I've spent about a decade listening to and deciphering Ted Thompson's words on players after the draft. When he really, really likes a player he'll talk sort of matter of factly about what he does on the field. "He always blocks his guy." is something he said about Sitton and an example of Ted really loving a guys game tape. So here are my impressions of the first three picks.



Kenny Clark
The most glowing endorsement I've ever heard from Ted Thompson was the "he always blocks his guy" comment on Josh Sitton 8 years ago. TT didn't go that far with this guy, but I definitely get a better feel for TT's confidence in the Clark game tape vs the Sherrod and Perry game tape of years past. "He's always played the run well" and "He showed he can rush the passer last year" are the two comments I like most about Clark. TT really does speak generally, but when he says a DL can stop the run and rush the passer, those are the sort of things I consider to be strong endorsements by TT. The other comments were about Clark being big and strong and athletic. My overall impression of the Clark pick is that he's a safe bet to play good football, a good character guy and a high upside athlete. I like the pick all of the way around.

Jason Spriggs
TT said very little about this guys ability to block. He mostly talked about his size and athletic ability. He's a good person, a hard worker, plays with some nastiness, size/athletic ability are off the charts. It's almost like this guy has everything except a knack for making the play. This reminds me of the Sherrod pick. Obviously the injury played into that, but Sherrod was sketchy from play one in Green Bay. TJ Lang was a guy who had to grow into the job a little. Jordy Nelson is another. I'm not saying this guy is a bust, but I don't get that rock solid, he's got "it" feeling that I get with some other picks. I'm guessing 50/50 boom bust with this guy. I'm hoping for the best, but I don't expect Spriggs to be able to play right away and I won't expect it until I see it start showing up. I don't love the pick, but I understand it. Big guys are hard to find.

Kyler Fackrell
TT said he liked his ability to play in space and rush the passer. That's pass defense. He also likes his athletic ability and character. Honestly, Fackrell got a stronger game tape endorsement than Spriggs from TT IMO, even if not complete. Listening to TT, I think Spriggs has higher upside and is obviously the more rare body type, but I think Fackrell has a better chance of contributing. In a pass happy, nickle defense NFL, the areas where TT says Fackrell excels are the areas that matter most. Straight across the board, he gets after it on pass defense. My impression is that Fackrell is likely to be a good pass defender and has potential to be an every down player. I like the pick.