Skill Position Primer Version 1.0
With the abrupt departure of Jordy Nelson, the Packers will be tasked with trying to fill the production void that he will leave behind. This year’s draft is filled with both early and mid-round value players that will make an immediate impact for their respective teams during the 2018 season.
With a wide variety of skill players available, the Packers will be able to take care of their defensive needs in rounds one and two and still have valuable skill players available to draft in the middle rounds of the draft.
I could see the Packers using one of their fourth-round picks to possibly trade back into the second round if one of the top receivers slides a bit, or, they could stay put and draft the best available wide receiver in round 3. I can also see the Packers adding depth at the tight end position in rounds 3-5 since Lance Kendricks will almost surely move on after this season and Jimmy Graham will in all likelihood be a 2-3 year short term solution.
With that in mind, I have compiled a list and scouting report of some of the wide receivers and tight ends that I think the Packers should take a look at in the middle of the draft or in earlier rounds, in the event that they trade back into the second round.
D.J Moore: Maryland
Position: Wide Receiver
Height: 5’11
Weight: 215 lbs
Class: Junior
Hometown: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Experience: 3-year starter
D.J Moore has been an impact player from the time that he stepped on the College Park campus for the 2015 season. As a freshman Moore started 10 of 12 games and had 25 receptions for 357 yards, 3 touchdowns and averaged 14.3 yards per catch. Those numbers only continued to steadily improve throughout his sophomore and junior seasons.
In his sophomore season, Moore continued the statistical climb and caught 41 passes for 637 yards, 6 touchdowns and averaged 15.5 yards per catch. During his junior season, Moore reached the pinnacle of success and had a brilliant junior season. He showcased his talent week after week against formidable defenses in the big ten conference. Moore set career highs in catches with 80, yards, with 1033, and, with touchdowns, 8. Moore was the big ten receiver of the year, was named first team all big ten, and was rated as the top receiver in the big ten according to pro football focus.
DJ Moore has the innate ability to make would be tacklers miss him in the open field and turn ordinary ten-yard completions into touchdowns. He has quick feet and tremendous speed which allows him to get separation from cornerbacks in one on one coverage. Moore will be a dual threat to play both the inside and outside wide receiver positions at the next level. Moore has tremendous body control as shown by his ability to stay on his feet after contact, make tacklers miss, and high point the football and come away with a reception against physical corners.
Injury Report: N/A
Michael Gallup: Colorado St.
Position: Wide Receiver
Height: 6’1
Weight: 200 lbs
Class: Senior
Hometown: Monroe, Georgia
Experience: 2 Year Starter
Michael Gallup began his collegiate career at Butler County Community College in El Dorado, Kansas. In 2014, Gallup had 780 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns as a freshman. His freshman season put him on the radar of college scouts but Gallup suffered an ankle injury during his sophomore season in 2015 that caused him to miss most of the season. He was limited to just 9 catches for 74 yards and 1 touchdown in 4 games.
Gallup had multiple offers coming out of Butler Community College but chose to join Colorado St. University for his junior and senior seasons. Gallup was a standout at Colorado St. right from the beginning, racking up 76 receptions for 1272 yards, 14 touchdowns and averaged 16.7 yards per catch.
Gallup’s junior season statistics earned him a consensus all American selection in 2017. His statistics for his senior season were just as impressive as his junior season as he had 100 receptions for 1418 yards, 7 touchdowns, averaged 14.2 yards and was a Biletnikoff Award finalist in 2017.
Michael Gallup has strong hands and can play both the inside and outside wide receiver positions. He can be effective in the slant game as well as take advantage of deep shot plays down the field. Gallup can climb the ladder to high point a ball and can make jump ball catches in the red zone. Gallup has the ability to catch any ball thrown his way, make the one-handed grab, and be an explosive threat in the open field by accumulating yards after the catch.
