Packers Deep Dive- Why Rashan Gary?

A deep dive into the Packers selection of Rashan Gary

Brian Gutekunst felt “very fortunate” to have Rashan Gary still on the board while the Packers were making the 12thoverall pick in the 2019 draft. Very few mocks included Gary to Green Bay instead hoping for a fall from defensive tackle Ed Oliver or the Packers drafting tight end TJ Hockenson thus ending their neglection of a position they’ve bypassed in recent years. However, Gary was always Gutekunst’s guy as he revealed he’d been “locked in” on the Michigan edge rusher since February. 

“Certainly he is a premier athlete,” Gutekunst said of Gary who ran a 4.58 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. “He has an exceptional motor on the field. And really since February, we were really locked in on him and thought this guy could really do some different things and add to our group.”

Gary struggled to rack up a ton of production in three years at Michigan with just 9.5 career sacks. Gary recorded 3.5 sacks, 38 tackles, with 6.5 tackles for a loss last season and many scouts still rated him as a top-10 pick. Even his fellow teammate Devin Bush stated he believed Gary should be taken before him. 

However, Bush was selected two picks prior going 10thoverall to the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

Gary’s numbers suffered due to a collective effort featuring some of the best players in the country on Michigan’s defense but the Packers saw a lot more on film that was more telling than any box score. 

“He commanded a lot of attention at Michigan, double teams, triple teams, taking on the tight end,” said college scout Joe Hueber. “You saw it in some of his teammates. They got freed up and they were able to get production.”

“I think with production, I think it’s the way you look at it, right?” Gutekunst added. “Like if you watch the tape and look at some of the different kinds of stats, he affected the passer, he affected the game, and at times he wrecked it.”

Gary will be the third incoming pass rusher joining free agents Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith. Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine is assumedly giddy as he starts to game plan the creativity he can implement in his front seven. 

Gary has shown the ability to win as an inside and outside rusher with a nice blend good upfield burst and functional play strength. 

If Gary wants to live up to his 12thoverall selection though, he will have to find a way to put all physical tools together to become an effective and consistent pass rusher. Too often he relied on his physical abilities rather than technique when going up against the nation’s top guards and tackles. 

There is also concern surrounding Gary’s shoulder which was reported to have suffered an injury at some point last season and could need surgery in the future. Answering questions, Gary said his shoulder felt “110 percent” and pointed to the 26 reps he put up on the bench press during the combine. 

The good news for Gary is he joins a star-studded defensive line that includes the Smiths, Kenny Clark, and Mike Daniels. While he’s still expected to make an impact 2019, his numbers may have a lower threshold given the surrounding talent. 

Hopefully, over the new few years, Gary will develop into a transcendent talent and prove why Green Bay selected him 12thoverall. 

 

 

Brandon Carwile is a Packers writer who also enjoys watching and breaking down film. Follow him on Twitter @PackerScribe.

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3 points
 

Comments (71)

Fan-Friendly This filter will hide comments which have ratio of 5 to 1 down-vote to up-vote.
Rak43's picture

April 28, 2019 at 06:28 pm

If you really want to know why the Packers selected Gary I highly suggest watching Brett Kollman's pre draft mock on youtube. He has the Pack taking Gary at 12 and gives a very good detailed explanation of why. He also had Savage going to the Pats at 32 but breaks down Savage's skillset as well.

24 points
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Coldworld's picture

April 28, 2019 at 06:45 pm

Or the Scouts Inc. report summary Al posted earlier this afternoon. If true, this guy was indeed a steal at 12.

Let’s not get too excited though. He will be a rookie, but I now have hopes that he will prove to be a good use of our highest pick for years to come.

