I will compare contracts by how much % of team salary cap player took in a year: a $10M player "eats more cap" when team salary cap is $100M than a $13M player on $200M team cap. All numbers are from overthecap.com
First some past contracts:

% of team salary cap in a year

1. P. Manning/Colts 20.5% in 2003, 17.2% in 2009, 16.1% in 2008
2. Tannehill 18.3% in 2022, 15.9% in 2023
3. Mahomes 17.0% in 2022, 16.9% in 2023
4. R. Wilson 17.5% in 2021, 15.5% in 2020
5. E. Manning 16.9% in 2013, 15.4% in 2014
6. Cousins 16.7% in 2021, 15.1% in 2019
7. Brees 16.4% in 2015, 14% in 2013
8. Stafford 15.8% in 2019, 14.6% in 2018, 2013
9. Roethlisberger 15.3% in 2016, 14.2% in 2014, 13.9% in 2021
10. Rodgers 14.9% in 2019 & 2021, 13.2% in 2022
11. Strahan 16.1% in 2002, 13% in 2001
12. Garoppolo 15.6% in 2018, 13.7% in 2021, 12.9% in 2020
13. Flacco 15% in 2017, 14.7% in 2016
14. Ryan 15% in 2016, 14.6% in 2021
15. Freeney 15.8% in 2012, 13.6% in 2011
16. Rivers 14.9% in 2015, 12.7% in 2012
17. Suh 17% of 2014 Lions, 11.1% of 2017 Dolphins
18. Mario Williams 15.2% of 2011 Texans, 13.4% in 2015, 12.5% in 2014 Bills
19. Goff 14.3% of 2022 Lions, 14.1% of 2020 Rams
20. Fitzgerald 16% in 2011, 12% in 2012, other seasons 8-10%
21. Peppers 14.8% in 2009, 12.9% in 2007
22. P. Manning/Broncos 14.9% in 2012, 12.5% in 2013
23. Marino 14.5% in 1998, 13.1% in 1996
24. Aikman 14.2% in 1997, 13.2% in 1996
25. Bledsoe 13.7% in 2000, 13.5% in 1998, 12.8% in 1997
26. Palmer 14.0% of 2017 Cardinals, 12.7% of 2006 Bengals
27. Favre 14.1% in 2001, 12.4% in 2006
28. Brady 13.6% in 2006, 12.6% in 2008, 12.2% in 2020
29. Bradford 13.3% in 2014, 12.9% in 2012
30. Prescott 14.4% in 2020, 11.7% in 2023
31. Chris Jones 14.0% in 2022, 12.2% in 2023
32. Donald 13.4% in 2022, 12.2% in 2020
33. Cutler 13.9% in 2014, 11.4% in 2015
34. Steve Young 13.1 % in 1994, 12.2% in 1996
35. Brunell 13.2% in 2001, 3 seasons of 11.7%
36. Elway 13% in 1994, 12% in 1995, only 5% in 1997,1998
37. Calvin Johnson 14.3% in 2015, 11.6% in 2011, other years 7-9%
38. Carr 13.7% in 2018, 11.6% in 2019, 11.7% in 2021
39. Deion Sanders 14.5% in 1998, 10.8% in 1999
40. Sanchez 14.3% in 2011, 10.3% in 2013
41. Wentz 13.2% of 2022 Commanders, 11.2% of 2021 Colts
42. Von Miller 12.9% in 2019, 12.0% in 2020
43. Cam Newton 12.7% in 2016, 12.1% in 2019
44. Justin Houston 13.0% in 2017, 11.5% in 2018
45. Ty Law 12.7% in 2004, 11.7% in 2003
46. T. J. Watt 12.8% in 2023, 11.3% in 2022
47. Joey Bosa 13.1% in 2022, 10.9% in 2021
48. Luck 12.6% in 2018, 11.1% in 2017
49. Plummer 12.3% in 2002, 10.4% in 2001
50. Charles Woodson 12.3% in 2005, 10.9% in 2004 Raiders, 9% of Packers
51. Khalil Mack 12.5% of 2020 Bears, 9.7% of 2024 Chargers
52. Moss/Vikings 11% in 2004, 10.5% in 2003, was cheap on Patriots
53. Romo 13% in 2016, other seasons 8-10%
54. Revis 12% of 2013 Bucs, 10.8% of 2016 Jets
55. Trent Williams 11.6% of 2012 Redskins, 10.6% of 2024 49ers
56. Kaepernick 11.4% in 2016, 10.2% in 2015
57. Tunsil 11.5% in 2023, 10% in 2024
58. Ogden 11.3% in 2004, 11.1% in 2003
59. Warner 11.7% of 2003 Rams, 9.3% of 2009 Cardinals
60. Tyreek Hill 12.2% of 2024 Dolphins, 8.4% of 2021 Chiefs
61. Alex Smith 10-11% of Chiefs, Redskins in 5 seasons
62. Bailey 11.1% in 2009, 10.9% in 2008
63. Sapp 10.9% in 1999, 10.7% in 2000
64. Adrian Peterson 10.3%-10.7% in 2011-2015
65. Marvin Harrison 10% in 2003, 2004, 2008
66. Barry Sanders 10.1% in 1994, 10.7% in 1996
67. Ray Lewis 10% in 2003, 2005
68. McNabb 9-10%, only in 2009 16%
69. Mike Evans 10.4% in 2023, 9.4% in 2018
70. Julio Jones 10% in 2016, 2020

cheaper players for comparison:

1. McNair 8-10% of Titans, highest in 1999
2. J.J. Watt 8-9% in 4 seasons
3. Emmitt Smith 7-9% in 1990s, 14.5% in 2002
4. Dalton 8-9% (cheap QB)
5. Travis Kelce 7.8% in 2024, 6.7% in 2023
6. Jerry Rice 7.3% in 2000, 6.1% in 1999
7. Tony Gonzalez 7% of 2011 Falcons, 6% of Chiefs
8. DeMarcus Ware 6-7% of Cowboys, Broncos
9. Gronkowski 6% in only 2 Patriots' seasons
10. Zack Martin 5-6%
11. Antonio Gates 5-6%
12. Jason Kelce 3-4%

These are contracts that i could find over 10% of cap space + some HOFers at other cheaper positions for comparison. Mario Williams probably got the worst, most expensive contracts compared to his production. T. J. Watt costs a lot more than his older brother. MVP RBs Faulk, Tomlinson, E. Smith were 5-9%. DBs such as Polamalu, Reed,... were always in 5-8% range, it's probably like that at all positions except for QBs.
These expensive contracts worked very well for Colts (Manning, Harrison), Chiefs (Mahomes, Jones), Packers (Rodgers), Steelers (Roethlisberger, Watt), Broncos (Manning), Patriots (Brady), 49ers (Young, Williams), Vikings (Peterson), otherwise there are a lot of seasons around .500 record or losing in wild card as a low seed. Rarely was a contract of 13+ % of cap good. Flacco's contract sank Ravens, Eli's Giants etc. Some teams paid a lot for Brunell, Plummer, Bledsoe...
Now current contracts:

% of team salary cap active contracts, projections

1. Watson 22.0% in 2024, 24.6% in 2025
2. Prescott (currently) 21.2% in 2024 + 15% dead cap in 2025
3. Stafford 19.3% in 2024, 19.4% in 2025
4. K. Murray 18.2% in 2024, 16.7% in 2025, 18.8% in 2026
5. Daniel Jones 18.4% in 2024 + dead cap in 2025
6. Cousins 20.2% in 2026, 15.4% in 2025
7. Mahomes 14.7% in 2024, 25.5% in 2025 (can easily be lowered)
8. L. Jackson 16.8% in 2025, 26.3% in 2026
9. Allen 16.6% in 2025, 22.5% in 2026
10. Carr 19.8% in 2025
11. Burrow 17.8% in 2025, 17% in 2026
12. Herbert 14.4% in 2025, 16.3% in 2026
13. Goff 12.5% in 2025, 24.5% in 2026
14. Chris Jones 13.4% in 2025
15. Trent Williams 13.1% in 2025
16. Tyreek Hill 12.2% in 2024, 13.2% in 2025
17. T.J. Watt 11.8% in 2024, 11.7% in 2025
18. Kupp 11.6% in 2024, 11.5% in 2025

What will happen with Prescott's contract is unclear, currently he has last year in 2024 for 21.2% of cap. Burrow, Herbert, Goff have in 2024 last year of old contracts, their expensive contracts start in 2025.
Future salary cap may be higher than expected, so some projection of 22% in 2026, may end up being 20%. All these QB-starter contracts are taking significantly more cap than old contracts of HOFers and starters listed above. These new QB-contracts take as much salary cap as a QB-contract a decade ago + HOFer at another position.
Teams are adding void years, to artificially lower cap numbers of such contracts, creating "dead cap" at the end of contract. Saints and Eagles are masters of this.
List of recent "dead cap" after contracts for players that weren't on team anymore (i calculated this roughly to average total team cap of each season):

% of team salary cap was dead

1. "dead Wilson" 20.8% of Broncos in 2024, 11.7% in 2025
2. "dead Ryan" 19.2% of 2022 Falcons, 8% of 2023 Colts
3. "dead Rodgers" 17.8% of 2023 Packers
4. "dead Brady" 15.5% of 2023 Bucs
5. "dead Osweiler" 15% in 2017 on Texans and Browns
6. "dead Flacco" 8.5% of 2019 Ravens, 6.5% of 2020 Broncos
7. "dead Goff" 13.5% of 2021 Rams
8. "dead Donald" 9.8% of 2024 Rams, 3.7% in 2025
9. "dead P. Manning" 13.3% of 2012 Colts
10. "dead Luck" 9.9% of 2019 Colts and 3.2% in 2020
11. "dead Wilson" 12.5% of 2022 Seahawks
12. "dead Diggs" 12.2% of 2024 Bills
13. "dead Julio Jones" 7.4% of 2022, and 4.2% of 2021 Falcons
14. "dead Romo" 6.4% of 2017 Cowboys and 5% in 2018
15. "dead Brees" 6.1% of Saints in 2021, 5.3% in 2022
16. "dead Seymour" 11.1% of 2013 Raiders
17. "dead Cousins" 11% of 2024 Vikings
18. "dead Stafford" 10.4% of 2021 Lions
19. "dead Tannehill" 9.9% of 2019 Dolphins
20. "dead Foles" 9.4% of 2020 Jaguars
21. "dead Bridgewater" 9.3% of 2021 Panthers
22. "dead Hopkins" 9.3% of 2023 Cardinals
23. "dead Steve Young" 7.2% of 49ers in 2001, 3.4% in 2000
24. "dead Calvin Johnson" 8.4% of 2016 Lions

So teams are nowadays willing to have as large dead caps as any HOFers (except P. Manning on Colts) were taking on active contracts. Such huge dead caps are accumulating on contracts of Hurts, Prescott,... all because they have expensive contracts, teams are manipulating the cap, creating "dead cap". A decade ago only Raiders had this for Seymour, Palmer.
Notice that WRs Diggs and Julio Jones are here with huge dead caps although they never took more than 10% of cap on active contracts (first list above).
Record of highest % of team cap space ever belongs to "dead Wilson", not an actual player. The highest cap % in 1 year of Brady was for "dead Brady", not actual Brady.
Hopefully this can show how overpaid current QBs are: they take more cap % than in any previous era+leave "dead cap". This 15-25% of cap given to QB only works for MVP-level of play, carrying the offense year after year. There are 2-3 such players.
Career average % of team cap taken by QBs excluding their cheap first few seasons of rookie contracts, but including dead caps:

1. P. Manning 13.9%
2. Ryan 13.6%
3. Stafford 13.3%
4. Flacco (2013-2019 starter) 12.6%
5. E. Manning 12.5%
6. Roethlisberger 11.9%
7. Brees 11.6%
8. Rodgers 11.0%
9. Favre 10.4%
10. Brady 10.2%

Bledsoe on Patriots averaged about 12% after rookie contract, more than Brady on Patriots!
For comparison: Murray's contract starts in 2024 around 18% of cap, Burrow's contract starts in 2025 around 18% of cap. New contracts are huge.
Bonus list of

Combined 2 most expensive players on a team:

1. 2022 Chiefs (Mahomes & Chris Jones) 30.9% of team cap
2. 2003 Colts (P. Manning & M. Harrison) 30.8%
3. 2024 Browns (Watson & Cooper) 30.2%
4. 2023 Chiefs (Mahomes & Chris Jones) 29.2%
5. 2024 Rams (Stafford & "dead Donald") 29.1%
6. 2014 Lions (Suh & Stafford) 29.0%
7. 2024 Broncos ("dead Wilson" & Bolles) 28.6%
8. 2024 Giants (D. Jones & A. Thomas) 27.4%
9. 2022 Titans (Tannehill & Dupree) 27.3%
10. 2023 Packers ("dead Rodgers" & injured Bakhtiari) 27.2%
11. 2021 Seahawks (Wilson & Wagner) 26.9%
12. 2022 Falcons ("dead Ryan & Julio Jones") 26.6%
13. 2008 Colts (P. Manning & M. Harrison) 26.4%
14. 2023 Bucs ("dead Brady" & M. Evans) 26%
15. 2024 Chiefs (Mahomes & Thuney) 25.4%
16. 2024 Cardinals (Murray & Baker) 25.3%
17. 2021 Rams ("dead Goff" & Stafford) 25.2%
18. 2024 Bills ("dead Diggs" & Allen) 24.1%
19. 2021 Packers (Rodgers & D. Adams) 24%

All recent teams, except for Colts and 2014 Lions. 2022 Falcons had about 26.6% of team cap dead. 2023 Packers got 1 game of Bakhtiari for 27.3% cap. 2024 Broncos will have Bolles. 2026 Lions will get on this list (Goff & Sewell).
Patriots paid the most in 2006 to Brady & Seymour, 22.5% of team cap. Brady & Moss combination was highest in 2009, 20% of team. What Chiefs are doing, winning Super Bowls with such high salaries shouldn't be possible.

In a previous post about numbers being retired/unretired, there seemed to be differing opinions on David Bakhtiari's legacy.
According to the Packers website, Bakh and Forest Gregg are the only tackles in team history to receive All Pro recognition for 5 years straight. Bakh was the only tackle in the NFL to get the recognition each of the 5 years 2016-2020 (1st and 2nd team). With the LT position becoming a premium position opposite elite pass rushers, I believe that he is the greatest LT in franchise history. If he doesn't get injured, I believe that the Packers win the Super Bowl that year as his absence in the NFCCG is a direct reason for the loss.
If he doesn't get injured, and continues this pace for another 4 seasons (through his contract), how high of recognition does he receive? I think he will already make the Packers HOF, 4 more years of all pro production gets him into the NFL HOF. Does it get his name in the Ring of Honor? Does his number get retired? There are only 6 numbers retired, with a 7th soon to follow and nobody after Rodgers even under consideration for the next 15-20 years. Would he have been in the discussion?
Edit: I am well aware right now he is not even considered for NFL HOF, ring of honor, or Number Retirement. The question is if he kept his all pro pace through his contract and won a ring, does that get him there?

I know since our loss on Saturday there have been a lot of posts about the draft and which positions we need to target but I want this one to be about specific players.
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I’ve ran several 7-round mock drafts over the past couple of months using PFN’s simulator (I used to use PFF’s until they locked everything behind a paywall) and just wanted input from everyone else on the sub regarding who they think would be a perfect fit for us/help us the most. Every mock draft I do I’m controlling the Packers and all other teams are ran by the computer. These are the names standing out to me as the ones I’m picking most often, sorted by position:

QB: None

This is one of only two positions from which I haven’t picked a single player. Love is our guy and I don’t see the need for a backup either.
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WR: Troy Franklin (Oregon), Malachi Corley (Western Kentucky), Ja’Lynn Polk (Washington), Jalen McMillan (Washington), Jermaine Burton (Alabama), Brenden Rice (USC)

This is not a position of need for the Packers and I wouldn’t want the FO to take a receiver earlier than the third round when the actual draft is taking place. The only player on this list I’ve taken earlier than that in mocks is Franklin because he’s projecting late first/early second and he seems to fall every time. He’s routinely available when I’m making our third selection (the one at the end of the second round) and I’m not sure if it means his draft stock is falling but other prospect rankings don’t seem to suggest that. For the first year in quite a few, I won’t be waiting on Gute to take a receiver because we’ve quickly become super deep on the pass-catching front so I’ll be perfectly content without one, but I wouldn’t mind bringing another guy into the mix to help out. I’m not sold on Toure making the roster and if Watson’s injury problems continue and we can never get him on the field we’re going to need another guy to take his place.
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RB: Trey Benson (Florida St), Jonathon Brooks (Texas), Bucky Irving (Oregon), Braelon Allen (Wisconsin), Will Shipley (Clemson), Jaylen Wright (Tennessee)

I haven’t yet completed a mock without an RB because I think it’s time we bring in someone new. Jones is still a top 5-7 back but there isn’t much behind him besides Dillon who I’m not sure we should even consider retaining. In any case, I think whoever we draft can take over the starting spot fairly soon considering Jones is about to enter his 30s. I’m very high on Allen because he has great pass-catching ability but, more importantly, he’s also super young (20) which means even if he doesn’t take over for AJ until 2-3 years from now, he should still have a ton of juice left given his age. I’ve also heard great things about Audric Estime from Notre Dame but I don’t think I’ve gotten the chance to take him more than once or twice.
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TE: None

The second of the two positions I’ve never once taken from. Musgrave and Kraft are young, promising, and productive. Waste of a pick if we take a TE unless it’s a 7th-round dart throw.
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OT: JC Latham (Alabama), Taliese Fuaga (Oregon St), Tyler Guyton (Oklahoma), Jordan Morgan (Arizona), Amarius Mims (Georgia), Kingsley Suamataia (BYU), Dominick Puni (Kansas)

The most important position to address IMO. The days of Bakhtiari, as good as they were, should be over now and it’s time to move on. The O-Line as a whole was actually pretty damn great down the stretch but I still wouldn’t feel comfortable counting on a former 7th round pick to hold down the left side. Not to mention that our depth at the tackle position is pretty lacking. I’d prefer Gute use the first rounder or the extra second from New York on our LT of the future to protect Love. Latham, Fuaga, and Mims are more right tackles (and the first two would need to take quite a fall to get to us) so that basically makes Guyton, Suamataia, and Morgan the sweet spot. Puni is projecting a bit later but can still make an impact as a starter. No shot at Alt or Fashanu.
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OG: Graham Barton (Duke), Cooper Beebe (Kansas St), Brandon Coleman (TCU), Javion Cohen (Miami FL)

The interior line could use some work or at the very least additional depth and these are the only guys I find myself picking up. Barton and Beebe are day 2 guys while Coleman and Cohen are day 3.
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C: Jackson Powers-Johnson (Oregon), Zach Frazier (West Virginia), Sedrick Van Pran (Georgia), Tanor Bortolini (Wisconsin), Drake Nugent (Michigan), Beaux Limmer (Arkansas)

Myers has been up and down (tremendous postseason though) and the only other guy on the depth chart at C is Runyan (UFA). We need better stability here and Frazier, Powers-Johnson or Van Pran would likely be the answer. The other three wouldn’t be immediate starters given that they’re supposed to be day 3 picks but they all graded highly in college.
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CB: Cooper DeJean (Iowa), Kool-Aid McKinstry (Alabama), Max Melton (Rutgers), T.J. Tampa (Iowa St), Ennis Rakestraw Jr. (Missouri), Mike Sainristil (Michigan), D.J. James (Auburn), Josh Newton (TCU)

Jaire is a stud and Valentine did more than what was asked of him but the departure of Douglas and Stokes’s lack of availability has made it clear that CB should once again become a major focus. DeJean and McKinstry should be the main target if we take one early but Melton, Tampa, or Rakestraw would be great plan Bs. Sainristil, James, and Newton are better off taken a bit later. Wiggins has a noticeable weakness in press man coverage while Arnold and Mitchell are unrealistic without a trade-up.
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S: Kamren Kinchens (Miami FL), Tyler Nubin (Minnesota), Beau Brade (Maryland), Calen Bullock (USC), Cole Bishop (Utah), Jaden Hicks (Washington St), Thomas Harper (Notre Dame), Sione Vaki (Utah)

This is right up there with OT and CB as the first places to look if you’re our front office. Savage had a great rookie season five years ago but has failed to stay consistent since (though that pick six on Dak was fucking epic) and is an unrestricted free agent. Even if we were to keep him, the depth is virtually nonexistent. All of the above names would immediately fill a hole in the secondary which broke down towards the end of the season when tasked with stopping guys like Mayfield and Bryce Young. Kinchens is the only one I’ve taken in the first round while Nubin usually goes early second. Brade, Bullock, Bishop, and Hicks are later day 2 guys while Harper and Vaki might still be around towards the latter half of the draft, but I’d be fairly disappointed if Gute waits that long to address this issue.
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DT: Jer’Zhan Newton (Illinois), Byron Murphy II (Texas), Ruke Orhorhoro (Clemson), Kris Jenkins (Michigan), Braden Fiske (Florida St), Jordan Jefferson (LSU), Tyler Davis (Clemson)

We’re pretty set on the D-Line with Clark, Wyatt, Brooks, and others but the additional depth wouldn’t hurt. Our run defense is still not satisfactory and we could probably use all the talent we can get up front. Regardless, I’ve never even somewhat reached for a DT in a mock like I have for OT, CB, or S; I only take them if they fall and become a steal at that point and I’ve got the other positions secured. I’ve actually somehow managed to get Murphy and Newton at the end of the second round quite a few times.
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EDGE: Chris Braswell (Alabama), Bralen Trice (Washington), Mohamed Kamara (Colorado St), Xavier Thomas (Clemson), Zion Tupuola-Fetui (Washington)

Pretty much everything I said about DT can be applied here, but it’s worth noting that during the first 3 or 4 weeks of mock drafting, I refused to take a single DE and viewed it as last priority like TE and QB. That changed once Enagbare tore his ACL (we likely won’t see him until 2025). And then when I considered that Preston is getting up there in age, I opened up to the idea of exploring our options here. Braswell and Trice are the cream of the crop from this list but any of the other three would also suffice.
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LB: Edgerrin Cooper (Texas A&M), Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (Clemson), Cedric Gray (North Carolina), Tommy Eichenberg (Ohio St), Junior Colson (Michigan), Aaron Casey (Indiana), Tyrice Knight (UTEP), Trevin Wallace (Kentucky)

Quay Walker has cemented his role as a starter but De’Vondre Campbell doesn’t seem likely to ever return to the level of play we saw from him in 2021. We’d also find ourselves in a pretty tough spot if either one of them were to go down (McDuffie and Eric Wilson are serviceable but not star material), so I wouldn’t necessarily be opposed to a Trotter Jr. or Cooper in the early rounds. The LB pool appears to be deep in this draft hence the longer list.
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So essentially, if we walk away from this draft with any combination of the guys I listed above, I’d be thrilled, but I want to know what you guys think as well. Who are you hoping Gute takes?

Ah, how quickly the weeks go by. It feels like yesterday we were watching the Packers drop back-to-back games to the bottomfeeding Raiders and Broncos. And now, for the first time since Week 4, they’re sitting afloat at .500. They control their own destiny — win out and they’re in — and have the league’s easiest schedule remaining.
But as they’ve consistently emphasized throughout the week, everything has to be taken one game at a time. Yes, it’s a completely different team than even a few months ago, but this is the NFL. Any team can win any game on any given day. Three of their last five are road affairs, two are against teams with playoff aspirations, and no matter what people say about tanking, you can rest assured all five will be trying their damndest.
That being said, there’s no reason the Packers should struggle with any of these final five opponents. They just beat the Lions and Chiefs, two top level teams, without trailing for so much as a single second. They scored the most points the Chiefs have allowed in a game all season, and they’ve been doing almost everything well — the rookie mistakes are few and far between, and everything is clicking.
Which brings us to the New York Giants. They’ve won two in a row, against Washington and New England, meaning in spite of their 4-8 record on the season, they’re 2-2 with Tommy DeVito starting. And yet those two losses are blowout affairs to the Raiders and Cowboys. So, we come to three major questions:

• What can the Packers learn from their win against the Chiefs?
• What can the Packers expect to see on Monday Night Football?
• What does all of this still mean for their future?

And without further ado, let’s try to answer them.

1. Whelan And Dealin’

It’s funny, isn’t it? The Packers have been trying with all their might to find a steady long-term punter for years. They spent a fifth round pick on J.K. Scott, traded a sixth for Corey Bojorquez and a seventh, and signed Pat O’Donnell to a top-eleven contract.
None of them performed. Some basic statistics, for the uninitiated:
2018 Scott: 44.7 average (23rd), 38.8 net (27th)
2019 Scott: 44.0 average (28th), 39.9 net (24th)
2020 Scott: 45.5 average (18th), 37.0 net (28th)
2021 Bojorquez: 46.5 average (12th), 40.0 net (19th)
2022 O’Donnell: 44.5 average (28th), 38.9 net (30th, league worst)
It’s been a bumpy ride with no payoff for the Packers, especially when factoring in performance as holders on PATs and FGs. Scott was woeful, Bojorquez was worse, and while O’Donnell was decent, it wasn’t enough to buoy his inability to actually punt.
Enter Daniel Whelan, an Irish-born punter who played college at UC Davis, started professionally in the XFL, and hadn’t played an NFL snap in his life before winning the starting job from O’Donnell in Green Bay.
While Whelan’s 46.4 average (23rd) and 38.9 net (30th) look pedestrian, keep in mind those are essentially the best pure punter numbers they’ve had outside of Bojorquez. Then, look at the rest. Whelan, since Week 10, has been one of the league’s best. He’s pinned the third-most punts inside the twenty, has the lowest return rate in football, and has as many punts downed inside the two as he does touchbacks (1). All in all, he’s PFF’s 8th best punter on the year.
And he’s only 24, is dirt cheap, and has been more than adequate as a holder. Much like the rest of the team, Whelan has truly ascended in weeks past and may very well be proving himself the unlikely future of the Packers at punter. It really is the last place you look sometimes, isn’t it?

1. Drake and Josh

These two are loosely related at best, but I wanted to talk about both, and the reference writes itself.
So, first of all, we have Kenyan Drake. Drake was signed to the practice squad to replace James Robinson after an underwhelming showing Sunday in which he took his two touches for 0 net yards, including a loss of 2 on a pseudo-screen that forced the Packers into punting at the end of the first half. Drake is a similar journeyman, having spent time this season on the practice squads of Indianapolis, Baltimore, and Cleveland in addition to his new stint in Green Bay.
So, what gives? Why bother? With Aaron Jones back on the practice field and Patrick Taylor having some sort of blackmail on the front office, does Drake ever even see a chance?
Probably not. He had a successful few years right up until 2022, but there’s a reason he’s not found a steady landing spot since then. What he is is essentially a knockoff Jones — fast, and a good pass-catcher, albeit not much else. My assumption at this point is the Packers are as tired as we are with Jones’ bad luck. It’s no fault of his own, but the best ability is availability. In an ideal world, Drake is insurance.
And Josh Myers? Well, perhaps we were hasty in decrying that he’s “playing the best he’s played in his career”. I’ll preface this by saying he’s been far from perfect, especially in big moments — he’s blown blocks on 4th and 1 twice in the past few weeks, including on the Doubs highlight reel grab against the Chiefs.
But aside from that? He’s sneakily played well! He’s PFF’s number 6 center since Week 10, he’s made some really nice blocks in space on outside runs, he’s played downright decent.
A huge part of it is on the mental side, no doubt. Myers was undeniably instrumental in the Packers’ nonissues with Steve Spagnolo’s blitz mania, seeing as the center is the “brains” of the line, making presnap calls and adjustments based on the defensive look. The Lions didn’t get to Love once, either, after manhandling the entire line back in Week 4. Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but Myers has truly ascended in weeks past and very well may be alright.

1. In Prosciutto The Quarterback

They’re playing against Tommy DeVito this week. And with my legally mandated Italian pun out of the way, we can talk about why the Packers will need to win in pursuit of the QB to keep the Giants from doing anything on offense.
Tommy DeVito is a fun story. Any time an undrafted rookie can find a foothold in the league, it’s worth cheering for. And to his credit, DeVito hasn’t been bad by any means. Sure, their two wins have come against bottomfeeders, the second of which needed an “accidentally” shanked field goal to even happen. And sure, they’re still the Giants.
In his four starts, Tommy DeVito has been sacked 26 times. For comparison, in his twelve 2023 starts, Jordan Love has been sacked 24 times. The Raiders had 6, the Cowboys had 5, the Commanders had 9, and the Patriots had 6. Fun fact: the Patriots have 26 sacks on the season, meaning 23% came in that one Giants game. The Raiders have 28, meaning 21.4% came against DeVito. The Commanders have 35, meaning 25.7% came via that one game.
The Giants have the league’s worst OL in essentially every possibly metric. I don’t think I need to explain why putting a rookie quarterback under constant duress is important, or why getting to him for 6.5 sacks per game and -4.92 yards per sack is beneficial. This Giants offense lives and dies by Saquon Barkley, so it is absolutely paramount that the Packers take advantage of any passing situations they force.
To their credit, they’ve done that in weeks past. They got to Patrick Mahomes three times in the red zone, instrumental in forcing field goals that ultimately won them the game. They lived in the Lions’ backfield, getting to Goff thrice and forcing a few fumbles in the process. These are quarterbacks significantly better than DeVito with significantly better offensive lines and playcallers.
If the Packers want to ensure Monday doesn’t become a trap game, Joe Barry needs to sit down the front seven with a picture of DeVito and say two simple words.
“Ice ‘em.”

1. “That’s The Plan!”

