Grading the 2007 draft

[zmanishere11]

Is it too early??

For those of you who forgot, here it is:

1 16(16) Justin Harrell DT TENNESSEE
2 31(63) Brandon Jackson RB NEBRASKA
3 14(78) James Jones WR SAN JOSE STATE
3 26(89) Aaron Rouse S VIRGINIA TECH
4 20(119) Allen Barbre OT MISSOURI SOUTHERN
5 20(157) David Clowney WR VIRGINIA TECH
6 17(191) Korey Hall ILB BOISE STATE
6 18(192) Desmond Bishop ILB CALIFORNIA
6 19(193) Mason Crosby PK COLORADO
7 18(228) Deshawn Wynn RB FLORIDA
7 33(243) Clark Harris TE RUTGERS

So out of 11 picks:

2 guys aren't here (Harris and Clowney)
2 guys are starters, and quite possibly lifetime packers (Hall and Crosbey)
3 guys are SIGNIFICANT back-ups that will play in every game (Harrell, Jackson, and Jones)
2 guys haven't played a lot, but would be future starters (Rouse and Barbre)
Wynn is hurt and Bishop is a nice back-up

So 5 guys contribute immediately, 2 more that WILL in the future is pretty damn good.

Now for some humor:

http://sports.espn.go.com/chat/sportsna ... id=2854030

Basically rates the Packers draft 2 out of possible 4.

The only teams that were voted to have worse drafts then the Packers were Tennesee, Miami, Seattle, Washington, and Philadelphia.

Oh what a season.

I'd give it an A-, with the full out A depending on how Harrell develops. I think he's the only one on that list can be a true STAR, the rest are solid role players (which we've proved are needed on any team).

Thompson's ability to find talent late in the draft is just amazing.

[Kerb Hohl]

Yeah, as most know here I have been a TT supporter since pretty much day 1...I would have given it a B+ or A- on draft day. It's funny that most of the nation, our fans, and even quite a few sports writers still don't get it. They play too much fantasy football and feel that if you get a big-name QB, RB, WR, TE all out of big colleges with big names then you are automatically set. The key is getting the right mix of role players and acquiring depth, which we have definitely done.

It's funny. Remember how everyone was crying about how there were no playmakers on this team and we had so many holes? Can you think of a single position on this teem that NEEDS to be filled in order to be successful next season? I can't really...maybe Poppinga's spot.

Oh, and there is that nice number of 20 million under the cap and 30 if you consider Favre's retirement a few years from now. So we now have that cash to drop on short-term upgrades to try and put us over the top and to lock up our new stars long-term. How does throwing 20 million at overrated free agents in the '07 offseason look now Packer fans?

Anyways, great addition of depth to this team. I am excited to see what happens when we bring in 10 more guys into competition with our club...we could really have almost every player on our roster be a solid player.

Here is what Todd Mcshay from ESPN says about us in his first mock draft:

31. Green Bay Packers***
Record: 13-3
Scouts Inc.'s biggest needs: OT, S, CB, TE, P
Projected pick: Fred Davis, TE, USC
Former first-round pick Bubba Franks never developed into a difference-maker in the passing game and his career is on the steady decline. Davis emerged as the Trojans' go-to-receiver with 62 receptions as a senior, finally getting a chance to showcase his outstanding athletic ability. Packers QB Brett Favre would certainly welcome the addition of a tight end like Davis, who can stretch the seam and generate yards after the catch.

Apparently he doesn't know who Donald Lee is, but I would still not have any problem with adding another offensive weapon like that.

Here would be my priority list:

1. CB - Initially to play in the nickel and then to take over for Harris/Woodson

2. OLB - To compete with Poppinga, take his spot, or create depth.

3. T - Same as CB essentially, take over for Tauscher/Clifton in the future

4. TE - Wouldn't mind getting a second option once Bubba is officially too old to do anything at all.

5. S/RB/DL/G/C depth - Take the BPA to fill these slots, we could use an extra guy to get in the mix and push for a starting spot/become a solid understudy at all of these spots.

