Green Bay Packers Draft

This is pretty much like playing darts blindfolded, but what the hell. Here goes.

Round 1, Pick 9 -----------------

Trade down? Certainly possible. Can’t find the link anymore, but one "NFL insider" said “Everybody in the top 10 wants to trade out…” Lets say they stay at 9:

Already Gone:
Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia
Jason Smith, OT, Baylor
Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia
Mark Sanchez, QB, USC
Aaron Curry, LB, Wake Forest
Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech

Most of Ted's early picks have a couple things in common.

1) Very productive at a big college programs (Rodgers, Hawk, Harrell (oops), Jordy...)
2) They live, eat, and breathe football. You know, "football players."
3) Good character.

Thus, cross these guys off the Packers board:

Andre Smith, OT, Alabama - Dude's got titties. How dedicated can you he be if you look like this (below)? His decision to run the 40 sans-Tshirt tells you all you need to know about his intelligence. On the plus side, he's the only prospect I've ever heard who: "Looks like Jane, plays like Tarzan." And another scout said: "Just put the film in. The (expletive) guy can play football." It will be interesting to see where Smith goes.






Michael Oher, OT, Ole Miss – People question if he even likes football, let alone loves it.

BJ Raji, DT, Boston College - Packer fans will be pissed if they pass on Raji. Whatever. He missed junior year because of academics and has a questionable attitude. If he turns into Haloti Ngata - my bad.

Brian Orakpo, OLB, Texas - I really don't think they pick a rush OLB in round one. These guys are too boom/bust for the top 10. None of these guys are DeMarcus Ware/Shawne Merriman types.

Everette Brown, OLB, FSU - Ditto.

Aaron Maybin, OLB, Penn St - Ditto.

It's down to these two. Both are solid "football players" who also happen to fit a need. And both have low "bust potential" according to the experts. Bustability, if you will? I may have just created a new word.

Tyson Jackson, DE, LSU - Love this guy. Perfect size for a 3-4 defensive end. Not a sack machine, but a force on the end against the run. Can move inside on 3rd and longs.

Malcolm Jenkins, CB, OSU - Again, doesn't burn up the track with a 4.3-40 or anything, but is just a straight-up football player. You want a 4.3 corner? Draft Vontae Davis and watch him smoke enough weed to fill a hot air balloon.

Round 2, #41 -------------------

Hard to pinpoint a trend in TT's 2nd rounders (Collins, Jennings , Jordy, Jackson , Brohm, Lee, Colledge). Top guy on his board. He'll grab one of these guys who slip to number 41.

Alex Mack, C, Cal
Sean Smith, CB, Utah
Larry English, OLB, Northern Illinois
Ziggy Hood, DT, Missouri
Clint Sintim, OLB, Virginia
William Beatty, OT, UConn

Personally, I hope they draft the guy who can jump out of a swimming pool. A workout monster guy I work with says that's impressive no matter how much you weigh. Jarron Gilbert is a 6-5, 290 pound DE! Can he play football? Who gives a crap, he can jump out of a swimming pool!

Round 3, #73 and 83 ---------------------

At some point, Ted has to draft a WR who racked up huge numbers ( Jennings , Jones, Jordy), right? And now's a great time for an athletic project (Jermichael Finley, Aaron Rouse, Will Blackman).

Jared Dillard, WR, Rice
Chris Baker, DT, Hampton

Now I get to hear Matt say "TT essentially traded Brett Favre for Chris Baker, blah, blah, blah..." for the rest of our lives...can't wait.

Rounds 4-7 ---------------------------

Some names to keep in mind.

Zack Follett, OLB, Cal - The Cal pipeline continues...
Zach Potter, DE, Nebraska - It's a run on guys named Zach
Everette Pedescleaux, DE, Northern Iowa - Oh to hear Max McGee say this guys name...
Sammie Lee Hill, DE, Stillman - Ted attended 7 Stillman practices this year. Just kidding.

BOOK IT!

Best NFL Mock Draft In The World

Todd from the Brew Town Beat organized a nice little NFL mock draft (first round) represented by a few of the best Wisconsin sports blogs around. Partaking in the shenanigans was Yours Truly, Todd, Bart from The Bucky Channel, and Dan over at the Sports Bubbler's Daily Drink.

