WEBVTT - #527 Packers Unscripted: Draft debrief, Part 2 0:00:00.840 --> 0:00:15.280 Hi, everybody. Welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted social 0:00:15.360 --> 0:00:19.000 distancing Style from Packers dot Com. I am Mike Spofford, 0:00:19.040 --> 0:00:23.000 as always joined by the one and only Wes Hodkowits 0:00:23.079 --> 0:00:25.799 coming to you from our humble abodes as we have 0:00:25.880 --> 0:00:28.920 been for the past several weeks and west we'll pick 0:00:29.040 --> 0:00:31.560 up today's show right where we left off on our 0:00:31.640 --> 0:00:34.000 last show. In reviewing the draft class, we got through 0:00:34.040 --> 0:00:37.000 the Packers picks on the first two days. So on 0:00:37.120 --> 0:00:40.360 the third day of the NFL Draft, the Packers drafted 0:00:40.360 --> 0:00:45.680 a linebacker from Minnesota, then three consecutive offensive lineman in 0:00:45.720 --> 0:00:50.159 the sixth round, followed by a safety from TCU, and 0:00:50.240 --> 0:00:53.400 then an edge rusher from Miami. What did you make 0:00:53.680 --> 0:00:57.600 of the players the Packers brought in on Day three? Yeah, 0:00:57.640 --> 0:01:00.720 that Day three. It's always kind of a handful of everything, right, 0:01:00.760 --> 0:01:02.720 I mean, it's it's it's what can you find, what 0:01:02.880 --> 0:01:05.280 traits are out there, and how do you think these 0:01:05.280 --> 0:01:08.200 guys could potentially help you in the long run. Because 0:01:08.520 --> 0:01:11.720 as much as people sometimes can say, uh, what is 0:01:11.720 --> 0:01:13.600 the fifth rounder gonna do? What is a sixth rounder 0:01:13.640 --> 0:01:18.160 gonna do? Sometimes those players become Corey Linsley or Desmond Bishop. So, uh, 0:01:18.200 --> 0:01:20.840 starting off with Kamal Martin, if I can start there, 0:01:21.640 --> 0:01:24.560 I really like this prospect for a lot of reasons. 0:01:24.640 --> 0:01:28.640 One um, if you know anything about covering athletics in 0:01:28.720 --> 0:01:32.360 the Midwest, Martin dealt with a plight of a lot 0:01:32.400 --> 0:01:36.160 of Midwest prep athletes and that he was really good 0:01:36.160 --> 0:01:38.360 in his area. He was appeared to be going to 0:01:38.400 --> 0:01:41.800 a max school to play quarterback, and then lo and behold, 0:01:41.840 --> 0:01:44.720 the offer comes in from Minnesota to go play linebacker there. 0:01:44.720 --> 0:01:47.520 It's very similar to the route that alec Ingold took 0:01:47.560 --> 0:01:51.760 from Bayport to almost northern Illinois to Wisconsin and now 0:01:51.800 --> 0:01:54.600 he's a fullback for the Oakland Raiders. So those are 0:01:54.600 --> 0:01:56.800 the type of things that are gonna happen when you're 0:01:56.840 --> 0:01:59.360 not that big five star recruit, and I think Martin 0:01:59.440 --> 0:02:02.200 made the most of that during his time at Minnesota. 0:02:02.560 --> 0:02:07.120 Six ft three pounds, nice long arms, a willing tackler, 0:02:07.120 --> 0:02:09.480 a guy that can help you on special teams. He 0:02:09.520 --> 0:02:11.800 did have the knee injury last year that sidelined him 0:02:11.840 --> 0:02:15.200 for five games, but when you're looking for a mid 0:02:15.360 --> 0:02:19.240 round inside linebacker, I think he checks a lot of 0:02:19.240 --> 0:02:22.160 the boxes and at the very least this is the 0:02:22.200 --> 0:02:24.120 guy that could potentially maybe step in there and do 0:02:24.200 --> 0:02:27.280 a role that b J. Goodson left last year when 0:02:27.360 --> 0:02:29.120 when he went to sign with Cleveland, you know, the 0:02:29.200 --> 0:02:32.600 first and second down role. Brandon Ross was quick to 0:02:32.639 --> 0:02:35.520 mention he also could play dime linebacker. We'll all see. 0:02:35.560 --> 0:02:37.520 I mean, it seems like he's a perfectly fine coverage 0:02:37.560 --> 0:02:41.120 linebacker as well. But overall, for a fifth round pick, 0:02:41.160 --> 0:02:44.040 you're looking for traits, and Martin certainly has those. Yeah. 0:02:44.080 --> 0:02:46.360 I think for me, if