PACKERS SQUAD SHOW: Are the Packers REALLY Super Bowl Contenders? | Blockbuster Trade Debate

Welcome into the Packers Lockdown Packers Squad Show. I am your host. My name is Brandon Snide. There's no doubt about it. It is time for Matt LaFleur and the Green Bay Packers to make that next step. But how realistic is that? Did they do enough this offseason to compete in the NFC? Or is there a big move out there to be made for Goody? I'm Jason Hirschner of The Leap. And what's missing for the Packers and again is a big move potentially on the horizon. I'm Jacob Westendorff from Packers on a Sign and another Georgia Bulldog. Go Pack, Go! It's the Packers Squad. Everything Green Bay Packers every week. Covering all the big hits and game-changing plays from Titletown. The way only the Lockdown Podcast Network can. From the frozen tundra with all the cheeseheads. The Packers Squad Show starts now. The offseason rolling on. Lot to unpack on the latest Lockdown Packers Squad Show. We'll dive in to some recent confirmed NFL draft visits. We'll pick the brains of Jason and Jacob and see which ones are sticking out to them. Is there a blockbuster trade on the horizon for the Green Bay Packers? If there's not, should there be one? And what does that exactly look like? We'll dive into that name and what that would look like coming up. But gentlemen, I wanted to start with a broader picture for the Green Bay Packers as we enter 2026. And Jason, I want to begin with you. The aspirations right now are Superbola or Bust as they always are in Green Bay the last few years. The 7th seed for MetlaFlor, Jordan Love and the rest of the Green Bay Packers. The NFC North, the bigger pitcher, I guess you could say Minnesota got slightly better. But everybody else looks like they kind of just filled in holes on guys that they had lost in the offseason. How do you feel about the Green Bay Packers entering the 2026 season, not only in the NFC North, Jason, but in the NFC as a whole? I think a good part of the answer to this is going to depend on things that we don't currently know. And I don't just mean the health of certain Packers players, but also when the Packers are going to play certain opponents, especially some of the top Super Bowl contenders in the NFL, you look at their schedule. And just this is outside of the NFC North. This is just other opponents. They have five teams that were in the playoffs last season. Bills, Panthers, Texans, Patriots and Rams, the latter two on the road. Now, I'm going to read a quote from Jeff Happley, who wants to play the Packers in week one. And it was because Michael Parsons, he didn't say by name, but that's who he's referring to. One of his favorite guys might not be ready to play by then. It's such a big part of what this season is going to be for the Packers. When does Michael Parsons come back? When does he no longer have some sort of snap limitations? We assume there'll be some version of that early on. And there's a version of this that applies to Zach Tom and possibly Tucker Kraft as well. You know, it is health, but it's also when the Packers hit these big potential road bumps in their schedule. Because we know who they're playing already. And even if we don't have the exact quality of those teams, we can surmise to a certain degree how difficult that schedule is going to be. And, you know, if they happen to play the Rams week one, let's say, well, that's a much tougher game without Michael Parsons there to stop one of the top offenses. But if that's a game that happens in November, especially in December, that potentially looks like a very different matchup. One that maybe the Packers could be favored in if those guys are healthy and everything else is going more or less the way that the Packers expected to. So I think the big variable, again, is when the Packers play these top opponents because their schedule could look very, very different depending on how it falls. Jacob, right now, if you look at our friends over at Fandle, they have the Packers tied with the fourth best odds to come out of the NFC this season. The Rams are ahead of Green Bay. The Seahawks are ahead of Green Bay. And a surprise, I think the San Francisco 49ers are right ahead of the Green Bay. The Packers tied with the Eagles and the Detroit Lions with their best odds to come out of the NFC in 2026. Is anything surprise you with that? Or is that about right for Matt LaFleur and the Green Bay Packers? Yeah, the 49ers is a little surprising just because I found that a little odd as well. And I mean, they're good. They're well coached. They're a good organization. Like Brock Purdy is not as bad as like he's portrayed to be in some spots where people think like just anybody could be tossed in there and do anything. But he's certainly not. Josh, like there are certain quarterbacks where you can just kind of pencil it like the Buffalo Bills are going to win at least 10 or 11 games every season as long as number 17 is under centered. You know, I know that it didn't just happen with Kansas City Chiefs, but it kind of took everything possibly that could go wrong for that to happen. That's usually how that works. Purdy's not that, but the Niners, they've struggled with injuries in recent years and keeping some of those guys healthy. Now you're talking about those guys having to come back from these, you know, significant injuries as well. They should be finally, maybe potentially possibly, I don't know, free from the Brandon Ayuk drama, which he's still on San Francisco's roster, which that is one of still far and away. One of these strangest things that I've ever seen where a guy did not want to be there. They did not want to pay him. And somehow he signed a contract extension with that team and has now been there for at least two years where it's clear he's been very unhappy with what's going on there. So that's a little surprising. The Rams and the Seahawks, I think by, you know, obviously last year's merits, Seattle Super Bowl champion and the Rams to me were, you know, right there. They went toe to toe with the Seahawks there, what, three times last year. So beat them once and were able to be just within that doorstep of the Super Bowl. Matthew Stafford's healthy, in my opinion. You know, that is the team that as we sit here on April 7th, I would probably be, if you had to ask me today, be picking to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. They've still got Okunakua and Devante Adams, and they have, you know, one first round