Tag: 2022 draft

5 things to love, 4 things to question about Packers 2022 draft class

Five things to love and four things to question about the Packers’ draft class in 2022.

The Green Bay Packers made 11 picks during the three-day NFL draft, including two in the first round and four in the seventh round.

For the most part, the work done by general manager Brian Gutekunst has been well-received nationally.

There was a lot to like about the draft class in general. The Packers got bigger and faster overall and better and deeper at several key positions, added more top-tier on defense and gave special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia a few shiny new toys.

Here are five things to love and four things to question about the Packers’ 2022 draft class.

Cowboys agree to terms with 20 UDFAs, including Texas Tech kicker

Boston College center Alec Lindstrom and Florida A&M safety Markquese Bell are among the other undrafted players set to join the Cowboys. | From @ToddBrock24f7

The Cowboys finished Saturday, the final day of the NFL draft, with nine new picks. But they weren’t even close to being done with their college prospect shopping.

As per Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News, the team has since come to terms with 20 undrafted free agents. Not all of them have signed on the dotted line as of yet.

Among the names who will be joining the Cowboys’ draft class at rookie minicamp are Texas Tech kicker Jonathan Garibay, Florida A&M safety Markquese Bell, and Boston College center Alec Lindstrom.

Garibay connected on 15 of 16 field goal tries in 2021 and didn’t miss at all from inside 50 yards. He’s a career 55-of-57 on PATs and beat Iowa State last season on a 62-yard boot. He and recent free agent signee Chris Naggar could provide a heated camp battle at the kicker position after the release of Greg Zuerlein.

Bell had been linked to Dallas all through the pre-draft season and was one of the Cowboys’ official 30 visitors. He’s a tall, speedy safety with a good wingspan and a reputation for being physical. He and fellow UDFA safety Juanyeh Thomas were considered among the best at their position to not hear their name called in Las Vegas.

Lindstrom was a two-time All-ACC first-teamer at Boston College and was expected to be selected during the draft’s seven rounds. He has an NFL pedigree; his father played for four teams during the 1980s, his uncle Dave was a defensive end for the Chiefs for eight seasons, and his older brother Chris- a guard- was a first-round pick by the Falcons in 2019.

Quandre Mosely, a defensive back out of Kentucky, is the newest name to the UDFA list. He began his college career at Eastern Arizona Community College, but made the jump to the SEC in 2019. Over the course of 36 games for the Wildcats, the 6-foot-2 Georgia native tallied 69 tackles and three interceptions while playing both cornerback and safety.

Teams are permitted to hold a three-day rookie minicamp in early- to mid-May. The Cowboys have yet to announce the dates for theirs.

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Packers sign 14 undrafted free agents following 2022 NFL draft

The Packers announced the signings of 14 UDFAs following the 2022 NFL draft, including Iowa RB Tyler Goodson and Wisconsin WR Danny Davis. 

The Green Bay Packers announced the signings of 14 undrafted free agents following the 2022 NFL draft on Monday. Among the signings are Iowa running back Tyler Goodson and Wisconsin receiver Danny Davis.

Here’s the full list:

RB B.J. Baylor, Oregon State (5-10, 202)
LB Caliph Brice, Florida Atlantic (6-2, 233)
LB Ellis Brooks, Penn State (6-1, 226)
DL Akial Byers, Missouri (6-3, 308)
WR Danny Davis, Wisconsin (6-1, 188)
RB Tyler Goodson, Iowa (5-9, 197)
OT Jahmir Johnson, Texas A&M (6-5, 290)
OT Caleb Jones, Indiana (6-9, 370)
LB Chauncey Manac, Louisiana (6-3, 246)
G George Moore, Oregon (6-6, 312)
DL Hauati Pututau, Utah (6-3, 306)
C Cole Schneider, Central Florida (6-3, 309)
S Tre Sterling, Oklahoma State (6-0, 205)
CB Raleigh Texada, Baylor (5-10, 191)

The Packers drafted 11 players during the 2022 NFL draft. In total, general manager Brian Gutekunst added 25 players to his roster over the last five days.

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Follow the Packers’ 2022 draft class on Twitter

Follow all 11 of the Packers’ draft picks in 2022 on Twitter and social media!

The Green Bay Packers picked 11 players over three days during the 2022 NFL draft. Looking for each player on social media? You’ve come to the right place. Ten of the team’s 11 picks are on Twitter, and the 11th – offensive lineman Sean Rhyan – is on Instagram. Here are the handles to follow for each player.

RAS cards for Packers’ 11-player draft class in 2022

The Relative Athletic Scores (RAS) of each of the Packers’ 11-player draft class in 2022.

The Green Bay Packers selected another highly athletic class of draft picks in 2022.

How do we know it’s another athletic class? Relative Athletic Score (RAS).

What’s Relative Athletic Score? It’s a metric developed by Kent Lee Platte. The idea is simple: RAS measures a prospect’s athletic testing results from the combine or a pro day in relation to the prospect’s size and historical results from players at the same position. It’s a genius way of combining all the relative factors into one simple metric on a 10-point sliding scale.

