The Green Bay Packers have a type when it comes to drafting new talent. They typically target incredibly athletic players with attributes you can’t teach, like speed and size.
We saw Green Bay do this with their top picks last year. Iowa’s Lukas Van Ness and Oregon State’s Luke Musgrave had elite Relative Athletic Scores (RAS), a compilation of athletic tests combined into a composite number on a scale from 1-10. Both players were unrefined athletes but had the body type and athleticism to encourage the Packers to invest high picks in them.
That’s not always the case with the Packers’ selections, though. Brian Gutekunst doesn’t make RAS the be-all-end-all of his drafting decisions. Jayden Reed had a 6.73 average RAS. But Gutekunst usually prefers athletic guys. In Gutekunst’s time as general manager, 13 of Green Bay’s 15 picks in the opening two rounds have had elite RAS scores.
However, a few players essentially took themselves off the Green and Gold’s big board with their performances at the combine. Conversely, some guys put the league on notice and will make front offices rewatch their tape.
There are a few cornerbacks who have been mocked to the Packers at pick No. 25 who I’m sure they will pass on after the combine. Multiple outlets had Missouri’s Ennis Rakestraw Jr. headed to Green Bay all offseason because his stock seemed to be rising. But teams may move off him after his performance in Indianapolis. Rakestraw recorded a 4.79 RAS, which is considered poor. While his tape is solid, Rakestraw is not really big or fast, making him someone the Packers typically pass on in Round 1.
While Rakestraw may no longer be a compelling first-round option, Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell may not be available to the Packers at pick No. 25 after he showed out at the combine. He put himself in the 97th percentile of cornerback RAS of all time. Mitchell is another guy who has seen his stock rise since the end of the college football season, and he launched himself into the stratosphere with his splits at the combine. If Mitchell is available at 25, I don’t think the Packers will hesitate to snatch him up, but he may already be wearing another team’s hat by then.
At safety, Miami’s Kam Kinchens was a longshot to be a Packers first-round pick. But with his performance at the combine and RAS score, he also may have slipped off Green Bay’s board. The play-making safety out of Miami had a miserable 2.11 RAS. While it would have been cool to see a player go from my school to my NFL team, it’s not looking great for Kinchens in Green Bay after his combine performance.
Switching over to the offensive side of the ball, a pair of running backs are enacting a similar drama: One shoots up the Packers’ board, and another falls completely off of it.
Bucky Irving was an option in the middle rounds for the Packers. The former Oregon Duck was a popular option as a running back who could provide a spark in the run-and-pass game. But I doubt the Packers will look Irving’s way after his 2.28 RAS.
On the other hand, there is a former Wisconsin Badger who I’m sure the Packers would be happy to bring back to the state after his combine results.
Louisville running back Isaac Guerendo was the most productive running back in college football last year, scoring 11 touchdowns and racking up 810 yards. The freak athlete would certainly be worth a look if the Packers want to go running back in the later rounds.
I’m not advocating for this next player, but I’m also not advocating against him either. Because of his performance at the combine, the idea of Adonai Mitchell in Green and Gold is sweeter and sweeter.
Mitchell’s RAS puts him in the 99th percentile among wide receivers since 1987. Add him to the current group of Packers wideouts, and we’ll never hear that Jordan Love has no weapons.
Sure, this be the year the Packers break the mold of drafting hyper-athletic players in the first two rounds, but if we know anything about NFL franchises, they are not quick to change, and Green Bay is one of the league’s steadiest organizations. These RAS metrics may matter to them even more than other teams, so adjust your mocks — and your expectionations — accordingly.
All stats and data via ESPN, Football Reference, and PFF, unless otherwise noted.