pick now, only one, but they still have that one pick high in the draft too. Thank you Atlanta Falcons for doing that. So they could potentially add an impact player that way. They've revamped their secondary. Their defensive line can be ferocious. Jared Verst is one of the top players, young and ascending in all the football. So, you know, I think those teams after Seattle and Los Angeles, I don't think there's much of a drop off, but that's tier one in the NFC, right? And then after that, you can kind of bucket in, I think the 49ers are in that bucket. I don't know if they're ahead of the Packers, but they're in that bucket with Green Bay and Philadelphia. If they've got some of those problems solved, then who knows if that's the case or not. And then maybe like some combination of Detroit, Chicago. Am I missing anybody? I don't think so, but Dallas, believe it or not, is in that right below. OK, so no, I'm not missing anybody is what you mean. So no, I mean, put all that together. There isn't a team on that list that I think when they're healthy, that the Packers cannot beat on a given day. You know, the question is what version of the Packers are you going to get? Are you going to get the team who played opening week against the Detroit Lions and kind of dominated? There was a 27. You know, if they don't get that garbage touchdown from Isaac Tesla, then we're talking about a 27, 6 beat down to start the game. And I know it doesn't make that much of a difference, but 27, 6 does look a lot different than 27 to 13 like that. And that was truly representative of, I think, how dominant the Packers were on that given day. So that's something. Do you get that team or do you get the team who slept walk against the Cleveland Browns, the team who kind of mosey down the field against the Dallas Cowboys or the team who, you know, remember, since they've had Micah Parsons, they have not won a game without him. Now, that is a completely different team coming into the season and everything like that. But that's something that a question, at least they're going to have to answer early in the year. Because like you said, Mike is not going to play for what the first, you know, at least two or three weeks in season. Just don't just don't tell him that because he thinks he's playing week one. Jason, what do you think the biggest gap right now between the Packers are and becoming a Super Bowl team? What's the next step in their evolution? At least relative to last season, I think it's going to be on the defensive side. We have an idea of what the offense is going to be, you know, as long as Jordan Love is the starting quarterback and most of the key components at least are there. The defense, because of the changes there, we kind of don't know. I mean, Micah Parsons, we have a pretty good idea of what he'll provide once he's back. But to a certain degree, everything else is at least some degree of question. And it's not just the move to the out front. It's a big conceptual shift from what they were doing under half way. I mean, it's not exactly what they were doing under Joe Barry, but there are some things at least underlying concepts that you're going to see return. Now, the Packers certainly hope they'll be better executed under Jonathan Gannon and his assistants at relative to what they were with Joe Barry. But you're going to see a lot of Ben Don't Break kind of approach because they're going to play a lot of too high, a lot of too high, a lot of quarters, cover six, the kind of stuff you've seen from, you know, not that he's strictly a Vic Fangio guy, but he has deployed a lot of those principles kind of everywhere he's gone the past half decade. Plus I expect to see a lot of that just based on what the Packers personnel currently looks like. And we talked about this in other shows, like what will that defensive line rotation ultimately be, especially along the interior? We still do not know today who the starting nose tackle is going to be. And even if that guy is only playing 65 percent of the snaps, that could be a transformative piece. Even if the player who has that role ultimately is in himself a field, tilt or in a vacuum. So I'd say those are the big questions. We may not get those answers until sometime after the draft, maybe even well after the draft, depending on what they do. But I would say that right now the defense is the bigger question mark because of all of those factors. Go ahead, Jacob. Did you have something to say? No, I was just kind of nodding along and agreeing. Yeah, I think the defense is especially by the end of the year. You look at those final games, even the Baltimore game was embarrassing on so many fronts, but it was mostly on the defensive side of the football. The offense, I know they kind of shot themselves in the leg throughout the entire second half against Chicago, but they really did. For the most part, when they weren't doing that, move the ball up and down the field against them. Again, by the end of the season, the defense was mostly a disaster. I've made the joke several times over. Jason just said not a transformative piece at nose tackle. But by the end of the year, some of their starting defensive tackles were Jordan Riley, Nazir Stackhouse, and Jonathan Ford. With all due respect to those guys, if you didn't put a jersey number on them and I just watched them play, you could put those guys out there and I would not know the difference. Like that's just kind of, those guys are just guys as of right now. Now maybe Stackhouse makes a jump that somebody they kept on the roster all season as a preferred UDFA that they really liked. They kept him. They brought back Jonathan Ford. Maybe that turns into something. But the likelihood of that and that to me is something where this team specifically, when we talk about what their needs are, if this was 2023 and it was Jordan Love's first season as the starting quarterback, you could make that bet. Like, oh, maybe Nazir Stackhouse grows into our starting nose tackle. But then now you look at where they're at now, they're a Super Bowl contender or they want to be a Super Bowl contender. You can't make that bet because if Stackhouse, Ford, whoever is not, what you're going to see is a lot of teams just line up and the best way to neutralize Michael Parsons, not to sound like Jerry Jones, is to run the football. Not because Michael can't play the run, but because when he is playing the run, that means he's not rushing the passer. If you're not earning