Packers Draft: Class is in Session 🏈📓 | HWLYP S5E32

Packers Draft: Class is in Session 🏈📓

Time to grab your notebook—Andrew Mertig is here to break down exactly what the Green Bay Packers are looking for in this year’s draft. From top prospects to team needs, this episode is your ultimate study guide for the 2026 draft.

Think you know the Packers? Think again. Tune in to get insider tips, key players to watch, and everything you need to understand the team’s strategy.

#PackersDraft #GreenBayPackers #NFLDraft #DraftClass #Cheeseheads #FootballBreakdown #PackersInsider #AndrewMertig #NFL2026 #TakeNotes

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Join Dawn Dacquisto and Matt Pickett — girl dad, musician, trombonist, and Packers superfan — every week for a fun, insightful, and jam-packed show that blends sports commentary, creator spotlights, and plenty of laughs. Whether you’re here for the hard-hitting football talk, the Super Superlatives segment where we crown the week’s best takes, or the Origin Stories where we chat with your favorite creators about how they got started, you’ll leave feeling entertained, informed, and connected.

Each Saturday morning, Dawn and Matt bring you a curated roundup of the best NFL, Packers, and football-related content from podcasts, BlueSky, Twitter/X feeds, YouTube channels, blogs and podcasts. They also sprinkle in conversations about other loosely related interests, so you never know when you might discover a new passion or perspective. This is more than just football talk — it’s about building a beloved community where you feel like you’re part of the conversation.

Don’t miss this fun, insightful, and hype-filled conversation to get you ready for kickoff!

📅 Live Show Date (YouTube): Thursdays at 6:30 pm Lambeau Time , or Halftime ...

Transcript

SPEAKER_05 0:34

Hello and welcome to Hey, we like your pod.

SPEAKER_02 0:39

And we're gonna tell you why. Hi, it's Dawn here, and I'm joined as always by my trusted partner, Matt Pickett. And tonight, our very special guest, Andrew Murtig, Draft Aficionado. We're going to just we have so I have I shouldn't say we I have so many questions for you, Andrew. But first question is how are you? It's good to see you. What's new?

SPEAKER_01 1:02

Doing great. I'm I'm always super pumped to be asked to be back. I think this is three or four years in a row. So uh excited to have this conversation. Like life is crazy, but uh you know anytime you get a chance to just pause for a little bit and and talk some draft with some some cool folks, that's fun, right?

SPEAKER_02 1:25

Love it, love it. Yes, how was your week, Maddie? You're all dressed up. Tell us about it.

SPEAKER_05 1:31

Yeah, we started a little late today because I was running back from a uh a fancy work thing for the uh Place of Work University of Cincinnati. It was the the annual alumni banquet, so there was like speeches and and and meat and dessert and you know shaking hands and stuff, and I couldn't get out of there as fast as I wanted to, unfortunately. But still, I made it in less than 10, so not too bad. But uh that was lovely. And uh, you know, the semester's getting close to winding down, which means everything's a little more crazy at at work right now, but mostly crazy in a good way. So I'm having a good time, but more than that, more more than that, Don. I haven't seen you in three weeks. This is awesome to be here with you. I've missed you, Andrew. I love seeing you. I'm really happy to have you here tonight. And uh yeah, just just jazz to be here, guys. Don, how about you?

SPEAKER_02 2:17

And hello to the chat. Hi, Mark, hi Joe, and hi true north. It's great to see you. Mark is uh spitting some facts about the Packers' draft this season. I'm excited to get talking about that. I did a little bit of cramming yesterday. So um Iowa Joe, no, Matt did not have a parole hearing. You look very nice, Maddie.

SPEAKER_01 2:43

Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 2:44

Okay, yeah, it's good to see. Um, yeah, it's been three weeks. It's just like time flies. I've been just very busy, mostly, you know, a lot of good stuff. Some good things. Um, I don't know if I mentioned last week on Easter Sunday, my 90-year-old mother um broke her ankle in three places and ended up in the in the hospital. And she had surgery the following day. They said, you know, because she's 90 and blah blah, it might be a few days of her surgery. They did it the very following day. She has been such a champ and she's almost ready to go home. So we could not be more thrilled about that. That's been you know, it's just horrible to see your mother hurt herself, especially when they're that old. And I thought she was just mentally gonna crumble over the whole thing, but she's just been such a champ about it, which is great. It's really good for her. And she's excited to be able to go home and yeah, getting a lot of things set up. And of course, Lori takes the she does the heavy lifting, so to speak, you know, because she's the one who lives close by. Hey, did you guys notice? Um, because I was kind of keeping my eye on things with her and everything. I'm kind of hyper-vigilant, right? And then the last two nights in southeastern Wisconsin, there were like a million tornadoes. They had to evacuate her in the hospital. Um, did you hear about all those tornadoes in Wisconsin? Great and flooding.

SPEAKER_05 4:15

I saw the flooding. I saw the flooding uh coming through my Twitter timeline or you know my feed or whatever. Um I didn't know about the tornadoes, and I missed that.

SPEAKER_02 4:23

Serious stuff. So, folks in Wisconsin, I know a lot of you are from the Wisconsin or what love Wisconsin like we do. Um, hey, hopefully you weren't affected and you're safe and dry because it was pretty serious. Is April? Is it supposed to rain? I don't know anything about weather where I live, so I'm just like right, okay.

SPEAKER_05 4:46

That's pretty good.

SPEAKER_02 4:47

And Mark says baseball sized hail in Madison. That sounds like it would hurt. I hope you stayed inside. Uh anywho, so guys, I'm just I'm full of questions. Can I ask can I ask you some questions? Um, Andrew, before we get started, because I have so many. Um you can ask me anything.

SPEAKER_04 5:15

There you go.

SPEAKER_02 5:16

Okay. All right. So okay, so the main needs for the Packers defensive tackle, cornerback, obviously. I really miss Jair. Um, edge rusher, O-line, of course. Of course. That should be the number one in my opinion, but I don't know anything. And then what else? What else do we need? Is that right? I did I say that.

SPEAKER_01 5:39

Well, you've named most of the position groups at this point. So yeah, I know I truth. I would agree with you, right? Like on the on the surface.

SPEAKER_02 5:47

I had a person in mind. Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_01 5:49

Absolutely. I on the surface, I think nose tackle specifically when you're talking defensive line, that seems like a pretty significant hole in the roster. Cornerback is huge, and I would argue they probably could draft three in this class. And like, you know, maybe the third one would be like borderline making the roster, but I think there's a lot of room there. Offensive line, as you mentioned, they need depth specifically on the interior. Um, edge rusher, they're always looking to throw somebody in that room. But I think specifically, you know, we don't know how Mike is going to start the season. So uh you're gonna want another body there. I think sneaky, like under the radar needs, people are talking about backup quarterback, and that certainly makes sense. Although I do think they'll probably sign a veteran after the draft, so maybe a developmental quarterback somewhere. Running back to me is a big one because I I don't trust Marshawn Lloyd to be healthy at all. Yeah, and so with Emmanuel Wilson gone, Chris Brooks is fine, but like I would like to see like a dynamic player to back up Josh Jacobs for sure. And then now wide receiver probably is not a need in 2026, but will be in 2027. So again, like you start you start to get into like finite resources, you only have what is it now, eight picks uh in this draft, and so like that's only eight available opportunities. Um, I do think they'll probably be active in veteran free agency after the draft and maybe acquire a player or two to to fill in some of those spots. But yeah, that there are needs for sure.