6 points
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comeonman's picture

April 30, 2019 at 11:33 pm

The good thing is Gary does not have to start game 1, although I think he will. I think M Petine will use Gary's athleticism to a maximum, and he will be a double digit sack producer and a monster run defender. I had ZERO problems with GB selecting R Gary at 12. I had seen some mocks where he went # 6

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comeonman's picture

April 30, 2019 at 11:33 pm

The good thing is Gary does not have to start game 1, although I think he will. I think M Petine will use Gary's athleticism to a maximum, and he will be a double digit sack producer and a monster run defender. I had ZERO problems with GB selecting R Gary at 12. I had seen some mocks where he went # 6

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Cubbygold's picture

April 28, 2019 at 07:44 pm

Great video

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phillythedane's picture

April 28, 2019 at 08:42 pm

Agreed. Thanks for the recommendation. Good stuff.

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Rak43's picture

April 28, 2019 at 09:21 pm

You're most welcome. Been subscribing to Brett going on two years now. He really does have some awesome videos and breakdowns. Glad you guys enjoyed it.

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sonomaca's picture

April 28, 2019 at 09:35 pm

Great video. He explains exactly why Gary will make Pettine’s defense run.

Kollman says he was tempted to put Savage #10 to Denver in his final mock!

This guy is on it!

2 points
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Pizzadoc's picture

April 29, 2019 at 12:49 am

Great video! Pick 12 is at 18:30

1 points
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PAPackerbacker's picture

April 29, 2019 at 02:14 am

Good video. I see a lot of fire and excitement in this young man in these video clips. He has exceptional speed and agility. I see now why he was taken by the Packers. Thanks for the suggestion of watching this video.

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zeroluv's picture

April 29, 2019 at 07:50 am

Good video!!! He breaks down the players real well. Watching and listening to him makes me like the Gary pick more. I totally get why Greenbay did it and I liked the pick slot before. I love it more now! Thanks for the share....

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Doug Niemczynski's picture

April 28, 2019 at 07:01 pm

Great Player!! Awesome pick!!

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Rak43's picture

April 28, 2019 at 09:20 pm

Idk why but I thought for sure Doug that you would hate this pick. probably because of his low sack total over 3 years at Mich.

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Somedumbname's picture

April 28, 2019 at 11:35 pm

Lol, flip-flop.

7 points
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MarkinMadison's picture

April 29, 2019 at 07:16 am

I'm sensing sarcasm.

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holmesmd's picture

April 29, 2019 at 10:28 am

Doug, didn’t you go nuclear and almost commit suicide on draft night when Gary was taken? LoL. Glad to see that you’ve moved beyond that reactionary moment. Gary is an extremely talented front 7 player. I predict very good things.

2 points
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Doug Niemczynski's picture

May 01, 2019 at 03:01 pm

I was being sarcastic, B+ for Gary. I think he was more of a 20-30 range 1st round pick.
My only real complaint is that when I watch game film It is hard to Rank him as a football player. I will put him as a top 10 pick physically but as a football player He looks like more of a disruptor and when I watched the game film I don't see many individual sacks I always see another player or 2 right there with him when he gets the sack however he does look good when a player is trying to escape whether be quarterback or running back we can run him down from behind so my reasoning with Gary is not gonna be his numbers but how well our defense gets better because I don't think we're going to see numbers as far as sacks or tackles go to really justify getting him at number 12 unless we really see improvement in our defense so his ranking is going to be based on really whether our defense gets better or worse has opposed to his total numbers.

3 points
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Ferrari Driver's picture

April 28, 2019 at 07:04 pm

Well, I'm just a fan, but an avid football fan and if Gute is correct, I couldn't have been more incorrect. I would much rather have had Hockenson, Bush, White, and had really hoped the Packers could have landed a premier prospect like Allen, even if they had to trade up a couple of spots. Here is hoping Gute is on target and I'm totally in the dark.

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WestCoastPackerBacker's picture

April 28, 2019 at 07:06 pm

The word neglect works just fine. I don't know anybody who uses neglection.

3 points
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mamasboy's picture

April 28, 2019 at 08:51 pm

I'm not sure if neglection is a real word or not, but who gives a shit. You digress West coast! Stay on topic.

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CAG123's picture

April 28, 2019 at 07:16 pm

I was never down on his talent I just always assumed he was a 4-3 guy and I just like the rest of Packers fans are probably a little worn out with the whole position switching thing. I hope this is ends up being the guy for the next 8 years.