the right to rush opposing passers and they're just able to ram it down your throat like the Ravens did, Tyler Huntley is not anything special, guys. The whole world knew what the Ravens were going to do that night and the Packers were completely powerless to stop it. So that's something where, again, by the end of the year, the defense, they weren't good at stopping anything. And that's kind of the scary part if you look at the way the rest of the season went is by the end of the year, what could they do defensively that you're like, okay, maybe we're worried about the cornerback situation and if they get a one-on-one with JSN against Kishan Nixon in a third and third and got to have a situation. That's not a great feeling, right? But I know they'll slow down the run game and I know they'll get pressure on the quarterback. They didn't do any of those things by the end of the year. You know, the defense was 2011 Dom Capers level bad, or, you know, name your bad defense like that they've had over the years in Green Bay. It was tough. And then what, the last time the defense was on the field, they were giving up 25 points in the fourth quarter against Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears. So if there are questions to be answered, there's some on offense, no question. But as tail is old as time for the last, what, 30 years, if there's a question to be answered, it's on defense. Jason, do you think going into this season now, we talked about it last week, the Javon Bullard comments regarding the Green Bay Packers, Matla Floor's comments at the NFL owners' meetings with guys not thrilled with their roles and going out in pain, Jordan Love, and going out and acquiring Micah Parsons. Is there a coach, Jason, in the NFC right now that you think has more pressure on their shoulders and Matla Floor? I mean, there has to be several because Matla Floor just got a contract extension and there are other coaches who are going into the last or the second to last, or the de facto second to last year of their deals. So it's not as though there's as much pressure on Matla Floor as I would say like certain segments of the Packers fan base would like there to be, it's probably fair to say, but there is a lot of pressure on Matla Floor. You know, he's going into whatever, what is this now, his seventh season as the Packers head coach. That is a long time to be a head coach anywhere in the NFL. And you know, his teams have come close to winning a Super Bowl, but they have plateaued multiple times in the NFC title game. Now, one of those you would have expected them to lose. That was that 2019 season. But the year after that, they probably should have won that game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I know they didn't have David Baccari, but you know, there's injuries for every team at that point in the season. So it's going to be a point in time where Matla Floor can't just rely or the team defending Matla Floor can't just rely on his win-loss record. I don't think that that that point is now, but you could go and make a title run and silence all those questions. And the Packers certainly have the talent to do so. So yeah, there are going to be other coaches in the NFC that have more pressure on them. But the list is not terribly long, at least not among the guys who have been coaches of NFC teams more than a few years. Jacob, I'm going to put you on the spot here a little bit. I know you don't mind. Closer to 13 wins or closer to nine wins? Well, they won nine last year. So Jason, I want your answer too before we move on from this one as well. Closer to 13 wins or closer to nine wins? Yeah. I mean, again, I know it's kind of a cop out answer. Are they healthy? Because if they're healthy, I think the answer is they're probably like an 11-win team, right? So that's right in the middle, which again is a cop out kind of answer. But this is a team where, again, this is a show me season. You know, Jason, I think he said it well, where that it's not to the point where they can defend him solely on the win. Like I was making the point that in the Jordan Love era, the Packers are 37-30 in one. And their record prior to that is 76 and 40 in one or something like that, whatever the numbers are. They're astronomically different when you say them one way versus the other. They are one more season like the one they had last year away from where we're at that point where you can say like almost definitively too. That's like, oh, well, yeah, they didn't have a great season, but Matt LaFleur is, you know, 76 and 40 in one. It's like, well, then now we're going to be saying these 46 and, you know, 38 and one or something that or if they have a worse season, you know, those numbers, they start shrinking and they start shrinking pretty dramatically when it comes to that. So to answer your question, I would guess it's right in, you know, kind of right in the middle is the cop-out answer that I'm willing to give at this point because I just, if they're healthy, sure. But again, this is a team where 0-1-4 with an asterisk on the five in their last five games. And that is something that again, they're going to be asked about that a million times over when camp starts here in three months. And the first time they lose a game that they shouldn't, the question going into the following week is, okay, can you shake that off now and not turn the Browns loss into a Cowboys tie or not turn the Panthers loss into a loss to the Eagles team that doesn't play well? You know, whatever route it needs to go, but they have some questions they certainly need to answer and the whole we're young and all that sort of stuff that the time for that's over. Like these guys are grown up now. Yeah, yeah, and the young thing has kind of gone out. They're not going to be the youngest team in the NFL and and quite frankly, those younger guys are now experienced in the league. Jason, before we move on to potential trade candidates for the Packers closer to 13 wins in 2026 or closer to nine wins in 2026. I'm going to use as a baseline assumption that Michael Parsons doesn't miss more than three games. And I'm going to assume that Tucker Kraft and Zach Tom are at least like relatively healthy to start the season. So even acknowledging what I said at the top of this segment about like where certain opponents are going to fall on the schedule, I think just the overall talent of the roster suggests that this is going to be you know, reasonable health permitting probably