Inbox: All of Green Bay answered the bell

William from Charleston, WV

Should they just award the Lombardi Trophy now?

And once again we're off, so we might as well get going.

Tom from Nolanville, TX

Good morning Mike and Wes, I don't know about you, but with the turnout throughout the draft, how could the NFL not put Green Bay on the draft rotation, just as warm-weather Sun Belt cities get awarded Super Bowls? Fans across the league will forget Detroit hosted the draft, but fans around the world will not forget the little city that could. What a TV spectacle. What an atmosphere. I hope the NFL Big Wigs got full shock and awe. Well done Packerland!

I said several times this felt like a once-in-a-generation event, but I wouldn't mind being wrong about that.

Jeffery from Monticello, WI

Hello II, If you had to give this draft a theme what would it be?

Funny you should ask. I did my best to answer that question in my wrap-up column.

Rudy from Rhinelander, WI

Post-draft questions: 1) What was the final estimate on draft attendance? 2) What surprised you the most? Least?

The NFL announced a total attendance of 600,000 over the three days, which blew away the initial projections of around 250K. I thought the 250K was low, and maybe intentionally so, but I didn't think it'd be that low. I was surprised the Packers never made a trade and didn't draft a cornerback until the last round, but drafts can fall that way sometimes. I suspect their potential targets at corner were always gone by the time they were on the clock, and they never found the right value in moving back. To answer several other questions, I don't think the long wait to draft a cornerback tells us anything about the Alexander situation. I was not surprised I was exhausted Saturday night and slept in Sunday morning, and I'm still a little out of it as I write this column.

John from Omaha, NE

Out of the eight drafted Packers, how many of them participated in the Senior Bowl? How many made pre-draft visits to Green Bay?

I believe the class includes three Senior Bowl participants ( Anthony Belton, Barryn Sorrell, Collin Oliver) and five players who made pre-draft visits ( Matthew Golden, Belton, Micah Robinson John Williamsand Savion Williams ).

Tom from Lisbon, WI

Is it just me, or did the Pack manage to, yet again, bring in a group of really high-character guys? Some of these guys have been through some stuff – from Golden's promise to buy back his family's home, to Williams' daughter's health challenges, and then Sorrell dealing with his brother's loss… These guys know what it means to persevere. I'm looking forward to watching their stories play out.

The Packers don't draft players simply because of those things, but learning through the scouting process what players have gone through and how they've come out the other side gives them a fuller picture of who they're getting, and how they'll respond when the inevitable adversity hits at the highest level. LaFleur said it best Saturday night. As the college football landscape changes, the scouting conversation has changed from finding out who loves football to who needs it.

Marteen from Reno, NV

Mike and Wes, Green Bay hit it out of the park with the draft. It started with the streak being broken drafting a WR, but now I am still recovering from how emotional Barryn Sorrell got during his presser. His path to GB will be one to remember for a long time. He came to GB paying his own way. GB didn't even know he was there and had the guts to return to the green room Saturday to be there alone with his family. That is one Lambeau Leap of faith. Welcome to GB young man. You deserve it.

I can't do justice to Sorrell's story in this space, so I hope everyone checks out Wes’s piece from Saturday on how all that unfolded. That was yet another item that made this draft so memorable. It was a stunning convergence of cosmic forces. Never seen anything like it and probably never will again.

Dave from Germantown, TN

Was Gutey just blowing smoke or throwing off the competition pre-draft, when he said he liked his receiver and edge rusher rooms?

No. They built their board and trusted it. He admitted Friday night he didn't expect to be talking about taking two receivers in the first three rounds, but value is value. As I explained in my wrap-up column, the edge rushers they drafted are different types from the guys they already have, so they're varying the group, and they'll leave it to Hafley to maximize what the players do best.

Doug from Neenah, WI

Good morning. According to my research (which could be wrong), at 6-2 and 240 pounds, Collin Oliver is more of an off-ball linebacker than 4-3 defensive lineman. Or is he a designated pass rush specialist? Thanks.

We heard the moniker "DPR" a couple of times as it relates to Oliver. That appears to be the role he'll begin with, and Gutey added his ability to play off-ball linebacker as another option made it worth the investment. He was honestly the most curious selection in terms of breaking the Packers' traditional mold, as it were.

Jeff from Indian Lake, NY

I submitted a post after the Belton pick about how intense the LT and RG competition will be in camp this summer. Then the WR room said hold my beer.

And I had to dig deep for a new word.

Jim from St. Pete Beach, FL

Thanks for expanding my vocabulary – I had to look up donnybrook, Mike.

That's the first time in my entire career I’ve used it.

Charlie from Caledonia, WI

Anthony Belton, 6-6, 336. Whoa. He could wear a three-digit number.

Ha. This made me chuckle after a long haul of work. The Packers signed a 325-pound left guard in free agency and then drafted two O-linemen at 336 and 322. Not accidental in my view.

Joshua from Milwaukee, WI

Does adding Anthony Belton change your thoughts on how the starting offensive line might shake out this year?

Not really, though if Jordan Morgan and Rasheed Walker are duking it out at left tackle, maybe Belton becomes the challenger to Sean Rhyan at right guard. I don't really know. However the dust settles, a healthy Morgan and a rookie second-round pick who can play guard or tackle gives the line a lot more depth than it had in Philly last January.

