2018 Packers Training Camp Roster: Inside Linebackers

ILB Jake Ryan has been lost for the 2018 season due to an ACL injury and here's what the Green Bay Packers will be missing without him on the field:

Jake Ryan was the second most productive inside linebacker against the run in 2017. pic.twitter.com/K19nFKSz7D

— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) July 30, 2018

Also on special teams, where he played a lot of snaps last season. His effectiveness against the run surprised me, I've loved his effort on the field but viewed him as a jack of all trades, master of none. He's definitely limited in pass coverage, which is essential for a modern day NFL linebacker. While he was lacking as a starter, he will be missed, if nothing else for depth and on special teams.

Blake Martinez and Oren Burks. Without Ryan, these two are the only inside linebackers currently on the roster who were drafted. Martinez is the only one with starting experience. If crisis strikes, Clay Matthews could theoretically be moved back inside, but that doesn't seem imminent. Martinez has looked great at times, especially early last season, and he's always been a potential play maker. I knew the Packers had high hopes for Burks, they wouldn't have drafted him in the 3rd round unless they did, and the early results on Family Night look promising:

I’ve been very impressed with what I’ve seen from Oren Burks tonight. He’s been all over the place.

— Andy Herman (@SconnieSports) August 5, 2018

With all the different packages used in the NFL, and the emphasis on pass defense, Ryan was always going to play a limited role on defense. It doesn't help to lose someone like Ryan, but if any two inside linebackers were going to stay on the field for most of the defensive snaps, it was going to be Martinez and maybe Burks.

While none of the other inside linebackers currently in camp are going play a significant role on defense, Ryan's absence does open the possibility for one of them to sneak on to the 53-man roster for special teams purposes.

Even with Ryan, this was not going to be an area of strength heading into the season. While the team has used mid-round draft selections on Ryan, Martinez and Burks in recent years to address inside, it never was enough on its own, without also an in-house veteran or free agent addition to bridge the time from before until after these three were drafted.

Packers (1-0) Beat The Jaguars in Jacksonville, 27-23

It wasn't the easiest win, as the Green Bay Packers fell behind in the first half, re-took the lead before halftime, and were able to match field goals with the Jaguars in the second half to hold onto the win. As I was watching it, I was thinking about how it would have been a huge let down to lose to an 11 loss team in what might be their easiest road game of 2016. But the Jaguars are better now and one game isn't going to make or break their season.

An early INT by Blake Bortles turned out to be his only turnover of the game, and some big pass plays to Allen Hurns, Marcedes Lewis, and Julius Thomas led their offense. Anyone who plays fantasy football knows the Jaguars have some legitimate offensive weapons. Also the Jaguars have spent a lot of money on their defense in free agency (mostly to Malik Jackson) and used a Top 5 draft pick on Jalen Ramsey (who's feeling a bit cocky at the moment). If they had put more pressure on QB Aaron Rodgers (zero sacks) then they might have had a shot at shutting down the Packers' offense. But they couldn't stop Eddie Lacy (4.4 ypc) and Rodgers finished with the 4th highest QBR in Week 1 (so far).

Aaron Rodgers is unstoppable.
It's that simple.#GBvsJAX https://t.co/KI1rGSLUvG

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) September 11, 2016

Packers offense: So above is one of the plays that'll be on the short list for plays of 2016. His offensive line played great, though they would have been even better with former LG Josh Sitton. Bob McGinn had a great article about how the front office blew it with Sitton, though his loss is still not going to be a season changing mistake. His replacement, LG Lane Taylor, probably had the lowest grade of their five lineman according to PFF by surrendering three QB hurries (I recall one play when ILB Paul Posluszny ran right past Taylor) but his run blocking appeared strong and he didn't allow a sack.

WR Jordy Nelson was back, and Rodgers again focused in on his top three receivers. This time it was Davante Adams joining Nelson and Cobb, and those three were targeted on 24 of his 33 attempts (73%). It was a big surprise that TE Jared Cook was only targeted twice, and he might have been a help early in the game when Rodgers struggled to get the ball to Nelson and Adams (3 straight punts in the first half). Rodgers barely played this preseason, Nelson didn't play at all, and everyone's timing looked bad as they shook off the rust in the first half. I was ready to give up on Adams after he missed two catchable passes on 3rd downs but he redeemed himself later.

