Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Draft Now, Cry Later? Packers 2026 Draft REACTION
0 Playsin 4 hours
The picks are in… now comes the reaction. 👀
In this season finale of Ohana Packers Edition (OPE), we give our full reaction to the Green Bay Packers 2026 NFL Draft class — breaking down every pick, surprise, and potential steal.
From early-round expectations to late-round flyers, we’re handing out instant grades, debating the biggest hits and misses, and asking the real question…
👉 Did the Packers just build a contender — or will fans be saying “draft now, cry later?”
We dive into how this class impacts Jordan Love, the roster heading into the season, and which rookies could make an immediate impact.
🎧 Tap in and join the conversation:
- Best pick?
- Biggest reach?
- Hidden gem?
Let’s wrap the season with some OPE energy 🧀🔥
#GoPackGo #PackersNation #NFLDraft #Cheeseheads #GreenBayPackers
Recommended
Transcript
Intro
Recap of 2025 Season & 2026 Draft Preview
00:00:55
Speaker
Aloha and welcome back to the Ohana Packers Edition podcast. Today, we put a bull on the 2025 season as we close up our coverage of the 2026 draft cycle, which includes the Packers picks along with their UDFA signings.
Importance of Lucas Van Ness' Fifth-Year Option
00:01:10
Speaker
But first off, we're going to go into a topic dear to dear one Iowa Joe's heart in the Packers exercising Lucas Van Ness' fifth year option. This is a move that I don't want to know. I don't know to say whether it should have been expected or what, but I feel like it was one the Packers needed to make because of what Lucas means to the team from both a...
00:01:32
Speaker
being their best run defending edge, um to being a the projected starter across from Micah, and on top of that, being a player who was legitimately on the rise last season before he injured his foot and just couldn't get back healthy after the team needed it to come back earlier than he probably wanted to because of injuries to Devontae Wyatt, lack of production lack of counting production from Rashawn Gary, um and Parsons eventually blowing out his
Financial Implications of Van Ness' Contract
00:02:01
Speaker
knees. So, You know, we're going to go into it later, certain people's complaints or thoughts about the move, but I think this is a prudent move by the Packers because...
00:02:11
Speaker
As we've seen from the team and most other teams in the NFL, exercising the fifth-year option is a signal that you don't want the player and team to be on that contract in the coming year in the option year. This is generally shown to be a stepping stone to a longer-term extension with the player. And if Lucas plays to um not just the level he was at, but the ascension that he was showing to be on prior to his foot injury in 2025...
00:02:41
Speaker
um This could to be a honestly a money-saving move for the Packers because you just don't see guys who are as disruptive as pass rushers um like Lucas was showing pre-injury.
00:02:53
Speaker
You don't get those guys sub $15 million
Reflecting on Past Packers' Decisions
00:02:55
Speaker
dollars a year. It just doesn't happen. So I say all that, and now I turn the mic to Joe, ah our token Hawkeye.
00:03:05
Speaker
Please let us know how good of a move this was for the Packers. I think this decision, and this is our second go around, and you said this before that...
00:03:17
Speaker
oh You know, the Packers picked up Darnell Savage's fifth-year option but didn't re re-sign him to the contract. Then last year they didn't pick up Quay Walker's fifth-year option, and now he's off the team.
00:03:31
Speaker
And I think they kind of regretted the Quay Walker one a little bit because of how well he played down the stretch. And it's like, well, that'd been nice, but, you know, they made up for it with in a way with the Zaire Franklin trade. but It took a lot of shuffling of the deck chairs and it worked out in a way, but also at the same time, you know, it worked out in the sense that Zaire is a more consistent player than Kuei. He's not going to cost as much as Kuei over the terms of their deals.
00:04:00
Speaker
But, he's still an older player. Xayir is still the older player by like five years or six years than
Analyzing Van Ness' Performance
00:04:08
Speaker
Kuei is. No, Kuei is... Oh no, four years. Sorry, I'm doing the math wrong.
00:04:13
Speaker
Yeah, he's 26 and Xayir is 30. But, um... he's older like he's a whole contract older and um and on top of that like i said it took sending out um ah a tangible player in colby wooden and i don't think that's a position the packers want to be in year in and year out where it's like okay cool we upgraded but at what cost and what you know constraints did we put on ourselves i know that they ended up drafting chris mcclellan and all that kind of stuff but it's like It's not going to work out in every season that... Oh, okay, we moved a guy... But we found a guy that we think is better than the guy we moved... There's a lot... That was a long flowchart that Gudikunds had to hit on multiple spots... And honestly...
00:04:59
Speaker
yeah on some level i think contributed them moving up in the third round to make sure they got mcclellan um as opposed to kind of letting you know they might have been more conservative with letting the board play out and maybe they still move up to get him but they wait another like four to five picks kind of thing instead of like moving up as early as they did so Thank you for bringing that back up. Like Joe said, we've had some technical difficulties, so we're doing ah we're doing a hard reset on the episode. But Joe, take it away. You're Hawkeye.
00:05:27
Speaker
But, I mean, you hit most of the points. He really stu turn was turning around last year.
Critique of Media Reports on Van Ness
00:05:35
Speaker
um but Let's see. he Let's do the math again, Mike. So he's this will be year four for Lucas Van As...
00:05:44
Speaker
ah Year four for Lucas Van Ness, how many defensive coordinators has he had in that time? This is going to be number three. How many different fronts has he had in that time?
00:05:56
Speaker
Who knows? No one knows the answer to that. so But he's been he's had a steep learning curve since since he's been taken in the first round years ago.
00:06:10
Speaker
forty years ago So a lot of people don't take that in effect. They think he needs he needs to do it now. He needs to do it now. He needs to do it now. I get that, but he still has only played, I think, at most, or the most he's played last year, or was last year with 45% of the snaps.
00:06:31
Speaker
Before that, it was like 30% and you can't, that's good him. well you can't yeah that's not a good gauge on him But when he's been in there, he has been a dominant type of player, even if you don't see it. Because he does a lot of in the run game, he does a lot in the pass game.
00:06:51
Speaker
He's done so much that even when Micah Parsons was traded to the team, he specifically called out Lucas Van Ness as a guy he wanted to play with.
00:07:03
Speaker
And that's even with Rashawn Gary on the team after getting paid the money that Rashawn Gary was getting paid. Oh no, I'm not worried about Rashawn. Lucas is the guy that I want to be on the team with.
00:07:16
Speaker
But I've got a couple of clips here that I'm going to go ahead and play from our most favorited people in the world over at ESPN in Milwaukee. exercise lucas van ness's fifth year option And I was like, I'm not losing my
Frustrations with Media Narratives
00:07:33
Speaker
mind. That's the stupidest thing ever, right? And you said...
00:07:38
Speaker
Duh. You're not losing your mind at all. was just like, am I missing something? If Lucas Van Ness is not good next year, then we're going to have an issue because that means that this team is not elevating their level of play and now they're stuck with him. Micah Parsons needs somebody across from him who can beat guys one-on-one.
00:07:55
Speaker
Lucas Van Ness has not showed us that he has the ability to beat guys one-on-one. If Lucas Van Ness was just a guy cool. The 13 overall pick. Who is now being paid as one of not the top, but getting paid...
