Speaker 1: Hi, everyone. Welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted Social
Speaker 1: distancing Style from Packers dot Com. I am Mike Spoffor,
Speaker 1: joined as always by the one and only Wes Hodkuwitz.
Speaker 1: We're coming to you from our humble abodes as we
Speaker 1: have for the last several weeks in West I Hope
Speaker 1: you had a good weekend, sir. It was certainly a
Speaker 1: turn for the better with the weather up here in
Speaker 1: northeast Wisconsin. Yeah, it was a fun weekend, Mike. I mean,
Speaker 1: you know, we got a chance to go outside. We
Speaker 1: actually did a little bit of We got a swing
Speaker 1: set out there that has like one of those maybe
Speaker 1: you had one of these when when the kids were young,
Speaker 1: But it has like the slide and then the little
Speaker 1: shoot for like a pirate ship that you can like
Speaker 1: shoot out water. So like you, I hooked that up
Speaker 1: and then it was going down into this little mini
Speaker 1: pool and my son was having a good time with that.
Speaker 1: I got a chance to get on the grill a
Speaker 1: little bit, did some yardwork. Uh, slowly but surely. I
Speaker 1: the house is gonna be it as good as a
Speaker 1: condition it's ever been at the time this thing is
Speaker 1: all said and done, so we were able to stay
Speaker 1: busy and fortunately for a couple of days after a
Speaker 1: busy weekend last week, step away from the office a
Speaker 1: little bit, which is again above my garage. Yeah. Absolutely, Well,
Speaker 1: for now, we are a full week removed from the
Speaker 1: two thousand twenty NFL Draft, and I wanted to do
Speaker 1: one more show here in a little bit of a
Speaker 1: review of the draft class. But we're gonna do it
Speaker 1: in uh sort of Q and A style. And I
Speaker 1: haven't even given you this in advance because the show
Speaker 1: is truly unscripted. But I have a series of questions
Speaker 1: that I'm gonna throw at you West with regards to
Speaker 1: some of your thoughts about the draft class. You can
Speaker 1: give your answer, I'll give my answer. We'll go back
Speaker 1: and forth a little bit and see how this goes. So,
Speaker 1: and some of these questions are some of the same
Speaker 1: ones we've been getting an insider inbox and whatnot, so
Speaker 1: the fans helped to generate some of these soap. Question
Speaker 1: Number one, which Packers draft pick do you feel will
Speaker 1: make the biggest impact as a rookie. I'm gonna go
Speaker 1: with A J. Dillon on this one, just because one
Speaker 1: running backs traditionally have been a position where a guy
Speaker 1: can step in and make an impact right away. I mean,
Speaker 1: just look at what Aaron Jones and Jamal Williams did
Speaker 1: going back in two thousand seventeen. Uh certainly Eddie Lacey
Speaker 1: Offensive Rookie of the the Year in two thousand and thirteen.
Speaker 1: So there is that out the outside chance. So I
Speaker 1: don't think I'm going on on that far of a limb.
Speaker 1: But what I really like about him is that even
Speaker 1: if he's not touching the ball two hundred three hundred
Speaker 1: times as a rookie situationally I think he's gonna be
Speaker 1: a really interesting weapon because, as we saw last year,
Speaker 1: Matt Lafloor likes this idea of using multiple running backs
Speaker 1: on the field at the same time, and the Packers
Speaker 1: did have a fair amount of success with it last year.
Speaker 1: Now you put in a tune or in forty seven
Speaker 1: pound running back into that equation, you can motion out
Speaker 1: with Jamal Williams and Aaron Jones, you can do different
Speaker 1: things to create off of that. And for that reason,
Speaker 1: whether it's short yardage production or just overall finding a
Speaker 1: way to get this guy in the offense, I think
Speaker 1: a J. Dillon, assuming as Matt Lafleur said, he earns
Speaker 1: his spot, he earns his keeping, he earns the reps.
Speaker 1: The the offense is laid out for this guy to
Speaker 1: make an impact in year one. I would agree with you.
Speaker 1: My answer to the question also would be a j. Dillon.
Speaker 1: But to pick a second response be real easy to
Speaker 1: say Josiah Deguara because of how excited we know Matt
Speaker 1: Lafleur is to get a versatile piece like that into
Speaker 1: his offense and all the different places he can line up.
