Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur has lived the good life. He inherited a team with an All-Pro quarterback in Aaron Rodgers and a strong foundation. When the Packers drafted Jordan Love at the back half of the first round in 2020, the organization had the luxury of sitting and developing that player behind the mercurial but talented Rodgers for three years.
During that time, Love threw 83 passes, none in his rookie campaign. That's a rare case of patience and circumstance (Rodgers' continued play) marrying together, allowing the Utah State product to show enough in this past season - his first as a starter - that Green Bay feels like they've got another franchise quarterback on their hands.
"This league is different than college football, and there's a learning curve to the league, and certainly, I think in regards to not only knowing your own scheme, but the protections that go along with it," said LaFleur when asked about the best way to develop a player at that position. "I think that's a big part of it, where maybe guys aren't as well versed in (that) in the college game. ... and there's such a big learning curve that I do believe that some guys, if they're thrown in there too early, they get scars, and they start to lose their confidence. And it's hard when a guy loses his confidence to kind of recover from that."
That's the danger and one of the reasons why we have devoted so much column space and air time to the decision facing the Patriots as they enter the draft with the 3rd overall pick. Is their roster "ready" for a young signal-caller? Is this new coaching staff the right one to shepherd him through the peaks and valleys? Is there the requisite patience (there's that word again) to avoid rushing a player potentially unprepared for pro football's mental and physical rigors, even when so many around you are clamoring to make that move?
The Pats experienced that first-hand. For Mac Jones, those scars occurred late in year one and early in year two, and the quarterback who outperformed every other in his draft class as a rookie hasn't been the same since.
"I would say it was a combination of things that really kind of hindered that growth in the second year.," said Jerod Mayo, who had a front-row seat to the breakdown. "One thing I did learn about that process was that as you continue to develop a quarterback, it's not only the players you put around them but also the coaches you put around this guy. Not only the coaches, but it can go all the way to the ops teams and things like that, to support a guy who plays the most important position in sports. And, to ask him as a rookie to come is always going to be tough."
Are those breadcrumbs as to how the Pats will treat the position this time, especially with Jacoby Brissett acting as the bridge and, for now, another QB with starting experience (Bailey Zappe) on the roster? If they're smart, yes, unless their rookie is way more C.J. Stroud than Bryce Young, which you won't know until you get him in the building.
"These guys that are drafted really high sometimes they just don't have the support around them either," said LaFleur. "That plays into it, as well. There's a reason - usually - that these teams are picking up at the top of the draft. So you want to try to support them with as many pieces as possible to try to ensure that they're going to be successful, and I think that's when you see the confidence grow, and that's when you made the most out of this player."
The Pats may have bolstered their coaching staff, but otherwise, to this point, they have done very little to weaponize the offense. K.J. Osborn? Fine. Antonio Gibson? Same. Could they find a player or two in the draft to add juice to this group? They better, or plunking that rookie QB into this situation too soon is perilous (unless he's a freak).
Compare this to another team in search of its next quarterback, Minnesota. They have Justin Jefferson (assuming they don't trade him to avoid paying him the $30 plus million a year he will command for his new contract), 2023 first-rounder Jordan Addison (70 recs, 10 TDs), tight end TJ Hockensen, and veteran running back Aaron Jones. A league source summed up their situation perfectly.
"There is no better situation for a high pick to be dropped into than that one," he told me. "Offensive-minded coach, horses everywhere, and two excellent tackles. Even when the new kid makes a mistake, those guys are talented enough to bail him out. Sign me up."
The Vikings acquired an extra first-round pick from the Texans this year (they now have 11 and 23) to aid with a possible jump into the top five, and while the Pats have rebuffed initial inquiries to move off three, Minnesota could be capable of making them an offer they can't refuse.
"Having first-round picks is a real positive thing," said Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell when asked about the Vikings strategy. "I do think that there's value in two first-round picks, not just in the same draft but in this draft, at least the way I'm evaluating the draft and Kwesi (GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah) and our staff. We feel like people are going to be looking at two first-round picks in this draft as something that may be of greater value than maybe your just standard one first-rounder a year - however many that it takes - to go ahead and get a trade like what needs to happen to get up there."
O'Connell said the Vikings are doing their due diligence on the QB class because they know they may not be able to get to their desired spot.
"There are a lot of really, really interesting quarterbacks to look at. Guys who had great college careers, guys who may be different from the landscape of their journey throughout college, but in the end, some really exciting guys to study and evaluate," he said.
"I think there are probably multiple teams that are all looking to add a player at that position. How you do that, where you do that, it's gonna be all part of the draft. I know how impactful and important this time is going to be for our organization. I'm really looking forward to continuing that process of evaluating us really soon as we leave here."
Important, to say the least. Nail the pick, and hope returns. Swing and miss? The organization will return in a similar spot two, three, or four years later (patience isn't what it used to be). Maybe Mayo, Eliot Wolf, and company will get a second shot at making a good first impression, or maybe a new decision maker(s) is getting their first crack. That's all. No big deal...