00:08:08
Speaker
handsomely well he needs to perform better he absolutely has to perform better and he needs to start this season there is no more holding his hands there's no more making excuses Lucas Van Ness needs to play like a first round pick all all right heard there's many things that are stupid and wrong with that continue ah well the whole thing's stupid and wrong with I i That he can't beat one-on-ones, well, that's wrong.
00:08:32
Speaker
That he's just a guy, that's wrong. This guy's an athletic freak. We all knew that he was an athletic freak when he was drafted. He's flashed his ability in his limited time. Again, I go back to the fact that Micah Parsons, when when he was traded to Green Bay, specifically called out Lucas Van Ness as being a guy he wanted to play with.
00:08:56
Speaker
We don't... I mean, we see the videos of Sorrel and them out there working out with Micah. I don't know if Lucas is or not. They really haven't showed him or not. But even if he's not, they're going to get plenty of work together in the minicamps and everything else.
00:09:14
Speaker
I don't see where these guys are coming from where it's the quote-unquote stupidest thing ever and he's just a guy. And i swear that these guys here are just...
00:09:25
Speaker
We call them out every, like, it seems like every year there's clips that we're calling these these same guys out on. I don't think they know how to watch football. They're just gotcha reporters. Like, they're just... They're, um you know, like those sucker fish that you get that they stick on the side of your fish tank and they kind of filter the shit out of the water. They're just bottom feeders like that who will throw a takeout so that in the event that they hit on their one out of, like, 30 dumbass takes, they can say, see, we told you about that. Don't don't mind that we totally were absolutely wrong because, like you said, they're...
00:10:04
Speaker
They don't know how to watch film. They don't understand the nuance of the game. They're just hot take reporters. whatever you Whatever angle you want to take on it. Like, they're just bottom feeders.
00:10:15
Speaker
And I guarantee you, they're going to cling on to their stupid Jordan Love takes. Which, these are basically the same
Van Ness' Versatility in Defense
00:10:21
Speaker
takes they made about Jordan Love two years or three years ago. When the Packers, you know, they didn't exercise the official 50-year option. But they, for all intents and purposes, gave him a 50-year option extension.
00:10:34
Speaker
This is the same thing on repeat, it's just they're using a different position. First off, Dumbass with the glasses saying he's one of the top paid players at his position.
00:10:45
Speaker
Can you count? Like, these things are on Google. You can go to Over the Cap, SpotTrack, or whichever site you want to use. this is like the sea This is like from Parks and Rec when Leslie is is first meeting Ben Wyatt and is imploring him that ah Parks and Rec department is very important. And Ben does the thing on the pyramid where he's like, Parks and Rec is all the way down here. Lucas Van Ness, whether he's at 14 and a half... If he's at 14 and a half million, he is tied for 30th. 30-0-eth in average per year salary in the NFL by signing his fifth-year option. And that number goes down. And if it's the 13-8 number, he's all the way at 30, 31, 32, 33. he's again...
00:11:34
Speaker
so he's thirty third so again That's why I say they're hot take bullshit takes because they can't even fucking Google things to make sure they're fact checking it right. Second off, and not like you said. that Yeah.
00:11:50
Speaker
If Lucas goes on and has like a 10 sack season and, and all that stuff and Micah does what he does, they're going to come back and say, see, I told you, I told you it was a good player. I told you it was a good player. yeah that That fifth year option was a great pickup.
00:12:06
Speaker
and then even the comment about no one's gonna hold your hand he's playing like five different positions last season like he's playing five different positions partly because you're expecting luke or rashawn to be excellent across from micah started the year that way but really tailed off hard after the first month of the season and then you get into the white injuries nobody else amongst the defensive interior stepping up
Expectations for Packers' Defense
00:12:31
Speaker
All of that factored in.
00:12:33
Speaker
And then Lucas himself got injured. And, you know, and and just... If he doesn't have a sack for the first three games, it's gonna be like, oh, he's not good. He's injury-prone. All that kind of stuff.
00:12:44
Speaker
Lucas hasn't missed games basically at all in his college or NFL career. So, again, do your freaking research. But it's stupid. It's so dumb. And then to complain, like, oh, if he... You know, if Lucas, let's say, has another five-sacks he's in...
00:13:02
Speaker
Okay, $15 million dollars is about what you pay for someone to come in and give you five sacks on a season. So again, what the fuck are you guys talking about? Just blowing, just waste of oxygen, honestly. like
00:13:17
Speaker
Yeah, like, you know, people complain about like, oh, some blowhards on the beat and stuff like that. These are the ones you should be complaining about. People who are paid to just throw crap on the internet and have a platform because it's edgy, it's cool, they don't agree with everyone.
00:13:35
Speaker
Oh, yeah. That's how they make money. And that's why like I don't follow a lot of the mainstream radio channels and stuff. Because all, especially the yeah ESPN ones, they all think they need to each have their own first take equivalent show and stuff. And it's like, just waste of time, waste of airspace, waste of brain power and stuff. So, it's whatever.
00:13:55
Speaker
I think it's a worthwhile exercise for the Packers. And like you said...
00:14:01
Speaker
If Lucas goes out and has a season where we he performs the way that Joe and I think he will, um it's simply a matter of time where he's going to get the contract that Rashawn was playing on.
00:14:15
Speaker
And I know some will say, like, well, how did that work Remember, Rashawn blew his knee out. Basically in the season that Lucas broke his foot. So, um obviously this is also a test the waters period where the Packers get to see like, is this going to be a long-term lingering issue? And that's why losing your mind over one year. Okay, so he has 2026 and to prove that he is going to be that guy.
00:14:43
Speaker
And if you have to move on and cut your losses, at the end of that, you'll still have one more year of Baron Sorrell. You'll still have two more years of DDS. And um in there, sprinkled in, you'll have extended Parsons. Colin Oliver will probably still be around. And you'll have drafted another edge rusher or two.
00:15:02
Speaker
And that's
Long-Term Plans for Van Ness
00:15:03
Speaker
not an indictment. Me saying that isn't necessarily betting against Lucas. You've got to have a bevy of pass rushers and you honestly you should be taking one every season um just because you need you have to be able to affect the quarterback in this game and the Packers have shown that they put their um they invest on the defensive front put in their time to find guys who can rush the passer. So um i i think it's a worthwhile time for them to you know like i said and of course it's not mine or joe's money so who are we really you know you can take that angle but 15 million dollars for a productive edge rusher is nothing in this league and on top of that as joe kind of alluded to earlier he's not just the pass rusher lucas is your your best edge setter in the run game and
00:15:56
Speaker
It's not just that he should have s sack numbers. His presence should help Micah also get sack numbers because he's very gap sound. He's rush lane sound as a pass rusher. He doesn't give up the move. You know, that was the thing is like, you know, everyone throws around the high the low light of Rashawn taking the inside lane against the Bears that let but Williams get outside and, you know, complete that fourth down prayer pass that kept the Bears in the game.
