Green Bay Packers find John Kuhn competition in Aaron Ripkowski

By Keegan Matheson | May 2, 2015

The Green Bay Packers refuse to let the fullback position die. With Pro Bowl fullback John Kuhn returning for another season, the Green Bay Packers added youth to the position in round six of the 2015 NFL Draft with Oklahoma’s Aaron Ripkowski. The punishing Sooner is an absolute throwback out of the backfield, paving the way for his running backs while keeping the opposing trainers busy.

Ripkowski has a thick and intimidating frame at 6’1″, 257 pounds. A 40-yard dash time of 4.69-seconds at the Oklahoma pro day is enough to function, but his game orbits around short-area power. While Ripkowski could conceivably carry on the fullback torch in Green Bay when John Kuhn’s career ends, they are two very different players.

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While Kuhn has shown impressive versatility within Green Bay’s scheme when called upon, both as a runner and receiver, Ripkowski is closer to the fullbacks that your grandfather loved. In 2014 at Oklahoma he recorded just 7 receptions for 38 yards, rushing 6 times for 13 yards and 3 touchdowns. Outside of short yardage situations, Ripkowski is unlikely to familiarize himself with the football.

One factor to keep in mind when making sense of this pick is the evolution of Green Bay’s offense. A fullback drafted in the sixth round by no means signals a schematic shift, but within the Packers’ desire to include more pistol formations, Ripkowski’s blocking abilities could play. Alongside Eddie Lacy, Aaron Rodgers would be joined by nearly 500 pounds of backfield bruisers.

Off the field, Ripkowski also checks off every box that Green Bay could hope for. He was honoured with Oklahoma’s 2014 Don Key Award, which his coaches describe as “the highest honor an OU football player can receive while playing for the Sooners.”

All of these situations represent a best-case-scenario for Ripkowski, but in reality, his best opportunity to make the 2015 roster will be through special teams. While Green Bay’s dedication to the fullback position should see him land on their practice squad at the very worst, the Packers’ re-dedication to special teams will open the door to all rookies.

Focusing purely on his offensive game, Ripkowski will need to hone his technique at the NFL level if he hopes to continue his bone-jarring ways. His Oklahoma tape, at times, looks like a cut scene from the newest Hulk movie. Defenders are flying and good things are happening, but Ripkowski’s head remains down as he relies on momentum over technical proficiency.

Staying within Green Bay’s past drafts, this pick reminds me most of Quinn Johnson, a fullback selected by the Packers in the 2009 NFL Draft out of LSU. Similar in size at 6’1″ and 255 pounds, Johnson was also a throwback run-blocker that offered very little in the receiving or running games and lasted just two seasons in Green Bay.

Unless Ripkowski can flash more offensive skill than he showed in college, his greatest value will be a tough, grinding special teams member towards the bottom of the roster. This is not a bad thing. Green Bay’s special team units were often their downfall on 2014, and while building that phase of the team rarely grabs headlines, it can grab wins.

Next: Packers steal QB project in Brett Hundley

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