don't draft an OT high.

OC - no need. The position is covered. Maybe an UDFA for camp.

Special teams - Re-sign Goode. Re-sign Crosby. Bring an UDFA punter into camp again.

DL - early round need. Offense doesn't have much going on in terms of off-season needs, but on defense, things get interesting in the front 7. Half your DL is hitting FA. They need to re-sign Daniels. Pay him the going rate. Raji is a tough one for me. Started the year like an animal, but now will likely miss his 3rd game in a row. He's missed a lot of time the past 2 years and was mediocre the 2 years before that. Do you want to throw much money at him. I'd bring him back on a 2-3 year deal at $3-4mil/yr with a modest guarantee. Of course if he finishes the season strong, that number will likely go up. Guion can come back at something closer to minimum if he wants, otherwise, let him go. Draft a DL high - first 3 rounds. (Buckner-Ore, Washington-tOSU and Robinson-'Bama are guys who seem like they would fit at 3-4DE at the end of Rd 1.) If Raji and/or Guion walk, you also need to find a NT in the draft somewhere as well.

OLB - early round need - maybe. So much depends on who they re-sign and if they keep Peppers for the final year on his deal. If Peppers is back and they keep 2 of Perry, Neal and Mulumba then I think they are OK here considering they have Elliott, plus CM3 in this group part-time. It'll be interesting to see what kind of interest Perry draws. Neal and Mulumba should be easy to re-sign. If 2 or more of these guys walk, you need to take one early.

ILB - mid-round need. I actually like this defense with CM3 inside. He seems more disruptive than he had been at OLB early last year and the previous year. Moving him around makes him more dangerous. Because I see him as an ILB now, I think we just need to add another depth guy at the position. Barrington, Palmer, Thomas and Ryan are just guys to me so if there is a quality guy there in Rds 3-5, I'm taking one.

CB - no need. Both Randall and Rollins have been solid and Gunter has potential. I'm not really sure I would even deal much with Hayward. This might be the place to save some money and let the young guys play. Maybe bring in a late-round guy or another UDFA to develop.

Safety - mid-to-late round need. With Hyde now a safety/CB hybrid you have 3 solid guys and Banjo as a cheap 4th. Maybe take a guy you like in the mid-to-late rounds to compete with Banjo. I highly suspect Richardson is done as a Packer.

This might be the lightest "need" situation I've seen in awhile, but there are some important lurking needs at DL and possibly OLB. I also would not take OT off the table with BahkT having some issues and depending on how things go with signing your FA's, no other pressing needs. This might be the year to spend a 1st or 2nd Rd pick on an OT. After that, fill in some depth at TE, ILB, S, and maybe OG. Of course, injuries and FA defections could change things before the draft.
 
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If things hold the way they are now, I can easily see TT really sticking with the BPA approach in round 1, and I'd really hope he does take the BPA that's not a QB.
 
If things hold the way they are now, I can easily see TT really sticking with the BPA approach in round 1, and I'd really hope he does take the BPA that's not a QB.

i agree. but tt's idea of the best player available at #32 is not likely to be the same as mine.
 
IMO on offense - in order of need = TE, LT and WR with speed to stretch the field. Having only one came back to bite us when Jordy got hurt. I don't know if Janis will ever figure it all out. TE is a real need on this team. RichRod has nice hands but he's slower than molasses in January and doesn't scare anybody.

On defense = ILB , DL and OLB. Peppers is no spring chicken so we will need someone to take his place. I'm thinking with this year under their belts our young DBs like Dix, Randall and Rollins will make that unit a strength along with Shields and Burnett.

Whatever funk Masthay was in seems to be subsiding. I hope this continues. FCC(
 
OK, time to re-visit my semi-crappy assessment above.

We may not actually be a SB contender without fixing some things.

FB, QB and OC - no changes.
RB - need one somewhere in the first 5 rounds. I'm not sure Lacy will ever be as good as he was last year. He seems to have something going on upstairs and is out of shape and unmotivated. Happens to some guys. Need to be protected if he can't come back to form. Either way, it may light a fire.
WR - still should be OK if Jordy comes back, but I'd prefer another speed reciever so the offense is not held hostage to Jordy being healthy. Take one early if you have the chance to.
OL - need to take an OT in the first 2 rounds.
TE - need to take one, preferably early.

DL - probably have to just pay everyone what they want. You don't have enough early picks, other than taking a depth guy late. Use Peppers' money.
OLB - need to take one early. Peppers is done. No sense paying him anymore. Those early games fooled us. Need a pass rusher.
ILB - would love one early, but again, not enough picks. Need to hope Ryan gets better and that Barrington can come back and be a force alongside CM3.
CB - don't really need one other than for depth. Randall seems like the real deal. Rollins is solid. I think Gunter is too slow and probably just needs to be a core special teamer.
S - a late depth guy, maybe.

