Morning Buzz: Rookie camp kicks off
Welcome to your game day Morning Buzz, rounding up news and views regarding the Green Bay Packers from around the web and here at PackersNews.com. Grab a cup of coffee (or brew some tea, if that’s your thing) and get caught up on everything you need to know about the Packers.
We’ll start with Ryan Wood’s look at rookie safety Josh Jones and the evolution in his game that led to his selection by the Packers.
With better angles and more control, Jones led the Wolfpack with 109 tackles as a junior — almost matching the total from his first two seasons. No longer biting on double moves, he intercepted three passes a year after only picking off one.
It’s a skill set the Packers want to put in the middle of their defense. His college position was safety, but the Packers will expect most of Jones’ snaps to come as a linebacker in their nickel and dime packages. Considering the Packers line up in those two defenses on more than 80 percent of their snaps, Jones has the chance to play a big role early.
Bob McGinn has a feature on one of the Packers undrafted free agents, Geoff Gray. The Canadian prospect will get a chance to compete at guard for Green Bay.
McGinn also profiles each of the team’s undrafted free agents:
If you missed Pete Dougherty’s chat Thursday afternoon, you can read it all right here.
Rich Ryman has all the latest on the annual shareholder’s meeting.
I chatted with readers late Thursday afternoon over on our Facebook page about the draft class and veterans who need to step up heading into 2017:
Elsewhere, Faris Meer has put together an incredibly rich post over at Titletown Soundoff about NIKE’s Sparq formula and how it applies to the new members of the Packers:
The Packers Wire starts up the comparison machine for Jamaal Williams:
Josh Jones says ‘sup.
As does Vince Biegel:
Interesting look at how the Packers’ rookies matchup against the Combine averages in athletic testing:
Lombardi Ave has a film breakdown of Josh Jones’ game:
Rob Demovsky writes on the rapid journey 7th round selection Malachi Dupre has experienced:
Former Packers receiver James Jones is predicting big things for Aaron Rodgers in 2017:
Sports Illustrated has updated their offseason power rankings:
As Aaron Rodgers torched the league down the stretch, the thought was impossible to ignore: How ridiculous would this offense be with a fully functional running back on the active roster? Versatile speedster Ty Montgomery will still have a big role to play, but fourth-round pick Jamaal Williams is built like a tank and ran like one at BYU. He looks the part of a potential bellcow.
Jason Perone says the Packers don’t lack for attitude:
This running diary of the first round from The Power Sweep is a fun, entertaining read: