Green Bay Packers: Re-drafting the 2017 NFL Draft
Rond 6: Brad Kaaya, QB, Miami
Packers pick: Kofi Amichia, OL, USF
Amichia spent the year on the practice squad despite the Packers needing help at offensive line. Amichia seems like more of a project than anything, which is fine. He’s very athletic and has great size for an NFL lineman. Like the Montravius Adams pick, the jury is still out on Amichia so I won’t criticize the pick. The Packers have a good reputation for developing offensive linemen too. We just have to wait and see.
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The pick I would make here in this re-draft was easy. Kaaya was expected to go no later than the fourth round. He had all the tools to develop into an NFL quarterback and maybe even a starter. He doesn’t have the strongest arm, but he has all the tools the develop into a quality quarterback. Given what we saw from Brett Hundley last year as the backup it’s hard to be disappointed with any other outcome. I have confidence that Kaaya could be at least as good as Hundley in a few years.
This pick was strictly for value. Last year during the draft we had Hundley as a backup and he was relatively unknown. In fact, he was seen more so as a good quarterback than an unknown one. Enough so to the point where he was building up trade value. The Packers obviously kept Hundley thinking he was one of the better backups in the league. And, to be fair, he did keep the Packers in playoff contention long enough for Aaron Rodgers to get back.
With Hundley, having groomed him for years, it was obvious if he was ever going to get a chance to start in the NFL it wouldn’t be in Green Bay. Drafting Kaaya here would’ve allowed the Packers to actually shop Hundley around and maybe pickup an extra draft pick or player. Assuming Rodgers would still go down, we would be throwing Kaaya to the wolves instead of Hundley. As I said earlier though, it’s hard to imagine Kaaya being much worse than Hundley was.
The Packers need to start working on a long-term replacement for Rodgers. Hundley was a good value when the Packers drafted him, but the timing wasn’t right. Hundley couldn’t wait for another three or so years (hopefully more) for Rodgers to be done. Even if last year never happened. Kaaya would fit into the Rodgers timeline a little better and is every bit as skilled as Hundley.