Mike McCarthy started the game by calling a lot of running plays, but that faded as the game went on, and Lacy ended up with only 14 carries. I'd like to see a lot more from Lacy but he'll probably just remain a complementary weapon.

Packers defense: Speaking of players who barely played this preseason, the defense featured two of them, with only one of them being a success story in Week 1. The success was ILB Jake Ryan, who was held out for most of the preseason with a hamstring injury. Against Jacksonville, he was second on the team with 7 tackles and he was very active in the middle of the field, usually tackling T.J. Yeldon for a short gain. The entire defense did a great job against the run (Jags only had 1.8 ypc) and Ryan was a big part of it. The bad news was Morgan Burnett, who had an impressive stat line (9 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for a loss), but committed two penalties (both led to 1st downs) and he looked a step slow in coverage. While Ryan was able to play in their final preseason game, Burnett's back injury (which kept him out for most of the preseason) might still be bothering him.

The front seven did a great job against the Jaguars offensive line. Bortles did a good job of getting the ball out as quickly as he could before the pass rush came, but the Packers still had 3 sacks and shut down the Jaguars' running game. Nick Perry was great against the run and he spent a lot of time in the Jaguars' backfield (1 sack, 2 tackles for a loss) while Clay Matthews missed a couple tackles and Julius Peppers didn't record a single stat. Joe Thomas grabbed the lone INT and he was in on the final stop to end the game. It was a quiet game for Mike Daniels (hopefully it wasn't an SI cover jinx) but that was mostly because he faced a bunch of double-teams.

The secondary was a mixed bag. Burnett struggled and CB Quinten Rollins allowed a TD pass. On the other hand, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix was great and Damarious Randall had the top defensive grade from PFF. I was worried about Randall after a bad playoff game and a poor preseason (in limited playing time) but he's bounced back.

Next up is a big game, Sunday Night Football to open the Vikings's new US Bank Stadium on September 18.

Packers Preseason Game 4, Packers Lose To Chiefs, 17-7

The last preseason game for the Green Bay Packers is usually a downer, with most all the starters sitting, and this one was no exception. It was also the first preseason game this year against a team that made the playoffs last season, which is currently run by former Packer scouting director John Dorsey, so it also featured the best level of competition they've faced so far.

Packers offense:

The problem was the offensive line, which featured the same five backup players throughout, plus some snaps for undrafted rookie Kyle Steuck at guard. When QB Joe Callahan wasn't running for his life, he was getting sacked. The running backs had no where to go (2.4 ypc). The lineman committed multiple holding and illegal blocking penalties. When you can't protect the QB or run the ball, the offense is going nowhere.

RT Kyle Murphy allowed a couple more sacks and showed he isn't ready to pass protect in the NFL. LG Lane Taylor was all-around terrible. C Don Barclay was floating his long snaps to Callahan and didn't prove that he can play inside this season any better than he played tackle last season. Rookie LT Jason Spriggs was again solid, except for a couple plays when he lost his balance and taken out of the play, which has happened to him in every preseason game. However, undrafted free agent Lucas Patrick was impressive, and his only struggles seem to be related to the giant club he's had to play with on his injured right hand. They better stash him on the practice squad.

WRs Davante Adams and Ty Montgomery are on my bubble, and neither one stood out. Both started out strong, Montgomery even blocked a punt on special teams, and then they both did nothing except drop passes in the second half.

Second pick of the preseason for @J_HawKkk! #GBvsKC #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/x9nCPQFuCR

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) September 2, 2016

Packers defense:

It looked like they were playing with no inside linebackers. Even ILB Blake Martinez struggled during his brief playing time. This was the first preseason game for ILB Jake Ryan and he looked a step behind on every play. Both Chiefs rushing TDs happened when the ILB failed to make the tackle in the backfield. ILB Carl Bradford didn't show the same rush to the ball that he's had earlier this preseason.

