It seems like the 2020 NFL Draft just happened, but we move fast here at The Draft Network.
Currently going through summer evaluations for the 2021 NFL Draft class, our scouting team of Kyle Crabbs, Joe Marino, Jordan Reid, and Drae Harris are meeting up every day to discuss prospects, traits, and concepts. New to TDN is a daily scouting roundtable where we go through and identify the most important points of conversation from that day’s meeting.
This week, we continued our NFL roster conversations and discussed who has the better overall roster: Green Bay or Minnesota?
Green Bay Packers
After an unusual 13-3 season that saw the team lose in the NFC Championship Game, Green Bay is in a very interesting situation, especially after a draft that seemingly contradicted their current contending status. Despite disagreeing with some of the team’s 2020 draft selections, Reid was very complimentary of the roster, highlighting the team’s offensive line and pass-rush ability as two of their biggest strengths.
Reid’s Thoughts
“The most loaded roster that I scouted (in the NFC North) from top to bottom was the Green Bay Packers, especially along the offensive line,” Reid stated. “(David) Bakhtiari is a stud and Elgton Jenkins was a great find for them in last year’s draft. It’s going to be interesting to see how their right tackle situation shakes out, though. I don’t really agree with what they did replacing (Bryan) Bulaga with Ricky Wagner.”
As for some of the team’s weaknesses, Reid noted holes at linebacker, wide receiver, and depth at corner. Still, each was relatively minor, especially since he thought the team actually did get better at linebacker during this offseason.
“I think they’ll be better on the second level (on defense) in 2020,” Reid stated. “They signed Christian Kirksey and even though he’s struggled a bit with injuries, if he’s able to stay healthy, I think he can be much better than Blake Martinez, even though Martinez got that big deal from the Giants.”
Reid also spoke about how he hopes struggling corner Josh Jackson can take the next step forward on defense.
“Their (starting) secondary is loaded, but their depth isn’t great at corner,” Reid stated. “They’re really hoping that Josh Jackson can come along a little bit for them. I know there was a lot of hype in the pre-draft process for him, but he hasn’t shown much yet.”
Bottom Line
“The Packers are really good, it’s just a matter of getting better on the perimeter (on offense) and getting better on the second level (on defense),” Reid stated.
Minnesota Vikings
Similar to Green Bay, Minnesota is a playoff contender who suffered some setbacks this offseason, specifically at wide receiver (after trading Stefon Diggs) and at cornerback (after releasing Xavier Rhodes). Reid gave his thoughts on the team, citing a few interior issues as well as praising a couple of their defensive stars.
Reid’s Thoughts
“The secondary is probably the biggest question mark on the defensive side, just because they have so much youth. The oldest cornerback they have is Kris Boyd, who’s 24 years old. That goes to show you just how young they are there,” Reid stated. “I think they have the best safety duo in the league in Anthony Harris and Harrison Smith, which will help that inexperienced (CB) unit a lot.”
Reid also made sure to point out issues on the defensive line, particularly within the interior.
“They have a ton of question marks (within the interior defensive line) and a ton of guys who they were hoping to get something out of, but who just haven’t taken that next step yet,” Reid stated. “Michael Pierce opting out leaves a massive void for them and makes them extremely soft up the middle.”
Lastly, Reid talked about the Viking’s offensive line, a unit that was seemingly addressed in the 2019 draft but has yet to improve by a substantial margin.
“It seems like we’re going on a decade with the offensive line being an issue for the Vikings,” Reid stated. “They need to get something more out of Garrett Bradbury (center) who wasn’t good at all as a rookie. He’s just too light in the pants. Brian O’Neill is a stalwart at right tackle, but both guard spots are really bad (too). (Pat) Elflein has stunk it up.”
Bottom Line
“They’ve done a soft rebuild and it’s left a few holes, (mainly) at CB and IDL.”
The TDN Verdict: Green Bay over Minnesota
Although Minnesota offers some serious star potential with players like Adam Thielen, Dalvin Cook, and Danielle Hunter, our staff (and Reid) were in full agreement that Green Bay has a much more well-rounded roster entering 2020.
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