Latest news with #Edholm
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Packers roster among NFL's 'most complete,' but with caveats entering 2025
Eric Edholm picked the Green Bay Packers as one of his 10 "most complete" teams entering the 2025, and while Edholm doesn't see many "major red flags," there are caveats to the Packers' positioning as one of the best rosters this season. Can a good team on the cusp take the next step? Advertisement Brian Gutekunst's draft strategy -- especially in the post-Aaron Rodgers era -- has created a young and talented roster that has made back-to-back playoff appearances and should be ready to compete in 2025. "Brian Gutekunst was promoted to general manager in 2018, and the Packers have selected 80 players in his eight drafts -- an average of 10 per year, for the non-math majors out there. This volume-heavy approach has allowed them to field one of the league's most solid and competitive rosters up and down," Edholm wrote. The caveats are obvious. Quarterback Jordan Love must stay healthy and play better at the game's most important position, the Packers defense needs more from a talented but inconsistent front, and Jaire Alexander must return at cornerback. Love suffered a Week 1 injury and, at times, labored through his second season as the starter. The wide receivers -- who won't have Christian Watson for a chunk of 2025 -- must catch passes more consistently. Rashan Gary, Kenny Clark, Lukas Van Ness and Devonte Wyatt must power improvement rushing the quarterback in the second year of the Jeff Hafley era. And while Alexander's status in Green Bay remains a question mark, he's a difference-maker when healthy and available. Cornerback would be a potential "red flag" position if Alexander isn't back. Advertisement Still, even with all the issues weighing down the Packers in 2024, Matt LaFleur's team won 11 games, made the playoffs and gave the eventual champion Philadelphia Eagles a good fight on the road in the first round. The bar for a great season in Green Bay is much higher, but the Packers have established a strong floor with this group. "But all told, this is a fairly strong team, lacking major red flags. Green Bay's ranking would be solidified should Love show improvement," Edholm wrote. The path ahead for the Packers won't be an easy one. Edholm picked both the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings among his most complete teams, and three other teams in the NFC made the top 10. This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers roster NFL most complete 2025 Jordan Love Jaire Alexander
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Packers roster among NFL's 'most complete,' but with caveats entering 2025
Packers roster among NFL's 'most complete,' but with caveats entering 2025 Eric Edholm picked the Green Bay Packers as one of his 10 "most complete" teams entering the 2025, and while Edholm doesn't see many "major red flags," there are caveats to the Packers' positioning as one of the best rosters this season. Can a good team on the cusp take the next step? Brian Gutekunst's draft strategy -- especially in the post-Aaron Rodgers era -- has created a young and talented roster that has made back-to-back playoff appearances and should be ready to compete in 2025. "Brian Gutekunst was promoted to general manager in 2018, and the Packers have selected 80 players in his eight drafts -- an average of 10 per year, for the non-math majors out there. This volume-heavy approach has allowed them to field one of the league's most solid and competitive rosters up and down," Edholm wrote. The caveats are obvious. Quarterback Jordan Love must stay healthy and play better at the game's most important position, the Packers defense needs more from a talented but inconsistent front, and Jaire Alexander must return at cornerback. Love suffered a Week 1 injury and, at times, labored through his second season as the starter. The wide receivers -- who won't have Christian Watson for a chunk of 2025 -- must catch passes more consistently. Rashan Gary, Kenny Clark, Lukas Van Ness and Devonte Wyatt must power improvement rushing the quarterback in the second year of the Jeff Hafley era. And while Alexander's status in Green Bay remains a question mark, he's a difference-maker when healthy and available. Cornerback would be a potential "red flag" position if Alexander isn't back. Still, even with all the issues weighing down the Packers in 2024, Matt LaFleur's team won 11 games, made the playoffs and gave the eventual champion Philadelphia Eagles a good fight on the road in the first round. The bar for a great season in Green Bay is much higher, but the Packers have established a strong floor with this group. "But all told, this is a fairly strong team, lacking major red flags. Green Bay's ranking would be solidified should Love show improvement," Edholm wrote. The path ahead for the Packers won't be an easy one. Edholm picked both the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings among his most complete teams, and three other teams in the NFC made the top 10.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Rams not named among top-10 most complete teams in 2025
