Tag: 2021 draft

The top 11 safeties in the 2021 draft class

NFL safeties are now asked to be more versatile than ever. Which of the 2021 NFL draft class best fit the new paradigms?

Over the last five drafts (2016 through 2020), 10 players designated as safeties were selected in the first round: Keanu Neal, Karl Joseph, Jabrill Peppers, Malik Hooker, Jamal Adams, Terrell Edmunds, Derwin James, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Johnathan Abram, and Darnell Savage. The interesting thing about these players — and about the safety position in today’s NFL — is how different they are, and how divergent their on-field responsibilities are as a result.

There have been true deep-third defenders like Hooker, multi-position guys who become elite free safeties based on need (Fitzpatrick when he was traded from the Dolphins to the Steelers), box guys who can blitz and provide less in coverage (Adams), and “jokers” who define their defenses from the line to the box to the deep third (James, Savage).

What is true for safeties in the NFL is what’s true for most defensive players — if you’re not a total game-changer at one position, you’d better be able to do multiple things well, or you’ll quickly see your opportunities diminish. The safety class of 2021 has a couple of true deep coverage guys, and quite a few multi-position players who can work well in different defenses in different ways. It will be up to their defensive coordinators and secondary coaches to determine what those roles will be, but there’s more versatility at the safety position than ever before — which perfectly mirrors and forwards the NFL’s new paradigm.

Note: The percentiles in parentheses listed next to pro day data are compared to all historical athletic testing (combine and pro day) at the respective position of the player. Kudos to Pro Football Focus, and their Pro Day Schedule and Results Tracker, for this. 

Patrick Surtain Sr. calls son ‘a perfect fit’ for Cowboys secondary

The former cornerback thinks the Cowboys would benefit from reuniting his son with college teammate Trevon Diggs in Dallas under Dan Quinn.

The 2021 draft is quickly approaching, but the list of college prospects that most analysts are forecasting for the Cowboys in the first round hasn’t changed all that much from the end of last season. In fact, a few names that many see as the most likely pairing with Dallas are the sames ones that were being mentioned so frequently as the defense wrapped up a historically bad campaign in 2020.

And one name in particular just keeps surfacing to the top.

Patrick Surtain II, the Alabama junior who turned 21 just last week, has been targeted by numerous Cowboys fans and football analysts alike in countless mock drafts as the team’s best bet in the 10 spot.

Surtain’s father, an eleven-year NFL veteran who played cornerback for Miami and Kansas City, agrees.

“He can do it all, man,” Patrick Sr. told ESPN Radio. “That’s why I think he’s highly-coveted, because he’s an all-around corner. He can play zone, he can play man. He comes up and tackles. He can play in the slot, if need be. So I think [Dallas] would be a perfect fit.”

South Carolina’s Jaycee Horn has impressed, too, thrusting himself into the best-in-class cornerback conversation with his pro day numbers that put Surtain on notice. Caleb Farley is still considered a solid prospect, though some teams may shy away from the Virginia Tech product due to a recent back surgery.

If Surtain ends up selected by the Cowboys, he would be reunited with his Crimson Tide teammate Trevon Diggs, the club’s second-round pick last season.

Both Alabama products, the elder Surtain thinks, would thrive in the system expected to be used by defensive coordinator Dan Quinn in his first year in Dallas.

“It’s the Seattle old defense. I know the D-coordinator who was in Seattle when they had the Legion of Boom. So I think it’s a lot of misconceptions with that defense, about being a man in the zone structure defense. I think, for the most part, when I watched, I saw Richard Sherman and those guys play man on the outside,” the three-time Pro Bowler said. “Obviously, it’s a change-up to play the Cover 3 with them bailing and everything. But their physicality with him, [Trevon] Diggs’ physicality, I can see some similarities between Sherman and those guys on the outside. But I saw them play a lot of press, press man and the offset was some Cover 3.”

