Draft Grades Thread

[bucks59]

So when you are this close to being a Superbowl contender and you seem to think drafting Hughes would not put the Packers over the top.....wouldn't free agency be in play here? Is settling for another wild card opportunity and road playoff loss good enough? This is my whole point...your weaknesses were obvious and you had a year to upgrade by any means necessary and he simply failed to do it.....that is why I feel he has failed.

It's April ... training camp does not start for several months ... free agents can still be signed and trades can be made.

[El Duderino]

xTitan, your opinion makes no sense to me.

Basically what you continue to say is that our defense without a guy like Dumerville is absolutely awful, but with Dumerville it is a Super Bowl level defense.

That makes no sense. One non-QB player cannot make that big of an impact on a football team.

That is funny...because your opinion makes no sense to me...at all, I can't understand how you think? My philosophy defensively in todays NFL is that you have to be able to defend the pass, putting pressure on the QB is a great way to do that.....why not look at what the Jets are doing...they have stockpiled cover corners through the draft and free agency...the believe with lock down defenders you can blitz the hell out of the QB and win football games....that philosophy is golden to me. Perhaps you slept through the Minnesota games, the Pittsburgh game, the playoff game.

I see GB having 1 quality pass rusher and most well coached teams will game plan for him. I see the Packers having 1 great DB, who is getting older and nothing better then average at best after that....not to mention awful cover LB's...I have seen teams get better in the North as well as the NFC and I think the Packers defensively is the same team we saw get lit up.

Hey, i also share your concerns about the defense. When it comes to any draft though for any team, i think it can only be evaluated and graded a few years down the road based on how the players actually perform because Ted easily could have used the 1st or 2nd round pick on a CB or pass rushing OLB that either never became a good player or took a few years to do show. Good drafts are always dictated by whether the players picked can actually play, not by what position were taken.

When we switched to the 3-4, i remember a defensive coach from the Steelers current staff or a previous staff did a fairly long interview with McGinn. One thing i recall him mentioning is that in the majority of cases is that 3-4 teams had to be patient with drafted OLB's because they weren't usually that productive as rookies. That's largely because they are going from 4-3 ends in college to 3-4 linebackers in the pros. Matthews quick success was very likely the rarity, not the norm. Unless Ted would have been able to strike gold in back to back drafts by getting a highly productive rookie OLB, odds are we'd be looking at Jones starting anyways. While i'm skeptical of Jones also, i agree with you that depth there could be a bigger worry if either Matthews/Jones got hurt. Someone has to emerge there because Poppinga is brutal as a pass rusher.

Cornerback is a bigger concern of mine actually even though getting pressure on QB's is the biggest key to slowing down all these good passing games. If Harris can't come back to be at the very least a decent nickle back, Ted is going to badly badly need guys like Lee and Underwood to be productive and not big liabilities. Man i'm envious of the Jets CB situation you brought up. If Wilson is productive as a rookie, Ryan is going to unleash all kinds of blitz packages at opposing QB's. If our CB situation is a problem again this year, i really fear that Capers will go back to his play scared scheme when facing good passing teams. That's why i wish Ted could have added something in free agency or via trade to acquire a veteran corner or OLB, even if just for depth because if Aaron is healthy all year, i have no doubt that we'll have a Super Bowl caliber offense and good enough run defense. Besides Rodgers staying healthy, the pass defense clearly looks to be still the one major question mark as to whether the Packers can win the division along with then being a viable threat to win it all.

[LUKE23]

We do need another OLB, that I agree with. But in comparison to last years D that lost the last game, we should have both:

1. A better DL, just due to improvement from Raji and more depth
2. A better secondary, keep in mind that we had no backup safety, and only two legit healthy corners vs. Arizona (Harris, Blackmon, Lee were all on the shelf, Underwood was a rookie)

Now, I'm not saying I expect Lee/Underwood/Blackmon to be studs or anything, but they do like them. If one or two of those guys would emerge, it would help. Burnett is supposed to be a ball hawking safety, and he keeps us from having a Bibby injury destroy our secondary.

We need another pass rusher or for Jones to emerge, but overall, this D will still be able to stop the run (2nd in the NFL last year, and added more DL depth), and the back end of the secondary should have better depth (although, I would have liked a vet signing there as well, even Lito Sheppard).

But right now, if Jolly is back, our D is looking like:

DE: Jenkins, Jolly, Raji, Neal, maybe Wilson
NT: Pickett, ?
OLB: Matthews, Jones, Poppinga, Obiozor
ILB: Hawk, Barnett, Chillar, Bishop
DB: Woodson, Williams, Harris (maybe), Blackmon, Lee, Underwood
S: Bigby, Collins, Burnett, ?, ?

Basically, we need our corners to get healthy and step up, and for Jones to improve or Obiozor to emerge as a pass rushing threat. The run D is more than fine, if not dominant. Hopefully we do not has as many secondary injuries as last year.

[Newz]

DE: Jenkins, Jolly, Raji, Neal, maybe Wilson
NT: Pickett, ?

I think our D-Line will be very solid next year. I think Raji will also be able to fill in at NT when Pickett is on the sidelines. I think Jenkins is a stud, Raji has the potential to become a stud, Jolly is solid and hopefully one of Neal, Wilson or Wynn becomes a contributor.

OLB: Matthews, Jones, Poppinga, Obiozor

My biggest area of concern is right here. I like Matthews and Jones. I've heard Obiozor has a lot of potential. I hope TT pulls the trigger on getting a veteran OLB just in case Matthews or Jones go down.