Wild Card. QB - With Brett probably staying another year or two, we may never get to see Rodgers show his development as our starter. Thompson will probably try hard to keep him around after the next two years of his deal are up. A team desperate for a QB could give us an offer we can't refuse for Rodgers or he could bolt to another team at the end of his contract and deny most of our offers since we didn't really give him a chance to start in his first 5 years. Not saying we would have to pick one up early here, but if a solid QB with potential slips through the cracks to the 3rd or 4th round and he fits our system we should consider giving him a shot at this point.

[ReasonablySober]

I personally really liked our draft back in April, mostly on the strength of some later picks.

I was a big fan of Harrell as a junior in '05. He was one of the top DT prospects back then and would have given Ngata a run for #1 DT taken had he come out. When he went down with the injury as a senior I basically forgot all about him. Picking him up where we were was a pleasent surprise.

Jackson was a guy I'd heard about but didn't see. I was sort of 'Eh...' about the pick, but excited to see what he could do.

Knew nothing about Jones but watching his highlights I quickly grew to like the pick. You could tell by his hands and body control he could be a good one.

Loved the Rouse and Bishop picks. Two standout defenders I thought could eventually be starters for GB.

Crosby was a boon. Wynn was a talent that we got with no risk attached. I REALLY liked the pickup of Harris. Is he still on the practice squad? I was a big of his at Rutgers.

As for McShay's mock, I'd have no problem with Davis. I really like his ability. In my opinion, his floor is our own Donald Lee, his upside is Jason Witten. I see a ton of both guys in Davis.

The nice thing about drafting at the bottom of round one is you can usally afford to go BPA. I'd have absolutely no problem going that route.

[Ayt]

I like that D+ grade. That guy needs a front office job.

[Comet]

B.

I'm still very skeptical on Justin Harrell. He's loaded with potential, but even though he's a DT I would still expect a better pass-rushing ability out of him, plus I'm not so sure about his health or consistency.

Who knows what's going to happen with Jackson. Early in training camp I was very excited about him because not only could he run the ball, but he was also a very good receiver. Maybe this was a bit homerish, but I said "If all goes well, Jackson could be the next Brian Westbrook". Perhaps that statement was premature.

Jones doesn't have the best speed in the world but catches every pass thrown to him. He also runs his routes very well.

Like DB, I also love the Rouse and Bishop picks. I think we found hidden gold in them.

Crosby is a major upgrade over Dave Rayner.

Wynn is very explosive, and even though he's on the IR I think he'll make a nice compliment to Ryan Grant next season.

And lets not forget about Korey Hall. He's not much of a receiver but who cares, we have plenty of receivers. He's a great lead blocker, something we didn't have with William Henderson.

Not perfect, but otherwise a very solid draft.

[bigballajohn]

lookin back on the draft, the only guy i wouldve taken besides harrell would have been aaron ross. hes a strong corner who has played well this season. otherwise, i think we had one of the better drafts, as our rookies did better than expected

[MickeyDavis]

It takes about 3 years to really judge a draft but I like this draft class (and last years).

[NeedsMoreCheese]

So 5 guys contribute immediately, 2 more that WILL in the future is pretty damn good.

Now for some humor:

http://sports.espn.go.com/chat/sportsna ... id=2854030

Basically rates the Packers draft 2 out of possible 4.

The only teams that were voted to have worse drafts then the Packers were Tennesee, Miami, Seattle, Washington, and Philadelphia.

Oh what a season.

I'd give it an A-, with the full out A depending on how Harrell develops. I think he's the only one on that list can be a true STAR, the rest are solid role players (which we've proved are needed on any team).

Thompson's ability to find talent late in the draft is just amazing.

Im amused by the 3.5 the Raiders got and also the 1.7 the Titans got.

Yes in the long run it could easily turn out that way, however that doesnt seem to be the point of this thread. It seems to be more of a "right now" view.
Some guy gave the Dolphins an A+? Whatever that dude has he needs to pass because it must be some good ****. (Maybe he hangs out with Ricky Williams or something)

[ReasonablySober]

Post draft analysis is always pretty stupid. For example, if you went by what the opinions of draft experts were, had Houston gone this route in 2006 they would have gotten an A+ by everyone:

1 - Reggie Bush
2 - Chad Jackson
3 - Abdul Hodge
3 - Leonard Pope
4 - Gabe Watson
6 - Reggie McNeal
7 - Vickiel Vaughn

Right now that draft probably gets an F.

