Green Bay Packers

Gutekunst and the Packers eventually drafted a pair of Georgia standouts — linebacker Quay Walker with the 22^nd pick and defensive end Devonte Wyatt with pick ...

Today, though, the Packers have a roster littered with No. 3 and 4 wideouts. In 2021, Wyatt had 39 tackles, seven for loss with 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in 14 starts. The 6-foot-3, 304-pound Wyatt began his career at Hutchinson Community College, then transferred to Georgia in 2018. If the Packers hope to win a championship any time soon, they needed general manager Brian Gutekunst to be remarkably bold Thursday and find a potential No. 1 receiver. Green Bay, in a “win now” mode with Aaron Rodgers in his final years, needed receivers. The Green Bay Packers — who need wideouts like humans need water and air — watched four wide receivers get drafted between picks No. 8 and 12. Last season, Adams accounted for 34.3% of Green Bay’s receiving yards. Instead, he sat quietly while many of his peers were far more aggressive. “I think it’s a pretty good receiver class,” Gutekunst said last week. And both might wind up being terrific players. The additions of Walker and Wyatt could give Green Bay a top-five defense in 2022. Gutekunst and the Packers eventually drafted a pair of Georgia standouts — linebacker Quay Walker with the 22nd pick and defensive end Devonte Wyatt with pick No. 28.

With the 22nd pick in the NFL Draft, the Green Bay Packers select LB Quay Walker. Here is what you need to know about the selection.

It’s clear that the Green Bay Packers are going to be relying more heavily on their defense than what they have in past seasons. Walker is dependable and consistent and projects as a good backup with eventual starter potential at inside linebacker.” – With that said, the LB depth behind Campbell was very thin. “Walker had to wait his turn at Georgia, but he has become a well-schooled, instinctive linebacker ready for the NFL game. I can’t say I saw that coming–especially with two premier edge rushers still on the board. And remember, when it comes to trading for a player like AJ Brown, even though the Packers had the draft capital, they really didn’t have the ability to extend him.

The first six receivers are off the board by pick No. 18, including the Tennessee Titans taking Treylon Burks after trading A.J. Brown.

According to PFF, he had four drops (5.8 percent), averaged 9.3 YAC (No. 4 in the nation) and had 12 receptions on passes thrown 20-plus yards downfield. He’s not really productive after the catch, so he’s not going to be a great playmaker with the ball in his hands. He’s big, he can run, he can play the ball in the air. According to Sports Info Solutions, he averaged 24 missed tackles per 100 touches, No. 8 in the draft class, and was second with 12.3 yards per target. Asked if Dotson is a slot-only receiver or if he could win across the formation, the executive said: “He’s going to win inside. According to PFF, he had two drops (2.2 percent), averaged 5.3 YAC and had 11 receptions on passes thrown 20-plus yards downfield. According to PFF, he had six drops (7.1 percent), averaged 9.3 YAC and had 13 receptions on passes thrown 20-plus yards downfield. According to Sports Info Solutions, he averaged 23 missed tackles per 100 touches, No. 10 in the draft class, and was 29th with 8.9 yards per target. According to Sports Info Solutions, he averaged 10 missed tackles per 100 touches, No. 36 in the draft class, and was 35th with 8.3 yards per target. According to Sports Info Solutions, he averaged five missed tackles per 100 touches, No. 43 (tied for last) in the draft class, and was 24th with 9.2 yards per target. According to PFF, he had five drops (7.1 percent), averaged 4.2 YAC and had 10 receptions on passes thrown 20-plus yards downfield. According to PFF, he had six drops (7.9 percent), averaged 6.0 YAC and had nine receptions on passes thrown 20-plus yards downfield.

Follow along with Packers Wire's draft tracker as the Green Bay Packers navigate through the 2022 NFL draft. We will provide pick-by-pick analysis with ...

Fit: As a rookie, he’ll likely fit into a rotational up front alongside Kenny Clark, but his skill set is good enough to play all three downs. 10. 249th overall (Day 3) 9. 228th overall (Day 3) 8. 171th overall (Day 3) 7. 140th overall (Day 3) 6. 132nd overall (Day 3)

The Green Bay Packers entered the 2022 NFL draft with two first-round picks.

