Too Early 2012 Draft Thread

[eagle13]

Not sure if the Packers are going to be in a rush to draft a CB. I think they have very high hopes for House still.

House looked good but in very limited time and he's still unproven. and tho bush & lee are improved in coverage (slightly) we need to upgrade over at least one of those guys. Need 4-5 good cover CBs - the 6th can be more of a ST guy like those two are.

[BUCKnation]

Wilson actually seems like what the Packers look for in QBs. I wouldn't be stun to see us draft him.

id be happy with that pick if flynn was going to be for sure gone.

[Enrique]

new mock up at DraftCountdown. Has the Packers taking Courtney Upshaw OLB from Alabama. I don't think its that big of a need IMHO.

http://www.draftcountdown.com/sub/Mock-Draft-A.php

[LUKE23]

new mock up at DraftCountdown. Has the Packers taking Courtney Upshaw OLB from Alabama. I don't think its that big of a need IMHO.

http://www.draftcountdown.com/sub/Mock-Draft-A.php

OLB isn't a need? Have you seen our pass rush this year?

[emunney]

If we go OLB, I really want Bruce Irvin. Great burst in small spaces, really natural body bend and turns the corner in a blink. Watch some of his clips and tell me you don't see Von Miller. How he's projected as a 2nd rounder some places is totally beyond me. Then again, I am a bad football scout.

[ReasonablySober]

At this point I'm hoping Jones decides to declare and drops to us. Both are unlikely.

This draft class, at least defensively, sort of sucks. Claiborne is a worthy top five pick and better than Peterson was. Coples is a nice upside pick. After that? Not a lot of impact players IMO and few that fit our needs.

[Icness]

If Upshaw falls to 32 I'll eat a wool hat. He could go top 10 and I will be surprised if he doesn't go before Coples, who has earned the rep of being lazy and unmotivated.

There are a lot of quality space-eating defensive linemen in this draft. Guys like Dontari Poe, Alameda Ta'Amu, Nicholas Jean-Baptiste, Josh Chapman, Vaughn Meatoga. Put them on the nose and move Raji back to 5-technique, or pair them inside as 3s. None of those guys are going to be stars but can function real well in a Capers defense. The first two I listed are in play at the end of the 1st, the other guys are progressively later on.

[Icness]

If we go OLB, I really want Bruce Irvin. Great burst in small spaces, really natural body bend and turns the corner in a blink. Watch some of his clips and tell me you don't see Von Miller. How he's projected as a 2nd rounder some places is totally beyond me. Then again, I am a bad football scout.

He's an interesting dude. Real fast around the edge and he creates fumbles very readily. He's absolutely terrible against the run--he doesn't even start all the time because of it--and he can only go forward. He has real short arms for his height too; he's close to 6'4" but his arms are only 32", which is average arm length for someone 5'10". If you want him to just rush the passer on 3rd down, he can do that. If you want him to play every down and start, he's Jerry Hughes 2.0.

[jakecronus8]

Dre Kirkpatrick would be a dream. As would Konz. Both will be gone but if they ended up with one of them it would mean the return of the Daffy fap. I wouldn't be opposed to Coples. Boom or bust guy. Kind of a tweener but I could see him becoming Pierre Paul 2.0 I'm which case you just find a way to get him on the field with Clay.

Crick would be a good pick based on need and value. Only reason he drops that late is injury otherwise he's top 15. It's looking more and more that Neal is maybe a full time injury concern, or maybe just a guy. How he performs for the remainder of the year should be telling as his "training camp" phase is pretty much over. No more excuses.

I'm holding on to hope for Russell Mania in the second round. I've said it numerous times that the only flaw he has is height. As a passer he has a good enough arm, great mechanics and a fluid sharp release. That pass to Abbrederis to clinch the b10 championship game off his back foot was reminiscent of Favre vs Detroit in that playoff game back in the day. I don't think he'll make it that far to be honest. Eventually the tape won't lie and some team will take a flier early to mid second.

*EDIT* the play I was thinking of was actually to Duckworth to set up Ball's touchdown. Went back and watched it again.

[Icness]

Wilson in the 2nd?! He's going to be lucky to go before the 4th. No need to reach.

BTW I'm not saying that as critical of Wilson, just of what I know from the scouting trail. I've not heard of a grade higher than 5th round for Wilson and I'm still pretty plugged into the Great Lakes scouting realm.

[jakecronus8]

Wilson in the 2nd?! He's going to be lucky to go before the 4th. No need to reach.

BTW I'm not saying that as critical of Wilson, just of what I know from the scouting trail. I've not heard of a grade higher than 5th round for Wilson and I'm still pretty plugged into the Great Lakes scouting realm.

That's more of a prediction of where he'll end up after he tests out both athletically and in interviews. Teams will fall in love with his set of athleticism, personality, and passion for the game. Besides it just takes one team. See Pat White, though Russell is a much better quarterback. I could care less about the height thing. His OL at UW is bigger and taller than most NFL teams and he ha little to no issues with seeing over the top/balls getting batted down.

[Icness]

His height is not as major of an issue as some will make it. It's a legit problem but he's not much shorter than Colt McCoy or Drew Brees. That is, provided he is legitmately 5'11", which is an open question.

The worry is that he wasn't very accurate at NCSU and suddenly became a 70% passer that threw a lot more TDs and a lot less INTs. Such a dramatic improvement brings up questions. Stuff like, how much was a function of being in a different offense? What mechanically changed for him? What was the level of competition? He gets a pass on the transfer issue because he graduated and sought an opportunity elsewhere that NCSU wasn't going to give him. Their mistake.

