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[Green Bay Packers]

Green Bay Packers 2025 Mock Draft 2.0

Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

The Packers skipped out on a defensive end on both Day 1 and Day 2 in this edition

Earlier this week, we had Acme Packing Company’s readership vote on draft selections for the Green Bay Packers’ first three picks of the draft. As always, if you want to join in on the fun, we’ll be running one round of voting each very Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft.

For the second straight mock, fans voted against the Packers taking an edge defender on Day 1 or Day 2 of the draft, a big upset considering 42 percent voted that defensive end was the biggest need for the team earlier this month.

#23: Derrick Harmon, DT, Oregon​

Watching Oregon 3T Derrick Harmon (#55). Pass rush productivity is obvious (led FBS in pressures) but I’ve been impressed by how he holds his ground vs doubles despite playing a little high. Very complete player. pic.twitter.com/DCojAnl5Hm

— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) March 7, 2025​

For the second straight mock draft, APC commentors have named Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon to be the team’s first-round selection with the 23rd overall pick. Harmon was the most productive interior pass-rusher in major college football last season and weighed in at 6’5” and 313 pounds at the scouting combine.

He has the size and athleticism to play either nose tackle or three-technique in the Packers’ 4-3 scheme, which is a huge value considering Kenny Clark underperformed in 2024 and Devonte Wyatt is in a contract year. Last season, the Packers played Clark as a three-technique on run downs, moving him to nose tackle on passing downs, while T.J. Slaton, who signed with the Cincinnati Bengals this offseason, played run down nose tackle. Wyatt came off of the bench in passing situations to play the three-technique. At the moment, it’s unclear whether Clark or Wyatt would be the team’s starting three-technique for the upcoming season.

#54: Tre Harris, WR, Ole Miss​

WRs in college football against Man coverage this season (min. 50 targets).

Tre Harris...lol pic.twitter.com/ZIukHsSLVT

— Tyler Brooke (@TylerDBrooke) February 5, 2025​

Tre Harris is one of the most interesting prospects in this class. In high school, Harris was a starting quarterback who threw to Malik Nabers, a 2024 first-round pick, and wound up going to Louisiana Tech to start his college career. The five-year player who was a four-year starter ended up transferring to Ole Miss, where he played about 90 percent of his snaps as an outside receiver.

To say the least...the Rebels’ offense is not an NFL scheme. It’s a matchup and space-based RPO-centric scheme, which means that production doesn’t always match up with ability. Think of the old Baylor offenses under Art Briles for a historical reference.

Harris’ 2024 season was one of the most productive ever if you look at his yards per route run. Here’s some context, though: He had 628 yards in the first four weeks of the season against bad non-conference competition. Those teams? Furman, Middle Tennessee State, Wake Forest and Georgia Southern, hardly a gauntlet of future NFL talent. Meanwhile, he only posted 402 receiving yards against the SEC, in part because of a hip/groin injury.

Harris simply isn’t going to run by defenders at the NFL level. His speed just isn’t that on film, even though he posted a 4.54-second 40-yard dash at the combine. He’s a bit of a stiff athlete, too, which shows up on his double moves. Really, you want to get this big (6’2”, 205 pounds) in Oklahoma drills against cornerbacks, giving him a chance to break tackles with his strength rather than his ability. Ole Miss was more than happy to give him those opportunities in their screen-heavy offense, but how that relates to an NFL scheme is up for debate.

#87: Charles Grant, OL, William & Mary​

Needs to get stronger and more consistent with the hand placement, but you could make a highlight reel of backside cutoffs and climbs to the second level by William & Mary OT Charles Grant.

Easy moving athlete. pic.twitter.com/qbofLuenjz

— Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) November 14, 2024​

Instead of addressing the cornerback or the edge defender positions, Packers fans voted for Charles Grant of the FCS’ William & Mary to be the team’s third-round selection. Grant was a 3.5-year starter for the Tribe and played every single snap of his college career at left tackle.

At 6’5” and 311 pounds with nearly 35” arms and over 10” hands, Grant checks the boxes of a potential tackle in the NFL. The two-time FCS All-American and three-time All-Coastal Athletic Association tackle was also an all-state wrestler in Virginia as a prep. Grant sort of fits the mold of a Packers offensive lineman: a player with high athleticism, a tackle background and the potential to play either inside or outside, allowing the team to figure out how to get their best five on the field.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/2025/3/29/24396811/green-bay-packers-2025-mock-draft-2-0

 

[Green Bay Packers]

2025 NFL Draft: Isaiah Bond scouting report

Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images

The Texas receiver has blazing speed that the Packers are looking for

The Green Bay Packers sent both general manager Brian Gutekunst and vice president of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan to Texas’ pro day this month, but that apparently wasn’t enough exposure to one of the prospects they’re eyeing. Beyond seeing Longhorns receiver Isaiah Bonds in person, they’re also reportedly going to bring him in on a pre-draft visit. Bonds will also make trips to the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers, two teams that run a fairly similar offensive scheme to the Packers.

So who is Bond, and what would he bring to the table for Green Bay? Let’s get into it.

Isaiah Bond Scouting Report​

First of all, the Packers need speed at receiver. Slot receiver Jayden Reed is probably Green Bay’s “go-to” target entering the 2025 season, but Green Bay uses him in a specific role. Reed really only sees the field consistently as a slot receiver in three-receiver sets, which limits his playing time. Beyond that, he struggled mightily against man coverage in 2024, which included some of his most impactful drops of the year.

While no one is clamoring to put either Dontayvion Wicks or Romeo Doubs on the bench, those outside receivers don’t take the top off of the defense in the same way that Christian Watson has. Unfortunately for the Packers, Watson will likely miss the first three months of the regular season as he recovers from his ACL tear.

Above everything else, Bond would bring the Packers speed they don’t otherwise have offensively. At the combine, he ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash and was also measured as the second-fastest player at the event by their GPS tracking data, only behind Kentucky cornerback Maxwell Hairston, who ran a 4.28-second time. For what it’s worth, Bond’s 4.39 number was actually slower than expected for him coming into the event and National Scouting’s hand time, the company that puts on the combine, of the receiver was a 4.32-second 40.

Originally starting his career at Alabama, Bond left the Crimson Tide in 2024, following the retirement of head coach Nick Saban. In 2023, Bond was the number two pass-catcher for Alabama, only behind Jermaine Burton, a 2024 draft pick who the Packers also brought in for a pre-draft visit last year. With the Tide, Bond was a slot receiver about 50 percent of the time, while he played mostly outside receiver for the Longhorns.

At 5’11” and 180 pounds, Bond is unlikely most of the receivers who head coach Matt LaFleur has played in Green Bay. For reference, the average snap played by a LaFleur receiver is in the ballpark of 208 pounds since he took over as head coach in 2019. But maybe Bond’s rare speed will lead to the Packers bucking their trend on bigger receivers.

pic.twitter.com/lqreldEPrX

— Justis Mosqueda (@JuMosq) March 27, 2025​

If you want a look at the speed that we’re talking about here, the video above shows Bond pulling away from the competition. The first play is a bubble screen where no one was able to get so much as a hand on Bond. The second is a skinny post where he was able to get over a middle-of-the-field safety, a player whose responsibility is to stop that very route, despite the defender getting a 10-yard head start.

While Bond doesn’t have bad hands, Pro Football Focus only credited him with two true drops on the year, he certainly doesn’t have strong hands. The point of Bond isn’t to throw him contested passes in the deep area of the field. He simply isn’t a ball-winner to that degree. It’s to have him get so open that defenders aren’t even in his radius at the catch point.

Here’s where we should mention his ability versus press coverage. Because of his size, he often gets rerouted significantly by jams. There were only two games where he was pressed more often than not last season: The two times Texas played the Georgia Bulldogs. In those two games, Bond posted only 38 total receiving yards.