SPEAKER_02 7:31

Lots of needs, yes.

SPEAKER_05 7:33

No shortage of needs, but when you look at what those needs are, Andrew, where do you think is like the strength in this year's draft that would be like really well worth you know trying to get someone in to help with those needs versus it's not as good a class one of those positions, and it might not be worth trying to even go with that this year. What are your thoughts on that?

SPEAKER_01 7:51

Yeah, if if if you believe like mock drafts, and so like you know, at the end of the day, it's it's like there's the people who are insiders and their mock drafts are based on information, but not necessarily as much feel. And then there's people that like are really good at evaluating that maybe don't have all those insider resources, so you try to combine those things together. Um, there's a tool you may or may not be familiar with, NFL mock draft database, which really like aggregates all of those things. It gives you a general idea of where players might be. And I think the mock draft community, like the NFL draft community in general, is is pretty good at locating players in their ballpark. We get surprised every once in a while. Um, but but I think it's pretty good. So if you take a look at that and and you are willing to believe that that's an accurate resource, to me, the cornerback strength in this draft, I think a lot of the second round corners are gonna get push up. And so if the Packers want to get one of those tier two cornerbacks, they're gonna have to trade up in the second round. Maybe they're willing to do that, maybe they're not. Um, if they want to like a true nose tackle, I think there's a lot of those guys, and I think they could stay at 52 and get a really good one. I think there might even be some, and this is really rare that they slide into the third round. I think they could have a chance there too. I like the depth there. So ironically, this is the first time in a long time where the Packers' needs and the strength of the draft have aligned pretty well. Um, I think this is a good wide receiver class. I don't think you're gonna get a great one on day two. Like, you know, maybe maybe they don't find a Devontae Adams or a Jordy Nelson or Randall Cobb in the second round. But I think there's really good receivers as they go on. So I could see them addressing that on day three, uh, maybe even targeting the pick that they got for uh Dontavian Wicks to replace Dontavian Wicks. Um, but I think that's another another strength as well.

SPEAKER_02 9:56

Good good uh summary. Thank you for that. Matt Maddie, thoughts?

SPEAKER_05 10:01

Yeah, um so obviously we we we can only we can only ever guess what's gonna happen, you know. Uh and that's kind of the the joy of doing the work on the draft and and thinking about you know any given week when we have a game, like well, what are the strengths of the team? What are the strengths of our team? What are the weaknesses? We can only ever guess, but you know, we come to like well-informed people like you, Andrew, you know, to to get your your perspective on this stuff. And so when you talk about like there are probably corners and nose tackles worth taking in the second and third rounds, um, you know, if if you if you had your best guess, I guess, uh, for a second round corner, who are maybe two names we should be like, you know, trying to like uh read up on ahead of time that you think might be possible.

SPEAKER_01 10:43

Yeah, I think it's easier to kind of talk about like who's definitely gonna be gone, right? So there's two corners that I think are like consensus tier one. That's Mansur Delane out of LSU, uh Jermad McCoy out of Tennessee, although he's got some injury question marks all of a sudden, so maybe he slides a little bit, but like those two are probably gone. Um, Chris Johnson of San Diego State is my favorite player in this whole class. Obviously, like the news came out that the Packers were connected to him. I'm a San Diego State homer. I used to work there. Um I would love that. All I some people that I really trust in the draft community are saying he's probably gonna sneak into the end of the first round all of a sudden. And that doesn't surprise me at all because I love his tape. I he's a super athlete. Maybe he's available, probably not at this point. Uh Colton Hood out of Tennessee is a name that I would watch out for. I think he's really good. Um, I think there's some characteristics that would make him an interesting fit in Green Bay. Um, Brandon Cise out of South Carolina is really good, but I think he maybe is a little out of the Packers strike zone as well. Avion Terrell is a good corner, but like didn't test well, and I don't know that he's really the Packers type, anyways. Um, so like round two, Colton Hood's somebody I'm all of a sudden very interested in because I was all the way on the Chris Johnson hype train, and now I just think he's out of reach. And so Colton Hood out of Tennessee, really intriguing guy. Um, maybe a guy that could be available in the third round, but I I wouldn't necessarily cross him off as a second rounder, is Malik Muhammad out of Texas. He's somebody I like way more than I probably should, but he's a big time draft crush. Like uh Chris Johnson, Malik Mohammed, those are like my guys in this class, which means the Packers will never touch them because they do have draft players that I have right, of course.

SPEAKER_02 12:47

Right. They always do the unpredictable. I think um Zach Cruz was mentioning Joman Jomani Jackson.

SPEAKER_00 12:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:56

Um uh blocking focused. Oh, wait, sorry. Fast zone fit corner. I was reading the tight end. Sorry, fast zone fit corner, developmental starter upside is what he but do we need more than developmental starter? I mean, starter, yes, but do we need a project? We need help in that position, right?

SPEAKER_01 13:18

I have Domani Jackson rated pretty high. I I think he he's like my 58th overall player, but NFL knockdraft database has him in day three, so predictively looking a little later, and and I I think that's exactly the kind of player you want to get. Um, you know, they can project him in the sixth and seventh round if they want to. Maybe he's more of a fourth round pick. Um, but yeah, like Alabama defensive back, love that. Probably shouldn't be Jersey Scouting, but like he's a he's a fun player, and you know he's been coached up. Um, I I think he's really good. I think he's gonna be a really good athlete. Probably takes him a little longer to come along, but yeah, that's a player that I would have my eye on as well.

SPEAKER_02 14:06

Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_05 14:09

We have some other like specific players that folks are mentioning here in the chat. So gonna highlight something real quickly here. Uh let's see here. So I would Joe mentioned uh Damian Martinez, could be a sleeper for the roster, and then uh he also mentioned uh Dalen Everett, and uh Mark mentioned here that uh yeah, Malik Mohammed got up to 190 as pro diet. So uh Andrew, thoughts on those names? Oh, also sorry, and also Mark mentioned uh Big Citrus, who of course a lot of people are talking about as a possibility for us.

SPEAKER_01 14:37

Yeah, yeah. Uh so that's Dominique Orange, big, big dude, uh Iowa State defensive tackle. Um, I I know he was connected a lot to Green Bay very early in the process. I think he is the cover picture of the Cheesehead TV draft guide. Um yeah, like really good player. Um, I think he is a run dominant kind of guy, and maybe he actually like initially we were talking about him as a second round pick. Maybe he slides a little bit more in the third. I think the Packers would like him either way. Um, at pick 52, you're probably drafting a guy with a third round grade, anyways. But like that, that's an exciting figure because for me, like I want the Packers to address nose tackle a couple times in this draft and really like fix that so we don't see Derek Henry uh you know running for 800 yards against Green Bay in an important playoff game. Um, some some other some of the other names that were mentioned, uh Iowa Joe mentioned Damian Martinez. He he's a running back who was on the Seahawks last year. I I think he finished the year either on their practice squad or active roster. But like those are the kind of players to look out for for potential like quote unquote veteran pickups. And and I I would look around the league. There's there's always good running backs you can find. And so if the Packers don't address that that need, and I just did a Packers mock draft um where I just couldn't find the running back fit that I wanted. And so it's like running back's a position where you don't necessarily have to draft a guy. Uh, I'm not saying find a uh undrafted player, but like there's there's really good players like Damien Martinez floating around the league. Um, that could be oh, nope, I'm wrong. Packers signed Martinez late last year to the practice squad. Yeah. Okay, so he's on a futures contract. So um he is actually on the Packers. I completely forgot about that. Uh good call. Me too. Thanks for drawing my memory. But yeah, like those kind of players, you know, like nobody even knew who Chris Brooks was two years ago, right? Like Emmanuel Wilson, another great example. The Packers have been really successful in developing those guys, and you know, I I I think that's that's a good idea for running backs. Dalen Everett was also mentioned, he's a corner. Um let me see, where do I have him rated? He's out of Georgia. I I have a like really early second round pick. I agree. Like, this is a 9-8-9 RAS guy, like super athlete. Um, definitely a Packers type. He's one that, like, for whatever reason, I've had my blinders on when it came to Everett. Maybe because I I thought he would be gone um out of the Packers strike zone. But the closer we get into the draft, the more I think it is a really realistic possibility that they jump up from 52 to like early 40s, mid-40s, it's not gonna cost you very much. Um, and just go get whatever player that they really prefer. Maybe that's a corner, maybe that's one of the the defensive linemen.