Speaker 1: But I'm gonna pivot a little bit and actually go
Speaker 1: with Kamal Martin, the fifth throne draft pick out of Minnesota. Now,
Speaker 1: I say that as far as rookie impact, not so much,
Speaker 1: because I think he's gonna be lining up for, you know,
Speaker 1: fifty snaps a game next to Christian Kersey. I do
Speaker 1: see him in that competition with Ty Summers or in
Speaker 1: Burke's Curtis Bolton for who's going to play the majority
Speaker 1: of those snaps next to Christian Kurtsey. So he's going
Speaker 1: to have that opportunity. But I see Martin as a
Speaker 1: guy who could step in and be playing on all
Speaker 1: four of the special teams units. He could be a
Speaker 1: real impact guy on the return and the coverage. I
Speaker 1: think this is a guy that, even if he doesn't
Speaker 1: necessarily find um that role on defense right away as
Speaker 1: a rookie, that this guy you're going to see on
Speaker 1: the field because I think he's gonna be a potential
Speaker 1: core special teamer. Yeah. I made this point an insider
Speaker 1: in box last week. I thought it was a salient one.
Speaker 1: Not necessarily was a great genius moment by me, but
Speaker 1: just in terms of where this defense is and what
Speaker 1: they want to accomplish in two thousand twenty. The last
Speaker 1: two years, and it's mostly been just because of injuries
Speaker 1: to or in Burks, but in that last week of
Speaker 1: training camp or in last year's case, after the final cuts,
Speaker 1: the Packers have had to go out and get veteran
Speaker 1: help at inside linebacker. Two years ago it was Antonio Morrison,
Speaker 1: last year it was b J. Goodson. I think the
Speaker 1: hope is the Packers have enough in house candidates this
Speaker 1: year that, Okay, if something happens, whether it's Burkes or
Speaker 1: whether it's Martin ty Summers, Curtis Bolton, you have enough
Speaker 1: there that you can go with the guys that you've
Speaker 1: been prepping for the season instead of having to make
Speaker 1: an abrupt shift and then bringing Morrison and Goodson into
Speaker 1: the offense late. That I think is a strength. The
Speaker 1: question is is how much the Packers want to play
Speaker 1: traditional nickel And that answer we're not gonna get for months,
Speaker 1: probably because Abrahem Campbell's gone now he went and signed
Speaker 1: to believe it was with Tennessee. Right, he's moved on
Speaker 1: to his next spot. You still have Raven Green there,
Speaker 1: who was the guy that was slated to be in
Speaker 1: the hybrid role last year before his injury. And then
Speaker 1: now there'll be a new incoming of safeties that could
Speaker 1: potentially factor into that. But at the end of the day,
Speaker 1: there's a reason why the Packers drafted or In Berkes,
Speaker 1: is a reason why now they drafted Kamal Martin. They
Speaker 1: want to be able to get their inside linebackers on
Speaker 1: the field should they earn the reps. That's gonna be
Speaker 1: a really intriguing battle to watch whenever we're able to
Speaker 1: watch it. Yeah, alright, Well, question number two. A lot
Speaker 1: of talk in this Packers draft has been about what
Speaker 1: the Packers did not get. So I am going to
Speaker 1: ask you because you and I were surprised at how
Speaker 1: this went. We did a lot of preview as two
Speaker 1: different directions we thought the Packers would go. So from
Speaker 1: your point of view, what's your biggest regret that the
Speaker 1: Packers did not accomplish with this draft? Okay, So this
Speaker 1: is where I think every Packer fan out there is
Speaker 1: gonna say, well, this is where he obviously says receiver, right.
Speaker 1: I mean, that's that's the regret it seems like all
Speaker 1: Packer fans have had. But I mean, if you go
Speaker 1: off the track record this the Packers just haven't put
Speaker 1: first round capital into a receiver. And and if they
Speaker 1: weren't going to take one of the first, second, or
Speaker 1: third rounds, I really had no issue whatsoever with them
Speaker 1: not taking in drafting that position. We've been down that road,
Speaker 1: and Mike, honestly, even if you find a nice prospect there,
Speaker 1: it's gonna take time for them develop. It's very difficult
Speaker 1: for those players to come in and just knock the
Speaker 1: doors down. Donald Driver needed three seasons before he became
Speaker 1: a factor in the Packers offense. So in that regard,
Speaker 1: I'm gonna shift the focus more towards defensive line. And
Speaker 1: the reason I say that is one for seven straight years.