Due to his limitations against press coverage and in contested catch situations, I actually like Bond’s ability to run crossing routes out of the slot as his trump card trait. With Reed in the slot for the foreseeable future, though, that makes Bond’s projection in the Packers’ offense a little less than a snug fit. With that being said, Green Bay can use Bond as an “outside” receiver in condensed splits, which will give him the functional spacing of a slot receiver.

pic.twitter.com/C3dQWWiibb

— Justis Mosqueda (@JuMosq) March 27, 2025​

Whatever team that drafts Bond will be smart to figure out creative ways to get him the ball, even if it isn’t on downfield throws. For example, he got four carries last year and recorded 98 rushing yards. Three of his four carries went for 25 or more yards. You can find the clips of them linked above.

Bond probably would have posted more of those down the stretch, had he not injured his ankle in October, an injury he played through later in the 2024 season.

pic.twitter.com/Xd3F9RL02q

— Justis Mosqueda (@JuMosq) March 27, 2025​

Lastly, it’s time to talk about the biggest weakness in Bonds’ game: His blocking ability and willingness to block. The clips above show Bond losing at the point of attack, leaving his teammates hanging out to dry. Beyond simply losing blocks, though, there are plenty of times where he gave up on downfield blocks that cost his teammates yards after catch or yards after contact chances. Considering how run-centric the Packers’ offense is, this would be a severe limitation on a down-to-down basis, at least until Bond improves in this aspect. If Bond is picked by Green Bay and is this caliber of a blocker early on, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Packers limited his early career snaps to obvious passing situations, considering that the team is already working around other smaller receivers in Reed, Bo Melton and now the newly-signed Mecole Hardman.

At the moment, Bond is ranked the 78th overall receiver in the class. The projection of him as a Day 2 receiver checks the box for me. He has rare speed, something every team in the league is looking for at the position. How you maximize that speed without allowing his negatives to pop up — his blocking ability/mentality, his releases versus press and his lack of ball-winning — set his floor and where you think he should be drafted as a prospect. If you can fix some of those issues, none of which are limited by his athleticism, then you could get a gem of a selection. If he doesn’t raise his floor, though, he might be a situational offensive player and a returner at the next level.

It’s quite possible that the Packers brought Bond in on a visit to better judge his mentality, a key aspect in the evaluation process if you’re taking a project player. They would be wise to, considering how wide the range of career outcomes is for Bond.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...bond-scouting-report-texas-longhorns-receiver

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Former Packers QB earns win in Week 1 UFL start

Photo by Aaron M. Sprecher/UFL/Getty Images

Manny Wilkins posted a 102.3 passer rating in his 1st game as a preferred starter for the St. Louis Battlehawks

This offseason, the St. Louis Battlehawks moved on from their former starting quarterback A.J. McCarron, who was selected in the fifth round of the NFL draft back in 2014. Last year, former Green Bay Packers quarterback Manny Wilkins served as McCarron’s primary backup, but St. Louis also picked up 2023 seventh-round pick Max Duggan, by way of the Los Angeles Chargers, to compete with Wilkins for the starting job.

Up until game time, it was uncertain who was the winner of the quarterback competition. Once the game started, though, it was clear that it was the Wilkins show.

In his first game as a preferred starter at the UFL level, Wilkins completed 17 of 22 passes for 189 yards (8.6 yards per attempt average) and didn’t throw an interception. He also carried the ball for 43 yards and punched in two rushing touchdowns. A 77 percent completion percentage, two rushing touchdowns and a 102.3 passer rating isn’t a bad day at the office for Wilkins, whose Battlehawks beat the Houston Roughnecks 31-6.

For those who don’t remember Wilkins, he was picked up as an undrafted free agent out of Arizona State in 2019. He was on the roster throughout the summer, earning a practice squad spot during the regular season that year. In 2020, he remained on the team until post-draft, as he was waived on April 27th, following the selection of Jordan Love.

He spent the better part of the next few seasons out of football, only to resurface with the Battlehawks in 2023. Now, it looks like he’s ready to make the most of his new opportunity as a starter.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...s-manny-wilkins-st-louis-battlehawks-ufl-2025

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Packers Film Room: Breaking down the deep dig

Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images

Today we look at some simple yet effective passing concepts the Packers relied on for big plays in 2024.

The Green Bay Packers relied on a simple yet effective passing design in 2024: their deep dig/deep out passing concept. The concept was called only a handful of times, but it created explosive pass plays for the offense in high leverage situations. The play was either run from under center with play action and mirrored receiver formations or was run out of shotgun on third downs and no play action.

I can’t find the install non-play action play art so here is the concept above in play action. The play action concept usually run out of 12 personnel. The deep out is seven step drop timing with the dig route on the backside as the alert.

Since it’s a deep-drop play-action concept, they’ll use chippers on the end to buy time for the routes to develop and for the throw to be made. The receiver stems on the routes are more vertical to open up the flats in case the quarterback needs to check the ball down.

On the two deeper completions on this concept last season, quarterback Jordan Love hit the first read in the progression on both plays on the deep out. In the first clip, the Packers get a 5-man pressure with man coverage cover-1 behind it. This gives receiver Romeo Doubs a 1-on-1 on the outside for the deep out. The corner falls down and Love gets the ball on time to Doubs on the sideline.

In the second clip, the Packers get quarters coverage with a natural bracket on dig route plus the front side quarters safety with eyes on the dig. This leaves Christian Watson 1-on-1 outside with the quarters cornerback. Love threads the needle with a nice throw to Watson’s outside shoulder for a first down.

In straight drop back non-play action scenarios, the play call was an effective tool to utilize on third downs. The tweak to the route concept added a seam bender route over the middle of the field from the slot on the deep out route side of the concept. Here’s a look at the concept in week three against the Tennessee Titans, with Malik Willis at quarterback.

The progression is the 1) deep out, 2) deep over, 3) back side dig, 4) checkdown. The play is made to look like dagger as the route stem of the deep out route widens similar to the dagger route from that reduced split.

Willis works the progression left to right. The Titans look like they’re playing cover-4/quarters. The back side safety poaches the deep over route and the nickel defender sinks under the deep out. On the deep out, you can see Dontayvion Wicks jab step inside like he’s going to run the dagger route before breaking outside.

On Willis’ drop back, he sees the rotation, his eyes come off the out route, hitches to the seam, sees no throw, and hitches up a second time to the dig and rips the ball over the middle for a conversion of the down series. Great throw on time, in rhythm from Willis.

In week 5, Matt LaFleur called it on first down out of a typical base run formation out of the pistol formation. The offense motions Wicks across the formation in a fast motion into the deep out.

The Rams rotate to single high coverage cover-3 and get Wicks singled up on the outside corner, which is the play’s intent as the primary route. Wicks wins on the comeback route as the corner has leverage too far inside, probably expecting the dagger route.

Unfortunately, Love left the ball a bit too far outside and low, though Wicks should also be expected to make a difficult catch.

In week 7, the Packers caught the Texans in cover-3 buzz and this time Love rips a beautiful deep ball down the right hash to the deep over route.

The Texans are rotating the weak safety down to the hook zone in a deep buzz zone, a common call that defensive tree plays to 3x1 formations to rob any crossers over the middle. With the safety down and coverage matching the receivers as they run deeper routes, this leaves the deep middle open for Jayden Reed.

Love launched the ball out to Reed away from the safety chasing him and placed it right in Reed’s hands in stride on target. Unfortunately Reed could not hang onto the pass.

Lastly, in week 12, Love converted a 3rd-and-11 with a throw in stride to Romeo Doubs on the dig route versus the 49ers.

The play ends up being a great Tampa-2 coverage beater. The 49ers are disguising their zone coverage rotation with a cover-0 pre-snap alignment. Post snap rotation shows Tampa-2 with the corner and deep safety becoming the deep half defenders and linebacker Fred Warner as the middle zone runner.

