Green Bay Packers: Best/Worst case scenarios for Jace Sternberger

The Green Bay Packers drafted tight end Jace Sternberger before the later rounds for the first time since Richard Rodgers in 2014. Here are the best and worst case scenarios for his rookie season

Jace Sternberger represents a changing of the guard in Titletown. The Green Bay Packers had largely ignored the tight end position in the draft for the last four seasons, which is one of the many reasons they are in the situation that they are right now.

They’d gone the veteran free agent route with Jared Cook, Martellus Bennett, and Jimmy Graham, but that didn’t work out.

Cook was a success for one season, but a player the Green Bay Packers ultimately let get away. They let that happen because they felt Bennett was a better player. The Bennett signing was nothing short of a disaster. He played half of a season before quitting on the team and slandering the team’s doctor on the way out the door.

As for Graham, he isn’t the player that he used to be. The Packers are giving him another year with Aaron Rodgers and hoping he could bring more impact than he did in his first season with the team.

None the less, the team drafted Sternberger with the future in mind. Graham may not be around after this season, Marcedes Lewis was signed to a one year deal, and Robert Tonyan is an undrafted free agent with tools, but little in terms of on-field production.

Sternberger is a top-100 pick. He’s the highest tight end the Green Bay Packers have selected since Bubba Franks was a first round pick.

Sternberger is not the prospect that many pined for in the ways of Noah Fant or T.J. Hockenson. He is, however, capable of becoming a downfield threat that stretches the seam.

His blocking will be a concern that is harped on early in his career, but something that can easily be improved. With that in mind, let’s look at the best and worst case scenarios for Sternberger’s rookie season.

Best case

Sternberger is likely to enter the season as the fourth tight end on the depth chart. Early progress could cause him to eclipse Robert Tonyan for reps early in the preseason.

Sternberger’s best case early in his career is certainly as a pass receiver. Sternberger is not going to inline-block against a defensive end at this point in his career and that’s ok. It’s just not his game at this point.

During his rookie season, Packers fans can hope to see Sternberger in multiple tight end sets. The reality is, he’s unlikely to displace Jimmy Graham as their starting tight end in 2019 and if he does, it’s because something has gone wrong. Either Graham is injured, or looks like an even older and slower version of the 2018 Graham to the point that Matt LaFleur simply decides to move to the future.

The hope early in his career is that Sternberger can learn from the likes of professionals like Graham and Lewis as to how to work on his craft. Sternberger could learn some of the ins and outs of the position from Lewis. Lewis was highly praised from Tonyan last season as someone who helped him see the game differently. Sternberger should be in their hip pockets early and often throughout the season.

As the year progresses, Sternberger slowly finds himself more involved in the offensive game plan. Sternberger finishes the year as a red zone threat, with the potential to grow even more as a downfield receiver. He leaves the Green Bay Packers after his rookie season feeling very confident that they have found their tight end of the future.

Worst case

Sternberger’s lack of play strength and inline blocking ability leave him rendered to the bench early in the season. His lack of experience with upper-level football and the position shows early in the year. He’s unable to displace Tonyan as the third option in the tight end room and is rendered as an inactive player on game days.

His season does not progress from there and ultimately ends up as a redshirt kind of season. With Sternberger the only tight end guaranteed to be under contract beyond 2019, the Green Bay Packers are now left to wonder if they need to make a higher investment in a position that is incredibly important to the offense their head coach wants to run.