All in all it was pretty good times! The Lions actually contacted all of us to assist their war room.

Click here to see all the high(low)lights of each pick.

A Way Too Early Draft Guide

An amalgamation of quick hitters while scouring those always accurate Mock Drafts. Packers pick 9th…here’s a list of names to keep your eye on.

GB Needs: DT, DE, OT, CB, LB.

GONE BY #9

Andre Smith, OT (Alabama)
Matthew Stafford, QB (Georgia)
Michael Crabtree, WR (Texas Tech)

DONT WANT THESE GUYS:

Michael Oher, OT (Ole Miss) - Anybody read this book? Oher (and the LT position) is the main topic and it's pretty clear he's borderline retarded. Because of a terrible upbringing, he entered high school with like a 2nd grade education level. His HS coach had to show him plays by moving around salt and pepper shakers because he couldn't grasp the concept of Xs and Os. That was about 4 years ago, so I'm sure it's much different now...but I'm just sayin'. It's a pretty good read. Oh, and the general consensus from a few scouts is that he's basically a pussy.

Eugene Monroe, OT (Virginia) - Every time I see an O-Lineman named Eugene, I think of Eugene Chung. That's not a good thing.

Vonta Davis, CB (Illinois) - Brother of Vernon Davis. Vernon Davis is a head case. Guilt by association.

Everette Brown, DE (Florida State) - Thoughts of Jamal Reynolds dance in my head...

Aaron Maybin, DE (Penn State) – Smallish, with the proverbial “motor that doesn’t stop.” Some will say "Dwight Freeny," I say "No thanks."

Rey Maulauga, LB (USC) - More of a 3-4 MLB. Not sold on him in the NFL.


DAMMIT! - Cross him off too

Gerald McCoy, DT (Oklahoma) - Never heard of the guy until Todd McShay had GB drafting him at 9 a few weeks ago. Watched him wreak havoc in the Mythical National Championship game vs Florida. He’s the real deal. Unfortunately, Big Mac announced he's returning to OU. DAMMIT!

THE WANT LIST (in no particular order):

Malcom Jenkins, CB (Ohio State) - DE and DT are priorities 1a and 1b, but this guy is too talented to pass up.

Brian Orakpo, DE (Texas) - Texas guys scare me, and he did nothing against OSU in his last game. But…everyone seems to love this guy and he was awesome versus a really good Oklahoma O-Line earlier this year. Plus, he can bench press a Buick - which is nice. The Chiefs will have a serious look at him at #3, as Kansas City had an embarrassing 10 sacks last year. Yes, 10! For comparison, the Packers weaksauce pass rush generated 27. I’m guessing that Tamba Hali pick hasn’t worked out.

Peria Jerry, DT (Ole Miss) - Only to hear my old man refer to him as "Jerry Perry" for the foreseeable future. Actually, I watched him a few times on TV and love him. Ted likes to trade down, and he could probably get Jerry a little lower than 9th. Maybe even in the 15-18 range.

Aaron Curry, OLB (Wake Forest) - See Malcom Jenkins. Easily the #1 LB on the board.

Jason Smith, OT (Baylor) - If you make a name for yourself at Baylor, you must be awesome.

Sen'Derrick Marks, DT (Auburn) - He's a DT with the name Sen'Derrick, what's not to like? A reach at 9.

Greg Hardy, DE (Ole Miss) - Get's the "Plaxico Award" for the guy most likely to shoot himself in the leg after receiving millions of dollars. The nightlife in Ashwaubenon better stand guard. Top 15 talent, though.


TRADE DOWN?

Alex Mack, C (Cal) - Can get him around #20. Supposedly "The best Center prospect in the last 10 years." Sounds good to me. Scotty Wells gets banged up quite often, and Mack is a guy that "you can plug in there for a decade."

BJ Raji, DT (Boston College) - Have no clue about this guy, but he's a DT and automatically in the mix.

DJ Moore, CB (Vanderbilt) - Also around #25. A poor-man's version of Charles Woodson (college years). Cover corner, played a little WR, returned some kicks.

THE WILDCARD:

Michael Johnson, DE (Georgia Tech) - This guy is all over the board. A bunch have him top 5, a bunch have him late teens. He’s dripping with talent and ”serious upside potential.” Problem is, one play he's a young Jevon Kearse...Aundry Bruce the next. Then again, people said the same thing about Mario Williams and he’s been great. A physical specimen at 6-7, 255 pounds. I could see him destroy the combine and go in the top 7.