SPEAKER_05 17:50

So when you look at the no, go, go. All right, everyone's so polite. So um, looking uh at what you know about who might be available at corner or at D-line in the second round versus the third round when we're picking. Um, Andrew, if if it was your call and you're in the war room and you're gonna, you know, say who we're picking here, would you go corner then D-line or D-line then corner or something else, knowing who might be there?

SPEAKER_01 18:18

Oh, that's so hard. Um, yeah, I I think I think a lot of it depends on who's there. I I the the early returns, you know, like we're talking again about mock drafts, which are imperfect. You use, you know, whatever your favorite mock draft simulator is. It's not always going to be completely accurate and give you like super realistic situations. For me, where I've been happier with the way things have turned out is going defensive lineman first and then corner in the third, because I think there is a good group of um fun corners that can be had in the third round that the Packers would also be interested in. But when I look at the the particular need on their roster, I could see a way where they say, all right, well, we need to find that corner in the second round because they are going to be a day one starter. Versus, you know, you can probably find like a okay run stuffing nose tackle in the fourth round if you have to, knowing that he's gonna have no pass rush upside, right? Like this is just a true run stuffer. Um, maybe they're higher on a guy like Nazir Stackhouse than we think. Um, so maybe they don't identify that as the biggest need. But for me, it's like the situations that where things have turned out really well in my mock draft scenarios have been going nose tackle first and then corner later and maybe multiple times.

SPEAKER_05 19:48

Interesting. Okay, so if we got big citrus, you can go up against big sleepy. That's what we'd be looking at there, right?

SPEAKER_01 19:54

Yeah, well, uh the fun thing in this class we have Makai Lemon and then Dominique Orange. So we're getting our fruit in for sure. We're avoiding scurvy at all costs. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 20:05

Um, if you're okay, so let me throw a wrench into Matt's hypotheses. You're in the war room there, you're in the draft room. And this is why this is fun to be a fan year-round, by the way. If anyone doesn't know what we're talking about, join us because if you're a fan of any team, it's kind of fun to do this offseason stuff. So I think it's super fun and geeky and weird and fun. Okay, so let's say they have their eye uh on a corner that dropped down that looks like somebody they didn't expect, but they really want them. I'm not gonna name a name because I just don't even know because I don't know. But and then all of a sudden Kristen Miller drops down too, and you have to choose between Kristen Miller and a really good corner that they had their eye on. What would you do?

SPEAKER_01 20:55

Yeah, I I that that is a very difficult situation. I I I think in that case, you know, it's whatever player they have rated higher. Uh for me, yeah. Like that's such a lame answer, and I apologize for it. But like for me, Krista Miller is is like a middle of the second round quality player. So, you know, if if he's rated higher than the the corner on the board, go for it. Most of the corners that I have identified in the second round, I'd rather have than Krista Miller, but um, but he is a really good player.

SPEAKER_02 21:35

I know a lot of people, his name comes up on a lot of podcasts talking about the draft, so in that he's the most packers packer type that you can find. It wasn't is he? Was he San Diego State as well?

SPEAKER_01 21:51

No, uh no, no, Miller is from uh Georgia.

SPEAKER_02 21:56

Oh, he's Georgia, okay. There was another San Diego State guy in there, too. Have you were you able to take in any of the games when you were at I did not attend this year?

SPEAKER_01 22:05

I was I was there last year. There's another corner who probably isn't gonna get drafted, uh Bryce Phillips. Um that so good cornerback room. I I don't know if there's other like players in that conversation.

SPEAKER_04 22:22

Okay.

unknown 22:23

Okay.

SPEAKER_05 22:24

So Don had mentioned that um the one corner has been seen as being or cited by folks as being like a very packers-y player. So um, Andrew, when you hear hear those words about a corner, like what does that mean to you?

SPEAKER_01 22:36

Yeah, to typically like they want their corners to be at at least a minimum height. I think I'm I'm trying to like remember what the actual like thresholds have been historically. It's like five 5'11 or six foot. Um, they like them around 190 pounds or heavier. Um, and then typically they're looking at the agility drills and like a certain 40, right? Like you you want a sub for 540. Somebody will post it in the comments like exactly what it is. Um, yeah, yeah, 5110. 511. Okay. Now nobody is doing the agility drills, like like so few players ran the shuttle or the three cone. Um, so that's really hard to evaluate anymore. The other thing that I always say about the thresholds, and sometimes this gets me in trouble. Like, yes, they are trends, and I'm not saying don't follow them, right? They're not gonna draft a really unathletic five-nine corner. Like, that just it that's too far away. But yeah, remember, yeah, the Packers' thresholds used to be they never draft old players. Well, then they drafted Devontae Wyatt in the first round, and they never draft linebackers high, and then they drafted Quay Walker, and then you know, Edge Cooper not far after that. Um, so like trends are trends until they're not, and then um, you know, so like I don't always hold Brian Gudekoons to the exact same draft standards of Ted Thompson, much less Ron Wolf. And that's what a lot of like Packers draft prognosticators want to do is like this is written in stone and they will never violate it. They do occasionally, but I it's good rules to follow. So for a corner, what I'm looking for is somebody who has like those kind of like height weight, right? Typically they don't go for the like overly like tall guys because their agility scores aren't good. But we have to remember also, this is a very different defense, and so like are are the the preferred metrics going to change slightly with uh not big things, right? Like, so you we we've seen this with interior offensive line where they've kind of gone like bulkier and a little bit less athletic, and so like you look at Aaron Banks and he violates all of their like previous thresholds, but part of that is like he's a pretty good athlete for a guy his size, so they probably has some sort of sliding scale to say, well, we're looking for a 325-pound lineman, we're not gonna hold them to the same standards as a guy who's like 305. Um, so that that's all I'm saying, but yeah, I mean, typically like there's a lot of corners who actually meet that. This is a good good class for like the outside corners as well. So pretty much all of the names we've talked about hit those those kind of uh thresholds.

SPEAKER_05 25:37

And so you mentioned two corners that are like your your guys, you said, right? So what is it about those two that and sorry Don, I don't I was monopolizing there, but like what is it about those two guys that make them like your guys?

