A new tool helps explain Green Bay’s height-weight-speed mindset over the last decade-plus.
Arjun Menon, who previously worked with Pro Football Focus and spent time with the New York Jets’ analytics department, has created a tool that allows you to track how every NFL team’s athletic testing averages compare to other squads since 2011 — the start of the rookie wage scale. Going position by position, this is one of the most in-depth looks at the Green Bay Packers’ draft trends — with the context of how other teams draft — that you’re going to get.
Here are some notable numbers:
- Unsurprisingly, the Packers like big receivers. Height-wise, the Packers’ average over this period is 6’1.1”, which is just 0.7” shy of the teams that have drafted the longest receivers since 2011 — the Tennessee Titans and Atlanta Falcons.
- Green Bay’s size preferences also show up at another skill position: running back. The team’s average running back drafted has been 224.5 pounds, which is the heaviest of any team in the league.
- The offensive line is a tough position to get granular on, as the Packers tend to draft offensive linemen who have a tackle background — even if they plan to move them to another position eventually. With that being said, Green Bay ranks top-five in the short shuttle average for the tackle position. While that average might not seem super impressive, their minimum demands for that drill at that position seem to be in the ballpark of a 4.75-second number. For perspective, that’s better than the tackle averages of eight teams over the last decade-plus. Mind you, that’s the Packers’ minimums.
- Athleticism is a premium on the Packers’ defensive line. For interior defensive linemen, the Packers rank third among NFL teams with their average 40-yard dash time (4.94 seconds) and second in the 10-yard split (1.70 seconds). The only team that bested them in both categories is the Philadelphia Eagles. Similar is true at the edge defender positions. Green Bay ranks fourth in the 40-yard dash (4.64 seconds) and second in the 10-yard split (1.61) there.
- Short area quickness seems to be a big premium for the Packers at cornerback, too. The average cornerback drafted to Green Bay since 2011 had a 6.82-second three cone and a 4.11-second short shuttle, which both rank top-three among NFL teams. It’s also worth noting here that the Packers generally avoid drafting smaller cornerbacks, with Jaire Alexander (5’10”) being around the absolute floor of the team’s physical demands.
- The average 40-yard dash time of a safety drafted for Green Bay ran a 4.47-second 40-yard dash, which is just 0.01 behind the NFL lead over this period of time. Meanwhile, the team also generally likes players with above-average heights and weights at the position. Good luck finding those types of bodies in the 2024 draft class.
It shouldn’t be surprising that the Packers typically like big, athletic players. With everything else being equal, you would, too. Comparing...
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