Trojan Horse

Chach, my college football guy, has expressed his hatred for all things USC. Among them, he's noted the high number of NFL busts from The Men of Troy. Pete Carroll supposedly "keeps reloading every year with a bevy of NFL talent..." Is this true? Or are these guys just over-hyped and drafted too high? You be the judge. Here's the list of notable USC guys drafted since 2000...I called Mel Kiper, he helped with these rankings. Of course, many are young enough to become good...Matt Lienart is a prime example.

Very Good
Reggie Bush, RB/KR (2006, 1st)
Troy Polumalu, S (Drafted 2003, 1st round)

Good
Ryan Kalil, C (2007, 2nd)
LenDale White, RB (2006, 2nd)
Matt Cassell, QB (2005, 7th)
Lofa Tatupu, LB (2005, 2nd)

Eh
Steve Smith, WR (2007, 2nd)
Justin Fargas, RB (2003, 3rd)

Bust
Dwayne Jarrett, WR (2007, 2nd)
Matt Lienart, QB (2006, 1st)
Winston Justice, OT (2006, 2nd)
Fred Davis, TE (2006, 2nd)
Dominique Byrd, TE (2006, 3rd)
Frostee Rucker, LB (2006, 3rd)
Mike Williams, WR (2005, 1st)
Kenechi Udeze, DE (2004, 1st)
Shaun Cody, DT (2005, 2nd)
Jacob Rogers, OT (2005, 2nd)
Keary Colbert, WR (2004, 2nd)
Travis Claridge, G (2000, 2nd)
RJ Soward, WR (2000, 1st)

Last Year's First Rounders
Sedrick Ellis, DT (2008, 1st)
Keith Rivers, LB (2008, 1st)
Sam Baker, OT (2008, 1st)
Lawrence Jackson, DT (2008, 1st)

His Own Category
Carson Palmer, QB (2003 1st) - Was great in his 2nd year. Blew out his knee, and has went downhill ever since...despite having a great WR combo. Now has arm problems and it's any one's guess if he can regain his pro bowl form.

2006 NFL Draft Flashback

The Green Bay Press Gazette provides a status report of the first 15 picks from the 2006 draft - when the Pack selected AJ Hawk 5th. Recap:

- Overall, it was a bad draft to have a top 5 pick.
- Hawk, as expected, was graded as a solid, but unspectacular player who's production has fallen this year due to injury.
- Only 4 players are considered "impact players" from the top 15: Reggie Bush (drafted 2nd), Mario Williams (1st), Jay Cutler (11th) and Haloti Ngata (12th).
- Bush and Williams were gone before the Packers picked, Cutler wasn't an option because of drafting Chuck the year before, and Ngata would have been a serious reach at 5...Green Bay also signed Ryan Pickett that off season, who plays the same position.
- I love the honest assessment of Vernon Davis: "Hell of a workout guy." Ha.
- The most interesting thing was the oh-so-close scenario of Mario Williams falling to Green Bay. So close:

There was at least an outside chance the Packers could have ended up with one of the impact players in ’06 if the drama leading up to draft day had turned out differently. Houston had the No. 1 pick and opened contract talks with Bush and Williams the week before the draft. The Texans signed Williams the day before the draft, but if they’d gone with Bush instead, two of the scouts said New Orleans appeared ready to take Hawk at No. 2 overall. Tennessee still would have selected Young at No. 3, and the New York Jets probably still would have taken left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson at No. 4. That would have left Williams for the Packers at No. 5.

Mario Manningham - Not A Genius

Michigan WR Mario Manningham scored a whopping 6 on the wonderlic. That's impressive. Out of 50 questions, couldn't you guess every single one and get higher than a 6? You have to wonder how many classes he could pass at Michigan if he wasn't a football player? Bowling doesn't count.

Best Combine Story - Thus Far

No rumors of anyone scoring a snowman on the Wonderlic, but this is good. You hear about Darren McFadden? No, not about his 4.33 40. They asked him about rumors of him having a kid already. His response was pretty much: “No, but I have two on the way.” I'm guessing he'll fit in just fine in the NFL.