closer to like an 11 1 1 2 12 win team. You by the way said a fantastic line. That probably should be another side gig of yours. But I'm going to lean slightly closer to the top of that because I think the team is that talented and we haven't even gotten to the draft yet. So if the Packers are able to, whether it's because of the trade that they make, whether it's because of the player that they draft, a combination of the two, I think they're going to fill in enough of the remaining holes that if we make those assumptions that I did at the top of this, I think they will get closer to that 13 wins. I mean, this is a team that was so close to that any of the last few years and there's a certain amount of like variants you have to take into account here. Like in some ways the last handful seasons, they had a lot of bad luck and still managed to be a playoff team. And in the case of that 2023 team, you know, beat the breaks off of the Dallas Cowboys. So it's there in them. I absolutely believe that. And at a certain point, you know, you can't just it's a bit of gamblers fail. It's just they're due. But if they're reasonably healthy and some of those other things happen, I think that 13 wins or something close to it is very, very in the cart. So I'm going to lean in that direction. Well, if the Packers are close, the next question is should they go all in? Are they already all in or is there another name they can add to their roster? Because there is a very, very, very interesting name floating around the NFL right now that could potentially change everything for the Green Bay Packers in 2026. We examine that next on the Locked on Packers Squad Show. Today's show is brought to you by Better Health. Financial stress is something a lot of people are carrying right now. It's not just about numbers that can affect your sleep, your relationships, and your overall mental health in ways that build up over time. And the reality is struggling with money doesn't mean you fail. Sometimes it just means you haven't had the right kind of support. It's something I've thought about it. 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And if you're looking for another way to support the show that you love, while getting something awesome in return, check out the Everyday Air Club. You get ad-free episodes of your favorite Locked On show, access to a members-only group chat for fans of your team, and you can even jump into the national chat and talk about whatever's happening across the league. Tap the Everyday Air Club link in the show notes to learn more. Thank you for making Locked On Packers your first listen of the day. Thank you for making Locked On the number one sports podcast. Now, work, don't forget, check out our Everyday Air Club for ad-free episodes and access to a group chat with Peter Bukowski and other listeners of the Locked On Packers podcast. Tap the link on the show notes or go to lockdownpackers.supercast.com. Gentlemen, the offseason certainly has answered some questions. There are some questions that you can't answer. Some ones that have been left unanswered. One of them has been the defensive line. We have talked about it at length, Jacob, about what the Packers could use on the defensive side, on the offensive side. I think most of us would agree that the trenches for the defense have become a question mark, and Dexter Lawrence, apparently out of New York, has requested a trade that's according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Jacob, if you're Brian Gudenkins, are you making a deal for Dexter Lawrence? And if you are making a deal, what does that deal look like? I'm making a phone call. You know, the problem that I think that the Packers are going to run into is similar to when we were doing the pipe dream discussions earlier this offseason on Jalen Carter, and not in the same vein because Dexter Lawrence is not going to cost as much as Jalen Carter. But I can only go off like the initial reported pricing, which I saw was Quinn and Williams type deal. And I had forgotten what that was. So I looked it up. That was a second round pick this year, and then a first round pick next year. Even if I had a first round pick next year, and I'm Brian Gudenkins, that's not something I'm doing. Like a general rule of thumb for me, if I'm trading a first round pick for a player, it's at a, it's at a premier position, quarterback, pass rusher, something like that. As good as Dexter Lawrence has been in the past, he does not play one of those positions. So that's something to kind of keep in mind as we go through all this stuff that, you know, I just it's a nice thing to talk about. It's a fun thing to talk about. I just don't know how the Packers are able to pull off a kind of move like that. And I know that conversation like that kind of upsets people and say like the Packers will quote, unquote, never do those kinds of things when they just traded for like a Parsons, which is why they can't do those things in this given moment. So again, I know it kind of stinks that they don't have a nose tackle, but not only are we talking about like draft capital, but the other side of this is why is he asking for a trade out of New York, Brandon? Well, he did before. It's a contract dispute, right? It's obviously he's got two years left on his deal. He wants a new deal. He will be 29 years old in November. So about halfway through the season or so, he will be turning 29. It's not normal for Goody to go out there and not only make a trade for a guy nearing 30 like that, who wants to essentially reset the market at the nose tackle position is what it feels like he wants. Yeah. So not only do you have to trade the draft capital, then you have to pay that market setting kind of contract that 25, 30 million bucks, whatever it is, it kind of comes out to be in that way. That's not, and that can also then come at the expense of, I mean, we've talked about on the show before prioritizing guys, you want to give contract extensions to you, right? Well, it's easy to say like a one for one of like, well, we paid Dexter Lawrence, so we're not going to pay Devante Wyatt. Okay, cool. But like Dexter Lawrence, like the projected market value for Devante Wyatt that I saw the other day on SpotTrack was like 12 million bucks, something like that annually. Dexter Lawrence, we're talking almost double that, if not more, you know, it kind of depends where those contract numbers come out, obviously. But now you're saying Edger and Cooper, Christian