Hindsight is always 20/20, especially when it comes to the NFL Draft

GREEN BAY, Wis. Hindsight is always 20/20, especially when it comes to the NFL Draft. A lot of things go into whether or not a draft pick was worth the investment. Was the scouting departments projection correct? Was the player a good fit for the scheme? Was he given the proper coaching? How does he handle life as a profe sional?With that as a backdrop, lets revisit the Green Bay Packers 2021 draft cla s in a series of stories. Nine players were selected, including second-round pick Josh Myers with the 62nd overall selection.Before the DraftThe Packers have had a long history of top-notch center play. The latest in that line was Corey Linsley. A fifth-round pick in 2014, Linsley was thrust into the Week 1 lineup against Seattle. The Seahawks and their indomitable defense, salivating in anticipation of facing a rookie, . Isaiah Coulter Jersey Linsley didnt need any prayers that night. In fact, he had a strong debut and a strong rookie season, and only got better. In 2020, he was named to the All-Pro team. The Packers let him go last offseason, a combination of the teams salary-cap problems, age (he was set to turn 30 before training camp) and some injury history. Thus, they went into the 2021 NFL Draft needing a center. Packers Select Josh Myers in Second RoundIts this pick thats the inspiration for this series. The consensus top center prospect in the draft cla s was Oklahomas Creed Humphrey. Humphrey started 37 games during his final three seasons. In 2020, he was named the Big 12s Offensive Lineman of the Year and became a two-time All-American. Along with elite performance at a big-time program, Humphrey dominated the pre-draft proce s. Sooners Jason Peters Jersey defensive end Ronnie Perkins called Humphrey Frankenstein and a freak. , an athletic analytics system created by Kent Platte, takes player measurements and puts them on a 0-to-10 scale compared to their position group. Humphrey scored a perfect 10 and ranked first out of all centers dating to 1987.Scroll to ContinueWith the Packers on the clock at No. 62, need and best player available seemed aligned. But, instead of taking Humphrey, general manager Brian Gutekunst went with Ohio States Myers. Humphrey went at No. 63 to the Kansas City Chiefs. Asked about Myers over Humphrey, Gutekunst said, It was a pretty good center cla s up at the top this year, and I thought we had some options. But Josh, his size, his athleticism, his power, how smart he is, what they asked him to do at Ohio State and understanding he could handle some of that here, I think was intriguing to us. I think he fit what were all about. At the Time, I Would Have Picked Humphrey.The VerdictBased on rookie results, Gutekunst botched this one. Humphrey was voted the All-Rookie center. While he was not voted to the Pro Bowl team or selected to The A sociated Pre s prestigious All-Pro team, Red Grange Jersey Humphrey was selected first-team All-Pro by Pro Football Focus. He was the only rookie to garner first-team honors.In 17 games, Humphrey allowed one sack and 10 total pre sures. Myers, on the other hand, allowed zero sacks and eight total pre sures in six games after mi sing time with an injured finger and a knee injury that required surgery. Take PFFs grades for what theyre worth, but Humphrey was the No. 1-ranked center as a run blocker not just among rookies but overall. Obviously, its far too soon to say whether Gutekunst should have drafted Humphrey. How might Myers season have turned out had he been able to string together 17-plus consecutive starts? But, from a one-year perspective, this looks like a mi sed opportunity. It will be interesting to track their careers and see if Myers becomes the type of player the Packers projected. I think I still have a lot to prove and Im excited to get the opportunity to do that next year, Myers said at the end of the season. Im just looking forward to a healthy season. I just felt like I didnt have any flow to this season. I was in and out and that was frustrating.Packers Redraft Series LT David Bakhtiari ($10.97 million cap charge; ranking No. 10 among OTs)The five-time All-Pro had a year hed love to forget. The ACL tear he sustained late in the 2020 season perhaps prevented the Packers from beating the Buccaneers and getting to the Super Bowl. Bakhtiari targeted a midseason return but it just didnt happen. The knee never felt right and there was a disconcerting fluid buildup. So, he had a follow-up procedure done. When he returned for the finale at Detroit and somehow played as if he were in midseason form it meant hed be back for the playoffs and a potential Super Bowl run.Actually, its not what it meant. Bakhtiari was inactive for the lo s against San Francisco. That meant he was paid $118,518.52 for each of his 27 snaps. Now, the hope is Bakhtiari will be able to return to form for the final three years of his contract. Speaking of his contract, a restructure created $8.3 million of cap space for 2021. His Tarik Cohen Jersey new cap number for 2022 will be $22.2 million, fourth-highest among tackles. Presumably, the Packers will turn his $9.5 million roster bonus into signing bonus and add some void years to his contract to le son the blow. That sounds great but it makes the long-term health of his knee a bigger priority.The grade isnt a knock on Bakhtiari, his comeback or his mind-set. Its not his fault that he didnt recover as well as anyone had hoped. Its not as if he was slamming cans of beer and eating platters of poutine rather than rehabbing. Its just the reality.Grade: F. LG Elgton Jenkins ($1,849,805 cap charge; ranking No. 44 among OGs)Jenkins went from being hailed as one of the top guards in the NFL as a Pro Bowler in 2020 to one of the best offensive linemen, period, in 2021, when he capably replaced Bakhtiari at left tackle. Before he suffered a torn ACL at Minnesota in Week 11, he was absolutely tremendous. Of 67 offensive tackles with at least his 496 snaps, he ranked 16th in PFFs pa s-blocking efficiency, which measures sacks, hits and hurries per pa Justin Fields Jersey s-protecting snap. SIS charged him with zero blown blocks in the run game. (A blown block is defined as any time a blocker does not succe sfully block the defender he attempted to engage with and gave the defender an opportunity to negatively affect the play). Of every lineman in the NFL who played at least Jenkins 176 snaps as a run blocker, he was the only one with a blown-block rate of 0.0 percent.Bakhtiaris injury shows nothing is guaranteed in coming back from a torn ACL. Nonethele s, a 10-month recovery would get Jenkins on the field by late September. When he does come back, where will he line up? Will he back at left guard? Or how about right tackle if the Packers dont bring back Billy Turner? That question not only will be important for the Packers but for Jenkins, who will be entering his final season under contract knowing t