Quinn has already hinted toward going the familiar route with free-agent additions Damontae Kazee and Keanu Neal, both DBs he coached in Atlanta. They’ll be expected to help shore up a Dallas secondary that gave up the most points in franchise history last season.

Despite the Cowboys’ obvious secondary issues, the mocks’ consistent matching of Surtain and Dallas, and even Surtain Sr.’s ringing endorsement, the young cornerback isn’t a slam dunk to be an NFL superstar, mainly because everyone involved knows there’s no such thing.

Cowboys staff writers David Helman and Jonny Auping- as recently as this week- both expressed their shared belief that cornerback is “one of the toughest positions to evaluate, but it’s also one of the most important positions in the game.”

And that makes the question of whether or not to select Surtain II with the tenth overall pick such an important one for the Cowboys to get right.

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Darren Woodson urges Cowboys to invest early in ‘playmaker’ safety

The legendary safety believes his former team has relied on trying to develop late-rounders at the position instead of drafting stars.

The Cowboys have developed a reputation for undervaluing safeties, especially early in the draft. But one of the franchise’s all-time greats at the position believes the club should change that mentality.

“I think if you want a safety and you feel like you need to fill the void of playmaker in that position, then you probably have to get one a little early,” Darren Woodson told 105.3 The Fan recently. “If you’re looking for a playmaker, go get one early instead of thinking through the process of, ‘I can turn a special teams player into safety,’ or, ‘I can go in the fourth, fifth round and find a guy that’s serviceable to play that position.’ If you want a big-time playmaker, it’s just part of it. You roll the dice and go early and hopefully you get a playmaker.”

Woodson was a second-round pick out of Arizona State when Dallas selected him in 1992. He went on to become a five-time pro Bowler and three-time Super Bowl champion with the organization over his 13-year career. He remains the Cowboys’ all-time leader in tackles. While he’s in the team’s Ring of Honor, Woodson is, inexplicably, still waiting on induction in to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Does the 2021 draft class feature a future Darren Woodson? Only time will tell, of course, but safeties Trevon Moehrig (TCU), Elijah Molden (Washington), Jamar Johnson (Indiana), Richie Grant (UCF), and Jevon Holland (Oregon) all find themselves in the Top 50 on PFF’s Big Board just ten days before the draft.

Last year, the Cowboys were rumored to be looking at safeties Xavier McKinney, Grant Delpit, and Antoine Winfield Jr. All were taken in the second round before the Cowboys drafted cornerback Trevon Diggs at No. 51.

Woodson knows elite safeties that are truly worthy of an early pick are rare. He allows that the Cowboys could still dramatically upgrade their secondary by using their first-round pick on a cornerback, but the key is to get an impact player.

“I mean, when you look at some of the guys over the years, specifically at the free safety position, the guy who can really turn the ball over, you’re looking for the Ed Reeds, you’re looking for, you know, phenomenal players that have ball-hawking skills and they don’t come a dime a dozen. So I get it, I get it, but there are also options like- you don’t have to just look at the safety position, you can look at a guy like Patrick Surtain II. You look for a playmaker on the outside, maybe at the cornerback position but you could solidify some of your your secondary by going early in the draft.

“I’m a big believer in: if there is a guy at the position- safety or cornerback- and you know you need help on a different side of the ball, [and] there’s a difference-maker, you go get them. And that’s been my philosophy. I strongly believe there are some corners early in this draft that they could probably go out and could be game-changers, you could have two bookend corners. There’s some options out there. I just think if you want to fill the void, you want someone that’s gonna make a difference and not just be a special-teamer or fifth-round pick, you will get somebody early that can make plays for you.”

Over the past 20 drafts, the Cowboys have used a first- or second-round pick on a DB eight times, out of 38 picks. Three were top-ten selections: Morris Claiborne in 2012, Terence Newman in 2003, and Roy Williams in 2002.

Only one of those top-ten picks played safety.