there's one player from the 0:02:46.440 --> 0:02:50.079 Day three group that has a chance to maybe find 0:02:50.080 --> 0:02:53.600 a role on offens or defense aside from just special teams, 0:02:53.680 --> 0:02:56.320 but finding a role from scrimmage as a rookie, it 0:02:56.400 --> 0:03:00.079 might be Martin from Minnesota. Because Packers have Chris and 0:03:00.160 --> 0:03:03.320 Kirksey an inside linebacker, I think Martin gets thrown right 0:03:03.360 --> 0:03:05.640 in there into what is going to be a developing 0:03:05.680 --> 0:03:10.800 competition between or In Burke's, Curtis Bolton, Ty Summers, and 0:03:10.840 --> 0:03:13.919 now Martin for maybe who's going to be that that 0:03:14.040 --> 0:03:18.600 first partner with Kirksey when Mike Petton wants to inside 0:03:18.600 --> 0:03:21.239 linebackers on the field, say in some first and second 0:03:21.280 --> 0:03:25.120 down situations. So, um, what we heard from Brian Gudakunst 0:03:25.120 --> 0:03:28.240 does if Camal Martin gets back to be in the 0:03:28.280 --> 0:03:32.480 two thousand eighteen Martin before he was playing through and 0:03:32.600 --> 0:03:36.280 ultimately shut down by a knee injury in twenty nineteen, 0:03:37.200 --> 0:03:41.040 that the Packers potentially got really good value here in 0:03:41.080 --> 0:03:44.400 the fifth round. It sounds like from talking to Uh, 0:03:44.440 --> 0:03:47.720 to Brandy and Ross, the Packers Midland scout who was 0:03:47.960 --> 0:03:52.120 one of the scouts involved in in um acquiring or 0:03:52.240 --> 0:03:57.480 or drafting Martin, the the toughness that he showed in 0:03:57.520 --> 0:04:01.000 twenty nineteen, you know, playing through the ry until ultimately 0:04:01.000 --> 0:04:03.520 he couldn't do it anymore. That was something that really 0:04:03.520 --> 0:04:05.480 stood out to them that it's it sounds like this 0:04:05.560 --> 0:04:08.280 is a pretty tough customer. He also sounds like a 0:04:08.360 --> 0:04:11.640 guy who's who's a leader type on special teams that 0:04:11.960 --> 0:04:14.760 took a lot of pride in that phase of the game. 0:04:14.800 --> 0:04:17.480 And UH and I think he you know, you know 0:04:17.720 --> 0:04:21.160 p J. Fleck, the head coach at the University of Minnesota, 0:04:21.480 --> 0:04:24.120 this guy, yeah, the row of the boat, right, But 0:04:24.320 --> 0:04:27.480 Kamal Martin sounds like, you know, the type of guy 0:04:27.680 --> 0:04:30.960 that that that p J. Fleck would really like and 0:04:31.000 --> 0:04:34.080 would be a leader on a team coached by a 0:04:34.120 --> 0:04:35.799 guy like that. So I think this is a really 0:04:35.839 --> 0:04:38.440 interesting pick to be able to get on Day three 0:04:38.480 --> 0:04:40.920 for Green Bay. Yeah, and the bigger thing is Mike 0:04:41.120 --> 0:04:44.080 the Packers with this inside linebacker position, it's gonna be 0:04:44.080 --> 0:04:46.440 brand new this year. Martin, you know, like Martinez, as 0:04:46.440 --> 0:04:49.159 I mentioned, uh, you know b J Goodson, They're both gone. 0:04:49.320 --> 0:04:51.440 So this is all gonna be the land of opportunity. 0:04:51.440 --> 0:04:54.000 Now for how these guys step up and fill that void. 0:04:54.480 --> 0:04:56.680 Certainly it starts with Christian Kirksey. He was the free 0:04:56.680 --> 0:04:58.880 agent acquisition. He's the veteran, He's the guy that can 0:04:58.880 --> 0:05:01.120 play all three downs. And as the history with Mike Patton, 0:05:01.640 --> 0:05:04.440 that's the starting point. But we saw last year how 0:05:04.520 --> 0:05:06.680 much they needed b J. Goodson to play. I don't 0:05:06.680 --> 0:05:08.440 know his exact snaps off the top of my head, 0:05:08.440 --> 0:05:12.320 I'm guessing it was somewhere in that range. So whether 0:05:12.400 --> 0:05:15.400 that's or In Burke's or Ty Summers or court Curtis 0:05:15.440 --> 0:05:18.800 Bolton or this young man you know, Kamal Martin coming 0:05:18.839 --> 0:05:22.520 in there, all of it, they're all options, and you 0:05:22.560 --> 0:05:25.159 need options at that