00:16:21
Speaker
lucas doesn't do those things and you know rashawn should know better being like a seventh year pro and at the same time the pressure to put up stats makes guys take risks and um overall this should be a better defensive front you know why it you know why it's the one you're knocking on wood that he can stay healthy um And Parsons, you know, you just need to see him come back and be the same guy. I know he won't be absolutely the same, but if he's 95% of the player he was pre-injury, you're going to be just fine. And Lucas just needs to keep doing what he's been doing. And the counting stats are going to come for him. um
00:17:02
Speaker
But, and Joe, feel free to try and interject whenever you want to. You know, again, we're going through some mic issues, but, um and that's why I'm just filling in here as much as we need to go with this. But, um or we'll circle back to it when Joe gets it sorted out. But for now, like I said, the Packers, they have their their playbook. You know, the only thing that those two ding-a-lings got right is that, yeah, this is the prudency that the Packers front office works with. And,
00:17:32
Speaker
no like they were totally fine paying darnell savage to have a nothing year in 2023 they'll be fine if lucas tops out as a five sack guy in the nfl that's fine that you're paying him 15 million in 2027 the cap will have gone up you'll have hopefully gotten a step forward from sorel or um the dentist or you'll have found another guy in the first couple days of the upcoming drafts But the Packers are doing this in the expectation that they'll be paying Lucas a new contract in another year, basically. So
Analyzing Packers' 2026 Draft Picks
00:18:08
Speaker
it's a prudent move because...
00:18:11
Speaker
Yeah, it's not stupid for them to take this gamble. The stupid thing would be for them to just say, no, we're not doing it, and then be totally behind the um totally behind the behind the eight ball where Lucas does break out like we thought he was breaking out last season. But because there's no Rashawn, because Lucas is the starter opposite Micah, and Micah won't be there, there's the possibility that Micah starts the season on Pup, so Lucas is the top rusher, edge rusher, for the first month of the season.
00:18:43
Speaker
um You don't want it to be in a world where he has a 13-sack season and then it's like, oh, why couldn't you resign him? Oh, well, we ah didn't think it would be a worthwhile use of money to pick up his fifth-year option, so we just didn't. And yeah, now we're now we're counting on Baron and Dennis to step up in their second and third or third and second seasons, respectively.
00:19:06
Speaker
so It was a prudent move. Trying to say that it's dumb or explicitly out of pocket is just... Honestly, it's wishcasting and they're wishcasting for the ability to aha report in a year or two, but that's the stupidity. The comment and the thought process on their on yeah ESPN Madison's side is the stupidity. The Packers are making the prudent move.
00:19:33
Speaker
And like I said, I've never had a problem admitting I'm wrong. i I to this day still can't believe they got what they got for Dontavian Wicks and then on top of it extended Reed but my thinking was he was gonna cost more than his guaranteed money was on his current contract so I was wrong but also at the same time things happened that I did not expect to play out so um You know, like I said, we've put out some scenarios, but save for a James Pierce-type scenario coming forth about Lucas, he is going to be a contributor for the Packers in 2026 and 2027. And honestly, i have expectations that he will be with the Packers through 2030. That's the reality I think the Packers are, not like I said, not hoping for, expecting to come forth for them. But we'll put a bow on the on the Lucas situation because... Like I said, it's not going to play out until we're midway through this season, but Joe and I um have full confidence in Lucas um performing this season.
00:20:46
Speaker
Alright, so now we shift our focus to the 2026 draft picks and um UDFAs. So...
Breakdown of Draft Picks and Their Fit
00:20:55
Speaker
Excuse me as I choke.
00:20:59
Speaker
So the Packers, I think Gutekinds did a... what You know, we kind of recapped it for the first half of the draft, but we didn't get our thoughts for day three. But I think Gutekinds did a excellent job filling... um the the the biggest needs on this roster. So just to recap, Packers end up making six selections over the course of the 2026 draft. um In order, Brandon Siss at 52. Chris Siss, shh, no.
00:21:31
Speaker
I'm going to spell it correctly, but I'm so sorry, Brandon. Chris McClellan at 77. danny dennis smith Danny Dennis Sutton at 120. Jaeger Burton at 153. Domani Jackson 201. Now, that's the one that nobody knows. Is it Jaeger or is it Jagger or what? and Nobody's been able to it. have a feeling it's going to be a Tanyan Tanyan thing here pretty soon.
00:21:56
Speaker
I hope he just says Jaeger for the for the vibes. Yeah. Yeah, but then you've got Jagger because he's got the moves like Jagger. So, you know, which one goes better?
00:22:06
Speaker
Then his parents should have given him two G's. but yeah Domani Jackson at 201 and Trey Smack at 216. So know. in there um you know Gutekunz doubled down at cornerback. um And, you know, there had been a couple seasons in a row where he said that, you know, he'd given both the we like what we have, but we also need want to improve the depth in the room. This is the first time in several years where he has followed through on that sentiment, on the latter sentiment, that they want to infuse more talent at the cornerback position. McClellan and su Dennis Sutton add to the defensive line room. um
00:22:48
Speaker
I don't think either... Well, so Dennis Sutton definitely not, but I don't believe McClellan will be a day one starter. I think that so long as Wyatt is healthy, you're going to get some combination of w it probably Wyatt and Brinson or Wyatt and Hargrove.
00:23:07
Speaker
That'll be your starting duo. I think it'll be two of those three. two of those three Well, and I think it depends on what the starting front, you know what if they're going to be three, four, four, three. yeah Because there could be a possibility where you're looking at your starting four something like
00:23:26
Speaker
uh uh micah
00:23:29
Speaker
uh wyatt and hargrave as an end so that leaves open one of the defensive tackle spots so that could theoretically be a mcclellan fit a lot of it will just depend on how what training cam looks like uh so yeah yeah so and then of course like even if they do show base three their base being a three four the odds are that they're probably going to open the season in nickel like just because their opposition is probably going to open in some kind of spread we're going to find out soon because supposedly the elusive jonathan gannon is going to be facing the media on monday so tomorrow
00:24:12
Speaker
if he comes out and says i am going to run a 3-4 as my base i'll be shocked because i there's to to you know some so many people are wringing their hands over this there is no reason for ganon to come out either to to just ah unless unless he's absolutely bsing and doing the opposite there's no reason for him to come out and say that i'm going to hedge one way or the other unless like i said he's smoke screening in the opposite direction so um that said I appreciate the depth that was added to the defensive line room, you know, addressing one tackle, one edge. You know, obviously it would have been nice to get more than one tackle, but you only made six selections. um Use one of those picks to move up and get McClellan, who is a very talented prospect. And then there is
Strategies Behind Draft Picks
00:25:00
Speaker
still the option to go and do something like sign DJ Reader in free agency if they really wanted to. You know, there's a couple like street frames or it gives an opportunity for guys like a guy like Jonathan Ford to, you show you know that his improvements that you know led the Packers to bring him back to Green Bay are sufficient for him to you know make his spot on the 53 man so we'll see as it plays out
00:25:27
Speaker
um And let say that also includes, you know, the possibility of Brinson and Stackhouse improving from year one. Yeah. And Brinson, I think, is already a step very well in that direction. You know, he was a pretty heavy contributor as a sixth round pick last year. I thought he flashed multiple times. And it's a matter of finding that level of consistency at his floor as a player. And then, you know, injecting those highlights, those high... Highlight flash plays every... You know, at when he can take his shots. um
00:25:59
Speaker
Burton is immediately one of your top eight offensive linemen. I do hope... That it's between him and Monk to be center two on this roster. um I do see a scenario where if Monk... You know, in-house, they view Monk really strongly.