Mark Andrews: Oklahoma
Position: Tight End
Height: 6’6
Weight: 255 lbs
Class: Redshirt Junior
Hometown: Scottsdale, Arizona
Experience: 2-year starter
Mark Andrews has battled through injuries and health issues throughout his career at Oklahoma. He gained confidence and experience during his first season in Oklahoma where he appeared in 13 games and had 1 start. Andrews started 11 of his 13 games as a sophomore and had a productive season for the Sooners despite battling a shoulder injury for most of the season that required him to receive injections on a regular basis to keep the pain under control.
Despite the shoulder injury Andrews caught 31 passes for 489 yards, 7 touchdowns and averaged 15.8 yards per catch. Andrews continued to build off the success during his first two seasons in Norman Oklahoma and posted career highs during his junior season in receptions, with 62, yards, with 958, and touchdowns, with 8. Andrews’ standout season earned him first team all American honors, first team all-Big 12 honors, and won him the Mackey Award for the nation’s best tight end.
Andrews is deceptively quick for a 255 lb tight end, he is able to get separation in the secondary and can make tacklers miss with his shifty footwork.
He can catch the ball in traffic, run good routes, get open on a scramble drill, and find the open seam in zone coverage. Andrews’ size creates matchup problems for both linebackers and safeties. He possesses good body control and uses his body to screen defenders so that he is in position to be the only one that can catch the pass that is coming his way.
Injury Report: Andrews suffered a significant shoulder injury in 2016 that he was able to play through and has been battling type-1 diabetes. He has suffered low blood sugar emergencies while on campus at Oklahoma.
Equanimeous St. Brown: Notre Dame
Position: Wide Receiver
Height: 6’5
Weight: 203 lbs
Class: Junior
Hometown: Anaheim, California
Experience: Two-year starter
St. Brown broke into the Notre Dame lineup as a reserve wide receiver and a member of the special teams unit during his freshman season in South Bend. He continued to work hard, and earned a starting position at wide receiver during his sophomore season and had his most productive season as a member of the Fighting Irish. St. Brown caught 58 passes for 961 yards, 9 touchdowns and averaged 16.6 yards per reception.
St. Brown’s stellar 2016 earned him the Notre Dame Offensive Player of the Year (2016) and a spot on the Biletnikoff Award Watch List heading into the 2017 season. St. Brown’s statistics plummeted during his junior season despite playing in all thirteen of the Irish’s games. He had just 33 receptions for 515 yards and 4 touchdowns.
St. Brown displays efficient route running ability with the chance to become a superb route runner at the next level. He has tremendous raw athleticism and can turn a simple slant play into a touchdown. He has the ability to find the seams in a zone defense and has the ability to beat his man in one on one coverage. St. Brown can catch the low ball very well and can create passing windows because of his route running ability. He has the ability to develop into a solid outside receiver at the next level.
Dalton Schultz: Stanford
Position: Tight End
Height: 6’6
Weight: 242 lbs
Class: Redshirt Junior
Hometown: South Jordan, Utah
Experience: 3-year starter
Dalton Schultz is not known for his innate pass-catching skills as a receiving tight end, but rather as one of the key members of Stanford’s run blocking unit who successfully blocked for Heisman Trophy Award Finalists Bryce Love and Christian McCaffrey.
Schultz has developed into a vocal leader for the Stanford Cardinal and head coach David Shaw referred to Schultz as one of the most complete tight ends that he has ever coached. In addition to his sound run blocking technique, Schultz provided his quarterbacks with a reliable large target over the middle of the field that consistently made clutch catches at key times in the game. In his senior season, Schultz had 22 catches for 212 yards, 3 touchdowns and averaged 9.6 yards per reception.
Stay tuned to Packerstalk as the draft approaches for all of your scouting, analysis, predictions, and mock drafts.
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David Michalski is a recent college graduate from Princeton New Jersey who has been a life long Green Bay Packers fan. Like the great Vince Lombardi, he values God, family, and the Green Bay Packers in that order. You can follow him on twitter at @kilbas27dave
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