Kudos to David Bakhtiari for making this offseason a lot easier. After complimenting Jordan Love on Twitter, a fan replied to Bakhtiari saying “please come back next season and take this team to the next level.”
And Bakhtiari replied with those three simple words. “That’s the plan!”
I wish it was that simple, I really do, but it’s nice having a sense of what he wants to do. There’s been no shortage of unfounded speculation that he’ll force his way to the Jets, but with three simple words, the plan became clear.
Now for the other 99%. Bakhtiari’s current cap hit in 2024, which is the final year of the extension he signed back in November of 2020, is a hair over $40 million. That is of course entirely unmanageable and will need to change regardless of whether or not he returns. Even if Bakhtiari is willing to essentially play for the vet minimum, it would still be with a $20 million cap hit. There are no easy ways out, unless the Packers feel confident in a short extension (2-3 years).
But let’s leave the cap work to Russ Ball and Brian Gutekunst. What would it mean for the roster?
For starters, it would mean they have all five starters for a solid 2024 line. Runyan and Nijman likely walk in free agency, leaving Bakhtiari, Jenkins, Myers, Rhyan, and Tom as the core with Walker as the swing tackle. This is tremendously to their benefit — their winning streak has all but taken them out of draft range for a top tackle. Keeping Bakhtiari gives them the leeway to draft and develop rather than plugging and playing an early rookie pick.
And it gives them the chance to maybe, just maybe, turn things around. Bakhtiari is still only 32, and if this last knee surgery truly was the last (and fixes the problem for good, as was the intent) he should have a few good years left in the tank. There is a world in which he signs an extension in Green Bay. There’s also a world in which he never plays a snap in green and gold again. But only time will tell which world comes to exist — for now, all we know is the plan.

1. What’s Dunn is Dunn

Can we talk about the elephant in the room? In a historic season of youth and rookies in particular, the Packers have done what no team has ever done in the Super Bowl era — had three rookie tight ends score touchdowns.
Luke Musgrave looks like a star in the making, so long as he can keep his kidneys in one piece. Tucker Kraft very well might be breaking the third round curse before our eyes. Ben Sims has all the makings of a ten-year stalwart blocker.
And they’re rookies! Of all the positions, tight end is often labeled the most difficult for rookies to produce at. It’s a steep learning curve, and yeah, it took a while to get here. Musgrave and Love were frequently on different pages early on. Kraft looked almost unplayable. Sims was unplayable.
All three have truly ascended- okay, I’ll stop using that phrase. But the coaching staff, and TEs coach John Dunn in particular, deserve so much credit I don’t even know where to start. They, alongside Gutekunst and his talent evaluators, literally rebuilt an entire position group in one offseason and twelve games.
The easiest way to describe it is with numbers.
2022 Packers TEs: 76 REC, 676 yards, 4 TDs
2023 Packers TEs (pace): 77 REC, 731 YDs, 4 TDs
Cheaper, more athletic, more versatile, better. And all three are under contract for cheap for years to come. Meanwhile, Tonyan and Lewis are literal nonfactors in Chicago. I’m sure a similar comparison could be made at WR, but who cares about that? Anyone could rebuild a WR room. But TE? This is a truly special year.

1. High Flyin’ Brian Gutekunst

It’s December. I know it’s December. The draft isn’t for another four and a half months.
But goddammit, who cares about little details like that? Instead, let’s just take a little look at how Brian Gutekunst and his scouts spent their past few months. Keep in mind that not all games scouted are reported, and the GM is there for few if any.
Based on what was reported, the Packers had in-person scouts present at multiple games or practices for ten college football teams. Most of them will not surprise you. But maybe a few will, so let’s list them and a top prospect at each.
Iowa — DB Cooper DeJean
DeJean is special. He’s played corner for the Hawkeyes most of the time, but he’s spent time at safety and linebacker. For most NFL teams, he’ll probably be considered a safety with elite ball skills, elite athleticism, and elite return man capability. He is probably what an AI would generate if you told it to make a Packers prospect.
Alabama — OT J.C. Latham
Latham is the consensus OT3 and the first one the Packers have any chance at. He’s massive, with good technique and even better numbers in his time on the Tide. He’s a bit of a projection at left tackle, having played solely on the right side, but across the board, he’s a prototypical first round prospect.
Auburn — DB Jaylin Simpson
Simpson is another versatile type, playing 150+ snaps at free safety, box safety, and slot corner in 2023. He’s a bit undersized but doesn’t play like it, with strong ball skills and athleticism. After their double-dipping on Tigers last year, Simpson could be another midround candidate for the Packers.
Michigan — DL Kris Jenkins
Jenkins is an effective run-stopper, which is a breath of fresh air for Packers fans. He does need a bit of time to develop a pass rush arsenal, but Green Bay has the rushers to feasibly start him out in a two-down role. Right now, he’s a projected second rounder.
Duke — OL Graham Barton
Barton projects as a prototypical IOL convert after playing OT for the Blue Devils due to size and length concerns. He’s a paver in the run game and can get to the second level effectively, making him a possible midround depth candidate.
Ole Miss — WR Tre Harris
Harris is simply solid across the board. He’s a good athlete, a good route runner, has good hands, has good YAC ability, and so forth. As far as midround depth receivers go, Harris fits a reliable mold Green Bay could certainly use.
Arizona — OL Jordan Morgan
Morgan is another projected IOL convert with the strength and athleticism to thrive in a scheme like Green Bay’s with frequent play action and lateral play. A projected second rounder, he could compete for a starting spot from Day One.
Missouri — CB Kris Abrams-Draine
Abrams-Draine is an elite athlete with only three years under his belt at CB. He’s a bit undersized for the boundary, but lacks the chops in run defense for the nickel. As far as developmental zone corners go, though, he’s a high-upside midrounder.
Penn State — CB Kalen King
King isn’t the best prospect on the Nittany Lions, but he’s the best the Packers have a shot at. He’s a solid athlete with elite ball skills and notable run defense acumen; a high-floor Day 2 option.
Southern Utah — I Don’t Know
Honestly, I can’t find one. It’s likely coincidence Green Bay attended two of their games, seeing as they were against Arizona State and BYU. Hooray!

1. Sweet Sixteen (And Zero)

Can we take a moment to appreciate how insane it is that Matt LaFleur is 16-0 in December in his career? It’s fascinatingly impressive. Let’s take a little look at it while we still can, seeing as he’s got another four to go this year.
2019: 31-13 @ Giants — the Big Dog snow game 20-15 v Commanders — Jones with 192 total yards 21-13 v Bears — 4th and 4 Adams TD 23-10 @ Vikings — 3.5 sacks for Za’Darius 23-20 @ Lions — Crosby walkoff as time expires
2020: 30-16 v Eagles — Jones 77 yard TD to clinch 31-24 @ Lions — Rodgers 4 total TDs to clinch North 24-16 v Panthers — Barnes forces goalline fumble 40-14 v Titans — Adams and Dillon go wild
2021: 45-30 v Bears — Rasul Douglas pick six 31-30 @ Ravens — Ravens failed 2pt to lose 24-22 v Browns — Mayfield’s 4 INTs
2022: 28-19 @ Bears — Watson’s backflip 24-12 v Rams — Dillon scores twice 26-20 @ Dolphins — That one Lewis throw
2023: 27-19 v Chiefs — Love is on fire
Shall we continue on to a potential 20-0? Possible, but of course, even if they don’t, it’s still been a hell of a ride. I hope this trip down memory lane was a fun one. Some of those games, I forgot even happened. Others, I think about all the time. History made, and still in the making.
Sometimes, it’s just really fun being a Packers fan.
The New York Giants loom, and I waited this late so I could see the injury report before posting. Watson is out, Quay is doubtful, and AlexandeJones/Savage/Stokes mark the questionables. But there are no excuses and no complaints either way.
Because at the end of the day, the Packers have no excuse to not take care of business.

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We’ve arrived at the week of Thanksgiving and since I’m in a generous, giving mood, I decided to give something to look forward to for fanbases of the teams that aren’t currently projected to be factors in the playoff picture. And while this includes a couple of teams from the NFC South, that could ultimately still host a playoff game due to the division they’re in, and two .500 teams from the AFC, I think when you look at the list of teams, they all still lack certain elements, which the best way to acquire those is with high draft picks.
I will start by quickly listing the current draft order – if the season ended today – then share my general bird's-eye view of the upcoming class, before we work our way through each team, shortly discussing their overall state and how they may already look ahead to February through April with their scouting staffs to some degree.
The cut-off for the teams discussed here is pick 16, which makes sense considering the next teams up would be the Bengals and Bills before we get to the current playoff seeds – Cincinnati may have a couple of uncomfortable decisions to make in free agency but were on pace to be one of the most dangerous groups in the AFC, while Buffalo is still very much in the thick of things with the way they looked this past Sunday and being just half a game back from the number seven seed.
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Graphic provided by tankathon.com
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General thoughts on the ’24 class:

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I’m glad to be ahead of schedule at this point of the calendar year compared to the past in terms of my draft evaluations, particularly because I know the type of effort it takes every year to get to a point, where I feel like I can talk about 85-90% of drafted players in an educated fashion. This past April, I made it exactly through the first five rounds until a name was announced who I hadn’t studied on tape. Right now, I have extended notes on close to 150 prospects expected to be part of this upcoming class. I haven’t done in-depth studies on them, to where I’d feel comfortable actually ranking them in order, particularly considering many of them still have key conference championships and potentially even playoff games to evaluate. However, I definitely have a good grasp on the top-end talent and depth at every position group, players I feel will transition well to the next level, and mostly how the NFL will look at them, pending medical reports.
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Therefore, in terms of those top-16 selections I’ve referenced, here are the players I’m pretty certain will be part of that group:
Quarterbacks (2) – Caleb Williams (USC) and Drake Maye (North Carolina)
Wide receivers (3) – Marvin Harrison Jr. (Ohio State), Malik Nabers (LSU) and Keon Coleman (Florida State)
Tight-end (1) – Brock Bowers (Georgia)
Offensive tackles (3) – Olu Fashanu (Penn State), Joe Alt (Notre Dame) and J.C. Latham (Alabama)
Edge defenders (2) – Dallas Turner (Alabama) and Chop Robinson (Penn State)
Interior D-line (1) – Jer’Zhan Newton (Illinois)
Cornerback (1) – Kool-Aid McKinstry (Alabama)
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Other players in consideration right now: EDGE Jared Verse (Florida State), DB Cooper DeJean (Iowa), WR Rome Odunze (Washington), CB Nate Wiggins (Clemson), OT Amarius Mims (Georgia), CB Kalen King (Penn State) and multiple quarterbacks
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We’ve got a long process in front of us, but ultimately I have a hard time imagining a situation where the first two players off the board aren’t those two QBs, unless the Cardinals stick at number two overall and don’t find a trade partner. At this point, the pendulum has swung too far regarding the public perception of Caleb Williams in regard to the rest of the class. I have seen him operate effectively in structure as part of an Air Raid offense when his protection hasn’t been atrocious, plus then he adds a play-making component to the table that is second to none who I’ve ever studied. Yet, I can equally see many teams fall in love with Drake Maye, who plays the position more by the book, but has incredible arm talent and athletic skills, very reminiscent of Justin Herbert to me, although we actually have gotten to see him read the full field and make more NFL-type of throws at UNC, compared to Herbert at Oregon. To me, it’s a true 1A and 1B situation. Where it becomes interesting is if a team falls in love with one of the following four names I’d say – Michael Penix Jr. (Washington), Bo Nix (Oregon), J.J. McCarthy (Michigan), or Jayden Daniels (LSU). Depending on who ultimately declares, this could be one of the deepest groups of signal-callers we’ve ever seen, but at that position, you don’t wait around on “your guy” typically.
After the top two QBs, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Olu Fashanu are true blue-chip players, who I believe will be treated as such by the league. Both wide receiver and offensive tackle appear very exciting and we could see two or three other names at those respective spots come off the board over the front half of the first round, but Harrison and Fashanu separate themselves due to their combination of insane natural talent and technical prowess at this stage of their careers – in particular the Ohio State pass-catcher when it comes to the latter part. While the sheer amount of WR names as usual exceeds OTs and there is a certain element of scarcity by position that could to teams feeling like they can wait a little bit on pass-catchers, I do believe this group includes talents that are worthy of overlooking that aspect. That includes Georgia TE Brock Bowers, who is easily in a tier of his own and should absolutely hear his name called early, despite positional value elements that may go against him.
Edge defender is a very interesting group, because I don’t believe there are as many high-end prospects in this discussion. There are plenty of day two and especially day three guys to consider, but after the top-six names I’d say, there’s a pretty significant drop-off. I did not include UCLA edge defender Laiatu Latu as part of the list above, due to a lack of knowledge on his medical situation, considering he was once forced to retire from the sport temporarily based on a neck injury. However, in terms of the best players right now, I think he’s the alpha of the group actually, even though Dallas Turner and Chop Robinson have more freakish athletic traits, which the NFL covets. Jared Verse has lost some shine, but I think in a vacuum, if you didn’t compare him to the 2022 version of himself – which I expected to enter this past draft – he still is certainly part of this conversation. I’ll also throw in Illinois DT “Johnny” Newton here, who provides the type of quick-twitch ability you see from the elite interior pass-rushers around the league, along with being a consistent disruptor in the run game.
At cornerback, Kool-Aid McKinstry seems to be the one name locked in for the top-ten, considering how good his tape is, while having the size measurables any defensive coordinator dreams of. Kalen King unfortunately has regressed a little bit from the guy I loved watching in the summer, who would just attack downhill as the ball comes out or he was asked to support the run. Cooper DeJean was announced to miss the rest of Iowa’s season last week unfortunately, but he’ll be an intriguing name, with the size to play safety and legit punt return skills, but also quality film covering receivers inside and out. And then the name to really keep an eye on is Nate Wiggins, who is a super-twitched-up, aggressive player, who showed off his long speed on an unbelievable chase-down tackle this past Saturday against North Carolina, where he turned what should’ve been a touchdown into a fumble and touchback for his Tigers. I could see like another 12 corners come off the board within the top-100 picks ultimately, however.
I don’t have a linebacker or safety as part of this discussion currently. Two Clemson linebackers – Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and Barrett Carter – are in contention for later first-round picks, plus I think a guy that could have a meteoric rise at that spot is Texas A&M’s Edgerrin Cooper, as he blows up the combine and people go back to his tape, since not many people are yet really paying attention to an underperforming Aggies program. On the back-end, Miami’s Kamren Kinchens and Minnesota’s Tyler Nubin bring the combination of range, football IQ, and ball-skills that the NFL is looking for at the position to address early, but I’d so somewhere in the 20s feels more appropriate in general and we haven’t seen teams really target those guys earlier than that in recent years.
Let’s now get to the specific landing spots and where all these teams may be looking to go!
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Picks 1-16:

1. Chicago Bears – via Carolina Panthers (1-9)

After “earning” the first overall pick last year and trading it to the Panthers, who ultimately used it on Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, the Bears will once again be the defining team and the ones who control the upcoming draft the most. Carolina certainly didn’t expect to hand over the same draft capital plus D.J. Moore ultimately for moving up eight spots in April, but being a game below Arizona with zero compared to two wins in-conference, this likely appears to be the case. Even if the Panthers were to win a couple more games, Chicago has all the ammo to make an offer to who’d move ahead of them that those guys almost can’t refuse. What’ll be interesting with them is if Justin Fields can show them enough down the stretch that his recent improvements make them double-guess if they should go quarterback again and depending on how high their own selection will ultimately be, if they target another blue-chip player – something they desperately need – or if another team wants to come up and send even more draft capital for next year to Chicago. Considering they just traded a high second-round pick for a player on his rookie contract for the second year in a row with Montez Sweat, they may prefer the former. Yet, here’s a world in which they end up with Marvin Harrison Jr., and Olu Fashanu and receive an extra pick via trade, if Fields shows out the final seven weeks here. That would obviously be insane. However, if they love Caleb Williams or Drake Maye, that may not matter. And you have to question if this coaching staff will be trusted with making those enormous decisions, particularly if both selections remain in the top-four or -five, and even Ryan Poles has made some questionable decisions during his short stint as general manager.
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2. Arizona Cardinals (2-9)

While the Cardinals were the odds-on favorites to pick first overall before the season started, this is starting to very much feel like the 2019 Dolphins or 2021 Lions, where they play hard for that coaching staff and possibly win a couple of games down the stretch, but still end up with a high pick of their own and excess draft capital, to where they can turn things around fairly quickly. So this could be a true win-win situation. How exactly they approach this stage of the rebuild under GM Monti Ossenfort and HC Jonathan Gannon is still very much in the air though. The biggest determining factor of course is their decision at quarterback. For a while, it seemed like they were likely shopping Kyler Murray during the offseason and selecting one of the top two signal-callers. Yet, even if they looked at this as a showcase for the former number one pick from 2019 originally, with the play-making abilities he’s shown in just his first two games back from the torn ACL, he may play well enough to take Arizona out of the Caleb-Drake sweepstakes and get this regime on board with building around Kyler anyway. They’ve proven they’re not the worst roster in the league, but you could argue the only other cornerstone players they have are most recent first-rounder Paris Johnson Jr. at offensive tackle and safety Budda Baker. What really dictates that decision is the fact that Murray will carry an average cap hit of 49 million dollars, while they’re at a stage of their life cycle where they still need to hit on a lot of moves before they can compete with the 49ers and the rest of the NFC West. With book-ends offensively under contract, Marquise Brown being a free agent, may tilt them towards Marvin Harrison Jr. if they have their choice of non-QBs.
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3. New England Patriots (2-8)

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. I was pretty much right there with the sportsbooks, who had the Patriots win total set at 7.5, when I predicted they’d go 8-9. While I saw the shortcomings this offense may have again, I thought under Bill O’Brien they would at least not be abysmal, while the defense had a chance to end up as a top-five unit in the NFL. However, the lack of difference-making skill-position players, injuries on the O-line, still rather uninspiring offensive designs, and Mac Jones at times actively rebelling against the offense it seems like, has that unit ranked 29th in EPA per play. The defense has been marked by injury, but even special teams have been a major problem, with only one team below them in DVOA. I never thought we’d actually get here, but at this point it’s fair to ask if Bill Belichick will even be the one in control of this entire organization for a 25th season. So we may not have a clue who ultimately makes those decisions in New England. With that being said, as it pertains to what they’ll do with this selection, it may not make a difference. I’m not ready to totally rule out Mac Jones being a franchise quarterback, because I wouldn’t say a ton has changed about the guy who was an Offensive Rookie of the Year finalist, other than how he’s dealt with his frustrations on and off the field over the last two years. Of course, if New England does end up with a top-two pick, it’s a no-brainer to take one of the top-tier QBs. If they stick here at three though, going Marvin Harrison Jr. is an even bigger lay-up. He adds the dynamism this WR group desperately needs, but Bill – and any other coach – will love his hard-working mentality and attention to detail as a route-runner.
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4. Chicago Bears (3-8)

See the paragraph at number one overall.
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5. New York Giants (3-8)

The biggest movers of this past week were the Giants, who “dropped” down three spots in terms of draft order with their win at Washington, while the teams now ahead of them all either lost or had a bye week. As fun as it probably was for New Yorkers to see the lovable Tommy DeVito hit a couple of deep bombs to beat a divisional rival, this could end up having massive effects on what their future as a franchise looks like. Of course, they did lock up quarterback Daniel Jones on a four-year, 160-million-dollar contract – which I and many others already questioned at the time – but if they ended up owning the second pick in the draft, I think they would’ve been willing to worst case eat a 22.2-million dead cap hit after the 2024 season and build around Williams/Maye. While we haven’t seen much of left tackle Andrew Thomas this season, I believe between him and DT Dexter Lawrence, they have a legit All-Pro level player on each side of the ball, while Kayvon Thibodeaux is really coming on and they could still revisit a potential extension for Saquon Barkley, who is playing the RB position as well as he arguably ever has done. Beyond that, they hope some of their recent draft picks end up turning into plus starters and there’s still a lot to like about the Daboll-Kafka-Martindale coaching trio. With all three of their wins coming against the NFC and some more winnable games on the slate – especially if the Eagles end up sitting starters in week 18 – I think they’ve taken themselves out of the QB sweepstakes. So this decision will likely come down to whether they want to take on another project, where they convert Olu Fashanu or Notre Dame’s Joe Alt from the left to the right side and move Evan Neal inside – who they so far absolutely failed at doing the same. Even if WR1 is off the board, I could see them fall in love with LSU’s Malik Nabers ability to detach vertically and create after the catch, to complement their 17 different slot receivers.
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6. Tennessee Titans (3-7)

Another team that wasn’t quite expected to pick this high up – even though I personally had them going 7-10 this season – is the Titans. They actually started the season 2-2 and could’ve easily been 3-1, if not for a likely fumble return touchdown whistled dead in week one at the Saints. However, since then they’ve been outscored 144-to-96, with their only other win coming in rookie quarterback Will Levis’ spectacular debut. The excitement since that day has certainly worn off, with two touchdowns and interceptions each, following the four TD and zero INT performance. However, while I considered Levis worthy of a mid- to late-first-round pick personally rather than falling to the early second, reasonable expectations in year one were that he takes over in case the Titans fall out of playoff contention mid-way through the season and that he’ll likely struggle on. That’s in part due to some of the decision-making on his part, but even more based around the fact that they had no proven commodities along the O-line, Derrick Henry was starting to slow down a little bit and DeAndre Hopkins in year 11 was the only reliable pass-catcher on the team. And while they’ll be forced to make some tough decisions along their aging defense – which already included trading away perennial All-Pro safety Kevin Byard to Philadelphia for a bag of peanuts – that’s where I think they need to go with this selection. Tennessee’s brass was very happy about Peter Skoronski falling to them at 11th overall this past April and with his inside-out flexibility, he’ll be a corner-stone piece up front for them for a decade probably. While they could certainly go with another OT in case Joe Alt makes it to them, I think they just need a difference-maker at wide receiver and they’ll likely take the highest-drafted one since they took Corey Davis fifth overall back in 2017. So this probably comes down to LSU’s Malik Nabers or FSU’s Keon Coleman, especially considering Treylon Burks simply hasn’t been able to stay healthy and produce for them.
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7. Washington Commanders (4-7)

This Washington franchise just seems to be stuck in the mud. While Ron Rivera currently still holds the title of head coach, when they traded away edge defenders Montez Sweat and Chase Young – especially with the latter seemingly just being an order to get rid of for a compensatory third-round pick – it was a clear indication that new ownership wants to bring in “their guys” this offseason and the current regime of Rivera, defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio and general manager Martin Mayhew are just dead men walking. What will be interesting is how this group at the top views current OC Eric Bienemy, who has done a solid job I’d say considering the circumstances, and helped quarterback Sam Howell to at least be functional. Depending on the circumstances, I could see EB sticking around, although Howell at the very least will be competing with somebody else. And that brings us to our first conversation around the extremely tough question “Who is QB3 in this class?”. Based on consensus boards, Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. are projected to go in the early 20s, while LSU’s Jayden Daniels and Oregon’s Bo Nix find themselves in the early 30s. Keep in mind – these are general rankings and don’t fully weigh positional value, although we’ve seen teams recently wait on a quarterback if they didn’t go really early. I would love to see Penix air it out to those Commander receivers, but with his injury history and certain accuracy questions, I don’t believe any of these guys are quite worthy of going this highly. I wouldn’t be shocked at all if this crew wants to complete the trifecta of new GM, HC and QB, but after trading away Sweat and Young, Washington seems primed to take their top edge defenders on the board. Penn State’s Chop Robinson certainly could be a target, but if you made me bet today, this organization has an affinity for Alabama players and Dallas Turner may have the highest ceiling of the bunch.
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8. Atlanta Falcons (4-6)

This is the first team that just really feels off to me being here. Once again, if I had to put money on who will ultimately win the NFC South, Atlanta would still be my pick. They already beat the two teams just below them here, their three consecutive losses have come by a combined score of 10 points despite switching back and forth between quarterbacks and they were 4-3 prior to it, despite now being tied for the third-worst turnover differential in the league (-6). Until recently, I had been pretty impressed by their defense and while the fantasy community would tell you Arthur Smith is the worst coach in the league – and I certainly disagree with some of his personnel decisions myself – I’m very happy to see them hand the reigns back over to second-year signal caller Desmond Ridder, because when he was in the lineup, this offense actually moved the ball pretty efficiently. What has killed them has simply been turnovers, which I hope the time on the bench will lead to him – and the team as a whole taking better care of the ball, especially in the red-zone. With that being said, he certainly hasn’t performed up to a standard that excludes the Falcons from considering taking another shot at the position, in particular if they do end up picking closer to the mid-teens and feel like the value is right. Considering how they want to run the offense, there are a few names that could give them similar positives to Ridder, with more consistency in ball-placement and avoiding turnover-worthy plays. With Jeff Okudah being just a one-year rental, Atlanta could be looking for a long-term running mate to A.J. Terrell at corner with somebody like Alabama’s Kool-Aid McKinstry, and while they’ve been applying pressure more regularly, they could still be targeting one of those guys we’ve discussed already, who can consistently win rushing off the edge.
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9. Green Bay Packers (4-6)

These Packers are kind of another team that could be ascending and at least making a run at the number seven seed in the NFC, which the Vikings currently own at 6-5. Following a calendar month filled with losses – with their bye week in-between – they’ve now sandwiched that stretch by winning two of three games. The most important piece of this has been Jordan Love re-gaining his confidence and just having a career day against the Chargers. Considering he signed that rather odd contract extension in the offseason and that they may not be in range for a quarterback of their liking, I’d say the most likely outcome is that they give him another year, pending any significant setbacks this season, and they actually give him some help when they are on the clock. The long-term status of former All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari is very much in the air still. He looked like himself in the season-opener this year, but with just 13 total games played since the start of 2021, I’m just not sure if they can depend on anything from him going forward. Depending on if they believe Zach Tom can flip over to the blind-side, it may give them the option to address offensive tackle somewhere between picks eight and 18 or so. Alabama’s J.C. Latham, Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga, and Georgia’s Amarius Mims all excel on the right side, but they bring different things to the table. Latham is already an advanced pass-protector who can really put edge defenders in a cage with his snatch-and-trap technique, Fuaga is a violent, mean road-grader in the run game with impressive athleticism at about 340 pounds and Mims is the most talented of the bunch, but only just returned from injury two weeks ago after missing extended and if he does declare as a true junior, he’ll do so with only 8.5 starts plus whatever playoff games he may be part of.
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10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-6)

After shockingly starting the year 3-1, the Bucs have crashed down to earth, losing five of their next six – including four straight following their week four bye. This is a franchise I’m not really sure what to make of for the future. Baker Mayfield has played well enough to make this a competitive team, but this always felt more like a one-year project and if they exist in mediocrity, he’s not the guy to base anything around and it’s probably time to say goodbye from some of these well-compensated veterans. Mike Evans has played as if he’s just pissed off and trying to show he’s still one of the league’s best receivers, not enough is made of how flawless Tristan Wirfs transition to the blind-side has been up until this past Sunday at least and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. has played at an All-Pro level, constantly being around the ball. Outside of those proven commodities, what has been encouraging is seeing how quickly some of these rookie defenders have acclimated themselves – Calijah Kancey and Yaya Diaby are true disruptors up front and Christian Izien looks like a quality starting nickel, after I predicted him to make an impact as an undrafted free agent. Realistic expectations from this ownership group should’ve been all along that after going all-out for this window with Tom Brady, they’d be taking some time to re-group and trying to keep the band together mostly didn’t really work. With both starting linebackers and safeties becoming free agents this offseason, they’ll be addressing those positions at some point in the draft, but not if they end up picking this high. Unless GM Jason Licht is pushed by ownership to attack quarterback early on, he’s probably working with a new head coach on transitioning this roster and depending if Big Mike is part of that plan, they may look at Florida State’s Keon Coleman as a younger version of that alpha receiver or they target one of those three right tackles I just discussed.
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11. New York Jets (4-6)

This is certainly not what Jets fans expected their season to look like. Of course, those dreams came crashing down early on, when the supposed savior Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles just four snaps into his time in the Big Apple. While Zach Wilson did have some positive moments during Rodgers’ absence, they have not gotten any consistent quarterback play and just announced a couple of days ago that they were making the switch to an even lesser-proven commodity in Tim Boyle. With that being said, this Jets brass still appears all-in on the possibility of having a Hall of Fame QB for another year or two and maximizing the window they have with him. Their defense is better than the numbers would indicate – as they’re being dragged down by an offense that can’t take pressure off them, putting them on the field for the fourth-longest time per game (27:38 minutes) – but they have rarely looked like a truly elite unit to me. It’ll be interesting how many pending free agents on the D-line they can bring back or how they decide to reload. Yet, for all his flaws, it’s pretty obvious that without Alijah Vera-Tucker on the O-line, Zach Wilson didn’t have a whole lot to rely on – Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson are the only two difference-makers and the only QB with multiple starts who has been pressured at a higher rate (28.3%) is Daniel Jones. Optimally, you’d certainly prefer Allen Lazard be your WR3, but reports emerged this past weekend about how the Jets already approached the Raiders to reunite Rodgers with Davante Adams and will continue to be in this discussion during the offseason. So with how injury-prone the O-line has been on top of question marks we already had coming into the year, that seems at least written in pen for them already as the plan here. That’s why I’ll never be convinced that the Jets didn’t get sniped by the Steelers for Georgia OT Broderick Jones this past April.
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12. Los Angeles Chargers (4-6)

