London is one of the few boxes left unchecked

Is this the draft class where we look to an amazingly talented and athletic defensive lineman to help shore up the run defense?

It could be. The Packers haven’t invested a Day 1 or Day 2 pick into a defensive tackle since Montravius Adams in 2017. While this draft doesn’t appear to have a top-10 interior D-lineman, there is a lot of depth at the end of the first round and into the second.

Do you have a way-too-early hopeful draft pick? I know Packers say they like to take the best player available. Personally, I hope for big guys in the early rounds.

Unfortunately, the Packers usually pick way too late in the first round for me to answer this intelligently. I’ll throw a blind dart the week before the draft, but right now I couldn’t tell you. A first-round pick today could easily be a third-rounder in eight weeks. It happens every year.

Hello II, ML mentioned Elgton Jenkins is in Green Bay doing his ACL rehab. Is this done at the Packers facility with Packers medical staff or is this through an independent facility? Do other contracted players have the advantage of having access to team trainers during the offseason? Are contracted players supplied with a conditioning regimen, or are they left to sort this out on their own? Thanks for being the wealth of information that you all are.

That’s up to the player. Some choose to stay with the team. Others will have the surgery and rehab at independent training facilities. Bryan Bulaga did both during his time with the Packers. The team’s medical staff will give counsel but the decision is entirely up to the player. It sounds like Jenkins has mostly done his rehab with the Packers. It’s good to hear it’s going well, though.

In addition for being known for his great coaching work, it seems Tom Clements was also a Heisman finalist, finishing fourth after his senior season. Over the years, the Pack has had their share of Heisman-level players, among them Paul Hornung, Ty Detmer, Desmond Howard, and Charles Woodson. Besides Clements, is there anyone else currently employed by the team that was a Heisman hopeful? I assume Larry fell a spilled coffee mug short of becoming the only center to be considered.

You can throw Danny Wuerffel in the mix, too. I can’t think of anyone else currently on staff who was in contention for the Heisman. Tony Fisher should have been, but there’s probably some personal bias there on my part.

Hi II, how many personnel do the Packers send to the NFL Scouting Combine? Is it a combination of coaches and scouts?

I know things have changed somewhat in Indianapolis but the Packers still send all their scouts and coaches to the combine. The coaches don’t stick around as long as the scouts but LaFleur said he feels it’s important for his coaches to mingle with players and check out the workouts.

Do you think a player like George Pickens saying he wants to play for the Packers actually impacts his chances that the Packers would draft him?

Sure, but the guy also was answering a question from a reporter about whether he met with the Packers. I would’ve said the same thing.

Wes, do the talent evaluators look for reasons a prospect’s combine performance doesn’t equal his game tape, whether good or bad, or do they just chalk it up to the “combine” effect? I would think if someone inordinately helps or hurts themselves at the combine everyone would want to know why.

You have to. Because scouts need to find out whether the red flag is real. If the Packers wrote off Micah Hyde for not running a 4.4, they would’ve missed out on a real fifth-round find. On the other side of the token, a poor performance at the combine occasionally shines a light on there being a ceiling to a prospect’s pro career. You gotta pay attention to all of it.

The questions regarding the future cap problems seem to forget that the reason the Packers don’t/won’t have much wiggle room is because of the tremendous talent (David Bakhtiari, Kenny Clark, Aaron Jones, etc.) that is signed for future years. I am sure the Packers would love more cap space but they aren’t looking to build a whole roster from free agents. With the salary cap eventually rising, they should be able to have room to sign more of their own (Jaire Alexander, Jenkins, etc.) and maybe a free agent if needed.

The Packers are tight against the cap not because they spent poorly. The reason they’re facing these issues is A) because of the pandemic and B) because they have a plethora of elite, homegrown talent. And you want to reward that talent.

Joe from Liberty Township, OH

In yesterday’s II, there was a question about Sam Vainisi, Jack Vainisi’s younger brother. Jack was largely responsible for bringing Vince Lombardi to Green Bay and for most of the future HOF players on the roster. Only Herb Adderley and Dave Robinson were drafted after his death, and he had already scouted Adderley, so he might’ve influenced Lombardi drafting him in ’61. I’ve often wondered how the ’70s and ’80s could’ve played out had Jack Vainisi still been with the Packers.

You wonder. Not only because of what Jack would’ve accomplished in his own career but also the lives he would’ve touched and scouts he would’ve mentored.

Shane from Philadelphia, PA

In response to a comment from Matt from South Bend about HOF QBs, Mike said, “If the Seahawks hand the ball off to Lynch, Wilson is probably a shoo-in.” While I think we all agree they should have run the ball, I think it’s strange everyone uses similar language to Mike instead of, “If Russell Wilson does not throw an interception…” It was only second down and Wilson easily could have thrown it away to allow for a run on third down. Wilson always seems to get a “pass” for that mistake.

I owe an apology to Spoff for lighting the fire on this topic.