Speaker 1: The Packers drafted at least one defensive linemen in all
Speaker 1: of these drafts. And and certainly they did get a
Speaker 1: prospect out of Miami that does have defensive end credentials,
Speaker 1: but it's gonna play edge rusher. The Packers didn't get
Speaker 1: a defensive tackle, though, and I thought that was one area.
Speaker 1: It's the reason I had them picking Ross Blacklock. I
Speaker 1: thought that was one area where they could potentially help
Speaker 1: not only deepen the defensive line room, but maybe also
Speaker 1: find a three tech that could take some of the
Speaker 1: snaps off of Kenny Clark. Now, Kenny's only twenty four,
Speaker 1: He's at the peak of his powers right now, and
Speaker 1: he's only getting better. But the Packers have been playing
Speaker 1: him about snaps here the past few seasons. So I
Speaker 1: said it you can flash back the old unscripted episodes.
Speaker 1: I kind of wondered whether or not they would find
Speaker 1: a defensive tackle that could help take some of the
Speaker 1: reps off of him, you know, also maybe take some
Speaker 1: reps off Dean Lowry. And while they did go out
Speaker 1: and signed Trevon Hester now who has been in the
Speaker 1: league for three years with three different teams, they haven't
Speaker 1: really found a guy that I thought could just slide
Speaker 1: right in there with them. So all things considered, uh,
Speaker 1: that that was where I thought maybe this, you know,
Speaker 1: going off the track record of the defensive line position
Speaker 1: and also you know, potentially in need there, I thought
Speaker 1: they would have brought someone in. Yeah, I am totally
Speaker 1: with you. If I were to labeled my big to
Speaker 1: regret as far as what the Packers did not address
Speaker 1: in this draft, I would not say receiver. For me,
Speaker 1: it's defensive line. I talked for several weeks leading up
Speaker 1: to it, even when we went to the combine, before
Speaker 1: we went to the combine, about how, boy, if the
Speaker 1: Packers could find the next Kenny Clark at the end
Speaker 1: of the first round, you extend Clark, then you have
Speaker 1: these two guys there in the middle of the defensive
Speaker 1: line that can be paired together, you know, for several
Speaker 1: years to come here. I really thought that was something
Speaker 1: that the Packers could set themselves up for the future
Speaker 1: as far as the core of that defense. Just to
Speaker 1: to give a second response to the question, I'm gonna
Speaker 1: say this with a little bit of a qualifier. My
Speaker 1: regret would be that it doesn't look like the Packers
Speaker 1: drafted an offensive tackle of the future. When you have
Speaker 1: David Bactieri going into a contract year, his his extension,
Speaker 1: potential resigning is going to be very expensive. We know that.
Speaker 1: But he certainly has um a lot of a gas
Speaker 1: left in the tank. So to speak. Rick Wagner, your
Speaker 1: new signing at right tackle, he's the same age as
Speaker 1: Ryan Bulaga. This is not a long term solution. I
Speaker 1: think everybody knows that now. The qualifier I say is
Speaker 1: that if John Runyan Jr. Whom the Packers selected in
Speaker 1: the sixth round, if he ends up becoming that offensive
Speaker 1: tackle of the future, then I'll retract what I say.
Speaker 1: But everything we're hearing so far is that the Packers
Speaker 1: are looking at Runyon as a guard, not as a tackle.
Speaker 1: So I just think that's a that's a position for
Speaker 1: the future down the line that that you're gonna be
Speaker 1: you're gonna be looking at as a need. And with
Speaker 1: where the Packers are right now, with box tr and
Speaker 1: Wagner not having that guy necessarily in the pipeline right now,
Speaker 1: that's a little bit of a regret for me. Well yeah,
Speaker 1: and there's gonna be questions there when you get into
Speaker 1: the third day about what the upside is of some
Speaker 1: of these guys. Sometimes they come in, they don't make
Speaker 1: an impact, and they leave. Sometimes they turn into Corey
Speaker 1: Linsley or a Rick Wagner who was a sixth round
Speaker 1: pick for the Baltimore Ravens, you know, six seven years ago.
