Damarious Randall, 2015 First Round Pick

[3irty1]

Some stuff that sticks out to me:

1) He obviously is a guy you want on your team when the ball is in the air. Has a high end skill set as a coverman and flys on a football field.
2) You can tell we loved the footage where they blitzed him from the slot. Its a move we pull a lot and he's nightmarishly quick in that situation. Teleports to the QB.
3) An excellent gunner. Really just awesome at slipping blocks in general.
4) A form tackler but puts no momentum behind it. I think I could be describe it as a catcher mentality. Goes low, even while blitzing. Tons of examples of him being drug an extra yard for a first down in a situation where Haha or Burnett would have stopped the guy cold.
5) The rest of his team is the EXACT SAME WAY! Makes you wonder if this is a coaching mandate. You start to see a different player at the senior bowl. Maybe its just the extra weight but he's spinning guys down much more violently there.
6) I saw some brain farts filling in for the run. Going to the totally wrong gap, lots of false steps. Nothing like Jimmy Ward in this regard. Stuff I've never seen from Burnett or Haha. Between this and the block slipping talent that's mostly wasted as a safety, it does make this move to corner come into focus a bit.
7) You know that Seahawks game where Haha fucked up that open field tackle that went for a TD? Randall does that all the time. Like 0 for 4 in that situation where its just him and a guy who's just out of reach. He'll find a way to fuck that up. Its that catcher mentality I was talking about. Take one more step towards the guy and he's got him but he never does this. I think this is correctable by coaching. If he were such a film guy you'd think he'd have this solved before it becomes such a pattern.

[vince]

Of all the picks Ted made, this is the one I don't like the most. They obviously had lower grades on all the ILB's but Kendricks or Anthony would step in and provide great value almost immediately. I'm sure Randall is a good player but I'm just not seeing how he brings more value than one of those two guys at the 30 spot.

He looks like he will be a great special teamer and perhaps a great boundary cover corner but he'll have to be that to bring greater value than one of the two ILB's I think. I'm not apoplectic about his tackling but I don't think anyone is going to value him in the slot for run support over Hyde or Hayward.

It'll be interesting to see how this one plays out.

[Brandon494]

Of all the picks Ted made, this is the one I don't like the most. They obviously had lower grades on all the ILB's but Kendricks or Anthony would step in and provide great value almost immediately. I'm sure Randall is a good player but I'm just not seeing how he brings more value than one of those two guys at the 30 spot.

He looks like he will be a great special teamer and perhaps a great boundary cover corner but he'll have to be that to bring greater value than one of the two ILB's I think. I'm not apoplectic about his tackling but I don't think anyone is going to value him in the slot for run support over Hyde or Hayward.

It'll be interesting to see how this one plays out.

This is a passing league in which teams now throw 68% of the time. Finding replacements Williams and House imo was more important the replacing Hawk and Jones. I also think getting Jake Ryan in the 4th made up for not drafting a ILB with the 1st pick, I really like this kid and see him as a future starter for us. I think it also means we are going to see Clay Matthews at ILB a lot this upcoming season.

[vince]

This is a passing league in which teams now throw 68% of the time. Finding replacements Williams and House imo was more important the replacing Hawk and Jones. I also think getting Jake Ryan in the 4th made up for not drafting a ILB with the 1st pick, I really like this kid and see him as a future starter for us. I think it also means we are going to see Clay Matthews at ILB a lot this upcoming season.

I can buy that. I do think he's very sticky covering 1 on 1 - and not in the Ahmad Carroll sense - and makes plays on the ball.

[3irty1]

It seems to me NFL fans in general value balance more than NFL brass. Look at draft histories of teams like the Texans, Giants, Rams, and even Lions. Those teams would ignore big holes on their rosters in favor of bolstering an already strong defensive line via the draft in hopes of turning it dominant. They'd rather be 3 or 4 deep at DE or DT than even field quality starters in other units. I wonder if that's what the Packers are up to. Attempting to construct a dominant and injury proof unit for the defensive scheme to revolve around. After a superbowl featuring the two best secondaries in football it might make a little sense.

The types of secondary players they took is also telling. The Packers have Joe Whitt who they clearly view as an advantage worth leveraging.