3 points
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Coldworld's picture

April 28, 2019 at 07:23 pm

The habit of taking an apple and hoping it turns into an orange was indeed failed alchemy. Taking a defense and having players who can legitimately play different roles in different formations is, I hope, where this is going. That is what it takes to confuse offenses with shifts.

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4thand10's picture

April 28, 2019 at 10:53 pm

I’ll say this, the 2-4-5 Capers was using was proven over and over and over that it did not work. Playing people out of position etc... Pettine ran a lot of base , even without a true nose, but still, brought the defense from the bottom of the barrel to the middle just by keeping a 3rd DL on the line (Wilkerson ) and using what we had for rushing linebackers.

Now with Daniels ,Clark, the Smiths ,Gary and solid DL depth(the smiths are built more like 4-3 defensive ends than 3-4 OLBs) I suspect there will be more 4-3 looks which is what I was hoping for with Pettine when he came on board. . I don’t think there will be too many more “setting the edge “ discussions this season which is also a good thing. Another reason why I suspect this is because they didn’t pick a tweener 3-4 outside linebacker who can cover and eats avocados. They picked a 277 lb guy who is a 4-3 defensive end type and drafted a really good Safety, also picked up a pretty good FA Safety in Amos.

I mean, we can call Gary a linebacker on paper but that’s not what he is. In my mind he is a 4-3 style defensive end who can stand up and move with speed. Rush from either side on the outside, shift inside if necessary. I don’t think they are going to ask him to cover a TE 30 yards down the field.

Basically the same thing Preston Smith can do with upside.Gary is possibly a great player from what I can tell from what I could get on YouTube. I notice the DL on the roster increasing and LB #s decreasing which I think is another sign of more 4-3 looks. Sorry for the rant and possible over- opinion:-). I’m just extremely grateful that we have a lot more beef on the outside. This defense got better last year and I think it makes another jump this year.

4 points
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carlos's picture

April 29, 2019 at 08:59 am

Some beef that can run and move.

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holmesmd's picture

April 29, 2019 at 10:33 am

Great comment 4th! My thoughts exactly!

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holmesmd's picture

April 29, 2019 at 10:30 am

Petine deploys many 4-3 looks, he actually prefers them, FWIW. You gotta have the horses to do that. Now he has them....which is what Gute said at his post draft presser.

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Strikenine's picture

April 28, 2019 at 07:29 pm

I just think Gute could have dropped down and got Gary in the 15 slot , picked up a really good OL in the 30th and still got a top notch Safety at 44

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Bert's picture

April 28, 2019 at 07:35 pm

Don't overthink it. What's done is done. Moving forward I think Gute did a good job playing the hand he was dealt.

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John30856's picture

April 29, 2019 at 06:49 am

I agree. Most in here overthink the whole thing based on very little :)

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GatorJason's picture

April 28, 2019 at 10:46 pm

Yeah, instead they got Gary at 12, arguably the best FS in draft at 21 and a very good OL at 44. I see three players that could start for GBP sometime in 2019 so it works for me.

9 points
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IceBowl's picture

May 01, 2019 at 03:23 pm

GatorJason'

It is funny that people can complain about what Guty did. Has to just be egos and draftnicks.

I can't imagine the critiques we would see if Guty didn't trade up to 20, Savage got drafted somewhere else, and we had to settle for a lesssor S.

Just can't please em'.

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GatorJason's picture

April 28, 2019 at 10:51 pm

repeat deleted

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MarkinMadison's picture

April 29, 2019 at 07:24 am

Do you know if Washington was actually the phone? The only trade in the top 20 this year was when the Steelers moved up to take another LB right in front of the Packers. (It's a reflexive habit for the Steelers at this point.) Teams just weren't moving for guys much this year. I think that tells you a lot about this draft class. It also tells you a ton about how sure the Packers are about Savage.

1 points
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Tundraboy's picture

April 29, 2019 at 09:19 pm

"It's a reflexive habit for the Steelers"

Sure as hell seems that way. Like the kid cutting the line.

