Packers: Positives, negatives from 2019 draft class

The Green Bay Packers made eight picks in the 2019 NFL Draft, some of which surprised many around league circles. Here are some pluses and minuses from the weekend.

Positive: Defensive front

For the first time in years, the Green Bay defensive line has a chance to be among the three or four very best in the entire league. Preston Smith, Mike Daniels, Kenny Clark, Za’Darius Smith and Rashan Gary make up what looks like a genuinely terrifying defensive line, assuming a couple of things work in the Packers’ favor.

First of all, Preston and Za’Darius Smith have to live up to their giant contracts they both signed in the offseason. Za’Darius Smith is among the more “rising stars” in the NFL, and while he has shown an ability to wreck opposing offenses, he still has plenty to prove when it comes to establishing himself as one of the elite defensive linemen in football. Preston Smith, who signed a deal worth over $50 million, is coming off a season in which he only had four sacks.

This is not to say that he wasn’t an extremely effective player for the Redskins, however. Smith generated a ton of pressure on the quarterback and helped force numerous incompletions to get his defense into third-and-long situations.

The only thing truly missing from the Green Bay defense was a forceful athlete who could play all across the defensive line. That is exactly what they are getting in Gary. Add in Kingsley Keke in the fifth round out of Texas A&M, and the depth on the defensive line is stellar. The Packers likely will not re-sign Mike Daniels at the end of the season, so they are also prepared for his departure.

Negative: Middle linebacker

The Packers have ignored the middle linebacker position yet again. Many had hoped that Brian Gutekunst would take a different approach when it came to establishing anchors in the middle of the defense. Blake Martinez, while a gritty and smart player, just isn’t talented enough to truly quarterback a defense to a championship level. Gutekunst traded up in last year’s draft to snag Oren Burks in the third round. In his rookie year, Burks did little to impress.

The Packers did take Ty Summers in the seventh round out of TCU, but he will at best be a special teams contributor who might be a practice squad candidate. The Packers are in no way better at the inside linebacker position than they were last year, when they routinely got carved up by inside runs and running backs leaking out of the backfield.

The best the team can hope for is that Martinez steps up his play dramatically entering a contract year, and Burks starts looking like a player worthy of seeing substantial time in the NFL.

Positive: Defensive potential 

This is the best the Packers defense has looked on paper in a long, long time. The defensive front has the potential to take over games on its own with the rotation outlined earlier.

While middle linebacker is still a bit of a concern, the Packers now have the ability to drop some safeties down to help in run support, something the Bears are going to find out Ha Ha Clinton-Dix is very poor at. Let’s be clear: Adrian Amos is a substantial upgrade over Clinton-Dix. While flashy and fun to root for, Clinton-Dix cannot man his position at nearly the same level that Amos can.

The Packers paired Amos and his savvy ability to affect the game without necessarily hauling in interceptions with Darnell Savage Jr. out of Maryland in the first round. Savage is more or less similar to Amos, but Mike Pettine now has the ability to drop one safety into the box to help out his linebackers while relying on the other to play center-field.

The Packers are very, very secure in the back end, and may not even have to commit too many defenders into the box given how good their defensive line looks. If the Packers can stay healthy, they have a chance to have a top-five defense in 2019.

Negative: Wide receiver

The need for a wide receiver both in free agency and in the draft this year was a bit overblown. Having said that, it would have been nice to see the Packers not put their entire passing game repertoire in the hands of three second-year players behind Davante Adams and the inconsistent Geronimo Allison. The Packers are just an injury to Adams away from relying on Allison, J’Mon Moore, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Equanimeous St. Brown as their receivers. That is far from good.

Jimmy Graham, while still extremely talented, is not the same player as he was in New Orleans or Seattle. Still without a truly proven running game, opposing defenses are going to be able to focus on Adams and force the other young pass catchers to prove themselves. Even after drafting Jace Sternberger, the Packers didn’t do a whole lot to help out their new head coach and offensive coordinator. Matt LaFleur has an awful lot cut out for him as a rookie head coach.

Positive: Next year’s free agency

The Packers did a nice job of helping themselves for next year. Notable free agents after the 2019 season is over include Mike Daniels, Kenny Clark (his fifth-year option will likely be picked up), Blake Martinez, and Bryan Bulaga. Daniels is coming off of a season-ending injury, and has already been ridiculously overrated by so many.

The Rashan Gary selection not only makes the defensive line very interesting this year, but it also allows them to not have to pay Daniels premium money as a free agent next offseason.

The selection of Elgton Jenkins also enables the Packers to take some liberties with their offensive line. Bulaga still somehow continues to play at a pretty high level despite the countless injuries he has sustained throughout his career. Bulaga’s deal expires after next season, but the drafting of Jenkins can push Billy Turner back out to his more natural position of tackle.

The Packers offensive line now has solid depth, replacements for the future and competition for Lane Taylor, who after a tremendous 2017 season, followed that up with a poor 2018 year. The Packers will also be able to afford to let Bulaga go and preserve their cap space to re-sign anyone else they want and potentially add players from elsewhere, much as they did this year.

Negative: Offensive question marks

The hiring of both Matt LaFleur and Nathaniel Hackett is going to open up the Green Bay offense considerably. Finally over are the days of suffocating route tree incompetence and an offensive scheme that could have been deciphered by 11 random meat packing men all 65 and older from Neenah. With Aaron Rodgers under center, the Packers still have themselves a legitimate shot to be elite offensively.

With that being said, the Green Bay brass definitely at least needs to scour the trade market and what is left of the free agent market, as they have given their rookie head coach a tough hand.

The offensive-minded LaFleur has a lot of work cut out for him this year, and even after drafting Dexter Williams in the sixth round out of Notre Dame, the running game is still rather mediocre and injury-prone. Aaron Jones is entering a crucial year in his development. The offensive line is pretty much fortified, but Rodgers and the offense have a lot to do to get themselves back to their 2014 form.