position. You also need youth, and 0:05:25.200 --> 0:05:28.440 I think the Packers have a nice balance of that. Yeah, 0:05:28.480 --> 0:05:30.880 we're moving on to the sixth round. The Packers drafted 0:05:31.000 --> 0:05:34.320 three consecutive offensive lineman in the sixth round. I actually 0:05:34.320 --> 0:05:36.560 looked it up west. The last time the Packers did 0:05:36.600 --> 0:05:40.039 that three consecutive offensive linemen in a draft nineteen sixties 0:05:40.080 --> 0:05:42.360 six you have to go back to the Lombardi era 0:05:42.440 --> 0:05:44.440 for the last time that happened. They want a super 0:05:44.440 --> 0:05:49.400 bowlt Yeah, they did. They certainly did. Um but some interesting, 0:05:49.960 --> 0:05:54.279 interesting prospects here and that every guy has a different story. 0:05:54.320 --> 0:05:57.920 Amongst these linemen, you have John Runyan Jr. From Michigan, 0:05:58.240 --> 0:06:01.800 whose father uh very accomplished pro and then went on 0:06:01.839 --> 0:06:06.680 to be a congressman in Washington, d C. You have 0:06:07.200 --> 0:06:10.040 Jake Hanson, a four year starter at center for the 0:06:10.080 --> 0:06:13.400 Oregon Ducks and a powerhouse team out there in the 0:06:13.440 --> 0:06:17.560 Pac twelve. And then Simon Stepaniak from Indiana who is 0:06:17.600 --> 0:06:20.200 coming off of a knee injury. He injured his knee 0:06:20.200 --> 0:06:23.479 in Bowl prep for Indiana, so he did not get 0:06:23.520 --> 0:06:26.880 to play the final game of his college career, and 0:06:27.200 --> 0:06:30.320 his timeline is a little bit uncertain coming off of 0:06:30.360 --> 0:06:34.000 a pretty significant knee surgery over the winter. So a 0:06:34.040 --> 0:06:37.040 lot of different stories here with with these three guys, 0:06:37.080 --> 0:06:39.320 what stands out to you the most. Well, I want 0:06:39.320 --> 0:06:41.760 to talk about running. But first off, you do feel 0:06:41.839 --> 0:06:44.480 for Stepanek because here's a guy that this he would 0:06:44.480 --> 0:06:47.120 have been in, you know, an earlier Day three pick, 0:06:47.240 --> 0:06:49.760 maybe even at the end of day two, but then 0:06:49.760 --> 0:06:51.520 he has this knee injury because he's trying to play 0:06:51.520 --> 0:06:53.240 in a ball game for Indiana. If you know anything 0:06:53.279 --> 0:06:55.720 about Indiana, those ball games are coveted. They didn't come 0:06:55.720 --> 0:06:57.680 around the whole heck of a lot for a long time. 0:06:58.240 --> 0:07:00.200 So so you tip your hat to him. Brian Good 0:07:00.279 --> 0:07:03.520 conceived and mentioned it. If he is actually healthy, he 0:07:03.880 --> 0:07:05.680 probably is not going to be there in the sixth round, 0:07:06.160 --> 0:07:09.080 thirty seven bench reps. Uh. One thing all three of 0:07:09.120 --> 0:07:11.560 these guys have in common. They all played a lot. 0:07:11.600 --> 0:07:14.200 There's a ton of experience, there's a lot of starting experience. 0:07:14.760 --> 0:07:17.800 What I really like about John Runyon though, is that 0:07:18.400 --> 0:07:21.680 his story everybody would just think, Okay, he's John Runyon 0:07:21.800 --> 0:07:25.600 Senior's kid, a fourteen year NFL pro, a former Pro 0:07:25.680 --> 0:07:28.520 bowler with the Philadelphia Eagles, a guy that was just 0:07:28.640 --> 0:07:32.000 an absolute pillar at right tackle for a decade, and 0:07:32.040 --> 0:07:33.800 it's just like Okay, here's his son. I'm sure he's 0:07:33.840 --> 0:07:36.760 just a five star recruit. He's a big, you know guy. 0:07:37.280 --> 0:07:40.280 He had to earn everything he got at Michigan. He 0:07:40.400 --> 0:07:42.560 was a three star recruit. I believe going in there, 0:07:42.640 --> 0:07:44.560 it took him a couple of years to find a role, 0:07:44.880 --> 0:07:47.440 but eventually they pushed him in there at left tackle 0:07:47.560 --> 0:07:51.240 and he stuck. He started two seasons at left tackle 0:07:51.280 --> 0:07:52.880 in the Big Ten. I think that says a lot 0:07:52.960 --> 0:07:56.000 for him. And now he's