As one of the CHTV Resident Draft Gurus, I spend quite a bit of time trying to get into the head of GM Brian Gutekunst.  But at the end of the day, people are people, which means even if we often are creatures of habit, there's always a bit of unpredictability sprinkled in; that's what makes the NFL Draft so exciting and fun to watch....you just never know what's going to happen. 

But in this final series leading up to the Draft, this ain't about Gute, nor Milt, or even Mark Murphy for that matter. This is your favorite "Armchair GM" talking about what he sees as solid picks on Draft Day; and I'll be screaming in Nagler and Benke's ears live should the Packers pull the trigger. I present to you, "Joseph's Gems".

But first and foremost, what constitutes a Gem?

Size - Adequate height and weight for the position (Within my own parameters, more on that later)

RAS - Must be able to compete at the NFL Level

Production - Gotta be a stat sheet stuffer. 

Competition - Power 5 vs Group of 5 vs FCS and below, it matters. 

Gems have to check at least 3 out of 4 of those boxes. If a player checks all 4, consider him SOLID GOLD as Certified by your favorite "GMologist" (Get it?) 

For our first Gem, we're going to look at the RB position, where USC's Keaontay Ingram's star shines bright.

Keaontay Ingram was a finalist for Texas' Mr. Football and was listed as one of the Top 10 RBs in the country coming out of High School. He initially committed to Texas, where he contributed on offense immediately as a Freshman. For 2019, Ingram followed up his first act with an even better Sophomore season, touching 1,000 scrimmage yards on the season. Unfortunately, Ingram's 2020 season was derailed by injuries, and he soon transferred to USC. Keaontay regained his old form from yesteryear en route to another 1,000 scrimmage yard season, providing a major boost for an offense somewhat lacking in firepower. For his exploits, Ingram received an invite to the NFL Combine and the East-West Shrine Game.

Size - At a little over 5'11, Ingram is slightly on the small side by NFL standards, but not by much. He weighed in at 210 lbs, and I wouldn't want to put much more on his frame. It's rumored he played heavier than the listed 210 during his time at Texas and that may have led to his injured plagued 2020 season. Once at USC though, he showed better burst and pop with less weight on him. Ingram isn't going to get any taller though, so he may have some issues with pass protection at time. For my purposes, I find his height sufficient, but not elite, although some might disagree. 

RAS - Ingram posted solid RAS of 8.68 out of 10, let's see how he stacks up to the current stable of Green Bay RBs:

While I'm not suggesting Ingram can or will ever replace Aaron Jones, I am saying there's a lot to like here. With Jones being the smaller back he has more burst and straight line speed, and for the most part is still the more dynamic athlete, but what you gain with Ingram is power; with only a mild loss in agility.

Moving on to A.J. Dillon, Ingram now becomes the smaller back, and while although Dillon is still the better athlete, you start to see Ingram shine through a little bit as a possible change-of-pace back between Jones and Dillon. While there's no substitution for the extra size that the Quadfather brings to the table, especially in short yardage situations, Ingram presents himself as a possible bridge between the thunder and lightning of the Packers rushing attack.

Keaontay Ingram almost completely blows Kylin Hill away athletically, posting a full point ahead of him in the RAS measurement. Hill was an overnight sensation for many fans with his punishing style of play; now just imagine the possibilities if he was just a bit more dynamic as an athlete? Ingram and Hill are cut from nearly the same mold, so we could possibly be presented with a battle for the #3 RB role if Hill is unable to return immediately next season or suffers any setbacks with his recovery.

The person most likely to possibly feel the heat from a Ingram selection is one Patrick Taylor, who was all but assured to be a Practice Squad stash until Hill went down during the season. Taylor got few opportunities, which likely could have been due to his inability to capitalize on the few that he received. Although he did have a respectable outing in Week 18 against Detroit....well, it's Detroit. An Ingram selection could possibly see Taylor back on the Practice Squad until someone suffers an injury or headed off to greener pastures; Ingram almost completely outclasses him athletically.

Production - In 4 years, Ingram ran for 2,722 yds and 16 TDs, posting a solid 5.5 ypc. In the passing game he contributed an additional 668 yds and 6 TDs. In his Sophmore and Senior seasons, he touched 1,000 scrimmage yards each.

Competition - Not only did Ingram prove his worth in a Power 5 Conference, he did it in TWO. Ingram had two 1,000 yard seasons; one in the Pac-12 and one in the Big 12, and he was just a little over 100 yards away from having a third as a true Freshman at Texas.

Analysis - Keaontay Ingram has adequate size for an NFL RB, he may not be overly big but I'd never call him undersized either with his thick frame. He may have some trouble in pass pro, which might stem from not only his size but his lack of doing so in college, but this isn't a problem that is unique to just him either. Ingram won't blow you away with premier speed, but he can be pretty shifty in the open field, all he needs is a block or two and he can be hard to either catch up to or get a hand on. He's never played special teams; likely because he's always been a key cog in every offense he's been a part of, but I think he could have some success on returns. With continued development, Keaontay Ingram could develop into a solid #2 RB and spot starter with a lengthy career in the NFL.

Size? Check.

RAS? Check.

Production? Check.

Competition? Check.

I'm certifying USC's Keaontay Ingram as SOLID GOLD, who should be a steal for any team that drafts him in the 5th Round or later. Stay tuned with myself, CHTV, and Packers fans around the world as we anxiously await the start of the 2022 NFL Draft Thusday, April 28th on NFL Network.