Much has been made out of the Packers’ draft results. I personally am in the camp that Brian Gutekunst has done a solid job drafting. The most recent class seems to be full of hits. There is one rookie that is surprising everyone with his production. Packers rookie Kingsley Enagbare is outperforming first-rounders from this year’s draft.
Packers Kingsley Enagbare Is Outperforming First-Rounders
Of Rookie EDGE rushers with a MIN of 60 pass rush reps.
Kingsley Enagbare has a higher win % than
Travon Walker
Aidan Hutchinson
Keyvon Thibodeaux
George KarloftisActually, the only EDGE from this class with a higher % is Nik Bonitto.
— Jacob Morley (@JacobMorley) November 3, 2022
There were a lot of rookie edge rushers taken this year, especially in the first round. Enagbare is outperforming all of them. Of the rookie edge rushers with a minimum of 60 pass rush attempts, Kingsley Enagbare has a higher win percentage than Travon Walker, Aidan Hutchinson, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and George Karlaftis. All of those players were taken in the first round. Enagbare was taken 179th overall whereas three out of the four of the previously mentioned players were taken top 5. Only Nik Bonitto has a higher pressure rate and he was taken 64th overall.
The Packers Can Find Value In The Late Rounds
This year especially, the Packers have found some gems in the later rounds. Zach Tom has filled in wonderfully on the offensive line. Samori Toure has gotten the attention of Aaron Rodgers and caught his first touchdown pass Sunday night. Romeo Doubs is the clear WR2 and has the skill set of a WR1. Kingsley Enagbare must be picking up some tips from Preston Smith and Rashan Gary because he looks great off the edge. All of these players were taken in the 4th round or later. Gutekunst has his misses. All GMs do. However, this draft shows that Gutekunst and his staff can find talent in the later rounds.
It is awesome to see Kingsley Enagbare outperforming all of these first-rounders. We hear so much about their talent, rightfully so, but to see a 5th rounder be amongst the top 5 picks in terms of production is cool. The Packers will need their draft picks to play a large role on the team in the coming years and Enagbare looks like he is ready.
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