Warner runs with the slot deep over route, opening the dig route over the middle. Love checks the deep out and sees there is no throwing window on the sideline. Love takes two hitches through his progressions before firing the ball to Doubs over the middle after De’Vondre Campbell was caught in no-man’s land as the weak hook.

These simple yet effective concepts were something the Packers could call upon for explosive plays and down series conversions. They nearly worked as intended in all the instances shown except for a drop and an off-target throw. Still, the efficiency these concepts gave the Packers in 2024 was unmatched by any other intermediate-to-deep passing concept.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...-down-the-deep-out-deep-dig-pass-play-concept

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Brian Gutekunst says Richmond Williams was a driving force behind Nate Hobbs signing

Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images

Gutekunst gave credit to a little-known member of the front office in praising the Nate Hobbs deal.

Nate Hobbs was hardly a household name before the Packers gave him a four-year, $48 million contract this spring, but according to Brian Gutekunst, the team has had eyes on him for a while.

Specifically, Gutekunst says director of pro personnel Richmond Williams had been keeping tabs on Hobbs during the first four years of Hobbs’ career.

“Richmond Williams on our pro staff does a great job and has been pushing [for him],” Gutekunst told reporters today at the NFL’s spring owners meetings.

Even if you’re a Packers diehard, Williams’ name may not ring much of a bell, but he’s been slowly raising his profile in league circles over the past few years and has taken on a bigger role for the Packers in the last few months. He represented the Packers at league meetings in December and was a part of the NFL’s Coach and Front Office Accelerator program in 2022 and 2023.

A cornerback at Iowa, Williams got started on the personnel side of football in 2007 as a scouting intern with the Packers. Since then he’s climbed through the ranks from there, ultimately landing in his current role in 2019.

Everything to this point suggests he’s on the path to a general manager gig of his own someday, and if the Hobbs signing pans out, that would be a nice line item for his resume. Hobbs will have every opportunity for a big role this year, too. In the same interview where he mentioned Williams, Gutekunst said Hobbs could play inside or outside in Green Bay, having done a bit of both during his time with the Raiders.

Of course, whatever ends up happening with Jaire Alexander could factor into Hobbs’ role, too. Gutekunst again went out of his way to say that Alexander’s time in Green Bay isn’t necessarily done, which aligns with previous timelines APC contributors have laid out.

Whatever role Hobbs ends up playing, though, it’s interesting to get a little glimpse behind the scenes into who helped bring him to Green Bay.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...was-a-driving-force-behind-nate-hobbs-signing

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Who is your draft crush?

Photo by John Smolek/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Here’s your opportunity to talk about the prospect you like the most

Now that it’s officially April, let’s talk about prospects who you’re big fans of. I haven’t gone through the entire class by any means, but here are a couple of guys who stand out to me.

Miami running back Damien Martinez​

I know that Cam Ward is the Hurricane stealing the show this offseason, but Damien Martinez is a good all-around back. He played in very different systems over his college career, primarily running outside zone for Oregon State in an under center system before transferring to Miami to play a primarily inside zone system out of the shotgun. This running back class is talented, which is one reason why he’s pushed down draft boards, but he’s a much better talent than the 116th overall player in the class — which is where he’s ranked on the consensus board.

West Virginia tackle Wyatt Milum​

I haven’t spent too much time on Wyatt Milum, mostly catching him while watching pass-rushers, but he has stood out. Early on in the season, he played very well against projected top-five pick Abdul Carter of Penn State. I don’t know whether NFL teams will play him at tackle or guard, but he held up well against quality competition.

LSU defensive end Bradyn Swinson​

Pass rushers are quarterbacks. If it’s a good pass-rusher class, most of the good ones still go early. Teams will trip over themselves to bring in a talented player at the position. That’s why I’m surprised there isn’t more hype around Bradyn Swinson, an Oregon transfer, who is about a B-grade player across the board. Even without major flaws or a limited upside, as he’s an above-average athlete, he’s still ranked as the 71st player in the class. Personally, I wouldn’t be shocked if he ended up going in the early second round once everything is said and done.

---

If you have anyone who stands out to you, drop a line for us in the comment section below. You can sign up for our comment section with THIS link.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...ackers-nfl-draft-2025-who-is-your-draft-crush

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Packers Mock Draft 3.0 Voting: 2nd Round

Photo by Michael Miller/ISI Photos/Getty Images

For the third time, Green Bay goes Derrick Harmon in the first round

Folks, we’ve done it. We’ve found our Cooper DeJean of this draft class. We have pinned down the draft crush of Green Bay Packers fans.

For the third straight mock draft, our readership has given the Packers Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon in the first round. With Marshall defensive end Mike Green on the board, I thought there was a good chance that Green Bay would pick up an edge rusher for the first time in our mock draft series, but the voters had other plans.

As a reminder, we’re using the Stick to the Model draft simulator for this edition of our mock series. Below are the best available players still on the board with the Packers’ second-round selection:

Best Players Available​

• #47 Carson Schwesinger, LB, UCLA
• #51 Alfred Collins, DT, Texas
• #55 J.T. Tuimoloau, DE, Ohio State
• #56 Jonah Savaiinaea, OL, Arizona
• #57 Tre Harris, WR, Mississippi
• #58 Marcus Mbow, OL, Purdue
• #59 Princely Umanmielen, DE, Florida
• #60 Elijah Arroyo, WR, Miami
• #61 Quinshon Judkin, RB, Ohio State
• #63 Jayden Higgins, WR, Iowa State
• #64 Omarr Norman-Lott, DT, Tennessee

The player who receives the comment with the most “rec”s in the comment section below will be awarded to the Packers this round. You can sign up for our comment section with THIS link.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...ckers-2025-mock-draft-3-0-voting-second-round

 

[Green Bay Packers]

2025 NFL Draft: Shavon Revel Jr. scouting report

Tanner Pearson-Imagn Images

The Green Bay Packers visitor is coming off of an ACL tear

A player who did not take the easy path to the 2025 NFL Draft is East Carolina cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. As a high school prep, Division I programs cooled off on him due to both academic qualifying issues and a collarbone injury, leading to him beginning his college football career at Louisburg College, a private two-year college in his home state of North Carolina.

Hoping to get out of the 380-student school with his effort on the field, Revel’s 2020 freshman season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Before he ever stepped on the field for Louisburg, though, he earned a scholarship offer from East Carolina, where he took an unprompted workout visit. After clearing his academic hurdles, Revel was accepted to ECU and played three years for the program — taking advantage of an extra year of eligibility to make up for his 2020 season.

After earning All-AAC honors in 2023, he was offered NIL opportunities in the portal but decided to stick with ECU, the school that gave him his first Division I chance, rather than transferring up to a power program. Unfortunately, that decision ended up leading to him tearing his ACL in an October practice in 2024, which ultimately ended his college career prematurely.

So who is Revel on the field, and why is the former projected first-round pick now expected to be a second-round pick, despite his ACL tear? Let’s get into it.

Shavon Revel Jr. Scouting Report​

Length and speed are Revel’s calling cards. Revel stands a hair under 6’2” and has a nearly 80” winspan, which is in the 94th percentile among cornerbacks, according to Mockdraftable. One of the reasons why he’s able to record so many pass breakups is his incredible length, which will be highly valued by teams that run a Cover 3 base scheme, like the Green Bay Packers. It’s one reason why Richard Sherman fit the Seattle Seahawks’ Legion of Boom style defense like a glove, which turned the former Stanford receiver into a future Hall of Famer.

While Revel hasn’t posted a documented 40-yard dash time because he’s overcoming his ACL tear, his film shows a player who is in the 4.3-second range. On shallow crossers, he has to slow himself down to make sure he doesn’t overrun his receiver. On deep crossers, he’s able to stay in the hip of his man coverage assignment, a rare sight.