0 points
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zeroluv's picture

April 29, 2019 at 07:53 am

No sir....Gutey got game changers...you don’t gamble when game changers are available to you. Extra picks mean nothing if they don’t make the team better or can change the game and Greenbay needs game changers now!

3 points
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Packer_Fan's picture

April 28, 2019 at 07:37 pm

We need Gary to be a disrupter. So teams can't focus on any one player. Clark or Daniels or Gary or the Smith's or Lowry or who ever. The Bears in the 80's, Tampa Bay in the 00"s and Seattle in the teens. You never knew which player was going to win the matchup and create havoc. I think the talent just may be there. Will they mesh together, will Gary develop fast enough. Questions to be answered only in September.

11 points
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NickPerry's picture

April 29, 2019 at 05:18 am

This is exactly how I'm looking at the Gary pick. Initially he can be an excellent piece to the puzzle in what has become on paper a DOMINATE front 7. The Packers DON'T need him to or have to rely on him to come in a save the defense. I think he'll contribute and those contributions will only increase as the year go's on.

What I'm also excited about and haven't heard mentioned much is the NEW coaching staff. With very few holdovers and 2 new LB coaches I'm REALLY excited these players are finally going to get the right coaching in the front 7. Winston Moss can't F any of them up.

What I am a little concerned about is his Wonderlic score. He scored a 9... A NINE! Hoping he was really tired and nervous the day he took that test.

4 points
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holmesmd's picture

April 29, 2019 at 10:37 am

I was a bit concerned about his Wonderlic as well but he was quite a good student I think? So if that’s correct, I’m not worried about it. I’m sure if the Packers thought he was a brick, they wouldn’t have pulled the trigger.

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Mothra's picture

April 29, 2019 at 10:25 pm

Wonderlic scores are a little overrated, in my opinion.
Frank Gore got a 6 and Bobby Wagner got an 8 on their Wonderlic tests, and both of them have had pretty good NFL careers.

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albert999's picture

April 28, 2019 at 07:40 pm

I like Gary a lot and also think the sleeper Ty Summers round 7 pick is a diamond in the and a hard hitting monster tackling machine

2 points
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Slim11's picture

April 29, 2019 at 08:56 am

I hope you’re right. Marshall Newhouse also came from TCU so we’ll see...

0 points
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KnockTheSnotOutOfYou's picture

April 29, 2019 at 03:11 pm

Albert,
I agree about Ty and being intrigued. His video looked good but as a 7th he has his work cut out. He looks like a good practice squad member for development this year. I am rooting for him as he obviously is an underdog.

1 points
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Lphill's picture

April 28, 2019 at 07:44 pm

I wonder who the Packers pick next year at 32?

14 points
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Sir Charles's picture

April 28, 2019 at 08:54 pm

Whatever he's drinking I would like one!

2 points
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zeroluv's picture

April 29, 2019 at 07:55 am

Trade that pick and move up if there is a game changer again like Savage. If not...trade down and get picks for 2021 when Bakhtiari has his contract coming up and he will be over 30 years old. Keep building that Oline. The defense should be set for the next 4 years at that point. Go Pack go!!!

1 points
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Patrick's picture

April 28, 2019 at 08:51 pm

Yes, whats done is done. Although if the word surgery never comes up in regard to Gary that would be great.

1 points
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dpwiener's picture

April 28, 2019 at 09:12 pm

I got a kick out of reading various mock drafts, without really expecting any of them to be accurate. And none of them that I recall had mentioned Gary Rashan for the Packers' #12 pick. So when the Packers picked him I was happy to go "Huh?".

I say I was "happy" because I WANT the Packers to do the unexpected. If all they did was what everyone was expecting them to do, then the odds are we'd end up with an average draft relative to our position. Instead I prefer the Packers to find diamonds in the rough: I want Gute and his crew to turn out to be better at uncovering hidden talent than everyone else. That's what TT was able to do in his early years. In the long run that's the only way we can exceed the player quality of other teams so we can win more games and get back to the Superbowl.

