USAT: Packers Wire audio clip

USAT: Packers Wire

Feb 28, 2022

The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100 prospects that could be selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 2022 NFL Draft. - The Green Bay Packers selected Jace Sternberger in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. The following year the Packers once again selected a tight end in the third round when they drafted Josiah Deguara. - Sternberger is no longer on the team and Deguara has flashed potential and could be a potential breakout candidate for the 2022 season. - Will Robert Tonyan get re-signed after suffering a season-ending injury earlier this season? Even if he is re-signed he was nowhere near as productive as he was in 2020 when he hauled in 11 touchdowns. - Will this be the final ride for Marcedes Lewis? The veteran tight end will turn 38 in May and may opt to retire. Even if Lewis is back next season he’s no longer a starting-caliber tight end. - With so many question marks surrounding the tight end position, expect the Packers to look early and often for upgrades this offseason. - A player that Brian Gutekunst could target in the 2022 NFL Draft is Cole Turner. The Nevada tight end checks in at No. 57 in the Unpacking Future Packers countdown. - Turner spent his first two seasons at Nevada playing wide receiver. The Clackamas native recorded 49 passes for 605 yards and nine touchdowns in 2020 during his first season playing tight end. - This past season the Nevada tight end reeled in 62 passes for 677 yards and 10 touchdowns. - “Carson Strong, a top-50 draft prospect this year, and Cole Turner were teammates and roommates for the last four seasons,” Chris Murray, a reporter for Nevada Sports Net, said. “Strong called him ‘our LeBron James’ when Turner missed the San Diego State game, a two-point Wolf Pack loss. Turner began his career as a wideout for two years, playing sparingly. His move to tight end before the 2020 season really unlocked his potential as Turner ranked top five in the nation among tight ends in catches, yards, and touchdowns in each of the last two years. Turner was Strong’s go-to guy on third down and around the goal line, so they had a great relationship on and off the field.” - The first thing that stands out about Turner is his size. At 6-6, he has a huge catch radius. He has a basketball background and does a good job of boxing out defensive backs. He has great body control and high points the football. - - #Nevada TE Cole Turner and goal line fades. Name a better duo! - Seriously, he’s a weapon in the red zone. Boxes out defenders like a post player in basketball and has a nice catch radius, able to contort his body in many different ways. pic.twitter.com/GYyt2JZ0gl - — Devin Jackson (@RealD_Jackson) December 26, 2021 - - - “He’s going to be bigger than any slot cornerback, safety or linebacker who lines up against him in the NFL,” Murray said. “His greatest strength is his size and ability to basically box out the opposition (he was an excellent high school basketball player as well).” - All those traits make Turner an absolute weapon inside the red zone. Over the last two seasons, Turner has caught 19 touchdowns. The Nevada tight end was so dominant inside the five-yard line that it caused teams to even give him the Calvin Johnson treatment. - -

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