Number 12 for the green and gold is an all-timer. The now 35-year-old is coming up on the end of his prime and has shown a vulnerability to injury over the last few seasons. As the 2017 Philadelphia Eagles showed, having quarterback depth is a valuable asset in the NFL. With that being said, let’s take a look at the guys behind Aaron Rodgers in the Green Bay quarterback room:
DeShone Kizer
After trading former first-round pick Damarious Randall to Cleveland to get him and then shipping out Brett Hundley before the start of the regular season, it appeared that the Green Bay Packers had DeShone Kizer in their long term plans. But that was of course before the team had a fire-sale with their coaching staff and installed a new regime. Kizer is the presumable favorite to retain his role as Rodgers’ backup for the 2019 season over Tim Boyle. But what will Kizer’s long term future look like in the eyes of this new staff?
One thing to note is Kizer’s ties to new head coach Matt LaFleur. LaFleur spent the 2014 season as the quarterbacks coach at the University of Notre Dame where Kizer was a freshman. Kizer was a redshirt, however, so the ties between the two are not significant.
Early struggles
Kizer’s career got off to a rocky start. Before even being drafted, there was controversy surrounding him regarding his choice to leave college for the NFL early. Coach Brian Kelly said publicly that Kizer still needed time at the collegiate level before moving on to the NFL.
“I’m honest when I’m asked a question. DeShone and I have a great relationship, and when somebody asked me do you think he would benefit [by coming back to school], I told them, ‘Yeah, I think he would benefit from being in college.’ I said, ‘He has great character, he’s not immature, [but] two years of college football is not enough for anybody. Not DeShone Kizer, not anybody.”
Not only was Kizer not NFL ready coming in, but he was also drafted into a terrible situation. Selected 52nd overall by the Cleveland Browns in 2017, Kizer was forced into a starting role with the Browns immediately. It’s safe to say that things didn’t go so well. In 15 starts he threw just 11 touchdowns to 22 interceptions and lost all 15 games. Not all of his woes can be put entirely on him. For starters, it takes far more than lousy quarterback play for a team to lose EVERY game in a 16 game season. Also, as mentioned before, he was thrown into an incredibly tough situation.
In year two, Kizer was traded to Green Bay and did not see much time behind Rodgers. But the limited action that he did see was not encouraging either. He still looked like an overwhelmed rookie with much growth to go through before he could step onto the field. Will he go through significant growth from year two to year three? That is yet to be seen.
Tim Boyle
Kizer was Green Bay’s backup last season and is the favorite to assume that position once more this year, but first, he will have to win it from Tim Boyle. Boyle, who was not selected in the 2018 draft, signed with the Packers after a four-year career at Uconn and Eastern Kentucky. Just looking at his college numbers, Boyle had no business making a 53-man NFL roster. In his four-year college career, he threw for only 3,371 yards and threw 12 touchdowns to 26 interceptions.
Redeeming qualities
He has a few redeeming qualities, however, that could translate well to the NFL. His arm strength, for one, is more than ideal. Brian Gutekunst said of Boyle that he has a “big arm” and “really does a nice job from the pocket.” Boyle has a great deal of athleticism as well to go along with his arm. He stands 6’4 and 232 lbs, ran a 4.75 40 time, and has a 35.5 inch vertical.
Despite the athleticism, he rarely shows it off on tape. He is much more comfortable working in the pocket, which is ironically the reverse of many young quarterbacks. LaFleur had positive things to say of Boyle at the recent owners meeting.
“He has some natural throwing ability,” LaFleur said. “There’s not a ton of tape on him, so we’ll get a good feel for him throughout the OTAs and into training camp. But I certainly think there’s some redeeming qualities he possesses that give you some excitement.”
While the limited tape and lack of production could be looked at as a cause for concern, if LaFleur and his staff can harness the strengths of Boyle and continue to develop him, he could become a diamond in the rough for Green Bay.
Manny Wilkins
Manny Wilkins is a long shot to make the roster but will still be a fun player to watch this offseason. He finished his senior season at Arizona State with very impressive numbers; completing nearly 63% of his passes, throwing 20 touchdowns to just six interceptions, and put up an eye-popping 141.2 passer rating. His biggest game of the season came in early September against the then 15th ranked Michigan State Spartans, where he threw for 380 yards and led the Sun Devils to a huge upset victory. His play during the end of the season put his name in conversation as a potential late-round pick, but a knee injury he suffered in ASU’s bowl game against Fresno State scared enough teams off for him to go undrafted.
Much like Boyle, Wilkins is a terrific athlete for a quarterback, but he still looks incredibly comfortable in the pocket. He runs a low 4.7 40 and shows excellent mobility on tape, but doesn’t rely solely on that athleticism.
Concerns
One of the biggest concerns that teams had on Wilkins coming out was his reliance in star receiver N’Keal Harry in ASU’s offense. Harry was selected in the first round of this year’s draft by the New England Patriots and was the focal point of ASU’s passing game in 2018. So much so, that at times it looked like Wilkins would lock in on Harry completely and be oblivious of any other player on the field. That habit gets quarterbacks slaughtered in the NFL.
Similar to Cam Newton or Patrick Mahomes, there is a certain swagger around Wilkins when he plays the game. It’s evident that he loves what he is doing and has confidence in his abilities. The odds are stacked heavily against him to make an NFL roster, but Manny Wilkins is worth rooting for.