Packers scavenging veteran market even with draft kicking off later this week
Though the 2024 NFL Draft begins on Thursday, the Packers haven't totally turned away from free agency.
Good morning!
The 2024 NFL Draft officially kicks off later this week. Understandably, the marquee offseason event commands virtually all of the attention in the football world during this part of the calendar.
And while the Green Bay Packers certainly have their big board set and have simulated countless draft scenarios, general manager Brian Gutekunst and the personnel department haven't turned a blind eye to the veteran market. The team made an addition late last week, one that generated a wide array of opinions about the implications for the Packers' roster and their approach to the draft.
Today's edition of The Leap breaks down what that addition does (and doesn't) signal about Green Bay's plans as well as some closing thoughts on the upcoming draft.
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What, if anything, does Andre Dillard's signal about the Packers' plans for the offensive line?
Jason B. Hirschhorn: As they have done in the recent past, the Packers made a low-profile veteran addition well after the biggest names in free agency had already found new homes. This time, the team signed Andre Dillard, an offensive lineman and former first-round pick who previously played with the Philadelphia Eagles and Tennessee Titans. Though the terms have not surfaced as of this writing, one can reasonably assume the pact between Green Bay and Dillard doesn't stray far from a one-year, veteran-minimum deal.
The Packers actually held a pre-draft meeting with the 6-foot-5, 315-pound Dillard in 2019 and presumably still believe that the traits that made him a Day 1 prospect remain at least somewhat intact, as the offensive lineman comes off his worst season as a professional. According to Pro Football Focus, Dillard allowed 12 sacks and 41 total pressures in 2023, both among the highest totals in the league. He had four games in which he gave up multiple sacks. The poor performance forced the Titans to bench Dillard after a Week 6 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, though injuries forced him back into the starting lineup soon thereafter.
Ostensibly, Dillard will compete for the swing-tackle role vacated by Yosh Nijman, now a member of the Carolina Panthers. The Packers have no established depth at tackle behind Rasheed Walker and Zach Tom, and the position could look even thinner if the coaching staff opts to move the latter to center. At least before the draft, Dillard's main competition at tackle would likely come from Caleb Jones, a former undrafted free agent, and Luke Tenuta, a 2022 sixth-round pick claimed off waivers from the Indianapolis Colts that same year.
Still, because the Packers have an opening at right guard and Dillard has the type of build that can work along the interior, some have argued that he might slide inside to compete with Sean Rhyan for a starting job. Though not entirely off the table, Green Bay would have to overlook Dillard's entire professional career to consider such a move. Of his 1,298 career offensive snaps, 1,213 have come at tackle with just 54 coming along the interior (the rest came as a de facto extra lineman lined up at tight end). Beyond the lack of experience at guard, Dillard has also consistently struggled as a run blocker, an issue that a move to the interior would exacerbate.
And while Dillard's objectively poor 2023 performance speaks for itself, he had previously performed better as a pass protector. He allowed only one sack and 20 total pressures in 2021, his last season as a part-time starter in Philadelphia. The Packers have little reason to believe Dillard will markedly improve over that efficiency, but those numbers fall in line with the expected performance of a swing tackle.
At this point, Dillard has little security in Green Bay. The team likes the potential of Jones and Tenuta as evidenced by their places on the roster in 2023 -- the former spent the entire season on the 53 despite seeing time in only one game while the latter survived final cuts in early September even though he went on injured reserve before Week 1 -- and the draft could provide increased competition as early as the first round.
However, for a player who presumably costs little and comes with multiple seasons of starting experience at a premium position, the Packers could do worse than Dillard.
What draft intel have you heard that you find credible?
JBH: A significant portion of the draft intel one hears between the NFL Scouting Combine and the moment Roger Goodell starts announcing picks proves faulty in one way other another. Even in league circles, coaches and personnel executives generate as much conjecture about other teams as they do scouting reports, and some of that speculation leaks into the reporter sphere without proper vetting. That dynamic produces strange rumors every cycle such as 2023's widely circulated belief that injured 25-year-old Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker could go in the first round or Liberty signal-caller Malik Willis garnering hype as a potential No. 2 overall selection the year before.
All of which to say: Trust draft intel at your own risk.
With that disclaimer out of the way, not everything one hears during draft season will prove to be bunk. Based on the consistency of the information both over time and between sources, the following seems as credible as this type of intel can.
For several weeks, word has trickled in that the Pittsburgh Steelers love Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton and Iowa defensive back Cooper DeJean. Both present potential solutions to short- and long-term issues with their roster. Barton, an athletic, multi-positional blocker, could realistically become the team's next fixture at center or fill one of the holes along an aging unit. As for DeJean, the Steelers view him as a problem solver for the secondary in a fashion similar to Minkah Fitzpatrick, perhaps with even more positional versatility.
The Steelers' Plan A involves drafting one of the premier offensive tackles from the rookie class. However, given their current draft position (No. 20 overall), it looks possible if not likely that all those players will have already come off the board earlier. In that scenario, Barton and DeJean represent the contingencies for Pittsburgh.
This, obviously, could have ramifications for the Packers. While their interest in Barton might depend on their willingness to play him at tackle and the aforementioned possibility that Tom moves to center, he checks a lot of the boxes that Gutekunst and his predecessors look for in an offensive lineman. DeJean, broadly considered this year's only first-round safety prospect, could hold even more intrigue for Green Bay given the ongoing remodeling of the secondary.
In general, the Packers need to keep these sorts of factors in mind. The Steelers and other teams could snipe the prospects that Gutekunst and the front office desire. This could ultimately push the GM to consider a move ahead of some of those franchises, though don't expect him to trade up further than the teens. Like all personnel departments, Green Bay won't have 32 players graded as first-round talents. Even sacrificing a mid-round pick to move into range for one of the final such prospects looks like a realistic outcome at this stage.