East Carolina CB Shavon Revel Since 2023:

42% Completion Rate Allowed
3 INTs | 12 PBUs
57.1 Passer Rating Allowed
90.5 Coverage Grade@ECUPiratesFB pic.twitter.com/UFRxlqJrMs

— PFF College (@PFF_College) March 26, 2025​

Usually, when college cornerbacks are pressed up against receivers, play-callers answer by running fades. ECU often invited that, allowing Revel to keep up with outside receivers and forcing incompletions or pass breakups. The biggest example of this on film was his 2023 game against SMU, when the Mustangs tried to beat him over the top over and over again, only to fall short every time. While ECU, not a good football team, ended up losing 31-10, it was clear from that point on that Revel was going to be on NFL radars.

49/60 - Shavon Revel, CB - East Carolina https://t.co/TJZ7LNABcG pic.twitter.com/ziBELA2gjb

— Bob Sturm (@SportsSturm) March 18, 2025​

If you want to get a feel for Revel’s athleticism, the Tweet above is two minutes of All-22 film of his college production.

As far as the negatives in his evaluation go, there are a couple. While 194 pounds for a cornerback isn’t small, he’s not a strong tackler or fitter on blocks. He’s willing, but it’s not something that he’s good at. It’s one reason why he’s going to be primarily an outside cornerback rather than bouncing inside into the slot at the next level.

Then, there’s the injury history. He was in a car crash as a youth that ended up costing him his sophomore season in high school, which led to him having a fractured skull and a broken nose. He also broke his collarbone as a junior in high school. Now, he’s dealing with an ACL tear. While none are deal breakers, he will still need to post a clean bill of health before a team turns in a pick for him. That’s probably one reason why the Packers set up their in-person visit with Revel in Green Bay.

Lastly, Revel is a little on the older side. According to a letter penned by the surgeon who performed his ACL reconstruction, Revel is going to turn 24 years old in a week from this article, which is old for a draft prospect. This shouldn’t be a shock, considering that Revel spent five years at the college level.

On film, Revel is a more productive player than an Eric Stokes was, because Revel has more wiggle than even pre-injury Stokes had. The big question is just whether or not he’s going to be cleared by teams and how quickly he’s going to be able to return to the field. If he’s not going to be 100 percent until 2026, how will that impact his draft position? That’s for teams to decide.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...-scouting-report-east-carolina-ecu-cornerback

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Packers Mock Draft 3.0 Voting: 3rd Round

Photo by Luke Lu/Diamond Images via Getty Images

Green Bay takes WR Jayden Higgins in the second round our of 3.0 mock

While our Mock 3.0 started similarly to 1.0 and 2.0, with the Green Bay Packers selecting Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon in the first round, the Acme Packing Company voters took the second-round pick in a different direction this time around. The blowout winner in the voting was Iowa State receiver Jayden Higgins, who fits the Packers like a glove.

Earlier this offseason, we wrote a full scouting report on Higgins, who is both the size that Matt LaFleur demands from his receivers and has the speed to help replace what the team will be missing in Christian Watson following his ACL tear. Here’s part of our scouting report:

I’m certain that after the combine, plenty of teams are looking at what Higgins did, are matching it up with his college tape and are telling themselves that there’s more juice to squeeze out of him at the professional level.

Higgins isn’t going to make someone miss in space often, but he is a big receiver who took a slant nearly 70 yards against Oklahoma back in 2023. His frame and athleticism alone make him a potential space-changer, as he can threaten vertically and on back shoulder throws. He’s the type of receiver who could very well make the teammates around him better, as he will need to be treated a certain way by opposing coverages, as long as he can prove that he can beat man coverage and Cover 2 shells deep down the field at the NFL level.

Of the four receivers that we’ve written scouting reports on so far, Higgins and Stanford’s Elic Ayomanor seem to fit what the Packers need the most, considering the type of healthy players they return in their receiver room going into the 2025 season.

We’ll again be using the Stick to the Model draft simulator for the third-round scenario in this mock draft. Below are the best players available at the time of the Packers’ third pick:

Top Players Available​

• #87 Kyle Kennard, DE, South Carolina
• #88 Demetrius Knight, LB, South Carolina
• #89 Jared Ivey, DE, Mississippi
• #90 Charles Grant, OL, William & Mary
• #91 Shemar Turner, DT, Texas A&M
• #92 Shton Gillotte, DE, Louisville
• #93 Terrance Ferguson, TE, Oregon
• #94 Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas
• #95 Denzel Burke, CB, Ohio State
• #96 Chris Paul Jr., LB, Mississippi
• #97 Barrett Carter, LB, Clemson
• #98 Oluwafemi Oladejo, DE, UCLA
• #99 Ty Robinson, DT, Nebraska
• #100 Savion Williams, WR, TCU

With four defensive ends still available from the top 100 prospects, will the APC voters finally take a defensive end in one of our mock drafts? Only time will tell.

As always, the player with the most “rec”s in the comment section below will be awarded to the Packers this round. You can sign up for our comment section with THIS link. We’ll have a full mock draft write up later on in the week.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...ackers-2025-mock-draft-3-0-voting-third-round

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Packers’ 2025 offseason workout, OTA, and minicamp dates announced

Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK

Green Bay’s minicamp will take place from June 10-12.

The 2025 NFL Draft is just three weeks away, and shortly before that event begins, NFL teams will start their offseason workout programs for veteran players. On Thursday, the league announced the dates that each of its 32 teams have selected for the start of that program, as well as the two weeks of OTA workouts and mandatory minicamp.

The Green Bay Packers, by virtue of not having hired a new head coach this offseason, can start their workout program no earlier than the Monday prior to the Draft. As they are not an organization that is inclined to waste time, the Packers have indeed selected that date, April 21st, as the start of the program.

Players will be able to report to team facilities to begin off-the-field workouts and installations on that date as part of phase 1 of the offseason program. Then, about a month later, the on-field phase will begin as the team begins having walkthrough practices without pads.

That phase, Organized Team Activities or OTAs, will begin for the Packers just after Memorial Day. Green Bay will have three days of OTA practices each of the next two weeks: on May 27, 28, and 30 and then the following week on June 2, 3, and 5. Teams are allowed to hold 10 days’ worth of OTAs, but for the time being the Packers have just these six days scheduled.

Finally, the Packers will wrap up the offseason program with their mandatory minicamp. This year, that will take place during the second week of June, running from Tuesday, June 10 to Thursday, June 12.

In the past, the Packers have made minicamp practices open to the public if weather permits. OTA practices were also often public in previous years, but the last few years have seen the team elect to close those practices instead.

One event that the Packers have not yet scheduled is their rookie minicamp. Typically, Green Bay has held that the weekend immediately following the NFL Draft, but they can do so on either of the next two weekends. This year those dates fall from May 2-4 or May 9-11, but no decision has been revealed on when the Packers will hold that set of practices as yet.

After the conclusion of minicamp, the Packers’ next time together will be when they report for training camp later on in the summer. Training camp’s start date will be somewhat dependent on the preseason schedule, particularly whether the Packers are selected to play in this year’s Hall of Fame Game. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for updates on the report date and practice schedule for training camp.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...ason-workout-ota-and-minicamp-dates-announced

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Packers host 1st-round receiver on pre-draft visit

Photo by Bruce Yeung/Getty Images

Matthew Golden is the 20th overall prospect on the consensus draft board.

One week after it was reported that Texas receiver Isaiah Bond would be taking a pre-draft visit to Green Bay, his former teammate Matthew Golden is expected to visit the Green Bay Packers today. Golden posted an overhead view of Green Bay in an Instagram story late last night, just one day after he visited the Pittsburgh Steelers, a surprise after they traded for and paid DK Metcalf this offseason.

