Packers Draft grades and Reviews

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From PFF :

NFC North
GREEN BAY PACKERS
Round 1 (12): Edge Rashan Gary, Michigan
Round 1 (21): S Darnell Savage, Maryland
Round 2 (44): C Elgton Jenkins, Mississippi State
Round 3 (75): TE Jace Sternberger, Texas A&M
Round 5 (150): DI Kingsley Keke, Texas A&M
Round 6 (185): CB Ka’dar Hollman, Toledo
Round 6 (194): RB Dexter Williams, Notre Dame
Round 7 (226): LB Ty Summers, TCU
Day 1:
Michigan edge defender Rashan Gary’s production has yet to catch up to his freakish athleticism. He earned a 68.3 pass-rushing grade this past season, and his career-high pass-rush grade in 2017 was just 72.7. He finished the pre-draft process ranked just 48th on PFF’s final big board as a result.
For Green Bay to get the best from Gary, to paraphrase PFF’s Lead Draft Analyst Mike Renner, the team should kick him inside of newly signed edge defenders Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith. Gary’s best reps at the college level came against guards, so a move inside to 3-4 defensive end opposite Mike Daniels in Green Bay’s defensive scheme should suit him best.
Day 2:
Mississippi State center Elgton Jenkins, a first-round talent on PFF’s big board, fell to Green Bay at pick No. 44 on Friday. He brings great balance and control to the table in pass protection, as evidenced by his 83.9 pass-blocking grade and five pressures allowed in 2018.
“He has all the tools necessary to be one of the best interior offensive linemen in the NFL.” – Pro Football Focus’ Lead Draft Analyst Mike Renner
A favorite of Steve Palazzolo’s in this year’s tight end class, Texas A&M’s Jace Sternberger earned a career-high 72.7 overall grade in 2018 and finished as PFF’s No. 3 tight end and No. 67 overall player in the 2019 class. He’s better suited to run a normal route tree and be a volume pass-catcher than Iowa’s Noah Fant.
“He can stretch the seam. He’s got really good skills after the catch, much different than [Noah] Fant who we really haven’t seen break tackles.” – Pro Football Focus’ Senior Analyst Steve Palazzolo
Day 3:
The Ka’dar Hollman pick at No. 185 was a head-scratcher, but Green Bay did come away from Day 3 two relative steals Texas A&M defensive interior Kingsley Keke and former Notre Dame running back Dexter Williams.
Keke was played a bit out of position on the edge at A&M and should kick inside in the league. He dominated rushing from the interior at the Senior Bowl with the highest win rate among all DTs.
Williams averaged just 3.4 yards after contact per attempt and 0.13 forced missed tackles per attempt with the Fighting Irish in 2018, but he flashed high-end potential in bursts and impressed many with his big-play ability.
DRAFT GRADE: ABOVE AVERAGE

Add them as you find them
 
Green Bay Packers' 2019 draft: Analysis for every pick
Rob Demovsky
ESPN Staff Writer

Round 1, No. 12 overall: Rashan Gary, DE, Michigan

My take: This is a risky pick for two reasons: injury history and a lack of production. Gary played through a shoulder injury that was reported as a torn labrum, although Gary denied that Thursday, and he had just 3.5 sacks in nine games last season for the Wolverines. In short, he was an injured underachiever. That doesn't mean it can't change in the NFL, and he will have plenty to prove. "My shoulder’s good," Gary said on Thursday. "It’s not a torn labrum. [It was] a subluxation. But I did 26 reps at the combine and I’m ready to go and I’m ready to be great right now."

Athletic freak: At 6-foot-4 3/8 and 277 pounds, he ran a 4.58 40-yard dash at the combine. That was the third-fastest 40 time of the defensive linemen/edge rushers who ran in Indy. The only ones faster were Montez Sweat (4.41) and Brian Burns (4.51) The Packers hope that shows up on the field. "I think it will," said Packers scout Joe Hueber, who covers the Midwest region. "I think we think as a group of scouts feel that it will. He’s got rare gifts -- a guy that size who runs that speed and moves on his feet like that and can really bend."


Rashan Gary is another new pass-rusher for the Packers this offseason, joining Preston Smith and Za'Darius Smith, who signed in free agency. Leon Halip/Getty Images
Why only 3.5 sacks? The Packers believe Gary impacted the game more than his sack totals from last season indicate. "He commanded a lot of attention -- double teams, triple teams, taking on the tight end," Hueber said. "And really you saw it [with] some of his teammates, they got freed up and they were able to get the production. It’s not like he wasn’t impacting the game, though. He was all over the place."


