A.J. Hawk

[HarveyWallbangers]

Pete Prisco, another senior writer, has the Saints swiping Hawk at No. 2. North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams then slides to the Pack at No. 5. "This is the next Julius Peppers," writes Prisco. This is a whole lot better than being the next Doctor Pepper...

HW I like how you avoided Prisco's other prognostication:

Who they should take: Ernie Sims

I didn't see that. I grabbed the content straight from the JSO article (that I referenced), and that wasn't in there.

Personally, I don't think Prisco knows what he's talking about (he's not one of the national "experts" that I respect a lot), but the argument that I'm trying to counter is this idea that the selection of Hawk would not get mass approval. I'd venture to guess that many more people than not would think Hawk was a good pick for the Packers. I don't think that's even relavent, but apparently others do.

[Guiness]

Didn't see the JSO article. I really don't swing by there very often anymore.

I agree though - taking AJ would sit fine with the experts. I also don't like Prisco much, and saying that Sims is a top 5 choice doesn't help my opinion of him much!

[CyclonePackFan]

Pete Prisco, another senior writer, has the Saints swiping Hawk at No. 2. North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams then slides to the Pack at No. 5. "This is the next Julius Peppers," writes Prisco. This is a whole lot better than being the next Doctor Pepper...

HW I like how you avoided Prisco's other prognostication:

Who they should take: Ernie Sims

I didn't see that. I grabbed the content straight from the JSO article (that I referenced), and that wasn't in there.

Personally, I don't think Prisco knows what he's talking about (he's not one of the national "experts" that I respect a lot), but the argument that I'm trying to counter is this idea that the selection of Hawk would not get mass approval. I'd venture to guess that many more people than not would think Hawk was a good pick for the Packers. I don't think that's even relavent, but apparently others do.

Harvey,

Don't know if you saw it, but ESPN did a little nationwide online poll that was essentially a nationwide mock draft. It's at:

http://sports.espn.go.com/chat/sport...ory?id=2406023

They assigned each team a time of day when they went on the clock, and went through the first round in about a week or so. Anyway, the interesting part I saw was that when Green Bay was up, Hawk beat Williams 42% to 25%, winning 48 out of the 50 states and the international voters. (If you click on "Wisconsin" it brings up an interactive map) The only two states Williams won? Wisconsin and North Carolina.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Anti-Buckeye bias in the state of Wisconsin?

[CyclonePackFan]

Anti-Buckeye bias in the state of Wisconsin?

Must be.

[No Mo Moss]

It took me months to fall in love with taking Hawk @ #5, but now it seems his hype may move him into the number two spot. That would devastate me, I think this is "the guy".

[HarveyWallbangers]

Hawk soars above other prospects
Don Banks, SI.com

At some point, the NFL Draft morphed into an all-out debate, accompanied by a cacophony of voices and opinions. This time around, the topics that dominated the discussion were Reggie Bush versus Matt Leinart, and later Mario Williams, in the battle for the No. 1 pick; Leinart versus Vince Young in a clash of quarterbacking styles; and the NFL viability of Jay Cutler, given his meager won-loss record as a collegiate starter.

All of those topics made for fascinating dissection, but as the league's two-day rookie job fair extravaganza prepares to kick off in New York on Saturday, have we perhaps overlooked the most obvious question of all: Who's the best pure football player available, with the highest probability of being a great professional?

In interviewing league personnel men, coaches and executives for the past two months, I've heard one name mentioned more than others, and it might surprise you. It's not Bush, as gifted a game-breaking talent as he is. It's not Williams, Leinart, Young or Cutler, all of whom have at least one or two significant question marks attached to their scouting reports.

It's Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk, who has inspired nary a negative word in the months-long predraft screening process. Cleveland Browns general manager Phil Savage, one of the more respected personnel evaluators in the league, labeled Hawk "the safest pick in the draft.'' New Orleans general manager Mickey Loomis, whose Saints have strongly considered taking Hawk second overall, said his personnel men believe Hawk is the best linebacking prospect since Junior Seau was the No. 5 pick in 1990 by San Diego.

And a handful of team officials have told me Hawk is the one player in this year's draft who's guaranteed to be starting, and making an impact, right from the opening weekend of the 2006 NFL season. I don't know about you, but I haven't heard that level of certainty on any other prospect in this year's draft, including Bush, who is considered a once-in-a-generation type talent at running back.

People have questioned whether Bush can make enough of an impact in 15 to 20 touches a game. Williams, for most of his college career, wasn't even the best defensive end at N.C. State, and he has yet to show consistent production over an entire season. Some personnel men theorize that Leinart benefited greatly from the talented USC offensive system and that he's already as good as he's ever going to be. And Cutler has some mechanical issues and bad habits that even his staunchest supporters acknowledge will have to be worked out early in his pro career.

But Hawk, who is widely regarded as No. 5 Green Bay's likely choice, is talked about within league circles as the obvious defensive rookie of the year-in-waiting, a can't-miss talent in a first-round pool that always carry as much risk as reward.