Watson, Jaden Reed, Evan Williams, Javon Buller, and so on and so forth down the line, Lucas Van Ness, if he ends up coming to here, what a Tucker craft. Like, who are you not paying now? Is like, that's part of the opportunity cost as well as, okay, they acquired Dexter Lawrence. Who are you not paying as a result in addition to like, let's just assume why it's part of that, right? Who are you not paying in addition to doing that? While also now having to give up your second round pick and probably another pick next year, and maybe a young player, something to that effect is what, you know, I don't know. This is why I don't like to do mock trades because the team who is creating it, like, if I'm getting the player like Micah Parsons, and I say, I'll give you two first round picks, the cowboy fan last year says, well, that's not enough. And then on the other side, they say, well, that's too much or something like that. So I don't like to operate in those worlds as much as I can, but I just don't think that Green Bay is going to have enough capital to do that. They may have enough money. But I think what you're kind of looking for in that vein, I think it was Tom Silverstein who had reported that the not reported, but he had written that the Packers could potentially absorb a larger salary on the trade market if they needed to. But I think you're more looking for a distressed asset to use a baseball term, a team who has a guy in a big contract, doesn't want to pay him, plays a position that Green Bay wants him to pay, and will also take one of their four 20, 27 fourth round picks in order to do so. So ultimately, long story short, too long, didn't read, too expensive, doesn't play a right position, even if it is the perp, like really the, maybe the biggest position of need on Green Bay right now, and add in that you have to give him a contract. I just don't think this lines up. Jason, is this a move, Goody? You think should be on the phone trying to figure out for the Green Bay Packers? I mean, if we're talking, it's a team on the cusp of a Super Bowl, right? If healthy, like this is a kind of a guy that may push them over that hump that they've been unable to get over. In theory, he could, right? Because that is probably the biggest weakness on the roster as it stands. But like everything Jacob said is right. But let's even say, surely hypothetically, the Packers can acquire Lawrence for a reasonable, like reasonable to the Packers price. I don't think that's the case, but let's just say it's so. Let's even say that Dexter Lawrence is willing to play out at least 2026 on his current contract. I don't think that's the case, but just for the hypothetical, let's go with it. There's a staff that's been going around the internet as it pertains to Dexter Lawrence, and it's nose tackle pressure since 2022. And Dexter Lawrence has 108, and the next highest total is by Vita Vaya, who's a fantastic nose tackle, and it's 32. So it does illustrate that there is some pass rush upside to it. However, and this is, I think, kind of the crucial point here, take a deeper look at those numbers for Dexter Lawrence, and it paints not a bad picture, but a very different picture. So using pro football focuses starting, and this is across positions. He's usually a nose tackle. He does line up in some other spots. This is all the pressures from 2022 to 2023. Dexter Lawrence had, and this is regular season only, 128 pressures. The last two seasons, that number is down to 70. That's a 45.3% decrease, and it's a very similar amount of games. It was 32 games in the first sample set, 29 in the next. So it's not, like, decidedly different in that regard. So that 2022 and 2023 season are doing the heavy lifting on some of those production numbers that you've seen going around the internet. Now, he's still a very good player, super impactful against the run, and I know he didn't have a sack last season, but he still factors into the pass rush in certain ways, but you are going to have to pay for what he's going to do for you moving forward. And is that price going to be $30 million annually on average? I would say probably not. You know, age 29 season coming up, nose tackles can sometimes have longer runways, but that's usually as a run defender. As a pass rusher, that's not necessarily the case. We're already seeing a noticeable decline in his pass rush production. So given that it's a multi-year trend already, and that the giants, if they're actually doing this trade, is kind of a signal that they're not too thrilled with what he's going to offer moving forward relative to the price, to me, that's a stay away. Even though he would help the Packers, I just think that the cost likely to be involved, both to him directly and to the Giants, is just going to be too high to justify it. Let me throw another name out there for you guys. We talked about it a couple of weeks ago on the squad show. Another position of need outside of defensive line, maybe cornerback, is the running back. Devon Achan down there in Miami did not report for their off-season team workouts or organized team activities. Is that Jacob a name you wouldn't mind kicking around if you're Brian Goodinkins and the Green Bay Packers that at least pick up the phone? Hey, you're familiar with John Eric Sullivan. You're familiar with Jeff Halfley. Obviously, it's a position of need for the Green Bay Packers. The Packers might have a wide receiver that Miami would be interested in. Would that be a name that might interest you if you're Brian Goodinkins and the Green Bay Packers? Yes, the question then becomes again, it's just like everything else. What's the compensation entail? I'm interested in almost every player at the right price, so to speak. Am I trading Jaden Reed for Devon Achan, which I don't know if that was suggested directly on this show or just privately, but I think it was. Peter brought up the Dantavian Wicks for Achan. Right. And if the Dolphins do that, that's a sign me up immediately almost kind of moment. And that also comes with the understanding that they're going to have to give him a new contract as well. And that means the end of Josh Jacobs in Green Bay as soon as what, the 20, 27 season or even like that could. Which is possible anyway. And if they made, honestly, like if they make that trade tomorrow, just for example, that could mean Jacobs is a trade piece during the draft. Like those, nothing is out of the question, right? Remember those what, 27 minutes where we all