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OPINION | WALLY HALL: Rodgers just playing games with Packers

Random thoughts while wondering why Arkansas has to be with Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi among the states slowest to get vaccinated against covid-19, which is still among us.

News almost as big as the NFL Draft has been that current NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers has told the Green Bay Packers he won't be back if General Manager Brian Gutekunst isn't fired.

Rodgers, 37, signed a contract extension three years ago that runs through 2023. He got a $57 million signing bonus and is scheduled to make $25 million per season this year and next.

It has been reported he is willing to walk away and not play any more. It has not been reported if he would owe the Packers any of the bonus money back.

One thing seems certain: He isn't leaving pro football to host "Jeopardy." He did a two-week stint and was about as interesting as a cup of coffee.

NFL analyst and Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw has said Rodgers "looks weak."

The Packers did not draft a quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Logic says Rodgers wants another extension and another bonus. The negotiation tact of quitting to get a raise seems to work great in the NFL.

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Speaking of the NFL Draft: Why don't they just move the whole production to Birmingham, Ala., home of the SEC?

For the 15th consecutive draft, the SEC led all conferences with draft picks, setting a new record of 65 players who were selected this year.

The Big Ten was second with 44, the ACC third with 42, the Pac-12 was next with 28 and the Big 12 -- which didn't have a player in the first round -- rounded out the Power 5 with 22.

Of course, Alabama led the charge with 10, equaled by Ohio State, while Georgia had nine, Florida eight, LSU seven, Kentucky six and Missouri five. Auburn, South Carolina and Texas A&M all had four and the other SEC schools had two or less drafted.

Maybe the SEC could come up with a new slogan to go along with It Just Means More, First In Football And Last In Vaccinations.

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Barrett Sallee of CBSsports.com tracked the NFL Draft, and in the first round only seven were five-star recruits out of high school.

The first 32 picks consisted of 10 four-star players, 14 three-star players and a two-star recruit.

This doesn't say as much about those who award the stars as it does the kids who got to college and worked harder to be better.

Former Arkansas Razorback Jamaal Anderson was a two-star recruit as a wide receiver out of Little Rock Parkview High School, switched to defensive end and was the eighth pick in the first round of the NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons.

He played six seasons and now resides in Atlanta but keeps up with the Razorbacks like he lived in Fayetteville.

After retiring from football, Anderson finished his degree at the UA.

Rating recruits is an inexact science that basically gives fans something to talk about, especially during the offseason.

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At about the same time Alabama's Nick Saban was saying he wasn't too concerned with the transfer portal and he would learn to adapt, Ohio State wide receiver Jameson Williams was in that portal and being recruited by Alabama, as well as most major programs in the country.

Williams was a four-star recruit out of St. Louis in the Class of 2019 and rated the seventh best receiver in the country.

Just to name a few who sought his talents were Texas A&M, Florida, Ole Miss, Michigan, Michigan State and USC.

Of course, he chose Alabama so the rich just got richer.

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