Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones led the NFL

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in yards per carry in 2018 Preston Smith Jersey , posting an average of 5.5 yards on 133 carries. That mark beat out a handful of other backs across the league, as..."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections The APC PodcastPackers Film RoomFantasy Football AdviceCSTShareTweetShareShareAaron Jones graded as NFC North’s best running back in 2018, says PFFJeff Hanisch-USA TODAY SportsGreen Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones led the NFL in yards per carry in 2018, posting an average of 5.5 yards on 133 carries. That mark beat out a handful of other backs across the league, as rookies Kerryon Johnson of the Detroit Lions and Phillip Lindsey of the Denver Broncos were a big behind at 5.4.However, Jones was more than just a rushing threat. He worked hard to improve his pass-blocking abilities, which were at least part of the reason he did not take over as a full-time starter early in the season. By week six, though, he started over Jamaal Williams and did not let that job go until suffering a sprained MCL late in the season. Jones also took a big step forward as a receiver in 2018, catching 26 passes for 206 yards and a touchdown.Combined, those efforts earned Jones the top Pro Football Focus grade among all running backs in the NFC North:As he did in yards-per-carry, Johnson finished one-tenth of a point behind Jones. Meanwhile, Williams finished well back of his teammate, earning an overall grade of just 68.5.Jones’ grade was not only the best among players at his position in the division; it ranked him 12th among all running backs in the entire NFL last season. Furthermore, his rushing production ranked seventh in the NFL in DVOA. These numbers illustrate the impact he had on the Packers’ offense in 2018, as well as why Packers fans expect him to take yet another step forward next season. Ted Thompson hoarded draft picks for years as the best accumulator of draft capital in the league. Brian Gutekunst could use this draft to cash in his arsenal for top-level talent."Former Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson famously grasped onto draft picks like Gollum and the ring. like the Packers has to worry about. In terms of draft picks, four quarters isn’t as impactful as a dollar, even if they have the same true value. The trick is finding the sweet spot. At what point is having a mid-first player more impactful to your team than having a later first and other assets? There’s a reason the trade value chart grows exponentially as it climbs: those picks offer explosive value because the ceiling for those players tends to be higher. The odds of hitting on a great player are better. Green Bay could decide to leverage this premise in its favor. Statistically speaking, the Packers are highly unlikely to find a useful player on Day 3 Ty Summers Jersey 2019 , so one way to go for Gutekunst could be to go all-in to get as many early picks as possible. The more bites at the apple, the more opportunities they have to hit. And when you’re taking those bites earlier in the draft, there’s a much higher degree of likelihood someone actually hits for you. Considering the hit rate of late-round picks and the relative value of early picks, what if Green Bay punted on trying to find impact players in the late rounds? Gutekunst added players like Danny Vitale, Natrell Jamerson, Ibraheim Campbell, and Allen Lazard over the course of last season. They could be back on deals commensurate with what a Day 3 draft class might cost. With two firsts, two fourths, and two sixths, Green Bay possesses unique flexibility to deal. To be clear, I’m not advocating any of these scenarios specifically, but rather presenting potential paths that could make sense from a value standpoint. Here are a handful of potential options. Chase the superstar The least likely option, but fun nonetheless so let’s talk about it. By the value chart, 12+30=4. That might be just out of range for the Packers to get Nick Bosa or Josh Allen. Along with Quinnen Williams, those three make up the top tier of this draft. But let’s say the Cardinals get crazy and take Kyler Murray No. 1, or trade to a team who does? All of a sudden that puts one of the few ultra-elite talents on the board. From there, the Packers could take 44 and 75 to get back into the bottom of the first round, walking out of Day 1 with one the few true superstar players and another swing at a top guy. This would be antithetical to the approach this team has taken for years, but it’s not totally crazy given the kind of malleability that extra first-round pick gives Green Bay. Stop the blue chipper’s fall One simple option would be to take pick 75 Jace Sternberger Green Bay Packer , package it with the pick 30 to move into the 19-22 range for a blue chip player who is falling. The chance to snatch up Jonah Williams, T.J. Hockenson, or even Dalton Risner, to add what they consider to be an elite talent, would be tantalizing. The backstop of keeping 44 means not sacrificing the change to get that third top-level talent. And from a draft chart perspective, the numbers work. This is where the four quarters for a dollar idea comes in. Sure, the Packers could sit at 30, hoping a good player comes their way, or they could pay using a less valuable asset to magnify the value they can add. But that only makes sense to snag one of those top-tier guys. You don’t make the trade just to make the trade. Patient, but aggressive If there’s no one worth seeking out in that way, Gutekunst could stand pat longer. The value tends to bubble as the draft progresses. Players fall and value skyrockets. Picks 12, 30, and 44 yield players the team likes. Then, they package 75 with pick 115, one of their two fourth-round picks. That could be enough to move into the bottom of the second round. The top-50 or so players in a draft tend to form a cutoff point for quality starters. If there’s a guy in that top-50 who happens to be falling, Green Bay can easily justify such a move. Add in one of the extra six-round picks and the Packers could get squarely in the top-60 in terms of draft picks. The first-round trio Ok, we’ve primed the pump, now let’s get weird. Let’s say the Packers find good players at 12, 30 but they were struggling to decide between a couple players with that second first Jace Sternberger Jersey 2019 , players they really like. Offer 44+75 to get back into the first round, a similar offer to what the Baltimore Ravens gave the Philadelphia Eagles to get Lamar Jackson, and one that works with the trade value chart. Wind up with three first-round picks and the chance to dynamically add top-tier talent to the roster. After the top-100, everything is more or less a flyer. It’s either special-teams players, projects, character issue guys, or players who simply aren’t that good. As such, Green Bay could then take 115, 119 and sneak back into the high 90’s, finishing with four top-100 players, including three potential blue chip guys. They’d be left with a fifth and two sixths just to ensure there are some extra camp bodies, but Gutekunst gets to shoot his shot with premier talent. In some ways, this is already how the New England Patriots treat Day 3 picks, more than willing to sacrifice those lottery tickets for proven NFL players in bad situations. They’re loaded with former high picks from bad teams and didn’t have to give up much to get them. The Packers can follow a similar blueprint, replacing veterans with the accumulation of a few higher level draft assets for lower level assets. If you’re going to take a gamble—and all draft picks are a form of gambling—there are worse options than betting on talent.