probably gonna push inside at 0:07:56.000 --> 0:07:58.680 the next level. How how do we know that? Matt 0:07:58.840 --> 0:08:02.280 Floor even basically said you very rarely here. The coaches 0:08:02.280 --> 0:08:04.720 talked about, well, yeah, we're gonna see No. They want 0:08:04.720 --> 0:08:06.680 to look at him as an interior alignment, and Mike, 0:08:07.200 --> 0:08:09.760 you know the history of that. The Packers have a 0:08:09.920 --> 0:08:14.120 boatload of these guys at the you know, Power five 0:08:14.160 --> 0:08:17.760 conference level, at the MAC level, um down at us 0:08:17.880 --> 0:08:20.880 r UCF with Josh Sitton, guys that played tackle, that 0:08:20.960 --> 0:08:24.440 pushed inside and became Pro Bowl guards in this league. Now, 0:08:24.440 --> 0:08:26.360 I'm not trying to set the bar too high for 0:08:26.440 --> 0:08:29.120 John running here. He is a six round pick, but 0:08:29.240 --> 0:08:32.000 he just seems to be a guy that fits that lineage. 0:08:32.200 --> 0:08:35.320 Of a prospect that could potentially go down that road. Yeah, 0:08:35.360 --> 0:08:37.599 you have to really you have to really be intrigued 0:08:37.600 --> 0:08:40.000 by a pick like this and and we'll see. I mean, 0:08:40.000 --> 0:08:43.720 I think, uh, um, you know, he having that experience 0:08:43.760 --> 0:08:46.920 at tackle in a conference like the Big Ten, even 0:08:47.080 --> 0:08:49.240 if he is making a position switch, you have to 0:08:49.280 --> 0:08:52.600 believe he'll be uh, he'll be ready for something like that. Um. 0:08:52.640 --> 0:08:56.319 You mentioned the thirty seven bench press reps by by 0:08:56.400 --> 0:09:01.079 Stepaniak from Indiana. The interesting thing there he did that 0:09:01.280 --> 0:09:05.080 about six or seven weeks after having knee surgery. Now, 0:09:05.160 --> 0:09:08.960 I know you're not lifting weights with your knees when 0:09:08.960 --> 0:09:11.720 you're bench pressing, but in terms of actually being able 0:09:11.760 --> 0:09:14.280 to train and get ready to do the bench at 0:09:14.280 --> 0:09:16.480 the combine, he didn't have a whole lot of prep 0:09:16.520 --> 0:09:19.600 time for it coming off of the knee surgery, and 0:09:19.640 --> 0:09:22.600 he did thirty seven reps. I actually talked to his 0:09:22.679 --> 0:09:25.600 position coach at Indiana on the phone yesterday for a 0:09:25.679 --> 0:09:28.400 story I'm gonna be working on in the coming days, 0:09:28.400 --> 0:09:31.319 and he said, there's no question that he would have 0:09:31.400 --> 0:09:34.240 been somewhere in the forties for the bench press reps 0:09:34.280 --> 0:09:37.040 if he had actually been at you know, full strength 0:09:37.160 --> 0:09:39.640 so and thirty seven was one of the top numbers 0:09:39.640 --> 0:09:42.760 put up by any offensive lineman. So no lack of 0:09:42.800 --> 0:09:46.160 strength there. And quite frankly the same with Jake Hansen, 0:09:46.240 --> 0:09:48.640 the center from Oregon. He did thirty three reps on 0:09:48.679 --> 0:09:51.440 the bench and you know, at six three and around 0:09:51.520 --> 0:09:54.520 three ten, three twelve, right in that range, that's pretty 0:09:54.520 --> 0:09:56.880 big for a center. Now, again, this is a guy 0:09:56.920 --> 0:09:58.960 maybe the Packers are going to try him at guard 0:09:59.600 --> 0:10:03.120 because that that would be awfully, awfully big for a 0:10:03.160 --> 0:10:05.720 center in terms of, you know, the mobility and everything 0:10:05.760 --> 0:10:10.280 that that you need. There. So some some interesting prospects 0:10:10.320 --> 0:10:13.280 here in terms of what direction the Packers decided to go. Yeah, 0:10:13.320 --> 0:10:15.520 and I gotta I gotta tell this story, Mike, you know, 0:10:15.600 --> 0:10:17.959 I have to a lot of people are gonna be 0:10:18.000 --> 0:10:21.560 like Jake Hansen from Oregon. Uh, you know, multi year 0:10:21.640 --> 0:10:24.920 starter for them the Ducks. That's great. I'm really excited 0:10:24.960 --> 0:10:26.720 for Jake. I hope he has a nice long career. 