Packers Open The 2016 Preseason With A Win Over The Browns

For the Green Bay Packers, a couple players stood out in a good way, and a couple stood out in a bad way. Overall, their first preseason game went largely as expected and I didn't see any big surprises.

✌️ points! @TrynaBeGreat_99 comes up with the sack for the safety.

Watch 🎥: https://t.co/omjVDoOiqi#CLEvsGB pic.twitter.com/zKIkYgPQ7N

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) August 13, 2016

QB RGIII. He started the game off with a long pass against CB Damarious Randall, who appeared to be called out by his position coach on Sunday about it, and completed his next two passes. Then he threw an INT on a great diving play by CB Micah Hyde but it didn't look like his receiver had any idea the ball was coming. His last three pass attempts were incompletions against the Packers' second team defense. I thought he'd present more of a challenge to the Packers' defense, but other than that pass to beat Randall, he wasn't a factor.

QB Joe Callahan. He was better than I expected but I had low expectations. He didn't show the physical tools of an NFL starter though he made several good decisions and led the offense on a touchdown drive in the two minute drill. He reminded me of Scott Tolzien.

OLB Datone Jones. He got most of the press from the game and he was probably the best player on the field. But he did it while on the 2nd team defense and against the Browns' backups. He does look good playing at a lighter weight.

DT Kenny Clark. He looked like DT B.J. Raji on a good day at the nose, which is a very good sign.

OT Jason Spriggs. He played almost the entire game and was very good. He did have a couple bad moments learning opportunities: once he was pancaked by the DT to his right on a double-team, and he was flagged for tripping. But most of the time he handled the outside rush on passing plays, and made solid blocks downfield when they ran. Already I'd be confident that he could spot start at either tackle position if needed.

ILB Blake Martinez. It was only one play but I rarely see linebackers get rolled like he did. Neither Jake Ryan or Sam Barrington were active. ILB Carl Bradford looked better than Martinez, though he also had one bad play when he got blocked out on the opposite side of the field vs. a long run. It's only one game, but I have Bradford ahead of Martinez so far.

LB Joe Thomas. I wasn't sure what his role was going to be this season. I thought he could even lose playing time to Morgan Burnett. He might still find his role diminished but he started against the Browns and looked pretty good.

OLB Reggie Gilbert, OLB Kyler Fackrell, DT Christian Ringo. All three players had a sack against the backups on the Browns OL. Gilbert's "sack" happened when Cody Kessler forgot where the back of the end zone was on a safety, but he was still getting after Kessler on the play. The Packers have some depth at OLB this season and it showed. Ringo too was expected to look better after a redshirt rookie season, and so far so good.

CB Demitri Goodson. I wasn't sure they were going to make anything of the former point guard that they selected in the 2014 6th round, and he sure was the weak link against the Browns. He gave up the only TD on defense and picked up a personal foul on the preceding special teams play. Undrafted rookie CB Josh Hawkins (among others) already seem to be ahead of him on the depth chart, and they all clearly outplayed him against the Browns.

OL Don Barclay. He was a disaster last season and he allowed a safety on his first snap as center this preseason. I feel bad for the guy, who was once a pleasant surprise and solid starter at RT in place of Bryan Bulaga, but he hasn't been the same since his ACL injury two years ago.

TE Justin Perillo. One of the secrets to Callahan's success was that he leaned heavily on his TEs (his first two completions were to TE Jared Cook). Perillo ended up leading the team in receptions. He's still behind Cook and TE Richard Rodgers on the depth chart, but he could be more involved as a receiver this season.

WR Jared Abbrederis. It was a ho-hum 2 receptions for 23 yards night, but he looked good as a receiver and also as a return man. He's still behind WR Davante Adams as the No. 3 receiver for some reason but I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do this season.

Did The Packers Do Enough This Offseason: Front Seven

It's been weeks since I've posted anything about the Green Bay Packers and I've been meaning to finish my look back at the 2016 offseason.

A couple of @UCLAFootball products. pic.twitter.com/WQFeqSd2ag

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) June 14, 2016

Rookie DT Kenny Clark and 4th year DE/LB Datone Jones are going to be two of the new faces to watch in 2016; Clark because he's a rookie and Jones because I expect he'll take over the elephant rusher role from LB Mike Neal.