The Packers have long devalued the inside linebacker position, content to use lesser assets in the middle of the defense. While there weren’t many top-flight receivers in this class, a strength of this draft is the position’s depth. In recent years, the Packers have lightened the box when going into a subpackage defense. Walker is a big, explosive athlete, the type who will fit nicely paired next to All-Pro linebacker De’Vondre Campbell in the middle of the Packers defense. Since trading Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders, Gutekunst has pivoted to focus on building the Packers defense. The Packers opened their 2022 draft selecting Georgia linebacker Quay Walker with the 22nd overall pick.

Call from Kenny Clark meant everything to Georgia defensive lineman.

His ability to scrape and get to the ball in the run game is almost linebacker-like." General Manager Brian Gutekunst said the organization performed their due diligence on Wyatt and felt comfortable with the 24-year-old, as both a player and a person. Wyatt might have been the third Bulldogs defensive lineman to be drafted Thursday, but his talent and upside are undeniable. In the 6-foot-3, 304-pound Wyatt, Green Bay adds an explosive and agile interior lineman to its already deep and versatile defensive front. It's a blessing," Wyatt said. It's just an amazing feeling to have that type of caliber of player to call you."

The first round of the 2022 NFL Draft is in the books, and the Green Bay Packers loaded up on defense — more on that in a minute — selecting linebacker Quay ...

Washington was willing to trade with New Orleans, but maybe they were unwilling to move all the way back to pick 22, knowing that the Commanders were in the receiver market as well. As I wrote a few weeks ago, while Green Bay certainly had the draft capital to pull off the trade for Brown, there is always more to it than that–which in this case meant a new deal. I’m sure there is a portion of Packer Nation upset that the team didn’t land a pass-catcher in the first round, but it also wasn’t that easy to do so either.

Some pundits loved the Green Bay Packers' first-round haul of Quay Walker and Devonte Wyatt. Others? Not so much.

Kapadia gave the Packers a B for Walker and a C-minus for Wyatt. Of Wyatt, Kapadia had three concerns. Prisco didn’t grade the picks but did come up with a list of winners and losers. In time, he could be a monster, and the Packers have had a long-term vision with almost all their first-round picks under GM Brian Gutekunst.” The writers gave the Packers a C for Walker and a D-plus for Wyatt. “Wow. They actually did it. Walker is a dynamic athlete, tipping the scales at nearly 6’4” and 241 pounds and hitting just above 4.5 in the 40-yard dash. The Walker pick was judged as “poor.” “This was a reach in the eyes of PFF, who had Walker as the 45th-ranked player overall on the Big Board and LB4. The Georgia off-ball linebacker isn’t a downhill player in the run game, and he was still more of a reactor than a playmaker. If the team had traded up into the top 12 to pick one of the top receivers, it would have cost a significant price -- as evidenced by the Lions' swap with the Vikings on Thursday night. While his advanced age (24 years old) gives him a lower ceiling than some of his peers in this class, his floor is high and he has the best bend of any defensive lineman in the class in our eyes. And in lieu of a receiver, Wyatt is an interesting choice. So, here’s what the NFL punditry had to say about the Green Bay Packers using their first-round picks on linebacker Quay Walker and defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt. Wyatt is a well-rounded prospect who is stout against the run and more developed as a pass rusher than teammate Jordan Davis. He is my 22nd-ranked prospect.” He wasn’t even the best linebacker on the Bulldogs defense.”

Aaron Rodgers said he was “surprised” by the decision to trade star wideout Davante Adams in his first public comments since signing a $150m extension.

I thought that based on the number that we offered Davante and being able to play with me for a few more years would make a difference, but in the end I think he was ready to move on and wanted my help in making that happen. “But at the same time, I think if you’re not going to pay Davante – obviously, we traded him, he wanted to move on – but going out and paying another guy, I don’t know if that makes a ton of sense.” A run on wide receivers earlier in the first round might have caused the Packers to look elsewhere. “Obviously when I made my decision, I was still thinking he was going to come back. But I felt like he was going to be back. Before that, the Packers hadn’t chosen an offensive player in the first round since taking Mississippi State tackle Derek Sherrod 32nd overall in 2011.

After drafting cornerback Eric Stokes in the first round a year ago, Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst raided the Georgia defense twice more. With a run ...