0:10:27.559 --> 0:10:31.400 He's from Eureka, California, Mike, That's where my family is from. 0:10:31.760 --> 0:10:34.439 So you might remember two years ago I took two 0:10:34.440 --> 0:10:36.520 weeks of vacation. The only back to that makes a 0:10:36.640 --> 0:10:39.480 vacation I've taken since I come over to the packers. 0:10:40.000 --> 0:10:43.280 It was to drive to Eureka, California. That's a thirty 0:10:43.320 --> 0:10:46.800 two hour drive from Green Bay, Wisconsin. So for his sake, 0:10:47.120 --> 0:10:48.839 I hope you got a head start, you know, when 0:10:48.880 --> 0:10:51.360 he eventually makes his way to green Bay here, but 0:10:51.559 --> 0:10:56.600 to a blue collar area northern California. This is this 0:10:56.679 --> 0:10:59.079 is not you know, the what you would think of of, 0:10:59.440 --> 0:11:02.720 you know, the see and uh, you know guys on 0:11:02.840 --> 0:11:06.760 surfboards and nine. It's it's a chilly kind of you know, 0:11:06.880 --> 0:11:09.839 coastal climate up there, and he and there isn't a 0:11:09.880 --> 0:11:11.960 whole lot of spotlight shining. And this is a guy 0:11:12.000 --> 0:11:15.480 that earned an opportunity at Oregon and once he got there, man, 0:11:15.840 --> 0:11:18.480 he stayed. He stayed in that starting center role. He 0:11:18.520 --> 0:11:21.480 gives you some versatility inside. We'll move on here. But 0:11:21.520 --> 0:11:23.840 all three of those offensive lineman, Mike, they all have 0:11:23.920 --> 0:11:26.720 different traits. Running ran a really good forty, the two 0:11:26.720 --> 0:11:29.280 other guys the forties not as fast, but then put 0:11:29.360 --> 0:11:31.840 up a bunch on the bench reps. That's what you want. 0:11:32.040 --> 0:11:34.200 You want to have three guys that you're you're throwing 0:11:34.240 --> 0:11:36.920 some coins in the middle there and hoping that something 0:11:36.960 --> 0:11:40.440 pays dividends. Yeah, alright. Well, with regard to the seventh round, 0:11:40.520 --> 0:11:44.000 Vernon Scott, a safety from TCU, and then Jonathan Garvin 0:11:44.000 --> 0:11:47.720 and edge rusher from Miami, I'm gonna turn this over 0:11:47.760 --> 0:11:49.920 to us because by the time the seventh round of 0:11:49.920 --> 0:11:52.360 the draft rolled around, I was running on fumes. I'm 0:11:52.360 --> 0:11:55.160 sure you were in some respect as well, and I 0:11:55.200 --> 0:11:58.599 was trying to put together my my thoughts for a 0:11:58.720 --> 0:12:00.640 wrap up story at the end of the whole thing. 0:12:00.760 --> 0:12:04.080 So I gave a very cursory look at the seventh 0:12:04.160 --> 0:12:07.840 round picks, I confess. So give us your quick cliffs 0:12:07.840 --> 0:12:12.000 notes version on Vernon Scott and John Garman. You think 0:12:12.040 --> 0:12:15.040 you were running on fumes. I think I basically had 0:12:15.080 --> 0:12:18.240 one on one interviews with these guys on the conference calls. 0:12:18.280 --> 0:12:22.360 I think everybody was on fumes at that point. Yeah. Yeah, 0:12:22.520 --> 0:12:25.199 it was great though, very nice guys. Uh Okay, I 0:12:25.240 --> 0:12:27.640 want to start with with Vernon first if I can. 0:12:28.440 --> 0:12:31.719 Here's the thing about Scott that is just amazing. This 0:12:31.760 --> 0:12:34.160 is a guy that was not on the NFL radar 0:12:34.320 --> 0:12:37.880 year ago. He was mostly a special teams player for TCU. 0:12:38.000 --> 0:12:40.439 He got a couple, he got a little bit more 0:12:40.520 --> 0:12:43.959 defensive action. Is junior year, but had never really been 0:12:44.000 --> 0:12:47.120 a starter. Well this year he finally gets that opportunity. 0:12:47.480 --> 0:12:50.440 He he's able to get that big interception against Oklahoma, 0:12:50.520 --> 0:12:54.280 the huge rival for the horn Frogs nine yard interception 0:12:54.320 --> 0:12:57.960 returned for a touchdown, one shy of the school record. 