There’s not another more frustrating team in the NFL right now than the Chargers. They have a 52.5-million-dollar quarterback in terms of average annual value, are among the top spenders overall and have a coaching staff in place for year three, while having replaced the one squeaky wheel calling plays on offense. Yet they’re only two games above 0.500 over the past three seasons, not cracking the top-20 in scoring defense in any of those and their rushing success has decreased in each of them, now down to 31st overall. You can blame a lot of factors in why they consistently underperform, but the two biggest points – Brandon Staley being one of the worst late-game managers across the league and their big-ticket names simply not living up to the billing – outside of Herbert. In particular, you can look at a defense with Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack, Derwin James, and J.C. Jackson – who didn’t even play a full season for them of his original four-year deal – combining for a 53.5-million-dollar cap hit this year and yet outside of a random six-sack performance from Mack, simply haven’t made enough big plays. We’ll have to see how many of those guys they’re going to part ways with, as the Staley era probably comes to an end, unless we see a massive turnaround here. You’d obviously like to see the Chargers be able to run the ball more effectively, but as long as Mike Williams was healthy, they were mostly lighting up teams with their offense. That’s where drafting Jordan Addison or Zay Flowers over Quentin Johnston this past April, coming off a brutal drop that probably cost them a win this past Sunday at Green Bay, would be massive right now. With Gerald Everett about to be off the books, I’d love to see Herbo throw to Georgia TE Brock Bowers though, to finally give them a reliable YAC threat. Yet, I’d think with Asante Samuel Jr. as the only corner of note under contract past this season, that’s clearly a position to target in a pretty strong class. Getting another DB with versatility like Iowa’s Cooper DeJean could make a lot of sense and so would finally addressing the interior D-line early on in the draft with Illinois’ Jer’Zhan Newton.
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13. Los Angeles Rams (4-6)

On one hand, the Rams are fairly close to where they were expected to be prior to the season and if for just slightly better late-game management by the Seahawks, they could pick be picking six spots higher than this right now. On the other, I can envision a path where they make it to 9-8 and compete for that final Wildcard spot as I look through their remaining schedule. On paper, looking at this roster, you saw a quarterback coming off yet another significant back injury, one proven pass-catcher, an offensive line that surrendered 59 sacks last season (third-most in the NFL), and a defense that consisted of Aaron Donald and zero other players drafted within the top-75 in those respective years. However, with the emergence of rookies like Puka Nacua and Byron Young, Matt Stafford playing like a borderline elite quarterback when his thumb isn’t bothering him and play-callers on both sides of the ball in Sean McVay and Raheem Morris elevated the individual pieces at hand, they have the ability to challenge pretty much any team in the league. So L.A. is in a position, where assuming Stafford comes back for another year, they can see if a promising young QB falls to them somewhere on day two and focus on getting the best player available in the first round. Preferably that would be on the defensive side of the ball, where they can’t rely on Ahkello Witherspoon to be responsible with nearly a bottom-ten passer rating (69.4) among corners after being a liability on the perimeter for the majority of his first five seasons in the league. I just mentioned Cooper DeJean for the other L.A. team, but someone like Clemson’s Nate Wiggins could become Raheem Morris’ new version of Jalen Ramsey, as a long, twitchy guy they can stick to the boundary and structure their coverages around him.
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14. Las Vegas Raiders (5-6)

The vibes around the Silver and Black have been significantly better since they fired the combination of Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler, naming Antonio Pierce interim head coach. Following a 3-5 start, they annihilated the Giants, beat the Jets in a close game, and had four offensive drives to potentially tie up the Dolphins in a 20-13 loss this past Sunday, with Miami expected to blow them out in their first game off the bye week. Having said that, I was somewhat confused about where the Raiders saw themselves coming into the season already. While it took a while to get them in-house, they brought back the reigning rusher leader in Josh Jacobs, have a star veteran receiver in Davante Adams, one of the elite defensive players in the game Maxx Crosby and all they did during the offseason was sign more veterans to fill out the rest of the roster. Yet, then they turned around and put this supposedly ready-to-compete team in the hands of Jimmy G – which unsurprisingly turned out horribly, after a couple of solid weeks early on, when they were able to mostly operate on schedule. They didn’t make any reinforcements to an O-line that had massive issues in pass-protections in 2022 and outside of seventh overall pick Tyree Wilson – who has a combined 1.5 sacks and TFLs up to this point – Marcus Epps was the only defensive addition of note. We’ve since heard Antonio Pierce describe linebacker Robert Spillane as “the guy they want to center things around” and he’s played exceptionally well, but while the defense has performed above expectations, DC Patrick Graham is making the best of the pieces he has. I’d say if one of those three offensive tackles I mentioned after Fashanu and Alt is available here, that’s definitely worth consideration as a replacement for Thayer Munford on the right side. Otherwise, a play-wrecker on the interior like Jer’Zhan Newton or their top corner on the board – which may very well be the feisty Kalen King from Penn State, if they keep this staff in place – sound like logical alternatives.
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The rest of the analysis can be found here!

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15. Indianapolis Colts (5-5)

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16. Denver Broncos (5-5)

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If you enjoyed this NFL breakdown, please consider heading over to the original article, and feel free to check out all my other video content!
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Twitter: @ halilsfbtalk
Instagram: @ halilsrealfootballtalk
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Layout:
— Individual Team News + Stone’s Cold Takes
— Miscellaneous/Other NFL News
— Picks of Week
— Featured Team of the Week - Arizona Cardinals
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Arizona Cardinals (1-4):

• Lost to the Bengals 34 to 20

The Cardinals were competitive early but as the game went on it seemed that the Bengals found themselves. QB Josh Dobbs had a rough game throwing a couple of picks and completing less than 50% of his passes. It is clear that this Cardinals team is not going to blow anyone out but when they play clean football they will set themselves up well to be close at the end of the game and squeeze out some wins.
Atlanta Falcons (3-2):

• Won 21 to 19 against the Texans

Great to see the team get TE Kyle Pitts more involved in the offense. He and London are two key playmakers that will really unlock things for this team if they can find ways to get them involved. QB Desmond Ridder had a better game but it still feels like he is having the defense read for him in a lot of instances rather than reading it himself and being able to make plays that way. It was a good response though to the Texans who had been saying that they weren’t worried about the pass because the Falcons don’t want to throw the ball. I don’t disagree with the comments made by the Texans’ players but probably something best kept to oneself. The defense for the Falcons will keep them in a lot of games this year and the hope is that QB Desmond Ridder can develop but I am still far from being sold on him yet.
Baltimore Ravens (3-2):

• Lost 17 to 10 against the Steelers

Rough game for the offense here and these divisional games are always a battle so I am not surprised it was close. The defense actually for both teams looked really good but what hurt at the end of the game was QB Lamar Jackson throwing an interception in the red zone and then a game ending fumble to follow that up. Hurts to have a division loss here but the Ravens should be fine and be able to bounce back. Clean up things when it comes to turnovers and it should get better for this team.
Buffalo Bills (3-2):

• Lost 25 to 20 against the Jaguars
• DaQuan Jones likely out for season with pectoral injury
• Matt Milano likely out for most of the rest of the season if not out the rest of the season with a leg injury

Tough loss for the Bills that came with some tough losses. They traveled in late in the week which I don’t think helped them and it just appeared that they were off. Also something that would have made the game very different was that on the one interception QB Allen threw it was deep ball to WR Diggs who had 1on1 coverage and he appeared to catch it but then had it stolen as he was coming to the ground. Those are usually balls that WR Diggs comes down with and could have changed the game because he would have be down right at the 1 or 2 yard line. The main concern for the Bills though going forward is how they are going to cope with the injuries on defense to be able to keep themselves in the games against some of the high powered offenses in the NFL like a Miami for example.
Carolina Panthers (0-5):

• Lost 42 to 24 against the Lions

Things keep getting worse for this team. QB Bryce Young is still going to take time to develop and needs it. They need a true #1 WR here and probably a little more help on the o-line. I know they were dealing with a high scoring offense here in the Lions but the more they commit to the run the better it will be for them. RB Miles Sanders is playing decent and he can take a lot of pressure off of QB Young and allow for him to get into some more favorable passing situations.
Chicago Bears (1-4):

• Won 40 to 20 against the Commanders

What a win for this team. Legend Dick Butkus passed away and must have helped inspire this team. They played well all around here and QB Justin Fields made some plays. I will say though there is still A LOT of room for improvement for Fields because he still did not have a good completion percentage and missed quite a few throws. At the end of the day though he made a lot of really nice throws and made the ones he needed to make in order to win the game. This Bears team could be dangerous but what is tough for me here is that it delays the changing of regime here with the coaching staff that seems to be inevitable. At this point I think it may be better to start to make the necessary changes to get through some of the struggles now and be ready for next year.
Cincinnati Bengals (2-3):

• Won 34 to 20 against the Cardinals

It appears the Bengals may have figured things out and could be ready to get back to how things have been the past couple of years. WR Ja’Marr Chase seems to have figured things out with QB Joe Burrow and was unguardable against the Cardinals. My concern here is QB Joe Burrow is taking too many big hits still and needs to be protected because if he is not healthy this team is not going to be able to perform or get where they want to be any time soon. We shall see if the change back to what we expected from this team to begin the season is something that continues or not.
Cleveland Browns (2-2):

• Bye Week

Biggest thing for this team is getting QB Deshaun Watson back to health before their matchup against the 49ers. He did not practice on Monday.
Dallas Cowboys (3-2):

• Lost 42 to 10 against the 49ers

This was a tough game for the Cowboys. It just appeared that the Cowboys got out-played in every part of the game. The biggest concern I have here is that consistently when the Cowboys need QB Dak Prescott to step up he finds way to crumble. I know everyone is saying it and it is the popular thing to say but it at time appeared he was just throwing the ball around rather than actually reading the defense and making good passes. I think the defense will figure it out but the big concern for the defense is that since the injury to CB Diggs they are ranked 30th against the pass. They did a good job of keep in RB McCaffrey contained and not allowing him to break off any big runs but they passing game was clicking all game long.
Denver Broncos (1-4):

• Lost 31 to 21 against the Jets
• Traded EDGE Randy Gregory and a 7th round pick to the 49ers for a 6th round pick

This was a must-win game for each team, not only because of their records coming into it but also because of the link between the two teams and their coaching staffs. This game clearly did not go the way the Broncos wanted and what is embarrassing is that the whole team appears to be a problem. QB Russell Wilson looks just as bad as last year and the defense still is managing to look downright terrible despite being top 10 last year. My biggest worry here after hearing what formers teammates of Russell’s have been saying is that the team just doesn’t want to play him for anymore and are ready to move on at QB. The defenses incredible drop in production seems to be indicative of that to me and the lack of production on offense in my mind starts with him.
Detroit Lions (4-1):

• Won 42 to 24 against the Panthers

This was a good win for the Lions because they were missing WR Amon Ra St. Brown. They continue to cruise here and weren’t expected to have much trouble putting away the Panthers. The one thing that I love about this Lions team is how they appear to play for each other and are always flying around working hard. DE Aidan Hutchinson needs to get more attention too outside of Detroit because he is playing incredible again this year following up a solid rookie campaign. The key now for this team will be continuing to get WR Jameson Williams incorporated into the offense and have him become a true #2 receiver like what they expected when they drafted him. His speed could do great things for this already very good Detroit offense.
Green Bay Packers (2-3):

• Lost 17 to 13 against the Raiders

Hard fought game by the Packers here but at the end of the day the offense just could never really get it going. The Raiders defense seemed to be constantly applying pressure to QB Jordan Love and he seemed off throughout the night whether it was missing WRs or just not getting the ball out in time. RB Aaron Jones was still out this week so that didn’t help things. What I am seeing though from QB Jordan Love is encouraging and the team. They appear to be slowly finding their own and in my opinion I think they are just going through one of those bumps that are always experienced with young QBs. The team has already been through a lot in losing RB Aaron Jones for most of this early part of the season and more recently losing OL David Bakhtiari for the rest of the season. I see this team ending up being around 8-9 or 9-8 and the fans here being able to expect a lot of growth coming in the 2024 season.
Houston Texans (2-3):

• Lost 21 to 19 against the Falcons

QB CJ Stroud continues to play well but the early struggle with completion percentage overall despite not having thrown a pick is what is holding this offense back. When you are completing under 60% of your passes it makes it hard to keep drives going and put points on the board like you would like to. Overall though I am very pleased with how well this team has played this early in the season and it is clear QB CJ Stroud is having the best early returns of any of the QBs drafted this past draft. They still have time to get things clicking on all cylinders and are still in a good spot to be able to compete for the division with everyone being clustered within one game of each other at the moment.
Indianapolis Colts (3-2):

• Won 23 to 16 against the Titans
• QB Anthony Richardson likely out for about a month with AC joint injury
• Signed RB Jonathan Taylor to a 3-year $42m extension

The Colts keep on finding ways to win and after this win they may regret signing RB Jonathan Taylor for all that money because RB Zach Moss was the reason they won this game. QB Anthony Richardson keeps improving and looking better. Great pick by the Colts but they have to find ways to keep him healthy. In the meantime QB Gardner Minshew really is the best backup they could have asked for in this situation and can keep the ship afloat while Richardson recovers.
Jacksonville Jaguars (3-2):

• Won 25 to 20 against the Bills

Great way to gut out a win against the Bills. At times it was not the most pretty and QB Trevor Lawrence needs to work on his ball security but he was incredible throwing the ball on third down and at the end of the day that and their defense is what won them the game. After a couple good wins now the Jaguars should feel good about themselves and carry this momentum when they get back stateside. They are right now in the running for the #1 seed every bit as much as anyone else and have a win against a team who many considered the team to beat in the AFC coming into this past week.
Kansas City Chiefs (4-1):

• Won 27 to 20 against the Vikings

Another week and another win they were able to gut out. The good things for Chiefs fans is that #1 TE Travis Kelce is okay and #2 the receivers are slowly but surely starting to get more involved in the offense each week. In the meantime as the offense continues to really get humming, the defense has been playing inspired football since DL Chris Jones returned. As always the Chiefs are the team that everyone is going to fear this year in the NFL and they are going to be favorites to win the Super Bowl and at least come out of the AFC in most people’s eyes.
Las Vegas Raiders (2-3):

• Won 17 to 13 against the Packers

The team here did just barely enough to win. Most of the credit here goes to the defense because they were able to consistently put the offense in favorable positions throughout the game due to turnovers. QB Jimmy Garoppolo is going to allow you to stay in most low scoring games and likely struggle when it is asked for him to score 20-30 points. The most surprising thing to me is how much they don’t use WR Davante Adams. I know people will say he is covered but every other QB has found ways to get the ball to him consistently except for Jimmy. There were many plays where he was open as well and is either not his first read or running routes that Jimmy G is afraid of throwing.
Los Angeles Chargers (2-2):

• Bye Week
• Traded JC Jackson to the Patriots for a late round 2025 pick swap

This bye week came at the perfect time to help the team get healthy after some early minor injuries. JC Jackson was starting to be a cancer on the defensive side of the ball and it was clear he was not going to play for the Chargers so it was good to offload him. Now the goal should be to focus up and get ready for next week.
Los Angeles Rams (2-3):

• Lost 23 to 14 against the Eagles

In WR Cooper Kupp’s return things looked good early on but slowly they got worn down but the Eagles. The D-line was a problem all game long and most notably DL Jalen Carter has proved to be a beast early and often. The Rams are going to be competitive though and showed as much against the Eagles. They are are in tough division but give their divisional opponents plenty of trouble. Also, I expect the Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp combo to get more lethal as time goes on and they get used to working together on the offense to open things up even more for QB Stafford.
Miami Dolphins (4-1):

• Won 31 to 16 against the Giants

Good win for the Dolphins and they clearly did so putting up over 30 points and with every RB just going crazy, especially Devon Achane who somehow improved his yards per carry during the game. The thing I am worried about here that will cause them more troubles against better teams is that the interception bug is coming back for QB Tua. He arguably when he is in rhythm is one of the more accurate QBs in the NFL but when he has to move or deal with even the slightest bit of pressure the last couple of games has showed his old tendencies that appeared to have been solved in the first 3 games. Clearly the Dolphins are a favorite to be atop the AFC but my worry is that how QB Tua is playing when pressured will be the deciding factor as to whether they are a favorite or an outside contender.
Minnesota Vikings (1-4):

• Lost 27 to 20 against the Chiefs
• WR Justin Jefferson will be placed on IR

You may start hearing more of the calls to trade QB Kirk Cousins with WR Justin Jefferson getting hurt and this team sliding to 1-4. They are much better than their record shows but they have to find a way to avoid turnovers. I know there were maybe some questionable calls during the game but at the end of the day they put themselves in a tough spot that they did not need to be in had they played clean football. The reason I think QB Kirk Cousins could be on the trade block is because ownership has not really shown much interest in committing to him long term and at this point they are probably not going to be competing for anything besides the last wild card spot if they can really turn things around. The real question is about who would be willing to do a deal for him at this point. It seems like the Jets are already starting to turn things around and other places the QBs are playing well. Hopefully the Vikings find a way but it is starting to seem a little far-fetched at this point.
New England Patriots (1-4):

• Lost 34 to 0 against the Saints
• Traded for JC Jackson with a late round pick swap for the 2025 draft

Miserable…that is how I would describe the Patriots the last couple of weeks. It is clear they miss both Judon and Gonzalez on the defense. QB Mac Jones has not looked like himself but also it is hard to blame him because no one is getting any separation. He is severely limited by his mobility though. This is going to be a rough year for the Patriots and it seems like those that doubt HC Belichick may be right this year in doing so.
New Orleans Saints (3-2):

• Won 34 to 0 against the Patriots

Didn’t have to do much here to win and it shows in QB Derek Carr’s stats but the Saints keep on finding ways to win and hopefully the offense can keep on getting more comfortable together so that they are rolling later in the year. The one thing that is clear here is that the defense is definitely top notch and they are going to be tough out for any team this year.
New York Giants (1-4):

• Lost 31 to 16 against the Dolphins
• QB Daniel Jones suffered neck contusion but may not miss time

The story here is still how bad the offensive line has been protecting their QB Daniel Jones. Now after that QB Daniel Jones has not looked as good as people had hoped either. The main issues here though right now are lack of a run game out side of Daniel Jones himself, no true #1 receiver, and maybe the worst o-line in the NFL this year. It is going to be tough to win a lot of games when those are your main 3 problems because it means you aren’t likely to put up a lot of points.
New York Jets (2-3):

• Won 31 to 21 against the Broncos
• OL Alijah Vera-Tucker out for the season with torn achilles

Great win for the Jets! They needed this one and hopefully it can be a confidence builder for the whole team. While QB Zach Wilson did not look incredible he is completing a higher percentage of his passes than in the past these last couple of weeks. RB Breece Hall is all the way back and that is going to be the most important thing for the team. A big loss for them is that OL Alijah Vera-Tucker is out for the season with a torn achilles. The thing I worry about is that last year when Tucker went down it was the same time as when Breece Hall went down and he is a big contributor on the o-line. Keep will be for his replacement to keep protecting the QB and ensuring that there is room for RB Breece Hall to run.
Philadelphia Eagles (5-0):

• Won 23 to 14 against the Rams

This was a more relaxed win compared to some of the recent dramatic wins that Eagles fans have had to deal with. Still a close game but I really liked how they seemed to stick with the run more even though it was not popping off quite as much as it has in past games. WR AJ Brown continues to perform well and they finally started to really get TE Dallas Goedert more involved in the offense. Things are definitely trending up for Philly and they are looking like potentially the best team in the NFC along with the Niners. That game in December should be a good one!
Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2):

• Won 17 to 10 against the Ravens

I know the Steelers won but outside of their last touchdown drive the offense looked terrible. What is more interesting is it appears that it was an audible that was called that got them the main play of that drive to win the game. The key difference though here in the Steelers offense showing some life is that QB Kenny Pickett is trusting WR George Pickens. When he does that the offense has a chance because he can beat guys with speed, routes, or just pure physicality.
San Francisco 49ers (5-0):

• Won 42 to 10 against the Cowboys

This team is just a wrecking ball right now. They have not yet played a close game. I would say the closest game was against the Rams or the Cardinals that they still seemed to be in control of the entire time. QB Brock Purdy is playing out of his mind and it was good to see them still win even when RB Christian McCaffrey was not having his best game. Sure enough others stepped like, mainly Kittle and Aiyuk to fill the void that was left. Even RB Jordan Mason was good to bring in to soften up the defense with his tough running. 49ers need to stay healthy and not get complacent to be able to keep on rolling.
Seattle Seahawks (3-1):

• Bye Week

Not much news here but the Seahawks are sitting pretty good thus far at 3-1 and were probably thrilled to get to watch both the Cardinals and Rams lose this past week.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1):

• Bye Week

Not much news here from their bye week but QB Baker Mayfield did make an appearance at the Red River Rivalry game and got to see him alma mater win in dramatic fashion.
Tennessee Titans (2-3):

• Lost 23 to 16 against the Colts

Hard fought game but this continues the Titans streak of slingshotting back and forth with wins and losses. HC Mike Vrabel is definitely going to keep making things interesting for the rest of the season. What is clear here is that they will be looking for another QB either in free agency or the draft this upcoming year. It was good to see WR DeAndre Hopkins have a big game and the team should expect more of that as the season rolls on. Hopefully RB Derrick Henry can really get going here soon to for this team’s sake as well as for my f*antasy team’s sake.
Washington Commanders (2-3):

• Lost 40 to 20 against the Bears

The team just came out flat and got punched in the mouth. QB Sam Howell overall I thought still looked pretty good and in a lot of ways looked better than QB Justin Fields having a higher completion percentage by about 20 points. The Commanders despite a tough loss should be happy though because EDGE Chase Young is starting to look like himself again, especially in the second half of the game and QB Sam Howell appears to be someone they can hand the keys to with the team. Shake it off and come ready to play next week would be my main message to the team here.
Miscellaneous/Other NFL News:

• NFL was testing competitive advantage of a team staying in London for a week versus another team flying in the week of in the Bills v. Jags matchup
• More players calling for turf to be eliminated from stadiums due to a whole slew of injuries, a lot of them happening in London to the Bills’ defense

Picks of the Week:
Went 7-7 this past week so I am still at .500 on the year being 39-39 thus far
Commanders +2.5 v. Falcons -2.5
49ers -5.5 v. Browns +5.5
Giants +14 v. Bills -14
Broncos +10.5 v. Chiefs -10.5
Ravens -3.5 v. Titans +3.5
Vikings -2.5 v. Bears +2.5
Seahawks +2.5 v. Bengals -2.5
Panthers +13.5 v. Dolphins -13.5
Colts +4.5 v. Jaguars -4.5
Saints -1.5 v. Texans +1.5
Patriots +3 v. Raiders -3
Cardinals +6.5 v. Rams -6.5
Eagles -6.5 v. Jets +6.5
Lions -3 v. Buccaneers +3
Cowboys -2 v. Chargers +2
Featured Team of the Week:
*for links, please see the link in my bio for shirt and restaurant
Get this shirt to cheer on the Cardinals being surprisingly good thus far!
Restaurant of the Week: (Ric's on 95th)
Ric’s is only about 1 mile from the stadium and has a menu that anyone can choose from. I recommend there Patty Melt here and then getting dessert as well. My favorite dessert option is the Chocolate Explosion which is basically chocolate cake, with chocolate fudge, more chocolate stuff and then ice cream. Can’t go wrong with that. Since it is a sports grill too you will be able to keep up with all the action going on around the league before or after the game depending on when you decide to grab a bite.

This is an organization that has delivered 30 years of sustained success with 2 Super Bowl trophies and probably two additional SB appearances in ‘14 and ‘20 if it weren’t for freak onsides kick and Bakhtiari accidents.
It’s Week 5 with the youngest roster in the NFL. The players are going to get better. Things are going to get better, even if it doesn’t happen this year.

Practice is over
General:

• Gary is planning on participating in 11 v 11s today.
• Today is the 2nd to last open practice.

Injuries: CB Eric Stokes (PUP-Knee/Foot), TE Tyler Davis (ACL)
Not Practicing / Limited: RB Lew Nichols (Shoulder), RB Tyler Goodson (Shoulder), OL Luke Tenuta (Ankle), ILB De'Vondre Campbell (Ankle), Bo Melton (Hamstring), S Tarvarius Moore (Knee), OL Jake Hanson (Shin), OL David Bakhtiari (Rest), FB Henry Pearson, WR Dontayvion Wicks, DT Jason Lewan (Back)
Offense:

• Caleb Jones is back from the ankle injury
• Some rare 7 on 7s! Play one incomplete for Love. Nowhere to go - threw it away.
• Clifford high for Heath.
• McGough short to Bonds
• Love complete to Doubs on a shortish out route.
• McGough deep to Bonds. Had him but Bonds couldn’t locate the ball.
• Jordan Love missed Romeo Doubs in his lone deep shot in 7 on 7. Doubs was open behind Rasul Douglas with Rudy Ford helping in coverage, but Love overshot him.
• Super short completion from Clifford to Heath. Highly contested.
• McGough nice completion to Deguara over the middle.
• OL and DL one-on-ones:
• Elgton Jenkins won vs Wyatt but the former first round is coming along man. Violent hands, power. Would’ve won against a lot of OGs in the nfl
• Walker beats Hollins
• Jones beats Enagbare
• Rhyan beats Slayton
• Nijman beats Van Ness
• Rhyan beats Slayton
• Jones beats Cox
• Starters in team Love Jones Walker - Elgton - Myers - JRJ - Tom Musgrave - Kraft Doubs - Watson
• Love’s first throw in team looked like it was intended for Jaire. Well short of Watson and incomplete. Off play action. Love has struggled a bit in the wind and it’s a very windy day at practice today.
• Love to Musgrave on a bootleg for a handful.
• False start Kraft.
• Packers #2 OL: Jones - Rhyan - Empey - Newman - Nijman
• Fumbled exchange between Empey/Clifford. Crazy how often these have happened.
• Running lane left for Taylor
• Nice run by Patrick Taylor up the middle.
• Play-action, drop by DuBose. McGough hit him in stride over the middle.
• Watts and Bonds lineup in the wrong spot. That won’t help.
• Quick screen to Watts for a couple.
• Ball snapped as Musgrave in motion. Fumble.
• Enagbare draws a holding penalty on Walker. Two of the stars from Saturday. Nice, layered throw from Jordan Love on the play to Christian Watson for about 15 yards. Watson ran an in breaker, foundations soft spot in the zone, and Love put it over the LBs, in front of the safeties.
• Clifford play action, finds Kraft in flat. Carpenter there right away.
• Good protection, Tom & Runyan helping on Gary. Musgrave in flat.
• Love drops his arm angle and finds Doubs on an out route. Nice pass rush by Wyatt over Tom. Play goes for a couple.
• False start Musgrave. Toure had one the previous play but they didn’t catch it. Sloppy practice for offense today.
• Immediately followed by another false start. Ooof.
• Love tries a tight window throw to Heath along the sideline - triple covered and no chance. Wide and out of bounds anyway. Pressure from McDuffie and Van Ness.
• Good coverage, Love goes through progressions finds Jones in flat. Defense dominating so far and forcing checkdowns.
• DuBose with a nice catch over the middle from Clifford down with the 2’s.
• Love to Doubs over middle. Nice throw between defenders. Nice throw and catch.
• Gary "sacks" Love but Love off his back foot under pressure somehow drops a dime deep to rookie Jayden Reed on a fade ball down the right seam. Reed got behind Keisean Nixon, and Love dropped it over his receiver’s shoulder for a 78-yard touchdown. Can’t place it any better than that.
• Love buys time after Enagbare and LVN collapse the pocket. Wicked arm angle to find Doubs, throws high but Doubs goes and gets it and gets up field for a nice gain against Rasul Douglas. Back to back big plays.
• Awesome blitz pickup by Josiah. Love finds Dillon for about 10ish.
• Aaron Jones just took a middle screen 80 yards for a td. Beautifully executed by the offense.
• Red Zone 17 seconds left. Ball on opposing 25. No timeouts. Love only needed one play. Throws to Watson touchdown on a slant. Nixon fell down in coverage. Love is cooking now.
• Same situation for Clifford. Quick completion to Heath on an out route but likely sack by Enagbare v. Telfort
• Quick out to Reed, doesn’t get out of bounds, clock expires before clocking it.
• Clifford QB, offense at own 3: Run right for short gain
• Quick out to Chrest
• Nowhere to go. Tried to squeeze pass in over middle. Incomplete.
• Love and starters inside own 5: Love from deep in his own end zone finds Jayden Reed on an intermediate crosser in stride. Looked like it would have been a big gain. Offense had settled in nicely.
• Handoff to Jones left, Clark there immediately but Jones cuts back. Played well by McDuffie but nice positioning by Jenkins to create running lane.
• Delayed handoff, nice running lane by Myers and Jenkins
• Van Ness gives Tom some fits on bull rush, Love just missed Doubs on a shot between corner and safety down the right sideline. Good coverage by Valentine.
• I’ve been tough on Deguara but he’s had a really nice day blocking today. Nice blitz pickup earlier and now nice block downfield.
• McGough inside own 5: Run right by Wilson for a few yards.
• Has time, finds McCrary in flat. Minimal gain.
• On third & 3, Alex McGough hits Jadakis Bonds for a 91-yard touchdown Deep down the right side. Bonds got behind Kiondre Thomas in coverage. You couldn’t have thrown a better ball
• Clifford at QB. Inside own 5 again: Hollins beats Telfort. Probably a sack. Clifford nice ball to Watts over the middle. After the defense dominated early; the offense is doing whatever it wants against the defense lately.
• Run right by Wilson. Picks up decent gain.
• Heath over middle.
• Banks with pressure. Complete to Taylor.
• Love complete to Doubs along the sideline for a handful on an out route vs Nixon.
• Pocket collapses, Love escapes and runs for few yards before going out of bounds.
• Love fires high for Musgrave. Could have been a nice pickup. Nobody around Musgrave. Was definitely very high but thought maybe Musgrave could have had it. Either way ball incomplete.
• Love hits Watson over the middle for a nice pickup. The middle of the field is going to be attacked so much more this year.
• Pass to Toure in flat. Incomplete. Lead him a bit too far.
• Jordan Love with great ball to Samori Toure down middle. With safety over top, Love threw behind Toure so as to not get his receiver’s head knocked off. Toure made sliding catch coming back to the ball for 24 yards.

