NFL Draft Day 3

[HarveyWallbangers]

Dean Lowry is tied with Datone Jones for best athlete at DE that Thompson has taken.
Jason Spriggs is the most athletic OL that Thompson has taken.
Trevor Davis is the third most athletic WR that Thompson has taken behind Terrence Murphy and Jeff Janis.

Mind you, this is based on measurables at the combine, and I fully acknowledge that sometimes guys don't play as well as they time. I find it interesting nonetheless. The rest of the guys kind of fit Thompson's wheelhouse for athleticism. The two LBs are right in the middle of the players that Thompson has taken. Since Martinez is about the same in this draft class, there's nothing to read from that. Thompson usually goes for guys that are near the top athletically at OLB. Clark is right in the middle. Athletically, he's pretty similar to Raji (although Raji was much bigger) and Josh Boyd. Yet, Clark ranked near the top among this draft class for 3-4 NTs. Some of the other guys though projected more as 3-4 DEs but I have them listed as DTs. Murphy didn't test because of an injury. It's rare that Thompson takes somebody that wasn't able to test at all.

[mraynrand]

Dean Lowry is tied with Datone Jones for best athlete at DE that Thompson has taken.
Jason Spriggs is the most athletic OL that Thompson has taken.
Trevor Davis is the third most athletic WR that Thompson has taken behind Terrence Murphy and Jeff Janis.

Mind you, this is based on measurables at the combine, and I fully acknowledge that sometimes guys don't play as well as they time. I find it interesting nonetheless. The rest of the guys kind of fit Thompson's wheelhouse for athleticism. The two LBs are right in the middle of the players that Thompson has taken. Since Martinez is about the same in this draft class, there's nothing to read from that. Thompson usually goes for guys that are near the top athletically at OLB. Clark is right in the middle. Athletically, he's pretty similar to Raji (although Raji was much bigger) and Josh Boyd. Yet, Clark ranked near the top among this draft class for 3-4 NTs. Some of the other guys though projected more as 3-4 DEs but I have them listed as DTs. Murphy didn't test because of an injury. It's rare that Thompson takes somebody that wasn't able to test at all.

Nice analysis. Thanks Harv for everything you've posted. Big part of a good draft experience on Packerrats.

[HarveyWallbangers]

My initial thought is that this is going to be a good draft. Sure, at each pick there were some guys that I liked better (except the Spriggs pick), but everybody was pretty much on my short list. Could be the kiss of death though--since my gut feeling on players that TT picks at draft time is often wrong.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Baltimore took Canady soon after the Packers picked.

[Rutnstrut]

The German dude the Vikes took will be a better player than Ted's latest WR bust.

[mraynrand]

The German dude the Vikes took will be a better player than Ted's latest WR bust.

oh boy

[Teamcheez1]

The German dude the Vikes took will be a better player than Ted's latest WR bust.

I can't believe we didn't take advantage of the German pipeline for wide receivers. The German engineering is hard to beat.

[Patler]

I can't believe we didn't take advantage of the German pipeline for wide receivers.

The Packers did:

Another interesting tryout participant is German wide receiver Patrick Donahue. NFLDraftDiamonds.com reported he would be at Packers camp this week. He is 5-10, 195 pounds and ran a 4.4-second 40. He was a teammate of Moritz Boehringer, the workout wonder who was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings.

[Maxie the Taxi]

^^^Boehringer and Donahue were on the same team in Germany? Maybe we ought to take a look at the team's QB. Must have some arm.

[Rastak]

The German dude the Vikes took will be a better player than Ted's latest WR bust.

That guy is a HUGE question mark. If he is, great!

I'm not counting on it.

[mraynrand]

That guy is a HUGE question mark. If he is, great!

I'm not counting on it.

Every draft has some workout/measurables heroes. This guy is that, but he could be more. Won't know until you know!

[Carolina_Packer]

Trevor Davis might be an insurance policy for Ty Montgomery, in case he struggles coming back. They have some similar skill sets.

The other thought that I had was that they were going to possible expand Janis' role and perhaps try and move him out of KR duties and saw Davis is a guy who could take his place.

[pbmax]

Michael Cohen ‏@Michael_Cohen13 48m48 minutes ago
Thompson on Murphy: "We liked him a lot. We had several guys go out to the West Coast and Stanford. He's a big man who plays the game well."

Jersey Al - GBP ‏@JerseyAlGBP 47m47 minutes ago
Murphy's main issue is sloppy footwork, but he has all the other tools to be an eventual starter.

Michael Cohen ‏@Michael_Cohen13 46m46 minutes ago
Thompson on Trevor Davis: "His catching in the pro days and Indy and all that is very impressive."