SPEAKER_01 25:49

Yeah, uh for for Chris Johnson, it's just like a little bit of everything. I think he's like the perfect size for a corner. I I I actually like I've fallen in love with these like really tall, super like athletic freaks guys that are like built out of you know, they're they're they're the gym rats. Um and and that has burned me on quite a few occasions. Not everybody um needs to be like 6'3, 215 at corner. Um, but for me, Johnson is like that perfect like size where he's incredibly smooth, he has really fluid hips, his athletic testing is fantastic. People are gonna knock him because he played in the Mountain West, but like he's just a good player. Like, just there's just something about him I really, really like. He's not in that tier one, but of the tier two guys, he is the one that like I really, really like, and his testing just solidified that for me. Um, and then Malik Muhammad, really kind of the same thing. Like, I think there's just a trait, like for corners, I try to just watch what they look like in and out of like their their break. So like when they're backpedaling and then how they transition. And that to me for Muhammad was really smooth. I liked it a lot. Um, so those are the kind of things I look for. Um, there's there's plenty of guys that are also like really, really good. I just maybe didn't fall in love with them as much. Like Brandon Cise, pretty much the same grade as Chris Johnson. There's just something about Chris Johnson that I I love when I'm watching him, like this smoothness that I think transitions really well into the NFL.

SPEAKER_02 27:35

And did you mention kind of on that Green Bay Packer type prototype? Did you mention because now I've already forgotten, I should be taking notes. I told everybody to bring their notepads and I didn't bring mine. Um Stukes, Igbinosan, and Everett. Did you do we talk about those three in terms of we have not talked about them?

SPEAKER_01 27:57

Yeah. And so like they're two. It's a different conversation between like what I think about them because I don't necessarily like only focus on the Packers. Like, I'm I'm kind of like I'm really high in trade on Stukes. I like him a lot. He is probably more of a safety or a slot only player. So like around the NFL the last few years, there have been uh some some players that have come in, and it's like, is that player just like a traditional safety? Um, and then they've actually been like really elite in the slot. Like Jalen Petrie for the Houston Texans is a really good example of this. He was seen as like this great center field safety prospect, and in fact, he's an elite level slot player. Um, and Stukes is kind of the same thing, really good size, physical, uh, super athletic. Um, maybe not the smoothest athlete. Like, I don't I think the Packers would probably have him disqualified as a cornerback if he did the agility testing, because I think he's pretty stiff, which is weird because he plays in the slot, but he just makes it work. Some of that is physicality, some of it's the straight line speed, some of it's just like you know, being a really heady football player. Um, I don't think he would be on their radar. Igbenosan is somebody I like a lot as like a true outside corner. Let me see where I I have him rated 56. So, like right in that strike zone of the second round. Um, his athletic testing wasn't particularly great. Um, he's not not gonna be 22 yet at the draft, so he's a younger prospect. I I just liked him. I don't know if the Packers will, um, but he he's a great example of somebody people thought like this guy could be a top 10 or 15 pick before the year, and he just never quite developed at Ohio State in that way. Um, maybe he's a little stiffer than than we thought, but um, to me, like some team is gonna be really happy with him.

SPEAKER_05 30:02

Yeah, yeah, plus it's a super fun name to say. Igmino. Oh, yeah. It is I to train myself.

SPEAKER_02 30:09

It is. Is it it almost sounds Japanese, but I could be wrong. I wasn't really thinking about that. I love to figure out what names where they come from. I digress. Speaking of something you said, I can't remember exactly. Listener mock draft. Is that happening this year?

SPEAKER_01 30:28

No, unfortunately, because I don't have a a regular uh show. So um I'm doing more of like the special series for for uh Packaday, and so it's been hard to um put it. It was always a labor of love to do that. Uh it was a lot of coordination, and so yeah, unfortunately, we um we didn't have the crew together to do it. It was a a well-loved labor of love, though, for sure.

SPEAKER_02 30:56

It was, and I always loved um Maggie's reaction to my crazy picks.

SPEAKER_01 31:03

I actually do need to go back into last year's and see who got what picks right. So I have it I have it saved, but uh okay.

SPEAKER_02 31:11

Yeah, no, it was always fun. I was always like, what is Maggie gonna say about my pick this year? I sometimes think I did things just to see what she wants to say. Off the wall picks. Um no, it was very fun and it kind of helped me get really into the scene. Not into not a guilt tribute or anything like that, but to really get into the draft season. So but nothing's gonna compare to last year's draft in Green Bay. That was just so awesome and fun to watch every minute of it. Yeah. Okay, so Maddie, did you I have all kinds of questions?

SPEAKER_05 31:50

Are you kidding me? Yeah, no.

SPEAKER_02 31:51

Okay.

SPEAKER_05 31:52

I was gonna say, um, so I more of a comment actually, Andrew. Uh, the you mentioned the series you've been doing for for pack a day. Like, what are the likely players they pick in round two? What are the players that pick three uh in the round three? Uh, you know, you know I'm talking about, I can't talk all of a sudden, but that's what I'm talking about. Um, I we have shouted it out on the show already, um, because I've really enjoyed that. Because I want to say it, you know, my brain, like I think many of us at this point who are like plugged into the content of sphere is just waterlogged with names and schools and measurements and trying to like sort it out and make sense of it because everyone has different opinions. Um I'm at that point now, it's just like uh that's uh it feels like I have a hangover, you know. And right so I want to tell you, Andrew, you're the person I go to to just like try to sort that out and help it make sense. Um, so I want you to know like you're providing a valuable service to a lot of us out here to to help this all kind of sort out into ways we can understand it, uh, which is why I'm asking you the kind of questions that I'm asking you, like you know, hey, who would be maybe the cornerbacks in round two or versus round three? Um, so to kind of pick that back up, we're saying so far cornerback D line are very likely second, third round things, but apart from that, where where do you think they might go if they don't go cornerback or or D-line in like the second and third rounds?

SPEAKER_01 33:09

Yeah, I I think there is some buzz that they could take a receiver in one of those two picks. Um, just sort of just looking forward and and saying, like, we're hoping to get the Watson extension done, we're not sure about Jaden Reed, Golden, like they're they're hoping he develops. To me, like you have so many swings of the bat at that position already. I know as Packard fans, we've become used to having like you know, five, six deep on the the depth chart. Most NFL teams don't need that, and and so like it's interesting to me. I think they would actually be better off to have a shorter rotation at wide receiver. I know Matt LaFleur does not like that, and that has not historically been their plan, but I I think you know, granted, you have several players that have health concerns, but outside of that, like I think it benefits you to have people on the field more often and get into a flow rather than consistently just doing line changes at at wide receivers. So I don't love that investment. I I could see them going offensive line. It seems like they have their five starters set, but like after that, like maybe not, and you can never have too much depth, so that's a really good one. I think edge rusher is the obvious answer here because I do think that it would serve the Packers well if they feel like somebody is a difference maker to go out and get them. It helps with making the Lucas Van Ness decision long term, you know. So if he doesn't show anything this year, you have a path to move on. Um, you know they're gonna need depth there anyways. So um regardless of what your like quote unquote base defense is, that outside pass rush position is is gonna be really critical. So that's somewhere where I could see them going if if they identify a player who who they feel like can be a difference maker.

SPEAKER_05 35:10

What would you do, Matt? I don't know. I don't know, Don, because uh like I said, waterlogged.

SPEAKER_02 35:17

Um yeah, I mean I think anyone who just like floats to the top is like, oh, this is a really great player, and this would fit for the Packers and might be our you know available at number 52. Is there somebody like that?

