2021 Draft: Packers have prioritized roster needs and trusted board
After selecting Georgia CB Eric Stokes at 29th overall on Thursday night, the Green Bay Packers chose to address offense on day two, selecting Ohio State center Josh Myers at pick 62, and trading up seven spots to select Clemson slot receiver Amari Rodgers with the 85th pick.
The Packers haven’t exactly stole all the headlines of the 2021 draft class, at least not for the actual draft itself, *cough* Aaron Rodgers *cough*. However they’ve done a solid job at finding suitable players who can come in and contribute in 2021.
The first thing that is obvious about the Packers’ first three picks is that unlike last year, they are addressing positions of immediate need. Each of the three players they have chosen could make an impact from the first day simply due to the lack of talented depth at their respective positions.
The cornerback room was a disaster at the end of the season, so Stokes could and should be the full-time starting CB2 as soon as he is acclimated to playing in the NFL.
While the Packers have depth on the interior of their offensive line from last year’s draft, they clearly feel Josh Myers is a tier above the players they already have since they spent a premium pick on him.
Finally, Amari Rodgers gives Matt LaFleur a true slot receiver and gadget threat for the first time since he became head coach. Rodgers should also fill the much needed punt returner role, a position that has plagued the Packers ever since Randall Cobb left.
The Packers trust their evaluations
You could argue that the Packers didn’t get great value on either of their first two picks. Stokes was very rarely mocked as a first-round candidate, so maybe the Packers could’ve traded back into the early second round and still got him.
If you look at the consensus boards, there were many players above Stokes still available when the Packers were on the clock, but the Packers trust their own evaluations, and they trust their own draft board.
It was even more obvious in the second round when the Packers took Josh Myers even though Oklahoma’s Creed Humphrey was still available. Humphrey was above Myers in almost every positional rankings you could find, but the Packers factored in the scheme fit, and their own evaluations, to decide that Myers is the better player.
I think that given their history, we should trust the Green Bay’s ability to evaluate offensive linemen. They’ve been one of the best if not the best team in the NFL at drafting O-linemen over the last decade.
We must also remember that the big boards you see in the media and the big boards that teams have are entirely different.
For example, many fans couldn’t believe Trevon Moehrig fell out of the first round until we found out that he had a back injury that was flagged at the medical combine. Simply put, we don’t have as much information as teams do.
Overview
Overall, the majority of Packers fans are pleased with how the first three rounds have turned out. They’ve addressed their three biggest immediate needs, drafted three solid players who should all make a day one impact and only surrendered one fourth-rounder in the process.
I would give them a B or a B+ grade so far. The only thing that stops this draft from receiving an ‘A’ grade is the lack of value in their first- and second-round picks.