There wasn't much of a pass rush either. OLB Reggie Gilbert did nothing, and OLB Kyler Fackrell only stepped up after the bottom of the Chiefs roster started playing late in the game. All the interior tackles played well, and they probably gave GM Ted Thompson something of a good problem to sort out who to keep.

Backup QB Tyler Bray led both Chiefs' TD drives, and after a slow start for him (this was his first preseason game) he took advantage of soft coverage from the Packer defensive backs. The coverage scheme was easy for a veteran like Bray to read, so was it the DBs fault for behind a step behind or was it the scheme? If it is the fault of the scheme, that's not a problem because they won't be playing that the exact same coverage throughout an entire game during the regular season. They did record two INT (Josh Hawkins seen above plus another from LaDarius Gunter) and only had two pass interference/holding penalties. This is still a deep group of backups, and deciding who to keep won't be easy.

Packers special teams:

With no offense from either team for long stretches of the game, it was a punting clinic, and it provided a good opportunity to watch new Packer punter Jacob Schum. He doesn't have a big leg (his 45.5 yard average was 10 yards less per punt than Chiefs P Dustin Colquitt) but he was more consistent than former P Tim Masthay (almost all of Schum's punts were near the sidelines) and he was better at pinning them inside the 10 yard line. Masthay's best punts are probably better than Schum's best punts, but the Packers will probably know what to expect from Schum on each play compared to Masthay's inconsistent punting.

📸 @AaronRodgers12 & Alex Smith postgame.#GBvsKC pic.twitter.com/X5cb3HiR0P

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) September 2, 2016

It's time to shave the mustache, put the jersey back on, and get ready for the regular season starting in 10 days at Jacksonville. This is going to be a great team, no matter how the final roster cuts work out over the weekend, and they're currently favored to win every, single one of them.

Packers 2016 Preseason: Win Over Raiders

This was an odd preseason game to evaluate for the Green Bay Packers. With so many stars sitting in these first two preseason games, it's not like we're watching the team that's going to play in the regular season opener, and there are few starting jobs being fought over. JC Tretter and Blake Martinez both played well, but it might not matter at all if they're just keeping the seats warm for Corey Linsley and Jake Ryan, respectively. It's important to avoid injuries (the ankle injury doesn't appear serious for QB Brett Hundley) and sort out the battles at the end of the bench. Speaking of which...

Last night was a dream come true.. #BeyondBlessed #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/RiKdAVdclM

— Josh Hawkins (@J_HawKkk) August 19, 2016

After two games, the biggest surprise has been CB Josh Hawkins. Among the rookies, maybe Kenny Clark and Blake Martinez might have outplayed him, and among the returning players, it's good to see ILB Carl Bradford emerge. But I know who those guys are and I knew little of Hawkins before he stood out in both preseason games. On the play pictured above, Hawkins went up high to make a play on the ball and grab the INT on a pass that should have been over his head.

Offensive evaluation:

After an opening TD drive that featured RB Eddie Lacy (who's looked better than last season, so far), maybe the plan was to air it out with Hundley, but instead he re-injured his ankle shortly after Lacy took a seat. The injury did show that rookie LT Jason Spriggs isn't yet up to pass blocking against an All-Pro like DE Khalil Mack. After Hundley left, the Packers called a lot of running plays for James Starks and John Crockett, and by the end of the game they were almost exclusively calling running plays for QB Marquise Williams. That ground heavy performance did make the offensive line look good, and showed that rookie RT Kyle Murphy is a pretty good run blocker, but it provided few opportunities for the receivers.

Impressive play on the boundary bodes well for the #Packers.

Insider Inbox 📬: https://t.co/j4U6I7SBmP pic.twitter.com/reoTl2UwLR

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) August 20, 2016

But when they did throw the ball, they did have success throwing to WR Davante Adams. Mike McCarthy also complemented Adams during his post-game press conference. After a disappointing sophomore season, Adams is starting to show the promise that was expected last year. The only negative in the passing game was all the incompletions thrown to WR Ty Montgomery who is slowly moving down the depth chart this preseason.