[El Duderino]

A positive from this draft for me is the play of Brandon Jackson late in the year. Grant is clearly a better talent/player, but at least i feel a lot more confident about Jackson being a solid backup. I didn't pay attention to him in college, i expected him to be more shifty and more a slasher. Instead i love the strength he runs with, he's doing a great job breaking tackles and carrying tacklers on his back for an extra few yards. He also looks like a guy who will function well on sloppy field. Maybe a Edgar Bennett type of player for us.

Barbre i'm very curious to see how he develops

Rouse and Bigby should be a great battle in camp for the starting job

Hall and Bishop helped in fixing a bad special teams unit

Nobody with a brain could complain about the Jones pick

Crosby was a great choice

Harrell hasn't shown me much this year, but i'll wait before passing to much judgement on a rookie.


There may not end up being any home runs in this draft class, an All-Pro player type in the future. With that said, there looks to be lots of good to solid players in the class that added needed depth and youth. One reason we are 14-3 is there are no real gaping weak spots on the team and we have depth again, something that vanished or the most part under Sherman.

[Kerb Hohl]

He also looks like a guy who will function well on sloppy field. Maybe a Edgar Bennett type of player for us.

I was thinking the same thing. These parallels usually end up being pretty stupid but next year Jackson/Grant makes me think of Bennett/Levens.

Grant the tall, lanky #25 with the straight up running style and Jackson for the reasons you mentioned. Grant will probably never be what Levens was in the pass game but there are some similarities...mostly just looks.

Other similarities to the '96 season are a Cowboys upset so that we don't have to face them in the Championship game and very adverse conditions in our Divisional round victory(very sloppy mud vs. the 49ers). We would have played Dallas at home though, regardless. We then played an upstart team that no one really expected to be there in the frigid cold for the NFC championship(Giants/Panthers). It could then continue with a matchup and win against the Patriots.

Now we just need Grant(Levens) to have a really long screen pass and a leaping grab over a defender on the endzone sideline. We also need Jackson(Bennett) to have a TD run that "you could drive a truck to the super bowl in" to close out the game.

[ReasonablySober]

Rouse and Bigby should be a great battle in camp for the starting job.

With the exception of Bob Sanders, there hasn't been a better SS in the NFL since late November. I don't know if he keeps up his amazing play, but he's at least earned some job security.

I really like Rouse a lot, but he won't be taking Atari's spot.

[Kerb Hohl]

-= original quote snipped =-



With the exception of Bob Sanders, there hasn't been a better SS in the NFL since late November. I don't know if he keeps up his amazing play, but he's at least earned some job security.

I really like Rouse a lot, but he won't be taking Atari's spot.

I honestly wonder why everyone is so down on Atari. The guy made a few aggressive penalties early in the year and I think people just refuse to give him credit because he came out of nowhere and looks like a guy that is so aggressive that he will give up big plays...but he just doesn't.

[Ayt]

-= original quote snipped =-



With the exception of Bob Sanders, there hasn't been a better SS in the NFL since late November. I don't know if he keeps up his amazing play, but he's at least earned some job security.

I really like Rouse a lot, but he won't be taking Atari's spot.

He has looked like a different player recently, with the culmination coming in the biggest game of his life to date. I think Collins could easily lose his spot to Rouse next offseason.

As for the draft, I think many are sleeping on Harrell. He really showed me something the last several weeks. He is tall and long, holds the point well, and his play recognition (one of the main things I look for in DTs who have the other measurables) is already very good. He's not going to be a pass rushing beast, but I definitely see the potential for him to be very disruptive in the middle. The pre-draft comparison to Jolly was funny to many of us, but now I'd say he's a lot like Jolly, but with a higher ceiling, and that's a pretty big compliment given how well Jolly was playing this year. Harrell could push the Jolly fat man for a starting spot next year.