“For five years,” Woodson said of Williams, “he gave you Pro Bowls. He gave you one of the hardest-hitting players ever to play the game. He was a turnover factory for the team. So, you want to get a playmaker? You got to go get them early. It’s no different than any other position. If you want to fill the quarterback position, it would behoove you to go early in the draft and find that spot. Exactly the same thing for any other position.”

For Woodson, it’s a simple matter. The Cowboys will likely get what they pay for when they find themselves on the clock on the night of April 29. If they want a playmaker on the back end, they shouldn’t be afraid to invest in a top-shelf safety.

Not doing so hasn’t worked all that well.

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Packers GM: 2021 draft class strong at offensive line, cornerback

The strengths of the 2021 draft class might align nicely with the needs of the Green Bay Packers. 

The strengths of the 2021 draft class might align nicely with the needs of the Green Bay Packers.

Asked by Larry McCarren of the team’s official website for a couple of strong positions in the draft, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst responded first with offensive line and cornerback.

“I think it’s a good overall offensive line group. Corner, I think it has some strength. But everything overall is pretty good at the top,” Gutekunst said. “I think it’s a good overall draft, and we’ll be able to add to our football team, for sure.”

The Packers released veteran offensive tackle Rick Wagner, lost All-Pro center Corey Linsley in free agency, and All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari is still recovering from a season-ending knee injury. Adding help for both the interior of the offensive line and at offensive tackle is possible for the Packers in this draft.

“Losing Corey, that’s a tough one for all of us here,” Gutekunst said. “I do think we have some young players that are ready for the opportunity that this will present.”

Guards Elgton Jenkins and Lucas Patrick both have extensive experience at center, and second-year offensive lineman Jon Runyan Jr. could be ready for a starting opportunity in 2021. Adding another young player to the mix inside  – potentially even at center – could help the Packers maintain a versatile stable of capable players on the interior.

At offensive tackle, adding depth is required. The Packers haven’t used a draft pick on a true offensive tackle since 2016. With Bakhtiari’s start to the season uncertain, finding a young player who can be a swing tackle and eventual starter might be high on the team’s priority list in the draft.

A strong class could allow the Packers – with 10 picks – to add at least two new players to the offensive line and secure some stability for the position group long-term.

On defense, cornerback is a clear need, even after the Packers brought back Kevin King and Chandon Sullivan. Both players will go into 2021 with a one-year deal, and depth is lacking behind the three expected starters. The Packers are likely to draft a corner high, and two corners from the class wouldn’t be surprising. A talented rookie capable of challenging for a starting spot – either opposite Jaire Alexander or in the slot – could really help Joe Barry’s defense.

Although the draft might be strong at two likely need positions for the Packers, the reality doesn’t guarantee a draft pick at either spot. Remember, a perceived need at receiver aligned with a very strong receiver class last year, and the Packers still did not take a receiver.

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One Texas player selected in ESPN’s mock 22-person superteam draft

ESPN’s draft experts went through an exercise each getting a roster full of upcoming rookies. Samuel Cosmi was the only UT player selected.

The University of Texas and producing NFL talent have not been best friends since Mack Brown left in 2013. Only one player, Malcolm Brown, has been selected in the first round and no players were selected in the first two rounds during the Tom Herman era.

In the 2021 draft cycle, Texas has the chance to have a guy taken within the first round. Offensive lineman Samuel Cosmi and edge rusher Joseph Ossai are going to be high on team’s draft boards. Safety Caden Sterns is considered an NFL guy as well but will be selected closer to Day Three.

ESPN’s two draft experts, Todd McShay and Mel Kiper Jr., went through an exercise (subscription-based content), each getting to fill out a roster entirely off the 2021 draft class. Only one Texas player was taken in the form of the offensive lineman, Samuel Cosmi.

Kiper took the former left tackle with the No. 36 pick, placing him at right guard, citing his versatility across the line. Oklahoma’s Creed Humphrey was selected right before Cosmi, being placed at center for McShay’s team.

How about Red River rivals back to back here? I’ll put Cosmi at right guard. He played left tackle in college, but I think he could move inside in the NFL. He has some power to his game.