SPEAKER_05 35:31

Not for me. I'll admit, just enough ignorance. And I think part of part of the reason why I have a hard time making a good take on that is because um, you know, in the last few years, I've gotten like really into the draft stuff, not not as much as like you know, an Andrew or a Joe, but like you know, really excited about it because we had a first round pick. So I could like get really excited about who we're gonna take on day one. And without that this year, I've had a hard time, as the kids would say, locking in, you know, to see what is what is going on with this. Um so I yeah, I don't feel as connected to it this year because I don't have that excitement for what's the first round person gonna be. Um so uh that's that's why when when you when you're saying Don, well, who do you think, Matt? I'm like uh let's ask Andrew.

SPEAKER_02 36:13

That's all right, that's all right. That's a fair answer. I I have someone if I I would I well, I was wondering if I would feel that way, but I feel I still have the same kind of excited anticipation. And because the the cool thing is watching players that you think are going, let's say number 10 or 12 or 13 and they're dropping and they're dropping and they're dropping, and it's like, oh, can we get in, can we get in, can it's like I get so excited on draft night for that. And then of course the Packers do something completely different and ignore that one, even though they're the highest one on the board for whatever reason. But I just still have a lot of um excitement, but no, I'm not locking it in to anyone yet. I I hear a lot about this Christian Miller, Kristen Miller, um, interior lineman. Um I think it I can't remember who, oh, I think it was um um Ross Oglam. Is that Ross who does a packaday draft? Um players every day, every week. So he he's great. And I I put a playlist together of all of his stuff, and I was just like listening, listening, listening. I didn't get through the whole thing. But every time Christian Miller, Kristen Miller came up, he's like, Oh, I had him in my mock draft, he turned up 51 instead of 52. And so I feel like I'm kind of attached to him because of Ross's excitement, and plus I looked him up and I'd be it'd be kind of cool to see him. I'm very worried about the corner position, and I'm very worried about the depth of our O-line, to be honest, because of the musical chairs the last few years, and I just want some more stability around love, you know. I think that's gonna make a big difference for us. So that's that's as locked up in as I am about anything. I'm excited though for the trayout.

SPEAKER_05 38:11

So okay, so the point about like the the O line of all the positions that kind of need some help. For me, the O-line makes me the most nervous because it's like it's if if the O-line rumbles in the middle of the game, it it's it's over. It's over. Like you could kind of get away with like one less corner in a game, more or less. If you're bringing like a backup corner, you could be okay. But I feel like you if your O-line falls apart, like nope, it's done. Like, because we've seen that happen in playoff games with the Packers more than once. You know, yeah, yeah. So it's like maybe maybe it's like it's a trauma informed take, but like I just I just get nervous about O-line depth, especially right now.

SPEAKER_02 38:48

That's okay. You know, I live my life without reacting to trauma, so that's okay. No shame in that. It's a traumatic world. Okay, so um, so you really broke down the corners for us in really greatly, but did we break down um the defensive tackles a lot? Others I know I've mentioned Christian Miller, did Kristen Miller. Um is there anyone else that you have your eye on? Or did I did we talk about the thing?

SPEAKER_01 39:19

Yeah, I mean, there I there have been a couple of like really big audience mock drafts that have come out lately where there's like no defensive tackles taken in the entire first round. So the the Packers may have some choices. There's some really like weird players, Peter Woods of Clemson, Caleb Banks of Florida, that are like these really like high-level names that people just don't love. Like they they haven't necessarily taken the jump we expected in their career, but they're they're still towards the top of the draft boards because of like reputation. Uh, you talked about Kristen Miller, uh, we talked about Dominique Orange a little bit. Caden McDonald could go in the first round that this is like a straight-up nose tackle, big run stuffer in the middle. He's out of Ohio State. Um, probably a little out of the Packers range there. Daryl Jackson Jr. out of Florida State, I love, might be available in the third round. Um, yeah, and banks also the injury as as well. Yeah. Um, somebody in the chat mentioned Damante Cape Hart out of Clemson, and he's more of like a day three guy. I could see him getting pushed up at least into the third round. Super athlete, um, really fun. He's one of my favorite players. He was on my top 10 list of like overall prospects for the Packers. Um, I think he is totally their type of player. Maybe hasn't uh yeah, there you go. Um, maybe hasn't lived up to again the hype of all of these Clemson prospects who never develop, but um, I think he could be a really, really fun uh NFL player as well.

SPEAKER_02 41:00

Okay. I'm excited. See, I'm more excited now that we're talking about it. Okay, so we've covered like the top two what we think are biggest needs, but remains to be seen. So that's um, and then edge rushers. Did we we kind of went through the edge rushers? Who are your favorite edge rushers?

SPEAKER_01 41:20

Yeah, a little bit. Um, and again, this this is the name floating around the comments, but deny Dennis Sutton, who I thought was named Danny, but it's deny apparently. Um go I gotta check out more pronunciation guides. I I I take it, but uh edge rusher out of Penn State, crazy athlete. Like Penn, I don't know what is going on in the Penn State training room that every year they have these like super athletes, uh, but 6'5, 256, like really amazing. Um, time he was a 46340, which is insane at 256 pounds, 9.96 RAS. Um, he didn't live up to that. Like on tape, he doesn't look like that player, but I think this is a raw tools kind of prospect. If he had good tape, he's getting taken in the top 15 picks. So, like, that's what pushes them into a potential late second round player. Um, and he's a a player I could absolutely see seeing the Packers fall in love with and taking that like developmental track where like year one, you're probably edge four, you're gonna get some snaps. Maybe it's a dedicated pass rush position. By year two, we expect you to be a really good complement to Micah. Um, there's a guy I love out of Michigan, Jay Sean Barham, uh, who's kind of a linebacker and kind of an edge player. He's pretty light for a true edge, but I I think you could probably play him an off-ball linebacker first and second down. He's really good going forward. And then maybe he's like a dedicated blitzer up the middle, or maybe he is like just a crazy bendy pass rusher on the outside. Um, he's a fun physical player uh that I really like at Edge as well.

SPEAKER_05 43:13

Nice couple couple names in the chat here, too. Uh Joe threw in Malachi Lawrence and also Zayn Durant.

SPEAKER_01 43:21

Yep. Uh my Malachi Lawrence, one of my favorite players. I have a sneaking suspicion he is gonna get picked in the first round, but hopefully I'm wrong. This this draft is going to be very weird, and um, I I think this is one of the hardest to predict drafts that we've seen in the last 10 years. Like every player from 20 to like 45, I could see going in almost any order. So that's you know, I always sort of poke fun at people that are like, There's no way he's gonna be there, you know, like there's no way he's making it 52, and then like it happens every year, but like in this draft. I'm like, Malachi Lawrence could go at 25 or he could fall to the Packers at 52. I don't know. But I I really like him. That's a good call.

SPEAKER_02 44:10

That that's good. And I think that's why I'm really excited this year. There's a like you said, a lot of input unpredictability. And I think because of the players that are dropping and moving around, it's going to be really exciting, even though our first pick is at 52. I was just looking up on the roster. I'm like, who else came from Penn State? Who else came from Penn State? It was Micah Parsons on our team already. But I had a one of my bosses back in the day was a former wide receiver for who played for Penn State during their glory years under Paterno and all that jazz. And he's still very involved in their football programs. I'm always hearing about it. So that'd be kind of fun. I like that connection between Parsons and him, the technical Penn State dude. They seem to have really, you know, they went through all of the, you know, bad publicity in the the whatever the program took some hits for a while, but it does seem like they're really coming back strong at Penn State. I don't follow college football much, but like I said, I do hear about it all the time.