00:26:19
Speaker
You know, having improved in your... three at this point really well i can see a scenario where bertin who spent you know like two-thirds of his college half half the two-thirds of his college snaps at the guard spots they could you know cross-train him there i think that's a better fit than the the ah What I think have been stupid attempts to cross-train Monk at guard and center, whereas he's more of a pure a pure center than he is a truly flexible interior O-line player, whereas Burton, I think, could play any of the three interior spots. But Burton is one of your top eight automatically. And I don't think just purely because he's a good draft pick, but because...
00:27:01
Speaker
his tape in college is that good and the athletic upside the profile he's really good jackson again i appreciate that they doubled down on corner and took a guy where i know that i was like more of a thaddeus dixon guy but at least they took someone who has pedigree as a five-star high school um prospect and did play well at times in his college career and yes 2025 was a down season for him but you're swinging at the upside in round six and I like taking that swing for a guy who profiles as a perimeter quarterback where it's just where you've had your issues the past few seasons you're basically quadruple covered at slot
00:27:45
Speaker
right now has the roster stands they need to find more answers on the perimeter so cc and jackson give you multiple um lottery tickets scratch-offs at the perimeter cornerback positions and i and i like jackson i i was really i when we did the or i did the corner episode with Perrone, he was one of the guys that I talked about, and I liked what I saw out of him. I just didn't think he was going to be a Packer type of pick.
00:28:13
Speaker
But he's got the high-raz. He's got the makeup there. Tight length, weight. Yep. Yeah. So, you know, he's one of those... that Right now has kind of a slightly low floor, but he's got a hell of a ceiling that, you know, he could be. I hate to think of it this way because I really like Brandon Cissé too, but this could be one of those things like the the second rounder plays okay, but the sixth rounder is the real star of the um draft. Now, I'm not saying that's going happen. I'm just saying that there's a possibility there because of the tools that Jackson has. Yes, Exactly. Like you're taking us and I agree with you. I didn't have Jackson high on my likely because I figured he was going to go late day two, early day three because other teams would take a swing on the upside. The 2024 film,
00:29:08
Speaker
And, you know, i don't know if there's a medical or the 2025 film just rubbed teams that wrong way, but this is quintessential... Oh no, this whole draft was weird. Yeah, this was a quintessential Packers pick. And I've seen some people try to liken this to the Caelan King situation. The big difference there is that the the similarities end at... Yeah, the the similarities end at each player had a bad final year in college...
00:29:35
Speaker
and came into that final season with day one day two um projections but um Jackson is literally running laps around King, both as a physical like build specimen as ah and as an athlete. you know He's got him beat in both sides. so that you know The the like situation is similar, but the players are totally different kind of players where King had to prove that... you know First off, he had to prove that he was in NFL slot and then that whether he could hack it on the perimeter, whereas Jackson is like profiling as a perimeter NFL
Decision to Draft Kicker Trey Smack
00:30:11
Speaker
cornerback. so like it and then the final pick and you know what we'll just start the discussion here because ironically these the final pick of gutekun's draft class got the most scrutiny out of the fan base because oh my sweet heavens and stars our gm traded up for a kicker let's rewind to 2023 so same fucking situation
00:30:38
Speaker
Yeah, so the Packers draft Anders Carlsen. Reality, if you really look back on it, the Packers were stuck picking Anders Carlsen because... and they traded up for him. Right, because, okay, and it's twofold because the run-on kickers went... And Gutekunst basically didn't try to blow smoke about it.
00:31:00
Speaker
He flat out told the media, yeah, the run on kickers went a half round to a round earlier than we expected. And we were left in a situation where we felt we needed to move up to make sure we got someone. And, you know, he didn't want to say the last kicker we wanted, but like, you know, the the he sugarcoated with the our options were dwindling and we wanted to make sure we got a player we coveted.
00:31:23
Speaker
in reality you know it's it really did seem like you made a move a depth you know let's not sugarcoat it on our end either it was a desperation move to get the last guy that you deemed as a draftable grade kicker in that class so fast forward three years to 2026 And Gutekunst, sparting over the lessons he learned three seasons ago, said, fuck it, I'm not going to get left with my up with my boxes around my ankles again. I'm going to move up.
00:31:52
Speaker
And everyone's bellyaching over trading two seventh round picks when these are the same people who are like, why are you getting excited about seventh round picks? They don't matter. so you can't have your cake and eat it too in this sense i commend goodekunz for learning from his past mistakes and saying fuck it i'm gonna go and get the guy that i like most and what's really stupid and you know people are using um you know causation to formulate their their theories and stuff but they look at it and go oh well goot moved up and no other kickers got drafted
00:32:26
Speaker
The reports then come out like the week after the draft that, oh yeah, two to three other teams were interested in Smack and they were both or they were all ahead of the Packers between where the Packers moved up to get him in round six and their first of the two seventh round picks. So...
00:32:42
Speaker
I, like, no, his name is not Drew Stevens or a Dominic Zavada, but at the same time... Or the Tokyo Toe. Yeah, or the Tokyo Toe, who has a signature drink at one of the coffee shops near my house.
00:32:56
Speaker
But, um Which, I'm gonna just say now, I know it's his nickname, but you don't want to be drinking a drink with the word Toe in the name. It does taste good though. But, um... Mike likes to be confirmed.
00:33:12
Speaker
yeah Just my wife's. But, um... Oh god, let's get back, let's steer back on track. Hey, we don't keep saying. Um...
00:33:24
Speaker
um As much as you and I both wanted to stump for our college kickers or each other's college kickers in all honesty. i and I commend Gudikens for learning from the past and saying, no, this is the guy that we are staking our claim to And on top of it, if that is the the thought process you have and the mountains you move to get said player, and like I said, and I know I'm leveraging two seventh-round picks being moved for a smack, but he's the kicker.
00:34:00
Speaker
Brandon McManus, pack your bags. Goodbye. You've done enough damage. You know, we've both said that it's not that we were against him taking a kicker.
00:34:12
Speaker
The issue we had with Smack was he's a warm weather kicker going to a cold weather team. Now, supposedly Smack said in his introductory ah press conference that, well, I grew up in Maryland and I kicked in Maryland. And it's like, Yeah, but Maryland winners are a little bit different than that that Green Bay winner and that Chicago winner. But, you know, if you think you can do it, more power to you. um The one thing I did, I'll admit, I probably sold him short on is Florida's field is notorious for being not very good. And so at least he's got that side of it that he's kicked in. the the liter It's literally called the swamp. And they're one of those, like, okay...
00:34:54
Speaker
Right, but we've seen people...
