:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66702045/1173886520.jpg.0.jpg)
Well, that took a turn.
The excitement was palpable when news broke that the Green Bay Packers were trading up from 30th to 26th last night. Which receiver was it going to be? Or could it be linebacker Patrick Queen? Everyone thought the Packers were going to get an absolute stud.
Then the pick was announced.
At first there was silence. Then came outright confusion. And finally, shock.
Green Bay had taken Utah State quarterback Jordan Love. The team now has the heir apparent to Aaron Rodgers.
Needless to say, fans are apoplectic. Rodgers has expressed multiple times he wanted to play until he was in his forties and everyone and their mother assumed Green Bay would take some kind of receiver at what was originally 30th overall.
While working through your anger, the goal here is to at least try to make sense of this stunning selection.
Rodgers isn’t quite what he once was but he’s still very good. He still makes throws no one else on the planet can. That said, the time was coming and if it wasn’t this year, next year was likely “the year” when it came to choosing a successor. That’s nothing against Rodgers’ skills, it’s just smart business.
The Packers are also banking on getting more of 2018 Love than the 2019 version. A coaching change along with three new receivers around him give Love the benefit of the doubt even if that doesn’t fully excuse the huge drop in accuracy
The bottom line with Love is he has the skills, the issue is more between the ears. That’s where Matt LaFleur comes in. Remember his offense thrives on not making the quarterback do too much, and that’s where Love could really succeed.
Now onto today’s curds where we look at Love while also looking ahead to the rest of the draft.
While Brian Gutekunst is getting absolutely roasted by many people for the pick, he does deserve credit for making a bold decision much like his predecessor did in 2005.
Jordan Love grateful for his ‘crazy journey’ to Green Bay—Packers.com
Not many offers coming out of high school. Growing up in California. There are some similarities between the current and future Packers quarterbacks that, call me crazy, could allow them to bond over.
Packers’ Nonsensical Decision to Trade Up for Jordan Love Could Be Crippling—Bleacher Report
This seems to be the common narrative in reaction to the pick. The reaction from Rodgers will be important but he’s smart enough to know this was coming if not this year then it would have been 2021. There are also still plenty of options in the second round, even if the Packers don’t have the ammo to move up.
They can still get a receiver. They could still get an offensive tackle. The Packers have made a name for themselves in the second and third rounds, so this draft isn’t close to being doomed like many Twitter GMs are saying.
Hotel worker runs full marathon through the halls—UPI
We close curds with some levity. I mean, if you’re stuck at work, you might as well break a world record.