Fellow Big 12 members Ronnie Perkins (Oklahoma) and Trevon Moehrig (TCU) join Cosmi on Team Kiper. Quarterback Justin Fields (Ohio State) would be relying on the former Longhorn to protect him, going up against a defensive line of Gregory Rousseau (Miami), Levi Onwuzurike (UCLA), Christian Barnmore (Alabama), and Carlos Basham Jr. (Wake Forest).

Ossai was not selected, with Rousseau and Kwity Paye (Michigan) being selected at the defensive end/outside linebacker positions. Playing jack last season for Texas, Ossai is still relatively new to passing the rusher full time.

Caleb Farley to be good for regular season, hope to be drafted in 1st round

The top prospect saw his draft stock take a hit with a recent back surgery, but he tells Peter King he’s been cleared to play in 2021.

Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley was one of the highest-ranked prospects in the upcoming NFL draft, and one mentioned regularly by Cowboys watchers as a possible first-round target for the club. Despite sitting out his junior season over COVID-19 concerns, Farley had been sent to Dallas with the tenth selection in many a mock draft. Along with fellow corners Patrick Surtain II (Alabama) and Jaycee Horn (South Carolina), Farley looked to be a player who could instantly upgrade a secondary that was thoroughly torched the previous year.

But when news came down in late March- just days before Virginia Tech’s pro day- that Farley would undergo back surgery to repair a previous and lingering injury, his status as an apparent first-round lock was in danger of crumbling.

But the 22-year-old tells Peter King of NBC Sports that he’s gotten assurances from his doctors that he’ll be fully healed and ready to go for the 2021 NFL season, no matter which team selects him or where in the draft it happens.

In his latest Football Morning in America column, King relays a weekend conversation he had with Farley in which the prospect had nothing but positive news less than three weeks before draft day.

“Farley told me Saturday that after imaging and a thorough physical and back exam in Indianapolis,” King writes, “he’s been cleared by NFL docs for the 2021 season.”

The expected timetable for Farley’s rehab and recovery was four months. Farley himself proclaimed that he’s on track to meet that schedule.

“I got a lot of positive feedback from the NFL doctors,” Farley said, per King. “The NFL doctors confirmed I would be ready for the season, and they told me this is definitely not a chronic thing.”

The injury apparently happened doing deadlifts during a weight session.

According to a piece by Jason Butt of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Farley “injured his lumbosacral joint — which connects the L5 and S1 discs — but previously elected for a procedure to repair only the L5 disc. For a year, Farley wasn’t limited physically, although he did experience some sciatica symptoms.”

Originally a wide receiver, Farley was moved to cornerback after he missed his entire freshman year with the Hokies due to a knee injury. In 2018, his first season playing defense, he notched 36 tackles, two interceptions, and a sack. The following season, he recorded 20 tackles, four picks, and an interception return for a touchdown in a first-team All-ACC campaign.

His S1 disc “flared up” again in March as he prepared for his pro day, where he hoped to show NFL teams that sitting out 2020 hadn’t caused him to lose a step on the football field.

“I was trying to cut back and manage the inflammation to come out here on pro day and put up some crazy numbers,” the North Carolina native said. “But after talking to [renowned back specialist] Dr. [Robert] Watkins, getting the MRI and getting things looked at, we were advised it would be best to go ahead and fix this problem so I will be ready for training camp and ready for the season. It was not a recurring disc or anything like that. What I had previously worked on is still intact.”

On March 23, Watkins performed a microdiscectomy, removing the damaged section of Farley’s herniated disc. July 23 will mark four months since the surgery. Most NFL camps open July 27.

But as NFL.com’s Kevin Patra points out, “[d]epending on how the negotiations between the NFL and NFLPA shake out over in-person workouts this offseason, Farley might not miss much time.”