Here are the 2015 snap counts from the returning defensive linemen and it's a short list:

Player	Pos.	Def. Snap	Def. %
Daniels	DT	706	67.2%
Guion	DT	330	31.4%
Pennel	DT	287	27.3%

The big departure is DT B.J. Raji, who played on 444 defensive snaps in 2015, but it's safe to assume that Clark can step into that role. Other than Daniels, the most notable thing about Guion and Pennel, and the two rookies (Clark and DE Dean Lowry) plus 2nd year DT Christian Ringo, is that none of them are known for their pass rush. The rush defense was ranked only 19th overall last season by Football Outsiders, but the Packers didn't do a whole lot to shake up their expected 2016 tackle rotation.

If the Packers were intending to improve their pass rush and the run defense, it doesn't look like the focus for the improvement was going to come from the trenches. Other than Clark taking over for Raji, and some combination of Guion, Ringo and Lowry filling in for Pennel while he serves his four game suspension, there aren't a lot of changes here, and no obvious improvements.

The big move was that Clay Matthews will be back outside. While he's good on the inside, he's clearly better, bigger play maker, on the outside. Moving their best defensive player back to his best position only makes sense.

Here's the 2015 snap counts for the returning linebackers:

Player	Pos.	Def. Snap	Def. %
Matthews	OLB	1020	97.1%
Peppers	OLB	706	67.2%
Jones	OLB	364	34.6%
Perry	OLB	351	33.4%
Ryan	ILB	260	24.7%
Thomas	ILB	250	23.8%
Elliott	OLB	174	16.6%

Matthews didn't leave the field in 2015 and nothing should change in that regard next season, though it's unclear what's going to happen with the Al Jazeera report. OLB Julius Peppers arguably played too much last season and as good as he was in 2015, he might be even better in a lesser role. Jones didn't play much (if any) linebacker last season but I've included him here, as he'll be asked to take over at least part of the 734 snaps that went to Neal last season. Maybe they plan on a bigger role for OLB Nick Perry too, but his re-signing just seemed like a value free agent pick-up. Everyone should expect a bigger role from ILB Jake Ryan in his 2nd season, and ILB Joe Thomas might still find himself a role on passing downs in a platoon with Ryan.

In addition to Neal's departure, the Packers also have to replace the 539 snaps that went to ILB Nate Palmer, however, those should go to ILB Sam Barrington, who appears to be set for a full recovery from a 2015 season ending foot injury. I'm not expecting much from 4th round rookie ILB Blake Martinez in 2016 but he should be a better option for depth than what they had to replace Barrington last season.

3rd round rookie OLB Kyler Fackrell isn't needed immediately and appears in line for a redshirt NFL rookie season, but OLB Jayrone Elliott didn't provide much in a limited role and might be only a preseason performer. While there's no guarantee he'll make the roster either, free agent LB Lerentee McCray should get a chance to earn playing time, if he can.

Though there are several new faces, this isn't a major change for the defense. Overall the defense was ranked No. 9 overall by Football Outsiders, so the step of moving Matthews back to his best position, and removing two of their worst regulars (Neal and Palmer) from the rotation might be all that they need for a unit that can compete for a Top 5 ranking next season.

2016 NFL Draft: Packers Select Seven Players at Four Positions

The Green Bay Packers' 2016 draft didn't exactly work out like I expected (I thought they'd select a cornerback and tight end in the mid-rounds) and I got a big surprise when GM Ted Thompson traded up in the 2nd round for one of the best offensive tackles in the entire draft.

It wasn't a flashy year and it won't get any high grades from the pundits who grade every team's draft the day after, but they filled a three gaping holes on the roster and they added a lot of size.

4 of 7 #PackersDraft picks are linemen. 5 of 7 are from out west.

RECAP: https://t.co/U0lSReMy0n pic.twitter.com/iErvgzmIGt

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

Defensive line. They had to replace NT B.J. Raji and they got DT Kenny Clark (who could be another Mike Daniels) in the 1st round before selecting Northwestern's DE Kyle Lowry at the end of the 4th round. Lowry's selection was a bit of a surprise because I thought the Packers were done with DE types who eventually became converted LB (Mike Neal, Datone Jones). Jones hasn't officially converted to OLB so maybe nothing's changed yet with their defensive scheme. Lowry seems like an early down, 3-4 DE who can play the run and record the occasional coverage sack.