Round 1, No. 21 overall: Darnell Savage Jr., S, Maryland
My take: The Packers had a need ... a need for speed at safety. And 4.36 in the 40-yard dash certainly qualified. That ranked fourth among all defensive backs (corners included) who ran at the combine. By comparison, one of last year's Packers' starting safeties, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, ran a 4.58 40 at his combine. That's the same time that the Packers' first first-round pick this year, DE/OLB Rashan Gary, ran at the combine. The only issue is Savage's size (5-10 3/4). "I’ve always had that chip on my shoulder, you know?" Savage said shortly after he was picked. "I’ve always heard I wasn’t big enough, I can’t do this, I can’t do that. I just use it as motivation. I just let it fuel me. I always keep that in the back of my head. I kind of have that chip on my shoulder when I play and everything else."

New combo: The Packers opened last season with Clinton-Dix and Kentrell Brice as their starting safeties. Neither is even on the roster anymore. The Packers traded Clinton-Dix to Washington and then he signed with the Bears last month. Brice wasn't tendered as a restricted free agent and signed with the Buccaneers. The Packers finished the season with Tramon Williams and Josh Jones as their starting safeties. Williams is expected to move back to his traditional role as a corner, while Jones remains at safety. But if all goes as planned, Savage should play free safety and Adrian Amos (signed to a four-year, $36 million contract in free agency) would play strong safety.


Round 2, No. 44 overall: Elgton Jenkins, G/C, Mississippi State

The 6-foot-5 Elgton Jenkins excels as a pass-blocker. Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire
My take: It was a given that the Packers were going to take an offensive lineman early in the draft but after a run on tackles early in the second round -- four in the first seven picks -- the Packers opted for versatility up front. One of Green Bay's college scouts, Charles Walls, said the Packers picked Jenkins to play guard even though he started 26 games at center and last played guard in 2016 as a sophomore. He was rated as Todd McShay's No. 3 center in the draft, but the Packers have Corey Linsley as a mainstay there. They have an opening at right guard, but they signed Billy Turner ($9 million signing bonus) in free agency and they also got back last year's fifth-round pick, G Cole Madison, who sat out his entire rookie year for personal mental health reasons. It's clear the Packers want to create competition and depth on the line. They also have some familiarity with Jenkins on their staff with quarterbacks coach Luke Getsy, who was Mississippi State's offensive coordinator last season. "Luke was fired up about him," Walls said.


Round 3, No. 75 overall: Jace Sternberger, TE, Texas A&M
My take: Finally, someone who actually touches the football. After two defensive players on Day 1 and an offensive lineman in the second round, GM Brian Gutekunst took an offensive skill position player. And it was at their greatest position of need in that regard. They couldn’t get the top tight end, T.J. Hockenson (who went eighth to the Lions), and passed on his Iowa teammate Noah Fant. They also passed on Alabama’s Irv Smith Jr. in the second round and saw two more tight ends, Washington’s Drew Sample and San Jose State’s Josh Oliver, go before the Packers came around again in the third round. “Yeah, it was important to us, if we could do it, no doubt,” co-director of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan said about finding a tight end early in the draft. “Brian has addressed this with you guys, we always try to take the best player available. That's just philosophically what we believe in, and he was the best player available for us at this time. It worked out, and it was a position we valued. We needed to get a young guy in the mix, and we did.” Sullivan said Sternberger won’t need to be an immediate starter; that job still belongs to veteran Jimmy Graham. But there will be opportunities for the 6-foot-4, 251-pounder to help stretch the field. “There’s a reason I left early -- because I felt like I was the best tight end in this draft class,” Sternberger said. “So I have a lot of work to prove out for me, but I’ve always been in a situation where I want to take challenges head-on and that’s what I plan to do here, and just prove to Green Bay they made the right pick.” Despite a relatively pedestrian 40 time of 4.75 at the combine, Sternberger averaged 17.3 yards per catch in his only season at Texas A&M, which followed two years at Kansas and a junior college season. “I don’t think there’s pressure for him to come in here and be Superman,” Sullivan said. “We can throw him in that room and let him go. But we definitely think he has that skill set if needed.”


Round 5, No. 150 overall: Kingsley Keke, DT, Texas A&M
My take: This might close the door on a return for Muhammad Wilkerson, the free-agent defensive tackle who played last year under a one-year contract and sustained a season-ending ankle injury in Week 3. The Packers view Keke as a versatile player who can line up anywhere on the front. His pass-rush production skyrocketed last season after he dropped from more than 300 pounds and moved from tackle to end. He posted 7.0 sacks and 11 tackles for loss as a senior, starting all 13 games. "You can see his athleticism come through as a pass-rusher, which is intriguing," Packers area scout Charles Walls said. Keke showed off his speed at the combine, running a 4.95 40, but he did not bench in Indy. When he did at his pro day, he did just 20 reps, which is on the low end for an interior lineman, so he may need to get stronger. Packers GM Brian Gutekunst clearly trusts Walls, who also scouted second-round pick Elgton Jenkins (Mississippi State) and third-rounder Jace Sternberger (Texas A&M).