Packer Report ‏@PackerReport 47m47 minutes ago
Thompson on Lowry: leader, "100 percent guy." ... Blue-collar. More you watched, the more you liked.

Packer Report ‏@PackerReport 46m46 minutes ago
Thompson thinks Martinez can be three-down guy. Started off saying Murphy will start off at OT. A Campen favorite.

Michael Cohen ‏@Michael_Cohen13 46m46 minutes ago
Thompson: "You don't have to be big to play in the NFL, but it helps. And we were able to get some bigs on both sides of the ball."

Packer Report ‏@PackerReport 46m46 minutes ago
Might this be a dominant team? "I'm not ready to proclaim anything ... it's a little silly." Other 31 teams trying too.

Packer Report ‏@PackerReport 45m45 minutes ago
Thompson thinks he added "quality people" to the team.

Michael Cohen ‏@Michael_Cohen13 44m44 minutes ago
Thompson: "It's a physical game, but it's also a smart guy's game. We think we've added some quality people to our organization."

Green Bay Packers ‏@packers 44m44 minutes ago
Thompson: "When it was our turn to go, we felt like we picked the best player available." #PackersDraft

Michael Cohen ‏@Michael_Cohen13 41m41 minutes ago
Thompson thinks this group of draft picks will be "extraordinary" when it comes to understanding the game and mental capacity.

Tom Silverstein ‏@TomSilverstein 41m41 minutes ago
#Packers GM Ted Thompson said the football acumen of the group he just drafted is "extraordinary."

Ryan Wood ‏@ByRyanWood 39m39 minutes ago
TT not closing door on Mike Neal: "Lot of different things that could happen over the course of the offseason that could change things."

Mike Chappell ‏@mchappell51 41m41 minutes ago
Irsay told media Colts had Clay Matthews on 2009 1st-round card at 27. Packers jumped ahead w/NE trade. Matthews gone. Hello Donald Brown.

[Guiness]

Ryan Wood ‏@ByRyanWood 39m39 minutes ago
TT not closing door on Mike Neal: "Lot of different things that could happen over the course of the offseason that could change things."

I'd be all kinds of surprised if Neal were to come back, even moreso now with two new DL bodies in the draft. There doesn't seem to be any interest in him, I didn't hear anything about him having visits in FA at all, which surprises me a little.

[Maxie the Taxi]

Way back in March I summarized what I felt we needed to improve:

1 * Allow the Packers to become an elite pass rushing defense
2 * Improve OL and better protect AROD
3 * Improve our ability to stretch the field vertically, both from the TE and WR positions
4 * Add a fast, tough ILB who will enable Clay to move back to OLB
5 * Improve 3rd down and Red Zone offense by adding a pass catching, change of pace RB
6 * Improve our KR and PR games
7* Increase team speed

Analysis:
1* This draft didn't make us an elite pass rushing defense, but it improved us considerably. All four defensive draft picks are either good pass rushers and/or free up other pass rushers on the defense like Clay.

2* We definitely improved our OL by adding quality depth and competition.

3* WR Davis is a quality field stretcher. Add in FA TE Cook and we're improved. Get guys back from injuries and we might be great. Arod has to be pleased.

4* Martinez is not Ragland or Jones, but he's got the potential to be better than anyone we have. Clay can now move to the outside.

5* We didn't draft a pass catching, change of pace RB, but maybe TT feels Crockett is the man.

6* Davis appears to be an upgrade to our KR/PR game. Plus, Fackrell is supposed to be a good special teams player.

7* We're not going to be the fastest team in the league because of this draft, but we'll be faster with Davis pushing the WR's and Cook at TE.

All in all, drafting at #27, I think TT did a great job. I'm looking forward to the season and thinking Super Bowl.

[Guiness]

No Packer pick in the 7th round. No THAT surprises me. TT definitely does not follow a plan
and some posters think he is predictable.

[Joemailman]

No Packer pick in the 7th round. No THAT surprises me. TT definitely does not follow a plan
and some posters think he is predictable.

TT traded away his 7th last year too. I'm okay with it. TT hasn't really come up with the kind of 7th round steals that Wolf did (Tauscher, Timmerman, Driver).

[Rastak]

Adam Schefter ‏@AdamSchefter 52s52 seconds ago
And with last pick in last round, Tennessee makes Southern Miss DB Kalan Reed this year's Mr. Irrelevant.


And with that gentleman, the 2016 draft has come to a close......let the BS grading and judging begin!

Hell, I like reading them!

[Joemailman]

Who's gonna start the UDFA thread?

[woodbuck27]

Who's gonna start the UDFA thread?

I'm going there right now to see what they decided to bring in...and who agreed to a try out.