ILB: Hawk, Barnett, Chillar, Bishop

I think all four of these guys are solid, but not great. I have no problems with our ILBs.

DB: Woodson, Williams, Harris (maybe), Blackmon, Lee, Underwood

Corner wasn't nearly as big of a concern for me as safety. I think one of Lee or Underwood will step up and become average. Harris has a chance to come back and be solid. I have absolutely no problem with Woodson/Williams starting.

S: Bigby, Collins, Burnett, ?, ?

I like our safety rotation now and I think Burnett has big time potential. We needed a solid back-up at this position and we got one. Martin will be in the rotation because of how good of a special teamer he is, but I doubt he gets much burn on D.

[xTitan]

Martin is the 4th safety and maybe best special teamer...he is going nowhere.

What really surprises me on not getting another CB is that I have heard the Packers question Lee's toughness and commitment to football.....last year they did not have to IR Lee, he was completely healthy by week 6, they could of just deactivated him if they thought he could be of help. I am not high on the coverage ability nor the blitzing ability of there MLB's.....really surprised not 1 LB was drafted at all.

[LUKE23]

Forgot Jarius Wynn at DE. I like him. Our DL is looking very solid, especially if Jolly can not get suspended.

I'd really like to add another corner and OLB.

[PkrsBcksGphsMqt]

I wouldn't be surprised to see TT add an OLB or even a CB sometime before camp. Immediately after the draft both TT and MM said they were going to look at adding an OLB. I think TT wanted to see what players fell to him in the draft before he started looking on the FA/Trade markets. As everyone knows TT puts a priority on the draft, so it probably doesn't make much sense to him to sign a FA at OLB or LT before the draft because there is a chance that a really good one could fall (like Bulaga). Now that the draft is over and there wasn't an OLB that fell to us, I think he'll go out and find someone in FA or via trade.

[ReasonablySober]

Burnett played some corner at GT, and he's athletic enough to probably play it in spots.

[Wade-A-Holic]

Derrick Martin played a lot of corner for Baltimore, too, and might be a better fit there.

[askdavescat]

Even in 3-4 defenses, pass rush is supposed to come from the linemen too, not just the OLB's.

Based on some comments I've read over the past few months, I think the Packers were not satisfied with the pass rush they got from Jolly and Jenkins. Yeah, Jolly knocked down a lot of passes, but that kinda implies right there that he wasn't in position to get a sack. As for Jenkins, he had a lot of pressures, but usually was a step late. I think since moving to the 3-4, they've always seen Jenkins as undersized, and I don't expect Green Bay to make much of an offer next year, when his contract is up.

I think this is why Green Bay drafted the two defensive ends. They're both bigger than Jenkins, and both are supposed to be pretty strong. I think these guys are gonna get rotated in on passing downs much more than some of us on here think.

As for Jones, I agree that there's room for improvement, but I think that improvement needs to be in run support more than his pass rush. He played half a year, and came up with 4 sacks - I think that's pretty decent production from a rookie. Given a full off season to bulk up and improve his strength, I truely do expect Jones to improve, both as a run defender and as pass rusher. They also have Obiozor, who Greene was high on last summer. Someone earlier mentioned that there was no point in taking a developmental OLB on the 3rd day because we already have Obiozor (that's what he is, just year 2), and I agree. IIRC, he was getting rotated in once in a while last December, and if he can develop some pass rush moves, the strength and athleticism are there. I think TT is expecting him to move ahead of Poppinga on the pass defense rotation (which will likely mean Poppinga is gone).

I suspect TT is expecting the Packers pass rush to improve this coming season. He's not just expecting Brad Jones to improve, but he's looking for better push from the linemen as well to get it done.

[Wade-A-Holic]

Haha good timing, I swear I didn't see this post before I just posted the pass rush thread: a breakdown of where pass rush comes from in a 3-4 and it came out that the Packers were inferior to everybody else in defensive line production.

[WeekapaugGroove]

23(23) Green Bay Packers Bryan Bulaga OT Iowa
What he brings: Bulaga is a bit heavy-footed and a limited athlete, and he is probably better-suited to play on the right side in the NFL. He has the toughness, balance and awareness to challenge for immediate playing time, however, and should eventually become a long-term starter. Video analysis: McShay | Edwards
How he fits: The Packers struggled mightily to protect Aaron Rodgers last year, giving up 57 sacks. Their offensive line has been depleted by injury and age the last few seasons. Josh Sitton and Jason Spitz are smaller offensive lineman who lack the stoutness in pass protection the Packers need. Bulaga will provide this and allow Spitz to focus on playing center.


My favorite part of the analysis is when he writes that Sitton and Spitz are smaller offensive linemen... um Sitton is listed heavier than Bulaga and Spitz is about the same size.

[Ill-yasova]

23(23) Green Bay Packers Bryan Bulaga OT Iowa
What he brings: Bulaga is a bit heavy-footed and a limited athlete, and he is probably better-suited to play on the right side in the NFL. He has the toughness, balance and awareness to challenge for immediate playing time, however, and should eventually become a long-term starter. Video analysis: McShay | Edwards
How he fits: The Packers struggled mightily to protect Aaron Rodgers last year, giving up 57 sacks. Their offensive line has been depleted by injury and age the last few seasons. Josh Sitton and Jason Spitz are smaller offensive lineman who lack the stoutness in pass protection the Packers need. Bulaga will provide this and allow Spitz to focus on playing center.


My favorite part of the analysis is when he writes that Sitton and Spitz are smaller offensive linemen... um Sitton is listed heavier than Bulaga and Spitz is about the same size.

Sitton weighs almost ten pounds more than Bulaga.