Here’s a quick look through at the RAS cards for all 11 of the Packers’ draft picks in 2022:

Tracking the Packers’ undrafted free agent signings following 2022 draft

Tracking all of the Packers’ reported signings of undrafted free agents following the 2022 NFL draft.

The 2022 NFL draft is complete. The Green Bay Packers made 11 selections over the three days, but the work isn’t done. General manager Brian Gutekunst and his staff will immediately begin signing undrafted free agents.

Follow along as we track all the Packers’ signings:

Indiana OT Caleb Jones (Tom Silverstein)

UCF OL Cole Schneider (Aaron Wilson)

Iowa RB Tyler Goodson (Jason Hirschhorn)

Louisiana DE Chauncey Manac (Justin Melo)

4 things to know about new Cowboys WR Jalen Tolbert

A look into the background of Dak Prescott’s newest target. | From @TimLettiero

With Michael Gallup likely missing the start of the season and the loss of Amari Cooper, wideout was a well-established need for the Dallas Cowboys entering the 2022 NFL draft. Although the addition of James Washington helped soften the blow, this offense was still missing a reliable playmaker opposite CeeDee Lamb going into this season.

Jalen Tolbert is just that. After racking up all of the accolades, records and big plays he can during his time at South Alabama, Tolbert found his way into the draft process and Dallas showed heavy interest throughout the spring. There is a lot to be excited about with Tolbert so here a few things to know about the newest addition to weapons on this Cowboy offense.

Instant Analysis: What the experts say about the newest Cowboys edge rusher Sam Williams

The Ole Miss edge rusher has unquestionable skills on the field, but character concerns caused several teams to stay away. | From @ToddBrock24f7

The draft’s second round is a place where the Cowboys have traditionally taken a risk or two, often rolling the dice on a prospect with an injury history or character concerns that have caused him to fall below where his pure football skills should probably have him.

With the 56th pick, Dallas has selected Mississippi edge rusher Sam Williams.

Defensive end has been a sore spot this offseason, with the awkward departure of Randy Gregory after a dispute over contract language. Dante Fowler was added and Dorance Armstrong was re-signed, but the spot opposite DeMarcus Lawrence was seen as an area where improvement was needed.

Williams might have been a first-round consideration were it not for a 2020 sexual battery charge while at Ole Miss. Charges were cleared and Williams returned to the team, but the incident was enough to drop him down many teams’ boards.

Here’s his draft profile, according to several notable outlets.

Packers get another elite athlete in WR Christian Watson

Packers GM Brian Gutekunst continues to add elite athletes to his roster during the draft.

No one loves elite athletes in the draft quite like Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst.

After taking two of the most athletic defensive front seven players in the 2022 NFL draft class during the first round on Thursday night, Gutekunst and the Packers traded up in the second round to get one of the most athletic wide receiver prospects ever to enter the NFL to kick off Friday.

North Dakota State receiver Christian Watson, the 34th overall pick, joined Georgia linebacker Quay Walker (No. 22) and Georgia defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt (No. 28) to form a truly elite trio of athletes that will headline the Packers’ 2022 draft class.

Relative Athletic Score is a measure created by Kent Lee Platte to measure the true athleticism of prospects in relation to size and compared to past players.

Walker, Wyatt and Watson all tested out at 9.5 out of 10 or higher, meaning all three are 95 percentile athletes or better at their respective positions.

Watson checks in in the 99th percentile for athleticism among receivers entering the NFL. He combined great size with elite explosion numbers (vertical, broad jump), elite speed (40-yard dash) and good agility. Even at 6-4, he hit 38.5″ in the vertical jump (91st percentile), covered 11-4 in the broad jump (99th percentile), finished the 40-yard dash in 4.36 seconds (97th percentile) and had a 10-yard split of 1.45 seconds (99th percentile).

Who are the best athletic comparisons for Watson? Check them out below:

Receivers as athletic as Watson usually pan out. He’ll have a chance to be very, very good. Javon Walker, the Packers’ last first-round pick at wide receiver, is actually a terrific comparison.

Watson is just an alien athlete. Here’s his spider chart at Mockdraftable:

The Packers got themselves a rare and exciting athlete with their highest pick at wide receiver since Walker in 2002.

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Packers trying to move up in second round of 2022 draft

The Packers are attempting to move up, possibly to get a wide receiver, to start Day 2 of the 2022 NFL draft.

The Green Bay Packers are one of the teams exploring a trade-up in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft, which begins Friday night.

“Keep an eye on the Green Bay Packers,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said when discussing teams that could move up to start Day 2.

The Packers are “working the boards” and “trying to see if they can move up.”

Rapoport suggested the Packers could move up 10 spots or more, possibly in a trade with the New York Giants, who hold the No. 36 overall pick. Getting to No. 36 would require the Packers to move up 17 spots, an aggressive trade scenario for a team with three picks (No. 53, No. 59, No. 92) on Day 2. Giving up the third-round pick could be enough to get up into position.

The target? Possibly a pass-catcher. The Packers weren’t able to get a preferred receiver in the first round, but the second round looks like a hot spot at the position. Christian Watson, George Pickens, Jalen Tolbert and Alec Pierce could all be targets in a trade-up scenario.

After solidifying the defense on Day 1, the Packers could be one of the teams willing to move up to get a receiver to start Day 2.

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