Ted Thompson!

[Favreforlife]

First draft.........Lets hope it's a good one. Last few have been less than steller.

[Big John]

Ted had already proven himself a better GM than Sherman.

[Randall]

Ted had already proven himself a better GM than Sherman.

 

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He has a lot to make up for with all the free agent losses. He should prove himself today and tomorrow. He is known for his drafts.

[Big John]

Ted had already proven himself a better GM than Sherman.

 

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May I retract that statement?

[Bedoman]

I thought as the first round progressed that Ted was looking at Aaron Rogers. Glad he fell to us and that Ted grabbed him. Mike Sherman would have never done it.

 

Happy at that point but.....

 

What happened in the second round?

 

A no name, raw, work in progress CB and then to cap it off a WR?????

 

There was talent around for both picks maybe Dan Cody (DE) at 51 and god anyone but another WR at 58. (LB or maybe OG or CB other than our 51 pick)

 

Then we trade away our #3 for two round 4 picks.

 

Hopefully today will be better for the Packs second round

 

We need DE, LB and OG in that order today with our (3) fourth round picks

 

Lets keep our fingers crossed

[Chavez]

I thought as the first round progressed that Ted was looking at Aaron Rogers.  Glad he fell to us and that Ted grabbed him.  Mike Sherman would have never done it.

Sherman would have traded up for him; Thompson at least seems to be willing to let the draft come to him, as opposed to talking himself into forcing the issues (trading up for Reynolds, Walker, and the punter).

A no name, raw, work in progress CB and then to cap it off a WR?????

 

There was talent around for both picks maybe Dan Cody (DE) at 51 and god anyone but another WR at 58. (LB or maybe OG or CB other than our 51 pick)

 

Then we trade away our #3 for two round 4 picks.

 

Hopefully today will be better for the Packs second round

 

We need DE, LB and OG in that order today with our (3) fourth round picks

 

Lets keep our fingers crossed

 

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Worst part about the CB (though GB projects him as able to play either CB or S - played SS and FS in college) is that there were MAJOR concerns about his intelligence - he scored Torrance Marshall-level dumb on the Wonderlics.

 

The WR pick is too early given the holes on D, but it sounds like the guy can be an impact KR and would basically be replacing Chatman; you'd figure that's something to be addressed on the SECOND day, but if he pans out (given Ferguson's procilivity to be injured, he could end up as the #3) it'll be forgiven/forgotten.

 

Picks in the 4th round were a S and an OLB, so hopefully Thompson has the late-round Ron Wolf magic mojo.

[A Little Bit Special]

The 5th round pick looks solid.

 

Junius Coston C NC A&T

 

Sounds like a guy with a lot of upside. Dominated in I-AA relying mostly on his athleticism. Will require coaching to transition to the NFL, but the Pack has one of the best in Beightol.

[Randall]

Picks in the 4th round were a S and an OLB, so hopefully Thompson has the late-round Ron Wolf magic mojo.

 

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Probably. Underwood was in Gil Brandt's top 100 list, but reports I've read say he will be a backup and ST player but not a starter. Maybe Ted knows something. He probably does. I hope.

 

Michael Hawkins CB OK -40 4.38 has he played much?

 

Strengths: Has great size and the frame to get bigger...Is very fast and has excellent timed speed...Is an excellent natural athlete...Has a nose for the ball and knack for making the big play...Still has a lot of potential and upside.

Weaknesses: Very raw and has not played much football, let along against top competition...Needs to add weight...Must get stronger...Needs a lot of technique work...Any team that drafts him would be taking a major gamble.

Notes: Was one of the top recruits in the country coming out of high school...Began his career with Oklahoma but only played one season...Made the Arena Football League via an open tryout...Real interesting developmental prospect.

Edited April 24, 2005 by Randall

[A Little Bit Special]

Probably. Underwood was in Gil Brandt's top 100 list, but reports I've read say he will be a backup and ST player but not a starter. Maybe Ted knows something. He probably does. I hope.

 

Michael Hawkins CB OK -40 4.38 has he played much?

 

Strengths: Has great size and the frame to get bigger...Is very fast and has excellent timed speed...Is an excellent natural athlete...Has a nose for the ball and knack for making the big play...Still has a lot of potential and upside.

Weaknesses: Very raw and has not played much football, let along against top competition...Needs to add weight...Must get stronger...Needs a lot of technique work...Any team that drafts him would be taking a major gamble.