Packers brass was on hand in Austin for Golden’s Pro Day last month, and it seems like the team is doing their due diligence on wide receivers who can make a difference with their speed. While Golden is not as physical of a receiver as general manager Brian Gutekunst and head coach Matt LaFleur prefer at 5’11”, 191 pounds, his 4.29 40-yard dash turned heads at last month’s NFL Combine. Golden is currently WR2 and the 20th overall player on the consensus draft board.

After spending the first two years of his college career in his native town of Houston, Golden transferred to Texas for the 2024 season, where he broke out in a big way, catching 58 passes for 987 yards and nine touchdowns. He finished second on the team in catches and first in yards. Golden was dominant in Texas’ playoff run, showing off his ability to separate against elite competition with 162-yard and 149-yard games against Georgia in the SEC Championship Game and Arizona State in the College Football Playoffs, respectively.

Matthew Golden vs. Arizona State was absolutely dominant on film:

7 Receptions
149 Yards
1 TD
OT 2-Pt Conversion
6 1st Downs

Enjoy some All-22 highlights below… https://t.co/YOGJaPCS3D pic.twitter.com/izbNSoJdUI

— SCOUTD (@scoutdnfl) March 6, 2025​

With just three weeks left until the NFL Draft in Green Bay, maybe the Packers are prepared to break everyone’s favorite streak of no first-round receivers in front of the hometown crowd. We won’t have to wait much longer to find out if Golden is the answer at pick 23.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...lden-wide-receiver-texas-2025-nfl-draft-visit

 

[Green Bay Packers]

NFL executives talk Green Bay Packers free agency

Candice Ward-Imagn Images

Decision makers spoke anonymously to The Athletic’s Mike Sando in a recent piece

NFL executives spoke to Mike Sando in a recent article breaking down the NFC’s free-agent signings, which obviously includes analysis on your Green Bay Packers. As of now, the Packers have only signed four outside free agents: receiver Mecole Hardman, guard Aaron Banks, linebacker Kristian Welch and cornerback Nate Hobbs. Among them, only Banks and Hobbs were signed on notable deals that ensure they’re locked onto the 2025 regular season roster.

Below is what executives had to say about the Banks signing, who comes to the Packers by way of the San Francisco 49ers:

“Jordan Love got hurt last year, so with Banks coming from the same offense, that allows them to add protection in a guy who is young and knows the system,” one exec said. “I do not know if Banks is the right guy, but I see the thinking behind what they are doing.”

...

“Banks is a good player and a physical, tough dude,” this exec said. “I think the 49ers wanted to keep him, but they weren’t paying anyone.”

That seems like fair analysis. Banks dealt with injuries for the last season and a half, which made his play a little streaky. He’s got a higher upside as a run blocker than just about anyone on the Packers’ roster, but consistency in the pass blocking game is where Green Bay is hoping that he’ll make strides.

Here’s what a decision-maker said about the Hobbs edition:

“Hobbs will help them,” another exec said. “He is not going to be a prima donna like Jaire Alexander. He is going to come in and play hard, and that is going to be big for them. The mentality is good. He is also a versatile nickel guy — a tough, physical piece who the defensive coordinator can move around and use in different ways.”

What will happen to Alexander is still a much-debated question. Based on general manager Brian Gutekunst’s comments this week, there’s a chance that Alexander could be coming back to the team in 2025. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch, but the fact that the Packers have yet to find a trade partner for Alexander makes this reality more likely by the day.

While this article focused on the NFC, there was no analysis given for new Philadelphia Eagle running back A.J. Dillon or Minnesota Viking linebacker Eric Wilson. In general, executives seem to feel positively about the Chicago Bears’ offseason, negatively about the Minnesota Vikings’ offseason and spent most of their time on the Detroit Lions explaining how big of a loss it was that Ben Johnson left the team.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...aron-banks-nate-hobbs-the-athletic-mike-sando

 

[Green Bay Packers]

What should the Packers do with Jaire Alexander?

Photo by Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images

Green Bay has a decision to make in the near future. Let’s hear what you’d do

Following Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst’s comments on cornerback Jaire Alexander’s situation at the league owners meetings, I’m not sure that this issue is going to resolve itself cleanly. Below is what Gutekunst had to say earlier this week:

“John Thornton (of Roc Nation Sports) is his agent. We talk weekly about these things and working together on finding the best solution for everybody. We invested a lot in Jaire, and we want to make sure that if he’s not going to be on our football team, helping us win games, that we get something back for that investment.”

Prior to these comments, it was my belief that the Packers wanted to move on from Alexander, due to his $24.6 million cap hit in 2025 and the fact that he’s only been able to play 34 games over the last four seasons. That, apparently, isn’t the case, as Gutekunst left the door open for a potential Alexander return with the phrase, “We want to make sure that if he’s not going to be on our football team, helping us win games.”

So, if the Packers can’t find a trade partner willing to give up equal value to how Green Bay values Alexander’s contract, what does the team do? Considering no one has bit yet, this is a real conversation we should have about the Packers, as we’re less than three weeks away from the start of the 2025 NFL Draft.

The draft won’t be the first deadline that Green Bay faces, though. As it was announced earlier this week, the Packers’ offseason program will begin on April 21st, the Monday of draft week. Considering that Alexander has $700,000 in workout bonuses in his deal, he might choose to show up and cash those checks, bringing along the will-he-won’t-he drama that will come with the coverage of those practices.

Alexander was already recorded working out with Packers safety Xavier McKinney this week and free-agent cornerback signing Nate Hobbs stated that Alexander reached out to him this offseason. So the door certainly isn’t closed on an Alexander return to Green Bay, but the question about why he was even on the trade block if the Packers didn’t want to get off of his contract looms.

Alexander’s camp has made it clear that he isn’t going to take a pay cut in 2025. The Packers have made it clear that they won’t release Alexander, which would give Green Bay no compensation in return other than cap space. So...does Alexander just come back on a $24.6 million cap hit if the Packers can’t find a trade partner? It’s something worth considering.

What would you do if you were in Green Bay’s position? Let us know in the poll below. We’re going to take trading Alexander off the table. If there was already a suitable trade that made sense in the mind of the Packers, they probably would have pulled the trigger on it already. It takes two to tango, so it’s easier to say “trade Alexander for just compensation” than it is to receive that offer in reality.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...ers-jaire-alexander-update-future-rumors-poll

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Report: Packers to bring in Day 2 defensive lineman for pre-draft visit

Butch Dill-Imagn Images

T.J. Sanders was an All-SEC player in 2024

According to Packer Report’s Easton Butler, the Green Bay Packers are going to bring in South Carolina defensive tackle T.J. Sanders in for a pre-draft visit. Sanders is currently the eighth-ranked defensive tackle on the consensus draft board and the 65th overall player in the class.

If the Packers somehow miss on one of Kenneth Grant, Derrick Harmon or Walter Nolen in the first round, there’s a chance that Sanders could either be the team’s second- or third-round selection in the draft later this month. The 21-year-old did not run the 40-yard dash at the combine, but he did post a 4.95-second 40-yard dash at his Pro Day and has a Relative Athletic Score of 9.38 on a 10-point scale.

T.J. Sanders is a DT prospect in the 2025 draft class. He scored a 9.38 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 127 out of 2022 DT from 1987 to 2025.https://t.co/YNvdlmkaeN pic.twitter.com/ZR6U1oXPj7

— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 1, 2025​

The redshirt junior declaration was named a second-team All-SEC player last season and has recorded 17 tackles for losses and 8.5 sacks over the last two years. According to Pro Football Focus, he’s a player on the rise, increasing his overall grade from 57.3 in 2022 to 72.6 in 2023 and 82.4 in 2024. Both his run and pass-rushing grades have increased in each of the last two years, too.

