Winds of change roll through Lambeau as Rodgers takes diva act to Big Apple

As Wildcat grads soon will learn, change is hard. Even in the draconian world of the NFL, fans hold a pollyanna view that dynasties will never die and legends are forever. Folly! The Green Bay Packers are the latest proof points to the age old maxim that the only constant is change. The dynamic quarterback and receiver duo, Aaron Rodgers and Randall Cobb, have taken their talents (or what’s left of them) to the New York Jets (Cobb by choice, Rodgers through a shrewd trade by Brian Gutekunst). Thanks to Gutekunst’s ability to hold firm and show patience, the Pack swapped first round picks, gained a second rounder, and will most likely net the Jets’ first round selection in 2024.  Not bad for a soon-to-be 40-year-old, vaccine-denying conspiracy buff more concerned with sound bytes on the Pat McAfee Show than actually winning home playoff games.  

So, what did the NFL draft, the biggest change agent of them all, yield after all of these maneuverings and off season angst?

By swapping picks with the Jets, the Packers put them in position at number 13 to pretty much grab any position of interest from wr to ol to edge rusher. Considering the best wide receiver option was basically a slow slot receiver, Gutekunst went defense, which was not a surprise as all of his first round picks have been on that side of the ball. DL Lukas Van Ness will bring his 6’5”, 276 pound frame to Lambeau field in an attempt to offset Rashan Gary’s absence following last year’s knee injury. Van Ness will need to augment his pass rush moves and adapt to playing off the line of scrimmage. Of course, the biggest stretch will be seeing if embattled defensive coordinator Joe Barry can actually put him in the right position.

Coming straight out of Michigan State is Jayden Reed in the second round. Stepping in for Cobb, the 5’11 wide receiver should be able to fill the slot role and production of the departed Cobb, who seemed to spend more time on injured reserve than catching touchdowns. Reed had 636 yards and a total of 21 touchdowns in his most recent season as his speed allows him to play on the boundary and his strength permits him to play inside. 

The Packers double dipped at receiver by grabbing Dontayvion Wicks in the fifth round. Coming out of Virginia and having 1,694 career receiving yards, Wicks seems to have already fit perfectly. Standing 6’2” and weighing in at 205 pounds, his Relative Athletic Score (RAS) of 9.49 jumps off the page and fits the MO of Gutekunst in his prior drafts.  

Gutekunst also went for seconds at the tight end buffet line, picking Luke Musgrave out of Oregon State in the second round and Tucker Kraft from South Dakota State in the third. Both bring potential, but injury risks based on their final year of eligibility. However, the picks came from a place of necessity as Bobby Tonyan wandered off to Chicago as a free agent and Mercedes 'Methuselah’ Lewis may or may not be joining his buddy Rodgers in New York. The tight ends drafted will provide Love big targets in the middle of the field, an area Rodgers treated as anathema in his desperate pursuit to avoid interceptions and boost his passer rating, prime choices for an MVP candidate incapable of winning home playoff games.  

The Packers secured Sean Clifford out of Penn State with a fifth round pick. Clifford will be the backup quarterback for Jordan Love but shows promising stats. Nobody is going to confuse his athleticism with Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen, but the young athlete had 2,822 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, and 226 pass completions in the 2022 season. As a true senior, he also brings experience and is actually older than Love. 

While change may be hard, it also is inevitable. Packer fans will need to enjoy a different sort of game and a different barometer of success as Love finds his way. Will he take over the mortgage on the Chicago Bears and the NFC North?  Only time will tell, but the best way to survive change is to get in the water and let the current take you.  Enjoy the ride.  

By Sophie Carlin

May 22 2023

Oshkosh West index Volume 119 Issue VIII