thought Aaron Jones and Josh Jacobs were in the backfield. Great time. Great time. Yeah. This is something different and it's something interesting. You know, Achan is younger, he's explosive, touched the ball through. I think I just, I just did these numbers for him today. So it was like 335 touches last year. He touches the ball out of the backfield. I think he's averaged more than five yards of crack every year since he's been in the NFL from a pure complimentary standpoint. Achan's running style versus Jacobs is almost perfect because Jacobs, you can kind of body blow a defense for, you know, four, six, three, six, five, and then all of a sudden it's Achan for 55 and he runs away from everyone else. The one issue they could run into with something like that is number one, they have two highly paid running backs on the roster. What were we just talking about last week that we need, that, you know, we kind of think this Packers team needs to do more of and it's throw the football. If you're paying two running backs like that, your identity is probably going to lean more towards that side of things than it is putting the ball in the hands of your $55 million quarterback. The other thing is, yes, I know they know John Eric Sullivan and I know general managers speak out of both sides of their mouth, especially at this point. He did say any effort to move Achan's not coming from him. Jeff Hathley has spoken highly of him since he's gone in there as well. I think that that is somebody who the Dolphins probably view as a, you know, a core piece to their future around Malik Wilson company, but by the same token, when John Eric Sullivan was asked about trading Jalen Waddle, he said that, you know, there's no secret. We need to get younger. We need to get cheaper. Well, Achan's young, but he's not going to be cheap after, you know, this upcoming season. So he's hitting that point at some point. So again, what's, you know, what's the opportunity cost and what does it mean for other things? Because that would be another situation where it is. It probably is just a true one for one. That means, you know, if you're acquiring Achan, that just means you're paying him what you were theoretically paying. Josh Jacobs, if you kept him for next season as well. Jason, before we move on to draft visits, Achan, something that would intrigue you if you're Brian Goodings and the Green Bay Packers. I'm trying to hitch my bandwagon to Marshawn Lloyd, Jason, but a lot banking on the health there. His name is Marshawn Lloyd if he's healthy. Yeah. Yeah. But I'm hoping I'm holding out hope. But again, we haven't seen it yet in Green Bay. Is the bond Achan Jason, somebody you'd be interested in if you're the Green Bay Packers? I would have some concerns and not just about him. Any running back off the rookie contract presents some amount of risk, like more relative to other positions. Now we'll point this out. Last season, Achan had 85 targets that would have tied the Packers lead in targets for 2025. Now those are mostly dump offs, but there are things that you can do in the passing game with them that are more down the field. And we've seen those concepts in the Packers offense before. It's not the current version of it, but I think most people remember some of the mesh rail concepts they would run with Aaron Jones or sometimes where they would motion him into essentially what is like the slot position and run him down the field. There are things like that you could do with Achan, not like every single play, obviously, or every single game. He's not that level of receiver for a running back, but he does have some of those skills. So there's some flexibility there we talked in the past about the lack of explosivity that that backfield rotation currently has, if we assume that March on Lloyd is still the question mark. And he could answer that as well. With the Josh Jacobs component, like I think he's on the team in 2026, regardless, and then 2027, very likely going to be off of it. So I don't think it really changes that trajectory too meaningfully. But do you want to bet on a running back like Devon Achan on an extension? Because you're going to have to extend him if you trade for him in all likelihood. And he's been productive, like his touches have gone up every single year he's been in the NFL. And he is, you know, avoided major injury, which is always something you have to monitor with running backs. But he is a smaller guy, you know, five nine under 200 pounds. He's not something that you're going to be able to build like, you know, 250 plus carries from and all that, but at least not more than like one season. And then the whole thing's going to come off the rails. So you would have to compliment him with someone. And I don't know that they have that player on the roster right now for 2027 and beyond. So I have those questions. I also don't think the dolphins are going to make that particularly, like, friendly in terms of the cost. So probably not something that's going to happen. But if the cost is reasonable, like Jacob said, you at least have to seriously consider because of the things they could provide to the offense. If the Packers don't make a splash via trade, then the draft becomes an even bigger priority for Brian Goodenkins and the Green Bay Packers. And speaking of draft, we're starting to get a very clear picture of who could potentially be on their radar. We dive into those names coming up next on the Lockdown Packers Squad Show. Thank you for making Lockdown Packers your first listen of the day. Thank you for making Lockdown the number one sports podcast network. Gentlemen, as you know, you are covering it for Si. Jacob, Jason, you got it over at the Leap, the NFL Draft, three weeks away this week. So we're nearing the NFL Draft for the Green Bay Packers and the rest of the NFL. And now we're getting reports of players with confirmed visits, Zoom visits, phone calls, what have it. An interesting one, Jacob. I want to get into quickly here for Brian Goodenkins and the Green Bay Packers. He was down in Georgia a handful of weeks ago. Kristen Miller, the defensive lineman for Georgia, who was a name that has been linked to the Green Bay Packers prior to the draft, has now been confirmed that he will visit with the Green Bay Packers. However, he did not work out at his pro day down in Georgia where Goody did attend. What can you tell me about Miller and how is it a little bit intriguing for the Green Bay Packers that have been bringing