#12 draft pick Rashan Gary has officially signed with the team. While primarily a DT in college with Michigan, Gary was drafted in the first round by the Packers as an edge rusher. Edge rushers is something the team really needed sooner than later but this pick will take some time to bear fruit.
Fun Fact: to the best of my knowledge, Rashan Gary is acting as his own agent.
Certified agent Ian Clarke will negotiate Gary’s contract and will be paid as an employee of the agency instead of getting a percentage.
“I don’t think this has ever happened,” said Gil Brandt, the NFL’s top draft consultant and a former personnel director for the Dallas Cowboys. “Everybody has a new, creative idea and this is the latest one.
#Packers sign six draft choices
📰: https://t.co/VzJyP59eYP
🖋 @RashanAGary pic.twitter.com/VFgvlvwaoq
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) May 3, 2019
In related news, Gary was seen practicing with a shoulder harness that was similar to what he wore previously with Michigan. “Pro Football Doc” writes that it is likely Gary will need surgery:
Rashan Gary (defensive end, Michigan) has a shoulder issue, but information has been sketchy. Other than an announcement once from his mom, not much has been released. Gary was reported to have undergone shoulder surgery last year and missed some time in the 2018 campaign. Some teams have medical red flags, according to Jason LaConfora. This is a case where Gary’s Combine medical exam will be all-important. Despite a report of some teams downgrading Gary, I don’t see how any shoulder injury he has would keep him from being drafted, though where he will be selected is the question.
It is possible to play with the injury as Demarcus Lawrence did. However, surgery is eventually needed. Playing with a harness is never 100 percent effective and not sustainable for very long. Ezekial Ansah’s 2018 season with the Lions was marred by a labral tear. Shaq Lawson was drafted in the first round of 2016 by the Bills with a similar issue, aggravated the injury immediately in workouts with Buffalo, had surgery and started his rookie season on PUP. This will affect Gary’s draft status. How much depends on the size, location and exam of his labral tear.
Rashan Gary is practicing with a harness on his right shoulder. Tough to see it from distance. pic.twitter.com/cgOEdX3mSp
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) May 3, 2019
Pro Football Doc goes to mention that the injury is not necessarily detrimental to his performance:
In no way am I panning the pick. He played with the labral tear and did well in college. Others in the NFL have played with this injury using a brace/harness. That includes the Cowboys DeMarcus Lawrence. However, others, such as the Lions’ Ezekial Ansah last season, have struggled with it.
This all could just be a precaution by the team. Perhaps someone with more sports medicine knowledge than myself can enlighten us in the comments. As of right now, it seems our new project has a personal injury side project going on. This is nothing new as it was reported that Gary’s shoulder was flagged just prior to the draft:
#Michigan DT Rashan Gary, one of the draft’s top defensive players, has a shoulder that was flagged, sources say. It’s a labral tear from college, and most believe he can play this season, then possibly have surgery afterward. It will likely have to be managed or harnessed, tho
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 23, 2019
The bottom line is do not expect much productivity from this #12 pick any time soon.
https://twitter.com/Gil_Brandt/status/1121590941771415553
To that, there is often this counter-argument:
#Packers fans. Want to know why Rashan Gary wasn’t super productive in college? He saw double and triple teams like this ALL THE TIME. @1057FMTheFan pic.twitter.com/yxFyfNTSFj
— Dan Plocher (@DanPlocher) April 26, 2019
For better or worse, he is ours for 4 years + option(actual terms were not disclosed).
A dice roll
Virtually every draft pick is. Great insight
Unless the colts are drafting. Then you get Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck, and Quentin Nelson. The 3 most “sure thing” players i can remember in my life.
But he said his shoulder was 110%?!?!?! Luckily we picked up real edge rushers in the offseason. Expect this pick to be a dud. The main issue is, he could be good, really good, but won’t be because of his inability to see long term. At least the number 52 is not going to be much different, Little production and a ton of injuries.
Lol. Ok bud.
I would have preferred they take Christian Wilkins instead; he may not have Gary’s ceiling, but he has a much higher, and more stable, floor. All reports are that he is a high character guy and outstanding leader…..not sure if that’s true with Gary. At #12 you hope for an impact player but the way this draft played out no obvious choice fulfilled that idea. Hence, the flyer on Gary. This is a classic Boom or Bust pick; after Justin Harrell, the football gods owe the Packers one. Maybe after Fail Mary, 3:50, and recent coin flips the gods owe even more.
GREEN BAY – Mike Reinfeldt, a former Green Bay Packers executive, will introduce Ted Thompson during Thompson’s induction Saturday into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.
Lets try to keep up J. P.
I thought you were gone?
It’s ok, i thought you were smart.
We all make mistakes.
It’s ok, i thought you were smart.
We all make mistakes.
I also thought Piffle was gone. Had mixed feelings about it. Like Batman maybe feeling a little incomplete when Joker is stuck in the asylum. The Joker it back. But… still not funny.
Kato, what you called him, that is some bold accuracy right there. Impressive.
He is not expected to start, but only be part of the rotation subbing in for the Smiths. Hence, the shoulder should hamper him less than, say, Ziggy Ansah, who was a starter for the Lions.
