With help from the new Green Bay Draft Guide, we pick one perfect prospect fit for the Packers at each position leading into the 2023 draft.
It’s no secret: the Green Bay Packers look for specific types of players – depending on position – in the draft. Although unclear on the exact specifics, the team does use size, athleticism and production thresholds to help guide the process when drafting players. Years of examples from the Ted Thompson and Brian Gutekunst eras have helped provide clues on the thresholds.
Here’s where the excellent “Green Bay Draft Guide: Powered by Packer Report” comes into play. Spearheaded by Jacob Morley, the draft guide dug through the top prospects in the draft to help identify those who meet the team’s estimated thresholds at every position.
With the guide as our, well, guide, here’s one perfect prospect fit for the Packers at every position in the 2023 draft.
The signing has been met with a lot of praise because it gives Patrick Mahomes a consistent third option that he seemingly lacked during the 2021 NFL season. But how exactly does Smith-Schuster fit in with the group of players that the team already has and what are some of the new things that he’ll bring to the table in Kansas City?
Asked how he envisioned his fit with the team, Smith-Schuster explained that he’s a different flavor compared to the type of players the Chiefs already have. He considers himself closer to Travis Kelce than to players like Mecole Hardman and Tyreek Hill.
“I’m a different type of guy, I’m a little bit more built,” Smith-Schuster told reporters. “You’ve got Tyreek and Mecole, speedster guys who can run down the field. I’m the type of guy, great hands, a little bit like Travis, great hands, big dude that can run and block, physical blocking in the run game. There’s so much I can do to help this team.”
The physicality is noted and something that clearly interested Brett Veach and Andy Reid from the jump. He’s known as a strong blocker, but he also plays well through contact. Hands will definitely be an underrated part of what Smith-Schuster brings to Kansas City, though.
In his 25 targets last season, Smith-Schuster didn’t drop a single pass. If you go back to 2020, when he played a full 16-game season, it took nine games and 128 targets before Smith-Schuster dropped a single pass. Had he been on the team that year, he would have been second on the team in dropped pass percentage behind only Kelce. Given the frequency of drops from guys like Byron Pringle, Demarcus Robinson and Mecole Hardman, that’ll be a noticeable difference for a team that struggled to extend drives at times in 2021.
If you look at the types of routes Smith-Schuster has excelled at during his career, it’s the short-to-intermediate route combinations. That’s another area where the Chiefs really didn’t find a lot of success in 2021. He’s going to be working across the middle of the field against zone coverage with slants, flats, crossers, curls and out routes. He also has the physicality to be successful in Andy Reid’s quick screen game, both as a blocker and a receiver.
Think JuJu has weirdly gone from one of the more overrated WRs in the game to one of the most underrated slot guys. Has been one of the best zone-beating WRs in #ReceptionPerception and thrives as an underneath chain-mover. KC needs that.
Smith-Schuster will also give the Chiefs a bigger player that they can use out of the slot. Traditionally, the NFL has used smaller and shifter players out of the slot, but in recent years with the evolution of the tight end position, it’s not uncommon to see teams using bigger slot receivers.
We’ve preached being “team big slot” here at Chiefs Wire, and that sounds like something Kansas City might have in mind for Smith-Schuster. He has the size to box out smaller slot corners on quick, chain-moving routes. Speaking of chain-moving, Smith-Schuster finished 17th in the NFL in first down conversions back in 2020. His 55 first downs would’ve ranked third on the team behind Hill and Kelce.
In the past two years alone, over 80% of Smith-Schuster’s snaps have come from the slot per Pro Football Focus. If you look at success in the slot since he joined the NFL in 2017, you’ll find that he ranks among the best in the league.
The #Chiefs are getting a top-10 slot receiver in JuJu Smith-Schuster
JuJu's ranks amongst slot receivers since 2017 (since he entered the league):
In the end, Smith-Schuster will bring a lot to the offense that they lacked in 2021. He feels that he’s a perfect complement to what the team already has at the position and will enhance what already makes the offense so great. He also sees himself helping the team reach their ultimate goal, which is to win football games.
“You come into a team where they’ve got guys who can stretch the field, guys that have been here doing it for quite some time now,” Smith-Schuster said. “For me, I made the decision to come here to win. I’m all about winning. I’m all about what I can do to help the team and produce. This year you’ll see that. You’ll see that. Obviously, they have Tyreek (Hill), Travis (Kelce) and Mecole (Hardman) and all those guys, they’ll still make their plays. And the plays that I do get, I’ll want to make them too. Like I said, I’m here to win.”
