This year's NFL draft left a lot of Packers fans scratching their heads. Heading into the draft the defense needed a lot of help, and on the offensive side of the ball, Rodgers needed more receiving threats. Green Bay went with a QB and RB, Jordan Love and AJ Dillon, with their first two picks. Drafting an eventual replacement shouldn't be too overblown, but when you use such a high draft pick on them when you need help at almost every other position, it's an eyebrow-raiser. First-year coach, Matt Lafleur, and the Packers finished last year with a 13-3 regular season record but lost to the 49ers in the NFC Championship game. The offense finished the season middle of the league in rushing yards, passing yards, and offensive plays throughout the season, but they knew how to capitalize on each possession. Throughout the season, Green Bay scored on over 37% of their offensive possessions, finished the season second behind the Saints for fewest turnovers, and the Packers defense saw the 10th fewest plays in the league, so they managed to keep their defense off the field. If the Packers can continue to make the most of each possession and keep their defense off the field, they should be just as scary this coming season.
Speaking of being scary this season, Rodgers has all the motivation he needs to have an MVP caliber season this year. With Love being taken in the first round, it appears the Packers have found his eventual replacement. When Rodgers was drafted as Favre's eventual replacement, he sat behind Brett for three seasons before finally being named the starter, so don't expect Love to take over anytime soon. Over the last decade, Rodgers has played in at least fifteen games eight out of ten seasons. During those eight seasons, he has three seasons finishing as QB1 in fantasy, three seasons finishing as QB2, and has finished QB6 and QB9 the last two seasons. So Rodgers has consistently been a top 10 fantasy quarterback when healthy. Last year, Rodgers only threw four interceptions on 569 attempts and hasn't thrown double-digit interceptions in a single season since 2010. Although the Packers didn't give him much help, he has always found a way to do the most with the least, and that's what I expect him to do again this season. He's currently being projected as a fringe starting quarterback in standard leagues and isn't expected to be drafted until round eight to round 12. He's currently being taken around Drew Brees, Carson Wentz, and Daniel Jones. With how consistent Rodgers has been throughout his career, I will be targeting him in my drafts as a late-round quarterback with huge upside.
Last year Green Bay's running game led by Aaron Jones was very underrated. With Aaron Rodgers under center, many fans view this team as a pass-first offense, but last year the Packers finished in the top half of the league in rushing attempts, rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, and only fumbled the ball three times all year. Aaron Jones finished the year tied with Derrick Henry for the league lead in rushing touchdowns and also tied with McCaffrey for the league lead in total touchdowns. The offensive line is a huge reason for Jones' success last year, as he racked up 569 yards before contact which was eighth-most in the league, but he also managed to break 32 tackles last season, only Alvin Kamara broke more per attempt. The offensive line is returning four of the five starters from last season, so the protection should be solid again this coming year. The backup is currently slated as Jamaal Williams, who saw his snap count drop from about 50% in 2018 to 35% last year, but their second-round pick, AJ Dillon, might steal some of those snaps this year. Aaron Jones is in the final year of his contract, so the Dillon selection was most likely the Packers trying to look ahead in case they are unable to come to terms next offseason. With that being said, Aaron Jones is the only Green Bay running back worth drafting in redraft leagues, until there's more clarity on who the backup will be if there's an injury. Jones is currently projected as an RB1 and is expected to be an early second-round pick. Williams and Dillon are both nothing more than late-round handcuffs and will probably go undrafted in most redraft leagues. With so much talent available in the second round, I would skip on Jones and roll the dice on another running back, like Joe Mixon or Josh Jacobs, who won't have as much competition for touches. As for the backups, Williams has been solid for the Packers when given opportunities, but Dillon would be my preferred late-round handcuff to Jones. After he was taken in the second round, I think he gets first shot at starter duties if an injury occurs.
Davante Adams needs some help exploiting opposing secondaries, but Green Bay apparently doesn't care to get him any. With Allen Lazard, Devin Funchess, and Jace Sternberger being the next three receiving threats on the depth chart, the average fan probably can't name any Green Bay receivers outside of Adams. Davante's projected to be a top-five receiver this coming season and expected to be taken in the middle of the first round. He's only managed to finish as a top 5 receiver once in his six seasons and has missed seven games over the last three seasons. Outside of Michael Thomas, Adams had the most receptions per game among receivers last season with nearly seven. Julio Jones, DeAndre Hopkins, and Tyreek Hill are the other receivers in the top five range and because of his injury concerns and lack of other playmakers around him, I would personally take Adams last among this group. If Adams fell to the end of the first round or the beginning of the second round, I think he would be a great pick. As for the remaining Packers receivers, they're projected to be left undrafted and expected to start the season on the waiver wire. At the end of last year, Allen Lazard became the clear number two target behind Adams, so if you're looking to take a chance on a Packers receiver not named Davante, he should be the guy. It wouldn't be too big of a surprise to see Lazard finish the season as a top 30 receiver, considering his quarterback and the opportunities available.
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