him into a top 30 visit without a workout down there in Georgia? Yeah, so they, the Packers probably have those numbers like that's something else that I think we kind of overlook when we talk about these things as we try and sleuth through and find clues and everything like that is that they have more information by leaps and bounds than we ever will. And that's just kind of the way that this whole process can work. So I wouldn't be surprised if they had some of those numbers with the athletic profile and everything like that since they, you know, they do care about those things. That's something that matters to them. As far as him specifically, I think it was early in the process, Justin Mello, he's the NFL Draft on SI guy called him like the perfect fit for Green Bay. It's him and Kristen Miller and Chris Johnson are like the two names. I think by the end of the year, the year, whoever this year's Cooper Dejean is or this year's Edger and Cooper was kind of that guy to some point. But the guy who is any anybody who logs into a mock draft machine, that's one of the first guys they're trying to pick. Or if they're on the board, they're picking him every single time and saying, I picked that guy. But powerful player can play the middle of the defense. 321 pounds is what he was at the scouting combine. He's six foot four, kind of a stack and shed type of defensive linemen. So the other thing that I found interesting as I was researching him, because I actually wrote up his story on his visit for today was that he's kind of a chatterbox. He's funny. So he'll fit in personality wise with Warren Brinson. He's obviously played with Brinson and Stackhouse in the past by playing at Georgia last year. The other thing that was interesting was, I think it was his freshman season, he was playing a little fast and loose. And what he meant by that was like with his life and he had been cited for driving 30 miles over the speed limit. As his freshman year, he said it was something he had to learn from those kinds of things. But he said that Kirby smart was very influential and like helping him dig his way out of that situation. He said he went to Georgia boy and now he's leaving as a man after coming back. He actually said he thought about turning pro last season. So coming into the draft that would have been in Green Bay a year ago and said he wanted to go back because he wanted to graduate. He wanted to be a captain and he knew that he wanted to learn how to be a pro and like kind of kind of grow up a little bit. So that's something that's kind of an interesting conversation. The Packers bringing him in on a visit. I'm sure they'll ask him about or want to know more about the the traffic visit that I just discussed a little bit ago. The other thing just keep in mind again, it's not it's not perfect. You know, it's not a perfect system or whatever, but five of their eight draft choices last year were guys that we learned later came in on a 30 visit. So it's not something I think they're wasting a ton of time on and if they're especially in this class where I don't remember what we decided pre show. I think it was four guys and he was the fourth guy of the consensus top 100 to take a visit to Green Bay. So that means they're not bringing in a whole lot of guys like that for visits. They're probably not wasting their time with stuff like that as they're kind of loading up on the back half of the draft on draft free agent types and things like that. But as far as the defensive line goes, the Packers don't like to play rookies to me. Kristen Miller would be plug and play defensive tackle at nose tackle and kind of sink or swim early in the season because he's more talented than any of the guys they currently have on the roster. And if he hits even a little bit as a rookie, you know, the idea of him in the middle with Javon Hargrave and Devonte Wyatt rushing the passer or playing those defensive end spots, it's at least intriguing. So that's that's something that's interesting to me at least. Do you think Jacob, before we move on to other visits here with Jason, do you think that's that's the guy in round two? Do you think the Packers can wait for that in round two? Do you think they need to move up in round two? Or is that somebody where I know we're three weeks away and a lot can still happen. And obviously, everybody's draft board's a little bit different. But where do you see him kind of falling in as far as as pick wise? Yeah, so he's 46th on the consensus board as of today, which, you know, that's not perfect. It's there guys that get picked. You know, Anthony Belton, for example, was a, I think a third or an early fourth round pick on the consensus board. The Packers took him in the second round last year, just for example's sake. Tylic Williams was a second round pick by that board last year. The Lions took him at the end of round one, you know, positional runs can happen. And something I always like to point out, one of my friends always says is, when you're the general manager sitting in the chair at the draft is when you don't get the player you want, you don't get to hit reset on the mock draft simulator button, like you just kind of have to live with what's going on. So is that somebody that Green Bay would have to move up for slightly in the second round if they wanted to get him? Maybe he's kind of almost perfectly in range, at least based on that number that I gave earlier on the consensus board. Then that's something where, you know, that that may be where the need and the value sort of kind of marry up perfectly for something like that. But he's a big, talented defensive lineman who can move and he played at a SEC school. He has that pedigree. He has a lot of those things. I'm not going to go with what my buddy over here in the chat says where he 100% won't be there, because I don't do stuff like that very often. But if I were a betting man, I would say he's going to be picked before pick number 52. Jason Miller, not the only one with a visit with the Green Bay Packers. Who else can you tell us that has kind of caught your eye that has confirmed visits or has already visited with Brian Goodinkins and the Green Bay Packers? I'm going to stay in the same position group. Caleb Proctor is a very interesting one, because just on paper, there's like enough about his profile that doesn't quite fit what the Packers are looking for. It's not so far off that he can't be considered. But you look at what he does and his frame and you