Defense:

• Gaines and AJJ both sky for a potential pick on a deep ball from Clifford to DuBose that hung up. Ball falls incomplete.
• Slaton beats Myers
• Wooden beats Runyan
• Rashan Gary did his first one on one rep of camp. Tom had a good set but Gary kinda threw a hump move on him got inside leverage
• Brooks beats Newman
• Ford beats Empey
• Moultrie beats Schneider
• Banks beats Telfort
• Starters: Clark - Slaton - Wyatt Gary - Smith Quay - McDuffie Jaire - Douglas Ford - Savage
• Cox beats Allen, likely sack. Clifford dumps it off to Taylor.
• Cox there to make tackle on Wilson. Allen blocking again.
• Nice job by Mosby setting the edge and Hooper in run support. Run goes nowhere from McCrary.
• Pitch to Dillon. Played well by Smith forcing Dillon back inside.
• Read option, ball given to Jones. Clark in backfield quick.
• Handoff to Wilson but LB Wilson blitzes and got into backfield. Tough to tell without tackling if would have brought E. Wilson down.
• Would be sack by Enagbare/Wyatt on Love.
• Hollins with a nice run stop on Jones.
• Clifford check down to Kraft. AJJ all over it.
• Innis Gaines tips a Love pass for a deflection on the ones side of the two spot
• Jonathan Ford shoots through the line for a tfl on Taylor. He’s fighting hard for a 6th dl spot.
• Nowhere for Dillon to go up middle. Clark there.
• Slaton, Wyatt, McDuffie clog up middle on run
• Love pass to Reed downfield, Valentine in good coverage. Johnson comes over the help for PBU.
• Defense finally with a nice play. Love scrambles for nothing. Nice coverage downfield.

Special Teams:

• Carlson kicking: Good from 33 (O’Donnell) No good left from 45 (Whelan) Good from 47 (O’Donnell)
• Carlson kicking again (into the wind): No good right from 51 (Whelan) No good right from 52 (O’Donnell) No good left from 53 (Whelan)
• 2/6 so far (on a gusty day)
• Cody Chrest muffs a punt. That might be the first punt that wasn’t caught clean all camp.

Media:

• Zach Tom Video
• Gary Warmups Video Video2
• Toure Video
• Reed Video
• Watson Video
• Love Video

Interviews:
LaFleur Presser:

• Matt LaFleur says the plan is for Rashan Gary to return to 11-on-11 drills today. Big news.
• Matt LaFleur says Eric Stokes is not ready to be activated off PUP. He would not make any projections on whether Stokes will remain on PUP after rosters are trimmed to 53 players next week.
• Matt LaFleur says S Tarvarius Moore's knee injury is a "day to day" thing.

For live twitter updates: Click Here!
I am not at the practice. This is a compilation of many different twitter accounts of reporters posting.

Layout:
— Individual Team News + Stone’s Cold Takes
— Miscellaneous/Other NFL News
— Featured Team of the Week - San Francisco 49ers
Arizona Cardinals:

• Overall concern for the organization
• QB Clayton Tune and QB Colt McCoy have looked okay thus far

Not too much news here. There is starting to be a bit of talk about next year already though among the sports channels. The main concern here is the health of QB Kyler Murray and if the new coaching staff will want to get “their guy” in the draft. Think folks are getting a little ahead of themselves even though I think it is likely going to be tough sledding. In the past though when QB Colt McCoy has had to he play the team has rallied so this may not be an easy win as a lot of fans are thinking.
Atlanta Falcons:

• RB Bijan Robinson looked good and fast in first preseason action
• QB Desmond Ridder and WR Drake London looked good in home preseason debut

Exciting to finally see RB Bijan Robinson and QB Desmond Ridder. It is clear that RB Robinson is going to be used in a lot of different ways on the offense and very often. It leads me to believe that they will definitely still use RB Tyler Algeier potentially as the bell cow back because RB Robinson had 6 touches on 1 drive and I imagine that is not sustainable for every drive.
Baltimore Ravens:

• EDGE Jadeveon Clowney signed a 1-year $6m deal with the team
• RB JK Dobbins and WR Rashod Bateman back at practice in team drills
• Team is feeling good about WR Zay Flowers after early practices and games
• Signed CB Ronald Darby
• CB Marlon Humphrey dealing with a foot injury and could be out a couple of months
• Lost for the first time in the last 24 games after 29-28 preseason

Some big news here with the team signing EGDE Jadeveon Clowney. It is crazy to me to think about how he was a #1 pick in the draft and while he has been effective at times he has never been top pick in the draft good in my opinion. Overall the Ravens had a good week despite losing CB Marlon Humphrey for a couple months. JK Dobbins and Rashod Bateman are back and Zay Flowers is really looking good. A lot of good momentum for the team going into the season for the team and like Steelers they are always a tough team to play.
Buffalo Bills:

• WR Stefon Diggs does not want to be traded despite what Stephen A Smith says
• Placed EDGE Shane Ray on IR
• Signed RB Ty Johnson
• OL Tommy Doyle out for the season
• Have been linked to OT Jason Peters
• WR Andy Isabella is impressing in Buffalo

More drama surrounding WR Stefon Diggs to no fault of his own. Stephen A Smith decided to say that Diggs was seeking a trade and was very quickly shut down by Diggs himself via the X app saying that none of the reports were true. Other than that the Bills looked a bit sloppy in the first preseason action for the starters but TE Dalton Kincaid looked good overall. Things should settle in to place on the offense once the season come along.
Carolina Panthers:

• Agreed to terms with CB Troy Hill
• Placed WR Damiere Byrd on IR
• RB Miles Sanders expected to miss the rest of the preseason

Still early struggles for QB Bryce Young. It does appear that he is still getting used to the NFL speed and his o-line could do a better job of protecting him. Also, it will be nice to get RB Miles Sanders back from injury as well. I still feel like it is a realistic for fans to be excited about this team this year the main thing is going to be that it all depends on how good/how quickly QB Bryce Young ends up being/developing.
Chicago Bears:

• Teven Jenkins leg injury could keep him out into the regular season
• Tyson Bagent looking good in preseason and could end up being QB2

Really cool story for QB Tyson Bagent and how he has gone from D2 to potential QB2 in the NFL. It is good for the Bears to have a really good QB room in case of a Fields injury that could sideline him given the style of play he has. My main worry for the Bears is that I still think the rest of the division is going to be really good despite the Packers losing Rodgers which makes it tough for them to really turn things around completely despite the rebuild.
Cincinnati Bengals:

• RB Joe Mixon is refusing to speak to certain members of the media, 4 folks in particular:
  • Ben Baby, Kelsey Conway, James Rapien, and Jay Morrison
• QB Joe Burrow’s calf/health is as good as its ever been according to HC Zac Taylor
• QB Joe Burrow is rumored to be one of the guys featured on the Quarterback show
• RB Joe Mixon found not guilty in misdemeanor case against him

Joe Mixon and Joe Burrow dominated headlines this past week. First for Mixon, he did get found not guilty in the misdemeanor case against him and that is part of the reason he is no longer talking with the reporters listed above. He feels he was disrespected during his legal battles by the reporters. Now for Joe Burrow, the really good news is that his calf health is looking as good as ever and it sounds like he shouldn’t have any issues being back by week 1. The show the Quarterback supposedly has QB Joe Burrow as one of the guys that will be featured. I don’t believe we will get confirmation on this until later in the season but he would be a fun one to have.
Cleveland Browns:

• OT Dawand Jones still looking good in the preseason
• HC Kevin Stefanski says the team remains confident in K Cade York
• Restrucutred Myles Garrett’s contract

Seems like a lot of things are going right but the main thing success for the team will depend on is if QB Deshaun Watson can return to the version of himself that started for the Texans. There have been early concerns but with team he should be able to settle in.
Dallas Cowboys:

• TE John Stephens and LB DeMarvion Overshown out for the season
• WR Brandin Cooks flew LB Micah Parsons and CB Stephon Gilmore on a flight over Seattle before the game
• RB Deuce Vaughn continues to turn heads

Some tough injury news for the team this week but continued good news about the progress RB Deuce Vaughn has made. I will say though I am not thrilled about seeing some of my top weapons in a small plane flying over Seattle. I much prefer to have them on the ground.
Denver Broncos:

• RB Javonte Williams feels good in return to game action
• Released K Elliott Fry meaning that K Brett Maher has won the job

Huge lift for the team having RB Javonte Williams back! He is a big difference maker in the offense. There have still been early struggles by QB Russell Wilson but hopefully he is still just getting used to the new offense installed by HC Payton.
Detroit Lions:

• RB Jahmyr Gibbs received high praise for HC Brian Daboll after joint practices calling him a special player
• WR Amon Ra St-Brown tracking well for recovery this week
• WR Jason Moore signed with the team on a 1-year deal
• Waived/Injured WR Denzel Mims
• WR Jameson Williams will not be able to get treatment from the team starting with the regular season

The team looks good and definitely like an improved version from last year. RB Jahmyr Gibbs is already getting praise from opposing teams and Goff has looked sharp. The most important thing for this team is finding ways to stay and get healthy.
Green Bay Packers:

• QB Jordan Love has looked good thus far
• Despite speculation GM Brain Gutekunst says OT David Bakhtiari will not be traded
• Signed CB Elijah Hamilton

Not much news here but Bakhtiari is not going anywhere and I personally don’t feel like he wants to leave but am sure he wouldn’t mind playing with former Packers QB Aaron Rodgers. Back to the Packers though, the other encouraging news is that QB Jordan Love is still looking really sharp and with him playing within a Shanahan Tree offense it makes me think the team will be pretty good because that style of offense is built to help QBs succeed.
Houston Texans:

• Cancelled joint practices with the Saints
• HC DeMeco Ryans will not name a starting QB until Week 1
• DL Will Anderson looking good in early action
• Fined CB Jacobi Francis $4,833 for yanking of QB Malik Cunningham’s helmet
• Waived OT Greg Little

No starting QB yet for the team and they cancelled joint practices due to injuries starting to pile up. Probably the right move by HC Ryans to ask to cancel. It will be interesting how they go about this QB competition over the next couple weeks but everyone is assuming that CJ Stroud who has started each preseason game will be the one starting in the regular season.
Indianapolis Colts:

• Granted permission to RB Jonathan Taylor to seek a trade
• Killer whale that owner Jim Irsay was going to pay $20m to take across the country has passed away due to renal failure
• G Dalton Risner has expressed interest in joining the team
• QB Anthony Richardson stays late after practice most days to sign autographs
• Signed WR James Washington to a 1-year deal
• WR Ashton Dulin out for the season with torn ACL
• Re-signed WR Tyler Adams
• Signed S Ronnie Harrison to a 1-year deal

A lot going on here with the organization but the biggest news is around RB Jonathan Taylor being granted permission to seek a trade. This is very different from the message that we were being told less than a month ago. It appears the asking price will be steep but it might be all the more important that the Colts get someone like a Kareem Hunt to backfill and have some more experience.
Jacksonville Jaguars:

• RB Tank Bigsby to see his role continue to expand most likely
• Teammates have been saying that QB Trevor Lawrence is going to be on another level
• EDGE Trayvon Walker looking faster and stronger thus far

Tank Bigsby has been showing out this offseason and in my mind it is a great sign because it will hopefully allow RB Travis Etienne to be more of a McCaffrey/Patterson style player and then have Bigsby take most of the hits and be the down to down back. We shall see how things end up shaking out during the season but could be a very exciting duo. On the defensive side of the ball Trayvon Walker is looking better this year and hopefully he can steal back some of the spotlight from some of the other defenders from his draft class.
Kansas City Chiefs:

• QBs Shane Buechele and Blaine Gabbert are real close int he backup QB Competition
• High praise for WR Rashee Rice from QB Shane Buechele
• WR Justyn Ross’ routes are looking sharp
• Chiefsaholic indicted on more than 19 charges
• Still very little communication between the team and DT Chris Jones

All WRs are looking good here but it appears that WR Justyn Ross is leading for that 3rd WR spot on offense. Also, all the Quarterbacks are looking good here and at times you wonder if any quarterback would look bad in the Andy Reid’s offense. The backups this offseason are average right around a 90% completion percentage and have put up points like the 1st team offense does during the regular season. Safe to say that the Chiefs are in good hands on the offensive side of the ball but still have some work to do on defense with DT Chris Jones.
Las Vegas Raiders:

• Worked out LB Vince Biegel
• RB Josh Jacobs is expected to end his holdout and join the team before the season
• QB Aidan O’Connell has looked really impressive thus far
• DE Maxx Crosby and RB Cam Akers got into at joint practices leading to both being sidelined and Akers leaving practice
• DE Tyree Wilson was cleared to practice

Everything appears to be falling into place for the team with Jimmy G looking good, Davante Adams returning to practice along with first rounder Tyree Wilson. The main thing here though still for the Raiders is that they have to go up against top Quarterbacks every time they play within their division.
Los Angeles Chargers:

• S JT Woods was fined $6,662 for unsportsmanlike conduct

Not much news out of the Chargers. They have not played QB Justin Herbert yet and remains to be seen if he will end up playing in the preseason. This is one of the offenses I am most looking forward to watching but they will need the defense to step up to support them.
Los Angeles Rams:

• DL Aaron Donald not making trip to Denver because baby due any day
• Quentin Lake stood out against the Raiders
• QB Stetson Bennett is progressing but looking good overall thus far
• WR Cooper Kupp has been a good leadership presence in the locker room
• DE Maxx Crosby and RB Cam Akers got into at joint practices leading to both being sidelined and Akers leaving practice

Great to hear about WR Cooper Kupp’s leadership. He is needed with a young and inexperienced WR room outside of himself. Also, QB Stetson Bennett continues to play well but clearly still has some growing pains he needs to work through.
Miami Dolphins:

• Expected to at least explore a trade for RB Jonathan Taylor
• QB Mike White is in concussion protocol after irregularities with him during the game
• RB Devon Achane avoided serious injury and is week-to-week w/ a shoulder injury
• There is concern about how concussion spotters will treat Tua this year when he doesn’t get up right away
• WR Tyreek Hill says he plays Madden to study opposing teams CBs before games
• CB Xavien Howard is facing accusations of making secret sex videos and then sharing them

Some injury and legal concerns in Miami which seem to be two things that have become all too common for the team this offseason. They are being viewed as a team that could show interest in RB Jonathan Taylor and have an offense that typically helps RBs look good.
Minnesota Vikings:

• TJ Hockenson has been limited in practice but contract is not his focus
• Signed QB Jordan Ta’amu

Not much news here but the team is overall looking good. We shall see if they can recapture a bit of the regular season magic they had last year.
New England Patriots:

• CB Isaiah Bolden has feeling in all extremities but suspended preseason game following injury
• Signed RB Ezekiel Elliott to a 1-year deal
  • RB Ezekiel Elliott looking good after signing with the team
• QB/WR Malik Cunningham could end up playing role similar to Taysom Hill

Cool to see QB/WR Malik Cunningham get some recognition and would be super fun to see him in a role similar to that of Taysom Hill. Great to see RB Zeke Elliott back out working on the field. I have a feeling with the team he will be able to fit well in the scheme and have a huge impact.
New Orleans Saints:

• DE Niko Lalos impressing early and feels XFL experience helped him develop
• Cancelled joint practices with the Texans
• TE Jimmy Graham started struggling with seizures in LA and still is a bit shaken up
• Released WR James Washington and signed RB Darrel Williams

Overall the team has looked good. There is some concern for TE Jimmy Graham and his healthy after suffering from seizures while the team was in LA. I am still feeling pretty confident that they will be considered the team to beat in the NFC South.
New York Giants:

• QB Daniel Jones gained about 10 pounds of muscle this offseason
• GM Brandon Brown says that Jalin Hyatt has more talent than defined role at Tennessee
• QB Daniel Jones and TE Darren Waller look to be in sync
• OT Evan Neal cleared concussion protocol
• Signed OT Julien Davenport

Basically all good news here. QB Daniel Jones is looking stronger and more athletic this year. The rest of the team is working together well and they are continuing to get guys back from injury. It is crazy how less than a month ago they were in a very different situation having not signed RB Saquon Barkley.
New York Jets:

• QB Aaron Rodgers will start preseason game against the Giants
• OT Duane Brown has a checkup coming up with doctors and should be fully cleared
• Worked out DB Anthony Brown
• QB Zach Wilson continues his preseason success
• RB Breece Hall is back at practice and looking explosive

It appears that another week has gone by and the main concern here is the offensive line. Most I feel are overreacting but also you can never stress enough having a good offensive line with a top QB in the league because it can make all the difference. QB Zach Wilson is continuing to look good and like a different player. It seems the talent has always been there but the confidence and know how have not and that is exactly what it appears QB Rodgers has focused on helping him with. Also, huge morale boost for the team with RB Breece Hall back at practice looking explosive.
Philadelphia Eagles:

• DL Jalen Carter is already getting triple teamed and making folks look silly
• QB Jalen Hurts is looking really good in practices thus far
• LB Myles Jack retired from the NFL
• CB Zech McPhearson out for the season with torn achilles
• EDGE Haason Reddick will have thumb surgery but should be back for week 1
• C Jason Kelce will have a show on Amazon about his life as a Center
• Reportedly taking cheap shots at QB Deshaun Watson during joint practices

Once again for the most part the message is positive coming out of Philadelphia. DL Jalen Carter is already seeing some double and triple teams in preseason game action. He is clearly going to be a force on their d-line and allow for others to have favorable matchups. Will be exciting to see the this team play once they are all starters on both sides of the ball.
Pittsburgh Steelers:

• Waived/Injured WR Hakeem Butler
• WR Aaron Cruickshank signed a 1-year deal
• Nick Herbig showing out thus far in the preseason
• LB Kwon Alexander fined $43,709 for what appears to be a clean football hit
• Signed RB Xazavian Valladay

IF I had to pick a preseason winner as a team I am feeling very confident about it would be the Pittsburgh Steelers. QB Kenny Pickett and his weapons look in sync, the defense looks as good as ever and it appears that for the starters everything is going right thus far. They obviously are always a team that looks good because under Tomlin they have never had a losing season but this season despite being a difficult division feels like one where they will return to the playoffs.
San Francisco 49ers:

• Signed WR Anthony Miller
• Worked out WR Corey Coleman
• RB Jeremy McNichols has a hamstring injury and will miss a few weeks
• DE Nick Bosa and the team are still talking in contract negotiations but rumors are he could miss some of the regular season
• WR Danny Gray suffered a sprained SC joint in his right shoulder
• WR Ronnie Bell really making a case to be on the opening day roster
• LB Dre Greenlaw, TE Georgie Kittle, DL Drake Jackson, DT Javon Kinlaw, and RB Elijah Mitchell all will return this week to practice

I am getting a bit concerned for the Niners but I think a lot of that stems from DE Nick Bosa not being in the building. Bosa on defense and McCaffrey on offense are the two must haves for this team going forward. Everyone seems to be being to casual about the situation and just assuming it will get done but I would like to just have it actually done already. Other than that the minor injuries have already ravaged the offense and defense with guys being able to return this week but worries me if it is foreshadowing for the rest of the season. All the QBs overall looked good this past week in the preseason and it was great to QB Brock Purdy get some live action and execute the offense.
Seattle Seahawks:

• WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba looking good in preseason action
• RB Kenneth Walker back at practice
• LB Jordyn Brooks passed physical

Appears that the team is getting healthy at the right time and looking really good overall with what they have. Depending on QB play from the Niners the Seahawks will be first or second in the division this year.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

• Waived K Rodrigo Blankenship meaning K Chase McLaughlin won the job
• DB Bennett Williams will worked out for the team
• No starting QB has been chosen yet for the regular season
• QB John Wolford suffered a neck injury but was released from hospital and appears to be in good health
• Claimed DB Rodarius Williams off waivers from the Giants
• WR Russell Gage ruptured patellar tendon

The QB battle continues here after QB Kyle Trask had a pretty good game this past week after playing most of it due to an injury to QB John Wolford. HC Todd Bowles says there still is no starting QB and he is in no rush to decide that. Tough loss this week with WR Russell Gage but they should be okay at WR as long as Evans and Godwin can stay healthy to anchor the group.
Tennessee Titans:

• DL Trevon Coley is signing with the team
• WR Treylon Burks has LCL sprain
• Agreed to terms with DL Michael Dwumfour
• Waived LB Zach McCloud
• QB Will Levis has lower-body injury and did not play in preseason game

Not too much news here but QB Malik Willis did not look great in the preseason game he ended up starting. With Will Levis out too it meant he got a lot more snaps. Overall it doesn’t appear that there is a threat to QB Ryan Tannehill’s job just yet.
Washington Commanders:

• Released K Michael Badgley meaning that K Joey Slye has won the competition
• QB Sam Howell named starter for the team and he had quite a half
• WR Jahan Dotson had a great half as well with 5 receptions for 76 yards
• CB Danny Johnson will miss time after tearing his rotator cuff being thrown to the ground after the play by TE Mark Andrews in a joint practice
• X-Rays negative on WR Terry McLaurin’s toe
• Over 100k signatures now for the name change back to the “Redskins”

Seems like the team is trending in the right direction especially after Monday’s preseason win over the Ravens. QB Sam Howell is looking very good and maybe OC Eric Bieniemy’s tough coaching is starting to pay off. It looks like thankfully WR Terry McLaurin’s toe is nothing serious and that he and WR Jahan Dotson will be good some weapons that Howell will have on the outside to move the ball down the field.
Miscellaneous/Other NFL News:

• Michael Irvin will be joining Skip Bayless on Undisputed here soon
• WR Henry Ruggs has started his 3-10 year prison sentence
• Scott Van Pelt will host Monday Night Countdown with the additions of Ryan Clark and Marcus Spears to the crew
• Guardian caps do a good job of decreasing concussions but will not be coming to the regular season games any time soon
• Pat McAfee Show will launch on ESPN on Sep. 7th
  • First two hours will be on all platforms and 3rd hour on ESPN’s youtube channel
• New NFL rule regarding fair catches has been largely ineffective thus far as teams have shown reluctance to call for a fair catch

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*see link in bio for jersey and the restaurant recommendation menu and location.
Product of the Week:
Get this Nick Bosa Jersey and maybe we can bring some good juju to the Niners and getting the contract done with him. Or just get it to support the best player on the team!
Restaurant of the Week: (Lopez Taqueria)
Lopez Taqueria is a classic and features authentic Mexican food within about a 10 minute drive of the stadium. Of course if you are wanting to take advantage of Great America Amusement Park while it is still there that is fine as well. For folks just coming in for the game I recommend getting 4 tacos if you’re hungry with 3 of those being Al Pastor and then a Carne Asada. Looking forward to a Niners game this year so that I can get some good authentic Mexican food.

Practice is over
General:

• There is a new twitter list at the bottom that temporarily includes the Patriots beat reporters.
• Bakhtiari won't do team today; the "plan" is for him tomorrow.

Injuries: CB Eric Stokes (PUP-Knee/Foot), TE Tyler Davis (ACL)
Not Practicing / Limited: OL David Bakhtiari (Rest), EDGE Rashan Gary (Knee), RB Lew Nichols (Shoulder), RB Tyler Goodson (Shoulder), OL Caleb Jones (Ankle), OT Luke Tenuta (Ankle), Tariq Carpenter (Back), DL Kenny Clark (Back), ILB De'Vondre Campbell (Ankle), Bo Melton (Hamstring)
Offense:

• Don’t see WR Bo Melton, who has been having a good camp.
• Starting O: Yosh - Jenkins - Myers - Runyan - Tom Watson-Doubs Musgrave-Deguara Love-Jones
• Few yard run to the right by Jones. Musgrave lead blocker.
• Love likely sacked by Judon. Decent protection but no where to go with ball. Dumps it off to Dillon for nothing.
• Dillon for nothing
• Dillon not much again. Patriots run defense stout so far.
• Play-action, quick pressure from NE by blitzing nickel. Musgrave was the blocker.
• Love complete on a slant to Watson. Nice read and throw.
• Sean Clifford at QB: Quick pressure by NE. Sack.
• Really nice run by Emmanuel Wilson inside.
• McCrary for nothing. Middle clogged up on run.
• Love checkdown to Dillon on a swing pass for about 5.
• Jabril Peppers just made Musgrave look every bit the rookie he is in pass pro.
• Love Play-action, throws to Dillon in flat. Heath out there with Watson and Reed.
• Beautiful run by Aaron Jones off left side. Nice juke in the backfield. Defender maybe would have made a better play in an actual game.
• Draw to Jones. Few yards.
• Play-action, AJ Dillon just blocked a Patriots defender blitzing Jordan Love and laid him flat on the ground. Love finds Doubs in flat for 7. 4/4 for Love so far but lots of short throws.
• Patrick Taylor for nothing. Pats run d looks legit.
• Packers bring in their secret weapon and McGough uncorks a gorgeous fading away throw rolling to his left for a big gain to Tucker Kraft on a deep corner route.
• Couple runs on both sides of the field don’t go anywhere.
• False start Packers.
• Another Packers run for nothing.
• Love deep down field for Watson, awesome ball, not sure if Watson didn’t see it but went right through his hands. Watson beat the CB and Love threw it perfectly between corner and safety.
• Love laser to Reed on a quick slant from the slot left. Tough to stop that.
• Love misses Heath right after. Looked open but not sure Heath saw it either. Could exactly tell.
• Love steps up in pocket, finds Jones alone in flat for 10.
• Love to Reed for a short pickup. 7/9 now.
• Reed sits down in zone. Love hits him. NE there to limit pass.
• Myers beat, pressure on Love, throw slightly behind Watson over middle. Another ball that hit 9 in the hands, juggled, incomplete.
• Great job by Heath pulling in a ball from Clifford that was behind him and not breaking stride. Tough play, made it look easy.
• Looks like Love might have been sacked. Throws over the middle to Watson. Ball gets tipped away.
• Clifford to Heath on a slant.
• Clifford to Heath on a crosser for a nice pickup.
• McGough incomplete.
• McGough sacked, finds Kraft on a checkdown tho.
• Wow. Royce Newman just got walked all over on and dominated at the line. So much so that Luke Butkus came over and chewed him out.
• Not gonna be surprised if there’s a fight today. On a play to Watson, a DB horse-collared him down. Watson walked away before it could escalate.
• Got some red zone ish work coming up.
• Jones run out of the gun, short gain.
• Musgrave beats Dugger down the seam and Love finds him for a TD. Nice ball to clear the coverage. Went up to get it cuz he’s a 6-6 freak.
• Love throws long for Reed but I loved the throw. Looked like Reed got caught up a little at the top of the route. Good coverage too.
• Dillon gets hit up the middle harder than I think he expected, and probably more than the Packers want. He wasn’t expecting that and coughed up the ball. Pats recover.
• Love TD to right to Doubs. Toe drag. Close call. Another awesome throw and catch. Defender upends him and he maintains control through the ground. Ref initially signals out of bounds but looks like he overturns it. Crowd erupts.
• 2s in now. Start with a toss to Taylor for a couple.
• Bootleg from Clifford to Heath for a handful. Heath has been active today.
• McGough sacked.
• Back to the 1’s: Love play action. Nowhere to go. Fires low to Doubs but was basically a throw away.
• Dillon inside for about 5.
• Love gets the defense to jump. The hard count is fantastic.
• Ok Jayden Reed ended up out of bounds. But holy shit the jump ball that Jayden Reed just won in the back of the end zone against Marcus Jones. Great ball from 10, amazing catch. But no glory.
• END AROUND TO LUKE MUSGRAVE IN THE RED ZONE. Dude is so damn fast. Picks up about 7 from the 10.
• Great defense on a throw to Deguara. Would have been short of the end zone anyway.
• Clifford back in. False start Deguara.
• Clifford would have been sacked but fires for a touchdown to Allen on a crosser.
• Run goes nowhere.
• McGough tipped at the LOS. Falls incomplete.
• 1s on offense. Looks like a true move the ball period. 1st & 10.
• Good deep ball from Jordan Love, but Romeo Doubs couldn’t hang on. Doubs got behind Patriots DB Jack Jones on a deep corner to the right, and Love put it where it needed to be, but incomplete. Was so close to an amazing throw but just ever so slightly overthrown. Don’t hate the ball at all. Almost a huge play.
• Run for Jones for few yards up middle
• False start offense. 3rd and 12 now.
• Really good protection. Love fires deep to Reed over the middle who tries to make a sliding catch. Ball probably slightly underthrown or might have been tipped. Reed stays down after the play but pops up and walks to the sideline holding his chest a bit. Hopefully just got the wind knocked out of him.
• OL gets beat for quick sack. Tough to tell but looks like came from right interior (Myers, Runyan)
• Incomplete, throw to Dillon in flat.
• Jordan Love has all day goes deep to Christian Watson on a corner to the left sideline, and Watson doesn’t miss it. Watson hit the throttle to run past Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez and Jalen Mills, and Love’s pass was on the money. 75 yard TD. VIDEO
• Out route to Toure for 10+ yards.
• Sean Clifford time. Wilson inside. Tough sledding.
• Wilson off tackle. Tough sledding.
• Clifford to Watts for a first down.
• Wilson hit at LOS
• Incomplete to Taylor in flat. Slightly ahead of him.
• Complete to McCrary in flat. Defender there.
• Initial reads not there. Finds Chrest on shallow crosser. Few yards.
• Packers starting offense (2 min drill tie game 1 timeout ball at own 25):
• Doubs gets a lot of separation on slant. Good for about 20.
• Incomplete to Doubs down left sideline. Overthrown. Good coverage.
• Watson sits down in zone over middle. Good YAC opportunity.
• Nice contested catch by Watson over middle.
• Incomplete to Watson on corner route. Under pressure.
• Connects with Doubs on slant again. Big gain.
• Quick out to Doubs. Gets out of bounds
• Quick out to Watson. Throw high.
• Carlson no good from 40 as time expires.
• Packers QB Jordan Love picked on Christian Gonzalez and Marcus Jones almost exclusively over his final drive today. Gonzalez allowed 2 catches on 3 targets, Marcus Jones allowed catches on both targets. Worth noting Jaden Reed was not in on that 2 minute drive. At least that I saw. He was banged up earlier.
• Clifford in 2 min. 1:30 left.
• Watts sits in zone. Complete.
• Taylor in flat gets out of bounds.
• Clifford buys as much time as he possibly can and finally scrambled 10 yards for the first down on 3rd.
• Sean Clifford overthrows a well-covered Malik Heath on the right sideline. Incomplete, but Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers was apparently impressed. Turned around and started talking about Clifford’s arm strength. A dart. Just a flick of the wrist.
• Incomplete on a slant to Watts. Good contest by DB.
• Possible sack in live tackle but Clifford finds Wilson on quick out.
• Goes through reads, finds Wilson over middle for some YAC and gets out of bounds. Great block by Bonds.
• Nice blitz pick up by Taylor. Clifford finds Chrest on left sideline for 8 yards.
• Incomplete to Deguara on sideline. A bit high. Good coverage by NE. Initial reads not there.
• Taylor with a great blitz pickup, Sean Clifford throws another dart to Malik Heath down the right sideline, and this time he does not miss. Dropped it into a bucket from 31 yards over Patriots CB Jack Jones for touchdown (might have been called short), ending the backup 2-minute drill. Clifford has backup QB job all but locked.
• Carlson misses again at end of No. 2 two-minute. He came up short — yes short — from 43. Looked like he just popped it up. This one was a run-on-the-field with the clock running attempt. .