00:35:02
Speaker
crappy when it rains because it's florida and all that kind of stuff so i'll give him that side but yeah but i think we need to see him kicking the cold yeah right i agree people throwing videos of him kicking like 70 yard field goals and shit like that and it's like yeah but he's in a facility that's not 70 yards in open air you know that's why we used to joke that if they really want to a good kicker you know cross train wheeling because wheeling was out there you know making videos of him kicking 70 yarders in in open air and and with the wind and all that but
00:35:38
Speaker
ah You know, I'm not gonna degrade it. If we can get rid of McAnus, then, you know, i that'll make me happy. That's already a job well done for Gutekun. Like I said, and I know some some people were, like, losing their minds over it. Jake Shevink, wellness check again. But Gutekun deserves a raise just for signaling that the door is shut on the McManus chapter of this franchise.
00:36:04
Speaker
And... Yes, I do think they'll keep McManus through camp or so long as he's not being a bad apple
Overview of UDFA Signings
00:36:10
Speaker
kind of thing. but I think what they'll do is they're going to give Smack every possible way to win the position. Yeah. don't think he's pulling it's there yet.
00:36:20
Speaker
Yeah. He's definitely going to Haversick. But yeah, I think this is one of those... not worried about that one. I do hope Haversick comes back as the as the the practice squad guy. I think he's pretty gettable in that room. I have no issue.
00:36:37
Speaker
i What I mean is I have no doubts that Smack can beat Haversick, but Haversick can still stick around as a practice squad because I don't think any other team is going to pick him up.
00:36:48
Speaker
ah you know He was on the practice squad most of the last season after finally you know getting cut. so i you know If they were going to need a kicker, they were going to need it then, and nobody picked him up. and Nobody ah tried to sign him before the offseason.
00:37:03
Speaker
ah That one I'm not so much worried about. It's whether or not... And now that Mr. Bichassia is ah gone and his loyalty to McAnus, I don't have no doubts that Smack has every possibility to win it.
00:37:21
Speaker
Yep. But any other thoughts you had? I know I went in the quick and dirty on all the draft picks, but outside of Smack, which is the pick that you like the most?
00:37:31
Speaker
see honestly i like the whole draft i've seen people who are saying oh well this is a c minus draft matter of fact when i was watching on tick tock before we recorded there was a guy oh well this is a c minus draft for the the packers because this this is i don't think so they got a guy in cc who was consistently being mocked towards the end of the first round beginning of the second round they got McClellan who like we've talked about forever is a jack-of-all-trades a master of none type deal that a lot of people were putting hype around and matter of fact the rumors were the Packers traded up because there was a lot of hype around McClellan
00:38:13
Speaker
um
00:38:15
Speaker
A Burton, I don't know a ton about a Burton because I didn't really, I didn't do our offensive line chat this year, so I didn't really look at any offensive linemen. so i But, you know, from what I hear and what I've seen, you know, I have no issues there.
00:38:31
Speaker
ah ah The dentist, you know, I was pretty big fan of the dentist, and everybody knew that that was a Packers-style pick. I think we were all surprised that he fell to where he fell.
00:38:44
Speaker
um I just mentioned Jackson, just mentioned Smack, that was pretty much all of them, isn't it? So yeah, yeah I'm overall happy with the draft. I mean, obviously I'm not going to give it like an A-plus style thing. Yeah, and this is one of those that it could elevate itself to an A-plus based on how these guys play. Like I said, honestly, if Smack takes the job and kicks 85% this season, that's an A already. kind of take like right you just you just change like You look at this past season and you change the Packers kicking to an 85% kicking. they They're a 12-win team.
00:39:17
Speaker
like it like Kicking legitimately cost them at minimum two games. But you can point to five games where the Packers lost in part because their game strategy changed because they couldn't count on McManus to make field goals. And we're not even talking about 50-yarders. We're talking in the 40 and sometimes sub-40-yard range. Some quarter because there were some extra points that he missed. But overall, the draft picks, I'm pretty happy with them. yeah Obviously, they weren't guys that I figured that they were going to take pre-draft. But once you got into it and seen what they what they picked, it makes sense all the way through. So let's go ahead and do the the UDFAs real quick and the rookie minicamp because that's a long
In-Depth Analysis of UDFA Players
00:40:01
Speaker
list of interesting names. All right, first off, let's just let's just cross one off the list because I know that it's one there a lot of people are circling the wagons on. um
00:40:12
Speaker
Chase Claypool is not getting a deal to come to to training camp with the Packers. He was like a late add to the rookie minicamp roster. Packers, like, yeah.
00:40:25
Speaker
He's exactly who we thought he was. Probably, honestly, even worse than he was when he last played for, like, Chicago and stuff. And... Miami! And... Um...
00:40:37
Speaker
And he looked... and It was surprising because LeFleur said, oh, well, he's in great shape. But it looked like he put on a ton of bulk. And was thinking maybe that was like a tight end tryout.
00:40:49
Speaker
Maybe. I think he still listed him as a receiver. But, yeah, maybe as like a... Like, you know, the role that they had... What's it? Lazard in. And he never really wanted to, like, bulk, bulk up. But kind of that power forward slot move role.
00:41:04
Speaker
But... um So just want to get that one off the list immediately just because I know that that's one of those that kick the tires and maybe end up on the practice squad or something. Yep.
00:41:15
Speaker
So um just correct me. I'm i'm going off because I can't find um any of the sites. I have a whole rookie minicamp roster. Oh, go for it. Let's just go. going on with names. Yes. um So we've got quarterback Kyron Drones from Virginia Tech. I know Mazi kind of – He is a UDFA signing. like So as you read the names, I will go through and try to like confirm which ones are the officially signed UDFAs as opposed to just the tryout guys. I some of them and all that. Rowans was an official UDA. Then you got Aiden Bauman from South Dakota who was just a tryout.
00:41:51
Speaker
yeah um This one is the interesting name going around, and I would love for the Packers to keep him on roster, but I believe he was just a tryout. I don't think he was a ah so actual signing, but that's Isaiah Jacobs from UAB, which, you know, obviously people know is it's Josh Jacobs, younger brother.
00:42:13
Speaker
um I'm skipping some of these because I know that they're from their future contracts like Damian Martinez and all them. uh jayden nicks jayden nixon from central florida so sarah kelleher kelleher should be pretty happy with that one and i believe he was ah an actual udf he's an he is an official signing yes uh mervin kenyon safety out of nevada i believe he was one two tj quinn linebacker out of louisville The surprise one there is they have him listed as a linebacker, but is he going to play a linebacker? Is he going to play safety? Because he's kind of that hybrid.
00:42:50
Speaker
But they gave him a pretty good signing bonus. So that one's interesting. And he's another one that they had a top 30 visit with. Mark Perry, safety out of TCU, I think is another signee.
00:43:03
Speaker
ah spincer this is There's two guys here that are really interesting. Spencer Triplett out of North Carolina. and Brett Weasling out of Drake, which Drake is an Iowa school, they're both long snappers.
00:43:19
Speaker
So maybe we can finally get rid of Orsic too? um Caleb Junko or Junko Punterado. I'm not sure. Yeah. yeah he's he's a He's a non-signee. He's a tryout.
