LATEST DRAFT RUMBLINGS

[Bretsky]

Been listening to ESPN and NFL Network a lot

Everybody seems to be prediction
1. Stafford
2. Smith
3. Curry

BUT THEN

It appears there is a strong chance the Seahawks are considing Sanchez at #4

And NOBODY has my Crabman falling to GB at #9........as a sidenote....I think this GB has to take him if he falls there :!:

This latest Mock draft really has GB being able to choose from Oher and about all the defensive guys on their board. I'd think TT would have to like this choice

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draft09/insider/columns/story?columnist=mcshay_todd&id=4054682&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fnfl %2fdraft09%2finsider%2fcolumns%2fstory%3fcolumnist %3dmcshay_todd%26id%3d4054682


The downside here is..........nobody will really want to trade to #9 if the elite talent is off the board so we'd be stuck picking between Oher, Orakpo, Raji, Maybin, and T Jackson is all likelihood

Feel free to post any rumors/rumblings in here as the day nears

[SMACKTALKIE]

Here is a mock draft with Crabtree going to Green Bay.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AkZkM6kE6HKlcpxnI6gVkfhDubYF?slug=ys-pfwmockdraft041709&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

It seems PFW agrees that if he is there at 9 he must be picked. This is assuming Maclin goes befoe him.

As a Vikings fan, Crabtree on the Packers scares the $hit out of me. Though I don't think he will make it past the Raiders.

[RashanGary]

I'd be ecstatic with Raji
Very happy with Oher
OK with Malcolm Jenkins (I think he's one of the safest bets to be a very good player in this draft)

I don't know enough about how Orakpo or Maybin will transition. If it's a player like that, I guess I have no clue and I'll wait and see.

I'm not huge on Tyson Jackson, but he's also a safe pick. I think I'd rather have Hood, who has just as much production and a higher ceiling.

I think crabtree is overrated. I could easily be wrong, but in my opinion, I think he'd be a very bad pick because we don't need him and I don't see him as being as good as a lot of the other players that could be there (including Jenkins, Hood, Oher and Raji)

[CaliforniaCheez]

It has been a few months to think about the draft.

Don't have too much to think.

There is a plan B and a plan C for the first pick. 2 of the three are okay to pretty good.

No matter who the Packers pick someone will get angry and have a big tirade against Ted Thompson.

Whether it is your hanging, your wedding day, or the NFL draft, you have to man up and accept your fate.

[packrulz]

I think if Crabtree is there TT should take him, DD is getting old, JJ is hurt a lot, and Crabtree is too good to pass up. I could see 4-5 WR's going in the first round this year. Here's an article on TT's past drafts: http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20090418/PKR01/90418050/1058

[Joemailman]

If Cleveland trades Braylon Edwards, that means that the teams drafting 4-8 all lack a legitimate #1 WR. Hard to believe they would all pass on Crabtree as it would be a case of BPA also being a position of need. The 5 mocks at NFLDraftScout all have Crabtree going top 5. I doubt they're all that wrong. http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/mock

If he were available at #9, there might be some teams looking to trade up to get him. Failing that, I think you have to take him. His ability to make yards after the catch is exactly what the Packers look for.

[DonHutson]

I agree with McShay's top 8.

That leaves Ted with a very interesting scenario, picking between Raji, Oher, and Orakpo. All three are "needs" in the sense that Clifton, Pickett, and Kampman all have one year left on their deals.

Raji is probably the biggest need, in that the run D was arguably the biggest problem with last year's team. Oher is arguably the upside pick. If he can learn the offense, he could be a stud LT. Orakpo is arguably the safe pick. He might never be a star, but I'd be surprised if he busts out. He's got the combo of character and production that Ted seems to like.

I've always assumed Ted would play it safe with his first pick, especially in the top ten. It will be interesting to see what he does here. Could be a career defining pick.