“Farley has outstanding size, length and speed for the cornerback position,” NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah notes in his latest draft rankings. “He mixes up his technique and effectively re-routes wideouts with a one- or two-hand jam in press coverage. He’s very fluid/loose and stays in phase with his man underneath and down the field. Farley has a quick/smooth pedal in off coverage and his patience helps him handle double moves. He shows exceptional burst when he does drive on the ball.”

Despite opting out of 2020’s college season, Farley was rated very highly. Even after the back surgery, Jeremiah only dropped him from 12th to 17th overall.

“The redshirt junior has plenty of speed to carry vertical routes,” Jeremiah continues. “He can find and play the ball down the field. He’s aggressive to fill versus the run, but he will fall off a few tackles. Overall, Farley has all of the ingredients to be a No. 1 cornerback at the next level.”

Here’s what Cowboys Wire had to say about Farley in our draft profile, published before Farley’s surgery.

And even though he went under the knife less than a month ago, all signs point to him still hearing his name called in Cleveland on the first night of the draft.

For a team like the Cowboys, picking in the 10 spot, Farley may represent something of a value pick. If the team is indeed looking at cornerback, it is likely that at least one of the Big Three- Surtain, Horn, and Farley- will still be there when Dallas goes on the clock. If all three are still available, it’s conceivable that the Cowboys could trade back in the first and still land Farley while also adding an additional pick in a later round.

And while some teams may shy away from a player who’s had a prior knee issue, took a year off, and is now fresh off back surgery just on general principle, Farley maintains he’s good to go… and ready to take the league by storm.

“I plan to be the best cornerback of my generation,” he told King. “I just can’t wait to get back in the pads again.”

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The top 11 interior offensive linemen in the 2021 draft class

Interior offensive linemen are more important than ever. Which guards and centers in the 2021 class are most NFL-ready?

In the 2020 NFL season, per Sports Info Solutions, quarterbacks threw from 0-3 step drops on 12,252 dropbacks. Conversely, quarterbacks threw from 5-7 step drops on 4,760 dropbacks. When you have an increasing quick game, and RPO concepts have become the order of the day, there often isn’t enough time for edge-rushers to upset the quarterback’s timing and rhythm.

Because of this, interior defensive pressure has become more crucial than ever. It’s a simple matter of the shortest distance and a straight line, and the inside guys have the advantage. There are many reasons that Aaron Donald is the most important defensive player in the NFL, but that’s certainly one of them. When you have a guy who plays more than 70% of his snaps on the interior, and he’s able to average about 100 total pressures a season, you are dealing with a player who can single-handedly change a passing game.

Flip that to the other side of the ball, and you understand why centers and guards are also so crucial in today’s NFL. Someone’s got to deal with the Aaron Donalds of the world, and the best at those positions will be rewarded appropriately.

The defending AFC champion Chiefs released offensive tackles Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz this offseason after a Super Bowl loss to the Buccaneers in which their backup tackles were exposed over and over. So, how did general manager Brett Veach and head coach Andy Reid spend their cap dollars? By signing former Patriots guard Joe Thuney, who handled Donald as well as anybody has back in Super Bowl LIII, to a five-year, $80 million contract with a $17 million signing bonus and $46.89 million in injury guarantees. And ask those same Buccaneers how their offensive was negatively affected when left guard Ali Marpet lost a couple games due to injury in mid-season.

When turning to the 2021 draft class of interior offensive linemen, there are both career inside guys, and a couple of potential offensive tackle converts whose skill sets I think might work better with a positional move. The top players have the potential to have more of an impact in the NFL than they might have in previous seasons.

Note: The percentiles in parentheses listed next to pro day data are compared to all historical athletic testing (combine and pro day) at the respective position of the player. Kudos to Pro Football Focus, and their Pro Day Schedule and Results Tracker, for this. As there was no scouting combine in 2021, and pro day schedules vary, we may not have all testing information for all prospects at publication time. For offensive tackles whose positional specificity is in question, we will include percentiles for both positions per PFF’s data.