For many amateur golfers, making a full turn starts with opening up your hips, allowing your weight to transfer to your right side (if you’re a right-handed golfer). However, many golfers lack hip mobility.
Averee Dovsek, Golfweek‘s fitness guru, is reporting from Xymogym in Orlando, Florida, with a great stretch to increase your hip mobility. This will, among other things, help increase speed in the golf swing, resulting in more distance — and who doesn’t want more distance?
A rack of points. Silenced by the Lamb. Two shakes of a…
This is what 40-burger dreams are made of. Our player profile series returns with the anointed one.
With the addition of CeeDee Lamb the Dallas Cowboys offense has the makings of a juggernaut for at least the next two seasons. The football gods smiled down upon Jerry Jones’ yacht on draft night 2020, allowing what could have been the most dynamic wide receiving threat of the class to somehow make his way down to No. 17 and into the Cowboys laps.
Already boasting one of the league’s best offenses and with the opportunity to break free from the shackles of Jason Garrett’s conservative nature, Dallas now boasts an arsenal which will give them a chance to be mentioned in the same breath as Kansas City and New Orleans.
Wide Receiver Flock
Lamb will join Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup and form one of the league’s most destructive wide receiver corps. Standing at 6-foot-2, and weighing 198 pounds, Lamb presents a physical, aggressive pass catcher and run blocker who excels after the catch and with physical contact.
Corners who shy away from contact are going to be placed in amber on film for all eternity against this dude.
Film Study – vs Alabama
Here’s a look at his best work, from a 2018 game against the Crimson Tide in 2018. In this Orange Bowl contest, he caught eight passes for 109 yards and one score.
Film Study – vs Texas Tech
In this game from the past season, he caught seven receptions for 185 yards and three touchdowns against the Red Raiders.
Lamb’s Wool
PlayerProfiler.com
How big a shock was it that Lamb was still available with the 17th overall pick? The Dallas Cowboys never even did a pre-draft interview with the Oklahoma wideout. That’s how unlikely it was that he’d even be an option.
Nearly every mock draft on the planet had Lamb being selected within the first twelve picks, so it would have been understandable if owner Jerry Jones and coach Mike McCarthy unexpectedly found themselves in scramble mode once the Cowboys were on the clock. They had a need in the secondary, they had a need on the defensive line, and they had been flirting with several names in the super-deep wide receiver class. LSU DE K’Lavon Chaisson (Jaguars), TCU WR Jalen Reagor (Eagles), LSU WR Justin Jefferson (Vikings) and Michigan center Caesar Ruiz (Saints) will be the players most often compared to Lamb over the course of their NFL careers.
Dallas’s decision seemed to come down to either Lamb or Chaisson. The buzz for Chaisson had been building in the days leading up to the draft, with even the Cowboys’ franchise sack leader DeMarcus Ware raving about the “monster” prospect and going so far as saying he reminded Ware of himself.
Dallas was always in the market for a wide receiver, but the hometown TCU product was seen as a more realistic possibility for the Cowboys. A slim speedster catching passes, Reagor also excels as a punt and kick returner. The Cowboys have a need in that capacity, too, and they could have checked both boxes by taking Reagor.
A true slot receiver was on the Cowboys’ wish list after losing Randall Cobb in free agency. Jefferson, who led the nation in 2019 with 111 receptions in his junior season at LSU, would have fit that bill perfectly. He’s got good size, runs well, has speed, possesses great body control, and displays strong hands.
Ruiz was universally considered the best interior offensive lineman in the draft class, and the type of player who could turn out to be elite at the center position. The Cowboys were said to “love” the 6-foot-4-inch, 320-pound Michigan junior.
The 17th slot was thought to be too high for Ruiz to be drafted; New Orleans drafted Ruiz with the 24th pick on Thursday night.
Lamb’s Chicken
Lamb will sign a four-year contract and Dallas will have the fifth-year option to keep the Oklahoma product within their clutches for the next half-decade at least. His contract parameters are set based on his draft slot.
Signing Bonus: $7,749,100 Total Salary: $14,010,014 2020 Cap Hit: $2,547,275
He’ll be the foundation of the Cowboys offense in a short period of time, the question is which of the two other top receivers will be with him beyond 2021.