Yup, I was fooled by those early games. This team has some locker room and coaching issues, but it also needs a talent infusion at selected spots. I suspect our record at the end will get us picks 8-10 spots earlier than normal, which should help in terms of finding 3-4 solid talents who can contribute to a turn-around. (I'm not throwing in the towel, and hope we are picking #32, but there is nothing to suggest the current funk can be completely corrected.)
 
Top needs at this point, even considering first 6 games:

OL - Year after year "oh next year we will be healthy" BS.. This oline is always injured. TT needs to always be looking for the next potential starter no matter what round.

TE - even if you throw Q in there our TE's are under achieving with questionable talent. Rodgers was definitely an over draft. No speed, lazy route runner, can't block. No reason to give him the benefit of the doubt. Never thought I'd say we miss Finley. But TE is probably #1 need on offense.

WR - hoping Adams is just having a bad injured year. But Jones has done what he always did, flash then disappear. Abbey and Janis after a year and a half still can't get on the field. Need more talent and competition at this spot. But can be mid to late round. And hopefully someone not as raw as Janis.

DL - once again a whole lot of talk, not much to show. Biggest need on defense.

LB - another year of "oh so and so who was over drafted for the wrong scheme/position is starting to really turn it on" again, BS. Find some guys who know what they are doing. Agree that Peppers is probably done. Elliot is solid. But other than that not much.

ILB - Think with Barrington and Ryan will be fine. But could use one for depth. Palmer should get the boot.
 
First round: take the best player, regardless of position (excluding K, P, and FB), who is going to give you your best shot at meaningful contribution in his first year with a threat to start at his position group.

Second round: take the best player available who upgrades the talent in the top 1/3 of your roster.

Third round: best player available who shores up a weak group on your roster.

4th-7th round: trade those picks for extra third rounders.

This is why I'm a terrible GM
 
Crease- you're still ahead of Matt Millen!

#1st pick- LT, LB Hard to tell where we will be picking yet, but DON'T draft a DL because TT sucks at DL. TE? if you don't take one early they won't make a difference from what we have. Might be a good spot to get OLB.
#2- OL, RB, LBs get some speed at RB or LB. If we didn't address LT in round one, maybe OL here. Sitton, Lang might not be here long.
#3- speed again, CB, LB, RB or WR

Crap shoot after that, not enough info to more than guess.

Wish List:
1st- Myles Jack LB UCLA; explosive athlete 6'1" 235
2nd- Braxton Miller WR/RB Ohio State; former QB good hands 6'2" 215
3rd- Tyler Johnstone LT Oregon 6'4" 295
 
Well, with each game we get some new information that makes you re-think things a bit, but my 2nd evaluation still holds pretty steady for me.

FB, QB and OC - still no changes.
RB - still need one somewhere in the first 5 rounds. Lacy remains a puzzler. Need to get one.
WR - staying on course assuming Jordy comes back 100%. I'd take one early if you have the chance and a value guy falls. BPA makes sense throughout this draft as others have suggested, but I do believe you have to put some weight on what you need at times.
OL - still feel we need to take an OT in the first 2 rounds. BahkT is just OK and Bulaga is injured regularly.
TE - need to take one, preferably early. If not in the first 3 rounds then find a speedier H-back type in a later round to develop.

DL - they have started to pay guys. Daniels is in. Need to pay Raji now. They have CAP room. Take a depth guy late.
OLB - still feel we need to take one early. Don't know if Peppers is done. Playing great some games, not so great others. Guess it won't hurt to pay him considering the CAP friendly deal Daniels signed. Still, you can never have enough pass rushers and there is no compelling reason to keep Neal and Perry. Maybe pay one, but pass on the 2nd one.
ILB - still would love one early. Ryan has made enough strides to make me think he's an option inside going forward. Would love to see a faster coverage type guy next to him so they can move CM3 around more and use him on the outside more regularly.
CB - still think we should grab a late pick for depth as I really don't have a good feel for whether Goodson or Gunter will ever be solid contributors. Randall and Rollins were a pair of solid picks it seems. No urgency to sign Hayward.
S - a late depth guy.

This team still has some locker room and coaching issues but they have made a nice little recovery after that mid-season implosion. I wasn't so sure they could recover, and they could very well lose both of their last 2 games and exit the playoffs early getting us picks 8-10 spots earlier than normal but I suspect they finish 11-5 and win a playoff game which likely puts us in about spot 22-26, I think. Pretty much the same as most years.

Saw some speculation that the contracts signed by Tramon Williams and Davon House might net us a 3 and 5th as Comp Picks, but 4th and 5th seem more likely using some solid calculations from these guys. Those might be nice picks to add a RB and some DL depth. I'm going to assume a 4th and 5th when I do a mock at some point.

http://overthecap.com/2016-compensatory-draft-picks-update-432015/
 
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