With the NFL season officially in the books, but now is a wonderful time to reflect on the 2015 NFL Draft. While the true career arcs of these players won't be known for years to come, we do have an idea of which way the teams' draft classes are trending.
The Green Bay Packers didn't give a ton of playing time to most of their rookies because they weren't forced to do so. The Packers did get contributions from a few players, and that's a promising sign for this draft class. With that in mind, let's review and breakdown the Packers' 2015 draft class.
Day One:
DB Damarious Randall, Arizona State - Round 1, Pick #30
Randall could be a safety long-term, but he played corner this season for the Packers. He saw a solid amount of playing time, and showed promise. He wasn't the team's best rookie corner, but he played well enough to more than justify the draft pick.
Day Two:
CB Quinten Rollins, Miami (Ohio) - Round 2, Pick #62
WR Ty Montgomery, Stanford - Round 3, Pick #94
Montgomery didn't see the field much, but he wasn't really supposed to. He did score twice and could be a top target in a few seasons. Rollins actually outplayed Randall, despite not seeing the field as often. He's still raw and has only played football for the past two seasons. His future is bright and he could be a starter in the very near future.
Day Three:
LB Jake Ryan, Michigan - Round 4, Pick #129
QB Brett Hundley, UCLA - Round 5, Pick #147
FB Aaron Ripkowski, Oklahoma - Round 6, Pick #206
DE Christian Ringo, Lousiana Lafayette - Round 6, Pick #210
TE Kennard Backman, UAB - Round 6, Pick #213
Ryan didn't play a ton, but he could take over as a starter this season if the Packers move Clay Matthews back to outside linebacker. He still has plenty of work to do, but Ryan has promise. The other four hardly played, but they did make the roster, which is impressive. I loved the Hundley pick at the time and still feel that way.
Grade: B+
The Packers picked up contributions from their first two picks and both look like future starters. Montgomery played a bit, and should be a contributor in the near future. Ryan could start next season as well. With every player not making the roster at some point during the season, this was about as strong a draft class the Packers could have hoped for at the end of each round.