Green Bay Packers: 3 Players feeling nervous after the draft
The draft usually brings in players with the intent of replacing those currently on the roster. Here are three guys on the Green Bay Packers that should be feeling nervous.
The NFL Draft has come and gone and the Green Bay Packers have added eight new players to their roster. These additions to the roster can mean a plethora of things. Sometimes it’s adding to the strengths already on the roster or there are other times that players are added with the future in mind.
The draft beautifully mixes both aspects into one. And just like with every season, there are some guys on this Packers team that should have their head on a swivel when training camp starts.
Here are three guys that should be worried about the Packers’ newest additions to the roster.
Lane Taylor – Guard
Taylor was already in some trouble coming into the draft. He’s coming off a poor season in which he was not healthy and he surrendered eight sacks. Also, given Taylor’s lack of mobility, he is not the perfect scheme fit for Matt LaFleur’s outside zone scheme. Throw it all together and you have a player that is likely going to be replaced in the near future.
With the return of Cole Madison, and more importantly, the addition of Elgton Jenkins in the second round, Taylor could be in trouble as soon as 2019. It seems unlikely that they cut him as the cap savings they’d get at this point would not benefit them all that much. It is very possible, however, that Taylor’s spot in the starting lineup is in jeopardy.
Jenkins is a top-50 pick and those players don’t tend to stay on the bench for very long. However, looking at the rest of the offensive line, where is Jenkins going to play? David Bakhtiari remains the premier left tackle in football. Corey Linsley is a center the Green Bay Packers paid pretty handsomely. Contrary to what some may think, Bryan Bulaga isn’t going anywhere. And Billy Turner was just paid a hefty sum of money.
That leaves Taylor at left guard as the most replaceable player. The competition on the interior offensive line this season really should be one of the most fun storylines as the team heads into training camp.
Tyler Lancaster – Nose tackle
A darling from late last season, as the Green Bay Packers fell out of contention, Lancaster’s reps increased. He did a good job on the interior when the players around him continued to drop like flies. Lancaster’s biggest issue coming into the season is that he’s a bit of a one-dimensional player.
He’s not really a pass rusher and the run-stuffing defensive tackle is one of the most replaceable positions on the roster. Kingsley Keke was picked in the fifth round, and it remains unlikely that he is released barring a horrendous showing in training camp. The defensive line is one of the deepest positions on the roster going into 2019. Kenny Clark and Mike Daniels both remain high-level starters, Dean Lowry has been excellent in rotational work, Montravius Adams is a former top-100 pick that showed some flashes late last season and Fadol Brown was a late-season pickup that had more juice as a pass rusher.
With the addition of Kingsley and the three new edge rushers that have the ability to lineup inside, it’s possible that Lancaster’s role simply gets eliminated throughout the course of camp.
Jamaal Williams – Running back
Williams isn’t getting released, let’s just get that out of the way at the forefront. He is, however, in danger of losing carries. He’s another player that isn’t the greatest scheme fit for LaFleur’s system. Williams’ worst trait early in his career has been his vision and that’s something that will be a requirement in LaFleur’s new scheme.
On the other hand, Aaron Jones is a seamless transition to this new scheme. Jones is also the more talented, more productive player through the first two years of their careers. Then in the sixth round of this year’s draft, the Green Bay Packers added Dexter Williams from Notre Dame. He compares athletically to Aaron Jones and he’s also adept at running inside zone, a staple of LaFleur’s playbook.
Next. Experts grade the 2019 draft class. dark
Williams has a role on this team as he is an excellent pass blocker and he’s good in short yardage situations. However, he’s simply not dynamic enough to be a team’s second option out of the backfield. Dexter Williams, if he picks up the playbook, has a very good chance to surpass Jamaal Williams on the depth chart.