Sanders would almost certainly be a three-technique in the Packers’ 4-3 system, which would likely mean that Kenny Clark would have to move to nose tackle if Sanders is Green Bay’s long-term replacement for Devonte Wyatt, who is in a contract year. Last year, the Packers played both Clark (on run downs) and Wyatt (on pass downs) at three-technique with T.J. Slaton playing run downs as the nose tackle. With Slaton now a Cincinnati Bengal, though, that’s clearly not an option for the team going into 2025.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...it-tj-sanders-south-carolina-defensive-tackle

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Packers Mock Draft Round-Up: Defensive tackle steam picks up

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Kenneth Grant, Derrick Harmon and Walter Nolen were popular picks to Green Bay this week

Now that it’s actually April, let’s get a set of eyes on fresh mock drafts and who these draft analysts believe the Green Bay Packers will be selecting with their first-round pick. This time, we took a look at 16 different mocks, including our three-round community mock that we’ve been running Monday through Wednesdays.

Here’s who the Packers have been awarded in recent exercises:

Kenneth Grant, DT, Michigan​

• FOX News Staff
• Chris Trapasso, CBS Sports

Derrick Harmon, DT, Oregon​

• Cameron Sheath, Pro Football Network
• APC Mock Draft 3.0

Walter Nolen, DT, Mississippi​

• James Foster, 33rd Team
• Josh Edwards, CBS Sports

Of the three players who were selected multiple times by the Packers in recent mocks, three of them were defensive tackles. This is a pivot from earlier in the offseason, when the belief was that Green Bay would be a near-lock at taking a defensive end in the first round. Now, it’s uncertain whether a first-round caliber end will actually fall to them.

That’s where the strength of the defensive tackle bails out the Packers at the 23rd pick. Kenneth Grant of Michigan could come in and play nose tackle immediately, which would keep Kenny Clark in a run-down three-technique role this season, the same role he played in 2024. The selection of either Derrick Harmon or Walter Nolen, who are more pass-rushers than run-stoppers, would likely mean that Clark would move back to nose tackle, though.

Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas​

• Justin Lewis, Pro Football Network
• Jacob Infante, Pro Football Network

Jahdae Barron is more defensive back than cornerback, as many project that he’ll play in the slot at the next level. Truthfully, he can probably play outside cornerback, slot cornerback or safety in the NFL. Is that what the Packers need, though, with Keisean Nixon and Nate Hobbs, two projected outside cornerbacks with slot backgrounds, already on the roster? Barron is a healthy cornerback, which has a huge value in this class in particular, but he doesn’t really fit Green Bay’s current roster.

Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State​

• John Kosko, Pro Football Focus

Grey Zabel, OL, North Dakota State​

• Bruce Feldman, The Athletic

Offensively, the only players selected in this crop of mock drafts were a single receiver, Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka, and a single offensive lineman, Grey Zabel of North Dakota State. Egbuka was a college slot receiver, but he was in a similar position to Justin Jefferson, where he was playing opposite of top-five pick outside receivers in Marvin Harrison Jr. and Jeremiah Smith. Athletically, nothing is limiting him to the slot at the next level. Zabel, meanwhile, was NDSU’s left tackle and projects best as a guard or center in the NFL. At the moment, the only real open position on the Packers’ line is right guard, where former first-round pick Jordan Morgan and Sean Rhyan are expected to compete for the starting job.

Mykel Williams, DE, Georgia​

• Chad Reuter, NFL.com

Shemar Stewart, DE, Texas A&M​

• Tom Fornelli, CBS Sports

Nic Scourton, DE, Texas A&M​

• Carmen Vitali, FOX Sports

Here’s your cluster of defensive ends. The Packers have brought in both Mykel Williams and Shemar Stewart for pre-draft visits. Both are highly athletic players who excelled as run defenders but are unpolished as pass rushers, which is going to be a reoccurring theme with first-round defensive ends as long as college football is in its RPO era. Nic Scourton was a player who had top-10 hype coming into the year following his final season at Purdue, but he disappointed and looked like he put on bad weight after transferring to Texas A&M.

Will Johnson, CB, Michigan​

• Maurice Jones-Drew, NFL.com

Maxwell Hairston, CB, Kentucky​

• Kyle Dvorchak, NBC Sports

Shavon Revel Jr., CB, East Carolina​

• Lance Zierlein, NFL.com

And then there were the cornerbacks. Unlike Jahdae Barron, these players are all true outside cornerbacks, which would allow one of Keisean Nixon or Nate Hobbs to slide back into the slot for the Packers.

As far as clean evaluations go, though, all have non-football questions marks, which is one reason Barron is being pushed up the board. Will Johnson dealt with a turf toe injury that sidelined him for the end of the Michigan season last year and now is dealing with a hamstring that led to him skipping testing at his pro day. Shavon Revel Jr., meanwhile, tore his ACL in a practice for ECU, ending his senior season after about a month.

Kentucky’s Maxwell Hairston has recently been accused of rape by a former Kentucky student, though the story has largely not been covered by the draft media.

Between all the uncertainty here, not including the fact that Notre Dame’s Benjamin Morrison had surgery to his hip to fix his labrum that caused him to miss the second half of the Fighting Irish’s championship runner up season, there’s a reason why you’re seeing Barron shoot up boards as we inch closer to draft day.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...kers-2025-nfl-draft-mock-round-up-first-round

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Draft prospect invitations are starting to roll in for Green Bay

Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe will be at the draft in Green Bay later this month

According to FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz, only a handful of draft invitations will be sent out to prospects for the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay. So if you’re hoping to get green room shots of players as they get ready to become professionals, the NFL is putting a cap on how many prospects they’ll actually bring to town.

Schultz reported in February that LSU left tackle Will Campbell, currently ranked as the seventh overall prospect on the consensus draft board, received an invite. Schultz said that the NFL expects to extend just 8 to 10 invites in 2025, after 13 attended the draft in 2024 in Detroit.

Prominent prospects like Colorado’s Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders have already stated that they’re going to opt out of attending the draft and will instead celebrate their selections at another venue. Hunter, a receiver and cornerback, is the third-ranked prospect in this class and Sanders, a quarterback, is the fourth-ranked prospect.

Per Dane Brugler of The Athletic, the NFL has made a surprise invitation, though: Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe. Milroe is 45th on the consensus draft board as of April 6th, making him just the fourth-ranked quarterback in the class behind Miami’s Cam Ward, Sanders and Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart. Milroe has accepted his invitation, while Campbell’s status has been unreported — beyond the fact that he received an offer to attend the draft.

There’s a good chance that Milroe won’t hear his name called until Day 2 of the draft, so it’s shocking that the league invited him to Green Bay for the festivities. Maybe it’s a hint about the caliber of players that the NFL is going to be able to get to attend the event. Keep an eye out for news on which other prospects will go to Green Bay for the draft, as we should receive the full list over the next week or so.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...ospect-invitations-jalen-milroe-will-campbell

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Why Shedeur Sanders is off my draft board

Nick Tre. Smith-Imagn Images

Let’s take a look at the most controversial quarterback prospect out there, through the lens of QWOBA.

The Green Bay Packers are certainly not in the market for a starting quarterback in 2025. That’s a very good thing, as this is a pretty poor class. That said, the Packers are always in the market for backups and developmental prospects, and it’s always good to keep tabs on the QBs just in case one of them lands with a rival.

One player the Packers likely won’t be in the market for is Shedeur Sanders, who, per the current consensus boards, is widely expected to be selected in the early first round. I won’t be surprised if he winds up falling, however, as he is a flawed prospect with little in the way of upside. This is one player for whom QWOBA is at odds with his gaudy counting statistics, so let’s get into why that is. Also, if you’re unfamiliar With QBOPS and QWOBA, please do read the glossary first, as well as this piece on my latest WR statistic, SiYAA. Current QBOPS can be viewed here.