If you are a NFL General Manager picking 12th in the NFL draft and you pick a defensive player that you don’t expect to start. You may want to find a box, gather your belongings and find a different career path.
MJ, I don’t understand why there isn’t a push for him to simply have surgery now. I am not sure what the recovery timeline is for that, but I would think it would be at some point in the regular season.
God, PF4L is so clever, and is back to immediately insulting people as if he is an NFL GM in waiting. Do you watch, or learn anything? You fucking complain about depth, but then complain about about taking a depth piece at the most important position in a 3-4 defense. Also completely ignoring the fact Zadarius Smith has flexibility to provide inside rush as does Gary. There is a decent chance that Gary plays 60% of the snaps if the shoulder injury doesn’t affect him too much. All three of those guys could be on the field at the same time on passing downs. Please, try harder.
Awe…Let it all out little man, hope you feel better.
You talk about what you hope they can do. I talk about what they’ve done. I talk about reality. If that hurts your feelings, that just something i’m going to have to live with.
When they play real games and i see something worthwhile from this team, i’ll acknowledge it. It’s been awhile.
You keep doing what you do best, blaming Rodgers for all that ails this team.
How can there be any injury concern?
Didn’t Gary himself say his shoulder was 110%. But then again, he scored a 9 on his wonderlic.
A lot of teams took Gary off their board completely over his medical.
The Packers……continue to outsmart the rest of the league.
Has it occurred to you that you aren’t as smart as you think you are? Also, has it occurred to you that I don’t blame Rodgers for everything, and that there is plenty of blame to go around? I get it though, you have his shaft and balls deep down your throat, and he is perfect. He is absolved of any blame. He is not to blame for any personal issues he has with friends and family, and those are the faults of everyone around him. Better watch it, Danica will probably get jealous and smack you upside the head if she sees you making moves. Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth
Ok genius, please, do tell us the extent of his shoulder injury. We are waiting for your insight. I mean, he benched 225lbs 26 times, but hey, you don’t need a shoulder for bench press, amirite? 😀
A 9-point Wonderlic. Nice. Well, in his position most of his reads are instinctive or from a gut-level. He has to read one or two guys in front of him and charge. Can a higher intellect help? Yes, and if it’s there, it’s always a plus, as it helps master a craft faster. However, for intellectually simple tasks, having a high IQ will not benefit you much passed the point of having learned them.
A safety, on the other hand, does have to process a whole formation at glance, matching what he sees to the hours of film on that opponent. A safety needs to identify WR routes, QB gestures, RB and TE alignments to get a hint of what the offense plans to do. Even more, the offense will likely form similarly, but execute something different (remember the “It’s that wheel route” incident). So yes, for a safety, I would want at least an average Wonderlic. Maybe for an ILB, as he also reads the entire offensive formation. For a DE-DL-OLB, I don’t mind a brick-for-brains guy too much.
PF: by the 12th pick there was no sure-fire difference maker, so they went with the highest-ceiling one, even if he carried some risk. Myles Jack from a few years back was that kind of pick. High upside, but lost a year due to a knee injury. Gary is Jadevon-Clowney-type freakish regarding athleticism. Good coaching and a creative usage of his skills (by Pettine) will make him contribute thoughout his 1-2 year development period. As we just paid for two starters, we can afford to do that and bank on his future. Yes, there’s risk involved, but only the most dysfunctional teams get the difference-making outliers of every draft (how else do you pick 1st to 5th? 8th at most, if you add a bunch of QBs).
Kato: l’m no expert, but ligaments take forever to recover, since they have poor irrigation, so him having surgery would make him hit for most of the season. He could have surgery right after the season, or as soon as he reaggravates the injury, whichever happens earlier.
First off…thanks for posting like an adult. I don’t expect to read post from you consisting of deep throating other men, or using the “C” word. Thanks for keeping it above the Trailer Park crowd and not driving new readers away from this site..
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Gary was widely regarded as the best High School recruit in the Country by many, at the end of the day his College production didn’t justify it. Say all you want about being double teamed as his apologist will tell you. They also double in the Pro’s, with far better talent. Impact players have potential to beat double teams. If he can’t do it in college, should we believe he can do it in the NFL?
There rarely is any sure fire difference maker in the draft. We will, no doubt, read in the future what player the Packers should have drafted instead, (See TJ Watt) once the season starts and players display their talents.
I’m not alone here, when Gary was picked, the consensus was “wtf?”
Gary was drafted strictly on “potential” (high ceiling). Now you couple that with the questionable motor, the injuries, this teams lack of success in recent draft history, yes, that makes this pick a huge risk.
I’ll also stick to my guns on saying a defensive player with the #12 pick, is expected to start (period).
I’m not saying he can’t play in the NFL, i’m saying i don’t get it at #12. As always….time will tell the story.
Setting aside the “Best Overall Player Available” argument — whether or not Gary was (not) and setting aside what position the Packers should have targeted (offensive line, defensive line), and just focusing on EDGE/RUSH, we had to take one at #12… and even setting aside the shoulder injury issue… here’s the deal: there were at least two EDGE/RUSH available at #12 who are clearly better than Gary. Faster and much more productive at as big or bigger college programs against tougher competition. Either Montez Sweat or Brian Burns would have been better picks.