Remember the golden rule of training camp: Never overreact. I'll say this quietly so nobody else can hear. Brian Gutekunst might have done it again.
Don't tell anyone I said that.
Seriously, though, he might've. Gutekunst has quietly been on a heater in recent draft classes. Christian Watson, Tucker Kraft, Jayden Reed, and Zach Bako-Bewele have recently graduated to massive second-contract status (or will very soon, in Kraft's case). Edgerrin Cooper. Evan Williams. Javon Bullard. They're next.
Even some of the highly criticized picks are flashing breakout potential. Jordan Morgan looks rock-solid at left tackle. Matthew Golden is among the stars of training camp.
Now, Gutekunst's newest rookie class is seriously testing the golden rule of training camp. Shall we?
Packers training camp rookie updates ahead of Family Night scrimmage
Brandon Cisse, CB
Brandon Cisse, Week 1 starter? Lock it in.
Circumstances are partly to blame. Cisse took first-team reps on the first day of training camp due to Keisean Nixon's hamstring injury, and he's now playing alongside Nixon while Carrington Valentine nurses his own hamstring issue. But Cisse is proving he belongs.
You'll notice it's the Packers' second-round rookie, and not the more experienced Benjamin St-Juste, getting the starter reps. St-Juste has also made a fast start at camp, but Cisse looks like the real deal. He was particularly impressive in one-on-one drills this week, which can be a nightmare for a cornerback. Cisse won all three reps against Savion Williams.
It sometimes feels like Matt LaFleur is allergic to praising rookies too much, but he couldn't help but gush about his new cornerback in an interview with Kay Adams.
"He's mature beyond his years," LaFleur told Up & Adams. "Just wired the right way. Loves football. He's very coachable, competes his a-- off. Just everything you look for in a football player."
Verdict: Stock up (and rising rapidly)
Chris McClellan, DT
Third-rounder Chris McClellan has also been a near-permanent fixture of the starting defense. Javon Hargrave hasn't played, while Devonte Wyatt is still working his way back, but McClellan has made the most of his opportunities.
The third-rounder has shown off his pass-rush talent, and the best part is that he continued to do it when the pads went on.
"McClellan has held his own during the opening hour of his NFL career, earning a few pressures of starting quarterback Jordan Love during the first padded practice of camp on Monday," writes Wes Hodkiewicz of Packers.com.
Hargrave and Wyatt will soon resume their roles in the starting lineup, but McClellan will be right there with them.
Verdict: Stock up
Dani Dennis-Sutton, Edge
Dani Dennis-Sutton hasn't flown out of the gates like Cisse and McClellan, but he's quietly enjoying a strong summer in his own right.
Interestingly, defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon is having his fourth-round rookie spend time lining up on the inside, and Dennis-Sutton has made the most of it. Like McClellan, DDS has saved some of his best work for the padded practices, which won't go unnoticed.
Bill Huber of Packers On SI named Dennis-Sutton the best player of Monday's session in pads, writing that the rookie "spent half of the practice in the offense's backfield."
"He had three tackles for losses, including one in which he tossed rookie running back Jaden Nixon like he was a sack of potatoes – 'It was an accident,' he said – and a couple pressures," Huber added.
Verdict: Stock up
Jager Burton, OL
How's this for impressive? Jager Burton exited the first practice of camp with a hamstring injury, spent a few days recovering, returned, and has already sprung straight into first-team reps.
Sure, opportunities opened up due to Aaron Banks and Zach Bako-Bewele not participating in team drills, but Burton still jumped the queue. He continues to build on an excellent offseason program.
Burton held up well in one-on-one drills, and he's showing off his versatility to play multiple spots along the offensive line.
Verdict: Stock up
Domani Jackson, CB
Domani Jackson has so much to prove but it has been a frustrating start to the summer. After missing the offseason program, he still isn't ready to participate in team drills and has been limited to individual work.
Matt LaFleur said on Thursday that Jackson could see more practice time after Family Night, but admitted the rookie cornerback is behind the eight ball after missing so many valuable reps.
Verdict: Stock down
Trey Smack, K
The pressure is intensifying on rookie kicker Trey Smack, whose shaky offseason program has spilled into training camp.
LaFleur and Gutekunst are doing all they can to ease the pressure. Smack is now the only kicker on the roster, eliminating competition from a veteran, while LaFleur has instructed officials not to signal whether a kick goes through the uprights. For that reason, it's tough to know exactly how well Smack has done, although The Athletic's Matt Schneidman has the rookie 8/13 at camp.
That can only help so much, though. At some point, Smack needs to start finding consistency.
Verdict: Stock down
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