Check out Evan Williams on CHTV!

Evan Williams joins Packer Transplants Live

Green Bay Packers safety Evan Williams joined CHTV co-founders Aaron Nagler and Corey Behnke for a special pre-draft edition of Packer Transplants LIVE on Wednesday afternoon. Williams discussed his first year in the league, what his draft experience was like and much more. Be sure to check it out!

The Rookie Impact Fallacy

Frustration with the Packers’ ‘draft and develop’ philosophy has bubbled up recently, with the slow development of the likes of Lukas Van Ness, or even success stories like Rashan Gary, causing fans ire. This has led to a growing cry that Green Bay needs to draft more players who have an early impact.

Let’s talk about that.

It is not a novel idea that having rookies make an immediate impact on your football team can provide a huge boost. It is also not all that common, predictable, something to chase or base your draft philosophy around. Of the 257 players drafted in 2024, only 32 had a PFF grade of 70 or higher. 70 translated to starter level, or ‘above average’ play. That works out to less than 12.5% of all drafted rookies. 11 of those 32 were off the board before pick 23, which is the pick Green Bay has in the first round this year. Less than 9% of drafted players from pick 23 onwards were above average NFL players as rookies in 2024. By the way, the Packers had two of them, Edgerrin Cooper and Evan Williams. No NFL team picking from number 23 onwards had more, and only five other teams had as many: the Buccaneers, Chargers, Chiefs, Rams and Steelers. Green Bay has not done too badly in the rookie impact department.

The theme? All six teams with two above average rookies picked from 23 onwards made the playoffs, which shows the surplus value having quality rookies can have, but also brings up another good point. Green Bay was a playoff team. They were a playoff team in 2023 and 2024, and will very likely be again in 2025. That would probably still be true even if they didn't draft a single player.

If all you are looking for from a draft is rookie impact, you’re going to come away disappointed more often than not. It is fantastic when it happens, a force multiplier for a team, but it is not the norm and not the standard by which teams should be measured.

Uncovering Hidden Talent Post Draft

On April 26th, at the end of the NFL Draft, the final pick will be surrounded by an absurd amount of pomp and circumstance. Currently, the Kansas City Chiefs hold that pick, but with the flurry of trades that'll happen that weekend, that could very well change between now and pick number 257. They call that pick "Mr. Irrelevant." After that player is picked, a week-long celebration is had in Newport Beach, CA with a parade, banquet, trophy, and all kinds of fun. I guess you could call it a "Hey you were picked last, but you still matter!" celebration. That might sound rather silly like a consolation prize for being last, but in the grand scheme of it all, is it that bad to be picked last in the draft when some players don't have their name called at all? Not only does Mr. Irrelevant receive his parade, banquet, and trophy, but he also still receives his four-year NFL contract like every other draft pick.

What about the guys who weren't picked at all that are now tossed into the bin of undrafted free agents who don't have a draft pick investment as a small form of job security? Aren't they a little more irrelevant? Maybe, but if we're being honest, some players might prefer to go undrafted than be "Mr. Irrelevant." Not a single "Mr. Irrelevant" has been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Only one "Mr. Irrelevant" has ever made the Pro Bowl. Countless undrafted free agents have earned Pro Bowl nods and around 8% of the Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinees went undrafted.

The CHTV Draft Guide is here!

A comprehensive NFL Draft preview, the CHTV Draft Guide is the ORIGINAL NFL draft guide catered specifically to YOU - the Green Bay Packers fan! It comes to you as a digital download for a simple and fast way to get the guide in your hands as soon as possibe. The CHTV Draft team has completed their work, watching film, researching prospects, and putting together our feature articles.

Could Donovan Ezeiruaku reunite with Jeff Hafley?

Could BC’s Donovan Ezeiruaku be reunited with Jeff Hafley? 

The Packers have a need for another pass rusher. Donovan Ezeiruaku was second in the nation in sacks last year with 16.5 sacks. He was recruited by and played for current Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. He was also coached at BC by assistant defensive line coach Vince Oghobaase.

Do all of these connections add up in a few weeks, resulting in the Packers drafting Ezeiruaku on Thursday or Friday night of the draft? Ezeiruaku is a very intriguing prospect in this year’s NFL draft. He comes out of Boston College, playing four years for the Eagles, finishing with 28 sacks in four seasons. He’s a 6-foot-2, 248 pound defensive end. His size however is a bit smaller than Packers General Manager Brian Gutekunst has gone for in his edge players since becoming the team’s GM.

Ezeiruaku is a compact edge rusher with outstanding length, burst and production. In the pass game, he has a very quick first step and gets on top of blockers in a hurry. He excels at prying open the outside shoulder and cornering toward the quarterback. He has a full array of moves to complement his speed rush. He has won with a club/swim, inside counter, spin move and Euro step. He’s an outstanding finisher (16.5 sacks in 2024). Against the run, he needs to be more consistent using his length to stack blocks. He takes them on with his shoulder too often. He shows solid effort on the back side to chase plays. Overall, Ezeiruaku has an ideal body type to rush the passer, and he has all the tricks in his bag to win against good players.

The Packers have invested a lot of draft resources in the front seven. Would another first round defensive end be too many after drafting Van Ness just two years ago?

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😭Packers Safety Evan Williams shares his ‘Welcome to the NFL’ moment…. Bears fans are going to love this 🤦‍♂️ 😂

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Packers Investing in the Big Bodies is Good Business

The Green Bay Packers’ offensive line is getting more expensive. At least in terms of average salary, the Packers have two of the highest-paid linemen at their positions in the league slated to start, with starting right tackle Zach Tom presumably inching closer to a new contract himself. With the signing of Aaron Banks in free agency, General Manager Brian Gutekunst confirmed that two-time Pro Bowler left guard Elgton Jenkins will shift to center. It’s a position at which Gutekunst openly believes Jenkins could earn an All-Pro nod. "We had plenty of conversations with Elgton leading up to it, and obviously he played center in college," Gutekunst said at the NFL Owners’ Meetings. "We feel he's got a chance to be an All-Pro center. We've talked about it a lot, how versatility plays into our offensive line, and having guys that can move to different spots. And Elgton's one of those guys who can play all five spots, so he's a luxury. I'm excited to see what he can do at center, as well."

Interestingly, that shift moves Jenkins’ $17 million annual salary into the middle of the line. It instantly entrenches him as the NFL’s second-highest paid center, behind the Chiefs’ Creed Humphrey at $18 million. At guard, he was tied for 8th on the list of highest-paid at the position. (And we;re not going into contract structures here, just average annual, for simplicity’s sake.) If projections hold, Banks now slides into Jenkins’ old slot at an average figure of $19.25 – that’s good for third highest at left guard, behind only the Eagles’ Landon Dickerson ($21 million average) and the Colts’ Quentin Nelson ($20 million average).

This investment helps protect Jordan Love, obviously, and with a horse like Josh Jacobs hauling the football up and down the football field, it sure does bode well for some future Jacobs highlight-reel fodder. Not gonna lie, I’m looking forward to seeing what this reshuffled line does in 2025. It was good in 2024 when healthy, and if this restructuring makes it even better, well, it’s going to be a fun season. If the wide receivers can now just improve their drop rates, the Packers might really be in business.

Top 5 edge defenders for the Packers in the 2025 NFL Draft

CHTV contributor Cody Roadcap highlights the Top 5 edge prospects for the Green Bay Packers in the 2025 NFL Draft.

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