The bottom line is he shined once given the opportunity and his tackling skills and speed give Green Bay another great inside linebacker next to Campbell. Now they both can share the field and (GASP!) give Green Bay a strong duo of inside linebacker. With a run on receivers earlier than what Green Bay probably had hoped, Gutekunst went defense in selecting linebacker Quay Walker at 22nd overall and defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt 28th overall.

National experts mostly liked the Packers going for Georgia linebacker Quay Walker and his college teammate, defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt, with the No.

"In time, he could be a monster, and the Packers have had a long-term vision with almost all their first-round picks under GM Brian Gutekunst "In our mock, we had Wyatt going to Green Bay with their first first-rounder, so it just took a bit longer at this spot. He had some character concerns, but he was productive on a good defense." If they don't land one of the top receivers in the draft on Day 2, though, it's going to be tough for Packers fans to swallow." "There also was a run on receivers earlier than expected, with five going in the first 16 selections. "With the second of two first-round picks, Green Bay grabs my second-ranked defensive tackle in Wyatt, a highly athletic disruptor who bolsters the team’s interior line. "This is all about the Packers projecting Walker's potential, because he's 6-foot-4 and 241 pounds and ran a 4.52-second 40-yard dash at the combine. This is a slight reach and Walker is relatively inexperienced as a one-year starter, but he fills a need for Green Bay and should contribute right away alongside De’Vondre Campbell. "Walker was tough to evaluate; he didn't have the splash plays that Dean did. "Wyatt is an amazing interior defensive lineman who brings Kenny Clark to mind, and when dealing with the Packers’ interior defensive line over the last few seasons, it’s been all about doubling Clark and singling everybody else. Green Bay’s defense got a lot better with Wyatt and linebacker Quay Walker, and Aaron Rodgers has months to complain about no first-round receivers on Pat McAfee’s show." "Walker, who can blitz, cover, and play off-ball, should be an excellent complement to De’Vondre Campbell, who really defined that defense in 2021.

Georgia linebacker Quay Walker (7) sacks Auburn quarterback Bo Nix during a 2021 game. ASSOCIATED PRESS. When you saw them last, they were dominating the San ...

“So we brought him in and spent a lot of time with him not only when we brought him in here to Green Bay, but really did kind of a deep dive in the human being and making sure that he could fit in our culture here. But even the quarterback himself realizes how special Green Bay’s defense could be in 2022. Like I said, I give a lot of our staff here credit because we walked away feeling really good about who he was and how he would be here for the Green Packers.” You got a lot of older guys, a lot of great young talent coming in and for us to come in and be with the older guys, I feel like we definitely might be the No. 1 defense this year." So the depth there maybe is a little better than we’ve had in the past, and then the speed. In 2021, Wyatt had 39 tackles, seven for loss with 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in 14 starts. In 1998 and 2009, they lost in the Wild Card round. The 6-foot-3, 304-pound Wyatt began his career at Hutchinson Community College, then transferred to Georgia in 2018. You got shut-down cornerbacks, you got D-linemen, you already got Kenny Clark, you got a lot of older guys in there, too. There’s a whole lot that I need to get better at, which is covering. After adding those two Bulldogs, Green Bay fully expects to be a top-five unit in 2022. Thanks to another playoff clunker, though, from quarterback Aaron Rodgers and dreadful special teams, the 49ers found a way to prevail, 13-10.

Green Bay has plenty of picks to move around the board on Friday night, and their GM has been known to be aggressive. Who might they look to trade up for ...

All told, the Packers have plenty of options to move around the draft board on Friday night, thanks in large part to having an additional second-round pick from the Davante Adams trade and an extra 4th as a compensatory selection. There are a couple of scenarios that could make sense for Green Bay. Packaging pick 92 and one of the fourth-rounders should allow the Packers to get into the mid-70s. A final possibility is if the Packers make an aggressive move into the 30s and send away the 92nd selection. The other option to get into that range could be for the Packers to send 53 and both fourth-round picks at 132 and 140. Jackson makes sense as the Packers brought him in for a formal pre-draft visit, while Paschal seems like a viable candidate to slide into the inside-outside pass-rush role that Za’Darius Smith occupied in past years. The New York Giants at 36 could be a potential trade partner; the Rich Hill trade chart makes 53 and 92 for 36 and 182 (an early 6th-round pick) a pretty even swap.