Is it too early to grade NFL Draft picks? Of course it is. The first regular-season game is more than five months away. Nonetheless, it’s not too soon to take a closer look at the Green Bay Packers’ draft picks in the context of the player’s production and potential, who else was available and how it helped fill team needs.
Fourth Round, No. 124: Texas DT Barryn Sorrell
Stepping back a day, the Packers used their third-round pick on receiver Savion Williams. In the wake of that, they lost out on defensive ends Michigan’s Josaiah Stewart, LSU’s Sai’vion Jones and Ohio State’s Jack Sawyer.
So, the Packers took the next-best pass rusher, Barryn Sorrell, who had solid production at Texas and will bring excellent intangibles to Green Bay. His pressure numbers were relatively mediocre but he’s a strong run defender – he’s strong in general – who plays with excellent intensity and has athletic upside.
Sorrell will contribute as a rookie and could wind up being an upgrade over free agent-to-be Kingsley Enagbare.
Grade: B-plus.
Fifth Round, No. 159: Oklahoma State LB Collin Oliver
Savion Williams’ mantle as the team’s most intriguing draft pick might have lasted one day.
Collin Oliver is a production-packed player. In 43 games, he had 23.5 sacks and 42 tackles for losses. Penn State’s Abdul Carter, the first defensive player drafted, had 23 sacks and 41 tackles for losses in 42 games.
Oliver missed most of last season with a broken foot. He’s explosive with a 4.56 in the 40. He’s also short (6-foot-1 3/4), light (240 pounds) and lacks length (30 3/4-inch arms).
In 2014, the Packers used a fourth-round pick on Arizona’s Carl Bradford, who had 21.5 sacks and 44 tackles for losses in 36 career games. He, too, lacked height and length (6-foot 3/4 and 30 1/4-inch arms). It’s not a perfect comparison – Oliver is more explosive; Bradford more powerful – but Bradford was a bust because he was overwhelmed against talented NFL offensive tackles.
Coach Matt LaFleur called Oliver a “DPR” – designated pass rusher. The Packers haven’t had a player in that role. Will the production translate against a 330-pound offensive tackle with 34-inch arms? It’s worth a shot after Green Bay’s defensive ends consistently stalled last season.
A similar fifth-round role of the dice at a position of need, potential-packed cornerback Zah Frazier of UTSA, was available. Also on the board was Virginia Tech defensive end Antwaun Powell-Ryland, who ranked among the national leaders with 16 sacks and 19 tackles for losses. While bigger than Oliver, he’s not nearly as explosive.
Grade: B.
Sixth Round, No. 198: Georgia DT Warren Brinson
Warren Brinson has the goods at 6-foot-5 1/4 and 315 pounds with 5.09 speed in the 40. But he started only eight games with six sacks in five seasons.
Sure, at this point in the draft, it’s worth a shot on a player who has physical tools. But the Packers waited far too long to replace TJ Slaton. The pressure will be on the 2023 draft picks, Colby Wooden and Karl Brooks, to fill the void. In 30 career games, Wooden, a former fourth-round pick, has a half-sack and three tackles for losses.
The grade reflects that reality rather than the player, who was a strong run defender at Georgia.
Grade: D.
Seventh Round, No. 237: Tulane CB Micah Robinson
ESPN’s Mel Kiper said he ranked 62 cornerbacks; Micah Robinson wasn’t among them. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler ranked Robinson the No. 50 cornerback. So, yeah, Robinson isn’t exactly highly touted.
Maybe they’re wrong and the Packers are right about Robinson, who ran his 40 in 4.39 seconds and allowed a 46.8 percent completion rate.
Whatever. What are the Packers going to do at cornerback? General manager Brian Gutekunst didn’t exactly sound committed to Jaire Alexander – “he’s on our roster right now,” is about all he said after the draft. Behind Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine (who missed two games last year) and Nate Hobbs (who missed 16 games the last three seasons) are the distinguished duo of Kamal Hadden and Kalen King, a pair of 2024 draft picks with zero career snaps on defense.
So, again, the grade is more about the reality than the player.
Grade: D.
Seventh Round, No. 250: Cincinnati OT John Williams
There’s a lot to like about John Williams, an experienced player who excelled at left tackle and had across-the-board strong testing numbers. Gutekunst thought Williams could play “left tackle and guard … and probably could play center” because of his intelligence.
As the eighth-to-last player drafted, it’d be almost impossible to do better, especially considering the Packers’ never-ending quest to assemble high-quality depth on the offensive line.
Grade: A.
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