0:12:58.600 --> 0:13:01.840 He he makes the most of that chance, and then 0:13:02.120 --> 0:13:04.640 here we go. We He doesn't get a combine invite, 0:13:04.800 --> 0:13:07.600 he doesn't get a pro day because of this whole 0:13:07.720 --> 0:13:11.400 COVID epidemic. So he's literally sitting on his aunt's coach 0:13:11.880 --> 0:13:15.839 in Dallas, Texas, wondering, all right, wins my phone gonna ring? 0:13:16.040 --> 0:13:18.800 Is my phone gonna ring? And more likely than not, 0:13:18.920 --> 0:13:21.000 I'm just gonna have to sign a uf A deal. 0:13:21.320 --> 0:13:24.200 The Green Bay Packers found this kid, and if you 0:13:24.920 --> 0:13:27.320 dig a little bit deeper, there's a lot to like 0:13:27.440 --> 0:13:31.559 in his story. Good size for the position, really good versatility, 0:13:31.559 --> 0:13:33.480 and all the interviews he did leading up to the 0:13:33.559 --> 0:13:36.520 NFL Draft, he talked about I'm hoping that teams look 0:13:36.520 --> 0:13:38.680 at my versatility and feel like I can play in 0:13:38.679 --> 0:13:40.800 the box, I can play in the slot, I can 0:13:40.800 --> 0:13:43.600 play high safety, I can play low, can play strong. 0:13:43.840 --> 0:13:46.000 And then he also plays on the core for special 0:13:46.000 --> 0:13:48.720 teams units for TCU. That's what you need to make 0:13:48.760 --> 0:13:51.480 it as a seventh round pick. Good friends with Tye Summers. 0:13:51.600 --> 0:13:53.240 We wish him well now that he gets his chance 0:13:53.280 --> 0:13:57.280 in Green Bay. Jonathan Garvin is a fascinating story and 0:13:57.320 --> 0:13:59.760 as I wrote in my seventh round story on Saturday Night, 0:14:00.040 --> 0:14:02.560 the polar opposite of Scott. This is a guy that 0:14:02.640 --> 0:14:05.920 played as a true freshman on defense. He he went 0:14:05.920 --> 0:14:08.920 out for the draft after his true junior year, had 0:14:08.960 --> 0:14:12.640 a big sophomore year seventeen tackles for a lost five 0:14:12.640 --> 0:14:15.280 and a half sacks. They call him the Spider because 0:14:15.280 --> 0:14:18.160 of his size. He will not turn twenty one until 0:14:18.240 --> 0:14:21.760 later this year. He is young, he has potential. And 0:14:21.800 --> 0:14:24.440 when you think about those conversations we've had with Mike 0:14:24.480 --> 0:14:28.120 Smith and how excited he's been about Rashaun Gary, Tim Williams, 0:14:28.320 --> 0:14:30.200 and now you get a kid like this in that room, 0:14:30.440 --> 0:14:32.800 I have to imagine he obviously wasn't running down the 0:14:32.840 --> 0:14:35.960 hallway at lambeau Field this year, but wherever his house 0:14:36.040 --> 0:14:37.880 is in the Green Bay area, I'm guessing he was 0:14:37.920 --> 0:14:41.520 pretty amped. Yeah. Absolutely, and I'll be curious to see 0:14:41.560 --> 0:14:43.520 just when you talk about a guy coming off the 0:14:43.640 --> 0:14:45.960 edge that kind of speed. Obviously, it's a position the 0:14:45.960 --> 0:14:48.560 Packers already have plenty of depth that so they'll be 0:14:48.640 --> 0:14:51.360 time for a guy like Garvin to to kind of 0:14:51.360 --> 0:14:53.320 feel his way and figure it out in the NFL, 0:14:53.400 --> 0:14:56.440 as you mentioned as a very very young guy. So 0:14:56.880 --> 0:14:59.520 I want to get to because we talked on Monday 0:14:59.520 --> 0:15:02.040 about how this draft did not go as we expected. 0:15:02.040 --> 0:15:06.160 It did not go as anybody outside of the confines 0:15:06.200 --> 0:15:09.880 of twelve sixty five necessarily expected, because the Packers did 0:15:09.880 --> 0:15:13.120 not draft a wide receiver, did not draft a defensive lineman, 0:15:13.120 --> 0:15:16.040 and did not draft a cornerback. All of those I 0:15:16.080 --> 0:15:18.920 think we were expecting the Packers to select at some point. 