Tag: draft value

Packers rank 11th in 2023 draft pick capital but could soon move into top 7

Gaining even one second-round pick from the Jets could put the Packers in a premium spot in terms of pick value in the 2023 draft.

The Green Bay Packers are in possession of 10 picks in the 2023 NFL draft and currently rank in the top half of the NFL in draft pick capital, but general manager Brian Gutekunst might soon add more and move up the list.

According to Tankathon’s draft rankings, the Packers are currently 11th in overall draft capital, which is at least partly due to having two top-50 picks but also seven picks on Day 3, including four in the seventh round.

Here’s the caveat: the Packers would move up to seventh in the rankings if they acquired either of the New York Jets’ second-round picks (No. 42 or No. 43).

In the scenario in which Aaron Rodgers is traded to the Jets for No. 42 or No. 43, the Packers would leap the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots, Carolina Panthers and Indianapolis Colts and then only trail the Houston Texans, Detroit Lions, Las Vegas Raiders, Chicago Bears and Arizona Cardinals in terms of draft pick value.

Conversely, the Jets currently rank 14th in draft pick value but would fall into the bottom six if they traded away a second-rounder.

What’s the takeaway? The Packers are in a good position to add talent around Jordan Love in this draft but would sit in a premium spot if the Rodgers trade nets at least a second-rounder.

All this capital should give Gutekunst the freedom to move around the board as he sees fit.

Of course, having a lot of picks – and valuable picks overall – only goes so far. Gutekunst needs to pick good football players, both to help Love as a first-year starter and accelerate through the transition phase but also to build stability for the franchise into the future. The Packers have never drafted based on a one-year window. The team didn’t do it with Rodgers under center and it won’t change with a new quarterback in 2023.

Don’t be surprised if Gutekunst attempts to trade down in this draft. Adding more capital will provide more opportunities to add the young, cheap players his roster needs moving forward.

Packers draft picks

First round, 15th overall
Second round, 45th overall
Third round, 78th overall
Fourth round, 116th overall
Fifth round, 149th overall
Fifth round, 170th overall
Seventh round, 232nd overall
Seventh round, 235th overall
Seventh round, 242nd overall
Seventh round, 256th overall

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Raiders draft class named top 5 best overall value

Only 3 teams got more value in their drafts this year than the Raiders

During the draft, players are either deemed reaches or steals or simply the right pick at the right time. Ideally, if a team is truly drafting the players they consider to be the best available at any position, they should find themselves getting players who most analysts thought would have come off the board by then.

One popular way to find a reasonable idea of where a player ranks among the rest of the draft class is to collect a large sample size of ‘big boards’ or mock drafts and put together a consensus.

In those terms, the Raiders came out very favorable in their class according to Warren Sharp. With regard to comparing where the Raiders took a player versus where their average position in mock drafts, they had the fourth-best value class.

The players who helped raise the Raiders’ draft class value the most were fifth-round pick DT Matthew Butler and seventh-round pick OT Thayer Munford.

Butler’s consensus draft position was 129 (round 4) and the Raiders got him at 175 (round five), a difference of 46 spots. Munford was selected at pick 238 (round seven) while the consensus had him being selected at 158 (round five); a difference of 80 spots.

Does this mean these guys were ‘steals’? Hard to say at this point. It would seem to raise the possibility that the Raiders raised the chances they may have gotten at least a couple of players who are better than their draft position would suggest.

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Injury updates on DeVonta Smith and Najee Harris ahead of 2021 NFL draft

Two former CrimsonTide stars suffered minor injuries late in the 2020 season, which could jinder their draft value. However, a report …

Numerous Crimson Tide stars are planning on entering the NFL by way of the 2021 NFL draft, most of those players will likely be selected on the first night.

Two offensive playmakers, wide receiver DeVonta Smith and running back Najee Harris, suffered late-season injuries.

Harris suffered a tweaked ankle, which some worried would hurt his draft value.

Smith injured his finger during the College Football Playoff, which is a crucial body part to a wide receiver.

However, NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported today that Smith’s finger is healing well and Harris’ ankle has been checked out and he’s good to go.

There’s no telling where they will be drafted, but both are considered to be at or near the top of their respective positional classes entering the draft.

Draft Wire ranks Seahawks LB Jordyn Brooks No. 29 in 1st-round value

Draft Wire ranks Seattle Seahawks linebacker Jordyn Brooks at No. 29 in 1st-round value after a -33 difference between his pre-draft rank.

The Seattle Seahawks, as usual, surprised fans and analysts alike when they selected linebacker Jordyn Brooks in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft at No. 27 overall.

Linebacker, most felt, was not a glaring position of need for Seattle at the time. However, with veteran K.J. Wright having undergone shoulder surgery this offseason and Mychal Kendricks’ sentencing hearing still looming, adding more depth at the position has started to make more sense.

Now that the dust from the draft has settled, Luke Easterling of USA TODAY’s Draft Wire took a look at every first-round pick this year and compared where each was actually selected relative to his ranking on Easterling’s Top 300 Big Board.

Brooks received a Draft Wire ranking of No. 60, with a difference of -33 compared to his actual draft position of No. 27 overall.

Clearly, the true value of each draft pick won’t be able to be determined until years down the road as Easterling notes, but it’s interesting to see how each team has its own need and value system in place every April.

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