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Womens Oren Burks Jersey , 70-66: Can Allen Lazard crack Green Bay’s receiver group?Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY SportsWith the Green Bay Packers’ 2019 90-man
roster complete and filled out for the start of Organized Team Activities next
week, Acme Packing Company is hard at work on our annual ranking of the full
roster.After revealing players ranked from 75 to 71 earlier today, we continue
on this afternoon with the players in slots 70 through 66. This group has
players of varied experience levels: from one who has been in the NFL since 2014
to a pair of undrafted rookies. Here’s a look at the next group of five on our
list.70: Randy Ramsey, outside linebackerOne of the Packers’ initial undrafted
rookie signings, Ramsey drew interest from the Packers going back to the
pre-draft process. He was one of the team’s 30 official visitors, and although
he does not possess elite physical tools, he was able to put together a solid
and steady career at Arkansas while playing multiple different
positions.Ramsey’s backstory is interesting, however; when Arkansas assistant
coach Randy Shannon left for Florida after Ramsey’s freshman year, Ramsey’s
primary recruiter was gone and he began to lose his way. His grades reportedly
slipped and he ended up being dismissed from the team. A year off rejuvenated
his fire for football, however, and he returned to Arkansas (initially without a
scholarship) and put together a solid final three years. The perseverance that
he displayed in working through his struggles will need to be on display this
summer in Green Bay.69: Will Redmond, cornerbackThe Packers snagged Redmond, a
former third-round draft pick in 2016, for the practice squad early on in the
regular season a year ago, elevating him to the active roster for the final two
months of the season. Although he went on injured reserve late in the season, he
did suit up in five games for the Packers, primarily on special teams, and
recorded one solo tackle.Redmond was an exceptional athlete leaving college, but
a torn ACL in 2015 prevented him from working out fully in the lead-up to the
2016 draft. However, the 49ers picked him 68th overall, based largely on his
projection and pre-injury college production. However, he then tore another ACL
at the start of his rookie season and landed on injured reserve before going
there again at the start of 2017. In fact, he has been on IR in each of his
three years in the NFL
Brett Favre Jersey , so making it through training camp unscathed might just be a win.68: Kapri Bibbs, running backBibbs entered the NFL in 2014, signing with
the Broncos as an undrafted free agent. He then bounced around on their practice
squad and active roster for three years before Denver sent him to San Francisco
during the 2017 NFL Draft as part of a late draft pick swap. He then stuck with
Washington after missing out at final cuts, eventually landing with the Packers
late last season on a waiver claim.Bibbs, a self-professed Packers fan, likely
has run out the clock on his practice squad eligibility. Given the Packers’
acquisition of Dexter Williams in the 2019 NFL Draft and established players in
Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams ahead of him, it will be an uphill climb for
Bibbs to make the team.67: Yosh Nijman, offensive linemanWith a better 3-cone
time at the 2019 Combine, Nijman might have set a record for the best RAS ever
for an offensive tackle. In fact, using his silly Pro Day time of 7.29 seconds
would do it for the three-year starter, who started at left tackle for two years
before moving to the right side as a senior. His absurd athleticism — 4.88 40
and 4.50 short shuttle at 6-foot-7 and 314 pounds — provides the promise that he
could be molded into a productive player by an NFL coaching staff. Though raw in
technique, a year on the practice squad could be just what he needs to develop
that aspect of his game and continue improving on his absurd athletic
ability.66: Allen Lazard, wide receiverAt 6-foot-5 and 227 pounds, Lazard is the
definition of the hybrid receiver/tight end player who can create matchup
problems for defenses. Indeed, he revealed at the 2018 Combine that the Packers
reportedly liked him in that kind of a role before the Jaguars signed him as an
undrafted free agent.As a big slot player, Lazard can match up against smaller
safeties and his 4.55 speed gives him enough juice to be a problem against
slower linebackers. Plus, his 26 touchdowns in college suggest that he could be
a serious weapon in the red zone. Don’t be surprised if he makes a surprise run
at the roster in camp as a sixth receiver — he could even be competing against
Robert Tonyan for a spot, as both players would likely play a similar big
receiving role.Aaron Rodgers means Packers can afford not to take risks, not
other way around The Green Bay Packers don’t have to take risks because they
have Aaron Rodgers. It’s a sentence that can be read two ways. Some argue that
the team should pay whatever it takes. That Time is running out. That because
Aaron Rodgers will be gone soon anyway, the Packers have to do whatever it takes
to win another Super Bowl now even if it means mortgaging the future. Instead
and in order, no, no it isn’t, and no they don’t. In fact
Womens Paul Hornung Jersey , the presence of Aaron Rodgers is precisely why Green Bay doesn’t have to undertake enormous capital investment with its
roster.Ted Thompson went a little too far in the other direction when it came to
team building, forgetting free agency existed and relying too heavily on the
draft to build his team. That left the Packers undermanned and underdeveloped
when he finally saw the door. But in 2016, Rodgers engaged in a video game-like
run to carry an undermanned and underdeveloped team to the brink of the Super
Bowl. The Packers weren’t the best team in 2014, but nearly went to the Super
Bowl anyway because of Rodgers’ brilliance. His mere presence, the fact he can
win any game by himself, means Brian Gutekunst doesn’t need to give up his
financial flexibility and unmatched draft capital for one player. Would Khalil
Mack have made the Packers better? No question. He makes them the Super Bowl
favorite. And that’s a goal worthy of seeking to be sure. But the Chicago Bears
also gave Mack $141 million dollars, a sum that would have accounted for a
quarter of the Packers cap with Aaron Rodgers’ new mega-deal. Ryan Pace also
gave up three top 100 draft picks, including a pair of first-rounders, on a team
that isn’t near able to compete for a Super Bowl title. Green Bay doesn’t need
to take such enormous gambles. Mack certainly showed he’s capable of living up
to that contract. He was the defensive player of the year just two seasons ago,
playing so well he earned first-team All-Pro from the PFWA at two positions.