[Patler]

This is a passing league in which teams now throw 68% of the time. Finding replacements Williams and House imo was more important the replacing Hawk and Jones. I also think getting Jake Ryan in the 4th made up for not drafting a ILB with the 1st pick, I really like this kid and see him as a future starter for us. I think it also means we are going to see Clay Matthews at ILB a lot this upcoming season.

Agreed, and I think they are willing to overlook tackling deficiencies in a CB if they think he will provide tight coverage, especially if he has a knack for interceptions.

[Pugger]

should be noted that walter football gave the pick a B- because it was a bit of a reach and ILB was clearly a bigger need with all ILB's available at the time

But would taking a ILB at 30 be also a reach? And wasn't CB a need too?

[wootah]

Reading the panic reactions after the draft is almost as fun as getting the new players. Relax, guys. They are handpicked by TT who clearly isn't flawless, but who has proven himself as one of the best at this and CLEARLY knows more than any of us... I can somewhat enjoy the constant pessimism/trolling of some here, but to condemn the careers of these guys, who still have to see their 1st NFL training session, is silly.



NO WIST, NOT THE YOUNGLINGS!!

[Patler]

I thought that half-way through the year, with Randall apparently now the starter at CB, it might be fun to look back on our comments when he was drafted.

[mraynrand]

with Randall apparently now the starter at CB,

apparently not anymore

[denverYooper]

Packer Leg strikes again.

[call_me_ishmael]

Was unsure about this pick, but boy does it look like this kid can play. He looks like he will be a future star or at least very capable starter. LOL @ Wist. This kid is a solid tackler IMO.

[smuggler]

Willingness goes a long way with CBs

[denverYooper]

Willingness goes a long way with CBs

And prom dates.

[HarveyWallbangers]

That's exactly what I saw of him - what little I could find.

"Ankle biting" tackler is a great description... I don't care what he might measure out as - he plays a midget brand of football. He plays very small, and doesn't have the bulk or strength to get even average WR's on the ground - he's going to get his ass handed to him by NFL WR's.

Read a couple of reports that had him as 5th rounder - that seems about right; but of course we just wasted a #1 on him.

Maybe he turns into a decent nickelback - but you don't spend 1st round draft picks on nickelbacks.

Remember the consternation! Do we have the threads going back to the Nick Collins pick or was that on JSO?

[wist43]

Remember the consternation! Do we have the threads going back to the Nick Collins pick or was that on JSO?

Harvey, he's exactly what I said he was, and he's exactly what he was in college. A guy with good ball skills, and tackles like a girl. I don't like him as a football player - he's far too soft. He's a terrible tackler. I thought Darby was a much better player - and he proved to be a better player with the Bills.

You guys like your soft players that can cover; and you value interceptions over stopping the run and forcing punts. Luckily for you, TT prefers to play soft-ball too - and we habitually have an average to poor defense as a result. I don't get it, but TT will never change, and you guys will never like physical football players. It is what it is.

[Patler]

Sorry, Wist. You were wrong about Randall then, and repeating it now doesn't make it anymore true than it was then. "Soft" is a guy like Tramon Williams, especially in his last few season in GB, who will run alongside a ball carrier and not even try to do more than handfight with him. Randall, on the other hand, never hesitates to stick his nose in and make a tackle.

[Fritz]

Harvey, he's exactly what I said he was, and he's exactly what he was in college. A guy with good ball skills, and tackles like a girl. I don't like him as a football player - he's far too soft. He's a terrible tackler. I thought Darby was a much better player - and he proved to be a better player with the Bills.

You guys like your soft players that can cover; and you value interceptions over stopping the run and forcing punts. Luckily for you, TT prefers to play soft-ball too - and we habitually have an average to poor defense as a result. I don't get it, but TT will never change, and you guys will never like physical football players. It is what it is.

If last year's draft could be done over today, with one year in the pros to now see, how many people think Randall would last until the Packers' pick in the first, much less the fifth round as Wist suggests?

[mraynrand]

And prom dates.

cad!

[Bretsky]

we could go bump threads that support TT's use of the first and threads that don't.

Justine Harrell and Sherry come to mind.