Packers continue to show how little confidence they have in Sean Clifford

The best thing that happened to the Green Bay Packers last season was Jordan Love proved to be the guy. It took a while, but general manager Brian Gutekunst was proven right. Yes, reaching on the former Utah State product in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft left a sour taste in Aaron Rodgers' mouth he could not shake. After a pair of NFL MVPs, Gutekunst traded Rodgers to the New York Jets.

While Love had the far better season than the injury-ravaged one Rodgers suffered last year, there is still not a great belief that Sean Clifford is going to be a viable backup in this league. Gutekunst may have a knack for taking late-round fliers on college quarterbacks, but he doesn't appear to be dead-set on Clifford just yet. He brought in UTEP's Gavin Hardison, who is coming off Tommy John surgery.

Yes, it may only be a top-30 visit for Hardison, but his numbers playing for Dana Dimel in El Paso really move the needle. In his UTEP career, Hardison was a 53.7-percent passer, throwing for 7,963 yards, 40 touchdowns and 33 picks over five seasons. He may not have had a ton of talent around him, but the dude loved to sling it. Clifford was more of a game manager in his six seasons at Penn State.

While Hardison could be a hidden draft gem, my concerns about Clifford have not been alleviated yet.

Brian Gutekunst may not be brimming with confidence over Sean Clifford

I will say with Clifford that he was well-coached at Penn State under James Franklin's tutelage. The Nittany Lions won a ton of games while he was in college. They just never beat Michigan or Ohio State when it counted. Although it was great to see him smell the roses after beating Utah in Pasadena two New Year's Days ago, we were near a finished product with Clifford coming out two offseasons ago.

The other big thing I have a hard time understanding is the type of players Matt LaFleur wishes to have in his quarterback room. Love can move a little bit, which has proven to be a crucial part of his NFL game. Clifford is steady, but a slow-footed and limited player. From everything I have heard, Hardison is a gunslinger who tries to make something out of nothing player for a bad G5 program.

I don't know if drafting Hardison means Clifford's time as the backup is sure to be coming to an end. However, it just feels like Gutekunst is throwing mud at the wall to see what sticks in terms of finding Love a suitable backup. We can only hope Green Bay surrounds Love with the weapons and defense Rodgers rarely had during his decade-plus run under center for the Packers. Now is the time to win.

Hardison may be a long-term developmental project, but keep in mind Clifford is close to finished.