SPEAKER_01 45:19

Their former head coach, James Franklin, was a elite level recruiter. They have they must have one of the best training staffs in like strength and conditioning programs in the entire like country, including NFL, because of the kind of athletes they produce. It just never leads to success on the field. I the pen Penn State is like just stuck in mediocrity right now. But yeah, they they produce a lot of NFL level athletes for sure.

SPEAKER_02 45:47

Well, and maybe that's all they care about because that's where they kind of how do we say it? That's how they make their money. That's how they operate. That's how they stay afloat. I was thinking about this the other day about like college and how they make you know turn their pay players into NFL athletes and stuff. Yeah, sure, winning and getting titles is important, but placing their players is is a big deal for players to want to go there. And yeah. Anywho, I digress again.

SPEAKER_05 46:28

So I have one question for you, Andrew. If I can jump in here. Uh, my last question that I wanted to bring today for you is so when I think about like the folks I like to listen to to learn about the draft, apart from you, of course. Uh Joe, who's in our in our um in our comment section every week. Joe, I love you, man. Uh, his stuff on Ohana Packers edition is great. Uh, but you know, like Justice Mosqueda, Andy Herman, uh, Tyler Brooke are folks I'm listening to a lot national stuff, pretty much mostly just I'm missing a lot here when I say this, but mostly just um football, yeah, the athletic football show at Mina Kimes. Um, so kind of taking that collection of folks, knowing they're all like really great, who's somebody who I really am just totally missing and I should throw into the mix, and also who's somebody who's like really underrated that you think is doing great work in the in the draftosphere.

SPEAKER_01 47:13

Yeah, I mean, I I of course love our Packers community, and there's so many amazing shows um out there, and and just really good people to follow outside of even the shows. And you know, you mentioned Joe, I was I was on with them uh a few weeks ago, and um uh Brian Moffey uh was on with him a couple weeks ago as well. Um, and then you know, there's there's just people doing amazing work. Andy, I I of course, like Andy, I consider a friend um and love listening to that stuff. I have not digested as much Packers-related draft content as I typically do. I've been insanely busy in my personal life, and then also just like trying to put out some shows myself without the crutch to lean on of like Kyle and Maggie every week. Um, so that's been harder from a national perspective. My like I don't do a lot of national podcasts, but like my favorite one is the um locked-on NFL scouting with Joe Marino and Kyle Krabs. Uh, we were really fortunate in our packaday run to have Joe Marino on the show several times uh before he really blew up. And so like he's somebody I I really love and respect. Uh Ben Solak, who's with ESPN now, was a guest on Pack-Aday with us as well again before he blew up. Um and he's really, really great at breaking things down. So, like, I I actually like his TikTok stuff, which is weird, like just the short digestible clips where he'll like do film analysis. I get a lot out of that. Um, so like those are some of my my favorite ones from a national perspective.

SPEAKER_05 48:58

Nice, and I'll throw this on the screen too. Mark said Dane Brugler. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, because Dane does stuff on the athletic football show. I didn't see him specifically, but like, yeah, I mean, Dane Friggin' Brugler, man, like kind of like the king of of the written stuff for it for sure. Um, yeah. So uh that's really helpful, and Andrew. I appreciate that.

SPEAKER_02 49:17

Well, we'll get into some of those. Um, the only other questions. Um, so we talked briefly about the O-line, which is what makes me really nervous. Is there anybody you have your eye on for O-line um reinforcements?

SPEAKER_01 49:31

Just a couple I'll throw out there. And I don't know if offensive tackle is necessarily where they go, but um, Diego Pounds out of Ole Miss, I think could be like a fourth-fifth round guy, crazy athlete, uh 325, really raw. This is a Maggie Loney, my guy. So uh good name. Diego Pounds. Um that's that's excellent. D'Angelo.

SPEAKER_02 49:55

I think it's D'Angelo. Is it?

SPEAKER_01 49:58

Uh no, that that's D'Angelo Pons, who's a cornerback out of Indiana, very easily confused. Yeah. Um Diego Pons.

SPEAKER_02 50:08

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 50:09

You gotta watch out too many similar names.

SPEAKER_02 50:12

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 50:12

And then another guy I like is a tackle out of Kansas, Enrique Cruz Jr., again, like a super athlete, really raw on tape, both pounds and cruz, like a lot of development to go, but I think like the Packers are gonna love the tools, and they are confident enough to be able to develop somebody for a year to to come around. So those are really like my two favorites.

SPEAKER_05 50:39

Nice.

SPEAKER_02 50:41

I like that. And we're gonna want to hear, Matt, about who you are following for the best um for the best draw draft content next. It's time for this week's superlatives.

SPEAKER_05 51:08

See, that that time, that time you telegraphed it a little too much. Who was coming that time? You didn't catch me off guard this week for once.

SPEAKER_02 51:14

I like to surprise Matt with that. It makes him laugh. I know that was pretty awkward. I didn't have that one ready in my brain. My brain was not keeping up. I would just say, I'll just say my really quickly. Well, there's more than three superlatives, but I think I already mentioned that cruise, of course, Joe, um on Ohana on Ohana Packers. I mentioned um uh Ross Uglum on Packaday with his feature that he does during the draft season, before the draft season to get us all prepped up. Of course, uh the athletic football show. The only draft guide I've downloaded so far is the Beast. I'm still waking my way through that. I just love the beast. It's a work of art. You have to have it just for anything, but it's great, it's searchable, you know, it's super handy. Um and I don't find their the athletics um print me. Uh they do some mock drafts. And I don't ever find that what they pick for the Packers is even remotely close to what I think they're gonna pick, you know, based on all of the like what you said, our local knowledge, our wonderful Packers reporters who really are, you know, dialed into the team. So uh yeah, 600 and I think 29 pages, but I just love it because it's super helpful, and then I can kind of make lists and pull out from that and do you know things from there. It just helps put them into a database and all that. But um, that's as far as I got. I haven't downloaded any other draft guides. What draft guides um have you downloaded so far, you guys?

SPEAKER_01 52:52

Andrew, I have not downloaded any any, just a year. Right now, yes. No, that's way too much work, significantly too much work.

SPEAKER_02 53:06

I was thinking about that. I'm like, why doesn't Andrew?

SPEAKER_01 53:09

Yeah, I kind of indirectly reference them all the time. So there's people that like you know, I know have more knowledge than I do. So, like at this time of year, when I know my grades are final and I can't be corrupted anymore, I will go in and check those resources against mine because I'm like, this is weird. I have a third round grade on this guy, NFL MacDraft database is saying he's gonna go in the sixth. Like, what am I missing? And then sometimes I'm like, oh, okay, like I don't change my grades at this point, like I'm just done. But that that helps me learn over over time as well to compare it to like Brugler or or you know, Daniel Jeremiah or whoever, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 53:51

Right, for sure. Right. That's funny. Uh Don, you said something like I haven't finished reading the beast. I think he says something like that. I have a friend at work who uh I see maybe once a week with talk football kind of on the way to our cars, basically. And I was like, Man, just download the beast, and he was like, Yeah, I haven't finished reading it yet. I was like, Nobody finishes reading it, like that's you don't read it, print it, print out a copy, have it in your nightstand, you know. Um, yeah, but it's it's amazing. Uh as I said before the show to you, Don. I I have three superlatives and like a fourth, like obligatory superlative for the week. The fourth one, of course, is just the beast, Dan Brugler is a beast, and the the the work itself, the beast is it's essential, I think, for for most folks, especially um those who aren't as as in it as like as like Andrew, you are, you know, to kind of make some sense of the stuff. It's it's just super handy. And one of my favorite things to do is because you know, I have it up on my phone during the draft. As soon as the Packers pick is in, I'm going right to you know, Dame Brugler's uh any anything's written about that that player. Uh, it's the first place I go for that. So um freaking love the beast, but the cheese head, um, cheese head TV draft guide, I love I love a lot, and in fact, that gets me into one of my superlatives. So I'm just gonna transition myself right into that, okay?