Shedeur Sanders​

2024 Stats: 353/477 (74%, First in NCAA), 4134 Yards (First) 37 TDs (First), 10 INTs, 8.7 Y/A (First)

QBOPS Splits: .437/.573/1.001. QWOBA: 123 (7th). Strength of Defense Faced: 59th most difficult.

Best case: Brock Purdy. Likely: Gardner Minshew.

Shedeur Sanders is controversial as a prospect, but scouts seem seem to believe in the raw talent enough to indicate that he’ll probably be drafted high, especially given that this class of quarterbacks is almost as bad as the current foreign trade economic policy of the United States. Yes, THAT bad. And so a player like Sanders, who is admittedly fun to watch and who has at least some of his famous father’s athletic ability (though perhaps not quite enough), will draw plenty of interest.

And it’s not as if there is absolutely zero case for Sanders; he led all of NCAA football in completion percentage this year, just edging out Will Howard. Elite accuracy is generally the single most important quality for a quarterback to have, and perhaps if you can reign in a few of Sanders’ excesses this can work, but there are just some cold, hard red flag facts that should keep teams away.

Sanders lacked big plays​

This may sound insane if you’ve only seen the man’s highlights and glimpsed at his traditional stats, but over the course of this season, Sanders was much more Alex Smith than Michael Vick. While he was first in completion percentage among qualifiers, he was 84th in Yards per Completion, slightly behind disastrous Wisconsin quarterback Braedyn Locke. He’s a game manager that’s been unfairly labeled as something else due to that famous pedigree, and due to some elite help in the receiving corps. His 8.1 ADOT ranked 79th, and there were many, many bubble screens and other garbage throws baked into his lofty completion percentage numbers. Anyone looking for a Jayden Daniels-style big-play merchant will be very disappointed.

Sanders is small​

Sanders didn’t do anything at the combine, but he measured in at just 6’ 1-1/2” and 212 pounds, making him one of the smaller QB prospects in some time. The only NFL QBs who are the same height and weight or less are Spencer Rattler, Russell Wilson, Kyler Murray, and Bryce Young. In fairness, Baker Mayfield and Caleb Williams are both close.

Being small isn’t a death sentence, but it does make succeeding more difficult as it’s harder to see the middle of the field and it increases your chance of injury. That’s a big problem for Sanders as well, as he’s been above 20% in Pressure to Sack ratio every season at Colorado, and led college football in sacks taken last year with 41. Sanders holds onto the ball for a long time waiting for plays to develop, and if he can’t speed things up at the next level, he’s going to get himself killed. It’s not impossible to improve in this area, as Jayden Daniels drastically did so over in his final season in college and again as a rookie in the NFL, but there are more Justin Fieldses out there than Jayden Danielses. Small quarterbacks often need some special trait to stand out and compensate for this size, and Sanders doesn’t really have any. The arm is average at best, he’s not as mobile as many expect, and while his accuracy was great...

Sanders had GREAT help against bad competition​

While Sanders’ talent is in some doubt, two-way phenom Travis Hunters’ is not. Hunter was targeted a team-leading 121 times by Sanders to great effect, while posting an elite 433 SiYAA, an elite 89 PFF grade, and scoring 15 touchdowns. I don’t really think I need to convince you that Travis Hunter is one of the best possible receivers a quarterback could have had, but it’s also worth noting that Colorado’s other primary receiver, LaJohntay Wester, was no slouch either, posting a very good 75.6 PFF grade and a very good 285 SiYAA. However, the raw numbers on Wester and Hunter only tell half the story.

Remember that Sanders’ one debatably elite trait was his league-leading completion percentage. There were 137 quarterbacks with at least 150 attempts this season, and of those 137 quarterbacks, poor Aidan Armenta of Louisiana-Monroe was done dirtiest by his receivers, who dropped 14.5% of his targets. Shedeur Sanders’ receivers on the other hand, were the 12th-most surehanded in all of football, having dropped just 4.3% of targets. Hunter and Wester combined for 231 targets on the season (51% of Colorado’s total targets), and combined for a total of just 6 drops, an incredible feat given their level of production.

It’s not usual for an elite college quarterback to get a great deal of help from his receivers. For example, Ohio State quarterbacks have benefitted from elite receiving talent for a solid decade at this point, with the likes of Marvin Harrison Jr., Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Terry McLaurin, and current SiYAA leader Jeremiah Smith chipping in elite seasons. However, those OSU quarterback are generally making much riskier throws downfield, taking full advantage of the explosive talent of those receivers. Last year Kyle McCord had an ADOT of 9.5 while the previous year CJ Stroud posted an ADOT of 10.7 (or 2.6 higher than Sanders). Stroud in particular was able to take full advantage of his elite receivers by hitting them downfield and providing them with the opportunity for big plays. When you combine an elite quarterback with elite receivers, you get the robust numbers that Stroud put up, but you also get a (still pretty good) 5.9% drop rate. The drop% for Sanders is a testament to the brilliance of Hunter and Wester, but it’s also an indictment of how Sanders played the game. He was perfectly content to let his skill position guys do the dirty work on shorter, high-percentage throws.

Neon Deion​

It’s not exactly fair to hold a man’s father against him, but when your father is your head coach and your father is also famous for making it all about him (Prime Time, etc.), he becomes fair game. I even respect Deion Sanders’ commitment to his kids and the work he’s put in setting them up for success. That said, from the perspective of an NFL head coach, Deion is a huge liability. Even if Deion doesn’t have any direct front office influence, should Shedeur struggle, Deion will certainly get media airtime to explain why it is the coach’s fault, and Deion will always be hovering around as a potential replacement for any head coach that does struggle. And the higher Shedeur Sanders goes in the draft, the more of a threat Deion will become to the incumbent. Deion Sanders is talented, ambitious, and likely to cause you at least a few headaches.

If Shedeur Sanders is ever going to work, he probably needs some additional development at the next level, and that will probably have to come from someone who is not his father. Will Deion be patient? Will his presence allow the incumbent coach to be patient? I doubt it. Shedeur Sanders will likely need to land in an organization with an extremely well-established head coach with some development chops, and a strong front office that doesn’t overreact to outside pressure. Those situations are few and far between, and if he lands anywhere else, Deion’s presence is more likely to actively hurt, not help his son’s cause.

Conclusion​

Shedeur Sanders played quarterback for one of the most interesting programs in the history of college football, and he’s done well to climb up draft boards as much as he has. For the son of one of the NFL’s biggest personalities (and best players), it wouldn’t be surprising if he had some weird off-the-field baggage, though he generally receives glowing reviews on that front. Mentally, I don’t doubt his ability to handle the position at the next level. The problem is unfortunately more basic. Behind all the hype, Sanders simply lacks the physical tools to play the position at the next level. He takes far too many sacks, especially for a player of his size, and even more so for a player who isn’t even attacking downfield that much.

Maybe some quarterback friendly team can coax an average-or-better performance out of Sanders. Maybe with the right supporting cast he can be pretty good, as he was in college. But if that’s the case, well, you’re not drafting Travis Hunter or Kyle Shanahan. You shouldn’t pay Brock Purdy franchise quarterback money for the same reason you shouldn’t draft Sanders with a franchise quarterback pick.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...ft-board-quarterback-colorado-qwoba-analytics

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Packers bring in a recovering Josh Simmons on a pre-draft visit

Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Disp / USA TODAY NETWORK

Josh Simmons tore his patellar tendon in October, an injury that was initially reported as an ACL tear

So far, 12 of the Green Bay Packers’ 30 pre-draft visits this offseason have been announced. Prior to the announcement of Ohio State tackle Josh Simmons coming to Green Bay, all the other players who were projected to be first-round selections who visited the Packers came from just two positions: receiver and edge rusher.

So, why is Simmons the lone tackle coming in on a visit with the Packers? It almost certainly has to do with his medical evaluation. Initially reported as an ACL, Simmons — considered to be the top offensive lineman in the draft class at the time — tore his patellar tendon in October. While he’s claimed that he’s “way ahead of schedule” on the injury, a patellar tendon tear is a bit more complicated than a clean ACL tear.