Defense:

• ILB De’Vondre Campbell is not practicing today because of an ankle injury.
• Starting D DL: Wyatt, Slaton, Wooden OLB: Smith, Van Ness ILB: Walker CB: Douglas, Nixon, Valentine S: Savage, Moore
• And they just subbed Jaire out and put Valentine in before they got started. So maybe no Jaire in team.
• Mac Jones leads the first 11s period. Heavy under center run/play action. JuJu Smith-Schuster caught a crosser on Mac’s first pass.
• Patriots complete on a comeback on the other side. SJC in coverage.
• Mac Jones all day to throw. Finds a checkdown for a decent pickup.
• Patriots find a big hole, looked like Stevenson for a big gain.
• Pats WR screen for a few.
• The Demario Douglas show continues for NE. Nice run by him. Didn’t see if it was a pop pass or reverse. But big gain.
• Valentine all over a deep throw.
• Rasul Douglas with one of those savvy, vet plays he’s known for. Peeled off an underneath WR to cover Pats TE Hunter Henry on a corner route. Douglas had a leaping INT from Mac Jones in his hands, but couldn’t complete the catch. Dropped and did a few push-ups for dropped pick.
• Mac Jones’s second run in 11s wasn’t as smooth. But he hit Kayshon Boutte on a deep out that was what you want to see. Great anticipation and ball placement.
• Mac Jones tried to test rookie CB Carrington Valentine deep. Threw a go ball down right side to DeVante Parker. Valentine was all over it, blanket coverage. That pass had no chance.
• Really nice pass rush from Cox. Likely a sack.
• Coverage sack. Hooper, SJC, Leavitt, Thomas, Sapp in defensive backfield.
• Thomas beat on crossing route
• Arron Mosby just bull rushed the OT into the ground.
• Another nice pass rush rep by Karl Brooks.
• Heavy safety rotation today. A lot of different combos being used.
• Great push by second/third teams IDLs. Bailey Zappe would’ve taken 5 sacks on his last 6 snaps in a game setting working behind the backup O-line. Some pressure was instant, other “sacks” were on him for clutching the ball.
• Pats just miss a deep shot to Thornton. Had a couple steps on Moore.
• Jaire is back in team and immediately breaks up a pass for Bourne
• Patriots offense in red zone: Hollins and Smith at edge. Jaire at CB. Moore and Savage at S.
• Incomplete pass. Walker close in coverage.
• Nice job by Walker and McDuffie to get outside, limiting ball carrier who was trying to get to edge.
• Good pass rush reps by Smith and Hollins. Incomplete.
• Starting defense back on field: Nice job my McDuffie filling open running lane.
• 5 or so yard run right by NE.
• Good protection. Jones finds TE in end zone from 10. Couldn’t tell who was in coverage. Possibly Moore?
• NE RB gets to boundary. Defense lost contain.
• Starting defense kept Patriots starting offense out of end zone on 5 reps from 10 yards and in. Jaire Alexander forced an incompletion on a Mac Jones pass to DeVante Parker in the end zone. Sticky coverage, Parker couldn’t come down with the football.
• Second defense: NE tries end around, nice play by Mosby staying home to make play.
• Fade to back left corner. Incomplete. Valentine in coverage. Overthrown.
• TD NE from the 5. Quick out.
• Mac Jones scrambles for a first down. Actually showed off some wheels. Holding on the offense though.
• Quay all over a screen.
• Packers defense all over a draw play. Keshawn Banks gets into backfield quick for tackle attempt on RB.
• Quick out. Complete. Hooper in coverage.
• First team, second team, third team, the Packers edge rushers have looked really good today.
• Patriots complete over the middle to tight end. Rudy Ford in coverage.
• Really nice run stop by Jonathan Ford
• Likely sack by Enagbare.
• False start Enagbare next play.
• Jonathan Ford with another run stuff. He’s made such a jump from last year.
• Enagbare with a would be sack on Mac Jones but they didn’t call it.
• Who cares - Wyatt and Brooks blow through the line for a sack on the next play. Had to count that one. Karl Brooks is constantly in the backfield. Think they got something there.
• Jones buys time. Nice contested catch over middle with Valentine in coverage.
• Another big completion over the middle. McDuffie tackle.
• Scramble by Jones followed by a spike.
• Jones incomplete short.
• Fg unit on for the win. Kick is good. Pats win that on the fg.
• Not a whole lot down the field for the Patriots O. But underneath stuff has been there.
• Pats 2’s finish a 2 minute drive with a fg that clearly went in but the refs say no good. Some bizarre stuff at the end of practice.
• per a pats reporter Mac had 5 “sacks” today, Zappe 8 and Packers CB Rasul Douglas dropped 2 Mac INTs.

Special Teams:

• Carlson from 33 - good. Carlson 40 - good. Carlson 42 - good. Carlson 48 - good. Carlson 50 - good A 5/5 day!
• Whelan just punted one to the moon
• DBs Jalen Mills and Ameer Speed have to be separated from Packers WR Dontayvion Wicks during a punt return rep. Joint practices, baby! Wicks gets ping-ponged between two guys, who push him down. He gets heated after words, until Watson calms him down.
• Carrington Valentine is doing work on special teams too. Covering punts and jamming for punt returns.
• Dontayvion Wicks with an awesome block on PR.
• Jayden Reed the primary punt returner today. He looks so smooth catching the ball on punt returns. Packers basically did an Amari Rodgers re-do and I think they crushed if this time.
• Nixon got some return reps as well towards the end.

Media:

• Quadzilla drill Video
• Gary and the OLBs Video
• DuBose Comeback Video
• Love drills Video Video2

Interviews:
LaFleur Presser:

• LaFleur says he reached out to Bill Belichick during the offseason to schedule these joint practices with Patriots: "He's highly regarded as one of the greatest coaches of all time, so why not try to steal a little piece of how they do things?"
• “I’ve been really impressed with Grant.” LaFleur on DuBose. Adds that he’s been very sharp in the class room and is taking advantage of opportunities right now. He’s playing fast and has “aggressive hands.”
• LaFleur on Carrington Valentine, who's been running with the ones in team with Alexander sitting out: "He’s super talented and he’s just maximizing those opps." Matt says they have to look at something to get Carrington Valentine on the field. He wants to see him keep progressing but says he’s “worthy of getting some snaps for sure.”
• LaFleur said they are trying to find the best five in the secondary and said he hasn't ruled out moving CB Rasul Douglas to safety. He said it depends on how things pan out with the rest of the secondary.
• LaFleur said he's talked to his players about keeping their cool and avoiding scrums and he reference Peaky Blinders. "You know when Tommy Shelby comes in and says no fighting ...?"

Belichick:

• Bill Belichick on practicing at Lambeau Field complex: "Third oldest sporting field behind Fenway and Wrigley so it's very moving to walk out of the locker room and down on to the field. Think about all the great players and coaches that have done that ... honored to be here."

For live twitter updates: Click Here!
This thread is also available on Lemmy
I am not at the practice. This is a compilation of many different twitter accounts of reporters posting.

Coaching Changes

This offseason, the Packers allowed defensive backs coach Jerry Gray, whom Rasul Douglas credits with his turnaround from a practice squad castoff into a legit player, to walk to Atlanta, while they promoted safeties coach Ryan Downard to DB coach, and hiring Greg Williams from Arizona as their defensive passing game coordinator (no relation to Bountygate architect Gregg Williams). Rich Bisaccia was named assistant head coach in addition to his role as special teams coordinator, while outside linebackers coach Jason Rebrovich was promoted to pass rush specialist. They also hired some additional names (Tim Lester, senior analyst, Rob Grosso, offensive quality control, Kyle Wilber, special teams quality control).

Free Agency

Players departed

Player	Position	New Team	Contract
Krys Barnes	LB	Arizona Cardinals	1 year, $1.035m
Dean Lowry	IDL	Minnesota Vikings	2 years, $8.5m
Jarran Reed	IDL	Seattle Seahawks	2 years, $9m
Robert Tonyan	TE	Chicago Bears	1 year, $2.65m
Marcedes Lewis	TE	Chicago Bears	1 year, $2m
Mason Crosby	K	Retirement?
Jack Coco	LS	Free agent
Allen Lazard	WR	New York Jets	4 years, $44m
Randall Cobb	WR	New York Jets	1 year, $3m
Adrian Amos	S	New York Jets	1 year, $1.75m

​

Players re-signed

Player	Position	Contract
Yosh Nijman	OT
Dallinn Leavitt	S
Eric Wilson	LB
Justin Hollins	EDGE
Rudy Ford	S
Corey Ballentine	CB
Keisean Nixon	CB/RS
Tyler Davis	TE

​

Players added

Player	Position	Old Team	Contract
Tarvarius Moore	S	San Francisco 49ers	1 year, $1.13m
Matt Orzech	LS	Los Angeles Rams	3 years, $3.675m
Jonathan Owens	S	Houston Texans	1 year, $1.01m

​

Draft

Round/Pick	Player	Position	College
1.13	Lukas Van Ness	EDGE	Iowa
2.42	Luke Musgrave	TE	Oregon State
2.50 (via TB)	Jayden Reed	WR	Michigan State
3.78	Tucker Kraft	TE	South Dakota State
4.116	Colby Wooden	IDL	Auburn
5.149	Sean Clifford	QB	Penn State
5.170	Dontayvion Wicks	WR	Virginia
6.179	Karl Brooks	IDL	Bowling Green
6.207	Anders Carlson	K	Auburn
7.232	Carrington Valentine	CB	Kentucky
7.235	Lew Nichols III	RB	Central Michigan
7.242	Anthony Johnson Jr.	S	Iowa State
7.256	Grant DuBose	WR	Charlotte

​

Projected Starting Lineup

Offense

• QB: Jordan Love
• RB: Aaron Jones, AJ Dillon
• WR: Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed (slot), Samori Toure
• TE: Luke Musgrave, Josiah Deguara, Tucker Kraft
• LT: David Bakhtiari
• LG: Elgton Jenkins
• C: Josh Myers
• RG: Jon Runyan Jr.
• RT: Zach Tom

Defense

• EDGE: Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, Lukas Van Ness
• IDL: Kenny Clark, Devonte Wyatt, TJ Slaton
• ILB: De’Vondre Campbell, Quay Walker, Isaiah McDuffie
• CB: Jaire Alexander, Eric Stokes, Rasul Douglas, Keisean Nixon (nickel)
• S: Darnell Savage, Jonathan Owens

Projected 53-man, Training camp battles, Strengths and weaknesses

• QB (2): Jordan Love, Sean Clifford

Training camp battles to watch: It’s a fight between rookie Sean Clifford and USFL MVP Alex McGough, and Brian Gutekunst loves his draft picks. Last year, all eleven of his draft selections in April made his final 53 man roster, and expect Clifford to have a massive advantage coming in because of this, even if he were bad. Clifford has been good at camp though, and those who are watching have said he displays more zip on his throws than he did in college. Could it have been a coaching issue?
Strength/Weakness?: The lack of a vet backup is concerning, and it's fair to say that the Packers QB room is at least a huge question mark, if not a weakness. But in terms of matching the numbers of last year's performance, Jordan Love's job of being better than 2022 Aaron Rodgers (with a broken thumb) is not too difficult: Rodgers failed to hit 300 yards passing in any game last year.

• RB (3): Aaron Jones, AJ Dillon, Tyler Goodson

Training camp battles to watch: It will be interesting to see if any in a group that includes last year’s UDFA Tyler Goodson, returning vet Patrick Taylor, and seventh-round rookie Lew Nichols will be the third RB on the depth chart, if they make it at all. Brian Gutekunst kept just two on the initial 53 man roster last year. Nichols has missed some time with injuries during camp.
Strength/Weakness?: Fair to say Packers have one of, if not the, best running back tandem in football. Aaron Jones has been a dynamic playmaker every year he's been in Matt LaFleur's offense, and he's been pretty blessed with good health in that time. AJ Dillon is a thumping downhill runner, and he consistently gets a yard or two more than most backs would thanks to his size and strength. Expect Green Bay to lean into the run game, and lean into it a lot, to help out their young QB.

• WR (6): Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Samori Toure, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Malik Heath

Training camp battles to watch: Packers coaches are raving about second-year pro Samori Toure, and it will be a question whether he or rookie Jayden Reed will get more snaps as the third receiver. On the other hand, it looks to be an uphill battle for rookie Grant DuBose to make the roster as he missed minicamp with injuries, all while undrafted free agent Malik Heath has impressed as he has run some reps with the first-team offense, something not even Wicks has managed to do.
Strength/Weakness?: Packers have the cheapest, youngest WR room in the NFL, with Christian Watson being the most seasoned vet here. Him and Doubs will need to make second-year leaps for this room to be considered a strength by any stretch of the imagination.

• TE (4): Luke Musgrave, Josiah Deguara, Tucker Kraft, Tyler Davis

Training camp battles to watch: Will rookie Luke Musgrave immediately catapult to the top of the depth chart? Coaches and teammates have heaped praise onto just how fast and smooth he looks on the field. Or will third-year tight end Josiah Deguara, the most experienced pass catcher on the roster, start the season as TE1?
Strength/Weakness?: Just like the WR room, the TEs here are among the youngest in the NFL. TEs are also usually much more difficult to onboard than WRs, so look to some growing pains here as the rookies get their welcome to the NFL moments throughout the season.

• OL (9): David Bakhtiari, Yosh Nijman, Zach Tom, Caleb Jones, Jon Runyan Jr., Josh Myers, Elgton Jenkins, Royce Newman

Training camp battles to watch: Assuming Bakhtiari is healthy, it will be a fight between fifth-year former UDFA Yosh Nijman and second-year tackle Zach Tom to be the starter at right tackle. And if Nijman wins that fight, prepare to see the talented Tom, who played at every spot but center in his rookie year, to give third-year center Josh Myers a serious run for his money there. Bakhtiari, Jenkins and fourth-year guard Runyan all likely have their starting spots locked up, but there’s going to be a serious squeeze to be a backup interior lineman among third-year guard Royce Newman, second-year lineman Sean Rhyan, and fourth-year guard Jake Hanson, of which only two, maybe possibly just one, will make the roster.
Strength/Weakness?: When healthy, the left side of the line (with David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins) is the best in football, and there's no question about it. And despite the struggles of center Josh Myers (in run blocking, primarily), expect the Packers offensive line to still be a strength overall, as they should give Jordan Love a comfortable time in the pocket if they can stay healthy.

• EDGE (5): Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, Lukas Van Ness, Kingsley Enagbare, Brenton Cox Jr.

Training camp battles to watch: It's not a battle with a player, but Rashan Gary's timeline for his return from a season-ending ACL tear will determine the success of the Packers defense early on. He was activated from the PUP list yesterday. Preston Smith is likely solidified in his role as the number two pass rusher behind Gary, though behind him, it'll be a battle between second-year OLB Kingsley Enagbare and the rookie Lukas Van Ness. And behind them yet again, it will be down to Justin Hollins, a midseason pickup last year from the Rams, and Brenton Cox, a former Gator who went undrafted due to character concerns in spite of his pretty good tape.
Strength/Weakness?: If Gary is back and healthy, which he seems to be given that he was activated from PUP, this could be a strength. Lukas Van Ness has flashed at camp and will get significant snaps spelling starters if he doesn't start. Preston Smith is a solid, dependable producer who will consistently get 5-8 sacks a year. But without Gary and Van Ness, this was a struggling unit last year, so mark this as a we'll see.

• IDL (5): Kenny Clark, TJ Slaton, Devonte Wyatt, Colby Wooden, Karl Brooks

Training camp battles to watch: The one here to watch will be whether TJ Slaton, the third-year man out of Florida, or last year’s first-round selection Devonte Wyatt, will serve as Kenny Clark’s primary running mate when rushing four. Slaton is a terrific run defender, while Wyatt has flashed as a pass rusher, so the expectation now is for them to get on the field when it suits their skillsets, but could either pull ahead to be the primary starter? Wyatt has been tearing up camp. The other battle to watch is if last year's seventh round pick, Jonathan Ford, makes the 53 man roster. LaFleur said he's had a great camp, but we haven't heard much.
Strength/Weakness?: If Devonte Wyatt is as good as advertised in camp, mark this as a strength. The Packers let a significant number of snaps walk out the door with Lowry and Reed departing, but their presence was a major factor in Wyatt not getting enough playing time last year. Kenny Clark is a fringe Pro Bowl talent every year who's the heart and soul of the Packers' run defense, and the rookies could have an opportunity to showcase their talents in obvious passing situations given their lighter weights and pass rushing acumen.

• LB (5): De’Vondre Campbell, Quay Walker, Isaiah McDuffie, Eric Wilson, Tariq Carpenter

Training camp battles to watch: There's actually not a lot going on here. It's pretty clear what the pecking order will be, and the biggest off-season question at linebacker: whether Krys Barnes would return, was answered when the Packers didn't pick up his option. It’s clear the pecking order will go from Campbell, the one-time First Team All Pro, to Walker, who flashed in his rookie campaign, to McDuffie, who had a noticeable second-year jump in 2022, to Wilson, a special teams player for Bisaccia. One unanswered question here would be whether the Packers keep 4 or 5 linebackers, with 2022 seventh-round pick Tariq Carpenter, who competed at safety and was a special teams standout, competing for the fifth spot.
Strength/Weakness?: Depends on if Campbell can prove that he can get back to his 2021 All-Pro form. He was supposedly hampered by injury throughout 2022, which led to inconsistent play, so hopefully a full offseason to heal will help. Walker was brilliant in pass coverage last year for an LB, even if his block shedding and tackling depth (how far down the field he gets to the runner) left something to be desired.

• CB (6): Jaire Alexander, Eric Stokes, Rasul Douglas, Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine, Corey Ballentine

Training camp battles to watch: Keisean Nixon, a first-team All-Pro at kick returner last season, has said he intends to do the same at cornerback. He will potentially start the season in the slot with Jaire Alexander and Rasul Douglas outside while third-year corner Eric Stokes recovers from a season-ending foot and ankle injury in 2022. Once Stokes returns, it’s a question as to which two between him, Alexander and Douglas will play on the perimeter, and whether the loser of that battle will be able to displace Nixon in the slot. Stokes was terrific as a rookie but suffered an awful sophomore slump that saw him lose the latter half of his season to an injury at Ford Field in Week 9. Third-year safety Innis Gaines has also gotten playing time in the slot at camp. In addition, rookie seventh-round pick Carrington Valentine has been terrific at camp and made a play almost everyday; it will be hard to keep him off the field. Is it fair to expect him to be the primary backup if any of the outside corners go down?
Strength/Weakness?: Strength, especially on the boundary. Jaire Alexander is one of the best corners in football, and Rasul Douglas is still a ballhawk and competitor on the outside who can use his size and length to knock away passes. In the slot, there's a major question mark, as Douglas struggled there last year, and physically speaking, the player most suited to playing there would be Jaire, but you don't pay him $21M to be a slot corner primarily.

• S (4): Darnell Savage, Rudy Ford, Jonathan Owens, Dallin Leavitt

Training camp battles to watch: Of these, Savage and Leavitt likely have their jobs secure, with Savage playing on his fully guaranteed fifth-year option, and Leavitt being a special teams ace. Ford also plays on special teams as a gunner, but between him, Owens and Moore, they only have $200,000 guaranteed combined among themselves. Will Brian Gutekunst keep five safeties? Any of them could be cut and it wouldn’t be a surprise. And don’t count out rookie Anthony Johnson Jr., a projected mid-round selection the Packers scooped up in the seventh round.
Strength/Weakness?: Weakness. Savage was damn near a liability in 2022, with seemingly half the big plays this secondary gave up resulting in a finger being pointed at or by him. And the selection of running mates opposite him isn't exactly inspiring either. Look to this, or OT, being the first pick of the draft by the Packers in 2024.

• ST (3): LS Matt Orzech, K Anders Carlson, P Pat O’Donnell

Training camp battles to watch: The Packers are likely going to keep Carlson, the brother of Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson. Pat O’Donnell, who was fine last year, faces a small challenge from all-XFL punter Daniel Whelan, while rookie Hunter … will try,, but likely fail, to challenge Super Bowl-winning long snapper Orzech, who received a 3-year contract from Green Bay.
Strength/weakness?: Orzech gives the Packers a dependable long snapper for the first time in nearly a decade, and O'Donnell was fine in 2022. Rookie Anders Carlson has had a rough start to camp, with good kicking strength but not a lot of accuracy. He's bounced back the last few days. Other than Carlson, and combining with the return/kicking protection units, expect Rich Bisaccia's special teams transformation program to continue having a major impact on the upward trend of this group.

Schedule Predictions in Comments

Practice is over
General:

• First day of full pads.
• Packers release OL Chuck Filiaga and TE Camren McDonald.
• Packers worked out and agreed to terms with center Cole Schneider today per a league source. New WR Andre Miller.

Injuries: LB Rashan Gary (PUP-Knee), CB Eric Stokes (PUP-Knee/Foot), WR Grant DuBose (NFI-Back)
Not Practicing / Limited: WR Dontayvion Wicks (Concussion), OL Jake Hanson (Elbow)
Offense:

• Jake Hanson not practicing today with an elbow injury.
• Bakhtiari back practicing. He’s at LT w the ones in walkthroughs. Yosh is starting at RT, continuing his rotation with Tom.
• Christian Watson hyping the crowd up before individual drills with a back flip. Video
• One-on-ones: Love with an underthrow to Doubs with Jaire in coverage. Doubs with an impressive catcher over the top of Jaire. Video
• Watson beats Douglas on a slant.
• Musgrave beat Johnson Jr. On a go. Close call, ref says catch.
• Melton beats Gaines.
• SJc probably PI on Heath.
• Davis just beat someone clean but a Clifford air mailed it.
• Watts beats Thomas.
• Owens great coverage but nice contested catch by Kraft.
• Jadadkis with a deep catch over Hooper.
• Toure beat Nixon on deep corner. Perfect ball by 10.
• Johnson Jr. tight coverage on Musgrave, no separation. But still boxed him out. Catch.
• Yosh locked down LVN in one on ones, but the second rep was an impress bull rush by the rookie.
• Oh my god Cody Chrest with an insane one handed catch on a corner fade along the end zone sideline in 1x1s. Wow!!! Ballentine great coverage.
• Doubs beat Jah again. This time on a slant, which he went up to get. Touchdown. Great 1-on-1 period for Doubs so far.
• Sean Rhyan wins his two one-on-ones with Wooden. Clean reps.
• Austin Allen TE over Leavitt.
• Melton over Gaines to a big cheer.
• Jayden Reed td. Offense dominating.
• SJC Pi on Heath again.
• Davis drop vs Moore
• Bonds beats T. Ford.
• Sean Rhyan went 5-0 in one on ones. Beat rookie Colby Wooden on all five. Good showing for him. And Elgton Jenkins is the man.
• Tom at center with the 1s. Yosh Nijman at RT.
• Love competes short to Musgrave.
• Dillon just ran over Quay Walker. The contact is coming in hot with pads on. True fullback Henry Pearson gets a rep with the starting offense, sets lead block for Dillon.
• Next play, Love perfect ball on an out to Watson near the sideline. Moore the closest defender.
• Fumbled snap between Josh Myers and and Danny Etling. Yikes.
• Lew Nichols just stiff armed Kiondre Thomas into oblivion.
• Myers back with the ones for the next series.
• Love finds Musgrave on a little dump off for a nice pickup. Love has not been afraid to take the easy check downs and I love it.
• Those Jayden Reed end around hit different. Didn’t pick up a ton by he’s so damn fast. packers finally have a speed weapon running those plays.
• Crafty play from Jordan Love. Had nobody open deep off action fake. Stepped up and flipped it to open Luke Musgrave at LOS for 10 yards. The type of improvisation that makes you think Love learned a little something from Aaron Rodgers.
• Red zone Myers is center. Tom is RT.
• Love wide of Doubs on an out. Tight coverage by Alexander. First miss of the day. (3/4).
• Love has fantastic protection. Fantastic throw from Love to Musgrave in red zone over the outstretched hand of Walker for a TD. Impressive play. Nice find by 10. (4/5).
• Love incomplete to Watson. 4/6 now. Nowhere to go on the play.
• Love hits Reed in the end zone. Contested by Ford but catchable on a bullet. Dropped by the rookie. 4/8 for Love now.
• Another fumbled exchange (Myers/Clifford)
• Tom back at center with the ones. Yosh at RT
• Pearson getting some legit looks at FB with the ones today.
• False start on offense.
• Love likely sacked as the pocket collapsed but throws complete to Watson over the middle. (5/10).
• Pearson digs a block and Nichols gets a nice 8 yard pickup
• McGough nice slant to Chrest.
• Tyler Goodson limps off the field. Update: Goodson still with the team but definitely a bit of a limp. Hopefully he’s ok.
• Really nice inside run by Emmanuel Wilson who takes a bit of a shot from SJC.
• McGough’s ball tipped at the line but somehow Cody Chrest comes down with it.
• Myers back at center with the ones. Yosh at RT.
• Love throws the ball away deep to Toure in a desperation period. 14 seconds on the clock to start the drive.
• Love hits Watson on a quick out Douglas in coverage. Now 6/12 on the day. Sets Carlson up for a game winning fg.
• Packers bring an all out blitz against Etling who throws a gorgeous deep ball to a wide open Bo Melton in the end zone for a td. Beat Valentine on the play.
• 2 min situation for Love: down 27-24. 1:05 left. 0 timeouts. Ball around their own 35-40 yard line.
• Love hits Dillon on a checkdown for minimal gain. 6/12.
• 4th down and Reed had a step on Savage on a deep crosser but Love overthrows it. 6/14. Tough day for the ones on offense.
• Jon Runyan snapping with twos in team.
• Etlings turn. Same situation in 2 min. Complete to Malik Heath on a quick out to Malik Heath. 8 yards ish.
• Melton gets some separation from Ballentine on an out but Etling overcooks it.
• False start offense.
• Etling to Heath over the middle. Clock runs. First down.
• Etling to Heath on a slant. Quick 5 yards but clock runs.
• Etling finds Watts over the middle for a nice pickup and a first down. Stops the clock on a spike with 7 seconds left.
• Purposeful incomplete to burn some more time off the clock. Anders on for the tie. Carlson misses the 52 yard kick. 5/8 on the day.
• That does it for practice. Defense dominated the vast majority of the day.
• Also, Josiah Deguara and David Bakhtiari appeared to drop out of practice.

Defense:

• Valentine locks up Reed with press coverage. Looked like a good ball by Love, but 11 barely got his head around. Great coverage by 37.
• Nixon picks Clifford on a fade intended for Toure.
• Devonte Wyatt with 2 of the most impressive power rushes you’ll ever see in 1v1. Blew up Josh Myers with bull, knocking him 2 yards on his butt. (Myers won first rep vs. Wyatt.) Later, Wyatt knocked Jean Delance on his butt after beating him with a speed rush. Awfully good sign.
• Van Ness with the starters today with Preston.
• Clark eats Aaron Jones on the second play.
• Read option keeper for Love but defense isn’t fooled Nixon all over it. Went nowhere.
• Enagbare and Hollins blow up a designed rollout by Clifford. All over it.
• Pop pass to Tyler Goodson who was lined out wide. Defense all over it. Ballentine with the stop.
• Love corrects Malik Heaths positioning at the line. Fades away and tries to find Davis but throws a bit behind him. Gaines with the PBU. 4/7.
• Another read option for Love. Wooden and Douglas all over it.
• Johnathan Owens picks off Clifford on the second play of Team. Ball was tipped at the line by someone. Owens makes the diving INT.
• Nice run fit by Savage no or minimal gain for Jones.
• Van Ness the primary edge across from Preston with the 1s today.
• Slaton gets some push and tips a Love pass in team. Love 4/9 now.
• Mixup on the run play with McGough. Easy stop for the defense.
• McGough read option but Phillips all over it. Packers have tried 3 read options today and Packers defense stopped all 3 for a loss.
• Brenton Cox with a couple move pressures vs 3s in deep red zone.
• Keshawn Banks with a nice pass rush vs Telfort.
• Love incomplete to Reed. Broken up my Nixon. 5/11 on the day now.
• Tries to connect with Watson and gives him a chance with Douglas in great coverage. Incomplete. 6/13.