Offensive tackle. I didn't think they'd spend a high pick on an offensive lineman when the starting five are already set, but instead they moved up to the middle of the 2nd round to draft Indiana's OT Jason Spriggs, who could have been selected at the end of the 1st round. After all the injuries last season, and all the fail by their backups (Don Barclay in particular), they had to do something, and I'd rather they'd error on the side of too much when it comes to protecting QB Aaron Rodgers. For good measure, they also drafted Stanford OT Kyle Murphy at the end of the 6th round. Before the draft, I was hoping they could select Murphy in the 4th round to take over as their top backup, so getting him in the 6th round as their 2nd backup OT is a great value. It's looking like Lane Taylor or JC Tretter will find themselves in a training camp battle to be the top inside backup because Spriggs and Murphy should both make the team.

Linebacker. I liked Utah State OLB Kyler Fackrell before the draft as a poor man's Clay Matthews. He had a lost 2014 season to a knee injury and he's old for a rookie (he'll turn 25 during the 2016 season), but he's good in coverage and he should be able to help take off some of the load from Matthews and be an upgrade over LB Joe Thomas. Stanford ILB Blake Martinez's draft profile is very similar to the one for Jake Ryan last year and that's a good thing. At worst, Martinez will push to Ryan and play on special teams. Neither Ryan or Martinez are great in coverage but the Packers need early down starters like Martinez and Ryan to play against the run.

Wide receiver. They needed another receiver for developmental purposes, and they grabbed a 5th round speedster in Cal's WR Trevor Davis who they can stash on the practice squad next season. If he's fast and has good hands, then he's got something they can work with and we check back in on him in 2017.

They didn't address all their needs, but they added multiple players at the three positions where they needed depth. I don't expect any of their draft choices will be starting Week 1, but the defensive lineman should find themselves in the rotation right away and the linebackers might not be far behind, once they figure out their roles. Neither tackle will win a starting job but they're very welcome. Just a solid draft to add some size and depth where they needed it.

2016 NFL Draft: Packers Select UCLA DT Kenny Clark in 1st Round

I couldn't believe it as the Top 2 inside linebackers in the 2016 NFL draft, UCLA's Miles Jack and Alabama's Reggie Ragland, were still available when the Green Bay Packers were on the clock. And then they made the pick for UCLA DT Kenny Clark.

"I'd describe myself as having a lot of power." 💪@KCBoutThatLife 🎥: https://t.co/CUUqWFKUza pic.twitter.com/cREl1OE372

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) April 29, 2016

Initially I was disappointed, but in the end the Packers drafted one of the defensive tackles I expected them to draft. Clark looks like Mike Daniels v.2.0 (though he's slightly bigger) which would be a home run if he becomes as good as Daniels. In the clip above, he's sacking No. 1 overall pick QB Jared Goff, so he's made big plays in important games. The Packers have missed on two recent Southern California products (LB Nick Perry, and DE/LB Datone Jones) but they did hit the USC jackpot with LB Clay Matthews in 2009.

So what happens in the 2nd round? Maybe Ohio State's LB Joshua Perry would be a solid selection. It seems too early to draft a TE (at least too early for GM Ted Thompson). They really need a linebacker and they've already passed once on the two best linebackers who are rehabbing from serious knee injuries (Jack, Notre Dame's LB Jaylon Smith) so they're probably looking for someone healthy, like Perry. They already have one inside linebacker returning from a major knee injury (Sam Barrington) who is expected to start next season.

On the other hand, I really expected them to draft a linebacker early last year, and they waited until the 4th round to select LB Jake Ryan. One of GM Ted Thompson's most common draft traits is to draft a defensive lineman in the 1st round, and then go CB or WR (maybe even another DL) in the 2nd round. This draft is deep on the defensive line and at wide receiver (though there isn't an obvious elite WR at the top of the draft) so if there's a position left with a high draft grade, it's probably at one of those positions. Who knows what talent might fall on the defensive line (the two tackles from Alabama are still available). Penn State DT Austin Johnson should be available, and he'd fill the role of a run stuffer to replace NT B.J. Raji (and DT Mike Pennel during his suspension).