"He is the real thing,'' Browns head coach and former Patriots defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel said of Hawk. "He's a playmaker. He runs all over the place, and he runs to the ball. He's got some size, some speed, some production. I like all those things.''

The Packers are desperate for playmakers and leadership on defense, and that's why Hawk figures to be a no-brainer if he's available when their slot comes up. Green Bay's belief is that Hawk will walk in the door and instantly help change the mentality on defense.

"I'd like to come in and see what I can do in the NFL and try to make an impact,'' Hawk said. "[Linebacker] is a position where a lot of times they say they don't want to draft people too high because they think 'How much impact can a linebacker have?' But guys like Shawne Merriman and Lofa Tatupu had huge years [as rookies last year].

"The linebacker position ... with all the defenses they're playing, and with the offenses you have to face -- one week you're facing a spread offense and the next week a team is trying to pound the ball on you. You have to be able to do a little bit of everything.''

Hawk does a little bit of everything and he does it all well. He can play any linebacker position in a 3-4 or 4-3 alignment. Some scouts see him as the ideal inside linebacker in a 3-4, while others suggest he would be best used as the weakside linebacker in a 4-3, chasing the ball from sideline to sideline.

At 6-foot-1, 248 pounds, Hawk has the size to shed blockers in the NFL and get heavily involved in run defense and jamming a hole at the line of scrimmage. But he's also quick enough (he ran a 4.45 at Ohio State's pro day) to drop into coverage and blanket a potential receiver or chase down a quarterback on the blitz. You won't see Hawk coming off the field in certain situations and that only adds to his value in the eyes of league personnel evaluators.

San Diego's Merriman and Seattle's Tatupu were impact rookies at linebacker last season, with Merriman becoming the fifth player at that position in the past six years to earn the league's defensive rookie of the year award. Merriman went 11th overall to the Chargers and Tatupu was taken by the Seahawks in the second round. Linebackers may not be selected as high these days as they once were, but Hawk will be an exception. The last top-five linebacker was LaVar Arrington in 2000, who went No. 2 to Washington out of Penn State.

"It's understandable,'' Hawk said. "Obviously we're not big defensive ends, who are going to get 15 to 18 sacks a year. We're not going to be a running back, who's going to rush for 1,500 yards. [Linebacker] is a spot where there's three or four of them on the field. I guess you can justify not taking [linebackers] too high. But all I want is a chance, regardless of where I'm taken.''

Hawk is going to get his chance. And though he won't have a No. 1 next to his name on Saturday, that doesn't mean he's not the guy NFL scouts seem to think of first when it comes to a sure bet in the 2006 draft.

[RashanGary]

SI has some of the most reliable coverage. I don't think Hawk is only safe but he is dominate as well. I think it is going to be very, very hard to pass up A.J. Hawk with the 5th pick if he's available. I don't have a crystal ball but I'd have to put pretty high odds on A.J. Hawk being a Packer at this point.

[HarveyWallbangers]

YES!

[ND72]

for all of you who have talked to me on here, you know my love for A.J.....i can't even put into words what this day has just made for me. just unreal for me.

[Bretsky]

for all of you who have talked to me on here, you know my love for A.J.....i can't even put into words what this day has just made for me. just unreal for me.

I'M RIGHT THERE WITH YA ND; PLUS WE GET TO SEE THE HOTTIE GIRLFRIEND AS WELL

[ND72]

hottie fiance....and next year we can worry bout getting the brother in law.

[FritzDontBlitz]

i have a question: is that white guy with dredlocks in the new under armour commercial aj hawk?

[HarveyWallbangers]

Yes.

[Deputy Nutz]

[Homer Jay]

Anti-Buckeye bias in the state of Wisconsin?

I still hate the Buckeyes, but I am mighty pleased to have AJ coming to Green Bay.

[FritzDontBlitz]

having improved our defense during this offseason has actually made our offense look so much better, because it not only limits the other team's scoring opportunities but the potential for turnovers increases substantially.

i can't wait to see woodson and al harris on the field together strutting their stuff, shutting down receivers and blitzing off the corners.

the idea of aj hawk and nick barnett roaming the field together is mind boggling.

our defensive line will be greatly improved with the acquisition of pickett as the runstuffer in the middle, and the young unheralded d-line players will greatly benefit from the new weight training program to create the best defensive line rotation in the league - to those who may doubt the ability of our line, think back to how they were flying all over the field frustrating michael vick in the georgia dome last season.

i am quite pleased with this offseason. thanks, teddy bear

[Deputy Nutz]

I can't wait to see the rivalry explode in the Packer locker room come late November between the Ohio St guys and the Michigan guys!

[Scott Campbell]

i am quite pleased with this offseason. thanks, teddy bear

Were just getting started FDB. That second round pick is probably the equivelent of where we pick in the first round most years. We should land a player.

[HarveyWallbangers]

89% of respondents on JSO are happy with the Hawk selection--not that it really matters.