Speaker 1: So that that there's always a coin flip situation there.
Speaker 1: You never know what you're gonna get, so you I'm
Speaker 1: trying to keep the expectations modest, but I do think
Speaker 1: on Runyan Jr. Was a good pick up for the
Speaker 1: Packers and in in a spoil little spoiler alert for
Speaker 1: a spretory that's coming, I had a chance to talk
Speaker 1: with both John Junior and John Senior last week, and
Speaker 1: it was really interesting listen to John Senior talk about
Speaker 1: his son, because he thinks he does have the flexibility
Speaker 1: still to play at tackle. If they want to make guard,
Speaker 1: he'll play at guard. But there are so many parallels
Speaker 1: between the way that John Senior entered the league as
Speaker 1: a fourth round pick in you know what's happening now
Speaker 1: with his son as a sixth round pick. These guys
Speaker 1: aren't just like bona fide blue Chippers that everyone's just
Speaker 1: expecting to start to a step starting lineup. But there
Speaker 1: is a lot of athleticism there with John Jr. That
Speaker 1: he could potentially give you that flexibility if the Packers
Speaker 1: are patient and they're able to develop him. From that perspective,
Speaker 1: this is a guy that did think he was going
Speaker 1: to be playing center. Originally when he went to Michigan,
Speaker 1: he thought he was gonna be an interior offensive lineman,
Speaker 1: but opportunity dictated him getting a spot at right tackle
Speaker 1: at the end of his sophomore year and then starting
Speaker 1: at left tackle his final two years. That's where this
Speaker 1: whole dominos took him. So coming into the league, he's
Speaker 1: very open minded of where he's gonna play and where
Speaker 1: he could potentially fit. He just wants to get a
Speaker 1: spot on a fifty three and he wants to have
Speaker 1: an opportunity to play in the National Football League. Yeah,
Speaker 1: and I'll just say this, and it's sort of we're
Speaker 1: sort of covering my next question, which was going to
Speaker 1: be who's the most intriguing of the sixth round offensive
Speaker 1: lineman to you just on the surface as we're barely
Speaker 1: getting to know these guys, and when you talk about,
Speaker 1: you know, running in the whole tackle and guard thing,
Speaker 1: It's interesting to me with Jake Hansen from Oregon, you know,
Speaker 1: with his possibilities at center and at guard, and what
Speaker 1: intrigues me about him potentially moving forward is this is
Speaker 1: the guy who started forty nine college games at Oregon
Speaker 1: in the Pack twelve. This is a this is a
Speaker 1: four year starter from start to finish in his career.
Speaker 1: You know, when you when you have that kind of
Speaker 1: experience playing at that high level of college football for
Speaker 1: that long, it's just hard for me to to see
Speaker 1: him not somehow finding his way um into a into
Speaker 1: a prominent role in this Packers offensive line at some
Speaker 1: point in the future wherever that maybe. So um to
Speaker 1: answer the third question as far as the sixth round
Speaker 1: offensive lineman, your answers running and my answer is Hanson.
Speaker 1: So with that, we're gonna move on to my next question,
Speaker 1: and I think we'll wrap up with this one. Okay,
Speaker 1: in the Aaron Rodgers era, and obviously we don't exactly
Speaker 1: know the length of that era at this point, and
Speaker 1: we don't need to get into that discussion right now,
Speaker 1: But in the Aaron Rodgers era, which of these draft
Speaker 1: picks has to make the biggest contribution for the Packers
Speaker 1: to win another Super Bowl with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. Oh,
Speaker 1: that's a good question, Michael, That's a really good question.
Speaker 1: I would probably lean towards saying a J. Dillon just
Speaker 1: because there are the questions there with Aaron Jones and
Speaker 1: Jamal Williams. They're both free agents after this season, So
Speaker 1: you need a J. Dillon regardless of happens with those
Speaker 1: contracts and how long Jones and Williams will be in
Speaker 1: Green Bay. You you're getting Dylan to set up the
Speaker 1: future here with him under contract for the next four years.