SPEAKER_04 55:02

Yes, let's hear them.

SPEAKER_05 55:03

What I love about the cheesehead TV draft guide is that it's full of amazing information, like any draft guide would be, of course, but it's focused on that Packers lens, which yeah, that of course it is. Why wouldn't it be, right? But within that, they also have these great articles to open up the the draft guide. Um, and they're always really good. The one that I loved the most though this year was the one that um C D Angeli wrote. It was called Decision Factors Why Ed Policy Chose Continuity Over Change, and it was a really interesting um perspective on you know, Ed Policy had to decide who to keep, uh, if he's gonna fire, you know, um Guta Kunster Russ Ball or or Matt LaFleur, like what to do with X a good decision he had to make, especially like new in the job. Yeah, and Cd Angeli got into like a lot of like his his sort of take on what the philosophy is at work here. That's not passive, it's not like oh, we're just gonna stay the course. It's like let's scrutinize and see if if we can do better, ripping it up and starting again, or if we actually are gonna be better off like honing better what we just had this last year, this last two seasons, even how do we actually fine-tune that so that we can get over the hump? Um, and man, it's a I'll tell you, it's a long article. It is, uh, but that's because C D Angie had a lot of really interesting stuff to say, really insightful. And I'd recommend taking the time to sit down and read that because I think a lot of people who will, you know, download the Cheesehead TV draft guide will just kind of skip to all the get past all the text, get into like the stats and stuff.

SPEAKER_02 56:31

Right, right, right.

SPEAKER_05 56:32

It's worth the read.

SPEAKER_02 56:33

It's a really good uh yeah, they have some really good articles in their draft guide, special articles every year. That's great. Good reminder, Maddie, and and Joe, I o Joe said the only reason to print out the the good draft guide is if you need something heavy to hit someone with. Um not um something I know. I just mean e-printing, so like you can search and copy and paste and play. Anywho uh yeah, it is a lot of work. It is a lot of work, but I think I don't know. I was just thinking last night. It's like I think it'd be cool to have an Andrew Murtake draft guy. I was thinking that last night. Anywho, what's your next one?

SPEAKER_01 57:17

You may be the only person.

SPEAKER_02 57:20

I buy it. Ten dollars. Uh what else?

SPEAKER_05 57:25

Did you bring any spurletos, Andrew?

SPEAKER_01 57:27

Um, I'm I'm just gonna make one up on the spot, and I I don't know if I need to have an actual word for this, but uh I will just say excited because this is fresh off the presses, and no one outside of this show knows this. Um, but my very last episode for the Pack a Day Draft series coming up is gonna be a Packers mock draft, and I have Maggie Loney joining me, which I knew already, but also we're gonna have Dusty Eavely on. So um, Dusty, who does not traditionally do a lot of draft content, got convinced um by a very called in a little more every year, yeah. So that that will probably release um both it'll definitely release uh next week sometime, but YouTube and uh audio as well.

SPEAKER_05 58:13

Oh, nice.

SPEAKER_02 58:14

I like the YouTube version. Will there be a video or YouTube audio only?

SPEAKER_01 58:19

Yeah, it'll be it'll be a video.

SPEAKER_02 58:22

Oh better yet.

SPEAKER_05 58:23

Uh yeah, excited is the right word. That's that's exactly what I'd say. I'm excited about it.

SPEAKER_02 58:29

Yes. All right, Maddie, what else do you have?

SPEAKER_05 58:32

What else for I got? All right, so uh my favorite tweet since we talked last on. So this is going back a little bit, but it was still within the last three weeks. Uh, this was Bruce Irons wrote this. So, you know, we know that there's this this you know potential crisis with having to get replacement refs in. We know how well that went last time. Anyone who knows the phrase fail marry knows exactly what I'm talking about here. So um there was this is going back away. Let's see what was the date on this back on March 30th. Don, it's been a while since we've talked. So March 30th, Bruce Irons was posting uh on Twitter about this because there was some uh I think he's like he has like a screenshot of an article talking about what the refs union is demanding. So I'm just gonna read finally Bruce's tweet here instead. Okay, okay, okay. So the refs want one ludicrous raises instead of merely awesome raises, two no accountability for bad performance, and three, get playoff assignments for being old. I'm having a really hard time siding with the league on this, or not siding with the league on this.

SPEAKER_02 59:31

What was the third one? Get playoff assignments.

SPEAKER_05 59:40

So, like, I feel like those three okay points that that Bruce made there from you are like, oh man, the the the rest union stinks, like these are not things they should be asking for, like oh maybe angry. So uh I've had that one kind of lingering in the money, the money is okay.

SPEAKER_02 59:57

The money's okay. I I think they need just to have full-time refs and not have like people working in regular jobs, but but I don't object to the money as much as the other two items.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:10

Kind of infuriating.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:11

Just my that's just my opinion, just because you guys, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:15

Andrew, do you have a take on the ref situation?

SPEAKER_01 1:00:17

Um I I I don't care because I'm not negotiating. Um, I just don't want replacement refs. So give them literally everything they ask for.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:26

What they want, right? Right. Give them all the money.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:29

Yeah. As Packers fans, we are scarred and uh rightfully so. But it's yeah like as much as we complain about the officials, um, it's a very, very difficult job. And so yeah, you know, I hope I hope they figure out a way to get this resolved, but it doesn't look good right now. They will, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:47

That's such a good point, Andrew. Like, uh remind folks that it's a crazy hard job. I can't imagine doing it, and that's why we should have you know, like, yeah, have them be a full-time employee and the offseason they're gonna be doing something related to the refing, whatever that could be. I don't know, right? But like, you know, elevate it a little bit more so it's like it's like their job and not like their side gig, you know. Just let's let's do it, let's do it, man. So uh my last one, oh yeah, oh worst news. Worst news is that so ending on a bummer, unfortunately. Uh Diana Rossini, all the stuff that happened with her uh being being persecuted in the court of public opinion, quite frankly. Um, I hate it, it feels really sexist, and she's an amazing reporter. Uh, it's a huge loss to the athletic. Uh, she'll probably get a job somewhere else. I don't know. Um, because she's really good. And I'm you know sad that I won't be seeing her reporting uh coming through in the athletic and across on Twitter and stuff like that. Um uh yeah, yeah, it makes me really upset. I'm really bummed that she won't be working there anymore.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:51

Yeah, I was gonna ask you guys what your thoughts were on that whole situation. First of all, yay, it's not Matt LaFleur. Uh that it's somebody else's coach that she was hanging out with.

SPEAKER_05 1:02:03

But did I rather do anything?

