Brian from Twain Harte, CA

Shout out to Justin from Sonora! I always assumed that there were other Packer Backers in sparsely populated Tuolumne County, and it is great to know there are others in my backyard that read II. The Packer community is truly everywhere, and I appreciate the II for illustrating that point 5-6 days a week. GPG!

A big thank you to both Justin and Spoff for that intro Friday. I couldn’t stop laughing. The best part was I didn’t realize our social team also used that line for the Twitter copy. So, I read the “Pa Hod x 11 maybe” line before I even had a chance to read Spoff’s column. A true double-double.

John from Stevens Point, WI

Do you get to take a deep breath now that the draft is over? Did Murph give everyone Monday off to recover from the long weekend? Time to hit the (Bay) Beach?

In due time. When players speak, we write and this past weekend there was a rookie minicamp to cover.

Justin from Thousand Oaks, CA

Just want to shout out that the draft wrap-up video the Packers released Friday is fantastic and not gonna lie, made me a little misty. It also provided a little bit of that backstage peek we all crave, including the draft room (though not the board). Brian Gutekunst’s jolt in his chair and “He’s here?” reaction when he learned Barryn Sorrell was on-site makes that moment even cooler.

For me, Gutekunst’s reaction to Barryn Sorrell walking on stage was the high point of a tremendous package our video team put together. It was the ultimate surprise. I appreciated how Packers fans shared that moment with Sorrell, too. I mean, think about the unlikelihood of fans from the NFL’s smallest market embracing the fourth-round pick who bet on himself and made the cross-country trip to Green Bay…We’ll be talking about that moment for decades.

Wow! Six of eight draft picks are already signed? That seems early relative to other years, but maybe I’m not remembering correctly. Is this historically ahead of schedule?

Getting the third-round pick done this early might be a bit surprising, but those Day 3 deals usually get done during rookie weekend. There’s more to hash out on the guaranteed money front in the first two rounds.

Bill from San Antonio, TX

Every year, the pictures of the new guys getting their equipment never fail to bring a smile to my face. The culmination of their grind to get to the NFL is now realized. Awesome.

A lot of Pro Bowl and Hall of Fame careers have started in that shoe room.

The eyes have it; you have seen the rookies, UDFAs, etc. Please give us your first impressions. Did anyone stand out as a person that might really exceed expectations?

It wasn’t that type of practice. It was mostly an introduction to position drills. I will say Canadian quarterback Taylor Elgersma looks the part and flashed a live arm in QB drills. Talking strictly about the interviews with draft picks, I couldn’t believe how large Anthony Belton was in-person. He is a full-grown man and carries his weight well.

Where does Warren Brinson rank on favorite rookie interviews?

Right near the top with the likes of Eric Stokes, Aaron Jones, Corey Linsley and Micah Hyde (all for different reasons). Brinson was gifted with the personality gene, for sure.

Good morning! Likely an obvious answer, but is rookie minicamp attended exclusively by the rookies, or if veteran teammates are around, are they able to join in? Thank you!

Only rookies and players without an accrued NFL season are eligible for rookie minicamp. Veterans can only participate if they’re unsigned and in on tryout (e.g. Jacob Eason last year).

As part of the rookie, or new player for that matter, orientation … do the newbies get taken through the Hall of Fame? Seems like it would be an important part of becoming a Packer.

Yes. Matt LaFleur and director of player engagement Grey Ruegamer do a phenomenal job of giving players a proper background on the history of the Packers franchise.

I think a good comparison for Matthew Golden would be Tyreek Hill: 4.29 in the 40, 191 pounds, 5-10. Hill was an impact player with KC and Miami. I’m hoping Golden can have that type of impact with the Packers.

I’ll continue to leave the comparisons up to all of you, but Golden has every tool to become an impact player in this league. He has the compass to help get him there, too.

“Get thick on you in a hurry” is easily my favorite of that bunch, but it’s also one I can’t intuitively figure out. Is it referring to an offensive lineman squaring up to prevent a pass rusher?

More or less. Again, I completely understand what Jon-Eric Sullivan was saying after seeing Belton in-person. I can only imagine how difficult it can be for a defender to get away from his grasp once Belton gets his hands on you.