Maybe Gary will turn out to be a bust, but he could also turn out to be a genius pick like Clay Matthews. That was another one I went "Huh?" at when Ted traded up to grab him. Well, surprise, surprise, the Packers professionals knew more about what they were doing than the pundits and fans. So until proven otherwise, I'll cut Gute lots of slack.

7 points
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Rak43's picture

April 28, 2019 at 09:16 pm

Gute had an exceptional draft imho. I've not been this excited about our rookie class in quite some time. I truly believe every player he drafted this year has a good chance to make significant contributions to the team over the next 4-5 years.

7 points
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holmesmd's picture

April 29, 2019 at 10:41 am

Charley on NFL NETWORK thinks the Packers won the draft, FWIW.

3 points
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KnockTheSnotOutOfYou's picture

April 29, 2019 at 03:16 pm

Rak,
I think the optimism is partially from the draft and from hitting needs, but also from all the promising turn of events in the past months since MM firing. Collectively it is just uplifting and encouraging!

2 points
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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

April 30, 2019 at 01:32 am

Yeah, I don't really agree. Thornton, Richard Rodgers, those were unexpected picks. Just take the player thought to be the best regardless of whether it is expected or unexpected.

0 points
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blondy45's picture

April 28, 2019 at 09:36 pm

Nice post Brandon Carnile. The more I research Rashan Gary the better I like him. There are a lot of pathetic pundits, many of whom are TV "experts". The days of ESPN & Mel Kiper being the know it alls are over. There are many ways to research a player in the media now. We do not have to believe ESPN, or subscribe to Ourlad's Guide to educate ourselves about the draft.

Fans in general are so fickle. Some want to draft Drew Lock, send Rodgers packing. Some complain that we should have traded back at 12, not pick Gary. Surely Washington who needed a QB would trade with us! We surely could trade our #30 pick. The QB needy teams will move into the 1st round to get him! Those same type of fans are the ones who complain that the Pack did trade up to get Savage. They state, we gave up too much, two 4th round picks! Some fans say we need proven players, not rookies. We need to win now. That is all well and good until father time wins again sooner than later.

IMO, Gute did an excellent job. In hindsight, no one was beating down our door for the #12 pick. Washington got it's QB. We did make a trade up. Moving up 9 spots cost something, right? Our 4th round pick this year was COLE MADISON. We gave up nothing to get two first round talents. Gary is going to be a great Packer. In Gute we trust.

10 points
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IceBowl's picture

April 28, 2019 at 09:26 pm

blondy45 .

Another post with logic beyond your years.

So much we do not know. Gute and the crew research. For a year. For us to assume anything is silly.

So I agree, in Gute we trust.

3 points
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blondy45's picture

April 28, 2019 at 09:56 pm

I am old, Ice.

3 points
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michaelturi's picture

April 28, 2019 at 09:21 pm

Could Gary do as many reps of 225# on the bench press as he did with torn muscles in the shoulder?

1 points
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IceBowl's picture

April 28, 2019 at 09:29 pm

michaelturi .

You get on the bench and see how many you got. We have Doc's pickin' him apart. And you want my opinion?

1 points
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EddieLeeIvory's picture

April 28, 2019 at 09:32 pm

This just in: the Vikings Super Bowl trophy case is empty!

9 points
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IceBowl's picture

April 28, 2019 at 09:47 pm

LOL, good reminder.

3 points
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NickPerry's picture

April 30, 2019 at 04:15 am

AND... The Bears just have one from almost 35 years ago...

BUT... One of the BEST stats of SB history is the Lions are still one of just 4 teams (Detroit, Cleveland, Jacksonville, & Houston) to have never made it to the big game. Detroit and Cleveland won World Championships before the SB came along like the Packers but they've never sniffed the dance.

0 points
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Adorabelle's picture

April 28, 2019 at 09:57 pm

Mr. Gary was that swing for the fences pick. At 12 the Packers management appeared to say of all these players which one could end up being a top of the league at his position sort of guy. And the answer was an athletic specimen like Gary. His strength, speed and change of direction stats are the top of the top. His college production does not certainly match up to that, but he was the one player they appear to think has the potential to be really big time.