[DonHutson]

double post

[LL2]

I'd be ecstatic with Raji
Very happy with Oher
OK with Malcolm Jenkins (I think he's one of the safest bets to be a very good player in this draft)

I don't know enough about how Orakpo or Maybin will transition. If it's a player like that, I guess I have no clue and I'll wait and see.

I'm not huge on Tyson Jackson, but he's also a safe pick. I think I'd rather have Hood, who has just as much production and a higher ceiling.

I think crabtree is overrated. I could easily be wrong, but in my opinion, I think he'd be a very bad pick because we don't need him and I don't see him as being as good as a lot of the other players that could be there (including Jenkins, Hood, Oher and Raji)

I would be happy with whoever they pick as long as that person turns out to be a probowl talent. To me Raji, Oher, or Jenkins are the smart picks. To me O-Sack-po seems like a huge risk. The Pack need to shore up the DL or OL so I say either Oher or Raji if available. Some of these players will drop to round 2 so lets pick one up there.

[Bretsky]

I'd be ecstatic with Raji
Very happy with Oher
OK with Malcolm Jenkins (I think he's one of the safest bets to be a very good player in this draft)

I don't know enough about how Orakpo or Maybin will transition. If it's a player like that, I guess I have no clue and I'll wait and see.

I'm not huge on Tyson Jackson, but he's also a safe pick. I think I'd rather have Hood, who has just as much production and a higher ceiling.

I think crabtree is overrated. I could easily be wrong, but in my opinion, I think he'd be a very bad pick because we don't need him and I don't see him as being as good as a lot of the other players that could be there (including Jenkins, Hood, Oher and Raji)

I would be happy with whoever they pick as long as that person turns out to be a probowl talent. To me Raji, Oher, or Jenkins are the smart picks. To me O-Sack-po seems like a huge risk. The Pack need to shore up the DL or OL so I say either Oher or Raji if available. Some of these players will drop to round 2 so lets pick one up there.

Seems like every year, except for Hawk, TTT grabs somebody with the first pick that nobody saw coming.

I think this is the year a lot of us get it right

[texaspackerbacker]

I doubt we get a big surprise. It will undoubtedly be one of those guys mentioned often. The thing is, thee are at least a half dozen of those.

I agree, Crabtree would be tough to pass up, even for a top four OT. He probably won't fall to us, though. The 4-8 teams, like somebody said, all could use him.

[DonHutson]

My only reservation about Crabtree if he falls (and I still don't think he will) is more about chemistry than anything else.

We have a bunch of talented guys who seem genuinely happy when a teammate makes a play. Is Crabtree a guy that will fit into that comeraderie? I don't know that he isn't, I'm just asking. Factor in that he's coming from a very non-pro style offense, it will likely take him a year or two to get on the field a lot since he has a lot to learn and there's a lot of talent at WR in front of him.

Will he be able to take it in stride if he catches only 15-20 balls this year as a #5 WR? They need to take a real careful check on his ego before they pull the trigger.

[The Shadow]

Every year, a player or two - considered to be gone in the first few picks, slides a bit.
Just a hunch that Eugene Monroe might be avail. at #9 - and i realize this goes against the grain of virtually every mock draft.

[Joemailman]

Some players do slide, but not top OT's with no character issues. Andre Smith, B.J. Raji and Michael Crabtree (Injury) are the most likely to slide. Sometimes the #2 or 3 QB will also slide (Rodgers, Quinn, Leinart).

[Waldo]

Lately the Packers have had private workouts with 3 OT's:

Oher, A. Smith, and Britton

I believe that they have had them with Jackson and Jenkins as well. Everything I've read, plus things hinted by people in the know that are friends with TT, the Packers are extremely high on Tyson Jackson.

TT is a believer in breaking ties with the scale high in the draft (he's said this) so I wouldn't expect to see Jenkins as the pick, but he may be the last resort if the guys they love are gone. I think A. Smith, Oher, and Jackson are the ones they love. Though if Monroe or J. Smith fell I'm sure we'd grab them, and I could see a moderate trade up scenario if they got to #5 (trading up is cheap this year), as #6 will take the faller.

