You never know when you may need them

Mike and Wes, I hope you had a wonderful Easter weekend, and you are well-rested for this week’s events. With the current CBA, how are the rookie initial contracts set up? Minimums based on draft order? Position group? Both? Are there limits on signing bonuses, etc.? Thanks to everyone involved with II. Love it. Go Pack Go!

It is officially NFL Draft week in Green Bay. I can’t believe I’m writing that. It feels like yesterday Mark Murphy was unveiling the countdown clock in the Atrium (starting at 355 days). Now, we’re just three days away. To your question, contracts for rookies are relatively straightforward these days. They’re slotted for where players are selected, with base salaries and bonuses gradually increasing every year. The only hangup is guaranteed money, but rarely do rookies hold out during training camp anymore.

David from Janesville, WI

Gents, queue the post-draft massive overreactions in five…four…three…two…one…and GO!

Please David. Let me enjoy these last few days of peace.

Gary from Cross Plains, WI

I’m surprised by the comments about how much scouting/prep a team does for top-of-the-draft prospects when were aren’t picking anywhere near the top. Of course, we’re going to give all those players the same due diligence as those more likely to be available at 23 (or Round 7). One, you never know what trade opportunity may arise to move up. Two, all that research is kept and utilized down the road should that player become available again (waiver, free agent, trade). The more you know!

The other thing to consider is the Packers keep a catalog of their past draft reports on prospects, which they’ll occasionally revisit. For example, Green Bay had Isaiah Simmons in for a visit last week. Although it was unlikely Simmons would be available when the Packers were slated to pick 30th in 2020, it’s always valuable to have background on top prospects. Really, that goes for any prospect in any round. I’m sure the Packers pulled up their scouting reports on Aaron Banks and Nate Hobbs before signing them last March, as well. You never know when you may need them.

To the question of whether it’s a “waste of time” studying players whom they don’t expect to be there, even if there’s not, there’s value to validating your scouting by seeing what your evaluation says and then how a player ends up. If you expect a No. 1 pick to be fantastic…