Notes: Was one of the top recruits in the country coming out of high school...Began his career with Oklahoma but only played one season...Made the Arena Football League via an open tryout...Real interesting developmental prospect.

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Other than Rodgers the general theme for the Packers draft so far has been "projects".

[A Little Bit Special]

Sherman would have traded up for him; Thompson at least seems to be willing to let the draft come to him, as opposed to talking himself into forcing the issues (trading up for Reynolds, Walker, and the punter).

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It seemed that way until the Collins pick. That pick reeks of Sherman. Seems like they became enamored with this guy for whatever reason and were willing to take him a round or two early to make sure they got him.

[Chavez]

Better late than never I hope, but I had some PC problems (got rid of some spyware that unfortunately took down my winsock on the way out), so here's my EXTREMELY belated Packer draft recap/grade; when I put player rankings, I compared those from Pro Football Weekly's Draft Guide (PFW) and The Sporting News (TSN)'s pre-draft rankings (though PFW has slid a bit since Joel Buchsbaum passed away). An asterisk indicates a guy who should contribute on special teams:

 

1/24 - Aaron Rodgers - already discussed, tough to pass up, though I'd ideally have preferred someone who might have immediate defensive impact like S Brodney Pool. But PFW had him ranked as the 5th best player overall, and TSN had him as #2.

 

2/51 - Collins* - PFW 129; TSN 150

- blowing the good will they engendered by getting a big-time steal in Rogers, they make what appears to be a MAJOR reach here. Nice measurables and the dude has big-time wheels, but his smarts and level of competition are big question marks. Bit of a tweener who will probably get his first shot at safety. Would have preferred a guy like Dan Cody or Oshiomogo Atogwe instead

 

2/58 - Terrence Murphy* - PFW 53; TSN 99

- might have been picked a tad early; again, would have preffered defensive help (Matt McCoy and Atogwe were both still available), but not a bad pick that addresses WR depth and the return game; has had trouble with fumbles at times, but aside from that looks to be solid on the three levels that matter - measurables, production, and intangibles.

 

4/115 - Marviel Underwood* - PFW 162; TSN 6th/7th round grade

- again a reach; slightly undersized for a safety, but reportedly has a great motor with good range; not the best tackler

 

4/125 - Brady Poppinga* - PFW 5th round; TSN 188

- another high-character, high-motor, work-ethic guy; might have a shot as an outside rusher to complement KGB in Bates' scheme; bit undersized and needs to put on weight; however, with any luck, he might be a poor man's David Pollack/Dan Cody type. Not too many quibbles with this pick, though I liked Boomer Grigsby to shore up the LB corp here.

 

5/143 - Junius Coston - PFW 6th/7th round; TSN 163

- played at a lower level of competition, but is versatile (played all 5 OL positions), experienced, and can pull. Projects as a G or C. Maybe a slight reach, but the optimist in me likes to point out that so was Chad Clifton.

 

5/167 - Michael Hawkins - not listed in either

- pick can be classified as either "intriguing" or "insane"; ridiculously talented athlete who is extremely raw and may lack mental toughness; big-time project with PHENOMENAL upside. If he pans out it's a GREAT pick; it's also a pretty big "if"

 

6/180 - Mike Montgomery - PFW 115; TSN - listed as 22nd best DT

- nice value on PFW board; DL swingman; good work ethic; had nice senior year after jr year was a bust due to illness; hopefully can be an Aaron Kampman type.

 

6/195 Craig Bragg* - PFW 127; TSN 157

- nice value on both boards; can compete for return job. Decent production, tad small.

 

7/245 - Kurt Campbell* - not on either

- either fast OLB or big S (I believe GB wants him at LB); ran 4.49 at combine, so he can play either; 1-AA player; only had one int in 4 yrs as a DB, which is troubling.

 

7/246 - William Whitticker - PFW - 6th/7th rounder

- huge; good run blocker, pass blocking needs lots of work; can pull; smart with good character; can be inconsistent and lazy.

 

Overall, I with they'd gone straight defense. Looks slightly better than the average Sherman draft, with more guys who look like they can step in and contribute right away, if only on special teams. But too many guys look to have been drafted too early (aside from Mike Montgomery, who I like the report on, and Craig Bragg, who I have no opinion regarding but looks to have been a nice value pick) and the Hawkins and Collins picks are particularly head-scratching reaches. I'd have to rate it at the C-/D+ level for value per pick even with the Rodgers steal.