On the back of another year of what ifs, the Green Bay Packers are currently looking to make sure they start the 2015 season with a roster strong enough to make a real run in next season’s postseason.
While the Packers are currently as short as 13/2 with 32Red and Bet365 to win the Super Bowl in the next campaign, one area that Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy know they need to strengthen during the Draft is the tight end department. There are also some who feel the Packers could even be tempted to use one of their higher picks in order to add some more strength in depth ahead of the new campaign.
As it stands, there are not many top-level tight ends on the Green Bay roster. The loss of Jermichael Finley (pictured below) has hit Green Bay hard over the past couple of seasons, and it now looks all but guaranteed that the man who played such a key role in the franchise’s 2010 Super Bowl triumph won’t be returning to the NFL, never mind the Packers. Losing such an important player has been a huge blow to Green Bay but there is now no denying the fact that the franchise need to replace Finley and look towards the future.
Image source: Mike Morbeck
The Packers did add options to their tight end department in the third round of the 2014 Draft in the shape of Richard Rodgers. And while the rookie showed glimpses of quality during his 543 snaps last season, the 23-year-old’s stats didn’t reflect well on him and ultimately showed Rodgers might not be the man to replace Finley in the long term.
However, the tight end is young enough to be given a chance to prove his worth this year. Rodgers may have taken his time to find his feet in the NFL last season, but there is little doubt he had established himself as a very capable tight end by the time the Packers suffered their NFC Championship game loss at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks.
Perhaps ahead of Rodgers in the pecking order is Andrew Quarless, who has returned from a serious knee injury to produce two solid seasons. But despite the 26-year-old claiming he is one of the best tight ends in the league, averaging around 50 targets, 335 yards and three touchdowns a season aren’t the stats of the best NFL players in his position. With the only other tight end on the Packers roster being Justin Perillo, who recorded just 11 offensive snaps during his rookie season, Green Bay fans are expecting some new faces to arrive at the franchise before the start of the season.
McCarthy has built up a reputation throughout his coaching career as preferring to have plenty of options at tight end and there is a strong chance the head coach will be pushing to use at least one of Green Bay’s higher picks to draft a new running tight end. While Rodgers and Quarless are both very mobile players, neither has been able to get the sort of defensive attention that quarterback Aaron Rodgers needs to do what he does best. With one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, McCarthy will be well aware that getting a top-level tight end could be the missing piece to this team and add something different to this offense.
Image source: Phil Roeder
If the Packers do use one of their higher picks in the upcoming Draft, there are some interesting options out there of whom the Green Bay management will undoubtedly have taken notice.
1st Round: Maxx Williams (Minnesota)
As far as tight ends who have the full package, there aren’t many more highly sought-after than Minnesota’s Maxx Williams. Capable of finding space no matter where he is on the field and a player who weighs in with more than his fair share of blocks, Williams racked up 569 receiving yards last season. That was the eighth-best for a tight end in college football and the 21-year-old is heading into this Draft on a number of NFL teams’ radar. Williams is one of the youngest tight ends in this year’s Draft and the sky could be the limit for a player who is still years away from reaching his peak.
2nd/3rd Round: Clive Walford (Miami)
Another tight end strong in all areas is Clive Walford. While the Miami man might not be the player Williams is, he would make a very sensible 94th overall pick if the Packers miss out on the first round pick. Walford has 121 catches for 1.753 yards and 14 touchdowns over the course of his four-year college career. There will definitely be a host of NFL franchises eager to add the 23-year-old to their roster should Green Bay not decide to go for the tight end.