Nick from Richmond, VA

Seems like we often have drafted first-rounders who were good athletes with a lot of upside but needed a year or two to develop before becoming a true starter. My hope for this year was to break that trend and get someone to make an immediate impact. Does Golden fit in as a Day 1 starter with immediate impact or more of a project?

He absolutely can play and contribute right away, but he's going to have to earn it. With the additions of Golden and Williams, as I mentioned on Friday night's "Three Things," anyone's targets and stats will have to be earned.

Jake from Regina, Canada

At face value, it looks like Golden has a very similar physical profile to Jayden Reed. In your opinion, what differentiates the two in their skillset and playstyle? I have to imagine Gute and his team believe that Golden complements Reed and the Packers' receiver room and does some things better than Reed can.

Without having seen Golden on an NFL practice or game field yet, I'm just going by this: Reed ran a 4.45 when he came out in the draft. Golden ran a 4.29. That's not a small difference in speed.

CJ from Marion, IA

Try and picture Golden and Christian Watson on the field at the same time. There are some wise out there saying it's the end for Watson. That's not necessarily so.

I agree, and to think Watson's contract fate with the Packers, or any receiver's for that matter, has been decided by this draft would be misguided. Way too much can happen. Any such decisions will be made in due time.

Yotam from Atlit, Israel

After WR hype is over, what position group (aside from specialist) has the longest first-round drought?

I'll let Mark chime in from up the road.

Mark from Sturgeon Bay, WI

I guess now the pundits will focus on the fact the Packers haven't drafted a running back in the first round since 1990.

Minnesota's Darrell Thompson now lives in so-called infamy. After that it's tight end, 2000 (Bubba Franks).

Jeff from Rhinelander, WI

Not a question, but I realize what Mike did there with his Prospect Primer on Golden. The draft had already started and it was looking like we might be able to get him so he did a Primer on him at 9:15 so he could hit on a Prospect Primer. Tricky but good. Thanks for the entertainment you guys do on II. GPG

For the record, Golden was the fourth of the 20 Primers we posted, originally going up on April 3.

Craig from Waldwick, NJ

Gutey must not read II or he would have traded down one spot to draft a WR who also runs the ball.

A wildly popular sentiment with this crowd, unsurprisingly, compounded by the fourth-round pass rusher's actual jersey number at Texas. It just won't stop.

Philip from Hobart, WI

Is this the first time the Packers didn't make any draft day trades?

The last time that happened was 2014 – nine picks, one in each round plus two compensatory selections – and Ted stayed put and picked in every spot.

Rollie from Denison, IA

The Not Forever League is what the NFL should be called. After the quality of the draft we just had there will be a lot of good players looking to do new things at the end of camp. Which position group do you see having the most turnover?

That's for training camp and the preseason to determine. It's not done on paper. There are so many variables – injuries, players who emerge quickly, others who aren't quite ready but show promise. The goal at this time of year is to build the strongest 90-man roster possible and then hope you're cutting good players at decision time.

Bob from Jensen Beach, FL

1. Hopefully you got some rest after three long days. It took three days to make eight draft picks but then 10 or more UDFAs are picked in a matter of hours. Are many of them notified prior to the end of round 7 that they are wanted by a team? Or do they wait to see offers from perhaps a number of teams to determine which is their best chance to find a home?

All of the above. It's a frenzied time with agents and players weighing the best potential landing spots with signing bonus offers and such. But a lot of initial communication takes place before final agreements are struck.

Tom from Yardley, PA

Great job with all the coverage! I saw several folks chime in that we made a mistake and should have picked Stackhouse instead of Brinson. Then we end up with both. Funny how things pan out.

That's an interesting pair to bring in from the same defensive front. It's like replacing Slaton with two guys. We'll see what transpires from here.

Mike from New Orleans, LA

Why is the acronym UDFA when undrafted is a single word?

Just to distinguish it in the lingo from UFA, which is for unrestricted free agents.

Danny from Billings, MT

Why did the position of the Packers' pick change from round to round?

Because they shared an 11-6 record with the Chargers and both teams were eliminated in the wild-card round of the playoffs. So due to the Chargers' lesser strength of schedule, they picked 22^nd in the first round and the Packers picked 23^rd. Then they flip-flopped spots in the second round, and rotated from there.

CJ from Kinderhook, NY

With our new OL John Williams, I have to ask the Inbox: What's your guys' favorite John Williams theme?

Oh wow, that's a tough one. I'd probably have to go with Indiana Jones, but there are almost no wrong answers there.

Keith from Lincoln, IL

I have always been proud to be a Packers fan (as trying as the '70s and '80s were), but this weekend took it to a new level. The organization, the community, the crowd – everyone and everything was done with dignity, excellence, and a sense of joy! Incredibly well done. Kudos and thanks to everyone who put the Packer Way on display for the nation to enjoy!

I don't normally let myself get distracted. Part of the nature of this job and doing it the best I know how. But I did pause late Saturday night, when I'm always so proud of all the draft coverage we put together and deliver on the website and all our platforms, to be extra proud to work for this organization and live in this community. All of Green Bay answered the bell. I don't know how else to say it.

Alex from Lake Forest, IL

Rain or shine it was a rocking good time. Hats off to the Packers, city, workers, and fans that made this draft special. From a first-hand perspective, it was an amazing weekend.

That, too. Happy Monday.