ANOTHER AVENUE
So what if the Pats aren't in love with a quarterback at the top of the draft? Would they consider taking a tackle at number three? Or trading down slightly to remain in the driver's seat for the top prospect at that position, Notre Dame's Joe Alt?
I've been consistent in this space. If not QB, then tackle is the move. Just as franchise signal callers don't grow on trees, nor do left tackles. Think of the best: Trent Williams, Tyron Smith, Tristan Wirfs, Laremy Tunsil, Rashawn Slater, and Penei Sewell. They all came out of round one, none lower than 13th overall. Oh sure, there are outliers - Jordan Mailata comes to mind - but teams invest heavily in the position because it's one of the premium spots in all of football.
Fresh off a National Championship at Michigan, Jim Harbaugh is now in charge of elevating an underachieving Los Angeles Chargers roster. At the owner's meetings in Orlando this week, Harbaugh made a hell of a case for why you better have an excellent offensive line over everything else (though he says this having a damn good QB on the roster in Justin Herbert).
"The offensive line - to me - is important," he said. "If I asked you the question, what position group depends on no other position group to be good, but every other position group depends on them to be good - what position group is that? Offensive line. They're not relying on any other position group to be good but yet every other position group relies on the offensive line to be good.
"And then the D-line, they'll be the ones that argue back, saying, 'We don't need the offensive line to be good.' Don't you? Don't you like when the offense has a 12-play drive? And then they say, 'Ok, you're right.' Building that kind of offensive line is exciting. That group is like a fist. There are five of them playing as one."
Five players playing as one (and seeing the game through the same set of eyes) was often heard in Foxborough when Dante Scarnecchia coached the offensive line. Holdover David Andrews has repeated that mantra since, but that unit has underperformed for years. So, while quarterback or wide receiver might be the sexier selection — and one that will get fans and media alike all hot and bothered — Harbaugh's case for creating a strong line is compelling.
KEEP AN EYE ON THE SILVER AND BLACK
Antonio Pierce has helped restore some of the Raiders' attitude that was so prominent under late owner Al Davis in the 70s and 80s. Vegas went 5-4 under Pierce after he took over for Josh McDaniels. That led to Pierce getting the full-time gig, and he is not following the coach's handbook regarding, well, anything.
"Yeah, I'm the guardian at the gate," Pierce said about remaking his team's culture. "I'm not letting any evil come through that building. It's not happening. Because that's important, man, like what we're able to do at the end of the season, what we're doing right now.
"I said it several times now: Being a Raider is different. Being a Raider with me as a head coach is going to be really different, and we want that fit to be perfect. Is there going to be some ups and downs? Yeah. Are we going to have some disagreements? Yeah. But if we can't sit at this table and talk it out, then that's a problem, and I made a poor judgment when I brought them into the building."
Vegas has talent but is still trying to find its next quarterback. It wasn't Jimmy Garoppolo, and while the team signed Gardner Minshew to compete with holdover Aidan O'Connell, the Raiders have made calls about moving up in the draft to select one of the top guys, in particular, to position themselves to take Jayden Daniels.
Pierce was on the coaching staff at Arizona State when Daniels was there (Jayden later transferred to LSU and won the Heisman) and has a fondness for the 6'3", 210-pounder. He was at LSU's pro day Wednesday.
"I thought he would be a Heisman winner. I did," Pierce said. "That was my recruiting pitch to him. I just thought it would be where I was previously (at Arizona State)."
The Raiders don't have multiple first-round picks in this draft, as the Vikings do, but they do have pick 44 in the second round and all their future firsts.
"Everything is on the table," said Pierce.
LEAGUE MEETING ODDS AND ENDS
- The Commanders insist they don't know what they're doing with the #2 pick.
"That is absolutely accurate," said Dan Quinn. "And so, if somebody thinks they know, they'll have to fill me in because Adam (Peters, GM) and I, we're not there yet."
Quinn said he has just gotten started looking at the quarterbacks. Washington had a significant presence at the pro days this week in Baton Rouge and Chapel Hill.
- Zach Wilson is still a Jet, despite neither wanting that relationship to continue.
"I've got no news to report," GM Joe Douglas said. "There's nothing close to being done."
Wilson's best hope is that someone comes away from this draft without the backup quarterback they were looking for and acquires the former first-rounder for a future late-round pick. Currently, owner Woody Johnson insists they will not release Wilson.
- The 49ers insist they are doing everything possible to get a long-term deal done with Brandon Aiyuk.
"It's hard to be successful at quarterback if you don't have good receivers," said Kyle Shanahan. "So it starts there with Brandon, and I think that's really big for Brock (Purdy) and his future, making sure we have a good group for him going forward."
Aiyuk appeared to respond to Niners with an emoji-filled post on Instagram that said - basically - money talks and bullcrap walks. Stay tuned.