Chicago is attempting to borrow the Rams’ model of maximizing their spending
with a rookie quarterback salary on the books and it could work for them in a
year or two when Trubisky may finally be ready to be an NFL quarterback (he was
decidedly not last season). There’s no comparable move in recent NFL history,
making it difficult to suss out the true risks and reward here, but plenty of
Packers fans were clamoring around the draft for a trade up. Go get the impact
pass rusher the team needed. Trade up for Denzel Ward, the top corner in the
draft. Gutekunst did the opposite, choosing instead to wait patiently, fleece
the New Orleans Saints, and wind up with three potential Day 1 starters on
defense including the player Pro Football Focus said had one of the best
preseasons in the NFL and who Peter King just picked to be DROY (Josh Jackson).
Good process is good process regardless of the quarterback position, but it’s
even better when Aaron Rodgers is the quarterback. The Packers can afford not to
gamble because they don’t have to. They have Rodgers. None of that should
suggest they shouldn’t attempt to make the roster better. They should. And
Gutekunst has aggressively set about doing that, bringing in players like Jimmy
Graham, Muhammad Wilkerson, Tramon Williams, Marcedes Lewis and Byron Bell to
round out the roster and add veteran leadership to the team. It was those moves
that separates Ted Thompson from “great GM” to “all-time great.”Rodgers
increases the margin for error, but also mitigates the need for risk. Calculated
risk, like making Graham the highest paid tight end in the league on a
short-term deal
Oren Burks Jersey White , represents the Platonic ideal for moves in the Rodgers era. It’s how the Patriots have built a perennial Super Bowl team around
Tom Brady. Bill Belichick traded for Randy Moss, but that only cost them a
fourth-round pick. They traded for Brandin Cooks with a first, then promptly
re-sold him for another first, a move they likely knew they could (and likely
would) make. The reasons are obvious: the pass rush is the No. 1 position of
need on this team in 2018, but what about 2019? Or 2020? Paying so much on
long-term deals to two players with subverted future resources to make other
positions better puts a team in a potentially precarious position. If Bryan
Bulaga can’t stay healthy, would the Packers have the financial or draft capital
to fix that problem? If none of these young receivers pan out, can Green Bay
survive with Davante Adams and spare parts? Money and draft picks would make
finding additional weapons much easier. It’s not that trading for Khalil Mack
would have been a bad idea. And it’s not even a gamble in a football sense; he
definitely makes the Packers better. But at what cost? The answer both in
dollars and opportunity cost could have been enormous. If Gutekunst had done it
and won the Packers a Super Bowl, most fans would have been OK with the move,
and rightfully so. That doesn’t mean it wouldn’t have been a risk from a team
building standpoint. Geronimo Allison, an undrafted player, comes up and catches
a critical touchdown in a Week 17 game against the Lions in 2016 and wins the
game against the Bengals in OT in 2017. When you have a field-tilter like
Rodgers, moves on the margins push to the fore. Carrying Allison on the roster
compared to signing a more expensive free agent was a risk, but one the Packers
can take because they have No. 12. It’s a small one, but calculated and with
little cost. Rodgers’ mere presence can take a small move and make it a big
one.Trading up would have been a (smaller) risk, but it could have worked out.
It’s hard to imagine working out better than what actually played out with
Gutekunst ending up with a king’s ransom and young defenders who already look
like impact players. Just because Rodgers is 34 (still the prime for a QB by the
way) doesn’t mean Green Bay should start falling all over itself trying to win
now at the cost of its future. That future, thanks to Gutekunst, still includes
Rodgers for at least 6 seasons and presumably Gutekunst intends to be in the
building even longer. The same desired outcome, a Super Bowl title, can be
achieved with less risk because of the unique player Green Bay has under center.
Ted Thompson understood that and built a team that was positioned to contend for
years. They have. Whatever deficiencies he showed were in keeping with the
premise that success could be achieved without enormous risk. That would be true
even without the greatest quarterback to ever pick up a football, but having
that player makes it even more apt. The Packers don’t have to take huge risks
because they have Aaron Rodgers.