Cooper’s five-year deal has an out after that season with minimal dead money compared to his contract. Gallup’s rookie deal expires that year as well. With having Lamb on the cheap, it’s most likely only one of the other two players are in Dallas for 2022, and it’s possible the club looks to reset opposite Lamb completely, based on how these next two seasons go.
Sheer Excellence
Here’s what the experts had to say about Lamb entering the draft. This is what Dallas has added to the equation.
Lamb has quick hands and feet to give defenders the slip before and after the catch, showcasing the football IQ and athleticism that allows him to find open space downfield. There is a backyard football element to his game… a balanced athlete with the body fluidity of a much small player and the ball skills and competitive nature of a much bigger player, projecting as a high-ceiling NFL starter due to his playmaking instincts.
CeeDee Lamb projects as an alpha WR in the NFL. No, he doesn’t have elite top end speed, but Lamb checks damn near every other possible box. He’s smooth with his feet, possesses elite body control, vacuum hands and is a dynamic, angry runner after the catch.
Explosive, three-level playmaker and vital cog in one of the most potent offensive machines in college football over the last three seasons. Lamb uses speed and separation quickness to dominate competition in a scheme that frequently created open throws in space. Lamb has the potential to play any of the three receiver positions as a pro and should benefit greatly from the NFL’s continued movement toward college-style passing attacks.
On tape it is clear that his ball skills are elite, and he absolutely attacks the ball and then the defense with a confidence level you admire. He is so strong for his size, something that can be seen often as defenses try to corral him and contain him from another big play. He has jet sweep and swing pass ability, but he is just so scary in space. Sometimes, as Texas will confirm, he just cannot be tackled. He has nitro, too. Lots of nitro. His hips and sharpness are really impressive.
Grade: Franchise Player-Should start this year and compete for a role as a leading producer in the passing game. | WR Rank: 1
Lamb can play all three positions, but placing him in the slot would allow him to earn mismatches with safeties in the deep game or force a cornerback inside where Lamb will still feast on two-way opportunities. Lamb is also a physical blocker who punches, latches onto defensive backs, and turns them. His presence in the 11 personnel (3 WRs, 1 RB, and 1 TE) run game will be an asset.
Highlight Reels (NSFW music)
This is part of our Countdown to the Regular Season player profile countdown. With 87 days* remaining until the NFL’s first game, up next is tight end Cole Hikutuni.
A fit in Kansas City? Former Rams RB Todd Gurley would be good with the Chiefs according to Twitter.
The Los Angeles Rams released Todd Gurley a season after signing him to a massive deal which made him the highest-paid running back in the NFL.
Gurley has dealt with a knee issue that lingered for the better part of two seasons. During the 2019 season, Gurley had the lowest carry total of his career at 223 carries. He also rushed for the lowest yardage total of his career with just 857 yards and 12 touchdowns. He’s been a workhorse back for the majority of his career with the Rams, but those days are numbered.
Now that Gurley is looking for a new home, the Twitterverse is letting their imaginations run wild. One of the potential destinations that many foresee for Gurley is with the Kansas City Chiefs’ high-powered offense.
Can you imagine Todd Gurley with Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes?
ESPN’s Ed Werder specifically is thinking about how Andy Reid could use Todd Gurley and all the creative ways that Patrick Mahomes could get him the ball. Could we see some more All-Go Special Halfback Seem, which they used to run with Kareem Hunt?
A versatile RB like Gurley would be a nice addition. But the first question to ask in this scenario is: How would the Chiefs pay for Gurley given their current cap situation? https://t.co/NIMrSMDMXn
Our friend Herbie Teope brings up a solid point: How will they pay for it? That’s the question everyone is asking when the Chiefs are connected to a free agent right now. The great thing about the salary cap is that it can easily be manipulated. Brett Veach has a few more moves that he can make to add cap space. Will it be enough to sign a player like Gurley, though? His contract had $2.5 million in offset language, meaning the Rams would get that money back when he signs with a team.
He believes Damien Williams and Gurley would make a formidable duo for the 2020 season. They’d certainly help limit wear and keep each other fresh throughout the season.
An NFL teams needs to bite the bullet and overpay Todd Gurley so the Chiefs can't get him.
The fit is so good, some would rather see another team overpay him just to keep him away from Kansas City. That tells you all you need to know about how much a player like Gurley could open up things for the Chiefs’ offense.
Who knows if Veach will make a run at Gurley in free agency, but all this chatter suggests that it might be an option worth exploring.