00:43:33
Speaker
But they always try to bring in in one or two of those guys. ah Now this one I have a hard time with the first name, but it's Nigelic Kelly.
00:43:45
Speaker
out of central florida um another one that keller is probably happy about uh rj maryland tight end out of smu is another udfa ah kelly was ufa too maryland is is a legacy guy i can't think of what his dad's name is russell my head russell that's it um alex safari from kentucky is a tryout linebacker Anthony Campbell was a DT out of Miami.
00:44:17
Speaker
Wait, i think he says he's had one year in the league, so he must have been a futures contract. ah Yes, yes, he's a futures contract. Okay, Jacoby Jackson, guard out of Mississippi State, was a tryout.
00:44:34
Speaker
Dane Walter out of Wisconsin lacrosse tackle was a tryout Dylan Wade guard out of Auburn was a UDFA mafia said the other day and Jay Jake and JJ's chat that he thinks Wade has the biggest chance of or the best chance of making the roster.
00:44:54
Speaker
ah Dylan Barnett, guard out of Iowa State. Packers fans are creaming over him because he's a former Wisconsin um transfer. Guard Josh Geske out of Illinois. I think he's got the better shot at making it from what everything that I've seen.
00:45:13
Speaker
and he was a UDFA. And then you got J. Michael Sturtevant, wide receiver out of Florida, and a lot of people are excited about that one too because he was he was projected to be drafted but ended up going undrafted. But I think there's like some off the field stuff with him.
00:45:32
Speaker
maybe My whole thing is that he's just never improved. from he He came in as a highly touted freshman. um He played a game and in his fresh as a true freshman against Notre Dame um where Cal lost to Notre Dame in the waning seconds kind of thing.
00:45:48
Speaker
And he just never improved as a player from that point in his career. He's basically been the same guy since. and so The athleticism does pop on film, and he is the reason why i was like... Claypool, like you said, maybe there was a shot as like a true power forward tight end. But realistically, if you're going to take a chance on this vertical-only tall wide receiver, you're going to take the swing on Sertivant because he's younger. um Has, I think, better upside than Claypool.
00:46:15
Speaker
But yeah, like it's all going to be a matter of how well does he learn the offense, can he run all the routes and stuff. Because his best routes are like in college are just...
00:46:27
Speaker
um shot plays, deep overs, like very rudimentary, simple things to where he's running to a spot kind of thing. So, um, There is talent, though. He does high point the ball decently well and all that kind of stuff. But um he's just one of those guys where... And like I said, I'm purely speaking from like a what I've seen out of him on the field. he's just ah He's your stereotypical always left you wanting more kind of player. So like that's my book on Sturdivant. But honestly, one of those guys that, yeah, take the swing because...
00:47:01
Speaker
if you can teach him how to football better you just got him for nothing basically so yeah maryland so yeah maryland is another one who's really fun because ah feel like the team has been looking for an h-back type h-back fullback type for a long time and maryland fits that role to a t you know he's a shade under six four can't really play above 240 And that's the body type you're looking for in that H-back. You know, like they tried Josh Wiley in that role. They even tried Fitzpatrick there. And that's two 6'7 guys where it's like you need that guy to be able to play a fullback type of style of game like half the time. He's basically a half fullback, half tight end. And it's like you're asking a 6'7 guy to lead running back through the hole and stuff. But Marilyn, there he's a really good route runner, really good receiving option. You hope that being one more year removed from... um
00:47:55
Speaker
his ACL tear that he suffered in 2025, he'll be back to being the dynamic receiving option. But a lot of upside there in my opinion. And um really hope he gets a realistic chance, especially because it's, there's basically nothing in the tight end room behind, you know, nothing proven in the tight end room behind Kraft and
Impact of Draft Picks and UDFAs
00:48:16
Speaker
Musgrave. So um they did bring back Wiley, but yeah, I get what you're saying. Yeah, so out of the non-line of scrimmage guys, I think Maryland is the one with the best chance. Nixon has an outside shot, but you'd kind of be rooting for Lloyd to never be healthy kind of thing. like they're They're not going to keep four running backs. ah Right, and I've not heard great things about Nixon. I don't remember watching him.
00:48:47
Speaker
because I think it was the other one that I watched, Montgomery from UCF that I watched. um So I don't know much about Nixon, but the stuff that I'm hearing, that I'm not hearing like amazing things about him. um He's a good college running back. I thought the content the contact balance was solid. um Not breakaway speed, but he can take a run 20 yards if you give him the daylight at the line of scrimmage and stuff.
00:49:16
Speaker
Is he the one that also has, like, return experience, too? Yes. Like, his first highlight is a kick return for a touchdown kind of thing. So, like, I think that would he would have to make the roster that way. But it would be hard because, like I said, it would take him...
00:49:33
Speaker
showing it would take like multiple things happening like either you're rooting against lloyd ever being a contributing player and or lloyd stays healthy and they both show they're better pass protectors than brooks which is probably not any bit realistic so like i i put jacobs and brooks as stone cold locks to make the roster and then rb3 and that's the thing right yeah because isaiah's already they didn't they're not they didn't give him enough he's going to we don't know yet ah they haven't officially signed him yeah i found one where um he basically told them that he's taking another opportunity in miami in like another week or so so like yeah like they didn't give it an offer um
00:50:22
Speaker
But yeah, it's like Nick. So right now it's like Jacobs and Brooks locked. Lloyd, it's like they're just begging the sports gods to give him a clean slate of health and an opportunity.
00:50:36
Speaker
um And then behind Lloyd, it's like Damian Martinez, who is a really talented player coming out of um Oregon State and Miami. And... um And then it's Nixon after that. So, you know, he's got to beat, like, he's got to beat Martinez, and then he has to, like, beat out one of Brooks or Lloyd to get... So, yeah. Unless they're thinking of converting drones.
00:51:00
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. So, like as I said, that would be another person who would be ahead of him on the depth chart. So, yeah. um I don't know much about Brohm, I just know Mafi was not very high on him at all. He's just pure athlete, not a very good quarterback from what I understand. He is the perfect practice squad project player. Like, there's enough arm talent...
00:51:24
Speaker
that like you're you're just taking a home run swing like you don't even know what pitch is coming at you you're just swinging for the fences and hoping you connect kind of thing but those are the those are the um the liberties you can take when you have a jordan love and i know that you know he's not a malik willis answer but you know you have guys who have played in the nfl ahead of him um You know, and like, um what's his face? um
00:51:55
Speaker
Dylan, ah I can't think of the, the former, the former Falcons guy. He's not good. Ritter, Desmond Ritter. Combined his two names. um He's not good, but he's at least played in the NFL. And that that means something as a backup player, as a backup quarterback. can't say he's not good because he's not been on the best teams in the world to be... That's true, too. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:52:21
Speaker
I hate calling a quarterback not good when they've been on not good teams. I even said the same thing about David Carr back in the day that... Yeah, they they picked him number one overall, but when you're getting sacked for a record amount of times in a season, of course you're not going to be good quarterback. Not just in a season, every season you're threatening to break your own record. but so I mean, ah if you go by that logic, Malik Willis is a bad quarterback. because he was not good when he was with Tennessee. So I always like to give quarterbacks chances until they get on a good team and they can't do it. You know, what's the one from the Browns that the Packers, Kaiser, Deshaun Kaiser, you know.
