Tight end may not be considered a premium position
Cheap Ka'dar Hollman Jersey , but in Matt LaFleur’s offense it just might be. For a Packers team looking for a complement to Davante Adams, they might find it
in a player like T.J. Hockenson."Brian Gutekunst’s aggressive approach to free
agency hurt the mock draft industrial complex. Before the Green Bay Packers
signed Za’Darius and Preston Smith, putting together the likely targets for
Green Bay at 12th overall was easy: grab the best pass rusher on the board.
Montez Sweat before he habachi’d the combine. Jachai Polite before he lit his
own draft stock on fire. Brian Burns hadn’t quite moved up the boards that far,
but he’d been a name to watch. The Packers can still go that route. Behind the
Acme Sackers, there aren’t great options and a team can never have too much pass
rush. Kyler Fackrell will almost certainly regress with his sack totals and
someone like Burns could come in and give them rotational outside linebacker
snaps. But the question becomes, for a team that now lacks short-term holes,
where are the positions that could offer the most long-term impact? Green Bay
has questions at safety, offensive tackle, and tight end beyond this season, as
well as some depth concerns at linebacker, receiver, and defensive line. After
working to round this roster out, the Packers could conclude that a blue chip
tight end like T.J. Hockenson or Noah Fant gives them the best chance at
long-term impact of their options at 12. Let’s say they draft Burns. If Mr. and
Mr. Smith stay healthy, how many snaps can Burns reasonably snag? If we assume
similar player quality in terms of the prospects available at 12 (something that
isn’t practical without perfect information, but is necessary for the sake of
argument), Burns probably wouldn’t play more than 35-40% of snaps on his rookie
contract. If he’s good, but not great (again, assumed for the sake of argument),
that’s a useful player, but not likely to be as impactful as a player of similar
quality at another position where he can start. Jonah Williams and Jawaan Taylor
don’t fit Green Bay’s traditional athletic profile
Ka'dar Hollman Jersey Womens , a mold from which they’re unlikely to depart with such a high selection. The only top lineman matching what the front office
traditionally looks for is Andre Dillard, the best pass-blocking tackle in the
draft and an outstanding athlete. If he’s starting at right tackle by Year 2—and
let’s be honest, he’s going to have to play in 2019 with Bryan Bulaga’s injury
history—if he’s the same quality player as Burns, he’s more impactful to this
team, probably by a lot. But reasonable people disagree about whether or not
he’s deserving of the 12th pick. If the Packers feel that way, they could be in
a position where both Devin linebackers are off the board (Devin White to Tampa
is the worst kept secret in the draft, and the Bengals have been linked to Devin
Bush), Ed Oliver is gone, and they’re left looking at guys like Hock and Burns,
or reaching for a safety if they don’t like the offensive tackle options. Given
Ted Thompson’s history and Brian Gutekunst’s adherence to much of that vision,
guard likely won’t be on the table either. Hockenson, or even Fant, become
intriguing options. Forget, for a moment, the issues teams have had drafting
tight ends in the first round. It is the case they’ve been much more successful
plucking guys later in the draft, but that’s also not proof Hock or Fant are bad
prospects, or likely to be sub-par players. It’s merely evidence teams have been
ineffective at correctly identifying talent at the position. The wisdom has long
been, if you can get a tight end later, why use a high pick now? That’s a fair
point to make. On the other hand, it’s not a case against Hockenson or Fant
specifically. In fact
Ka'dar Hollman Green Bay Packers Jersey , most first-round draft picks are bad, with more than half failing to earn a second contract. If we are assuming Hockenson
and Fant’s quality as prospects are the same as players also available, we have
to assume they’re good. This is a leap actual teams can’t make, relying instead
on their own evaluations. The argument against a tight end can’t be that it’s
not a premiere position, because in this offense it is. Kyle Shanahan rode
George Kittle to record-breaking receiving numbers last year with sub-NFL
quarterback play. Matt LaFleur has Aaron Rodgers. Imagine what he could do with
a guy 90% as talented as Kittle. Tight ends take time to develop, but no matter,
Green Bay has Jimmy Graham and Marcedes Lewis in the stable for 2019. Someone
like Hockenson could take over in 2020 and be playing starting snaps, getting
100 targets a year every season for the rest of his rookie contract. In this
offense, that could be WR2 numbers, particularly with no obvious No. 2 option in
the passing game already evident on the team. Graham saw 89 targets last season
in an offense that isn’t conducive to tight end success. Kittle got 136 last
season from Nick Mullens and his traveling band. Before Delanie Walker got hurt
last season in Week 1, he already had seven targets for LaFleur in Tennessee.
Even if all a player like Hockenson can be is a souped up version of Heath
Miller, a tight end who can block and be ultra-reliable for you in the middle of
the field, in this offense that’s a highly impactful player. Given that his
upside appears to be well beyond that (names like Kittle, Rob Gronkowski and
Jason Witten have been thrown out there), there’s certainly a chance he could
make that 12th pick well worth it. Ed Oliver, if he’s there, represents value
too good to pass up. After that, if we are assuming similar quality prospects, a
guy like Dillard who can be a future right tackle, represents the best value.
But if Oliver is gone and Dillard isn’t coveted by the Packers
Ka'dar Hollman Jersey 2019 , a tight end has as good a case as any to be the most impactful player on the board, even ahead of another pass rusher or an inside
linebacker. The quality of these players should ultimately decide the pick. If
the Packers love Devin Bush and he’s there, they should take him. If they think
Brian Burns is Von Miller 2.0, by all means, draft him. But if they see similar
talents available and can’t find a trade partner to move down to 13, 15, or 17,
there are two tight ends who could be big-time players for Matt LaFleur in this
offense with Aaron Rodgers. Tight end is a premium position in this offense, and
will be a need long-term for the team. Believing one of those guys has the best
chance to maximally improve this roster is no longer a pipe dream. Brian
Gutekunst’s spending spree saw to that. Now, the Packers can focus on getting
the best player for their team, even—and perhaps especially—if it’s a tight end.
The Packers won on Sunday and that’s enough for quarterback Aaron Rodgers to
feel “excited to go home and have a scotch or two.”The 22-0 victory over the
Bills isn’t one that’s going to make Rodgers feel content about the team’s
offense, however. The Packers picked up 423 yards in the game, but the
quarterback called it “non-playoff team offensive-level” and lamented the lack
of opportunities given to wide receiver Davante Adams because the Buffalo
defense “couldn’t stop him.”Rodgers said the Packers have to “find ways to get
him” the ball after being “terrible on offense” in Sunday’s win.“I’m also a
realist,” Rodgers said, via ESPN.com. “That’s just not acceptable offense for
us. Four hundred and twenty-three yards looks pretty good in comparison to some
of the games we’ve put forward the first three weeks, but it should have been
about 45 points and 600 yards.”Rodgers got two practice sessions in this week
after being limited to one in each of the previous two weeks because of his knee
injury. We’ll find out what kind of schedule he’ll be on ahead of Week Five
against the Lions in the next couple of days.
