Day 2 NFL Draft Grades: Packers Cheered, Jeered Once Again
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Draft grades are guilty pleasures. You know they’re useless but, here you are, checking out what experts (either real or self-proclaimed) thought of Day 2 of the draft for the Green Bay Packers. As was the case after Thursday’s first round, when the Packers were given an A and an F, the grades had an enormous range.
Chad Reuter of NFL.com gave the Packers an A-minus. As part of his summary, Reuter wrote: “Center was obviously a need for the Packers following the departure of Corey Linsley in the offseason. One tough, intelligent former Buckeye replaces another tough, intelligent former Buckeye. Myers is a solid player who will be sturdy and reliable, though I had him rated behind other prospects at the position that were available at No. 62, such as Creed Humphrey and Quinn Meinerz. Amari Rodgers is tough as nails and reliable. While some will view him as the new Randall Cobb, I think the former Clemson star will fill the running back/receiver/punt returner role that Tyler Ervin played in the past couple of years.”
The Athletic’s Sheil Kapadia gave the Packers a B for Myers and an A for Rodgers. On Rodgers, Kapadia wrote: “He was productive last year with 77 catches for 1,020 yards and seven touchdowns. Rodgers (5-foot-10, 212 pounds) doesn’t have elite speed (4.51), but he can break tackles and has some wiggle with the ball in his hands. Dane Brugler compared Rodgers to Deebo Samuel. He has potential to be a slot weapon right away for Green Bay. This is a nice fit between prospect and team.”
The Sporting News, on the other hand, gave the Packers an A-minus for Myers and an A for Rodgers. Of Rodgers, Vinnie Iyer wrote: “The Packers made a second strong pick with Aaron Rodgers in mind, giving themselves a needed complementary diminutive dasher to play off big No.1 Davante Adams. This Rodgers is a quick slot option who has big-play potential every time he touches the ball in the open field.”
Pro Football Focus was not a fan, with a “poor” for Myers and a “below average” for Rodgers. On Rodgers, PFF states: “The Packers finally take a receiver for Aaron Rodgers. The Clemson WR was the 128th player on our Big Board. Although he is very explosive, we don’t know enough about his route-running to assume he’ll run a full route tree in the NFL. Right now he’s a bubble screen, jet sweep and deep-post runner, so the Packers will hope he develops a more well-rounded game.”
Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports gave the Packers a B for Myers and an A-minus for Rodgers. Of Myers, he wrote: “Ready to go center who recognizes stunts and blitzes and can get there because of his first-step quickness. Just needs to get stronger to deal with rushers. Smart pick after losing Corey Linsley.”
Luke Easterling of Draft Wire gave the Packers a B-minus for Myers and a B-plus for Rodgers. On Rodgers, Easterling wrote: “Back-to-back offensive picks for the Packers, who give Aaron Rodgers an explosive weapon with the same name on the back of his jersey. Rodgers is a big-play machine after the catch thanks to his speed and tackle-breaking ability, and he’s a perfect fit with the other pass-catchers in Green Bay.”
Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report gave the Packers a C for Myers and D for Rodgers. “Myers can prevent significant changes along the Packers offensive front in the wake of Linsley's offseason departure. Elgton Jenkins or Lucas Patrick could take over at center for Linsley, but they won't be forced to do so. Instead, Myers could very well follow in the steps of Linsley, who started all 16 games as a rookie. Green Bay chose Myers much earlier. By the way, no one has forgotten that general manager Brian Gutekunst continues to bypass the wide receiver position.” His summation of the Rodgers selection is … something.
Football Outsiders’ Mike Tanier gave the Packers a B for Myers and an A-minus for Rodgers. On Rodgers, he wrote: “Rodgers is built more like a running back than receiver, and he runs like one, too. Rodgers lacks elite speed on film, but he has some crafty moves to get open in space over the middle and can haul in over-the-shoulder passes when he slips past the secondary. Rodgers has been a major contributor to a stacked offense for three years and performed well at Clemson’s pro day. Not every versatile slot weapon is another Deebo (Samuel), but Rodgers will find a way to help Packers quarterbacks Jordan Love and Chase Daniel as a slot receiver and source of YAC.
Yahoo!’s Eric Edholm gave the Packers a C-plus for Myers and B-plus for Rodgers. On Myers, he wrote: “Over Creed Humphrey and Quinn Meinerz? We don’t love it. Myers is very tough and smart, and he’ll immediately help the run game if he wins a starting role, either at guard or center. There were some times when his pass protection was sub-par. Will be play center? Will Aaron Rodgers be there to receive his snaps? So many questions in Green Bay.”
