Packers: 5 bold predictions for the 2019 NFL Draft
By Brady Busha
Ahead of the 2019 NFL Draft, here are five bold predictions for the Green Bay Packers.
This Thursday, the Green Bay Packers, along with the 31 other NFL teams, will gather in Nashville, TN to select the players that will represent the future of the franchise. There are a million scenarios that can play out over the 72-hour, seven-round event, and in the past decade, it’s become an exponentially more spectator-friendly event to even the most laid back fan.
Because of this, there are hundreds of mock drafts, hypotheticals, alphabetical and numerical grades for each and every attendant at the NFL Combine, and careers can be made or broken off of the NFL Draft and how accurately one can predict it.
While the NFL Draft is, in a word, impossible to accurately predict, some are better than others, but sometimes, it’s more fun to think about the most out-there, unlikely “what-ifs” there can be.
1. Green Bay will hit the “reset” button on the guard position
With a lot of names at the interior offensive line, but not much consistency or impressive play, the Packers will need to shore up the guard spots. Not doing so could lead to Aaron Rodgers being put on his back over 50 times this year, like he was in 2018.
While there’s faith and some intrigue with Cole Madison returning to football this year, it would be prudent to invest some of the draft capital Green Bay has in some stout, talented offensive linemen. Sure, it’s not always going to get the Draft Party in Lambeau excited and jumping out of their seats, but it’s a worthwhile venture.
Training camp is the perfect time to vet offensive line talent and start making intelligent cuts. Lucas Patrick, Justin McCray and Lane Taylor all have the possibility of making the final roster, but that doesn’t mean the Packers can’t bring in the right kind of competition to make those cuts easier to determine.
Wisconsin’s Michael Deiter, NIU and Green Bay West High School graduate Max Scharping, and Penn State’s Ryan Bates are worth a second look to fill the wide-open guard spots on the eve of the draft. All of them topped 20 reps on the bench press at the combine, and feature solid NFL size.
Day two or three could see the Packers taking one or two of these potential difference-makers, and with the bookend tackle combo of Bryan Bulaga and David Bakhtiari with the stalwart Corey Linsley at center, any incoming rookie who can make a solid case may see significant playing time.