Defensive evaluation:

With a lot of sure tackling and great coverage by the secondary, the Raiders struggled to get much of anything going against the Packers' first or second team defenses. Outside of two long completions to Amari Cooper and Seth Roberts, the Raiders moved the ball little through the air, and only averaged 2.4 ypc on the ground. I would like to stop seeing CB Damarious Randall stop getting beaten in coverage, and his INT wasn't a big sign of improvement when he had to push off (not called) to make the play. On the ground, the Raiders had little success moving the Packers' tackles off the line, and the Packers' linebackers did a good job of moving through all the traffic around the line of scrimmage to make the tackles.

But the one thing that was really missing was their pass rush. The Packers didn't record a single sack or even a quarterback hit. Part of that was the result of the Raiders' QBs getting the ball out of their hands quickly. If the Packers were hoping LB Nick Perry and/or LB Kyler Fackrell were going to provide a consistent pass rush this season, it hasn't worked out so far.

Special teams:

It's kind of pointless to discuss special teams during the preseason, when the Packers are using so many different players on each unit compared to the ones who will be lining up during the regular season. But the Raiders scored their only touchdown when CB LaDarius Gunter whiffed on a block that led to a blocked punt recovered in the end zone. The return situation hasn't looked great either, other than a couple nice returns from rookie WR Trevor Davis, who seems unlikely to stick with so many other receivers ahead of him on offense.

So the Packers didn't look bad, and they mostly looked really good, but this is all happening with a number of key players sitting out and/or hurt. At least it looks like the Packers are a deep team, if they need to call on that depth later in the regular season due to injuries.

Packers 2016: First Week of Training Camp In The Books

While the Green Bay Packers had their annual Family Night scrimmage over the weekend, and it's always impressive to see the fans come out in such huge numbers for a practice, it doesn't tell you anything (yet) about the players. Maybe Jared Abbrederis was impressive and maybe Davante Adams wasn't. But it doesn't matter until you see them play in a preseason game, and maybe it doesn't even matter then if someone like Adams is already penciled in as the starter by the coaches and isn't being asked to do much during the preseason.

So far, the good news is that the Packers have few injuries. And while some players are out, it gives other players a chance to prove themselves. Both WR Jordy Nelson and Ty Montgomery are on the PUP list (so that's provided Abbrederis more practice time). Also, LB Sam Barrington is on the PUP list (though I still expect him to become the starter when he's ready) and his absence has given rookie LB Blake Martinez a big opportunity:

Blake Martinez making good impression, on track for a big role in #Packers' defense https://t.co/KUU2UZwcM4 pic.twitter.com/KphGBP0oaY

— Packers News (@PGPackersNews) August 2, 2016

It might be a little bit concerning that Barrington is still unable to practice but we don't know all that's gone on with him over the past year during rehab. Maybe it's still precautionary and nothing more. Though it's a little surprising that Martinez has seemed to have moved ahead of LB Jake Ryan, or maybe the coaches know what they have in Ryan and want to see what Martinez can do. None of them are going to be mistaken for Luke Kuechly but at least the Packers have options and it looks like they found a good player in Martinez.

It's super early, there hasn't been any real football played yet that can truly evaluate the players, and they don't play their first preseason game until next Sunday, August 7. I'm glad the season is getting closer but I'm not jumping to any conclusions yet.

Recapping The Packers 2016 Free Agent Period

The NFL free agent period is rarely an exciting time for GM Ted Thompson and the Green Bay Packers, and 2016 has been no exception. Extending DT Mike Daniels was the most important task they could have accomplished, and they did it back in 2015, but I'm still left more disappointed than usual. There were some notable free agent departures and they'll be looking to find replacements, and depth, at those positions in April's draft.