0:15:19.480 --> 0:15:22.000 I want to start first with the wide receiver position, 0:15:22.080 --> 0:15:25.200 because both Brian Goodakumsen Matt Lafleur made it pretty clear 0:15:25.200 --> 0:15:28.000 on Saturday night. I mean, yes, they had some wide 0:15:28.000 --> 0:15:31.560 receivers targeted. Things did not fall fall their way in 0:15:31.600 --> 0:15:34.160 that regard the trade up for Jordan's Love in the 0:15:34.200 --> 0:15:37.040 first round, you sacrifice a fourth round pick. You know 0:15:37.120 --> 0:15:39.560 that hamstrings you a little bit in terms of being 0:15:39.560 --> 0:15:42.120 able to move around later in the draft. So all 0:15:42.160 --> 0:15:46.320 of those things factored into it, but they are they 0:15:46.640 --> 0:15:50.600 have the confidence and they are banking on the acquisition 0:15:50.640 --> 0:15:54.280 of Devin Funcius, continued growth from Alan Lazard mvs. The 0:15:54.320 --> 0:15:58.080 return of eq St Brown, Jake Kumero obviously in that 0:15:58.160 --> 0:16:00.800 mix as well. Out of all the moments West with 0:16:00.800 --> 0:16:03.520 regard to the wide receivers, the one that stood out 0:16:03.520 --> 0:16:06.320 to me the most was when Matt Lafleur was talking 0:16:06.360 --> 0:16:10.240 briefly about Marquis Velde's scantling and he said, as a 0:16:10.240 --> 0:16:13.400 coaching staff, we are going to be all over him 0:16:13.440 --> 0:16:16.240 to maximize to get the most out of his ability, 0:16:16.320 --> 0:16:19.440 because they see the talent, they see the ability. There 0:16:19.440 --> 0:16:22.960 have been obviously the flashes of production over his first 0:16:23.000 --> 0:16:26.240 two NFL seasons. That comment stood out to me maybe 0:16:26.280 --> 0:16:28.720 more than any other that was made about the the 0:16:28.800 --> 0:16:31.960 receivers the Packers have coming back. Yeah, every offseason there's 0:16:31.960 --> 0:16:35.120 probably about five comments that get made throughout the course 0:16:35.160 --> 0:16:37.520 of it, whether it's from the GM, the head coach, 0:16:37.600 --> 0:16:41.280 something you know on social media, and they tend to 0:16:41.360 --> 0:16:44.880 get brought up once the season begins. Once time moves on, 0:16:45.560 --> 0:16:48.200 that was a very salient point that I felt that 0:16:48.240 --> 0:16:52.000 Matt Lafleur made a very mature point because this isn't 0:16:52.000 --> 0:16:54.400 all on Marquis about this scamp. Like sure, some of 0:16:54.440 --> 0:16:56.120 it is. He needs to be able to to be 0:16:56.160 --> 0:16:59.400 more consistent, but he has a wealth of ability. The 0:16:59.400 --> 0:17:01.360 Packers and to pull it out of him because we 0:17:01.400 --> 0:17:04.520 saw it in Spurts in two thousand eighteen. Last year, 0:17:04.600 --> 0:17:07.440 he just after those first three games, he just wasn't 0:17:07.480 --> 0:17:09.480 able to get that confidence back. They need to find it. 0:17:09.480 --> 0:17:10.720 And I think I was telling you at the end 0:17:10.760 --> 0:17:13.320 of last season, I think he just needs one big catch. 0:17:13.359 --> 0:17:15.120 I think he needs one big play now. His route 0:17:15.200 --> 0:17:17.359 running needs to get better. You know, he needs to 0:17:17.359 --> 0:17:19.920 be able to show her up that side of this thing. 0:17:20.359 --> 0:17:22.760 But he is always one play away from being in 0:17:22.800 --> 0:17:25.240 the end zone, and that has to intrigue you. To 0:17:25.320 --> 0:17:28.240 the second point about the receivers. I get it, everybody 0:17:28.240 --> 0:17:30.240 wants a brand new toy when they go to the store. 0:17:30.680 --> 0:17:34.439 But you have to also understand the Packers found something 0:17:34.480 --> 0:17:37.240 in Alan Lazard. Al Lazar didn't matter who they took. 0:17:37.680 --> 0:17:40.119 It could have taken Tee Higgins, they could have taken 0:17:40.280 --> 0:17:42.480 Denzel Mims. That could have taken all these guys. Alan 0:17:42.520 --> 0:17:44.760 Lazard is gonna start for this team next year. He's 0:17:44.800 --> 0:17:48.280 earned that opportunity. He and and obviously training camp will 0:17:48.320 --> 0:17:50.200 have to play out, but he's going to be at 0:17:50.200 --> 0:17:53.080 the start of that line, right behind Davante Adams when 0:17:53.080 --> 0:17:57.480 we get back into training camp next year. Secondly, Devin Funches, 0:17:57.760 --> 0:18:00.320 he's still only twenty five. He'll turn twenty s now, 0:18:00.320 --> 0:18:03.280 I think this next month. He's played a lot of 0:18:03.280 --> 0:18:05.800 football in his five years, last year being the lone 0:18:05.800 --> 0:18:09.480 exception because of the collar bone injury. Devin Funcies is 0:18:09.520 --> 0:18:12.439 not some guy they brought off the street because hey, 0:18:12.840 --> 0:18:15.600 we need a receiver. This guy appears to be tall. 0:18:15.960 --> 0:18:17.760 Let's just throw him in there and let him compete. 