Davenport-Alexander will define Packers draft

Mike from Somerset, WI
Vic, another year in which very few mock drafts were even close. It’s laughable the same people that missed on their mock drafts will now assign grades to the experts making the picks.
"Gutekunst will either trade up from 14 or stay put and trade back into the first round. Mark it down." I love the quirkiness of the draft. Why can't we just live with the suspense?

Bill from Staten Island, NY
I'm wondering if Tony Pauline had anything to say about Jaire Alexander either before or after the pick? Your thoughts on leaving Edmunds and James on the table?
Alexander's name wasn't mentioned in connection with the Packers by Tony or any draftnik I had read. Alexander is truly an original pick by the Packers. They targeted him as a possible pick, and I suspect that when other prospects they had targeted were selected in front of the Packers, the Packers traded to where Alexander fit. Without a doubt, he's a need pick, but Brian Gutekunst went to great lengths to pick Alexander where he fit and recoup the full value and more of the Packers' original pick position.

Seth from Kenosha, WI
What does the trade value book say about the net result of the Packers’ trades in the first round?
I don't need the numeric points table to tell me the Packers hit a value home run with their two trades in round one. Ultimately, they acquired a 2019 first-round pick for moving back just four spaces and exchanging some window-dressing picks.

Jerry from Kansas City, MO
The closer I follow the draft, the more I realize I have no idea what is going on. How would you assess the Packers' approach to round one?
It was all about need and value. The two had to meet. What that approach tells me is the Packers have the right guy running their personnel department.

Bret from Milani, HI
So I guess Green Bay chose cover over rush again. Maybe we’ll choose rush twice next year. What do you think of the trades and the pick?
The trades are sensational massaging of the draft process. I give Brian Gutekunst an A+ for his management of round one. The pick, Jaire Alexander, is considered by everyone whose opinion I've read to be a top talent. Most importantly for me, Alexander is a premium-position player. Here's what bothers me: For the second consecutive year, the Packers traded away from a pass rusher. I think it was a mistake trading away from T.J. Watt last year. What will be my opinion of trading away from Marcus Davenport this year?

Ben from Hilo, HI
Which first-round QB has the best chance for success based on the team that drafted him?
I think Josh Rosen is a perfect fit for the Cardinals.

Brandon from St. Paul, MN
What was the most surprising move of round one?
The Browns' selection of Baker Mayfield surprised me. I just don't see him as a No. 1 overall talent. I don't see the size and I don't see the arm. I see a system quarterback. That's my opinion and I will be very willing to say I'm wrong if Mayfield turns out to be the player the Browns think he'll be.

Matt from McNaughton, WI
I was hoping someone would fall to 14 for crazy reasons like QB hunger or need-based drafting. Maybe the playing field is as level as ever. Which, if any, teams got lucky and stole a player in your opinion?
Sam Darnold fell into the Jets' laps. The Bills got their quarterback and then grabbed a playmaking linebacker, Tremaine Edmunds, who I thought would've been a great fit for the Packers. The steal of the first round, in my opinion, is Lamar Jackson. I love his talent. If I'm looking for a new age quarterback, Jackson's my guy. Jackson is going to make for an intriguing comparison to Mayfield: First pick of the draft vs. the last pick of the first round playing against each other twice a year. I think the Ravens got the right guy.

Aaron from Wausau, WI
What do Gutekunst's trades and pick tell you? Seems like he knew how to get the player he wanted for the price he wanted to pay.
Gutekunst's maneuvering tells me he knows how to work the system. It tells me he's a veteran of the draft process.

Roger from Auburn, CA
Do the Packers have something against pass rushers? Last year they passed on Watt and this year they passed on Davenport. Your thoughts?
Davenport-Alexander will define this draft for the Packers, just as Watt-King will continue to define last year's draft. Defense is all about rushing the passer. Passing on the guys who do it is not how you get better at it. It concerns me.

Ray from Port Elgin, NB
Vic, did we miss a golden opportunity to get a blue chip player in Tremaine Edmunds? I get that we got some nice draft capital in the trade, but with how good New Orleans is, chances are that pick will be in the 28-32 range next year. When will we get the chance to pick this high again?
Maybe the Packers saw Edmunds as an inside guy only. Most of what I read about Edmunds projected him to be a playmaker, which means he'll be a featured player who'll stay on the field on third down regardless of where he plays. At the end of the day, it's all about the teams' opinions of the players, not the draftnik's opinions. Based on the Packers' moves, I have to believe they like Alexander better than Davenport and Edmunds.

Morgan from Kaukauna, WI
Vic, what do I feel?
You feel anxiety for what the Packers didn't draft. Remember this: You can't draft everybody. If the Packers had drafted Davenport, you'd be anxious about their need at cornerback.
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Tim from Lancaster, PA
The Browns just did the most Brownsian thing imaginable. Mayfield can't hit the honey-hole. What are they doing?
He's not a honey-hole quarterback. He's a magic-wand quarterback. He'll move around, buy time, allow his receivers to come open and make plays with his legs and arm. He's a Russell Wilson type of quarterback, but does he possess Wilson's durability? Quarterbacks who make plays with their feet get hit, and they hit hard and sometimes late in the AFC North.

Randall from Watsonville, CA
"I have a photo on my wall of a game from a long time ago and I'm amazed at how few people are on the sidelines, compared to the crowded sidelines of today." For you to have framed this photo, it must be very interesting. I'd love to see it. I wonder about the story it would tell.
It's from the final game played at Three Rivers Stadium. In the final minutes of that game, my media friends scraped the number placard (37) off the seat I had long occupied and sent it to me, along with a picture from that game. I had the picture and the number placard framed. It sits directly in front of me at the desk in my study. It's as though I'm looking out the press box window onto the field.

Stephen from Jacksonville, FL
Did somebody harpoon the whale on its way back out to sea? The Wembley deal scares me, Vic.
It concerns me, too. I worry that if the Jaguars experience a downturn in fortunes, as they did shortly after I left Jacksonville, London would become an attractive option. I wish the ownership's focus was concentrated solely on Jacksonville. Be that as it may, I love the Taven Bryan pick. A strong defense just got stronger.
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