Green Bay Packers: Midseason Rookie Performance Grades

Green Bay Packers’ Middle Round Picks

4th Round – Royce Newman

With their fourth-round pick, the Packers found yet another starting offensive lineman in Royce Newman. He’s been starting at right guard every week and has played 100 percent of all offensive snaps for Green Bay, which is great for a mid-round rookie.

Now, as for his performance in those games, that’s up for debate. Obviously, the offense has performed well this year with him in the lineup, so he can’t be too much of a detriment, but some would disagree. Pro Football Focus has him graded at just a 47.3 this season and charted for four sacks allowed, which is tied for second-most in the league. He has stayed pretty much penalty-free; however, only committing one holding penalty this season. He’s a rookie, and while he hasn’t shown anything really special, he’s getting the job done and doing enough for this offense to win games.

Overall Grade: C

5th Round – Tedarrell Slaton

Getting into the back end of the draft now; snap counts for these guys are much lower than guys taken higher. Slaton is the first of the later picks to not see much of the field. He hasn’t been completely shut out of playing time and has played at least a few snaps in every game, but he’s only played 13 percent of Green Bay’s total defensive snaps. This is partially due to the fact that he is mostly a run stuffer, so he would only be used on the first two downs or third and short, and the Packers clearly think guys like Tyler Lancaster, Dean Lowry, and Kingsley Keke, not to mention the obvious Kenny Clark, do that job better than him for the most part.

Pro Football Focus would tend to agree with the Packers’ coaching staff grading him just a 44.5 for the year. They have credited him with two sacks, though, so it’s not like he’s just doing nothing out there. For a fifth-round pick that’s pretty far back in the defensive line rotation, he’s been good enough that I don’t feel worried when he’s in the game, and that’s really all you can ask for from a rookie fifth-rounder.

Overall Grade: C-

5th Round – Shemar Jean-Charles

A lot of people, including myself, were excited when Shemar Jean-Charles was announced as the Green Bay Packers’ selection with this fifth-round pick. He was a lockdown corner in college, albeit at a small school in Appalachian State. It looked like he might get a chance to compete for the slot corner position, but he hasn’t gotten any real opportunities in the regular season as the Packers have opted for more veteran options, and he’s played just 22 defensive snaps.

Again, Eric Stokes having success as a rookie corner is an outlier and he’s an athletic freak. Jean-Charles will get his shot eventually, and there will be a moment of truth somewhere along the line where the fate of his career will be decided, but that moment isn’t here yet. He has been a staple on special teams, playing 56 percent of those snaps, and the value he adds there isn’t worth nothing.

Overall Grade: D+