Every NFL team has a ‘type’ that they typically target in the NFL Draft, and the Green Bay Packers are no different. With the 2022 NFL Draft right around the corner, it is time to narrow down the likely targets of GM Brian Gutekunst and the front office.
More often than not, Gutekunst tends to lean towards players with high Relative Athletic Scores (RAS) and players that are 22 years old or younger. Dating back to 2018 (Gutekunst’s first draft as GM), these metrics have been very evident and have resulted in great results.
Jaire Alexander (2018), Rashan Gary and Darnell Savage (2019), Jordan Love (2020), and Eric Stokes (2021) are the five 1st-rounders that Gutekunst has selected, and all have fit into one or both of the listed criteria. All players are 22 years or younger (Stokes is the eldest at 22), and the trio of Alexander, Gary, and Stokes all had above 9.0 RAS when drafted (Savage and Love both were sub-8.5 RAS).
With those metrics in mind, here are a few rookies unlikely to be selected by the Packers in this year’s NFL Draft.
Bernhard Raimann
OL – Central Michigan
Bernhard Raimann looks to be one of this year’s small-school darlings, as he looks to enter the league from Central Michigan. As Raimann may hear his name called on Day 1 of the draft, it likely will not be when the Packers are on the clock.
Raimann will turn 25 in September, and he only has two seasons of being an OL in college after making the switch over from tight end. While playing at a MAC school is not something that should necessarily not qualify a player from being good, his limited body of work in a smaller conference does set him apart from his OL counterparts.
David Bell
WR – Purdue
It is more than obvious that the Packers are desperately needing an influx of talent at the wide receiver position this offseason, and the NFL Draft is exactly when they will (likely) address it. With fans clamoring for the team to use a first-round selection on one, that looks more likely than the team deciding to draft David Bell.
Bell didn’t necessarily showcase any dominant athletic traits during his time at Purdue, and with the team’s offense frequently being stagnant, he had touches manufacturer for him, with things not necessarily coming naturally.
The scope of the offense Bell was a part of certainly shouldn’t lower his stock, but Bell just doesn’t seem like the prototypical WR option that the Packers would want to target. With a likely 3rd/4th-round grade put on him, the Packers probably won’t decide to add Bell this draft cycle.
Using a high selection on a player that does not fit into the trends that Gutekunst has followed so far is unlikely, and while these two players can be ‘ruled out’ for different reasons, one thing is for certain – no one truly knows what this team will look like after this weekend’s upcoming draft.
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Mike Johrendt has been an avid fan of the Packers ever since he can remember. He is now a writer at PackersTalk and you can follow him on Twitter at @MJohrendt23
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