Special Teams:

• Carlson Miss from 38 Good from 45 Good from 47
• Anders Carlson’s next 3: 49L wide right 48R good 52L good 5/8 on the day

Media:

• LVN Video Video2 Video3
• Love Video Video2 Video3
• Reed Video

Interviews:
LaFleur Presser:

• LaFleur on Peyton Manning's appearance: "He addressed our team and the lessons he learned, especially as a young player. .... It was super-beneficial (listening to) one of the all-time greats."
• MLF says no concern with Bakhtiari dropping out Saturday and not practicing Monday. All part of the plan. “He’s got enough reps that he doesn’t have to be out there every day. We need to protect him.” Added “we want him at his best.”

For live twitter updates: Click Here!
This thread is also available on Lemmy
I am not at the practice. This is a compilation of many different twitter accounts of reporters posting.

Practice is finished.
General:

• No Pads

Injuries: LB Rashan Gary (PUP-Knee), CB Eric Stokes (PUP-Knee/Foot), WR Grant DuBose (NFI-Back)
Not Practicing / Limited: WR Dontayvion Wicks (concussion)
Offense:

• Nixon got some pass catching reps with the offense in individuals.
• 1st O: Love Jones Watson - Doubs Musgrave - Kraft Bakh - EJ - Myers - JRJ - Tom
• Ok Luke Musgrave just got physical with Kenny Clark and helped open a hole for Jones. That was impressive. Haven’t seen anything like that as a blocker out of 88 yet.
• Play action fake, Love fires over the middle in stride to a sliding Watson for about 15 yards. Nice throw from Love.
• Play action again and Love uses his mobility to get outside and hit Toure with a bullet rolling to his left. 2/2 for Love to start.
• Tyler Davis has been holding up well as a blocker. Going to be a role if he can continue to do that.
• McGough gets first third team rep, hits Heath on a receiver screen.
• Really nice little run inside by Lew Nichols. Showed off vision, burst and balance. His best play of camp.
• Tom again getting reps with 3rd team offense. IOL as a whole creating some nice running lanes today.
• Offensive line moving some defenders today. Emmanuel Wilson with a burst inside. He’s a big back with a little wiggle. Fun to watch.
• Love and Myers fumble a snap. The 2nd time that’s happened in camp already.
• Love on fire to start. 3/3 now after hitting a deep crosser to Jayden Reed for about a 20 yard pickup. Packers picking on Nixon a bit. Good block on the blindside from Yosh Nijman, giving Love time to set his feet. Love had to hoist it over a rushing Lukas Van Ness.
• Love to Doubs on a slant for a first down. 4/4 on the day now.
• Love just missed Watson with an overthrow on a deep corner. Watson had a bit of a step. 4/5 on the day now.
• Love hits a deep out route to Toure. Toure has been really good through the start of camp. 5/6 for Love now.
• Love finds Dillon in the flat. Picks up some YAC. 6/7 on the day. Love’s decision making and ability to know where to go with the ball has been fantastic through 3 live practices.
• Tucker Kraft caught a knee to his quad. He’s walking around the sideline with an ice pack wrapped on it now. Just a little banged up.
• Nice job by Nichols and left side of OL (Hanson, Rhyan, Newman) selling screen.
• Yosh Nijman is now at left tackle. David Bakhtiari appears to have dropped out.
• Short flat to Toure who makes a nice move and picks up some nice yards. 9/11 for Jordan.
• Dillon with running lane behind Myers/Jenkins.
• Love and Watson not on the same page. Ball falls harmlessly incomplete over the middle.
• Next play Love to Doubs on a slant complete but Ford probably could have laid him out in a real game. 11/14.
• Clifford scrambles to buy time, finds Bonds on sidelines.
• Solid day for Nichols as ball carrier.
• Clifford finds Chrest on out route.
• 2 min drill: Etling at QB Quick out to Watts. Scrambles. No where to go with ball. Quick out to Heath, incomplete. Ball looked just out of reach.
• 2 min drill. Love at QB Quick pressure from IDL. Throws ball away.
• Finds Watson over middle.
• Handoff to Dillon
• Great route by Toure. Love drops it in there down left sideline for 30+ yards on 3rd and 3. Drop his pass over Rasul Douglas before Darnell Savage could teach the sideline to help. A big-time play from 10. Video
• A big gain to Romeo Doubs
• Nice run by Dillon to left side.
• 2-minutes drive ended at the 1-yard line with Jordan Love completing a pass to Luke Musgrave at the goal line on 3rd & goal. Looked to me like Musgrave caught it at the line, but official had him short. A chip-shot field goal for rookie kicker Anders Carlson. Unofficially, Love was 16-for-22 on the day.

Defense:

• 1st D: Wyatt - Clark - Slaton Smith - Campbell - Quay - Hollins Jaire - Rasul Ford - Savage
• Nickel Look: Smith-Clark-Slaton-Hollins Jaire-Nixon-Campbell-Walker-Douglas Ford-Savage
• Owens and Moore now at S with second defense.
• Enagbare “sack” on Etling.
• Lukas Van Ness getting his first starter reps in camp, alongside Preston Smith.
• TJ Slaton with a big time time run stuff on Dillon. Looked like a former number 93 engulfing a RB behind the line. Van Ness set a strong edge, forcing Dillon back inside to Slaton.
• End around to Malik Heath. Really nice play by Ballentine to fight through the blocker and get into the backfield. Enagbare too. Tyler Davis with a couple tough reps blocking.
• Colby Wooden just beat Sean Rhyan and Emmanuel Wilson for a sack on McGough. Impressive play by Wooden.
• Holy shit Lukas Van Ness. He just threw Deguara 4 yards into the backfield into Jordan Love’s path. Some real Hercules stuff. Play called dead to save Love from the wrath of an angry god.
• Moore getting some S first team reps.
• Incomplete to boundary. Douglas all over Doubs. Tight window for Love.
• Lining up in the slot, outwide, backfield, being sent in motion. Goodson filling a number of roles.
• Love complete super short to Watson and Jaire, per usual, all over it. Maybe 1 yard pickup. 7/9 for Love.
• Nixon back in 11-on-11 at the nickel now.
• Tight end screen to Musgrave. Slaton read it nicely and is all over it. 8/10 for Love.
• Wyatt with a pressure; Enagbare cleans up for a “sack”. Great day for Enagbare. Play continued and Love threw complete to Reed who bobbled but caught. 10/13.
• Shemar Jean Charles breaks up a nice pass from Clifford to watts on a slant. Then Thomas breaks up a pass late to Bonds on next play.
• Van ness opposite Preston with ones in two minute
• Quick slant to Watson, Douglas all over it for PBU.
• Defense still won the day overall and offense is doing pushups.

Special Teams:

• Carlson misses all three from 45, 47 and 49. Low snap on the third.
• Carlson kicking, Whelan holding: No good from 50, Good from 51, No good from 53 rough day.
• Nixon and Ford the opening gunners on punt team. Gaines and Ballentine had the next reps. Awesome jam by SJC on Gaines.
• Whelan punting and Reed, Toure, Nixon, Goodson rotating as the return men.
• Daniel Whelan is bombing some punts right now.
• Keisean Nixon slipped while returning a punt. Stayed down on the field for a moment while medical staff checked him out, but got back up and walked off on his own. He’s standing on the sideline now. Update: Helmet back on now and he looks ready to go back in.

Media:

• Quadzilla Video
• Jayden Reed individual drill Video Video2
• Romeo Doubs Video
• Musgrave Video Video2 Video3
• Malik Heath Video
• Tarvarius Moore Video
• Love to Watson Video
• Samori Toure Video
• Savage Video
• Clark Video
• Cody Chrest one hand catch Video
• Kraft Video

Interviews:
LaFleur Presser:

• Matt LaFleur on releasing Johnathan Garvin: "Unfortunately, sometimes it's time to move on. I understand the timing wasn't great, being his birthday. But you guys know this business never stops."
• LaFleur on Van Ness: The depth chart right now is not important. Focus on your job, effort and knowing the details.
• Matt LaFleur identifies Jordan Love's progress with protections as particularly critical for him. Says most collegiate QBs don't have to handle as much and Love's mastery of that is part of what gives them confidence in him.
• LaFleur on safety competition: Will be fluid with who's with 1s, etc. Ford, Moore and Owens will get their chances. Leavitt "absolutely" could factor, too.

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This thread is also available on Lemmy
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https://www.espn.com/nfl/insideinsidestory/_/id/37773493/ranking-nfl-top-10-interior-offensive-linemen-2023-execs-coaches-scouts-make-their-picks-best-guards-centers

1. Zack Martin, G, Dallas Cowboys

Highest ranking: 1 Lowest ranking: 5 Age: 32 Last year's ranking: 2
Last season marked a sixth first-team All-Pro nod for Martin, who at age 32 is among the most highly productive players at any position.
He gave up three sacks on a 96% pass block win rate, the eighth-best clip in the league. His 73.8% run block win rate was also impressive.
Martin did not run away with the voting, but he's still considered the best.
"He's maybe declined physically a little bit due to age, but he's so smart and so instinctive that he makes up for any physical shortcoming," a high-ranking NFL executive said.

2. Joe Thuney, G, Kansas City Chiefs

Highest ranking: 1 Lowest ranking: Unranked Age: 30 Last year's ranking: 4
Thuney has been a steadying presence for Kansas City since signing a five-year, $80 million deal two offseasons ago. The second-team All-Pro led all linemen with a 98.9 pass block win rate. He has missed two games in seven seasons with Kansas City and New England, where he was also excellent.
"The Chiefs are loaded with offensive linemen, but Thuney is the most valuable because he rarely makes a mistake, savvy, doesn't commit penalties, holds up in the run or the pass," an AFC executive said. "Not an overwhelming athlete but just really good."

3. Quenton Nelson, G, Indianapolis Colts

Highest ranking: 1 Lowest ranking: Unranked Age: 27 Last year's ranking: 1
Nelson, the No. 1 interior lineman for the past two seasons, had never received votes outside of the top 10 -- until this year.
"May be a bit harsh but the tape was not good," said an AFC scout who did not list Nelson. "The whole [Colts] line was bad and overpaid."
The Colts ranked 27th in total offense despite three linemen -- Nelson, center Ryan Kelly and tackle Braden Smith -- playing on contracts worth a combined $200 million.
Others figure Nelson is too good for last season's play to make sense. He's still a dominant talent.
"He must have been more hurt than he let on, because I refuse to believe he suddenly became a bad player," one veteran NFL offensive lineman said. "There was a lot going on with that team last year, a lot of issues around him."
It's worth noting that Nelson missed the Pro Bowl festivities last season because of an undisclosed injury despite playing 17 games.

4. Elgton Jenkins, G, Green Bay Packers

Highest ranking: 1 Lowest ranking: Unranked Age: 27 Last year's ranking: 7
Jenkins' versatility as a five-position player across the line is invaluable to the Packers but, for the purposes of this exercise, has probably hurt his value until now.
A Pro Bowl guard in 2020, Jenkins played left tackle while David Bakhtiariwas injured, then tore an ACL late in the season. He opened last season at right tackle, but by midseason, he settled into left guard, allowing five pressures and one sack over 600-plus snaps since Week 7.
He posted a solid 76.1 run block win rate for the season.
"He's powerful, smart, good feet, versatile," an AFC scout said. "If his home is at guard, he'll be premier."

5. Joel Bitonio, G, Cleveland Browns

Highest ranking: 1 Lowest ranking: Unranked Age: 31 Last year's ranking: 5
One NFL veteran offensive lineman said his team's position group views Bitonio, who made back-to-back first-team All-Pro teams, as the game's best guard.
"Bitonio stands alone at the top for me," an NFC executive said. "The difference is he can play OG and match DL speed and quickness yet has an LT's skill set and athleticism."
The Browns have ranked in the top six in rushing offense each of the past three seasons, and Bitonio is a key reason why.

6. Jason Kelce, C, Philadelphia Eagles

Highest ranking: 1 Lowest ranking: Unranked Age: 35 Last year's ranking: 8
Kelce has aged better than just about any NFL player in recent history. Since 2021, he has jumped from honorable mention to No. 8 to No. 6 among interior players.
He posted a 95.5% pass block win rate last season while keying an Eagles offensive line that many consider the best in the game.
"Yes, the system protects him a bit and he gets help from Jalen Hurts' mobility, but he's a supreme athlete that's held up incredibly well, a leader, gets out on the run and punishes linebackers on pulling plays," an NFC executive said.

7. Chris Lindstrom, G, Atlanta Falcons

Highest ranking: 1 Lowest ranking: Unranked Age: 26 Last year's ranking: Unranked
Lindstrom's breakout year in Atlanta ended with a Pro Bowl appearance, a second-team All-Pro nod and a five-year, $105 million extension with Atlanta, making him the highest-paid guard in NFL history.
"Really good player, technician -- the only thing holding him back from the top, top tier is he's a bit dependent on the [zone blocking] scheme he's in," an NFL personnel evaluator said. "I don't know if he would be as good if he was in another scheme."
Lindstrom committed two penalties and allowed five sacks in 2022.

8. Creed Humphrey, C, Kansas City Chiefs

Highest ranking: 3 Lowest ranking: Unranked Age: 23 Last year's ranking: Honorable mention
Kansas City's revamped offensive line has a core player at center. Many evaluators agree Humphrey, whose 98.1% pass block win rate led all centers last season, has the makings of a star.
"He's really not beholden to any system -- you could put him in any offense, and he would thrive," a Pro Bowl offensive player said. "It was good to see that [in 2022] he had to handle more, saw less three-man fronts with Tyreek Hill gone, and he handled it great."

9. Brandon Scherff, G, Jacksonville Jaguars

Highest ranking: 3 Lowest ranking: Unranked Age: 31 Last year's ranking: 3
Last year was odd for Scherff in that he played a full season for the first time since 2016, but he failed to make the Pro Bowl for the first time since 2018.
But Jacksonville, which signed him to a three-year, $49.5 million deal in free agency, felt his presence. Scherff's 71.8% run block win rate helped Jacksonville improve from 22nd to 14th in rushing offense year over.
"He's still a load against defensive tackles and has the quickness and power to disrupt defenders," an NFC scout said.

10. Frank Ragnow, C, Detroit Lions

Highest ranking: 3 Lowest ranking: Unranked Age: 27 Last year's ranking: Honorable mention
Ragnow cracked the top 10 two years ago, missed the cut after an injury-plagued 2021 season and is now back after another Pro Bowl campaign.
The Lions produced the league's fourth-ranked offense with Ragnow in the middle. One Pro Bowl veteran said Ragnow, who has a 94.5% pass block win rate, appeared to start slowly this year because of a tear in his left footfrom 2022.
"He looked more like himself as the year went on," the player said. "He was elite before the injury and got back to that place. He's a great communicator at the line, makes all the calls, plays with leverage and physicality."

Honorable mentions

Erik McCoy, C, New Orleans Saints: McCoy's 97.1% pass block win rate was the fourth best among starting centers. "He's very good for their scheme, and his play has held up even with Drew Brees gone," an NFL exec said. "The Saints were depleted up front last year, but he stood tall."
Trey Smith, G, Kansas City Chiefs: Smith played 987 offensive snaps and posted a 95.9% pass block win rate for the Super Bowl LVII champions. "Powerful. He's a top-10 player at his position," a veteran Pro Bowl player said. "Only knock on him is what's a knock for a lot of powerful guys: He tries to make the big splash hit, and that gets him off balance."
Landon Dickerson, G, Philadelphia Eagles: After playing an impressive 1,044 offensive snaps with a 97% pass block win rate, Dickerson earned his first Pro Bowl in 2022. "Unreal run-blocker. He's a major talent," a Pro Bowl offensive player said. "Needs refinement as a pass-blocker but that will come. By the end of this season, he should be a top guy."
Corey Linsley, C, Los Angeles Chargers: Last year's No. 10 interior player had a 96.3% pass block win rate. "I know he was hurt for part of last year, but he's one of the steadiest centers, really smart, won't overpower but physical enough," an AFC scout said.
Wyatt Teller, G, Cleveland Browns: Teller's 91.2% pass block win rate ranked 46th among guards, while his 70% run block win rate ranked 54th. "His highlight tape is one of my favorites to watch," a Pro Bowl offensive player said. "He destroys people. He's just not as good down in and down out as some of the others."
Mike Onwenu, G, New England Patriots: Since being drafted in 2020, Onwenu has played 2,517 offensive snaps for the Patriots, allowed 12 sacks and has a 93.3% pass block and 71.6% run block win rate. "He's really underrated," an AFC scout said. "Physical. And doesn't make many mistakes. He's just not on everyone's radar."
Others receiving votes: Alijah Vera-Tucker (New York Jets), Laken Tomlinson (New York Jets), Ryan Jensen (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Ryan Kelly (Indianapolis Colts), Quinn Meinerz (Denver Broncos)

Layout:
— Individual Team News + Stone’s Cold Takes
— Miscellaneous/Other NFL News
— Restaurant of the Week - Pittsburgh
Arizona Cardinals:

• RB James Conner likes being an underdog
• HC Jonathan Gannon wanted to move forward with who was all in on the team when asked about DeAndre Hopkins
• Gained $4.21m in cap space after June 1st deadline
• QB Clayton Tune could work his way into a starting spot
• Potentially interested in moving on from LB Isaiah Simmons

This team cannot unload folks fast enough it seems. They are now looking to potentially move on from LB Isaiah Simmons who in many folks eyes has not lived up to the hype from the draft. WE shall see if they can get anything for him if they do decide to move on. The storyline I am most interested in watching this year here is first how long Kyler Murray will be out and second how rookie QB Clayton Tune is developing. It seems like they took him so they could try out a young QB in the interim while Murray is working his way back. Apparently thus far he has been doing well in OTAs.
Atlanta Falcons:

• Team expects TE Kyle Pitts to be ready for season opener
• Ditching gradient uniforms and will wear throwbacks 3 times

Not too much news from the Falcons but many will be excited to hear about Kyle Pitts expected to be back for the season opener. Hopefully this is the year he can really break out but a lot will depend on the QB Desmond Ridder actually being able to throw him the ball unlike the past quarterbacks he has had who have not made things easy.
Baltimore Ravens:

• WR Zay Flowers is impressing with his route running capabilities early on

Good news here because receiver seems to be a position where the Ravens have struggled to get good production. With new OC Todd Monken that should start to change and with an added emphasis on the passing game it inevitably should change as more throws are made.
Buffalo Bills:

• Rumored that QB Josh Allen will be featured on the cover of Madden
• Signed:
  
  • DT Ed Oliver to a 4-year $68m extension with $45m guaranteed
  • WR Marcell Ateman
  • OT Brandon Shell
• Supposedly out on WR DeAndre Hopkins
  
• Expect Edge Von Miller to be back for the season opener
  

Great move here signing Ed Oliver to his extension. He is a key piece of that d-line and helps hold them together. I personally don’t believe they or really any of the other teams that have said they are out on DeAndre Hopkins actually are. To me it appears more to be a message saying they are not going to be paying him the money that WR Odell Beckham got earlier this offseason. Only time will tell. Great news for the team that EDGE Von Miller should be back by the season opener. Personally though I would take my time with him and would be overly cautious to make sure he is fully healthy. Hopefully that is by week 1!
Carolina Panthers:

• QB Bryce Young is already impressing with his poise
• Plan to use some Deebo Samuel-like packages for WR Laviska Shenault

The hype appears to be real for the Bryce Young but it is what every team says about their rookie quarterback who is a top pick so hard to decipher how folks are actually feeling. I am excited about how Frank Reich will use WR Laviska Shenault because I have always been impressed with his athletic ability and expected him to break out more. It seems this could have been the type of role he has been waiting for.
Chicago Bears:

• Have other sites in mind potentially for a new stadium besides Arlington
• QB Justin Fields donated $10,000 to the special olympics
• WR DJ Moore has been performing well in OTAs
• Stadium is at risk after property tax assessment

A lot of news around the future stadium of the Bears. It appeared a couple weeks ago that everything was moving along as planned and no issues had come up. This week there was nothing but concerns and problems. I wonder if these are all real storylines or if it is something they are using to try and negotiate more with the government to get help with the stadium. In more football news is appears that WR DJ Moore and QB Justin Fields are enjoying working together and developing a good connection. This is important to give Fields someone he can trust like he did his receivers at Ohio State.
Cincinnati Bengals:

• WR Tyler Boyd feels they one-upped the Chiefs signing Orlando Brown Jr.
• DE Sam Hubbard excited for what’s next this season
• Will hold joint practices with the Packers

Not too much football news here but they appear to be ready to take on the Chiefs again this year and make a deep playoff run. Also, it appears at this point that the team will keep RB Joe Mixon based on comments from the team and HC Zac Taylor. This offense per usual will be an exciting one to watch.
Cleveland Browns:

• Strong possibility that WR DeAndre Hopkins ends up here
  
  • QB Deshaun Watson is working hard to recruit him
• DC Jim Schwartz sees a benefit in d-linemen playing fewer snaps to stay fresh
  
• Gained $10.9m in cap space after June 1st release deadline
  

Good news and good vibes are finally coming out of Cleveland. Feels like it has been while. QB Deshaun Watson appears to be benefitting from having a full offseason and getting work in with his new receivers. He has been pushing hard for Hopkins and the Browns would make sense as a good landing spot for him given the prior relationship Watson and Hopkins had during their time in Houston. I have been pleasantly surprised by how well things appear to be going so far this offseason.
Dallas Cowboys:

• Started long-term extension talks with CB Trevon Diggs
• WR Antonio Callaway was arrested Saturday in Miami
• Micah Parsons is more concerned with making impactful plays on defense
• Supposedly out on WR DeAndre Hopkins
• RB Tony Pollard is a little ahead of schedule with rehab
• Gained $10.9m in cap space after June 1st deadline

Similar to the Bills I don’t think the Cowboys are actually out on Hopkins but probably sending a message that he needs to bring down his asking price. I wonder sometimes if they are still saving room for RB Ezekiel Elliott to come back here and play especially with them gaining the $10.9m in cap space after the deadline. Also, hopefully the team can get something done with CB Trevon Diggs sooner rather than later because he has been an impactful piece on defense despite the big plays he occasionally gives up because he can change a game with one of his interceptions.
Denver Broncos:

• HC Sean Payton puts a heavy emphasis on the importance of Guards in the NFL
• Released RB Jacques Patrick
• Gained $3.75m in cap space after June 1st deadline
• Signed:
  
  • K Elliott Fry

Not too much news here but they did find their replacement for K Brandon McManus in Elliott Fry. I would say less news from this team this offseason is better because ever since QB Russell Wilson struggled it seemed like the media was out to get him and the team any chance they had. HC Sean Payton must be running a pretty tight ship.
Detroit Lions:

• OC Ben Johnson expects offense to take a huge step forward this season
• RB Jahymr Gibbs has been standing out in practice running and catching the ball
• OT Penei Sewell is embracing leadership role
• S Tracy Walker expects to be fully cleared for camp

All good news this week which should be good for morale. Seems they have strung together a couple good weeks during their OTAs. Great to see that RB Jahymr Gibbs is getting some reps in and showcasing his abilities that made the team feel the need to spend a high draft pick on him. Great to see as well that Penei Sewell at the young age of 22 taking on a leadership role and getting good work in as well. With that said OC Ben Johnson could be prepping and is expecting for the offense to have a big year.
Green Bay Packers:

• WR Romeo Doubs doesn’t think there will be a regression with QB Jordan Love
• OL David Bakhtiari says disrespectful to say they are rebuilding
• Will hold joint practices with the Bengals

It appears that it may be a bit tough in the post Aaron Rodgers era as expected. However, it does sound like there is less front office drama now that they are not having to work with him in the offseason. Time will tell whether the drama was more caused by a lack of good communication as Rodgers claimed recently or by the former Packers QB himself.
Houston Texans:

• QB CJ Stroud is ahead of where the team expected him to be at this point
• RT Tytus Howard is in line for a big extension
• Released DT Taylor Stallworth with injury settlement
• Will hold joint practices with the Dolphins and Saints

Good news about CJ Stroud but again as I mentioned with Bryce Young it is hard to find a team that drafted a top QB in the draft not raving about their quarterbacks progress at this point. The joint practices they have setup will be great for QB CJ Stroud. The Dolphins and Saints should each have tough defenses this year and will give Stroud a bit better of an idea of what to expect from an NFL defense in a real game.
Indianapolis Colts:

• QB Anthony Richardson is looking really good overall
• Worked out WR Breshad Perriman

Looks like the Colts are trying to get receiver help but haven’t decided on any yet. This is the team that should go out and get Hopkins. They need a true #1 receiver and Josh Downs while I think he will be really good would benefit from having a big bodied possession type receiver in Hopkins. Also, it would give QB Anthony Richardson more of a safety net in terms of a WR that can help him progress and see things that he may not have picked up on otherwise.
Jacksonville Jaguars:

• K Brandon McManus called special teams coach to express interest in the team after being cut
• EDGE Josh Allen is the only player under contract not attending voluntary OTAs
• Being cautious with WR Calvin Ridley during OTAs
• Plan to have a RB committee approach

I am really excited for the Jaguars this season. They are kind of the forgotten team in the NFL most years but appear to be poised to make a deep playoff run this year. WR Calvin Ridley is going to be a huge difference maker this year and should benefit from QB Trevor Lawrence continuing to progress going into his 3rd NFL season.
Kansas City Chiefs:

• Wife of Chiefs owner Norma Hunt passed at the age of 85
• Supposedly out on WR DeAndre Hopkins
• WR Justyn Ross has the trust of QB Patrick Mahomes

Sad news to hear about Norma Hunt’s passing as the whole league mourned and sent their condolences. They are also supposedly out on Hopkins which I believe means they are really saying we need you to come down on price. The Chiefs though per usual have revealed though their secret weapon in WR Justyn Ross who many had forgotten about due to him sitting out with an injury his rookie year. It looks like Ross may be back to prior form when he was making plays at Clemson with Trevor Lawrence.
Las Vegas Raiders:

• Open to listening to trade offers for WR Hunter Renfrow
• HC Josh McDaniels is not worried about QB Jimmy Garoppolo’s foot surgery

Even though the media and some fans were starting to worry about Jimmy G’s foot surgery it does not appear McDaniels has any worries about him missing time because of it. Will be interesting to see what the team ends up doing with Renfrow with all signs from earlier in the offseason pointing towards a release or trade.
Los Angeles Chargers:

• WR Quentin Johnson has been impressive according to teammates Keenan Allen
• OT Rashawn Slater is at 100% and has been for quite some time

Not much news here but it was great news to get confirmation from OT Rashawn Slater regarding his health and to hear WR Keenan Allen’s thoughts on rookie WR Quentin Johnson. This team should give us what they think they will every year and go far in the playoff this year.
Los Angeles Rams:

• DC Raheem Morris helped save drowning child
• Signed:
  
  • WR Tyler Johnson

Not much news here but signed WR Tyler Johnson who can help them make some big splashy plays on offense. DC Raheem Morris helped saved a drowning child and credited his AED training. Always cool to hear these stories about NFL coaches and players leaping into action to help and save other in the community.
Miami Dolphins:

• Hope to sign DT Christian Wilkins to an extension before the season
• QB Tua Tagovailoa is completely healthy and showing signs of growth as a leader
• Real possibility they end up with RB Dalvin Cook this year
• Opted to only use 6 of 10 available days of OTAs
• Gained $13.6m in cap space after June 1st deadline
• Will hold joint practices with the Texans

This team appears to be click on all levels so far this offseason and there appears to be a lot more good coming with the team working to get a Wilkins extension done before the season and may even still end up with RB Dalvin Cook here soon. Tua being completely healthy at this point doesn’t feel like much of a surprise but it does appear that he is trying to take on more of a leadership role after finding his confidence last year. My main worry though with Tua is that last year he still was very much a rhythm quarterback in my mind so when he got knocked off that rhythm he had some really bad games. However, when he was able to keep in rhythm he at times looked like the best passer in the league. It will be key this offseason now that he knows the offense to be able to play off rhythm when necessary and make those plays that the top quarterbacks in the league make if he wanting to take the next step.
Minnesota Vikings:

• Seems that only thing left for RB Dalvin Cook is an announcement of how he will be leaving the team by trade or by getting cut
• Head Coach Kevin O’Connell described RB Alexander Mattison as a every down RB
• Paid off their debt on stadium 23 years earlier saving taxpayers $226m in interest
• Expected that WR Justin Jefferson to be highest paid WR when he signs his extension
• Will have joint practices with Tennessee

It appears that the Vikings are in a holding pattern and I imagine are hoping to get a trade package they approve of for RB Dalvin Cook. Sooner or later though it appears that Dalvin Cook will not be with the Vikings this year. Big win though for the fans and locals in Minnesota with the team paying off their stadium early and saving taxpayers a bunch of money. Might get some more buy in from good press like that.
New England Patriots:

