A Swiss Army knife? Packers tried a toolbelt with Tori Gurley, but he didn't stick in GB (or anywhere else). The thing about that type of a player is they still have to have at least one tool that is exceptional, and Tori didn't. Does Agholor?
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Old saw, but I want to reiterate two points: one, that outside of the QB position, I am all for the BPA choice in the first round, which is the round most people want TT to use to draft for need.
But if you can get a workmanlike, Hawk-like, serviceable ILB with your first round pick, or you could get a guy whom you're pretty sure can become an All Pro, you've got to take that guy. I make exception for the QB position just because if you draft a QB in the first round I don't think you'll very likely get your use of him. You'll develop him for a year or two, and his contract will almost be up, and if you're lucky Arod will still be playing. So then you're stuck getting little value out of your first round pick, whereas if you pick a QB in the fourth and develop him, you might even trade him later for a first. And end up drafting Jamaal Reynolds with that pick.
The second point is that I realize that none of us really know WTF is a good pick or not a good pick until years later. Not even Ted knows when he picks a guy. We have opinions, yes, and we sometimes try to back them with stats or film clips, but on the whole, we can bitch and moan or get all excited, but we just don't know.
Here's a list of Packer picks I was very excited about. And it's not a complete list, just a few names I loved when they were called during the Packers' time on the clock:
Jerel Worthy
Robert "Turd" Ferguson
Darrell Thompson
Will Blackmon
Khyri Thornton
Derrick Sherrod
Alex Green
Patrick Lee
Abdul Hodge
Kenny Peterson
Fred Vinson
Derrick Mayes
Gabe Wilins
The Washout Hall of Fame, for the most part. Doh!
C'mon, this is the draft thread. A tale of overall, sustained excellence for 23 years.
If you want to self-flagellate, start a coaching decision thread with Holmgren trying to teach Dorsey Levens a lesson about holding out in camp.
I was pretty happy with the Worthy and Terrell Manning picks at the time.
I haven't had as much of a problem with some of the talent, as I've had with not filling needs.
TT simply living with substandard play at safety for how long?? Cost us how much?? Last year's debacle at ILB?? What a freaking mess... when there were ILB's drafted after some of our picks who turned out to be productive players.
Then there is the complete mess that was the 2011 draft - it was obvious the defense was in danger of falling off a great deal, yet TT did nothing to help the unit - either in FA or the draft. As a result, we posted one of the worst defensive seasons in NFL history!!
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Since that disasterous defensive performance in '11, TT has been making more of an effort than in the past at actually filling holes - but I can't find a rational excuse for his completely ignoring ILB for so long.
And keeping dunderdummy around is inexplicable. Doesn't matter how much talent you have, if you have the captain of the Keystone Cops directing traffic.
With the level of the team right now I don't think BPA means what it once did. The Packers should of course consider upside and trust their staff to develop talent but the main thing is to get a solid starter and that means probably getting a position of at least some need. These early picks represent 4 and 5 year deals at the only sub-market rates you're going to get in the NFL. If the guys are just becoming useful as you have to pay them, that seems like a wasted opportunity.
Guys like Bulaga and Haha are about the best balance you could strike as first round picks IMO. It'd be great to nab a ILB in the first and have them work out but I see more CB's that I think are better marriages of need and value. Kevin Johnson is my guy.
Who the hell liked kyri Thornton? Everyone in the worlds first reaction to that pick was, "who"? Then once we found out who it was we were like " oh good, his team never wine a game in college, clearly a winner"
I say cover your bases with filling holes, i.e. ILB, and another highish CB... but other than that, I have no problem going BPA after that. Our overall depth is pretty good.
We're very close to winning another championship - dunderdummy, MM's timidity, and couple of lineup holes are all that is holding us back.
If TT can fill the holes, and MM might-could have learned a lesson - the only thing standing in our way is dunderdummy. Granted that is a huge obstacle, but if we only had the one obstacle, we might-could get past it.
@RobDemovsky
Former #Packers WR Donald Driver will announce the team's second-round pick in next week's draft, the NFL says.
Cool
Since the Driver is calling out the r2 pick, I am predicting a round 1 tradeback.
I'd like to make sure we came away with 1 of the following LB's in the first couple of rounds...
Benardrick McKinney
Stephone Anthony
Eric Kendricks
All 3 of those guys have their warts, but I'd be okay with any of them if we traded back a few spots... if we stayed put?? Maybe McKinney is okay to take in Rd 1, not sold on Kendricks, but there's enough to like; same thing with Anthony.
The only other guy I like that high, that could move inside would be Shaq Thompson. Listed as a tweener S/OLB... but I could see him functioning well as an ILB - if the team that drafted him made a commitment to keeping him clean.
I don't like Dawson, and I do like Perryman on tape, but they took him out on 3rd down a lot, and he didn't move well at the combine - so I'd be shy of him.
If we look at a CB...
Eric Rowe
Ronald Darby
I've cooled on Williams b/c he simply doesn't have the speed to match up... if he gets beat early, he stays beat.
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Other guys on my radar after those major hole fillers...
Would do what it took to land Lorenzo Mauldin... can see him developing into a beast, and stepping in for Peppers full time next year.
In the 2nd/3rd round range I like...
Lorenzo Mauldin, OLB
Josh Shaw, CB
Quinten Rollins, CB
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Those are the guys I've looked at the most... I'm sure there are plenty of offensive players I'd be okay with... I've looked at some, but for now I'm focusing on our major needs.
Further down, I have a man-crush on Christian Covington, and would love to see him in Green and Gold. Don't know where his value is now due to medical...
Will keep looking