{"id":8632,"date":"2025-04-29T03:00:09","date_gmt":"2025-04-29T03:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/8632\/"},"modified":"2025-04-29T03:00:09","modified_gmt":"2025-04-29T03:00:09","slug":"gutey-gets-grisly-grades-zone-coverage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/8632\/","title":{"rendered":"Gutey Gets Grisly Grades – Zone Coverage"},"content":{"rendered":"

The NFL draft experts have issued their report cards, and let\u2019s just say Brian Gutekunst and his staff did not make this year\u2019s honor roll. The general consensus<\/a> seems to be that the Green Bay Packers were in the bottom 25% in the league when it comes to their 2025 draft class.<\/p>\n

Of course, we all know this means absolutely nothing. It takes three to four years to properly evaluate a team\u2019s draft. The Pack\u2019s poor scores reflect the team\u2019s decision to ignore the needs on defense until the draft\u2019s third day, something no one on this planet could see coming.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s go back to Thursday night. What a scene in Green Bay. More than 200,000 fans, the majority of them Cheeseheads, soaking up the scene and waiting patiently for the Pack to be on the clock. Giving the retiring Mark Murphy<\/a>, the visionary who led the charge to bring the draft to Titletown, the honor of announcing the first-round pick was spot on. What followed was sports theater at its finest.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The delivery was perfect. The timing, sublime. Murphy announced that the wide receiver drought was finally over. The skies had opened, and the Pack had plucked Matthew Golden<\/a> to inject some speed, hands, and firepower into the offense.<\/p>\n

Look, first-round wide receivers are typically a 50\/50 proposition. But if you expect your franchise quarterback to take a major step forward in his third year as a starter, you surround him with star potential. The team figured to add a receiver in the first couple days of the draft, and when Golden dropped into their laps, they pounced. The last two No. 23 picks, Jordan Addison<\/a> and Brian Thomas<\/a>, Jr., have been home runs.<\/p>\n

Golden is being comped<\/a> to New Orleans Saints receiver Chris Olave<\/a>. If you watched him with the Longhorns, you saw him make play after play as the games got more meaningful down the stretch. I love his potential.<\/p>\n

After the pick, it got me thinking. When was the last time I was excited about the Pack\u2019s first-round pick? It basically never happens. Back in 2018, when they traded down and then back up to pick Jaire Alexander<\/a>, I was pumped. Beyond that, like most Packer fans, I\u2019m usually underwhelmed on opening night. They typically win me back in Rounds 2 and 3.<\/p>\n

This year, I initially felt the opposite, mainly because there were cornerbacks on the boards that I had to believe interested the team. I firmly believe they need a talent infusion at that position, with Alexander likely<\/a> on the way out. Not to mention the team hasn\u2019t drafted one before the seventh round since they drafted Eric Stokes<\/a> in the first round four years ago*.<\/p>\n

Instead, they grabbed the mammoth lineman, Anthony Belton<\/a> out of NC State. Investing in the offensive line is never a bad idea, but corner and edge were screaming for help; Gutey and his team had other ideas, though. Then they took it to another level by doubling down at receiver, adding TCU\u2019s Savion Williams<\/a> with their second pick on Friday night. It marked the first time the team picked two receivers in the first three rounds.<\/p>\n

To quote Vince Lombardi, \u201cWhat the hell\u2019s going on around here?\u201d Did Jeff Hafley microwave fish in the team\u2019s break room? Did he clog the toilet outside the coaches\u2019 offices? Why was Gutey laser-focused on the offense when the defense could use some tweaking?<\/p>\n

After the dust settled, you start to realize there\u2019s some method to the madness. The team saw the Philadelphia Eagles run over its offensive line. They realized they need to get bigger and stronger up front. They\u2019ve addressed it by adding two guys this offseason who are bigger than anyone they had on the roster. Free-agent guard Aaron Banks<\/a> and now Belton will add some much-needed girth to an offense that wants to run it down your throat, especially as the weather becomes more of a factor.<\/p>\n

In Williams, Matt LaFleur gets a fun, versatile toy that allows him to tweak his offense and find ways to get the ball in his hands. Think Cordarelle Patterson 2.0, a guy who at 6\u20194\u201d can high-point passes and at 222 lbs. can run over people. He averaged more than six yards per carry and handled some wildcat quarterback duties.<\/p>\n

Golden and Williams will put Romeo Doubs<\/a> and Christian Watson<\/a> on notice. Both are in the last year of their deals, and both are big question marks: Doubs with his history of concussions<\/a> and Watson with his devastating knee injury<\/a> and general inability to stay healthy. Golden, Reed, Wicks, and Williams could easily be the team\u2019s top four after next season.<\/p>\n

On Saturday, the team finally focused on defense, and the first pick gave us another indelible draft moment. The commissioner announced edge rusher Barryn Sorrell<\/a>, Golden\u2019s teammate at Texas, because he was still in the green room, wanting to hear his name called and walk through the tunnel, no matter how long it took.<\/p>\n

The fact that the hometown Packers picked him was serendipity at its best. He got to lead \u201cGo Pack Go\u201d chants and walk through a throng of pumped-up Packer fans. I\u2019m guessing it was worth the wait.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

By adding Sorrell and fellow edge Collin Oliver<\/a> with the next pick, the team hopes they\u2019ve added some competition to a room where they have gone out of their way to say they have enough talent to get after the quarterback. They\u2019re banking on a bounce back from Rashan Gary<\/a>, a major step from Lukas Van Ness<\/a>, and maybe even a surprise jolt from Brenton Cox<\/a> or Arron Mosby<\/a>. The rookies will have a chance to shine.<\/p>\n

The sixth-round pick, DT Warren Brinson<\/a>, was Gutey\u2019s obligatory annual Bulldog defensive pick and has gotten the most props from the national draftniks. Although he was only a spot starter in college, he will have a chance to be the team\u2019s backup nose tackle.<\/p>\n

In the seventh, Gutey finally added a corner, his favorite round to address that position. Then he selected another offensive lineman to round out the draft, Cincinnati guard John Williams\/<\/a> Williams should have a chance to make the roster, if you remember how putrid the backup guards looked when they were forced into action against the Eagles.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to feel much better about the defense coming out of the draft. The team may add a veteran or two in free agency before camp opens. Or maybe they saw this defense improve as the season went along, and they believe they will be even better in Hafley\u2019s second year.<\/p>\n

This was a draft designed to help Jordan Love<\/a> by giving him fast, electric new weapons and reinforcing his protection up front. You can bet the draft got the attention of the other receivers and linemen on the roster. The competition has been ratcheted up in those rooms, and that can only be a good thing, regardless of what grades the team gets today.<\/p>\n

*An earlier version incorrectly said Alexander was the last corner they took before the seventh round. We regret the error.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The NFL draft experts have issued their report cards, and let\u2019s just say Brian Gutekunst and his staff…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8633,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2072],"tags":[1970,7,41,345,2514,2513,5514,701,6,428],"class_list":{"0":"post-8632","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-green-bay-packers","8":"tag-barryn-sorrell","9":"tag-football","10":"tag-green-bay","11":"tag-green-bay-packers","12":"tag-greenbay","13":"tag-greenbaypackers","14":"tag-mark-murphy","15":"tag-matthew-golden","16":"tag-nfl","17":"tag-packers"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/114419022332379671","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8632","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8632"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8632\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8633"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8632"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8632"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8632"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}