OFFICIAL 2015 NFL DRAFT THREAD

[Maxie the Taxi]

I would have drafted PJ Williams or Ronald Darby. Now...I'd stay clear of guys from that program. Something is seriously wrong with the culture there. Not Packer people.

[pbmax]

Football Outsiders SacSEER stats projection for college pass rushers. Have had some big successes (also a couple of blown calls). Its worth a read. They have more than just a few years of data now.

Football Outsiders ‏@fboutsiders 59m59 minutes ago
ESPN INSIDER: SackSEER projections of this year’s pass-rushers say Shane Ray, Dante Fowler Jr. are likely NFL busts: http://es.pn/1D0cAnl

Welp. that is garbage, its ESPN Insider only. Should be in the garbage.

[pbmax]

Ian Rapoport ‏@RapSheet 57m57 minutes ago
Who will be the highest drafted non-Combine invitee? Could be Texas Southern CB Tray Walker. Visits with GB, KC, SEA, BAL, ATL, MIA, OAK.

[smuggler]

I have always seen Ray as a huge bust candidate. Just a feeling I have...

[smuggler]

Round 2 Pick 5 (NYJ): Eric Kendricks, ILB/OLB, UCLA (B+)
Round 2 Pick 13 (MINN): Eddie Goldman, DT, Florida State (A)
Round 4 Pick 10 (T.B.): Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, CB, Oregon (B+)
Round 4 Pick 13 (SEA): Cedric Ogbuehi, OT, Texas A&M (A+)
Round 4 Pick 30: Ben Koyack, TE, Notre Dame (A+)
Round 5 Pick 17 (S.D.): Chris Conley, WR, Georgia (A+)
Round 5 Pick 30: Cameron Artis-Payne, RB, Auburn (A+)
Round 6 Pick 30: Tyler Varga, FB, Yale (B+)
Round 6 Pick 34 (COMP): Xzavier Dickson, OLB, Alabama (A+)
Round 6 Pick 37 (COMP): Josh Harper, WR, Fresno State (A+)
Round 7 Pick 30: Damian Swann, CB, Georgia (A-)

Went through the draft with First-Pick.com, narrowly missed out on Byron Jones and Stephone Anthony in the 3rd and 2nd rounds respectively. Traded two two picks to Minny to trade up for Goldman, after a more Pack-friendly offer was turned down by the two teams in front of them.

Otherwise, the draft seemed kind of realistic.

[vince]

dp

[vince]

Some CB scuttlebutt from Tony Pauline

Quite possibly no defensive back is moving up draft boards faster than Eric Rowe of Utah. As first reported two weeks ago, there’s a feeling Rowe will end up in the second half of round one and won’t get past the 40th pick. The teams I’m hearing highest on Rowe in round one include the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles.
...
Byron Jones, who was in Arizona visiting with the Cardinals today, is another zipping up draft boards. Jones is the bigger corner teams want and offers versatility as a number of coaches feel he could slide inside to safety. To date he has seven official visits on his calendar.
...
Getting back to the Green Bay Packers, immediately after the the combine I was told by several sources cornerback Kevin Johnson of Wake Forest is a player that have been targeting in round one.
...
Looking for a late round sleeper?? Turn towards Texas Southern cornerback Tray Walker, a player that was not on scouting sheets entering the season.
...
How busy is Walker? His visits list includes the Green Bay Packers, Baltimore Ravens, Seattle Seahawks and the Atlanta Falcons, who’ll also be working him out.

FWIW (not much), I like all those guys. That Walker cat from Texas Southern looks good on youtube.

[Freak Out]

Is there a CB worth taking in the 1st round?

[pbmax]

I love this stuff, but if you are the reporter and you have reported a team's interest in 3 prospects at one position in the first round, have you really uncovered anything other than what the team might think its needs are?

[vince]

Trae Waynes for sure. I've obviously not been in any interviews with Peters but from what I've seen I wouldn't touch him because of character but he's a first round talent... I like Rowe and Jones but they both have one whole year of corner under their belts. I think Johnson has mad skills but needs to fill out more yet. He'll do that but not sure if he's ready to step in immediately and take on some of the monster receivers in the league...

They'd all look a ton better in the 2nd or 3rd that's for sure.

[vince]

I love this stuff, but if you are the reporter and you have reported a team's interest in 3 prospects at one position in the first round, have you really uncovered anything other than what the team might think its needs are?

Plus it's sometimes hard to decipher real interest from smoke screens at this time of the year. I like reading about interest in these specific guys over some of the guys I have concerns about (Collins from LSU, the Florida State guys and some of the smurfs). I just hope its real and not some of the worthless drivel the local beat guys spew from agents. Pauline has a lot more credibility in my eyes than the local puppets.

[smuggler]

Peters would be worth taking if his character concerns were checked out. He was kicked off his college program, but he's arguably the best combination of size/athleticism/ball-skills/school/performance at the position in the draft

[pbmax]

Been following Emory Hunt for the draft for a week. Here is his Packers mock, I am seriously starting to have doubts as a couple of these picks violate known Ted/Ron draft rules. However, he does say this is what he would do, not what Ted would do. Curious what you guys think about his picks:

[pbmax]

This is the video that caused me to follow Hunt. It illustrates the problem I have with the draft. I watch this video and see a corner take so many shortcuts he would get roasted in the NFL. So how can you possibly project what he will do in the NFL when he has to change his game?

Someone was recommending this prospect as a Packer pick at CB and provided Hunt's video as evidence.

