Packers focus on defense in NFL Draft
May 4, 2018
The 2018 NFL Draft concluded on April 28 after 256 players were drafted in total over three days. When the draft ended, the Packers ended up being the team with the most players selected with 12.
The Packers drafted three wide receivers, two linebackers, two cornerbacks, one offensive lineman, one punter, one long snapper, and two defensive lineman. The highest Packer chosen was cornerback Jaire Alexander from Louisville with pick number 18.
Freshman Brett Shumway was happy with the selections by the Packers staff.
“Drafting corners was a good idea,” Shumway said. “Our secondary is awful and getting as much young talent from the corner position is a good move to improve our pass defense.”
The Packers placed 23 in the league in passing defense last year. Their opponents completed 67.8 percent of passes against them which was the highest in the NFL. It’s no question they drafted young talented corners to help prevent that from happening in the future.
The draft had a few surprises this year. Former Oklahoma quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield was the first overall pick by the Browns which was actually quite unexpected by most fans and NFL analysts. Most people thought it was likely that the Browns would choose former USC quarterback Sam Darnold as the first overall pick.
Sophomore Samuel Muth thought Darnold would get picked first as well.
“I felt like his quarterback skill would translate better to the NFL,” Muth said. “Darnold is a better passer than Mayfield, which made me think he would go higher.”
Darnold ended up getting picked by the Jets with the third pick of the draft. The second pick of the draft was Saquon Barkley from Penn State who was chosen by the Giants.
The NFL draft is always really fun to look into and watch especially if you’re a big NFL fan. Freshman Maxwell Steele is a die hard fan and watches the draft and gets as much info about it as possible.
“I look forward to it every year,” Steele said. “It interests me a lot. I love looking up stats and videos about prospects, especially the ones the Packers are projected to draft. It’s easily my favorite NFL offseason event of them all.”
The NFL draft is always an exciting time for football fans. It’s no doubt football fans at GHS love watching the draft and seeing who the Packers pick and who other teams pick as well. Some students such as Steele look farther into the draft every year and go into statistics and videos of prospects as well. The draft definitely sparks hope and excitement for each NFL teams, prospects, and fans every year.