• QB Mac Jones is aiming to earn the respect of his teammates

Not much news here but it appears things are moving along really well in comparison with last year at this time. QB Mac Jones seems happy and is working hard. It will be tough for this Patriots team with how stacked the division is but maybe a big move to get Hopkins and some improvement from the offense and Mac Jones and who knows they may be right up there with everyone else in the division.
New Orleans Saints:

• DE Cam Jordan will play for the team as long as he wants
• QB Jameis Winston feels that he is still a starting QB in the league
• Excited to WR Michael Thomas to be ready for camp
• Will hold joint practices with the Texans
• HC Dennis Allen had Jon Gruden attend OTAs in order to aid offense with QB Derek Carr
• TE Juwan Johnson has been studying Julian Edelman tape at QB Derek Carr’s urging

Another team where things just seem to be clicking so far is here in New Orleans. QB Derek Carr seems to be doing a good job taking on a leadership role and working with teammates such as TE Juwan Johnson. Things will be going even better if WR Michael Thomas can actually return for camp and find a way to play near a level that he used to. Right now in a wide open NFC South it appears that this team will be the favorites to win it going into the season.
New York Giants:

• Did homework on WR DeAndre Hopkins and are now supposedly not interested in pursuing him
• Officially added Ryan Cowden as executive advisor the general manager
• QB Daniel Jones is ok with rookie center John Michael Schmitz using “dead snap” technique

Not much here which may be a good thing for a New York team to get a break from all the media. This season will be an interesting one with how the team went all in on QB Daniel Jones. It kind of feels like besides the Eagles the rest of the division is up for grabs with no true strong contender emerging yet.
New York Jets:

• QB Aaron Rodgers has enjoyed the communication within the organization
• Signed:
  
  • OL Yodny Cajuste
• Released OL Eric Smith
  
• The team and Quinnen Williams are not far off in contract talks
  

Good news on the Quinnen Williams front and in keeping Aaron Rodgers happy. Williams and the team are not far off in contract talks which hopefully means something will get done here very soon. Rodgers has been raving about the Jets communication skills which was his main gripe with the Packers. Now lets just make it clear that he does not need to be pulling the sled.
Philadelphia Eagles:

• Team is excited for QB Jalen Hurts to make another huge leap
• Offered to trade for QB Russell Wilson but Wilson did not want to play in Philly
• DT Jordan Davis broke a blocking sled

Man what a difference one decision can make. Jalen Hurts I imagine would have been in Seattle had the trade happened for Russell Wilson. I bet Eagles fans are happy this didn’t pan out but it does not mean they need to cut Wilson any slack for not wanting to play in Philly if these teams meet in future seasons or end up playing each other in the Super Bowl. Eagles appear setup to be the main threat in the NFC.
Pittsburgh Steelers:

• First round pick Broderick Jones getting 1st-team reps at Left Tackle

Not much out of Pittsburgh per usual but the good news is that Broderick Jones is progressing nicely and is already getting 1st-team reps at Left Tackle. I am sure QB Kenny Pickett is pleased with that.
San Francisco 49ers:

• S Ji’Ayir Brown is already taking first team reps and has stood out in OTAs
• GM John Lynch feels QB Trey Lance has had a really quality offseason
• Very encouraged by progress and throwing session QB Brock Purdy had
• DL Arik Armstead very excited about adding Javon Hargrave to the group
• RB Christian McCaffrey excited to have a full offseason with HC Kyle Shanahan
• Plan to make DE Nick Bosa highest paid defensive player

Things are moving along just fine for the 49ers. Exciting to hear that S Ji’Ayir Brown is making good progress and apparently had 4 or 5 interceptions during OTAs. I imagine the team is also very pleased with the progress QB Brock Purdy is making in his recovery from elbow surgery. He appears to be on pace with the original timeline. If this team can figure it out at the QB position they just might be the most complete all around team up there with the Eagles.
Seattle Seahawks:

• HC Pete Carroll expects his team to be aggressive when returning kicks and expects more squib kicks to be used
• WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba has been extremely impressive
• Signed:
  
  • Benjie Franklin
  • Montrae Braswell
• Cut:
  
  • Forrest Merrill
  • LaTrell Bumphus

Gotta love HC Pete Carroll. It seems like so far it has been pretty unanimous that all those that are playing or coaching football do not love the new kickoff rules. I am sure folks will find ways to take advantage of it though. Once again this week WR Jaxon Smith Njigba was impressive and should be establishing himself within that offense. Seahawks could very well be a sleeper team in the NFC that was good last year but that folks are paying a ton of attention to this year.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

• Antoine Winfield Jr. is expected to play Free Safety this year
• Respect is a key factor in the quarterback battle that is ongoing
• WR Chris Godwin feels his explosiveness coming back

This team has all the big name weapons at receiver one could ask for as long as they stay healthy. It was great to hear that Chris Godwin is getting his explosiveness back. Now not surprisingly it comes down to the QB battle and a big part of that is gaining respect from those veteran players and coaches in the building. I still feel like this battle is QB Baker Mayfield’s to lose at this point.
Tennessee Titans:

• Longtime executive Bob Hyde passed away
• QB Will Levis had a rough week at practice
• P Brett Kern announced his retirement
• Will have joint practice with Minnesota
• Signed:
  
  • DL Jaleel Johnson

Sad news this past week here as well with the passing of Bob Hyde. Also, finally some negative news about one of the Quarterbacks from this year’s draft. Will Levis has been struggling. However, this should not be viewed as a bad sign because every rookie is going to struggle and Levis with his situation has the benefit of time.
Washington Commanders:

• The Josh Harris bid after making some changes is inching closer to full approval
• CB Emmanuel Forbes has been thriving in the slot
• QB Sam Howell has looked the part and is taking command of the offense thus far
• OC Eric Bieniemy wants everyone to be like WR Terry McLaurin
• Gained $8.37m in cap space after June 1st deadline
• Released CB Cameron Dantzler
• Releasing G Andrew Norwell once he passes physical

Seems we are inching closer and closer to the Josh Harris Group’s bid being fully accepted by the owners after some minor adjustments. From the actual team and players it sounds like things are going really well and maybe better than a lot of folks expected. CB Emmanuel Forbes has been doing well in the slot and QB Sam Howell is looking the part and taking charge. The Commanders will be a fun team to watch this year and see how they end up when it is all said and done.
Miscellaneous/Other NFL News:

• Still no announcement as to who will be the team featured on Hard Knocks
• CB Damar Hamlin is leading a multi-city CPAED tour
• Several NFL teams are waiting for RB Dalvin Cook to be cut
• Yannick Ngakoue wants a multi-year deal with a Super Bowl contender
• Chiefsaholic fan is still on the loose
• Tom Brady is certain he is done playing and has tried to make that clear to other teams
• RB Ezekiel Elliott is staying in shape
• Executive are nervous about WR DeAndre Hopkins ability to separate and run at this point in his career
• Less than 100 days from the NFL season

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Restaurant of the Week: (Pittsburgh - Burgatory)
Get excited Pittsburgh fans and all folks going to a game here! Burgatory is only a half mile from the stadium and has some of the best food so far from the restaurants that have been featured. One of my personal favorites is the Piggy Butter & Jelly. Yes, that is a burger with peanut butter and jelly on it. Don’t question it just try it. However, if for some reason you do not my other recommendation would be The Triple B which is a Bison, Beer Cheese, and Bacon burger. Hence the name Triple B. You can’t really go wrong with anything on the menu and the important thing though is that you don’t forget to grab a shake as well. My personal favorite is the Oreo Peanut Butter Pie shake. They are open every day starting at 11am and closer at 9pm everyday except for Friday and Saturday when they close at 11pm. Hop on over and enjoy this delicious food when in town for a game!

Been a Jets fans for 32 years & counting, unfortunately. I have to admit I’m always deeply invested into the draft because well - it’s our super bowl.
Obviously we’re looking at OL at #13 but I’m starting to feel somewhat comfortable with rolling the dice with our OTs. Duane Brown, Mekhi, Mitchell & AVT in case we need to swing him out. Laken is cemented at G so ideally we pickup an IOL or 2. I WANT David Bakhtiari in the Arod deal for additional insurance/high reward OT. GB would save ~$2M this year & ~$21M next year. I know this is a bit scary but hear me out*
Where we stand we got; - 1st (13) - 2nd (42 & 43) - 4th (112) - 5th (143) - 6th (207) w/ comp picks coming.
Assuming the OTs our brass love are gone, why not trade back to accumulate picks & draft 2 IOLs? This will allow us to accumulate more picks & draft “less coveted positions” as OTs are more valuable than IOLs.
Example: Seahawks - We trade 1st (13)
for Seattles - 2nd (37) - 2nd (52) - 2024 2nd rounder
This Gives Us - Four 2’s (37,42,43,52) - & a 2nd in 2024 as well as more ammunition to trade up, please GB or trade elsewhere to upgrade.
If you think that’s a lot of comp (I kinda did) here’s Detroits trade last year; - *Vikings traded #12 to Detroit for a 1st (32), 2nd (34), & a 3rd (66)
Only reason to do this if we don’t LOVE prospect at 13 & we fill multiple IOL & potential developmental edge/safety needs & more.
Thoughts & come on downnnn Arod

I like to listen to draft podcasts and I try and take down notes when I do. I'll write something down if they say that they've heard it from NFL scouts. Yes I know scouts can be wrong and smokescreens do exist but hey, I have fun with it. I have vastly different opinions on players than the mock shows, but I try to hold true to the sources. The combine comes with lots of good info, so it is a tall order to try and sort through everything.
Help me out with team needs if I am off. I have good insight into only a handful of teams so be kind in the comments if I don't know your team's preference at WR or if you guys only draft IOL over 6'4" ;)(mock drafts before free agency are really dumb anyways, but I can't help myself).
Sources
--------
Mel Kiper, Todd McShay, Matt Miller, Jordan Reid, Daniel Jeremiah, Bucky Brooks, Adam Schefter, Rob Staton (He's great if you don't know him), Tony Pauline, Dane Brugler, Connor Rodgers, Trevor Sikkema, Lance Zierlein, Mike Renner, Danny Kelly, Ben Solak
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Draft Intel
-------------------
QBs
---
QBs all performed very well at the combine and all are surefire top 10 picks.
Bryce Young answered questions about his size, but teams know he will be playing under 200lbs, which is a concern - McShay
Anthony Richardson was the talk of the town, and don't be surprised if he goes before one or two of the other top QBs - Multiple
The NFL loves Will Levis, and believes that a lack of NFL talent on the roster and a brand new offense contributed to his struggles - Kiper & McShay
C.J. Stroud had the best performance throwing the ball - Multiple
Don't rule out Seattle drafting a QB (probably Richardson) even though they signed Geno. His contract is structured with outs.
​
DLs & OLBs
-------
A lot of people owe Todd McShay an apology saying that Carter had off the field issues. No one knows the impact yet. I opted to NOT include Jalen Carter until things become clear.
On Carter, this isn't his first offense. He has a history of speeding, which indicates a lack of judgement. His on-field conditioning was poor as well. Carter is a much better player, but Malik McDowell comes to mind. McDowell didn't have the legal issues, but had a lacked work ethic and judgement and eventually went in the early 2nd despite being a top 10 player. We all know how that worked out for the Seahawks (never played a snap).
Don't expect to see Myles Murphy to go as high as expected (poor run defense this year, mediocre pressure rate of 10% were cited)
Lukas Van Ness DE Iowa compares to Ziggy Ansah, and is likely a mid first round pick at the latest.
Expect Calijah Kancey to rise. A team who isn't afraid of his size will get a difference maker - Kiper
Tuli Tuipolotu could go in late Round 1, but he is a true tweener - Pauline
Myles Murphy is as raw as Travon Walker, but without the run defense Walker had. Massive bust potential. - Sikkema
Murphy, Tyree Wilson, and Lukas Van Ness all have massive bust potential (very low floor) - Rodgers
Ade Ade had one of the best combines in history. Late first round is likely.
Byron Young had a great combine and solidified a spot on day 2
Kancey got overlooked a bit because of Ade Ade, but he still has lots of questions about his size.
​
OLs
----------
Not a great class for OL, but there might be a run in the middle of the first
Paris Johnson needs to develop lower body/anchor strength, but he has all of the physical traits you'd like to see in an OL - Rodgers
Broderick Jones measured better than expected, but wasn't as smooth in drills as some of the other players
Anton Harrison answered a lot of questions and looked good in drills.
Blake Freeland has all of the traits you want in a developmental tackle. - Kiper
Darnell Wright didn't get mentioned enough. He had a solid combine all around.
Darnell Wright needs to be in the OT1 conversation - DJ
​
WR
----------
Scouts aren't in love with this WR class. Max 4 1st rounders imo - Matt Miller
Jaxson Smith-Njigba avoided the 40 (smart), but his agilities and workouts were great. Maybe have played himself back into the 1st rd conversation
NFL scouts think that Jaxon S-N is a #3 WR in the NFL, and #3s go in the mid-second round - McShay
Don't be surprised if Zay Flowers is the top drafted WR in this draft - Kiper
Quentin Johnston appears to be the only true WR1 in this class - McShay
Rumor is that multiple teams are comfortable waiting for WR on day 2 - Sikkema
Johnston probably won't go top 10, but his floor seems to be the Ravens - McShay & Kiper
Addison hurt his stock some. He was light and did have the kind of numbers expected of someone his size.
​
TE
---------
Luke Musgrave may sneak into the first round - Pauline
Kincaid is talented, but his age is working against him.
Darnell Washington dropped weight and looked great in on field drills. His agilities were particularly impressive. He was the clear best blocker in the drills at the combine.
​
RB
---------
Multiple teams have Bijan Robinson as the top player on their board
Bijan deserves to go top 10, but analysts are spooked to mock draft him that early - McShay
Jahmyr Gibbs is a 1st rd talent, but will ikely go in the Breece Hall/Kenneth Walker range - Kiper
Bijan could go as high as 6 to Detroit, but shouldn't drop past the mid 20s. Not a ton of intel on which teams love him to the point of drafting him early.
​
ILB
-------------
Due to poor LB class and positional value, we may not see any LBs drafted in Rd. 1
Trenton Simpson has been wildly inconsistent (same goes for the whole Clemson D)
Jack Campbell has the traits you look for in a LB, and had a solid combine
Drew Sanders is very polarizing after talking to scouts.
​
DB
------------
This is a deep CB class with great size - Multiple
Deontay Banks CB Maryland is a 1st rd pick - Kiper
Witherspoon and Gonzalez are CBs 1 and 2 this year - Sikkema and Rodgers
It is time to stop mocking Ringo in Rd. 1 after the combine.
​
Trades - Let's have some fun
--------
Carolina 1.9, 2024 1st, 2.40, 2024 2nd to Chicago for 1.1 - They jump Houston and grab their QB1
NYJ 1.13 to GB for Aaron Rodgers - Woody Johnson won't miss a chance to grab a QB
WAS 1.16, 2024 1st to Baltimore for Lamar Jackson - Rob Staton floated this idea and I loved it. Snyder gets Lamar a fully guaranteed contract for Lamar as a big F you to the other owners on his way out
NYG 1.26, 3.89 to Seattle for 1.20 - They want their pick at WR without having to worry about LAC or BAL
DAL 1.27, 3.90 to Baltimore for 1.23, 5.148 - Baltimore always trades around at the end of the first
​

1. Carolina* - C.J. Stroud QB Ohio St.

He is a Reich QB, and McCown loves him. His thorwing session at the combine was immaculate.
​

1. Houston - Bryce Young QB Alabama

Obvious pick if he is available. Size is still a concern and they will need to address a few holes on their OL, but he is the best processor in the draft.
​

1. Arizona - Will Anderson EDGE Alabama

Easy choice for them. Anything else would be too big of a risk for a new GM.
​

1. Indianapolis - Will Levis QB Kentucky

Tough choice between Levis and Richardson here. Both are the ideal fit for the offense. I believe that Levis is more of an Irsay guy so they go with him.
​

1. Seattle - Anthony Richardson QB Kentucky

Geno contract doesn't mean they won't draft QB. If Richardson is available I bet he'll be the guy.
​

1. Detroit - Christian Gonzalez CB Oregon

Big Pat Surtain vibes from Gonzalez. He tore up the combine. Gets the nod over Witherspoon because he has the ideal size and measurables. Witherspoon might be more of a dawg, but Gonzalez is exactly what you want in a CB.
​

1. Las Vegas - Devon Witherspoon CB Illinois

Connor Rodgers connected the Raiders to him at the combine. If the QBs are gone expect them to look to CB.
​

1. Atlanta - Tyree Wilson DL Texas Tech

They need a pass rusher and grab one to compliment Ebiketie.
​

1. Chicago* - Lukas Van Ness DE Iowa

Ziggy Ansah went 5th (albeit in a terrible draft class) and that is the Van Ness comp. Great testing at his size and Iowa just doesn't play a ton of underclassmen. They need some pass rush help and grab the next best rusher available.
​

1. Philadelphia - Joey Porter Jr. CB Penn St.

Terrible outside CB depth and Bradberry is an UFA. Fits a big need. Showed what he needed to at the combine.
​

1. Tennessee - Peter Skoronski OT/IOL Northwestern

Shorter arms are the only downside. Extremely explosive and put to bed all of the narratives that he is unathletic. AVT went 14 and he is much better.
​

1. Houston - Quentin Johnston WR TCU

Rare body type and athleticism. Caught the ball well at the combine. Only WR in this draft that can turn into a true #1.
​

1. Green Bay* - Paris Johnson Jr. OT Ohio St.

If Bakhtiari is a cap casualty then they need help. Ideal size and athleticism at OT. Looked fine in drills. Needs to get stronger in the lower body, but that can be corrected by NFL strength coaching. I was lower on him initially because he is pretty raw but he will improve, and he showed out at the combine. Lots of buzz around him at the combine necessitates and early pick.
​

1. New England - Darnell Wright OT Tennessee

Elite athleticism at 330+ pounds. Awesome tape Sr. year. Jordan Reid said he looked the best during field drills. Immediate starter, with the athleticism to take over LT. Beast in the run game and was elite in pass pro last year (watch him shut down Will Anderson).
​

1. Green Bay - Myles Murphy DE Clemson

Another big pass rusher that fits what they like. Raw, but has tons of upside.
​

1. Baltimore* - Deontay Banks CB Maryland

With no good QBs available they address another big need and grab the best CB available. He showed out at the Combine. Kudos to Kiper for being high on him early.
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1. Pittsburgh - Broderick Jones OT Georgia

Great tester and lots of buzz, still a bit raw technique wise though.
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1. Detroit - Calijah Kancey DT Pittsburgh

Is he Aaron Donald? Not quite (he didn't have the crazy production), but his effort and quickness is unmatched in this DT class.Mel wouldn't have put him as high as #10 in his mock out of nowhere unless he is hearing something from league sources.
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1. Tampa Bay - Anton Harrison OT Oklahoma

Maybe a bit early, but he measured well and had an awesome combine. Still young, he will have time to develop into a solid starter. Need a true LT.
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1. NYG* - Jaylin Hyatt WR Tennessee

Adds a fun element to this WR corps. Trade puts them in front of LAC and BAL who might be targeting receiver.
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1. Miami - Forfeited

lol - I'm including this because I have OCD and can't handle a round with 31 picks.
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1. LAC - Bijan Robinson RB Texas

Fans harping about positional value don't understand what a difference maker Bijan is in all facets. We all know his talent and my heart wants to put him higher,but since this is based on intel he falls this far.
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1. Dallas* - Drew Sanders LB Arkansas

Arkansas kid and the top LB in the class according to inside sources should appeal to Jerry Jones. Comes with lots of pass rush juice.
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1. Minnesota - Cam Smith CB South Carolina

They simply grab the next best CB. Smith is a solid all-around CB.
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1. Jacksonville - Darnell Washington TE Georgia

Awesome combine with elite measurables. Draft unique body types.
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1. Seattle* - Keion White DE Georgia Tech

Didn't run at the combine, but has what they are looking for as a pass-rushing 3-4 end. Long arms and explosive testing makes a good combo.
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1. Baltimore* - Zay Flowers WR Boston College

Kiper is high on him and he would give them an elite weapon. Small, but adds a new element to their WR corps. I've seen comps to AB, Lockett, and McLaurin. Inconsistent this year.
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1. Buffalo - Brian Branch S Alabama

A huge fall after poor testing. Kyle Hamilton who was a consensus top 3 pick fell to 15 after poor testing, so Branch falling this far isn't out of the question. Will be an immediate starter and game changer.
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1. Cincy - Dawand Jones OT Ohio St.

Smooth operator at his size. They need help on the OL.
​

1. New Orleans - Michael Mayer TE Notre Dame

Average testing means a drop for him, but he is still an awesome TE. TEs rarely go super early. TE depth may hurt the entire class, making teams wait a bit.
​

1. Philadelphia - Nolan Smith DE Georgia

He's an athletic freak, but he is also a tweener. If he was 15 pounds bigger I think he goes top 15.
​

1. Kansas City - Adetomiwa Adebawore DE Northwestern

A combine for the ages from him. Dream is Kansas City and ends up going there. Total Spags guy.
​
ROUND 2

1. Pittsburgh - Kelee Ringo CB Georgia
   
2. Houston - Dalton Kincaid TE Utah
   
3. Arizona - Jaxon Smith-Njigba WR Ohio St.
   
4. Indianapolis - Josh Downs WR North Carolina
   
5. LAR - Will McDonald DE Iowa St.
   
6. Seattle - John Michael Schmitz OC Minnesota
   
7. Las Vegas - Hendon Hooker QB Tennessee
   
8. Chicago* - Bryan Bresee DT Clemson
   

Good combine, but inconsistent tape is problematic. If they build their O in FA then they could focus on the D in the draft.

1. New Orleans - Byron Young DE Tennessee
   
2. Tennessee - Jordan Addison WR USC
   
3. Cleveland - Derick Hall DE Auburn
   
4. NYJ - Trenton Simpson LB Clemson
   
5. Atlanta - DJ Turner CB Michigan
   

-4.2 speed cures size concerns.

1. Green Bay - Luke Musgrave TE Oregon St.
   
2. New England - Jayden Reed WR Michigan St.
   
3. Washington - Steve Avila IOL TCU
   
4. Detroit - B.J. Ojulari DE LSU
   
5. Pittsburgh - Mazi Smith DT Michigan
   
6. Tampa Bay - Tyrique Stevenson CB Miami
   
7. Miami - Jahmyr Gibbs RB Alabama
   
8. Seattle - Jack Campbell LB Iowa
   
9. Chicago - Cody Mauch IOL NDSU
   
10. LAC - Jonathan Mingo WR Ole Miss
    
11. Detroit - Sam LaPorta TE Iowa
    
12. Jacksonville - Tuli Tuipolotu DL USC
    
13. NYG - Tucker Kraft TE South Dakota St.
    
14. Dallas - Julius Brents CB Kansas St.
    
15. Buffalo - O'Cyrus Torrence IOL Florida
    

Big fall for him. Didn't test well and didn't have as good of a performance at the Sr. Bowl as expected.

1. Cincinnati - Zack Kuntz TE Old Dominion
   
2. Carolina - Cedric Tillman WR Tennessee
   
3. Philadelphia - Zach Charbonnet RB UCLA
   
4. Kansas City - Blake Freeland OT BYU
   

Hey Guys!
Sorry for any delay between the last post, things have been a bit hectic at work, but I wanted to give you all the latest cards since those Super Bowl rankings. Since we last spoke we got an end game tackle, a budge beast RG, some nice blocking TEs and the greatest running back/fullback in MUT history.
Now a quick word on a few cards:

1. Ultimate Legends are here, and we're starting see some nice OOP players. Case in point Gary Zimmerman at WR. He's the best blocking WR in the game right now and yes I'm including George Pickens in that. Pickens is great, and quite frankly the best all around WR in the game IMO but as far as who will level your opponent time and time again? It's Zimmerman even if you have honorary lineman on George.
2. With Ultimate Legends a reminder a lot of their scores will be incredibly low because of their weight. Don't fret completely, it's not ideal, but if you have abilities they can counteract a lot of these deficiencies in the pass game. This is all to say if you're using someone like Mel Blount at RT he's not the best, but his ranking is a bit misleading. For more about this read my last post which details the Oklahoma drill idea in relation to Forest Gregg. Now in the open field Mel is terrible, but with edge protector he's serviceable in the passing attack.
3. Daniel Faalele is the best card I've used in MUT potentially ever. I get that it was a BS move by EA to lock him behind a paywall, especially when the game is winding down, but he's certainly the most unique card I've had the pleasure of using. Now full disclosure I have him on a 50/50 Ravens TT with sprinter so he literally is the best he can possibly be with the increase to agility, speed and change of direction but I will say even out of the box he's so difficult to deal with and is incredibly versatile. Only issue is his awareness. He's got 70 awareness which means Ray Charles has a better chance finding a block in the open field and he's dead. So if he's your FB don't use him on toss plays, be warry on counters, and avoid screens where he has to release. BUT in dive/iso and even stretch he can be devastating. Plus at 380lbs good luck when I throw to him on a texas route. My guess is he'll get a golden ticket but quite frankly he already is one.

Alright let's get to reason you're here:
Left Tackle Pass Block:
​

Name	Overall	Pass Block Stat	Real Pass Block Stat
Jordan Mailata	94	97	96.475
Trent Brown	94	96	96.25
Orlando Brown	94	95	95.65
Gary Zimmerman	97	98	94.6125
Jonathan Ogden	93	94	94.6125
Terron Armstead	97	96	94.025
David Bakhtiari	96	95	93.9125
Andrew Thomas	96	95	93.9
Joe Thomas	94	95	93.4625
Tony Boselli	92	94	93.069
Kolton Miller	93	94	93.0625
Jordan Mailata	92	91	93.025
Taylor Lewan	94	94	92.6375
Duane Brown	92	94	92.625
Dion Dawkins	93	93	92.469
Jamaree Salyer	92	92	92.319
Tyron Smith	93	94	92.15
Braxton Jones	93	93	92
Anthony Munoz	95	96	91.875
Jake Matthews	93	92	90.725
Rashawn Slater	92	92	90.725
Donovan Smith	91	89	90.4875
Cam Robinson	90	89	90.294
Laremy Tunsil	88	90	89.775
Ikem Ekwonu	90	88	89.675
Andrew Thomas	90	89	89.4
Orlando Brown Jr.	88	87	89.05
Taylor Decker	88	87	88.869
Trent Williams	92	87	88.644
Garett Bolles	90	90	88.45
Jordan Mailata	87	85	88.3
Duane Brown	88	88	88.125
Charles Cross	85	90	87.9875
Joseph Notebloom	88	86	87.594
D.J. Humphries	88	87	87.275
Tyron Smith	87	88	87.2
Gary Zimmerman	87	89	86.9625
Anthony Munoz	89	90	86.925
Kolton Miller	86	86	86.9125
Josh Wells	88	86	86.9
Ikem Ekwonu	86	84	86.375
Terron Armstead	87	86	85.775
Prince Tega Wanogho	86	84	85.5125
Dan Moore	85	84	85.5
Trent Williams	88	83	85.344
Donovan Smith	84	82	84.7125
Charles Leno Jr.	83	83	83.75
Laremy Tunsil	82	82	83.625
Rashawn Slater	84	83	83.525
Jake Matthews	84	82	83.15
Jonah Williams	84	83	82.625
Dion Dawkins	81	81	82.569
David Bakhtiari	82	81	82.3625
Terron Armstead	82	81	81.875
Isaiah Wynn	84	80	81.7625
Ronnie Stanley	80	80	81.525
Orlando Brown Jr.	78	76	81.1
Garett Bolles	81	81	81.025
D.J. Humphries	81	79	80.9
Bernhard Raimann	80	77	80.6
Mekhi Becton	77	75	80.5
Taylor Lewan	80	77	78.8375
Joseph Noteboom	78	74	78.819
Jake Matthews	79	76	78.65
Andrew Thomas	76	75	78.525
Ikem Ekwonu	77	73	78.425
Dan Moore	77	74	77.925
Cam Robinson	75	74	77.919
George Fant	75	75	77.844
Donovan Smith	75	72	77.5875
Jedrick Wills	77	73	77.325
Taylor Decker	75	73	77.319
Teven Jenkins	77	72	76.944
Isaiah Wynn	76	72	75.8375
Charles Cross	74	73	75.5375
Christian Darrisaw	76	70	75.3
Trevor Penning	74	65	73.374