The Los Angeles Rams returned a lot of their marquee players this season. Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua, Kyren Williams, Alaric Jackson and Tutu Atwell are among the biggest names on offense, while the young defensive corps remains intact, too. This group finished middle-of-the-pack in terms of stats at the end of the season but was good enough to win 10 games, the NFC West and make the NFC Divisional round. Advertisement However, Eric Edholm doesn't think the Rams have one of the most complete teams in the league in 2025. Edholm graded each position group and weighed those units based on "positional importance." Through those calculations, Edholm determined that L.A.'s roster didn't make the cut, although he noted that the No. 10 Denver Broncos had enough talent to squeeze past the Rams and the Washington Commanders. The obvious reason why the Rams weren't ranked in the top 10 is their defense. Edholm noted that he might have "put too much emphasis on defense," and L.A. didn't do much to upgrade the unit. The group is young and developing, but the secondary and linebacker corps are also pretty poor. They returned the same starters from 2024, and those were the weakest groups on the team. At the end of the day, the Rams don't need a complete team to compete in 2025. Stafford is the most important part of this team, and the duo of Nacua and Davante Adams at receiver gives L.A. one of the most potent offenses in the NFL. Reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse is also always a threat from the edge alongside the collection of other young defensive players like Braden Fiske, Kobie Turner and Byron Young. We'll see if the Rams finish as a top-10 team despite this ranking. This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams ranked outside the top-10 of most complete teams list
USA Today
7 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Rams not named among top-10 most complete teams in 2025
Rams not named among top-10 most complete teams in 2025 The Los Angeles Rams returned a lot of their marquee players this season. Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua, Kyren Williams, Alaric Jackson and Tutu Atwell are among the biggest names on offense, while the young defensive corps remains intact, too. This group finished middle-of-the-pack in terms of stats at the end of the season but was good enough to win 10 games, the NFC West and make the NFC Divisional round. However, Eric Edholm doesn't think the Rams have one of the most complete teams in the league in 2025. Edholm graded each position group and weighed those units based on "positional importance." Through those calculations, Edholm determined that L.A.'s roster didn't make the cut, although he noted that the No. 10 Denver Broncos had enough talent to squeeze past the Rams and the Washington Commanders. The obvious reason why the Rams weren't ranked in the top 10 is their defense. Edholm noted that he might have "put too much emphasis on defense," and L.A. didn't do much to upgrade the unit. The group is young and developing, but the secondary and linebacker corps are also pretty poor. They returned the same starters from 2024, and those were the weakest groups on the team. At the end of the day, the Rams don't need a complete team to compete in 2025. Stafford is the most important part of this team, and the duo of Nacua and Davante Adams at receiver gives L.A. one of the most potent offenses in the NFL. Reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse is also always a threat from the edge alongside the collection of other young defensive players like Braden Fiske, Kobie Turner and Byron Young. We'll see if the Rams finish as a top-10 team despite this ranking.
USA Today
03-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Where do Jacksonville Jaguars land in post-NFL draft power rankings?
Where do Jacksonville Jaguars land in post-NFL draft power rankings? Following the 2025 NFL draft, where do the Jacksonville Jaguars now land in NFL .com's way-too-early power rankings? Following the 2025 NFL draft, where do the Jacksonville Jaguars now land in way-too-early power rankings? Prior to the draft taking place, Eric Edholm had Jacksonville at No. 30 in his rankings, ahead of only the New York Giants and Tennessee Titans. Now, post-draft, the Jaguars sit at No. 29. "For a Jacksonville team that still feels like it has some holes to fill, however, the jury remains at loggerheads," Edholm wrote. "Everyone wants to see what a Hunter-Brian Thomas Jr. pairing looks like, and if the duo will bring the best out of Trevor Lawrence. The Jags might not yet be relevant contenders, but they're must-see TV in a few capacities." The biggest jump a team made in Edholm's rankings was the 49ers moving up three spots. There's only so much we can glean from the draft without actually seeing the players on the field, so it's not surprising that there was little movement in these rankings for the Jaguars. There are plenty of reasons to be excited about where the Jaguars are headed. Liam Coen brings a Sean McVay-esque offense to Jacksonville, where various iterations of this system on other NFL teams has helped produce some of the better offenses in the league. On defense, Anthony Campanile brings his own malleable system that should better leverage the skill sets already on the roster. However, what should have everyone most excited is the effort by GM James Gladstone to build around Trevor Lawrence this offseason. Between free agency and the NFL draft, six new additions have been made to the offensive line. In addition to that, a lot of speed and playmaking was added at the skill positions with Travis Hunter, Bhayshul Tuten, and LeQuint Allen. The added "balance," as Coen put it, around Lawrence, coupled with the offensive scheme, should help take some of the playmaking burden off Lawrence's shoulders. Ultimatley, the ceiling for this Jaguars team will be determined by Lawrence's play, so why not give him more help? However, with all that said, as Edholm mentioned, we still have to see this team on the football field to truly know how much better the Jaguars have gotten this offseason. So while No. 29 feels a bit low to me, given the upside that exists, I'm not going to push back too hard either because a lot still has to be learned about this team.