look at what the Packers currently have on the roster. And it kind of looks like this is someone that could pick up sometime early on day three and maybe be their Carl Brooks replacement if he's not brought back after 2026. Now, they could extend Carl Brooks. I know there's been some reporting suggesting that that could be the case, but we'll have to see. There was reporting suggesting and we're not even just reporting. There were comments from the general manager saying that they were going to extend Kway Walker and that didn't happen either. So it's another way where you could say, hey, this is someone who's not going to be in all likelihood a starter for you, but could he be as a rookie and especially early in his rookie contract, a key rotational player for you? And it kind of, his tape suggests that he could. Like this is not someone who's going to anchor your run defense. He's not just because he's under 300 pounds, just not the way that he plays, but can he be a slasher for you? Someone who's playing that like three tech, maybe even outside is like a five tech. That seems to be something that he can do. And if that's some of the Packers are taking, let's say like in the fourth or fifth round, that seems reasonable even though he has some limitations in terms of size. Like it's not just that he's only like six, two and change. The under 300 pounds is going to be an issue for being able to play as many downs as you would like. But if he's going to be in there primarily for, you know, passing situations, especially early in his career, you can get away with some of those size limitations because he can get to the path or get to the passer faster than most players at his position. So that one stood out. And then you kind of look, Mike Washington is also a little bit interesting because it's not clear when he's going to go exactly. Like if we're talking a month from now, it turns out that he was like a late first round pick, you wouldn't be totally, totally shocked to be a little bit eyebrow raising, but we've seen stuff like that before. The turn of the heating go until like sometime on or in the third round, maybe even in the fourth round. Again, eyebrow raising, but not totally, totally shocking. This running back group collectively has a lot of different opinions. Like the whole draft is very polarizing, but the running back position in particular, you just not a lot of consensus after the top guy. So with Mike Washington, it's like, would you spend if you're the Packers that second round pick on them? That's about where the consensus boards have them is kind of like a late second, early third round pick. Could the Packers potentially be at the 52 pick? None of the guys that really like at that point are there. Trade down and then bring in Mike Washington later. I think that's possible. So that went to me suggest, not just they were interested in some of these running backs earlier in the draft, but also there might be some moves made earlier in the draft than they have typically done in terms of the draft position. What about the receiver position, Jason? Anything stick out to you as far as who could potentially be a fit for the Green Bay Packers, whether it be pre-draft visits or just prospects in general, because we kind of talked a little bit about that position being something that is not necessarily a need right now, but could potentially be a need going into 2027. Yeah. I mean, the biggest name of those is Ted Hurst, the wide receiver. The Packer fans favorite right now, Ted Hurst. He is very popular amongst Packer fans right now, according to my mentions, but he's someone that they could realistically get in the third round where they're currently positioned. That's not a guarantee, obviously. Like there's some scenarios where he could go around the Packers, second round pick. Maybe the Packers are the team taking him there, but he's another player where you don't see an obvious need for him in 2026, but that completely shifts in 2027, at least based on the way that their contracts are right now. If Christian Watson is extended and Jaden Reed is extended, that changes, but those are not deals that they have right now. Ted Hurst, based on his skill set and what he has shown that he can do, or at least what it seems like he'll be able to do the next level, he's someone who could probably step in during that rookie contract and be not just a meaningful contributor, but maybe you're like go-to option in a lot of situations as a boundary receiver. And in terms of the guys that they have under contract right now for 2027 and beyond, I don't know you can say that about anybody else. Like Matthew Golden, I think is a boundary receiver. Can he win in the ways that Ted Hurst appears that he can? Because of the size limitations, I don't know that that's a fair thing to say. Savion Williams has the size, but I don't know that he knows how to run those routes with any consistency right now, which is why we discussed him potentially, you know, at least moonlighting in the offensive backfield. So if you're looking at a 2027 receiving court that has Matthew Golden, even if you really like Matthew Golden and Savion Williams, even if you really like Savion Williams, you're going to need something else. And if those extensions don't happen, or even if one of them doesn't happen, receiver in this draft becomes a higher priority and Ted Hurst would check a lot of the boxes in that regard. Man, such terrific stuff from both of you guys. I could listen to you guys talk ball all day long. Unfortunately, that'll wrap up tonight's locked on Packers Squad Show. We'll be back with you on Thursday, friendly reminder, locked on Packers Squad Show and the Daily Show with our guy Peter Bracowski. Make sure you subscribe wherever you get audio podcasts. We are free and available, Amazon, Google, Spotify, Apple, wherever you find them, you will certainly find locked on Packers. And of course we are free and available over on YouTube. If you're watching over on YouTube, make sure you are subscribed to the locked on Packers channel for Jason, for Jacob, for myself. We will sign off for now. I'll be right back with you with Peter. Peter will join us on Thursday talking more Packers offseason football with you and obviously more NFL draft talk as well. Thanks to each and every one of you guys for tuning in. Thank you for making locked on Packers part of your day each and every single day. And as always, make sure you stay locked on Packers. Thank you.