Round 6, No. 185 overall: Ka'dar Hollman, CB, Toledo
My take: This is one of those rags to riches NFL draft stories. He had no offers coming out of high school, so the Burlington, New Jersey native took a job at a bread factory, where he worked alongside mostly ex-convicts, before he unloaded trucks for Dunkin' Donuts and then cut meat at a deli. He finally got an offer to walk on at Toledo after he sent dozens of emails to college coaches with his highlight tape. At Toledo, he became a starter in the 2016 season. As a senior, he tied for the Mid-American Conference lead with 12 pass breakups. He's viewed as a developmental cornerback with sub-4.4 second 40-yard dash. Barring major injuries in the secondary, he wouldn't be expected to play immediately as a rookie. He took a predraft visit to the Packers last week.


Round 6, No. 194 overall: Dexter Williams, RB, Notre Dame
My take: You can find a good running back just about anywhere in the draft, so the fact that Williams was the 17th one taken in this draft isn't an issue. Aaron Jones, the Packers' No. 1 back now, was the 19th one taken in the 2017 draft. The risk here is off the field. He had a marijuana arrest in 2016 and then served a four-game suspension for an undisclosed violation to start the 2018 season. His mother moved to South Bend this year to be closer to Williams even though she has serious medical issues that was featured in the above ESPN piece. In nine games after his suspension last season, he posted 995 yards and 12 rushing touchdowns on 158 carries. Given new coach Matt LaFleur's professed plan to build the offense off the running game, it's a good idea to have options beyond just Jones and Jamaal Williams.


Round 7, No. 226 overall: Ty Summers, ILB, TCU
My take:At this point in the round, it's probably best to take the best athlete possible regardless of position. Summers sure fits that. At 6-foot-1 and 241 pounds, he ran a 4.51 40 at the combine, put up 27 reps on the bench press and jumped 36 inches in the vertical test. Those are all strong numbers for an inside backer and better than what current starter Blake Martinez put up at the 2016 combine (4.71, 22 reps, 28.5 vertical. What could work in Summer's favor is that he was the only inside linebacker the Packers took in this draft, and it's a position where there's an open starting spot next to Martinez.
 
mzahn said:
Great to hear positive feedback on our new Packers. Especially after hearing some people in shoutbox complaining.
Click to expand...
Packers need to renounce rights to every draft pick now. wacky(:D:p
 
Ya when people don't get the picks they recognize they complain in shout. I know, I've done it with more than one pick. Then, when you take some time to research the pick you find that most of them aren't as bad as you though they were in the 3 minutes after the pick was made. I was listening to a national radio show during the 6th round and they specifically brought up the Packers as having a pretty solid draft to that point. Of course, we won't know a damn thing for at least another year or two.
 
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...draft-final-quicksnap-grades-for-all-32-teams

Green Bay Packers
Draft picks: Michigan OLB Rashan Gary (No. 12 overall); Maryland S Darnell Savage (No. 21 overall); Texas A&M OG Elgton Jenkins (No. 44); Texas A&M TE Jace Sternberger (No. 75); Texas A&M DE Kingsley Keke (No. 150); Toledo CB Ka'dar Hollman (No. 185); Notre Dame RB Dexter Williams (No. 194); TCU LB Ty Summers (No. 226)
Day 1 grade: A
Day 2 grade: A
Day 3 grade: A
Overall grade: A
Draft analysis: Gary's production wasn't what you would have liked at Michigan and his off-field business interest turned off some teams. However, he has great athletic upside as a defender in the Packers' scheme. Announced as a linebacker at the draft on Thursday, Gary can play outside or inside and gives consistent full effort. Green Bay had an extra first-round pick from a 2018 draft-day trade with New Orleans (No. 30 overall). The Packers traded up, though, and selected Savage, who fills an immediate need at safety. He will be an effective nickel defender and will pop ball-carriers whenever possible.

Green Bay finally used an early pick on the offensive line, picking up Jenkins, a strong and long player who played every O-line position for the Bulldogs. Head coach Matt LaFleur needed another tight end, and Sternberger turned out to be a nice value as a receiving threat in the mid-third round.

The Packers got a steal in Keke, who could become a starter. Hollman was a former walk-on who starred for Toledo. Depth at running back was a big need for Green Bay, so Williams will get a shot to play early.
 
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