Pat White was a legit 6'0". He was also a much more productive runner and had fairly consistent passing numbers throughout his career, and he won some big games. His biggest problem at Miami was he couldn't nail the deeper throws and couldn't learn to stand in the pocket and deliver the ball under duress.

That last one is my main criticism of Wilson--he's always moving around and never looks comfortable. He has some mechanical issues that could be cleaned up (most baseball players-as-QBs do, White among them) but I'm more concerned with his ability to take a snap and deliver a strike from a set position. NFL passing offenses are so much more based on precise angles and timing of routes and he has to show he can hit those without dancing around and changing the dynamics. He'll be grilled on that on the postseason workout tour. I've heard he is likely going to the Senior Bowl, which will be great for him and a real chance to improve his stock.

FWIW I like WIlson better than Landry Jones or Nick Foles, both of whom are horribly overrated IMO.

[El Duderino]

His height is not as major of an issue as some will make it. It's a legit problem but he's not much shorter than Colt McCoy or Drew Brees. That is, provided he is legitmately 5'11", which is an open question.

The worry is that he wasn't very accurate at NCSU and suddenly became a 70% passer that threw a lot more TDs and a lot less INTs. Such a dramatic improvement brings up questions. Stuff like, how much was a function of being in a different offense? What mechanically changed for him? What was the level of competition? He gets a pass on the transfer issue because he graduated and sought an opportunity elsewhere that NCSU wasn't going to give him. Their mistake.

Pat White was a legit 6'0". He was also a much more productive runner and had fairly consistent passing numbers throughout his career, and he won some big games. His biggest problem at Miami was he couldn't nail the deeper throws and couldn't learn to stand in the pocket and deliver the ball under duress.

That last one is my main criticism of Wilson--he's always moving around and never looks comfortable. He has some mechanical issues that could be cleaned up (most baseball players-as-QBs do, White among them) but I'm more concerned with his ability to take a snap and deliver a strike from a set position. NFL passing offenses are so much more based on precise angles and timing of routes and he has to show he can hit those without dancing around and changing the dynamics. He'll be grilled on that on the postseason workout tour. I've heard he is likely going to the Senior Bowl, which will be great for him and a real chance to improve his stock.

FWIW I like WIlson better than Landry Jones or Nick Foles, both of whom are horribly overrated IMO.

I never really thought about that when watching Wilson this year at Wisconsin, but now that you bring it up, he is to quick sometimes to abandon the pocket whenever he senses any bit of pressure. Not so much to run all the time, more often to buy time to throw. That said, i could see why that would bother NFL offensive coordinators if Wilson continued doing the same thing in the pros. I know that using Aaron Rodgers as a comparison is unfair to any college QB given Rodgers is a likely HOF quarterback, but for as much as he is praised for his ability to make plays outside of the pocket, Aaron generally only abandons the pocket when he has no other option.

The other thing you brought up about his huge increase in efficiency from NCS to Wisconsin has some merit to it i think. While i thought Wilson was fabulous overall at running our offense this year, especially considering that he had to learn it on the fly, the scheme, offensive line, and great running game did make a near ideal situation for Wilson. Opposing defenses had no choice but to usually play run first because the Badgers running game is so productive and the line has multiple NFL prospects. This often lead to situations where Russell had time to throw against secondaries with a safety in the box and linebackers/safeties who would bite on play action for good reason. Thus, there weren't a bunch of situations where Wilson had to thread passes into tight windows of coverage.

In his defense though, Wilson had a stronger arm than i expected. He was more accurate on throws downfield than i expected. He seems like a very bright guy and the more i watch the NFL, the more i realize just how important smarts and football instincts are for quarterbacks to succeed so long as they also have the needed physical abilities. He understands that just because he's gifted with the feet to run the ball, it's generally the smarter option to throw the ball once he gets outside of the pocket and the secondary is scrambling. His character is impeccable. He seems humble and very receptive to coaching.

I'd love to see what a great quarterback teacher like McCarthy could do with Wilson over a couple years time frame since he IMO has enough arm strength, great agility, smarts, and a willingness to accept coaching that McCarthy would have an intriguing overall skillset to work with and the Packers will need a young quarterback to groom as Rodgers backup over the next 3-4 years.

[RiotPunch]

Russell Wilson in the 3rd FTW. I endorse the **** out of that.

[BUCKnation]

Wilson had the rodgers happy feet from time to time, no doubt

[midranger]

I wouldn't mind his "happy feet" if he just tucked and ran quickly when the play fell apart. It bothers me much more when he does that long, looping escape attempt that is more likely to lose 20 yards than it is to complete a pass against good defenses. It killed us in the 1st MSU and OSU games. Ironically, it saved us in the Big Ten Championship Game a couple times. Obviously, it won't work against NFL defenses though. He'll have to learn to slide within the pocket.

Otherwise he's outstanding.

[MartyConlonOnTheRun]

I thought Wilson was known as an accurate passer at NCSU? Didn't he have a record number of attempts without an INT?

[RiotPunch]

At this point I'm hoping Jones decides to declare and drops to us. Both are unlikely

What Jones are you talking about here?

[jakecronus8]

I assume Landry. No thanks. If there is a high round prospect who is brohm-like it's him.

[RiotPunch]

Yeah, Landry Jones is the only Jones that came to mind, which I figured couldn't possibly be what he meant.