[smuggler]

I don't think so with Terry Williams, Rakeem Cato, or DJoun Smith. All too short for the Pack to draft so high. Not that Green Bay wouldn't draft them, but the lack of height will push them down the Packer big board. Maybe Smith at that spot anyway, since it's a 6th.

My first instinct is to DQ Matias because TT does not draft interior guys, but he did buck that trend with Linsley last year, ang GB does need depth at guard. Both Sitton and Lang spent a lot of time on the injured list last year, even though they toughed it out and played for the most part.

Devante Davis is a classic Packer pick though.

[wist43]

Is anyone convinced about Palmer and Mulumba?

With Peppers for perhaps one more year (and no guarantee on that), isn't OLB a concern as much as DL?

I like Mulumba... has the physical tools and athletic ability. Just a matter of his instincts and understanding of the game.

Not sure about Palmer, haven't seen enough of him.

[wist43]

sounds like your looking for the guy I just started doing a little research on:

Eric Rowe, Utah

Some think he's a safety, some say CB. The more I read, the more I like.

I like Rowe too... he's a little stiff in the hips, so I don't know if he can play outside, but he's a big, physical DB with range. Would excel in the slot, zone coverage, and run support. He's definitely on my wish list.

[wist43]

Yeah. I like Rowe too. Byron Jones and Rowe are the two corners I'd be happiest about landing early. I think they have high ceilings.

One of Kendricks, Anthony, Perryman to go along with Jones or Rowe and that'd be a pretty amazing start to a draft in my book.

CB and ILB Rankings at Green Bay's Likely Sweet Spots in the Draft (30 - 130) - CBSSports.com (as of March 30)

24 CB Johnson Wake Forest - that's a bit too high for him IMO
30 CB Peters Washington - uncoachable/character risk - Ted takes shots on these guys in the 7th not the first.
35 ILB Kendricks UCLA - His d-line kept him clean a lot but he's a bigger, faster, stronger version of Nick Barnett. He'd do just fine.
37 CB P.J. Williams Florida State - Has the physical traits you want but I'm not sure if he can play.
44 CB Quentin Rollins Miami (Ohio) - smallish, raw, unpolished is what I'm reading. Has only played CB for one year but tough, aggressive, hard worker...
45 ILB Bernardrick McKinney Texas A&M. I don't like him. He just doesn't seem to me to be an impact player.
47 ILB Anthony Clemson - He could be the guy Ted jumps on in the first too.
54 CB Collins LSU - One of the finest physical specimens at CB in the draft but raw and I'm not convinced he has enough athleticism to reach the potential his size and speed might suggest.
55 CB Jones Connecticut - He's moving up I'd say. Not sure he's gonna get to the 62 spot in the draft.
66 CB Darby Florida State - Speed to run with guys deep but I fear this guy is too much of a sprinter and not enough of a football player.
72 CB DJoun Smith Florida Atlantic - 5'10"
74 ILB Paul Dawson TCU - I like Perryman better than Dawson but they're similar players
76 CB Alex Carter Stanford - Good well-rounded prospect but not a lot to fall in love with
87 CB Josh Shaw USC - not good enough to overcome immature and stupid move jumping off balcony or the stupid, immature massive lie trying to cover-up said stupidity.
89 CB Doran Grant Ohio St. - 5'10"
93 ILB Perryman Miami - He's moving up too I'd say. No way he makes it to the end of the 3rd.
101 CB Steven Nelson Oregon St. - 5'10"
114 CB Ifo Ekpre-OlomuInjured - 5'9" not happening
118 CB Rowe Utah - I think he's a Day 1 starter and the team that drafts him may never look back.
128 ILB Heeney Kansas - smallish but fast and way underappreciated. I'd be very tempted to grab Heeney at the end of the 3rd even if they nabbed Kendricks or Anthony earlier. A ten-year contributor in the league whether its on Special Teams and special situations on D or every down on D.

Good list Vince... those are a lot of the guys I've been looking at for the first few rounds.

I've backed off Peters altogether - just too much of a risk to take with a high pick. A lot of teams have taken him off their board.

I think there is a lot of good depth at CB in rds 2-3, and I think LB drops off a bit after the first few guys go. At this point I think I'd like to see us trade back a few spots and target McKinney, Anthony, or Perryman.

I'd be okay with any of those 3.

Then in the 2nd target a CB like Rowe, although he'll probably be gone by our pick in the 2nd round.

I haven't researched everyone on your list there, so I'll go thru them and narrow it down.

Thanks for the post, it makes it easier to see the names all listed together like that.

[pittstang5]

Anthony and Rowe are my targets for this draft. IMO, they are good fits for this defense. If we can get them in the first two rounds - that would be huge. If TT can move down from the 1st into the top 5 of the 2nd, grab Anthony and an extra pick or two, then use those picks or whatever and move up in the 2nd and grab Rowe - OH, Happy day!

Other ILBs & CBs I like in the mid rounds:

ILBs
Ben Heeney - Kansas
Ramik Wilson - Georgia - (Really like this guy 4th round, if he's there in the 5th STEAL!)
Bryce Hager - Baylor

CBs
Justin Cox - Mississippi State
Randall Evans - Kansas State

Other Players I'm liking in the mid rounds:
Henry Anderson - DE - Stanford (Perfect Size for a 3-4 DE, high motor, smart - Packer People)
Jeff Heuerman - TE - Ohio State
Jesse James - TE - Penn State
Cedric Ogbuehi - OT - Texas A&M
Corey Crawford - DE - Clemson

[smuggler]

Ogbuehi would be an awesome 4th-5th round pick. He'll redshirt 2015 with the ACL, but he was a top-50 player before the injury.