As the Green Bay Packers look toward the 2019 NFL Draft
Kingsley Keke Jersey 2019 , they do so with a little more excitement than usual. With three picks in the top 45 selections and several positions of need, Green
Bay has an opportunity to land instant contributors and long-term cornerstones
next April. While the Packers figure to improve their depth at edge rusher with
at least one of those picks, their need to improve the safety position truly
revealed itself as the 2018 season wore on. And because of that, the name
Johnathan Abram should be on Packers fans’ radars heading into pre-draft
festivities.The 6’0, 215-pound Abram entered his senior season at Mississippi
State as a potential mid-round draft pick. After a stellar year, he finds
himself hovering in the area of rounds one and two depending on his athletic
testing at the NFL Combine. The former junior college safety began his college
career with the Georgia Bulldogs before finishing his final two years of
eligibility with Mississippi’s version of the bulldogs. He brings that bulldog
trait to the playing field.Described as a “throwback” safety, Abram’s game is
passionate and relentless, attributes the Packers’ defense could benefit from.
He brings a thump to any and all ballcarriers and learned to harness that
physicality enough to better avoid personal foul penalties as a senior. Although
his aggressiveness has led to blown coverages on occasion, notably a long
touchdown pass against Iowa in the Outback Bowl, Abram improved greatly with
experience. A major issue of the Packers’ deep half of the secondary was
tackling this past season and Abram would shore up that area of weakness
immediately as one of the draft’s best tacklers from the safety position.On top
of his intensity, Abram has been a playmaker, totaling 14 tackles for a loss,
five sacks, three forced fumbles, and two interceptions over his two seasons in
Starkville. He was in position for several more interceptions in 2018
Color Rush Kingsley Keke Jersey , coming up just shy on a few occasions. But when the Bulldogs needed a third down stop or a sure tackle on a screen pass,
Abram usually came through and showed the ability to shed through blockers on
the outside. For a team like Green Bay, which tied for 29th in the NFL in
takeaways in 2018, Abram’s ability to find the ball would be a welcome
addition.Abram’s versatility may be of most significant interest to Green Bay.
In recent seasons, the Packers have employed safeties at inside linebacker on
passing downs to gain an advantage in coverage. His physicality would be a great
fit in the box for the Packers, especially against tight ends. Green Bay could
also line Abram up in the slot, where he has been a dangerous blitzer as a
senior and held his own against top receivers. Against Alabama, Misssissippi
State used Abram in the slot against Jerry Jeudy and he held the Crimson Tide’s
standout to just six catches for 45 yards, his second-lowest output of the
season. Abram’s ability to line up in man coverage in the slot and outside when
needed, in addition to safety and potentially linebacker, would give the Packers
the tremendous versatility they covet.Abram’s play in 2018 has made him a
surefire pick in the draft’s first two days and many are beginning to take
notice.While Abram still has coverage skills he needs to work on, a good showing
at the Combine could vault him into late first-round consideration and the
territory of Green Bay’s second pick of the round. A very vocal team player with
leadership skills and experience in the SEC, Abram would bring a swagger to the
game that the Packers need now more than ever. While he may not be the free
roamer that the Packers must also address at safety, he is the kind of
in-the-box safety that they hoped Josh Jones and Kentrell Brice would
become.Green Bay could look many directions with its first-round selections, but
Abram could fill several schematic positions as soon as next year and provide
much-needed stability at safety for years to come. Each of the four teams who
lost a free agent to Green Bay will get at least one comp pick next
year
Cheap Kingsley Keke Jersey , some directly and some indirectly a result of their old player landing with the Packers."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections The APC
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free agent signings should result in 2020 compensatory picks for old
teamsPatrick McDermott-USA TODAY SportsUnder Ted Thompson, the Green Bay Packers
were rarely major players in free agency. One contributing factor to that
approach was the NFL’s compensatory pick formula, which awards extra draft picks
in rounds three through seven of the NFL Draft to teams that lost more
unrestricted free agents than they gained.In 2020, the Packers are likely to
have no compensatory picks for the second straight year, reflecting new general
manager Brian Gutekunst’s more aggressive approach to free agency. However, that
approach — which came to a head in March as the team agreed to terms with four
players in the span of a few hours — did help a few other NFL teams pick up comp
picks of their own.In fact, each of the four teams that the Packers’ additions
came from are likely to get at least one comp pick in 2020, according to Over
the Cap’s projections. Although just two of the picks correspond to the players
who signed with the Packers, Green Bay’s contracts with the other two helped
cancel out additions by that old team and ensured that a different lost player
would equate to a comp pick.Here’s a look at how those picks will likely break
down.Za’Darius Smith: Third-round pick (Ravens)Smith, the Packers’
highest-priced free agent signing, came from the Baltimore Ravens, who have
earned a well-deserved reputation for accruing compensatory picks. With an
average annual contract value of $16.5 million, Smith’s deal should get the
Ravens one of the coveted third-round comp picks in 2020. Baltimore did sigh one
high-priced free agent this year, landing safety Earl Thomas, but they also lost
linebacker C.J. Mosley to the Jets
Kingsley Keke Jersey Womens , so those transactions are projected to cancel out.The comp pick for Smith is one of three that the Ravens are currently
projected to receive, along with a fourth-round pick for wide receiver John
Brown (who signed with the Buffalo Bills) and a fifth-rounder for edge rusher
Terrell Suggs (Cardinals).Preston SmithThe “other” Smith, who came over from
Washington, will not end up getting his old team a comp pick. That is because
Washington signed safety Landon Collins to a $14 million per year deal, slightly
eclipsing the $13M per year that Smith received from the Packers. Washington is
in line for a fourth-rounder, however, as Jamison Crowder’s $9.5M/year contract
with the Jets will cash in a pick.Adrian Amos: Fourth-round pick (Bears)With
Amos coming to Green Bay from Chicago, the Bears are likely to get what could be
their first compensatory pick in over a decade - a fourth-rounder. He is the
only player lost or gained by the Bears with a contract value exceeding $7
million annually. Cornerback Bryce Callahan headed to Denver for that number,
but appears likely to be canceled out by some of the Bears’
signings.Interestingly, the Packers unloaded safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix for a
fourth-round pick in the 2019 draft, trading him to Washington midway through
last season. Now, the Bears have Clinton-Dix in the fold on a one year deal and
should get a fourth-rounder of their own as a result of the Packers picking up
Amos.Billy TurnerInterestingly, Callahan landing in Denver is a reason why the
Broncos will not get a fifth-round pick for Turner, who signed a $7 million deal
of his own in Green Bay. Denver might still land three picks, but because of
their additions this offseason
Kingsley Keke Green Bay Packers Jersey , none of them will likely be earlier than round six.Packers’ Comp PicksThe Packers, meanwhile, predictably will get no
compensatory picks, as they had just four qualifying players leave, all of whom
had contract values lower than Turner’s. In other years, Green Bay might have
hauled in three sixth-rounders for Randall Cobb, Clay Matthews, and Jake Ryan,
plus a seventh for Bashaud Breeland, but the additions of the four players above
will cancel those out and ensure that Brian Gutekunst has no extra ammunition in
2020 as a result of this year’s free agency period.