Mike McCarthy confirmed the Packers are moving on from WR James Jones. He praised him for being "such a class... https://t.co/Z6qumLVpIV

— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) March 22, 2016

WR James Jones. Maybe Jones's agent was talking about a $4 million per season Jermaine Kearse type contract, which I would never expect them (nor should they) agree to. But Jones signed for under $1 million twice last season (first with the Giants and then the Packers) so he's probably not looking for a big deal. He finished 2015 as the 20th best receiver in the NFL according to Football Outsiders and he was the team's best receiver by a mile, so asking him to return in 2016 as a $1 million insurance policy looked like a no-brainer, even if he loses the battle in camp this summer to WR Jeff Janis and/or Jared Abbrederis. Yes, WR Jordy Nelson will be back, Janis and Abbrederis should continue to improve, and Jones might not have been necessary. But he was absolutely necessary in 2015 and he wouldn't have broken the bank. I'm also not mentioning WR Davante Adams, who the team appears to have faith in, though I don't. I'd have made re-signing Jones a priority if he's still available in the $1 million range.

DTs B.J. Raji, Letroy Guion, and Mike Pennel. Pennel wasn't a free agent but his upcoming four game suspension should factor into their 2016 plans. But I don't think they expected Raji to walk away from football. Mike McCarthy thinks Raji will return some day but I'm less sure about it because football doesn't seem to be the most important thing in his life. Good for him, but that won't help the Packers much in 2016. That leaves the middle of their line anchored by Guion and Daniels, and a couple other guys who've never played meaningful NFL snaps. DT Josh Boyd will also return, but he was never very good and he's now coming off a season ending injury. I'm worried that some teams will be able to run right over the defense next season.

LB Mike Neal. The Packers want to move LB Clay Matthews back outside next season and they did re-sign LB Nick Perry, so this seems like a good time to let Neal find another NFL home. I've never been his biggest fan so I'm glad they're looking to find someone better than him. But he was 5th on the team with 734 defensive snaps last season so they have to replace him with somebody, and I have no idea who that somebody will be. LB Sam Barrington will return but you never know what a player is like after a season ending injury. LBs Jake Ryan and Joe Thomas should continue to improve while platooning as a run stuffing and pass covering inside linebacker combo. Also, former disappointments LB Nate Palmer and Carl Bradford remain on the roster. The Packers have a lot of draft choices in the upcoming draft and they're sure to draft at least one linebacker, but they haven't had the best track record of developing inside linebackers. The loss of Raji and Pennel up front, along with Matthews moving back outside from inside, has left the middle of their defense looking like a giant question mark heading into 2016.

CB Casey Hayward. The Packers really didn't need Hayward anymore. The Chargers are paying him $5 million per season starting in 2016 and he might have been challenged for playing time with the Packers by CB Quinten Rollins and LaDarius Gunter. Also, former 5th round pick CB Demetri Goodson is in the mix. But letting a solid player like Hayward go for only a future 3rd or 4th round compensatory pick seems like a poor value. Hayward is a good player now, and that future draft choice is only maybe a good player someday. They've given up something without getting enough back, while at the same time the defense is taking a step back at tackle and inside linebacker.

I'm just not feeling the power of young players when a few of them disappointed last season at key positions like receiver and linebacker. That's the way the Packers work and free agency isn't the answer for most teams, but it's still left me underwhelmed with their offseason plans while I wait for them to re-load in the upcoming draft.

Packers Lose Starting Linebacker Sam Barrington For The Season

LB Sam Barrington is not my favorite player, he had a huge negative grade from Pro Football Focus in 2014 and a slightly negative grade on his only 16 snaps of 2015, but it never helps to lose a starter for the season.

"Different schemes, different players" will replace Sam Barrington. More from Coach McCarthy: http://t.co/B6C5ATnrnM pic.twitter.com/OrZ2uZDfn5

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) September 16, 2015

The Packers have already previewed their defense without Barrington. They played most of the Bears game without him, and the different schemes involved a lot of Nate Palmer and Clay Matthews. They were the only other inside linebackers who played last week. LB Jayrone Elliott unexpectedly received some playing time, but maybe that was because LB Nick Perry was stinking up the joint (his negative 4.3 grade from PFF was the worst of any defender last Sunday) and he wasn't playing just so Matthews could spend more time inside.