SPEAKER_02 1:02:06

I can well, I can see why not the the scandalousness part of it, which is what like Lloyd was fired for. It was more of the principal thing. I can kind of see why, okay. Well, these articles were associated with her, and maybe her relationship with you know, it might have tainted her objectivity and reporting. That's valid. That's a valid conversation to have. All the rest of it, the accusations and all the name that no, I agree with you, Matt. Um, but it was just, yeah, it was it was yeah, but I think most intelligent reporting on it is really focusing on whether she crossed the line as an ab as a you know, in a reporter as a reporter. Sorry, I can't talk about it.

SPEAKER_05 1:02:57

There's a discussion that we have about reporting and stuff like that for sure. But I but uh I guess my real problem with it is it just seems like it went way over the line in terms of how people talk about it. Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:06

It did because it's just like right, it's just like the thing with Lloyd in the NFL players union. All they're talking all the people who cared about was the the receipts for the what was it, the um strip club thing.

SPEAKER_05 1:03:20

That's right.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:20

But that wasn't the point. But that's what people latch on to, and you're right, it's it's really unfortunate and um it's not what it should be about. And and you know, when you look at um, for example, the athletic, the New York Times, their their guidelines for what reporters should never have the appearance of of having a personal relationship with a source, that type of thing kind of makes sense. Yeah, it was really, really, really sad. Yeah, I agree. Should be a good idea.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:53

I'll just say really quick as as somebody with a journalism degree, like I completely understand the like ethical principles, but can can we not pretend that like sports journalists have some like higher level of expectations than like political reporters who are involved with the people they're covering all the time and that has real life ramifications versus like true if if we're drawing the conclusion that this was an inappropriate relationship, and again, that's an if, not uh for sure, but right like okay, it's bad, but like what has that impacted? Is she a little friendlier about the Patriots and her coverage?

SPEAKER_02 1:04:42

Okay, well, it could I guess it could have millions and millions and millions of dollars of impact though on an industry. So I I get that part of it personally. I mean multi-millions if if she's um trying to frame something so that the Patriots get a player, that type of thing. That's what the argument has been, which I kind of get, but no, you're right, it's not like um you know, the military or something else like that is at stake. It's sports, it's money, it's money, it's money, but it's a lot of money.

SPEAKER_05 1:05:18

Yeah, yeah. Well, you know, and if we're gonna like criticize people who who are in any sort of like journalistic space, um at the same time that we have you know a part owner of a team like as one of the top commentators in the league right now, like what that seems like a that's wrong too. See, it feels super wrong.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:36

No, right, I agree, I agree. She's gotten dragged because she's female, because you know for a fact that the male reporters have close personal relationships with some of these coaches and GMs. They're just not holding hands with them, okay, or whatever, you know. So, but they're having those same relationships, they just weren't caught. Yeah, somebody, I wonder who I'm just Curious who who got tipped off, who followed them, you know, what what was this all about? Because she does say that it was, yeah, there was more to that story, too, but we'll never know. Yeah, I think shouldn't be another feet.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:13

Let's not forget that she is colleagues or was colleagues with people who are supposed to be independent journalists who just copy and paste text from agents non-stop. Like that is their job. Right. Like Tom Palaisero shout out, right? Great gig if you can get it, but like everything he writes is straight from the agents. So like I don't know. Like to me, it's like you're you're holding somebody accountable for something that like you're not holding other people accountable. Not exactly the same, for sure, like different situation, but just it seems a little hypocritical. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:55

Yeah, I think because it's got this scandal scandalous nature, you know, that that's why she got called out on it, where it's happening every day still. I agree. I agree a hundred percent. That is sad. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:07:10

And on that happy note.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:14

Well, I was gonna make a joke. I'm just glad it wasn't Matt LaFleur and some reporter because I just think it would be really super distracting and embarrassing for the team, for the family. I I feel for the families too, of course.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:29

Oh, for sure.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:30

Yeah. So I just yeah, I she'll figure it out. She's a smart lady. But it's not it's not great to have those kind of double standards. You're right to call it out for sure.

SPEAKER_05 1:07:40

Yeah. But you have a bonus, Maddie. No, that that was that was it. Just the bonus was the beast. That was your bonus. I am a fresh.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:50

Oh, the bonus is the beast. Yeah. All right, Maddie. Well, that's just great. Any final thoughts before we bring her home, chat or Matt, or Andrew, before we bring her home? Anything? Uh we're gonna tune into Pack a Day, right? For your Maggie and Dusty. Okay, that's Packaday.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:07

Yeah, I'll I'll I have a first round, uh, an entire first round mock coming out uh in the next couple days, and then yeah, uh, probably early in early next week will be the Packers specific seven-round mock draft. Nice.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:20

I'm super excited. Yeah, okay, Maddie. Any final thoughts before we bring her home?

SPEAKER_05 1:08:27

I just say, Andrew, I so appreciate you uh you know giving us some of your time tonight. Uh for all you've done to help me be a Smarter Packers fan, you know. Uh, more than I think you you realize. You've done a lot to help a lot of people these be Smarter Packers fans, Packers fans, and I appreciate your hard work on that. Sharing your excitement about the draft and your your skill at like breaking it down. Um, and yeah, it's it's always good talking to you, man.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:51

I uh love being on, and the fact that anybody cares what I have to say is uh continually impressive to me.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:59

Well, I will never forget your origin story. I meant to bring it up a little bit um to remind uh listeners about you being a little kid and putting together your your drafts. You want to give us a quick, I'm sorry, I'm digressing now. We're not we're not concluding, but I I just wrapping it up.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:18

Yeah, maybe my very first like I remember being really, really upset uh that the Packers drafted Terrell Buckley over Troy Vincent. So, like if you know who any of those players are, kudos, you're old. Um Terrell Buckley was a very undersized corner out of Florida State, won a Super Bowl uh with the Packers, but was not necessarily uh living up to the hype. Troy Vincent was a Wisconsin player who then would go on to be the NFL PA uh rep. I think he works in the league office now. I don't know. Anyways, doesn't matter. Um but yeah, I remember that. I remember cutting the mock draft out of the newspaper the Sunday before the draft, and like that was the only information that you could get in the remote sticks of Wisconsin, and uh you know, then eventually like bribing my parents or whining enough that they would buy me a draft guide, and then you know, the onset of the internet and like really being able to like get information. Um, in 2005, I was an intern at Fox 11 in Green Bay and um really messed up bad because I didn't know who Greg Jennings was when they drafted him. Um, but I made it up, and hey, it ended up being right on accident. So, you know, like I have a long rich history with the NFL draft, it's my favorite time of the year. So um love the opportunity to talk.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:46

Ah, thank you so much again for joining us. Well, Mandy, let's bring her home.

SPEAKER_05 1:10:51

Yeah, I will. So, friends, we'd love to have a chance to interview you and shout you out. If you're a subscriber and a football fan, if you'd like to nominate someone to be a guest on our podcast, please let us know. Our DMs are open on all the social platforms, except for TikTok. Can you do DMs on TikTok? We're not on TikTok. And folks, you subscribe to our podcast, you help us to keep spreading uh the love in our community. And the best way to help this podcast grow is by sharing it with your friends and family.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:16

Yes, Maddie, that's right. Because we love you. We're so glad to know you to be fans of you and have the luxury of being fans of the most storied team in the NFL. We appreciate your support, your subscriptions, and sharing our pod, and we look forward to seeing you next week on day one of draft night.

SPEAKER_05 1:11:37

On hey, we like your pod.