0:18:17.760 --> 0:18:19.879 Devon Funcis is another guy that's gonna be at the 0:18:19.880 --> 0:18:22.400 top of the step chart because a year earlier. I'm 0:18:22.400 --> 0:18:24.720 not gonna get into the numbers, but the Indianapolis Colts 0:18:24.840 --> 0:18:26.600 paid him a nice sum of money to come in 0:18:26.640 --> 0:18:29.560 on a one year contract. This is another proven deal 0:18:29.640 --> 0:18:33.119 for him. But this is not some Mike Spofford Wes 0:18:33.200 --> 0:18:35.720 Hogwitz walked on the football field. And while they're gonna 0:18:35.760 --> 0:18:38.199 be cut in three days, Devon Functis is very much 0:18:38.240 --> 0:18:40.320 a part of this puzzle, and yes, I get it. 0:18:40.480 --> 0:18:42.800 I appreciate it. Everybody would have loved to have a 0:18:42.840 --> 0:18:45.639 receiver from this beautiful class of receivers. Beautiful is a 0:18:45.680 --> 0:18:48.760 big word these days. I think that would have been great, 0:18:49.119 --> 0:18:51.760 But that's not the reality. The reality is the Packers 0:18:52.040 --> 0:18:54.159 felt like the value wasn't there when they were picking. 0:18:54.320 --> 0:18:56.520 They weren't gonna draft receivers late just for the sake 0:18:56.520 --> 0:18:59.080 of drafting him. They're gonna trust what they have in house. 0:18:59.480 --> 0:19:01.520 And that's a lot of prospects. Yeah, and there's a 0:19:01.560 --> 0:19:04.040 couple of unknowns here in the mix. Obviously I mentioned 0:19:04.119 --> 0:19:06.520 e q st Brown coming back from the knee injury, 0:19:06.640 --> 0:19:10.679 and then Reggie Bjelton signing from the CFL put up 0:19:10.760 --> 0:19:13.840 some monster numbers in Canada. Packers are going to see 0:19:13.840 --> 0:19:16.040 what they have there. That's that's another one of these, uh, 0:19:16.080 --> 0:19:17.960 these great unknowns. I don't want to I don't want 0:19:17.960 --> 0:19:20.480 to talk him up too much or make any promises, 0:19:20.520 --> 0:19:24.040 but but he's definitely someone to watch. UM. I want 0:19:24.080 --> 0:19:26.399 to talk also about the movie the or I should say, 0:19:26.440 --> 0:19:29.840 maybe the non moves on defense, no defensive lineman, no cornerbacks. 0:19:30.359 --> 0:19:33.360 Um I you know me, West, I like to read 0:19:33.359 --> 0:19:35.399 between the lines. I like to read the Tea leaves 0:19:35.440 --> 0:19:37.199 a little bit in terms of the comments that we 0:19:37.359 --> 0:19:41.080 get and the more I hear Brian Goodakunsten, Matt Lafleur 0:19:41.200 --> 0:19:44.080 talk about the run defense and the fact that a 0:19:44.119 --> 0:19:47.800 defensive lineman was not selected. I think there was somewhere 0:19:47.840 --> 0:19:49.960 along the line. Maybe it was right after the NFC 0:19:50.040 --> 0:19:53.159 Championship game there was a conversation between Matt Lafleur and 0:19:53.200 --> 0:19:56.240 Mike Patton about what happened with the run defense in 0:19:56.280 --> 0:20:00.199 San Francisco and that there are some things schematically that 0:20:00.240 --> 0:20:03.960 they can do to fix some of these issues. And 0:20:04.000 --> 0:20:05.800 the other thing I will throw in there as well. 0:20:05.920 --> 0:20:08.400 Rashawn Geary, the first round draft pick from last year, 0:20:08.400 --> 0:20:11.920 did not play a whole lot as a rookie. This 0:20:12.000 --> 0:20:13.879 is a guy that I think, depending on how you 0:20:13.920 --> 0:20:16.600 want to move around Zadarius Smith, Rashawn Gary is a 0:20:16.600 --> 0:20:19.719 guy who can move around the defensive front. Rashawn Gary 0:20:19.760 --> 0:20:22.200