Speaker 1: But I will say, and I'm not de meaning to
Speaker 1: take probably the two most obvious answers off the board
Speaker 1: for you, But Josiah Deguire is an interesting one because
Speaker 1: this is a shift with the offense. Uh, this is
Speaker 1: a move tight end. This is a guy that's gonna
Speaker 1: play multiple positions. So if Josiah Deguara is successful, if
Speaker 1: he turns out to be a real gem there in
Speaker 1: the third round, there is a possibility that that also
Speaker 1: is indicative of the success that they're gonna have underneath
Speaker 1: Matt Lafleur in the transition that they're making with the
Speaker 1: offensive scheme. As I've said, numerous times now between Insider
Speaker 1: inbox and on this space here on on the scripted.
Speaker 1: This isn't your spread them out four receiver, five receiver
Speaker 1: offense anymore. It's a lot more internal. It's it's more multiple,
Speaker 1: it's it's more tight end and running back base. That's
Speaker 1: where they've devoted their resources and that's where the packers
Speaker 1: are looking to get production. So if Josiah Deguara is successful,
Speaker 1: I know everyone mentions Kyle use Check. I think that's
Speaker 1: somewhat unfair to Daguara because use Check is is a
Speaker 1: traditional fullback that gets used in different ways. I think
Speaker 1: Deguire is going to be more of a Swiss Army
Speaker 1: knife in that regard. And if he turns out to
Speaker 1: be a guy that can play move, tight end neclay
Speaker 1: h back that can split out wide, he becomes a
Speaker 1: real problem for secondaries and how they want to defend
Speaker 1: not only him, but the packages that he's incorporated into. Yeah. Well,
Speaker 1: my initial reaction, my first response to this question off
Speaker 1: the top of my head was definitely A j. Dillon.
Speaker 1: And I say that because just because after this year,
Speaker 1: I don't see both Aaron Jones and Jamal Williams both
Speaker 1: coming back to the Packers on second contracts. It just
Speaker 1: doesn't seem, you know, financially, salary cap wise, that that's
Speaker 1: going to be realistic. And so I see a J.
Speaker 1: Dillon not only this year, but then certainly starting in one,
Speaker 1: having potentially and even more prominent role in the offense.
Speaker 1: But I'm gonna throw another one at you, just just
Speaker 1: to paint a particular scenario for you to answer this
Speaker 1: question in a in a way to get people thinking
Speaker 1: just a little bit. I think the Packers best chance
Speaker 1: to get to another super Bowl in the Aaron Rodgers
Speaker 1: era is to get the number one seed in the
Speaker 1: NFC and to have the entire path to the Super
Speaker 1: Bowl go through lambeau Field. Yeah that being said, Okay,
Speaker 1: I think Jordan's Love is going to hit a moment
Speaker 1: somewhere here in the Aaron Rodgers era where maybe Rogers
Speaker 1: tweaks a hamstring, pulls a calf muscle again, like he
Speaker 1: did something like that that keeps him out for a
Speaker 1: week or two, and Jordan's Love winning a game or
Speaker 1: two could be the difference between the Packers being a
Speaker 1: two or three seed in the NFC and being the
Speaker 1: one seed and having that NFC Championship game potentially go
Speaker 1: through lambeau Field to get the Packers to a super Bowl.
Speaker 1: I just I throw that out there as a scenario
Speaker 1: to say that Jordan's love could definitely play a significant
Speaker 1: role in the Packers winning a Super Bowl getting to
Speaker 1: another super Bowl in the Aaron Rodgers era. So just
Speaker 1: I'll toss I'll toss that one out there. Yeah, I
Speaker 1: like that. I think that is a very thoughtful and
Speaker 1: you know, really diplomatic way to think about it. Because
Speaker 1: here's thing. You go back to the Patriots over the
Speaker 1: last five years. You know, whether it was Jacoby Brissette
Speaker 1: or Jimmy Garoppolo, both of those quarterbacks who were second,
Speaker 1: i believe third round picks, they won meaningful games for
Speaker 1: the Patriots that did have implications for them later on
Speaker 1: in the season, and then obviously both ended up turning
Speaker 1: into capital, whether it be a draft pick or a
Speaker 1: trade like Brissette was to the to the Colts. So
Speaker 1: it definitely makes sense. The thing I want to point
Speaker 1: out because I know I've been one of the guys
Speaker 1: that was saying you don't you don't need to draft
Speaker 1: a quarterback yet that was my narrative going into the draft.