A great baseball player only gets a hit 3 times out of 10 so lets hope this big swing generates some good results. But the reasons behind why they took the swing are pretty easy to see.

2 points
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Doug Niemczynski's picture

May 04, 2019 at 10:23 am

If Gary does nothing, but can draw double teams, than I'm happy.

0 points
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Lphill's picture

April 29, 2019 at 05:42 am

The Packers D line will be one of the best in the NFL , much improved from last season , I think Clay got a bum rap being as he had not much help especially when the injuries started to mount up , I think he does well on the Rams but I am excited with the new faces on Defense.

2 points
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zeroluv's picture

April 29, 2019 at 07:59 am

Ted Thompson wasted Clays best years and almost wasted all of Rodgers. Gutey won’t do that...he’s already proven that there is a balance between free agents and the Draft.

4 points
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rstain99's picture

April 29, 2019 at 06:48 am

video was spot on certainly changed my opinion of Rashan Gary, was sick when I heard his named called with what was left on board Christion Wilkens among others. Kollman certainly does his homework, Darnell Savage seems like a steal can we say GB might be back in the hunt in 2019? Stud defense on paper.

2 points
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4thand10's picture

April 29, 2019 at 12:21 pm

I wanted Wilkins, but for the things they want to do defensively, this pick makes a lot more sense. But at first , I was like what?

0 points
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leaerin4's picture

April 29, 2019 at 07:08 am

I personally was surprised when we picked Gary at 12. I was hoping for Oliver to make it down to 12 and the Packers pick him instead. Gute has said that he took the best player available on our board each round this year. I must say overall I like this years draft picks. Here's hoping Gary is a BOOM and not a BUST. We've had enough of them in the last decade. That's why they're not even with the team. He did bench 225 26 times at the combine so how bad is the shoulder.

3 points
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zeroluv's picture

April 29, 2019 at 08:01 am

His shoulder is fine...the word now is that it was a rumor being spread to try to get him to slide. It worked in the Packers favor. We got lucky to get him at 12 and even more lucky to get Savage!

1 points
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KnockTheSnotOutOfYou's picture

April 29, 2019 at 03:25 pm

LOL about questions regarding Gary's shoulder. I take it some posters who are wondering if he could do 26 reps on the bench if he had a labrum injury have never been serious lifters. The answer is absolutely 100% no!

0 points
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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

April 30, 2019 at 02:05 am

So, what weight does GB want Gary to settle in at? 277? 260? 290?

What's his natural weight? Is he a guy that would have trouble bulking up or trouble losing weight?

I haven't changed my mind on Gary. Yes, I watched Kollman's video some time ago. He looks like a tweener to me. I'd have taken Burns, then Sweat.

It sounds like Gute would have taken Gary over Oliver, though that is part speculation because of course Gute never said that, and I agree that GMs almost always come out and say that the player they picked was their guy, or they were surprised he (insert name) was still on the board.

0 points
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leaerin4's picture

May 01, 2019 at 09:44 am

I would have liked to have seen the Packers go after one receiver early such as A.J.Brown or the Surprising Andy Isabella from UMASS. Andy rocketed up the draft board and I thought Gruden fell in love with this kid at the Senior Bowl. He even went as far as to wear a Raiders logo on his helmet. Isabella will have a great career in the NFL and if ever becomes available we should make a trade to add him to the Packers offense. I still have high hopes for this years team and will learn a lot about our team in the month of September.

1 points
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leaerin4's picture

May 04, 2019 at 10:17 am

This year's defense will be fun to watch and I believe will get the job done. Finally we'll be able to get off the field on third down. Watching Alexander last year all I kept thinking was WOW if we just had some help for this guy because he's special. In comes Savage another ballhawk with amazing closing speed. Now all we need is for King to play a full year without another problem. King when healthy played stride for stride with Julio Jones. This defense could be top ten and maybe even better.

0 points
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