00:53:02
Speaker
That was a bad quarterback. Yeah. Yeah. You gave him credit up until he got on a good team, and then once he got on the good team and still suffered, then you knew that was a bad quarterback. so Yeah.
00:53:13
Speaker
And then the other one who deserves talking about, like you said, is Nigelique Kelly. I looked it up, and that's the phonetic that the Packers website has. So, yeah, like you said, it's probably going to be another Tanyan situation if Kelly makes the roster and all. But... um fun Fun highlight film. um Has enough athletic profile that you could see him making some moves. you know he um he's a he um He's a 7'6 Raz. Size-wise, he's a little slightly lighter than they like, but long arms, big as 35-inch arms, over 10-inch hands. And um you see his explosiveness you know when he gets off the line of scrimmage. Speed is okay, but you know he profiles speed-wise like Inaugbore did.
00:54:05
Speaker
So um you know they've they've made that kind of player work is what I'm getting at. so um you know your're he'd have to He has a rough time making it because basically ahead of him on the roster, and I know they're not all the same type of edge, but you've got Parsons, Lucas, Sorrel, Dentist, Oliver, Cox,
00:54:28
Speaker
so there those are six guys already and i'm sure i've missed someone but that's six guys already who are some degree of lock because you know cox got a new i know it doesn't it's like as low of a deal as possible but it is still like they brought him back for a reason kind of thing um oliver they never really got to see play last season and it they still have him listed as a defensive end so i still put him in the edge room um Excuse me. um
00:55:01
Speaker
And yeah, so... It's an uphill battle for... um Kelly, but he's a guy where... He might get like one game in the preseason, and if he shows well... They might just be like, oh, you're cut. And... Like that kind of thing. were Or... Or they just don't play him very much in the preseason. Like, they play him one game, a lot of snaps, and then it's like, oh, we need to get Colin Oliver. We need to get the guys who didn't play a lot last year. ah we need to get Oliver and Cox a lot more snaps to rehab off their injuries that they they dealt with last season kind of thing. then
00:55:34
Speaker
TJ Quinn is going to be the same way because the only real... I mean, his agility grades weren't great, but the only thing that really knocked him down on his rest was his size, you know, 6'8, even 25. The funny thing is is he has longer arms than a lot of guys taller than him. And yeah in all in all seriousness, arm length is one of the things that help with tackling more than anything else because you can actually wrap your arms around the ball carrier. So...
00:56:01
Speaker
um And the big thing with him is, like I said, is he going to play safety? Is he going to be a linebacker? I think he's going to make his bones by being a special teams ace yeah and getting on the field that way. He has to make the roster like Joe Thomas did back for like the mid-2010s teams. Yeah, I got to look it up. I thought they re-signed Nick Neiman. I thought they did too, but they gave away his number, so I guess not. Yeah, I i thought...
00:56:27
Speaker
I thought the same, but yeah, I guess not. Unless he changed numbers? Hold on. But yeah, I thought I read the same somewhere that either he had re-signed or maybe it was just that they expect him to... Oh no! That's what it is. Because Wilson's gone.
00:56:45
Speaker
He's wearing his Iowa number. He's 31 now. There we go. yeah But yeah, I was like, yeah, when they were like, ah you know, they were announcing what number um Sutton would be wearing. I was like, wait, what? Like, because, you know, they did the- Because remember, Wilson went to 23.
00:57:03
Speaker
I think they but they did the, like, it was last worn by thing. its so And even though, and and it's the whole, like, it wasn't a regular season game, but no one wore 51 after he wore it in the preseason kind of thing. So I think they did that. But you're right, yeah. That's why I was, like, really confused when I saw that, like, when they did the number announcements. And I was like...
00:57:24
Speaker
Yeah, mine initially went to, is it Neiman back? But yeah, he is back. All that all that to say, yes, Neiman is back on the roster. so um But yeah, I agree with you that to make to make it, Quinn is going to have to be a special a core special teams player who you know gets dabble opportunities to play some inside linebacker in the sub packages anyway. At 225, he's going to only be a sub package linebacker, like a dime or a nickel linebacker anyway. But yeah.
00:57:54
Speaker
Gutekunst has been looking for that guy ever since he took over as GM. you know That's what led to the Oren Burks drafting. um You've seen a couple other like smaller, lighter linebacker kind of projects and stuff. so Quinn is just ah the next in a long line of guys like that that honestly go back to Thompson's time as GM. so They've always wanted that hybrid safety linebacker style. They've...
00:58:17
Speaker
yep so the dave added a lot of really interesting guys and what's nice is that they they do Mark more on the side of being um the athletic upside guys. Like you said, even in Quinn, who's like kind of demutative size-wise, he has some upside. like His athletic profile upside as an explosive and speed athlete is higher. And he has the like requisite arm length you want at the position so he can at least like throw his hands in the air and disrupt passing lanes or get um you know has the reach when he breaks through the line of scrimmage to make tackles and stuff. um like i said uh maryland profiles is a good athlete for even if he is like a fullback h-back type of player um same for kelly you know he's in the like seven range on the ras but that's still good for a a a udfa type um and he has a good build on him um but like you said like
00:59:21
Speaker
I don't know who to say the standout player is going to be because it legitimately could be any of these guys. you know Obviously, with the UDFAs, it depends on who makes the roster.
Conclusion and Future Content Plans
00:59:29
Speaker
But out of the draft picks, all six of them are going to make the roster unless one of them just forgets how to play football. Like, let's be realistic. They're all going to make it.
00:59:39
Speaker
And... um Excuse me. And um who's the best is just going to depend on who gets the best opportunity and who makes the most of that opportunity. Because I do think that they found legitimate players at every position that they took in... At every pick they took in the draft. And in UDFA, I think they found guys who fit a lot of their fall over. know, like, they didn't take... ah You know, they only took... um Burton on the O-line in the draft. And so they signed a whole bunch of other guys who profile as interior offensive linemen in UDFA.
01:00:15
Speaker
I wish they got a tackle. him Yeah. for You know, their starters are pretty well set. It's all the yeah depth that we have no idea what's going to happen with it. Right, right, right. we Kind of go back to the Burton pick.
01:00:29
Speaker
I have a feeling it's going to be similar to the Lane Johnson, uh, uh, Elton Jenkins type thing thing where they're going to want to wish we had Lane Johnson yeah I told the same thing you did uh where they signed him for the three-year deal and he was the projected starter, but they drafted a guy that they had hoped would take over and eventually he did take over. And I have a feeling that's going to be the same thing with with ah bur Burton and and Sean Ryan that –
01:01:08
Speaker
you know they're going to let Sean start the season at the starter, but there's a possibility that Burton could be that starter towards for the you know towards the end of the season Forever. Like you said, kind of like you said about Smack, they're going to make him earn it.
01:01:26
Speaker
and i Whereas Smack, there is a little more like, yeah, we're going to make him earn it, but he is going to be the starter. Burton's going to have to earn it, but they're going to give him every opportunity and they're gonna they want him to take that spot.
