Packers Morning Buzz: Rashan Gary, Darnell Savage off to fast starts

Welcome to your Morning Buzz, rounding up news and views regarding the Green Bay Packers from around the web and here at PackersNews.com.

We'll start with ESPN.com asking their NFL Nation reporters to provide a progress report of each of the first-round draft picks: How quickly are they adapting to the pro game? Who's off to a  quick start and who may struggle to make the starting lineup?

Here's how Packers reporter Rob Demovsky assesses what he has seen from Green Bay's two first-round picks:

DE Rashan Gary: Explosiveness and versatility. Gary has already displayed both. While playing on the edge, Gary looks quick off the ball. Yet the Packers also think he can move inside. In fact, in one defensive package, Gary lined up inside along with Za'Darius Smith, while Preston Smith and Kyler Fackrell played on the edge. "That's why he's here -- because he's a versatile player," Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. "He can be on the edge, we can kick him inside. He's an incredible athlete, and we've just got to keep getting him familiarized with exactly what we're asking him to do, and again, digging at those details so he can go out and execute at a high level.

S Darnell Savage Jr.: Savage was the only rookie to work with the starters from the get-go in OTAs. Paired with free agent Adrian Amos, Savage is part of the revamped safety position. Although it appears Amos is better suited to play near the line of scrimmage and Savage in the back end, defensive coordinator Mike Pettine has called them interchangeable. "We've all seen Darnell's college tape with the speed and the range, he can certainly play deep," Pettine said. "But this is a guy, he was a good blitzer. It was not an issue for him playing down inside as well."

You can read about how all the NFL first-round picks are looking here:

After undergoing surgery Sunday to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon, Packers coach Matt LaFleur tells The MMQB's Albert Breer: "I'm good. Not going to affect anything.":

Packers coach Matt LaFleur’s popped Achilles is a pretty bad stroke of luck. Bright side? Two things. One, because it’s his left leg, he’ll still be able to drive. Two, the timing isn’t terrible. He’s got two weeks left in his first offseason program as head coach. Then he gets about a month’s break in the calendar. And we’re a little under two months from the start of training camp. The plan is for LaFleur to ride a cart the next two weeks and be back on his feet at the start of camp. When I touched base with him post-surgery on Sunday, he texted, “I’m good. Not going to affect anything.”

You can read Breer's entire column here:

The "Good Morning Football" team also puts a positive spin on LaFleur's injury:

Jordy Nelson already has retired, but he's still finalizing his plans to retire as a Packer:

Packers fans who watched wide receiver Davante Adams and left tackle David Bakhtiairi excel during the 2018 season while Aaron Rodgers did the best he could playing on an injured leg might wonder about PFF's grading system here:

Before Julius Peppers became a standout for the Packers, he starred for the Bears, the Panthers and in college at North Carolina:

And finally: Vintage gun-slinging from Brett Favre:

Contact Stu Courtney at (920) 431-8377 or scourtney@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @stucourt