Also: PFF’s True Pass Sets, explained in further detail here, represent snaps in which an offensive tackle pass-protects specifically without play-action, rollouts, and screens, with more than a three-man rush, and with between two and four seconds to throw the ball. This gives a more accurate picture of true pass protection.

PFF 3-round mock nets Cowboys 3 defenders, TE

PFF’s NFC East three round mock draft lands the Cowboys four talented players.

There are just 24 days left until the Dallas Cowboys are on the clock for the 2021 NFL Draft and mock draft season is in full-swing. While the unpredictable nature of the draft can render even the most tuned-in mock draft meaningless, it’s always an interesting exercise to analyze possible draft picks for Dallas. At this point in the offseason, the Cowboys needs heading into the draft are pretty clear; In no particular order, cornerback, safety, linebacker, defensive line and offensive line are all positions Dallas could address in the upcoming draft.

Pro Football Focus’ Seth Galina recently released a three-round mock draft for every team in the NFC East, with the Cowboys coming away with four players. When discussing the draft, there will always be a debate for drafting the teams biggest need or the best player available. However, the melding of the two beliefs sometimes works out the best. So lets get into Galina’s three-round Dallas Cowboys mock draft. 

At this point in the pre-draft process Patrick Surtain II is the player most easily associated with the Cowboys. The overload of information during this draft season has seemed to sour some fans on Surtain, however Dallas would be overjoyed to pair the Alabama product with his former college teammate Trevon Diggs. While Surtain is not the consensus top defensive player on all draft boards, The Athletics’ Dane Brugler, has him ranked as his top defender and the 10th best player overall in the 2021 draft. If the Cowboys wind up drafting the 6-foot-2 corner it would be a result of having one of their highest-rated players at arguably their biggest positional need.

In the second round Dallas would select Alim McNeill, defensive tackle out of NC State. A 320-pound nose tackle, McNeill could immediately help the defense anchor down against the run. However, there is a belief McNeill could take time some to develop into a eventual three-down player. McNeill has athletic traits, but has only been playing on the defensive line since joining the Wolfpack. After taking two top-100 picks in the 2019 and 2020 draft at DT, McNeill might be a reach for Dallas with the 44th overall pick, especially when a higher rated safety, linebacker or offensive tackle would likely still be on the board.

Houston’s Payton Turner could be an intriguing pick at 75 for the Cowboys. Turner could slide into the role that recently-retired Tyrone Crawford once filled. At 6-foot-5 270 pounds, Turner has the ability to play outside and inside on the defensive line. According to Dane Brugler of The Athletic,

“Turner is among the best effort players in this draft class who uses his long strides and speed to chase down ball carriers . . . does a great job keeping his hands and feet in lock step to attack and work off blocks . . . He projects as an eventual NFL starter with inside/outside versatility.”

Turner would be an even better pick for Dallas, if they were able to land a starter in the second round of this mock draft.

While tight end might not be considered a need for the Cowboys, Tommy Tremble from Notre Dame could be a blinking light player for Dallas at pick 99. With the loss of Blake Bell in free agency, the Cowboys could use a tight end that can come in and contribute in the run game. Tremble offers that and more.

Tremble was under utilized as a receiver in college, but has enough upside to develop into a starter.

Overall PFF’s NFC East mock draft gave the Cowboys a decent haul of talent for the future. While a DT in the second round could be viewed as a reach, having a big body in the middle of  the defensive line would help this defense against the run. However, the highlight of the draft would be Patrick Surtain as he we would be the perfect balance of need and best player available for Dallas.

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What type of receiver should Packers target in 2021 NFL draft?

Traditional style or gadget? The Packers will have their pick from many options at WR in the 2021 draft class.

The Green Bay Packers created the NFL’s No. 1 scoring offense in 2020 without making a significant addition at the wide receiver position. Although the Packers will return every receiver from last season, and veteran Devin Funchess is back after opting out of 2020, the position will remain in focus as the 2021 draft approaches.

A fascinating question to ponder: what type of receiver do the Packers actually need? Does this team want a traditional style receiver, or more of a gadget, run-after-catch type?

There probably isn’t a wrong answer.

While every receiver from last year will return, the Packers do not currently have a player at the position signed past 2021. So long-term depth here is a legitimate concern, even if an extension for Davante Adams is likely and Allen Lazard will be easier to retain 2022 as a restricted free agent. Funchess, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Equanimeous St. Brown will both be unrestricted free agents after next season, and there is no prospect waiting in the wings behind them. Adding a receiver who can play most of the wide receiver positions on the field will soon become a priority, creating an argument for targeting a traditional style receiver in this year’s draft.

But there is also an intriguing argument for a gadget type.

The Matt LaFleur offense is begging for an explosive and versatile receiver who can handle all the gadget responsibilities of the scheme, play snaps in the slot and create easy yards on staple plays.

Ben Fennell of NFL Network makes a strong case for injecting the LaFleur offense with a new element at receiver:

The Packers don’t currently have a player of this type on the roster. Tyler Ervin, a running back by trade, moonlighted as the gadget receiver to start last season. His explosiveness and elusiveness provided tangible impact, even as a pre-snap decoy. Defenses had to respect his horizontal speed on jet motions. He rarely got the ball, but even his presence on the field opened up space for others.

When Ervin went down with multiple injuries, the Packers signed Tavon Austin, an original gadget type, to handle the role to finish the season.

The idea here is that giving this job to a legitimate receiver could both enhance the pre-snap effect and provide new and easy ways for LaFleur and Aaron Rodgers to get the ball into the hands of playmakers. Quick throws. Opportunities in space. Easy yards. As Fennell mentioned above, the Packers offense is loaded with concepts that could be perfect for this type of receiver.

This draft looks strong in gadget types. Kadarius Toney, Rondale Moore, Elijah Moore, Amari Rodgers, Dyami Brown, Jaelon Darden, Demetric Felton and Ihmir Smith-Marsette all fit the profile. They all provide the explosive athletic profile and strong run after the catch abilities required of maximizing the production value of the gadget spot, especially in an offense like LaFleur’s.

Of course, a gadget type might not be a full-time player. And most of the gadget types could struggle in a fully diversified role, limiting their overall value. Drafting a player for a very specific role could create more long-term building plans at the position.

But it’s certainly interesting to imagine the Packers adding a gadget type, providing another element to an already dominant offense and giving LaFleur the exact type of weapon his scheme might need to operate at full capacity.

Despite not taking a receiver in last year’s draft, the Packers are almost certain to take at least one in 2021. Maybe general manager Brian Gutekunst can find developmental options that fit both profiles. It will be fascinating to see which type – traditional or gadget – the Packers target if they use a high pick at receiver. A strong argument can be made for both styles.

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Cowboys News: 17-game fallout, Crimson Tide reunion for Surtain, Diggs?

Also, Tyrone Crawford’s official retirement, Commissioner Goodell expects full stadiums, and Tony Romo tees up another go at making the cut.

The 17-game schedule is now official. With that bit of news, football fans had a little bit more to chew on as they scrutinized their newly-expanded list of opponents for the 2021 season. The Cowboys know who they’ll play (and where), but the “bonus” game will have real ripple effects. We’ve got a look at what an extra matchup does to the Cowboys’ overall strength of schedule, and a writer’s roundtable explores the impact on things like injuries, travel, and broken single-season records.

Elsewhere, veteran Tyrone Crawford made his retirement official and had some things to say. We’re looking at Keanu Neal and Damontae Kazee and what their onboarding means for the Cowboys as an organization. In draft news, the silver and blue sent big-time delegates to Ohio State for a top-tier Pro Day, the secondary could soon see a Crimson Tide reunion, and there’s a school of thought that says the Cowboys were actually the big winners from the first-round swap engineered by San Francisco and Miami. All that, plus Roger Goodell’s forecast for fan attendance in 2021, and Tony Romo’s getting ready to tee them up once again. Here’s the News and Notes.