Speaker 1: It's been my narrative the last few years, but now
Speaker 1: that it's done. One thing that I think the Packers
Speaker 1: have done really really well during the Aaron Rodgers era.
Speaker 1: If you wanted to bring in a veteran backup at
Speaker 1: the beginning of his time, I would have had no
Speaker 1: issue with it. You want to have somebody that can
Speaker 1: be there with them, no problem. Far've had Jim McMahon
Speaker 1: and Steve Bono and all these other guys that were
Speaker 1: with him. But now that you're at this latter half,
Speaker 1: you know this this back nine, as he calls it,
Speaker 1: of his career. It is good to have young talent
Speaker 1: there to develop instead of going and just paying seven
Speaker 1: million dollars for a backup quarterback that a probably isn't
Speaker 1: gonna play and b there's been mixed results when those
Speaker 1: guys have actually had to go in there. You have
Speaker 1: a first round credential player now in Jordan's Love, and
Speaker 1: certainly he's gonna need time to develop, but there's also
Speaker 1: a different caliber of athlete, a different caliber of quarterback
Speaker 1: if he is summoned into a game at some point,
Speaker 1: and I think that is something that really could benefit here.
Speaker 1: The Green Bay Packers in the next four or five seasons. Yeah,
Speaker 1: and I'll just I'll just close on this when you
Speaker 1: look at that scenario that I just laid out. Now,
Speaker 1: obviously the Packers are going the young, developing quarterback as
Speaker 1: you said, for the backup route, but just look at
Speaker 1: last year when the Kansas City Chiefs lost Patrick Mahomes
Speaker 1: for a couple of games. Now, the Packers went to
Speaker 1: Arrowhead and knocked them off on Sunday Night Football, but
Speaker 1: the Chiefs the following week with Matt Moore at quarterback,
Speaker 1: the veteran backup was the route they decided to go.
Speaker 1: But them beating the Minnesota Vikings in that game that
Speaker 1: propelled Kansas City to the number two seed in the
Speaker 1: a f C, which then when Baltimore is the one seed,
Speaker 1: got knocked out. The a f C Championship was played
Speaker 1: at Arrowhead Stadium, and that win, that one win by
Speaker 1: Matt Moore was very instrumental in the Kansas Chiefs ending
Speaker 1: up winning the whole thing. I think someone an insider
Speaker 1: in box last week pointed out how one of the
Speaker 1: common thoughts are on a fifty three man roster, your
Speaker 1: backup quarterback is one of the top thirty most important positions,
Speaker 1: and there is something to be said for that and
Speaker 1: being able to win a game here there if you know,
Speaker 1: all the chips are down and you have to be
Speaker 1: able to find a way into the playoffs. That's that's
Speaker 1: one benefit to this move, and it's one benefit to
Speaker 1: where the Packers sit unequivocally, Mike, you know, going back
Speaker 1: to basically when Rogers was a rookie and in his
Speaker 1: second year, this is the most depth now, the most
Speaker 1: talent the Packers have because I know they're still very
Speaker 1: confident in in Tim Boyle in the development process he's
Speaker 1: been on the last two years. And Boyle is going
Speaker 1: to push Jordan's love for that number two job this
Speaker 1: later this summer. So these are the types of considerations
Speaker 1: you have to make. And I and I, as I've
Speaker 1: said all along, I think Rogers is gonna be a
Speaker 1: model mentor for that, having the experiences that he's worked
Speaker 1: through and based on his track record with Boyle and
Speaker 1: all these other developmental backups that have come through Green
Speaker 1: Bay over the past fifteen years. All Right, Well, with that,
Speaker 1: we will call it a rap on this edition of
Speaker 1: Packers Unscripted. Be sure to follow all of our coverage
Speaker 1: of the team. Lots of stories coming up. Follow up
Speaker 1: stories on the draft picks going to be appearing on
Speaker 1: Packers dot com in the coming days and weeks. For Wes,
Speaker 1: I am Mike. Thank you for tuning in. Everybody. We
Speaker 1: will see you next time.