01:01:42
Speaker
I appreciate what Ryan did for the team down the stretch last season, but... I don't think he is the answer for them in the long term at center. And I do think that they are hoping on hope that they have found their guy. Like I said, whether it turns out to be the light absolutely turns on for Monk this season or Burton proves to be the prospect that... You know, like I said, he was my second... Or...
01:02:09
Speaker
Honestly, where we got him, I like where we had we got him over where we would have had to take Hecht, the Kansas State. Because I figured to get Hecht, we would have had to take him round two kind of thing. um And that's a little too rich for my blood. But, yeah. And I'm slowly going to have to start becoming a friggin' Pittsburgh fan with this as many Hawkeyes as they've been drafting the last year. But, yeah.
01:02:32
Speaker
For... um they took one of my top two center slash interior offensive line prospects in this draft and um i i do think that like i said they won't roll out the red carpet like they will for smack but they're gonna give um burton a pretty long runway to try and win one of these um the really it's the center job because i do think unless belton just falters in preseason they want belton to be the right guard moving forward so And I want to bring this up real quick before our tech issues pop up again. I did see a tweet, and I posted in our draft thing, but I guess it translated for me, but it didn't translate for everybody else, that there and it was heavily speculated, not speculated, but there was a lot of fire to the fact that the Packers were strongly considering Garrett Neusmeyer.
01:03:27
Speaker
Had they still had their seventh round picks, or if he went UDFA, they were going sign him. But I can't remember what team took him in the seventh round but Chiefs.
01:03:40
Speaker
Chiefs. But had he fallen out and went UDFA, there was strong possibility that Nussmeier could have been ah a Green Bay Packer.
01:03:52
Speaker
And I guess one of the concerns that I had when we were talking quarterbacks with him was arm strength. Well, I guess he had a cyst taken off his spine and he never recovered. Well, not that he didn't recover from the procedure,
01:04:05
Speaker
But he was still struggling with his arm strength from that. So if he could have regained his arm strength from even a couple years ago, then Chiefs probably got freaking sneaky good quarterback there.
01:04:20
Speaker
Good prospect. um And, yeah, he got him in round seven. So, yeah. But anyone else you wanted to highlight or – kind of good with where we're at.
01:04:31
Speaker
I think we're all burnt out on draft stuff at the moment, so I think that's a good place to it. think we're at the point where we need to start seeing them play, because we're just... yeah there's a There's an element of wish-casting that we're putting on them at this point, so I agree. was...
01:04:48
Speaker
It was good to go back over. Like I said, you know we got to talk about the second and third round picks Cissé and during our livestream. But it's nice to be able to go back and further review the rest of the class and reflect on how Gutekunst did um answering all the concerns. And like you said,
01:05:08
Speaker
I've never believed too much in post-draft grades, but especially this season where it's like, Gudikunds had both limited resources and yet still answered...
01:05:22
Speaker
a lot of the question marks on the roster, the the pressing ones, at especially D-tackle and cornerback, and with players who are good, not just with like, oh, he drafted a cornerback, but, you know, it's a guy who was definitely a round two early kind of thing. Like, he got two guys who probably could and maybe should have gone round to two rounds earlier than they did. Well, obviously not CeCe because he went in the second, but you catch my drift where... yeah Like I said, pre-draft, there were was legitimate talk of him being an end of the first round, top of the second round guy, and the Packers got him at 52.
01:05:56
Speaker
so And even McClellan, i like the McClellan one makes me laugh because um it's like... um McClellan I saw getting mocked up even into the late second round definitely early third round and people lost their minds that Green Bay had the gall to trade up and pick McClellan because Orange was still on the board like that was the basis of a lot of the like the bashing of that pick is that like there were better players and when people pushed on like who are the better players and like consistently was like well Dominic Orange was still available and it's like
01:06:35
Speaker
Dusty laid it out in our live stream where... His name was Watt. Yeah. So... I just think that McClellan is both way more versatile, way more athletic, and just a better run defender as he is right now.
01:06:50
Speaker
And... um And I think it's one of those two where, like, McClellan, he has a kind of funky build where he's, like, a little squatty even though he's almost 6'4". And so, like, people look at him and they're like, oh, like, so you just kind of took the fat kid kind of thing. But it's like, no, he has better pass rush upside than Orange does too. And he's already the better run defender as well. So it's like... like And that's where, like I said, I don't even lose sleep over draft grades. But I just kind of laugh at... um
01:07:22
Speaker
how people justify knocking the Packers grade down and it's like oh well they took the wrong d tackle it's like okay well who should they have taken it's like oh you wanted them to take a worse player kind of thing so and here's this thing too so at least two of the draft picks that we know of have connections to the Packers because Cissé said his a girlfriend is Packers fan yeah And McClellan said that his best friend is a Packers fan, which makes me believe Joey Van Zoomeren is McClellan's best friend.
01:07:57
Speaker
He's being all modest, but we we know, Joey. we We know what you're doing over there. He's like, oh, yeah, no he's the one guy I didn't talk to. yeah Joey, I appreciate you trying to be modest and trying to be um unbiased and stuff, but you can tell us. We're friends, Joey. Come on. He can tell your uncle.
01:08:17
Speaker
Come on. yeah where did yeah Oh, God. Or uncle and cousin. Shut up, dickass.
01:08:27
Speaker
But before Joe and I just start shooting the breeze. I just want to say, you know, thanks for everybody following, you know, our draft coverage. Thank you to everybody who was a guest on here.
01:08:38
Speaker
ah We've had, you know, this was like the first year that we filled every positional spot minus special teams, but we didn't really ask anybody to come on special teams. But We filled every positional spot for this year's draft review. We had a good group of people come in for the live stream comments. We had new people coming into the comments. We appreciate all you guys. So stick around. We've got a lot of great things coming up.
01:09:05
Speaker
You know, next week actually starts our ah starts my off season off topic stuff. So I've got at least four good episodes coming up pretty soon of ah are going to be recording soon of off season off topic. But if you guys got any requests of people you want me to bring on to talk to, um you know, just shoot us a message, DM us, add whatever. And and I'll do my best. I have no problems asking anybody. But I do want to say thank you for everybody who tuned in and followed us through our draft coverage.
01:09:43
Speaker
Yep. And on that note, we're going to do our usual sign off. Please follow us on your favorite social medias at Ohana underscore Packers on Twitter at Ohana Packers Edition on Instagram. Please continue to follow add followers on Facebook. We're trying to hit our 100 follower or hit the threshold of 100 followers. We can do our drawing. So help us out there so that we can live stream to Facebook in the future as well as on YouTube. um Please follow us on your favorite podcasting apps. Give us a like and a subscribe if you're enjoying what you're hearing. And as Joe said, please keep sending us your comments, questions, thoughts. We enjoy reading them and bringing them up on our shows. It gives us an extra talking point, something to dive into. And that way, it you know, it helps us connect with our listeners, our followers. So please continue to contribute on your end as well. we want to continue create the content you're looking for. And on that note, go Pack Go and aloha.