It’s one reason why Simmons is bouncing around on visits, including with the Baltimore Ravens, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Per the consensus draft board, Simmons is ranked as the fourth-best tackle in the class right now as the 25th overall pick. With that being said, that’s including the injury risk, and there are real doubts about whether LSU’s Will Campbell and Texas’ Kelvin Banks will end up sticking at tackle in the league or kick into guard. Missouri’s Armand Membou is a right tackle, so you can still make the case that if Simmons were healthy, he’d be the top left tackle in the 2025 draft.

Simmons’ evaluation certainly isn’t an easy one, considering that there’s a real chance that he won’t suit up during his rookie season. I’m sure that’s why teams like the Packers and Ravens are trying to gain clarity on the status of his knee before making a big decision.

Simmons claimed in the past that he will be a full-go for a potential late-draft-process pro day. He participated in non-timed drills at Ohio State’s pro day a couple of weeks ago. Non-timed drills, though, are much different than full-contact football games, much less 17 consecutive games for just the regular season.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...re-draft-visit-josh-simmons-ohio-state-tackle

 

[Green Bay Packers]

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. drops 1st 2-round mock draft of 2025

Howard Smith-Imagn Images

Kiper has the Packers going pass rusher and receiver early in the draft

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. just dropped his first two-round mock draft of the 2025 draft cycle, a sign that the draft is nearing rapidly. Let’s walk through the selections that he made for the Green Bay Packers, including his blurbs on the selections. At the end, we’ll list his full mock, so you can get a glimpse at the scenario that led to the Packers’ selections.

First-round pick: Mykel Williams, DE, Georgia​

The Packers had 45 sacks last season (tied for eighth), but that’s a little misleading. They were really good at converting pressure into sacks, but they got pressure only 29.8% of the time (22nd). Williams was hindered by an ankle injury in 2024, which kept him to five sacks over 12 games. But he has the explosive traits to be an extremely effective edge rusher. Other spots of interest would be receiver and cornerback, so expect Green Bay to take a look at guys like Emeka Egbuka or Kentucky corner Maxwell Hairston, too.

Williams makes a lost of sense for the Packers, especially considering that Green Bay brought him in on one of their limited pre-draft visits. The same is true of Egbuka, who he also mentioned. Williams is an athletic run defender who has the upside to grow as a pass rusher. He has several inside counters, including a spin and swim, but doesn’t have a go-to way to beat tackles on the outside, a product of him spending so much time playing for Georgia inside of the tackles. We wrote up a full scouting report on Williams early this month, if you want to give that a read.

Second-round pick: Jack Bech, WR, TCU​

Bech was great during Senior Bowl week, and he finished the 2024 season with 1,034 yards and nine touchdowns. The Packers’ offense likes to distribute the ball to multiple pass catchers, with three wideouts — Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks and Jayden Reed — seeing at least 70 targets. Bech would be another reliable playmaker in the mix.

This selection makes less sense to me. Yes, the Packers are going to have to figure out what to do with the contracts of Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson, who are both entering the final year of their rookie deals. With that being said, the team needs speed more than anything, considering that Christian Watson will likely be off the field until at least November with his ACL tear. I’m not sure how Bech, a former LSU tight end, will help Green Bay stretch the field. He’s a fine receiver, one worthy of a second-round selection, but I simply don’t understand the fit here.

Mel Kiper Full Mock Draft​

1. Titans: Cam Ward, QB, Miami
2. Browns: Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado
3. Giants: Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn State
4. Patriots: Will Campbell, OL, LSU
5. Jaguars: Mason Graham, iDL, Michigan
6. Raiders: Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
7. Jets: Armand Membou, OL, Missouri
8. Panthers: Jalon Walker, LB/EDGE, Georgia
9. Saints: Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado
10. Bears: Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State
11. 49ers: Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
12. Cowboys: Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina
13. Dolphins: Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas
14. Colts: Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan
15. Falcons: Mike Green, EDGE, Marshall
16. Cardinals: Matthew Golden, WR, Texas
17. Bengals: Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama
18. Seahawks: Kelvin Banks Jr., OL, Texas
19. Buccaneers: Nick Emmanwori, S, South Carolina
20. Broncos: Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona
21. Steelers: Derrick Harmon, iDL, Oregon
22. Chargers: Grey Zabel, OL, North Dakota State
23. Packers: Mykel Williams, EDGE, Georgia
24. Vikings: Donovan Jackson, OL, Ohio State
25. Texans: Josh Conerly Jr., OL, Oregon
26. Rams: Jaxson Dart, QB. Ole Miss
27. Ravens: Malaki Starks, S, Georgia
28. Lions: Donovan Ezeiruaku, EDGE, Boston College
29. Commanders: Shemar Stewart, EDGE, Texas A&M
30. Bills: Maxwell Hairston, CB, Kentucky
31. Chiefs: Josh Simmons, OL, Ohio State
32. Eagles: James Pearce Jr., EDGE, Tennessee
33. Browns: Tyler Shough, QB, Louisville
34. Giants: Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama
35. Titans: Oluwafemi Oladejo, EDGE, UCLA
36. Jaguars: Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State
37. Raiders: Carson Schwesigner, LB, UCLA
38. Patriots: Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri
39. Bears: Walter Nolen, iDL, Ole Miss
40. Saints: Azareye’h Thomas, CB, Florida State
41. Bears: TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State
42. Jets: Elijah Arroyo, TE, Miami
43. 49ers: Kenneth Grant, DT, Michigan
44. Cowboys: Trey Amos, CB, Ole Miss
45. Colts: Jonah Savaiinaea, OL, Arizona
46. Falcons: Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame
47. Cardinals: Tyler Booker, OL, Alabama
48. Dolphins: Darius Alexander, iDL, Toledo
49. Bengals: JT Tuimoloau, EDGE, Ohio State
50. Seahawks: Shavon Revel Jr., CB, East Carolina
51. Broncos: Quinshon Judkins, RB, Ohio State
52. Seahawks: Jayden Higgins, WR, Iowa State
53. Buccaneers: Nic Scourton, EDGE, Texas A&M
54. Packers: Jack Bech, WR, TCU
55. Chargers: Mason Taylor, TE, LSU
56. Bills: Tyleik Williams, iDL, Ohio State
57. Panthers: Isaiah Bond, WR, Texas
58. Texans: Jaylin Noel, WR, Iowa State
59. Ravens: David Walker, EDGE, Central Arkansas
60. Lions: Anthony Belton, OL, North Carolina State
61. Commanders: Darien Porter, CB, Iowa State
62. Bills: Xavier Watts, S, Notre Dame
63. Chiefs: Kaleb Johnson, RB, Iowa
64. Eagles: Kevin Winston Jr., S, Penn State

Let’s break down where the Packers’ reported pre-draft visits went in this mock draft, as those players should be highlighted on any fan’s watchlist:

Packers Pre-Draft Visits​

• DE Shemar Stewart, #14 on consensus draft board: #29 in Kiper’s mock
• DE Mykel Williams, #15: #23
• WR Matthew Golden, #20: #16
• OL Josh Simmons, #24: #31
• DE James Pearce Jr., #26: #32
• WR Emeka Egbuka, #33: #36
• CB Shavon Revel Jr., #39: #50
• WR Isaiah Bond, #68: #57
• OL Anthony Belton, #95: #60

For the most part, these players were selected in their projected ranges, based on the consensus board. The major exceptions were Texas A&M edge rusher Shemar Stewart falling from a projected 14th overall pick to 29th in the mock and North Carolina State offensive lineman Anthony Belton, who is projected to be a third-to-fourth-round pick, going in the late second round.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...rounds-full-draft-prospects-green-bay-packers