DA PACK IS BACK!!!! 

(Well sort of....)

The NFL Preseason is upon us, and if you are a "Real" Packers fan, my oh my....you're just punch drunk off the optimism. Could Jordan Love win MVP in only his second year starting? Was the Packers' late 2023 push merely a fluke, or a harbinger of more to come? Can Defensive Coordinator Jeff Hafley FINALLY, turn this team into the Top 10 unit it's designed to be? The questions...and the possibilities are endless. 

Speaking of endless possibilities, let's focus on the future of one Ty'Ron Hopper. Hopper was selected 91st Overall by the Packers in the 2024 Draft, much to the chagrin of many equally misaligned and misguided fans. However, your favorite Draft Analyst painted a rosier picture than most. In fact, I told you all with my head held high and my chest puffed out far enough to touch the jumbotron that Hopper was a Certified Gem. And as the song goes from the former King of R&B, "That's my story....and I'm stickin' to it!" 

If you need to refresh your memory, you can read about my endorsement of Hopper in Part V of Joseph's Gems 2024.

We're in uncharted territory here people, this is the first time GM Brian Gutekunst has selected a Gem (and hopefully not the last, I gotta job to keep too). So now that we're here, now what? 

Welp, I'm glad you asked!

Now that we have a Gem, is it truly worth what we paid for it? While I may be your favorite Gemologist, you can't just take my word for it can you? Of course not! And that's where you guys come in (with a little help from me).

Hopper was selected with Pick 28 of the 3rd Round, coming in at 91st Overall. Some might want to argue semantics but I won't chase that rabbit here, Hopper is a bonified Day 2 Pick.

Day 2 Picks from my perspective are typically seen as role players at least; guys who may not be the starter initially but will command their share of snaps as you find more ways to get them on the field and bring out the most of their talents. It's safe to say that with the holes the Packers had at the Linebacker position, Hopper was brought in to at least see some significant time early if he couldn't lock down a starting gig somewhere within Coach Haf's shiny new 4-3 Defense.

Expectations

While Ty'Ron is a Day 2 Pick, I fully expect him to lock down a starting role in the defense because he does have the talent to do so. Will it be Week 1? Maybe. But by the back end of the season, I sure do hope so. While we got a sneak peek at Family Day, the Preseason will present a much better sample size. I like Hopper as our starting "Sam" or Strong Side Linebacker. 

Hopper should see anywhere from 40-60% of all defensive snaps. While I really want to see 50% or more, until we know the whole kit and kaboodle that Coach Haf has in his defensive playcalling arsenal, I'll temper my assumptions for now.

In an even front defense, we should see more from all the LBs against the run and the pass, which should absolutely reflect in the box score. If Hopper does make the cut as the #1 SOLB, I'd estimate he's responsible for 15-25% of all tackles within the LB Corps. As the Sam, he may not see a ton of opportunities against the run; but as a rookie, I do expect teams to try and target him early and see if he holds up. I don't want to get too deep into the woods on sacks or interceptions, because we can't predict what Haf has in store yet. But I don't think it would be too outlandish to see Ty'Ron come away with 3 sacks his first year in the league. Interceptions will probably be more luck than anything unless he's routinely dropping back into coverage.

Comparisons

Alright naysayers this is your turn at bat. Hopper was the 5th LB taken in the 2024 Draft, with the 1st in Edgerrin Cooper also being selected by the Packers at 45th Overall. I was planning to only pick 3 but I guess with the Cooper selection I'll work a little harder for you guys. Here are the 4 LBs that were selected before Hopper:

Edgerrin Cooper (45th) - Packers/4-3

Junior Colson (69th) - Chargers/4-3 Hybrid

Trevin Wallace (72nd) - Panthers/3-4

Marist Liufau (87th) - Cowboys/4-3

Of course, many of you felt that the Packers overpaid, with some of you even claiming Hopper would have fallen as low as the 5th or 6th Round. So, let's look at the 4 LBs taken after Hopper as well:

Adisa Isaac (93rd) - Ravens/3-4 Hybrid

Payton Wilson (98th) - Steelers/3-4

Cedric Gray (106th) - Titans/4-3 Hybrid

Tyrice Knight (118th) - Seahawks/4-3 Hybrid

It should be noted that both Gray and Knight were taken in the 4th Round. With Liufau through Wilson being within just 11 picks of each other, having similar on-field performance wouldn't be a surprising thing. But remember, these rookies all play for very different teams, coaches, and varying levels of competition based on their strength of schedule. It's hard to say what their prognosis will be if these players swapped teams, but I'll be your huckleberry anyway.

Tomorrow afternoon the Packers see their first preseason opponent the Cleveland Browns, which means we can finally start getting some real tape on this promising crop of Packers youth, including Hopper. While this won't be a weekly column, stay tuned for the next chapter after the Packers preseason, where I hope Coach Haf hands Ty'Ron the job. If not, we'll continue to reassess. Stay tuned in this new and exciting chapter of Gems as we look to see if Gutekunst and the Packers(really just me), got it right.

#GPG