The Draft — Charger Press

May 2

May 2 The Draft

Nick Mitchell

The 2022 NFL Draft could prove to be one of the biggest boom or bust drafts we’ve seen thus far. Many surprises occurred throughout the draft, including many blockbuster trades such as Marquise “Hollywood” Brown for the 23rd overall pick, that ended being the 25th after a trade with Buffalo. Another huge trade, arguably bigger, was the Tennessee Titans sending AJ Brown to Philadelphia for the 18th pick, which they used on Arkansas WR Treylon Burks. However, there were also some trades that didn’t occur. The Packers did not package any picks or players for Darren Waller, nor did they trade up to take one of the many talented receivers in this year’s draft. In one of the more loaded receiver classes we’ve seen in recent history, the Packers, who traded away arguably the best receiver in the entire NFL, did not acquire any first round receivers. It is likely that they will take a receiver sometime later in the draft, however it is clearly not a high priority.

In an article from NFL, writer Kevin Patra has Packers’ GM Brian Gutenkenst saying, “I will say we got some pretty good players in the building’’ in reference to the receiver position (Patra, 2022). With the addition of Sammy Watkins, the Packers have worked to improve the position. According to Jordan Dajani of CBS Sports, “Watkins is just 28 and still possesses the kind of speed on the outside that could benefit Aaron Rodgers” (Dajani, 2022). However, many Packers’ fans would agree that they still do not possess a WR1. At best, Lazard and Watkins are WR2’s. Although the position was not addressed as much as many Packers’ fans would have wanted, star quarterback and reigning back to back MVP Aaron Rodgers had this to say in an article published by the New York Post. “We’ve had a lot of success with second and third round receivers in Green Bay” (Glasspiegel, 2022). It’s important to remember how Rodgers makes the players around him better. It is entirely possible to see Sammy Watkins have a career resurgence catching passes from one of the greatest to ever do it.

With this in mind, the Packers elected to bolster the defense with LB Quay Walker and DT Devontae Wyatt, both of which were starters for the national championship winning Georgia Bulldogs. Walker joins All-Pro LB De’Vondre Campbell in the midfield. Wyatt is a big improvement for a defensive line that finished bottom half in the league in terms of sacks. Green Bay’s defense finished extremely well last season, ranking 9th in total yards allowed, and already this draft could potentially have bolstered the Packers’ defense into the top five. According to an article from Sportsnaut, the Packers are currently predicted to have the third best defense in the league next year (Johnson, 2022).

Overall, this draft maybe wasn’t ideal to all, as the hope was to get one of the top receivers in a loaded class, but an already strong defense has been improved into what could prove to be an impenetrable force that all 31 other teams fear. The Packers will be looking to win their first Super Bowl since 2011 in what could be one of, if not the last great year Rodgers has left in him. Back in that 2011 Super Bowl run, they were propelled to a championship on a strong defense. This year, they will certainly have that again in addition to the dynamic running back duo of Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon. It’s said every year, but this year might finally be the year. Go Pack Go!

References

Dajani, J. (2022, April 14). NFL free agency 2022: Packers sign Sammy Watkins to reported one-year, $4 million deal. CBSSports.Com. https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-free-agency-2022-packers-sign-sammy-watkins-to-reported-one-year-4-million-deal/

Glasspiegel, R. (2022, April 29). Aaron Rodgers seems zen after Packers pass on receiver again in NFL Draft 2022. New York Post.

https://nypost.com/2022/04/28/nfl-draft-2022-aaron-rodgers-reacts-as-packers-skip-receiver/

Johnson, M. (2022, April 29). 2022 NFL defense rankings: Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles rise after Round 1 of NFL Draft. Sportsnaut. https://sportsnaut.com/nfl-defense-rankings/

Patra, K. (2022, April 26). Packers GM Brian Gutekunst: 2022 NFL Draft is deep at receiver. NFL.Com. https://www.nfl.com/news/packers-gm-brian-gutekunst-2022-nfl-draft-is-deep-at-receiver