Left Tackle Run Block:
​

Name	Overall	Run Block Stat	Real Run Block Stat
Jordan Mailata	94	95	95.85
Jordan Mailata	92	94	94.825
Jonathan Ogden	93	94	94.6125
Andrew Thomas	96	96	94.5
Orlando Brown	94	93	94.45
Terron Armstead	97	96	94.025
David Bakhtiari	96	95	93.9125
Trent Brown	94	92	93.85
Joe Thomas	94	95	93.4625
Gary Zimmerman	97	96	93.4125
Taylor Lewan	94	95	93.2375
Braxton Jones	93	95	93.2
Kolton Miller	93	94	93.0625
Jamaree Salyer	92	92	92.319
Duane Brown	92	93	92.025
Trent Williams	92	92	91.644
Tyron Smith	93	93	91.55
Ikem Ekwonu	90	91	91.475
Rashawn Slater	92	93	91.325
Tony Boselli	92	91	91.269
Anthony Munoz	95	94	90.675
Donovan Smith	91	89	90.4875
Jake Matthews	93	91	90.125
Dion Dawkins	93	90	90.669
Andrew Thomas	90	90	90
Taylor Decker	88	88	89.469
Dan Moore	85	90	89.1
Cam Robinson	90	87	89.094
Orlando Brown Jr.	88	87	89.05
Jordan Mailata	87	86	88.9
D.J. Humphries	88	89	88.675
Laremy Tunsil	88	88	88.575
Trent Williams	88	88	88.344
Duane Brown	88	88	88.125
Joseph Notebloom	88	86	87.594
Garett Bolles	90	88	87.25
Josh Wells	88	86	86.9
Ikem Ekwonu	86	84	86.375
Kolton Miller	86	85	86.3125
Tyron Smith	87	86	86
Anthony Munoz	89	88	85.725
Prince Tega Wanogho	86	84	85.5125
Gary Zimmerman	87	86	85.1625
Rashawn Slater	84	85	84.725
Donovan Smith	84	82	84.7125
Terron Armstead	87	84	84.575
Charles Cross	85	84	84.3875
Laremy Tunsil	82	82	83.625
Bernhard Raimann	80	82	83.6
Isaiah Wynn	84	83	83.5625
D.J. Humphries	81	82	82.7
Jonah Williams	84	83	82.625
David Bakhtiari	82	81	82.3625
Jake Matthews	84	80	81.95
Charles Leno Jr.	83	80	81.95
Mekhi Becton	77	76	81.6
Orlando Brown Jr.	78	76	81.1
Terron Armstead	82	79	80.675
Taylor Lewan	80	80	80.6375
Teven Jenkins	77	77	79.944
Garett Bolles	81	79	79.825
Ronnie Stanley	80	77	79.725
Ikem Ekwonu	77	75	79.625
Dion Dawkins	81	76	79.569
Dan Moore	77	75	78.525
Taylor Penning	74	73	78.174
Jedrick Wills	77	74	77.925
Taylor Decker	75	74	77.919
Christian Darrisaw	76	74	77.7
Isaiah Wynn	76	75	77.6375
Donovan Smith	75	72	77.5875
Jake Matthews	79	74	77.45
Joseph Notebloom	79	71	77.019
Cam Robinson	75	70	75.519
George Fant	75	70	74.844
Andrew Thomas	76	67	73.725
Charles Cross	74	64	70.1375

Left Guard Pass Block:
​

Name	Overall	Pass block stat	True pass block stat
Alan Faneca	96	97	95.325
Bruce Matthews	96	96	94.25
Damien Lewis	96	94	94.1875
Russ Grimm	97	98	93.3125
Quenton Nelson	95	91	93.05
Alan Faneca	93	94	92.85
Rodger Saffold	93	92	92.3125
Ezra Cleveland	97	94	92.1875
Jason Peters	91	91	91.925
Kenyon Green	93	91	91.4875
Laken Tomlinson	92	92	90.7625
Jon Runyan	90	92	90.275
Randall McDaniel	91	93	89.8375
Landon Dickerson	91	87	89.75
Quenton Nelson	90	86	88.925
Bruce Matthews	89	89	88.7
Charles Haley	95	94	88.275
Andrus Peat	88	88	88.125
Pat Elflein	87	88	87.2
Russ Grimm	91	90	87.1625
Andrew Norwell	87	86	87.1375
Cody Whitehair	88	87	87.075
Cordell Volson	86	85	87
Damien Lewis	88	83	86.9
Dalton Risner	88	86	86.7125
Alan Faneca	87	86	86.7
Ben Powers	88	86	86.45
Ed Budde	92	91	86.4375
Joel Bitonio	87	85	86.319
Colby Gassett	82	84	86.15
Rodger Saffold	85	84	85.7125
Joshua Ezeudu	85	85	85.2125
Joe Thuney	86	86	85.19
Laken Tomlinson	85	85	84.9875
Nick Allegretti	86	82	84.744
John Simpson	84	81	84.369
Luke Goedeke	86	82	84.075
Cole Strange	88	80	84.0125
Quenton Nelson	84	80	83.975
Kenyon Green	84	81	83.9125
David Edward	83	83	83.5625
Isaac Seumalo	84	83	83.525
Connor McGovern	84	83	83.4875
Jackson Carman	80	81	83.45
Landon Dickerson	85	77	83.075
Rodger Saffold	82	80	82.8625
Austin Jackson	80	81	82.794
Jon Runyan	82	82	82.25
Justin Pugh	80	80	81.5375
Jon Runyan	80	80	80.6
Tyre Phillips	80	75	79.625
Matt Feiler	80	73	78.425
Andrew Norwell	76	75	78.2875
Cody Whitehair	78	76	78.2375
Isaac Seumalo	77	76	78.2
Jonah Jackson	78	75	77.8625
Dalton Riser	77	75	77.6375
Dennis Daley	75	72	77.0875
Netane Muti	75	72	76.5
Wes Schweitzer	75	76	76.45
Ike Boettger	74	72	75.825
Kenyon Green	74	71	75.6625
Connor Williams	76	73	75.55
Tyreek Hill	90	88	75.2
Kendrick Green	74	69	74.25
Ezra Cleveland	73	67	72.6125

Left Guard Run block
​

Name	Overall	Run block stat	True run block stat
Damien Lewis	96	95	94.7875
Alan Faneca	96	96	94.725
Rodger Saffold	93	96	94.7125
Bruce Matthews	96	96	94.25
Ezra Cleveland	97	96	93.7875
Russ Grimm	97	98	93.3125
Quenton Nelson	95	91	93.05
Landon Dickerson	91	92	92.75
Kenyon Green	93	93	92.6875
Alan Faneca	93	93	92.25
Jason Peters	91	91	91.925
Laken Tomlinson	92	93	91.3625
Randall McDaniel	91	93	89.8375
Damien Lewis	88	87	89.3
Landon Dickerson	85	87	89.075
Quenton Nelson	90	86	88.925
Ed Budde	92	94	88.2375
Rodger Saffold	85	88	88.1125
Jon Runyan	90	88	87.875
Russ Grimm	91	91	87.7625
Cody Whitehair	88	88	87.675
Bruce Matthews	89	87	87.5
Pat Elflein	87	88	87.2
Nick Allegretti	86	86	87.144
Andrew Norwell	87	86	87.1375
Charles Haley	95	92	87.075
Andrus Peat	88	86	86.925
Joel Bitonio	87	86	86.919
Dalton Risner	88	86	86.7125
Alan Faneca	87	86	86.7
Cole Strange	88	84	86.4125
Colby Gassett	82	84	86.15
Ben Powers	88	85	85.85
Laken Tomlinson	85	86	85.5875
Luke Goedeke	86	84	85.275
Joshua Ezeudu	85	85	85.2125
Cordell Volson	86	82	85.2
Quenton Nelson	84	82	85.175
Connor McGovern	84	83	84.6875
Rodger Saffold	82	83	84.6625
Joe Thuney	86	84	83.99
David Edwards	83	83	83.5625
Kenyon Green	84	80	83.3125
Tyre Phillips	80	81	83.225
John Simpson	84	79	83.169
Matt Feiler	80	80	82.625
Jackson Carman	80	79	82.25
Isaac Seumalo	84	80	81.725
Jon Runyan	82	80	81.05
Austin Jackson	80	78	80.994
Justin Pugh	80	79	80.9375
Jon Runyan	80	78	79.4
Cody Whitehair	78	78	79.4375
Jonah Jackson	78	77	79.0625
Netane Muti	75	76	78.9
Dennis Daley	75	74	78.2875
Andrew Norwell	76	75	78.2875
Dalton Risner	77	75	77.6375
Connor Williams	76	76	77.35
Ezra Cleveland	73	74	76.8125
Ike Boettger	74	73	76.425
Isaac Seumalo	77	73	76.4
Kendrick Green	74	72	76.05
Wes Schweitzer	75	75	75.85
Kenyon Green	74	70	75.0625
Tyreek Hill	90	87	74.6

The only 91 ovr Ultimate legend I included was Russ Grimm's because he was free this week should you have chosen the pack without the tokens for the Ultimate legend solos and I know a lot of people have. So wanted to include that for you.
Center Pass Block:
​

Name	Overall	Pass block stat	True pass block stat
Ted Karras	97	97	94.85
Jason Kelce	97	98	94.8375
Ryan Jensen	96	96	94.719
Nick Mangold	95	96	94.025
Creed Humphrey	95	95	93.6875
Jake Brendel	93	93	92.0375
Jason Kelce	94	94	91.7625
Graham Glasgow	93	92	91.4375
Tyler Biadasz	92	93	91.35
Jeff Saturday	93	94	91.3125
David Andrews	94	93	91.075
Brian Allen	92	92	90.95
Ted Karras	92	92	90.725
Austin Blythe	93	91	90.175
Creed Humphrey	90	91	90.1625
Jon Feliciono	91	89	90.0625
Russ Grimm	91	93	88.7375
Tyler Linderbaum	93	89	87.8625
Jon Feliciano	88	86	87.8125
Ben Jones	88	88	87.6875
Jay Hilgenberg	92	93	87.65
Connor McGovern	88	87	87.5
Frank Ragnow	88	88	87.4625
Tyler Biadasz	87	88	87.225
Ryan Jensen	87	86	86.694
Tyler Linderbaum	91	87	86.2125
Billy Price	88	85	85.8875
Andre James	84	85	85.45
Creed Humphrey	86	84	85.2875
Tyler Shatley	86	84	85.0625
Corey Linsley	85	85	84.775
Bradley Bozeman	84	84	84.5875
Garrett Bradbury	87	86	85.375
Jay Hilgenberg	89	89	84.35
Drew Dalmon	84	83	84.25
David Andrews	84	83	84.025
Ryan Kelly	84	83	83.5625
Ryan Jensen	83	82	83.394
Brian Allen	83	83	83.3
Andre James	81	82	82.75
Ben Jones	82	82	82.7375
Tyler Linderbaum	86	82	82.087
Erik McCoy	82	79	82.025
Mitch Morse	82	80	81.95
Austin Blythe	84	81	81.925
Tyler Biadasz	80	81	81.9
Rodney Hudson	79	81	81.675
Jason Kelce	84	89	80.8875
Frank Ragnow	80	77	79.7375
Ryan Kelly	78	77	79.0625
Josh Myers	80	74	77.9375
Chase Roullier	79	74	77.9375
Erik McCoy	78	75	77.375
Bradley Bozeman	75	74	77.2375
Justin Britt	74	74	77.025
Jon Feliciano	74	72	76.2625
Lloyd Cushenberry	74	73	76.2
Connor McGovern	75	73	75.95
Ted Karras	75	73	75.725
Garrett Bradbury	75	72	75.35
Tyler Linderbaum	75	69	72.9375
Matt Hennessy	75	68	72.5

Center Run Block:
​

Name	Overall	Run block stat	True run block stat
Creed Humphrey	95	97	94.8875
Jason Kelce	97	98	94.8375
Ryan Jensen	96	96	94.719
Ted Karras	97	96	94.25
Nick Mangold	95	96	94.025
Brian Allen	92	96	93.35
Jason Kelce	94	96	92.9625
Graham Glasgow	93	93	92.0375
David Andrews	94	92	91.675
Jake Brendel	93	93	91.6
Austin Blythe	93	93	91.375
Creed Humphrey	90	93	91.3625
Tyler Biadasz	92	93	91.35
Jeff Saturday	93	94	91.3125
Jon Feliciono	91	90	90.6625
Ted Karras	92	91	90.125
Russ Grimm	91	93	88.7375
Tyler Linderbaum	93	90	88.4625
Jon Feliciano	88	87	88.4125
Ben Jones	88	89	88.2875
Jay Hilgenberg	92	94	88.25
Connor McGovern	88	87	87.5
Tyler Biadasz	87	88	87.225
Ryan Jensen	87	87	87.294
Creed Humphrey	86	87	87.0875
Billy Price	88	87	87.0875
Tyler Linderbaum	91	88	86.8125
Frank Ragnow	88	86	86.2625
Garrett Bradbury	87	87	85.975
Tyler Shatley	86	84	85.0625
Jay Hilgenberg	89	90	84.95
Corey Linsley	85	85	84.775
Jason Kelce	84	86	84.4875
Ryan Jensen	83	83	83.994
Bradley Bozeman	84	83	83.9875
Erik McCoy	82	82	83.825
David Andrews	84	82	83.425
Ben Jones	82	83	83.3375
Brian Allen	83	83	83.3
Austin Blythe	84	83	83.125
Tyler Linderbaum	86	83	82.687
Andre James	84	80	82.45
Drew Dalmon	84	80	82.45
Ryan Kelly	84	81	82.3625
Josh Myers	80	81	82.1375
Mitch Morse	82	80	81.95
Tyler Biadasz	80	81	81.9
Chase Roullier	79	78	80.3375
Andre James	81	77	79.75
Frank Ragnow	80	77	79.7375
Erik McCoy	78	76	77.975
Ryan Kelly	78	75	77.8625
Rodney Hudson	79	73	76.875
Jon Feliciano	74	73	76.8625
Matt Hennessy	75	75	76.7
Bradley Bozeman	75	73	76.6375
Garrett Bradbury	75	74	76.55
Justin Britt	74	73	76.425
Connor McGovern	75	73	75.95
Lloyd Cushenberry	74	71	75
Ted Karras	75	71	74.525
Tyler Linderbaum	75	71	74.1375

Right Guard Pass Block:
​

Name	Overall	Pass block stat	True pass block stat
Larry Allen	94	96	95.815
Mike Onwenu	94	93	95.125
Nate Davis	96	96	94.725
Marshall Yanda	96	97	94.625
Austin Corbett	97	96	94.25
Will Shields	95	95	94.125
Robert Hunt	93	94	93.2875
Will Hernandez	91	92	92.5
Alex Cappa	95	93	91.775
Zack Martin	93	92	91.65
Jack Anderson	93	92	91.65
Zion Johnson	93	91	91.5
Jahri Evans	90	92	91.419
Teven Jenkins	92	90	90.894
Spencer Burford	90	92	90.55
Nate Davis	92	90	90.225
Kevin Zeitler	90	91	90.15
Trey Smith	89	89	90.05
Brandon Scherff	90	89	89.175
Ryan Bates	88	90	88.9
Isaac Seumalo	90	89	88.475
Will Hernandez	84	85	87.174
Chris Lindstrom	90	86	87.125
James Daniels	88	87	86.6375
Zack Martin	87	85	86.55
Mark Glowinski	87	86	86.4875
Logan Stenberg	87	84	86.4
Trey Smith	85	84	86.375
Alijah Vera-Tucker	87	85	86.1125
Wyatt Teller	86	84	85.725
Brandon Scherff	86	85	85.65
Nate Davis	87	84	85.5
Trai Turner	84	84	85.269
Ed Ingram	88	82	85.175
Will Shields	87	83	85.125
Zion Johnson	86	84	85.05
A.J. Cann	85	83	84.9
Quinn Meinerz	87	81	84.819
Shaq Mason	86	82	84.3125
Robert Hunt	83	83	84.2125
Alex Bars	88	80	83.775
Gabe Jackson	82	80	83.724
Chris Lindstrom	85	81	83
Alex Cappa	84	82	82.7
Kevin Zeitler	79	80	82.625
Austin Corbett	83	81	81.875
Logan Stenberg	80	77	80.625
Mark Glowinski	79	79	80.4875
Royce Newman	80	79	80.2625
Teven Jenkins	84	76	80.019
Trai Turner	77	77	79.944
Daniel Brunskill	81	79	79.825
Logan Bruss	86	76	79.5875
Michael Onwenu	75	74	79.225
Graham Glasgow	79	76	79.1375
Elgton Jenkins	78	77	79.0625
Bobby Evans Jr.	76	74	77.0375
James Daniels	76	75	76.7375
Zion Johnson	75	71	76.35
Nate Davis	75	72	76.275
Alex Leatherwood	75	71	75.2375
Ben Cleveland	73	67	74.8

Right Guard Run Block:
​

Name	Overall	Run block stat	True run block stat
Will Shields	95	97	95.325
Nate Davis	96	97	95.325
Austin Corbett	97	97	94.85
Larry Allen	94	94	94.615
Mike Onwenu	94	92	94.525
Marshall Yanda	96	96	94.025
Zion Johnson	93	94	93.3
Alex Cappa	95	95	92.975
Zack Martin	93	94	92.85
Teven Jenkins	92	92	92.094
Nate Davis	92	93	92.025
Robert Hunt	93	91	91.4875
Will Hernandez	91	90	91.3
Jack Anderson	93	91	91.05
Jahri Evans	90	89	89.619
Chris Lindstrom	90	90	89.525
Brandon Scherff	90	89	89.175
Kevin Zeitler	90	89	88.95
Trey Smith	89	87	88.85
Will Shields	87	89	88.725
Zack Martin	87	88	88.35
Logan Stenberg	87	87	88.2
Spencer Burford	90	88	88.15
Nate Davis	87	88	87.9
Quinn Meinerz	87	86	87.819
Mark Glowinski	87	88	87.6875
James Daniels	88	87	86.6375
Wyatt Teller	87	87	87.525
Alijah Vera-Tucker	87	87	87.5125
Alex Bars	88	86	87.375
A.J. Cann	85	87	87.3
Isaac Seumalo	90	87	87.275
Ed Ingram	88	85	86.975
Brandon Scherff	86	86	86.25
Shaq Mason	86	85	86.1125
Trey Smith	85	83	85.775
Chris Lindstrom	85	85	85.4
Ryan Bates	88	84	85.3
Gabe Jackson	82	82	84.924
Logan Bruss	86	84	84.3875
Trai Turner	84	82	84.069
Alex Cappa	84	84	83.9
Zion Johnson	86	82	83.85
Robert Hunt	83	82	83.6125
Teven Jenkins	84	81	83.019
Logan Stenberg	80	81	83.025
Will Hernandez	84	78	82.974
Austin Corbett	83	82	82.475
Daniel Brunskill	81	82	81.625
Mark Glowinski	79	80	81.0875
Graham Glasgow	79	79	80.9375
Royce Newman	80	79	80.2625
Kevin Zeitler	79	74	79.025
Trai Turner	77	75	78.744
Nate Davis	75	76	78.675
Michael Onwenu	75	73	78.625
Ben Cleveland	73	73	78.4
Bobby Evans	76	76	78.2375
Elgton Jenkins	78	74	77.2625
James Daniels	76	75	76.7375
Alex Leatherwood	75	71	75.2375
Zion Johnson	75	69	75.15

Right Tackle Pass Block
​

Name	Overall	Pass block stat	True pass block stat
Willie Anderson	97	97	97.0875
Abraham Lucas	97	96	93.825
Ryan Ramczyk	94	95	93.675
Andrew Wylie	94	95	93.4625
Taylor Moton	93	94	93.2875
Jawaan Taylor	93	95	93.0125
Willie Anderson	92	92	92.7375
Tristain Wirfs	90	92	92.725
Mekhi Becton	90	91	92.575
Riley Reiff	94	94	92.15
Nicholas Petit-Frere	93	92	91.875
Evan Neal	93	89	91.825
Jackie Slater	94	95	90.3875
Storm Nelson	93	91	90.375
Tom Compton	89	91	89.925
Forrest Gregg	97	97	89.8625
Billy Turner	91	90	89.7875
Lane Johnson	92	89	89.3875
Tristan Wirfs	86	86	88.45
Morgan Moses	86	88	88.325
Austin Jackson	88	88	88.119
Rob Havenstein	87	87	87.95
Jermaine Eluemunor	90	84	87.925
Penei Sewell	87	87	87.725
Marcus Cannon	86	83	86.65
Mike McGlinchey	91	84	86.6375
Jack Driscoll	86	87	86.4125
Lane Johnson	86	87	86.4
Forrest Greg	91	93	86.3375
Andrew Wylie	88	84	86.1875
Ryan Ramczyk	85	85	86.1
Jack Conklin	88	85	85.6625
La'el Collins	87	83	85.569
Rob Havenstein	83	83	84.875
Abraham Lucas	86	85	84.75
Braden Smith	83	82	83.85
Chukwuma Okorafor	83	83	83.544
Mel Blount	95	95	83.3875
Taylor Morton	81	82	83.3875
Trent Brown	80	79	82.9
Brian O'Neill	84	83	82.9
Juwaan Taylor	80	82	82.7375
La'el Collins	83	79	82.269
Storm Norton	84	81	82.125
Cameron Fleming	84	77	81.744
Lane Johnson	84	80	81.525
David Quessenberry	84	78	80.525
Matt Gono	79	79	80
Penei Sewell	79	75	79.625
Ju'Wuan James	77	78	79.2125
Evan Neal	78	72	79.15
Morgan Moses	76	74	78.575
Brian O'Neill	78	77	78.4
Jack Conklin	78	75	77.4125
Germain Ifedi	73	73	77.2875
Jack Driscoll	75	75	77.4125
Jesse Davis	75	75	76.9625
Tytus Howard	74	73	75.969
Mike McGlinchey	77	70	75.0875
Sam Cosmi	76	74	74.85
David Quessenberry	76	70	74.15
Daniel Faalele	71	63	73.3

Right Tackle Run Block:
​

Name	Overall	Run block stat	True run block stat
Willie Anderson	97	96	96.4875
Ryan Ramczyk	94	96	94.275
Abraham Lucas	97	95	93.225
Andrew Wylie	94	94	92.8625
Nicholas Petit-Frere	93	92	91.875
Evan Neal	93	89	91.825
Willie Anderson	92	90	91.5375
Mike McGlinchey	91	92	91.4375
Mekhi Becton	90	89	91.375
Lane Johnson	92	92	91.1875
Riley Reiff	94	92	90.95
Taylor Moton	93	90	90.8875
Jackie Slater	94	95	90.3875
Storm Nelson	93	91	90.375
Tristian Wirfs	90	88	90.325
Jawaan Taylor	93	90	90.0125
Billy Turner	91	90	89.7875
Forrest Gregg	97	96	89.2625
Jermaine Eluemunor	90	86	89.125
Andrew Wylie	88	88	88.5875
Marcus Cannon	86	86	88.45
La'el Collins	87	87	87.969
Rob Haverstein	87	87	87.95
Austin Jackson	88	87	87.519
Jack Conklin	88	88	87.4625
Morgan Moses	86	86	87.125
Penei Sewell	87	86	87.125
Tom Compton	89	86	86.925
Cameron Flemming	84	85	86.544
Tristan Wirfs	86	82	86.05
Jack Driscoll	86	86	85.8125
Lane Johnson	86	86	85.8
Ryan Ramczyk	85	84	85.5
Rob Haverstein	83	83	84.875
La'el Collins	83	83	84.669
Forrest Gregg	91	90	84.5375
David Quessenberry	84	84	84.125
Lane Johnson	84	84	83.925
Braden Smith	83	82	83.85
Chukwuma Okorafor	83	83	83.544
Mel Blount	95	95	83.3875
Penei Sewell	79	80	82.625
Brian O'Neill	84	81	81.7
Trent Brown	80	77	81.7
Storm Norton	84	80	81.525
Taylor Morton	81	77	80.3875
Matt Gono	79	79	80
Mike McGlinchey	77	78	79.8875
Morgan Moses	76	76	79.775
Evan Neal	78	73	79.75
Jack Conklin	78	78	79.2125
Juwaan Taylor	80	75	78.5375
Abraham Lucas	86	74	78.15
Sam Cosmi	76	75	77.85
Jesse Davis	75	76	77.5625
Brian O'Neill	78	75	77.2
David Quessenberry	76	75	77.15
Daniel Faalele	71	69	76.9
Jack Driscoll	75	74	76.8125
Ju'Wuan James	77	72	75.6125
Germain Ifedi	73	70	75.4875
Tytus Howard	74	70	74.169

Tight End:
​

Name	Overall	Run block stat	True run block stat
Dexter Lawrence	90	95	94.5375
Rob Gronkowski	98	97	91.825
J.J. Watt	90	93	90.944
Taylor Decker	90	88	89.469
Marcades Lewis	96	95	89.725
Rob Gronkowski	94	93	88.975
Delanie Walker	97	96	87.6875
George Kittle	96	93	86.3375
Rob Gronkowski	91	89	86.125
Rob Gronkowski	88	86	83.875
Delaine Walker	92	91	83.5625
Owen Daniels	96	90	83.2
George Kittle	92	89	83.0375
Pete Metzelaars	92	88	82.425
Rob Gronkowski	85	83	81.625
Adam Trautman	88	90	81.375
Will Dissly	90	83	80.9625
Pat Freiermuth	93	82	80.375
Tremaine Edmunds	88	88	80.1875
Jason Witten	92	82	80.1375
Mark Andrews	92	85	79.725
Rob Gronkowski	82	80	79.6
Will Dissly	88	81	79.3125
John Bates	88	83	78.95
Marcedes Lewis	84	82	78.3375
London Fletcher	95	82	78.175
George Kittle	86	83	78.0875
Mike Ditka	94	83	77.925
Zach Gentry	94	79	77.2125
Dave Casper	91	82	77.0625
Mark Andrews	88	81	76.425
Nick Boyle	79	79	76.3
Tyler Higbee	89	78	75.975
Dallas Goedert	94	79	75.9
Mike Ditka	90	81	75.825
Pat Freiermuth	87	77	75.8
Tony Gonzalez	95	78	75.775
Mike Vrabel	85	75	75.275
Hunter Henry	90	78	74.8625
Travis Kelce	97	75	74.825
Keith Jackson	93	77	74.4875
Ryan Griffin	91	72	74.325
Dalton Schultz	90	76	74.125
Dallas Goedert	90	77	74.025
Dawson Knox	93	75	73.5
Travis Kelce	94	73	73.175
Nick Boyle	74	74	72.4
Hunter Henry	87	75	72.3875
J.J. Jansen	79	78	72.2125
Todd Heap	92	74	72.0125
Jack Stroll	86	75	71.725
Tony Gonzalez	89	74	71.575
Travis Kelce	91	71	71.525
Zach Gentry	82	74	71.5125
T.J. Hockenson	95	71	71.3375
Zach Ertz	95	69	71.2625
David Njoku	94	70	70.975
Greg Olsen	92	73	70.95
Jimmie Giles	92	72	70.8375
Jordan Akins	93	70	70.75
Cole Kmet	84	70	70.7
Hayden Hurst	91	71	70.6
Jeremey Shockey	90	70	70.2875
Keith Jackson	87	71	70.2125
Tommy Tremble	77	72	70.1375
Dawson Knox	87	72	70.125
Kyle Pitts	97	70	70.075
Pat Freiermuth	80	70	70.025
Kylen Granson	90	73	69.6625
Noah Gray	90	76	69.6375
Darren Waller	93	67	69.6
Dallas Goedert	83	72	69.45
C.J. Uzomah	88	68	69.25
Trey McBride	91	70	69.175
Logan Thomas	94	66	69.0125
O.J. Howard	93	67	68.9375
Taysom Hill	94	70	68.8
Hayden Hurst	88	69	68.725
T.J. Hockenson	88	68	68.6375
Donald Parham Jr.	93	70	68.5125
Travis Kelce	87	67	68.225
David Njoku	87	67	67.6
Mike Gesicki	90	66	67.55
Dalton Schultz	81	68	67.525
Noah Fant	87	68	67.0625
Hunter Henry	80	68	66.6125
Trey McBride	86	67	66.25
Tyler Conklin	83	68	66.15
Logan Thomas	88	63	65.8625
Antonio Gates	91	62	65.475
T.J. Hockenson	84	64	65.3375
Jonnu Smith	83	62	65.0375
Evan Engram	92	66	64.9875
Cameron Brate	90	65	64.825
C.J. Uzomah	80	63	64.475
Lawrence Cager	87	62	64.1625
Jelani Woods	82	61	63.7625
O.J. Howard	84	60	63.1625
Zach Ertz	84	58	62.4125
Shane Zylstra	87	64	62.2125
Brevin Jordan	83	60	61.875
Nolan Cromwell	95	70	61.7
Evan Engram	88	62	61.6875
Donald Parham	86	60	61.6125
Logan Thomas	81	58	61.2875
Mike Gesicki	82	58	60.8375
Kyle Pitts	85	58	60.625
Darren Waller	84	55	60.15
Evan Engram	80	58	58.1625
Chingoziem Okonkwo	89	53	57.4

Full Back Run block
​

Name	Overall	Run block stat	True run block stat
Daniel Faalele	96	97	97.075
William Perry	95	96	96.024
Patrick Ricard	88	90	88.45
Christian Okoye	95	94	87.375
Patrick Ricard	85	85	85
Larry Csonka	94	94	84.7375
Michael Burton	90	94	84.7125
C. Okoye	91	90	84.075
Reggie Gilliam	93	90	83.425
Michael Burton	86	91	82.2375
Keith Byars	96	87	82.0875
Jakob Johnson	87	88	81.75
Larry Csonka	91	88	80.6875
Nick Bellore	85	88	80.1875
Mike Alstott	97	83	79.6625
Reggie Gilliam	87	84	78.475
Khari Blasingame	85	88	78.4375
Larry Csonka	88	83	77.8875
C.J. Ham	89	83	77.4625
Michael Burton	80	85	77.2875
Zander Horvath	94	84	76.95
Jim Taylor	93	83	76.8375
Reggie Gilliam	82	81	76
Mike Alstott	89	77	75.1625
Joe Perry	92	88	75.15
Kyle Juszczyk	90	78	74.6875
Keith Byars	92	75	73.3125
Jim Taylor	87	79	73.3125
C.J. Ham	83	77	72.7375
Troy Hairston	88	73	72.55
Keith Smith	80	75	71.7375
Kyle Juuszczyk	84	74	71.3875
Andy Janovich	77	75	71.0625
Andrew Beck	80	74	70.875
Jakob Johnson	70	70	68.475
Ben Skowronek	90	75	68.4125
Zander Howath	84	74	68.2625
Alec Ingold	72	70	66.9375
Gabe Nabers	72	67	65.2375
Khari Blasingame	74	68	64.6375
Derek Watt	72	66	63.6625