The middle and late rounds of the 2013 NFL Draft were a good time to find quality offensive linemen. The Green Bay Packers found two in the fourth round of that draft, selecting Colorado’s David Bakhtiari 109th overall and Cornell’s JC Tretter at 122. One round later, the Baltimore Ravens drafted Rick Wagner with the final pick of round five.
Tretter moved to center in the NFL, then moved on to Cleveland as a free agent with Corey Linsley taking over the position in Green Bay. But Bakhtiari and Wagner have made great careers for themselves, one becoming a franchise left tackle and the other providing a steady presence on the right side for two teams over the last eight years.
Now together with the Packers, Wagner hopes to be Bakhtiari’s bookend in 2020 and demonstrate that some recent apparent dips in his play are not a cause for concern. Bakhtiari, meanwhile, is a perennial All-Pro who will be trying to maintain his status as the best pass-blocking tackle in the NFL. In the long-term, he should be setting his sights on the highest individual honor for an NFL player.
Let’s look at the two tackles and much more in today’s curds.
Rick Wagner ‘very happy to be home’ with Packers | Packers.com
The native of West Allis and former Wisconsin Badgers walk-on is finally set to play for his childhood team. Now that he's back in Wisconsin he says "I never want to leave."
Now 7 years in, Packers OT David Bakhtiari is on Hall of Fame track | Packers Wire
On the other side of the line, the Packers' stalwart left tackle is making a convincing case for a Hall of Fame career, at least through his first eight seasons. If he maintains this level of play into his mid-30s, he should make it a no-brainer.
Packers assistant coaches persevering during coronavirus pandemic | Packersnews.com
Assistant coaches don’t have a union and weren’t offered any sort of opt-out provisions by the league. As a result, Matt LaFleur had lengthy conversations with everyone on his staff to discuss the approach for 2020 and any concerns that they had.
Ranking every NFL defense from 1 to 32 going into the 2020 season – The Athletic (subscription)
Following up on yesterday's offense rankings, the Packers' defense finished 15th in DVOA a year ago and is ranked 13th on this list, with a note that they are a high-ceiling but high-floor group.
Miami Hurricanes DE Gregory Rousseau, a top draft prospect, opts out of 2020 season | ESPN
As college football tries to get its season underway on the first weekend of September, many top NFL prospects are opting out to prepare for the 2021 NFL Draft. Rousseau, Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley, and Purdue wideout Rondale Moore are among the biggest names.
Liquor-infused Ice cream is now legal in New York - CNN
Up to 5% alcohol in your ice cream? WOOOOOOOOOO!!
(Also, if you're a fan of the taste of whiskey, check out the Whiskey & Pecans flavor from Jeni’s. It’s not high in alcohol, but the flavor is exceptional.)