With just under a month until this year’s NFL Draft, many wonder how first-year general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan will address Miami Dolphins roster issues. A look back at how the Green Bay Packers – where Sullivan mentored for his current job – do things will give those interested a set of guidelines to observe that may fit with how Miami drafts this year.

To reiterate before getting started, just because Green Bay did it this way does not necessarily mean Miami will. That said, a) there is little else to go on b) it would be hard to imagine Sullivan doing an about-face and c) one would imagine Dolphins brass hired Sullivan to bring exactly that experience in an effort to turn things around in Miami. But again, until he drafts here, little is known.

One last note: these parameters are mere guidelines. They are not absolute. In the coming days, expect a story addressing that specifically and it will likely be available on Miami Dolphins on SI.

THE SCOUTING PHILOSOPHY

The “Green Bay Way” as we’re choosing to call it, began with Ron Wolf, continued with Ted Thompson and ultimately to Brian Gutekunst, current Packers GM who Sullivan has stated he shadowed and learned from.

In general, there are five tenets of their philosophy.

1. DRAFT PREMIUM POSITIONS AT THE TOP

The Packers typically do not play around in early rounds. Last year being an outlier as they selected a receiver, Green Bay believes in reserving top picks for what they consider premium positions: quarterback, edge, offensive tackle and outside cornerback.

The thought behind these positions is simple – they are the ones a team pays the most for in free agency.

So, while interior offensive line, wide receiver, tight end and safety remain a possibility, consider it one more likely to be addressed by Miami after day 1.

2. PATIENCE PART OF THE PROCESS

This year, there are a number of players – largely thanks to NIL – who enter the league a bit older than the typical college graduate. One example familiar to South Florida football fans is Miami edge rusher Hakeem Mesidor.

A strong prospect who may do well as a pro, don’t expect Miami to draft him.

Green Bay’s historical tendency is to draft young and develop. They don’t tend to take 24-year old rookies and Sullivan has said as much.

Sullivan has talked about not wanting a “team full of mercenaries,” i.e. free agents signed from elsewhere, and he also mentioned not wanting to draft a player they would have to sign at an advanced age.

“I think if you can help it, you don’t want a player going into or close to going into a second contract around thirty years old,” Sullivan stated at the combine.

3. RELUCTANT TO SELECT OFFENSIVE INTERIOR

Despite guard being a major need for the Dolphins, the “Packers Way” does not believe in drafting guards, especially early.

In the last 10 years, Green Bay has selected just five guards in the draft, with only Elgton Jenkins being picked earlier than day three.

How do they manage? The Packers prefer tall interior linemen so they tend to go shopping for guard and center by way of the tackle position. Of their five o-line starters last year, only one (Zach Tom, 6-4) was under 6-5 and they also feel like they get more movement skills drafting players with experience on the outside.

4. A DEFENSIVE TYPE

While it is widely-understood at this point that Sullivan (and the Packers) prefer taller players, that sentiment comes with somewhat of a caveat.

Sullivan will most likely try to stick to the model, which means taller. But not necessarily everywhere.

They like size in their corners and will not typically draft one under 5-11 or so. And if they do draft a corner who isn’t six feet, take a look at that player’s arm length. It won’t be short for sure.

Ironically, being bigger isn’t always the preference and, as stated earlier, we will address that in a future story. But clearly, size is not everything, though it definitely matters.

5. GET TO KNOW RAS

Relative Athletic Score is a measure that combines size with other metrices to examine a players athleticism relative to what they are. The Packers have historically loved this measure.

So if you have a preferred player, go online and check out their RAS. If you see something yellow or red or small arms are involved, you can mostly forget about it. They want to draft a player for their ceiling, not their floor.

Again, check back soon and look for a breakdown of how these “templates” do NOT apply to every position. They are guidelines they hold strict in some places, and not-so-strict in others.