It's going to be a rocky ride for Palmer, who's new to the inside backer position, still playing with a splint on his injured hand, and now has to wear the speaker helmet for the coaches instructions on the field. Maybe with an extra week to prepare, they'll plan on working rookie Jake Ryan into the defense, though he didn't take the field against the Bears (except on special teams). Without a lot of depth on the inside, the loss of Barrington might become a big problem if Palmer struggles with his role on defense.

Packers Cruise In Preseason Opener: 22-11 Over Patriots

During the 1st quarter, when QB Aaron Rodgers was in the game, the Packers couldn't score on multiple red zone opportunities. The backup defense failed to contain on either edge at the start of the 2nd quarter when RB Jonas Gray ran for a 55 yard touchdown and then a two-point conversion. The Packers also failed to convert on either of their two point conversion attempts. I mention these bad plays at the start of this post because other than those problems, the Packers were in control in every other aspect of this game and wasn't even as close as the score might indicate. Also the stats below don't reflect all the penalty yards the Patriots gave up.

A look at the final stats from tonight's #Packers victory: http://t.co/c6xQ2ymih4 #GBvsNE pic.twitter.com/AZNifadJf7

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) August 14, 2015

The backup quarterbacks. After a sloppy performance in the televised practice on Family Night, I was a little down on the backup QBs. But against the Patriots, Scott Tolzien and Brett Hundley each threw a touchdown pass and neither had a turnover. That doesn't sound like a major accomplishment, but these preseason games have featured a lot of bad backup quarterback play over the past couple seasons. That's promising.

The 2015 draft class. 1st round CB Damarious Randall sat out with a groin injury which probably gave more playing time to 2nd round CB Quinten Rollins and undrafted CB LaDarius Gunter, and both of them played like they were ready to start in Week 1. Gunter came away with a nice INT when he stole a bouncing ball right in front of the receiver, while Rollins seemed to be running the receiver's routes for them and missed out on an couple of interceptions in the 2nd quarter. 3rd round WR Ty Montgomery didn't light up the box score as a return man but he looked really comfortable on special teams, and he caught a couple passes too. 4th round LB Jake Ryan had 6 tackles, 1 sack, 2 tackles for losses, and 1 QB hit; he looked like the downfield, hard charging inside LB I've been hoping they would find for the past few seasons.

WR Jeff Janis. He's had some drops in camp and appeared to be on the outside of a roster with too many receivers, then he goes and catches a touchdown. He can be a deep threat with his speed and size (and single coverage) even if he isn't often a target.

The second string defense and second string offensive line. It's always a little deceptive to see the backups beating up on other backups (DE Jayrone Elliott's outside rush doesn't look as fast in the regular season) but they were flying around there and hustling to every play, like a pack of guys battling for a roster spot should look. There were a couple of free rushes to the quarterback and some blown blocking assignments, but mostly held up better than I've come to expect from preseason pass protection.

RT Don Barclay. He'll probably be given some slack for playing in his first game in over a year after a serious knee injury, but he was beaten badly on a couple plays. They have some good options (Taylor and Tretter) for the backup jobs on the inside, but Barclay's their best option as a backup tackle. LT Jeremy Vujnovich played better on the other side but he isn't obviously a better option at this time.

TE Andrew Quarless. He too probably deserves a break after a terrible past few weeks off the field, but he got off to a terrible start as the starting TE. He cut a route short of a 1st down on a 3rd down reception and then got blown up on his run blocking assignment when they went for it on 4th down. He also had a drop pass on the next drive. It took a while for TE Richard Rodgers to find the field, I didn't see him until after TE Justin Perillo got into the game, so Quarless should be the starter (depending on if he gets suspended to start the season).

RBs John Crockett and Alonzo Harris. They each scored a touchdown and they give the Packers a couple more running backs to think about. They were also facing a bunch of backups.  which included a keystone cops moment when on Harris's touchdown run, three Pats defenders ran into each other instead of tackling Harris.

It's just a preseason game, but there was very little bad to come out of it. No injuries and a really good showing from the 2015 draft class. Another preseason road trip is coming up to Pittsburgh on Sunday August 23rd.

Another Week Of OTA Practice For The Packers

I don't put much stock in the summer OTAs. It does show the current depth chart, but things change quickly once training camp opens and preseason games are played.

