Packers Get Three A’s in Positional Grades
GREEN BAY, Wis. – It’s easy to see why the Green Bay Packers are considered prime Super Bowl contenders. Even with the trade of Davante Adams leaving a Grand Canyon-sized chasm in the lineup, this is a loaded roster assembled by general manager Brian Gutekunst.
That is apparent from the positional grades put together by The 33rd Team, the site started by former NFL general manager Mike Tannenbaum.
Grading the nine position groups (outside linebacker and inside linebacker were lumped together into one group), the Packers received three A’s and a pair of B-pluses.
The A’s are relatively easy to pinpoint, starting with the solid A at quarterback. Four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers offsets the question mark that is former first-round pick Jordan Love.
With the dynamic combination of Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon, the running backs got an A-minus.
“Spearheaded by the two-headed monster in Jones and Dillon, the Packers have a good one-two punch at RB,” author Jack McCarthy wrote. “While Aaron Jones did see a significant dropoff in his yards per game, his yards per attempt was still 4.7. AJ Dillon coming onto the scene in 2020 definitely helped to manage the workload for the two in 2021. A balanced workload for RB is crucial for overall success of both the player and team. Davante Adams leaving in free agency and the return of David Bakhtiari should make the Packers run a little more in 2022 to create a more balanced offensive attack.”
The third A went to the cornerbacks, an A-minus to be exact. Jaire Alexander has allowed a career catch rate of less than 50 percent, according to Sports Info Solutions, and Rasul Douglas and Eric Stokes were at less than 50 percent last year, too. Those three ranked among the top 32 corners in ProFootballFocus.com’s rankings.
McCarthy was correct in noting: “The health of those three is imperative to the Packers success as the depth behind them is many unproven players.” Keisean Nixon, with less than 300 snaps from scrimmage in his first three seasons, worked as the fourth corner during the minicamp.
“Straight savages,” was Alexander’s description of the starting group.
The offensive line, with the presumptive return of All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari and the addition of three draft picks, and the linebackers, led by the sublime group of All-Pro inside linebacker De’Vondre Campbell and bookend outside linebackers Rashan Gary and Preston Smith got the B-plus grades.
“The loss of Za’Darius Smith definitely hurts but keeping Preston Smith and Rashan Gary helps lessen the blow,” McCarty wrote. “Both Smith and Gary had very solid performances last season and the Packers added in the draft with (Kingsley) Enagbare. On the inside, Campbell had a breakout season and the Packers added (Q”uay) Walker in the draft, solidifying those two spots. On paper, this is a very solid, athletic front seven that opposing offenses will have to face.”
Only two units received less than a solid B.
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