[El Duderino]

-= original quote snipped =-



With the exception of Bob Sanders, there hasn't been a better SS in the NFL since late November. I don't know if he keeps up his amazing play, but he's at least earned some job security.

I really like Rouse a lot, but he won't be taking Atari's spot.

First of all, unless you've watched each game by every team since the time you're talking about, i have a hard time accepting that as a fact. I'm not saying for sure that he hasn't been, but i have no reason to believe either way on your claim.

The weakest area of his game is pass coverage and he still concerns me as much as anyone else on the defense when we face talented passing teams. He did though without question play great vs the pass against Seattle. Say we end up facing the Patriots in the Super Bowl, when they game plan our defense, my guess is Bigby will be one of the players they will attempt to target most.

I don't want to come off as if i think Bigby sucks because that's not the case, he's been a huge upgrade over Manuel and i by no means feel it's important that he's replaced. It's also possible that Bigby's struggles in the passing game through the Dallas game were largely part of a learning curve as a first year starter, i'm just not convinced yet.

As for next year, obviously Bigby will go into camp as the starter and his job would have to be taken from him. Maybe i'm way off base and his job next year is already almost 100% secure, but i'm not sold on that.

[eagle13]

I REALLY liked the pickup of Harris. Is he still on the practice squad? I was a big of his at Rutgers.

He was first two games of season then cut. Showed next to nothing. In camp had terrrible hands and was overwhelmed blocking. Think he signed with Detroit or someone.

[eagle13]

Harrell - Initally hated pick b/c I preferred trade down or Ross. But you guys warmed me to idea. He made some plays but has a long way to go. I have hope he will develop but just do not see dominance ahead. Hope he proves worth loosing Corey.

Jackson - I was good with pick - but disappointed early - but late season gave spark again. But is he good enough to NOT pick from among one of the deepest drafts for RBs? I'd hate to pass a good RB for him to prove only average. I think he's more though and will be very solid backup. His strong ST play sold me on his effort and attitude.

Jones - awesome. TT has an uncanny thing for obscure receivers.

Rouse - great depth. Forces Nick to keep his head in the game. See great things ahead in some hybrid S/LB capacity. Maybe TE coverage specialist?

Barbre - positive = guy is just a great athelete. Negative = dumb as a post. But has time to get reps. Probably better at T than G.

Clowney - can anyone remember Rodgers

Hall - now that was just darn astute of TT. Grab a LB and make him a starting fb. amazing!

Crosby - inspired. pure genius!

Bishop - not sure what you all see in him but OK.

Harris - crap from the get go.

Wynn - could still be a real value - but still has same questions unanswered.

Overall pretty impressive especially considering the not until late contribtuions of top two picks.

[TheGhostDog]

Is it too early??
...
I'd give it an A-, with the full out A depending on how Harrell develops. I think he's the only one on that list can be a true STAR, the rest are solid role players (which we've proved are needed on any team).

A good post that I mostly agree with, except for the part about only Harrell having star potential. Crosby already lead all kickers in scoring this year, has a bona fide boomer of a leg and will be a star if he can learn to master the swirling Lambeau winds as well as Longwell did. James Jones was as impressive in his debut as Greg Jennings was last season and could develop into a Cris Carter/Hines Ward 12 yrd per catch stud as Driver eventually winds down. Even Rouse has shown some nice flashes, has a rare combo of size (6'4") and speed for a safety, may have better coverage instincts than either Bigby or Collins, but needs to work on taking better angles in run support and probably will need a break to crack the starting lineup for the forseeable future.

[Kerb Hohl]

People need to stop ragging on Harrell. I honestly think everyone on here is related to or actually is one of those morons who flipped out about us drafting Justin Harrell on youtube. I'll start to get antsy about his development next year. I haven't seen anything real special out of him yet but I think he could develop into a solid DT in the near future.

[ahagen87]

I love rouse's size and speed i would love to pair him and bigby in secondary and move collins to nickel cb i think collins could excel at the position. if not saftey i would love and try to at 10-15 lbs on rouse and make him a lb because he can bring the wood on some guys.