Big summer for ILB Carl Bradford, who expects to compete for a starting job: pic.twitter.com/OGJDPBlPR0

— Tyler Dunne (@TyDunne) June 2, 2015

Their two most recent 4th round picks (LB Carl Bradford and LB Jake Ryan) are settling in as the backup inside linebackers. Since this is the defensive position that needs the most improvement in 2015, I'm interested on how it's going and if either one of them is ready to be a breakout starter. Though Ryan's a rookie and he hasn't so much as stepped on a field for an NFL game of any sort, in someways Bradford's an even bigger unknown since he didn't play a single snap on defense in his rookie year. Did Bradford need to essentially take a redshirt year to learn how to play on the inside or was the move done to delay his eventual release?

Neither one of them probably has a shot at moving ahead of LB Sam Barrington (or allowing them to move LB Clay Matthews outside full-time) for now, so they're just two guys to watch for the future.

They have several more days of OTAs this week and next before the mandatory mini-camp in two weeks. Though that minicamp will probably be shortened by a day for some team building through bowling or the like.

2015 NFL Draft: Packers Select Brett Hundley In The 5th Round

The Green Bay Packers selected Michigan LB Jake Ryan in the 4th round who was held back in college by a major knee injury in 2013 but he seems to be a jack of all trades and Eliot Wolf said that he won't be needed to start right away.

In the 6th round, they first selected Oklahoma FB Aaron Ripkowski because they probably had to with a football name like Ripkowski. He's also a big lead blocker who's a good enough athlete that he could develop into something more. Then they selected DT Christian Ringo, who might be a Mike Daniels-type undersized, overlooked inside pass rusher. And finally TE Kennard Backman who might provide some depth as a receiver from a weak draft for tight ends.

They didn't draft the all-around inside linebacker I'd have loved, but that player didn't appear to be available in this draft. They didn't seem too interested in drafting a two-down inside run stopper, but that's not a top priority in the pass happy NFL. They needed depth at cornerback and linebacker, and they got it done. But all of that was overshadowed on day three by their selection of QB Brett Hundley in the 5th round.

Everything about Hundley seems to be the same analysis: he's got a big arm and he's a great athlete but he brings with it inconsistency and questionable decision making. The worst case scenario for him is probably what Vince Young brought to the Packers during the 2013 preseason; if his first option isn't there then he's going to run for it.

And if the Packers gave up a 1st or 2nd round pick to watch Vince Young v.2.0 then I'd be upset. But they used a 5th round pick for him (plus their 7th round pick to move up in the 5th round). A 5th round pick can sometimes turn into Corey Linsley and a 7th round pick can become Donald Driver, but those are the exceptions. It's not going to set them back much if he doesn't work out. The player they might have selected in the 7th round might be one of the undrafted rookie free agents they signed on Sunday.

After the backup quarterback disaster of 2013, I'm glad to see them draft a quarterback who can provide some upside. I wanted to see Matt Flynn return, but he played some terrible games for the Packers in 2013 and he wasn't going to get any better. I don't know about keeping Scott Tolzien over Flynn, but Tolzien did show enough in 2013 to make me believe he could be better now after a full year of coaching from Mike McCarthy.

I'm not sure what the long plan is here with Hundley. Aaron Rodgers isn't going anywhere for a long while and Hundley isn't going to be his replacement even if McCarthy coaches him into the projected 1st round pick he was supposed to be. Maybe he can become the best backup quarterback in the NFL for a couple years before he moves on in a trade or free agency. Maybe Ted Thompson can trade him for a 1st or 2nd round draft pick in a couple years. Or maybe they'll release him before his fifth season because he never puts it all together.

I can't say I'm excited about Hundley's selection because he's going to be of no help in 2015. But Rodgers isn't indestructible so I can appreciate the value of a talented backup, if needed. I don't recall much being made of former QB B.J. Coleman's draft selection in 2012 and most of the difference between Coleman and Hundley is hype. And he can't be worse than Coleman was. Getting someone with Hundley's upside at any position is worth a selection in the 5th round, and I'm looking forward to watching him this preseason.