The Packers keep these things quiet so it is tough as heck to find info about them, they don't do them in GB, as they have to officially report those visits to other teams.

I don't think that they are very high on Orakpo. They had a secret workout with him on the opening day of FA (I have two sources for this, Orakpo's mouth on Sirius saying he had a private workout with the Packers (he said it long ago, mid march sometime), and the fact that an airplane known to be used by Packers brass went down to Austin and spent that Friday there). Since then it's been quiet on that front. The real late ones are the ones to watch.

The Packers have been all over Jamon Merideth of South Carolina, visiting him several times. However there are many strong rumors that he failed at the combine for steroids, if so I wouldn't expect to see him. Another OT we've shown a ton of interest in at both the combine and pro day was Gerald Cadogan, LT for Penn State.

Two 3-4 guys we've gone the extra mile with are Larry English and Everette Pedesceaux. We ran the drills at both of their pro days. We've interviewed English a few times and Pedescleaux has been in contact with the team several times.

We've brought in or had private workouts with darn near every 3-4 OLB prospect in the draft, including minor guys, in addition to visiting every pro day for them. I think the group of English-Barwin-Sintim we're real high on. We've avoided any officially recorded contact with any of them, aside from the English pro day thing.

Some positions we have been relentless in scouting this offseason, some surprising, some not.

QB - fair amount of work
RB - We've been looking hard at these guys
FB - We've been looking hard at these guys
WR - Very little effort
TE - We've been looking hard at these guys
OT - We've been looking hard at these guys, probably our #1 position of interest
OG - Very little effort. We took a look at a 3rd-4th round C/G guy that's a real good fit, but aside from that, not much. Keep in mind though that TT drafts OT's to play G
C - Very little effort. I think that Unger is the only one we've payed much attention to

DE - Fair amount of work, though not as much as you would think
NT - We've been looking hard at these guys, and have been linked to just about every one in the draft
OLB - Probably our #2 position of interest. We've been all over these guys.
ILB - Moderate effort
CB - Moderate effort
S - We've been all over these guys

If I had to guess, we're going to come out of this draft with a OT, OLB, RB, NT, TE, and S surely, will probably grab a DE and CB as well, and at worst will add a FB via UDFA.

There is a lot of dead air with the Packers and Raji as of late. We either love him or hate him, to the point where we're either sending out strong smokescreens in other directions, or there really is very little interest. I don't think that there is much interest in the first round pass rushers.

The analysts to really pay attention to for Green Bay:
Casserly - Not sure how close he is with TT, but he and Capers are surely friends
Kirwan - Good friends with TT
G. Brandt - Good friends with John Dorsey
Lombardi/A. Brandt - Lots of ties inside the GB organization

Kirwan and Brandt have a history of nailing GB's picks in the days before the draft.

I think that it is clear by their actions this offseason that they have given up on Wells, Moll, Rouse, Peprah, Humphrey (even though they resigned him) and Hunter.

And they are real close to giving up on one of Grant/Jackson, Hall/Kuhn, and Harrell/Jolly.

[DonHutson]

Lots of great info in there, Waldo.

But the biggest revelation of all has to be that Ted Thompson has friends.

:shock:

[Waldo]

Lots of great info in there, Waldo.

But the biggest revelation of all has to be that Ted Thompson has friends.

:shock:

Ted is a long time scout and a GM from the scouting area. Guys like Kirwan and Brandt he's been seeing at pro days and whatnot for 20 years.

People from the true scouting side of things (not the Kipers) tend to be friends with TT. On the scouting circuit is is very well respected and old timers tend to be friends with him.

[Maxie the Taxi]

I know nothing about nothing except that the Packers need to improve their pass rush. I'd be shocked if the top couple choices in the draft weren't DL or LB. I'd be fine with them using all seven picks on defense. In fact, I wish they would.

[Tony Oday]

Trade down and get James Laurinaitis :)

[Maxie the Taxi]

I heard that guy Laurinitas is a good chance to be a bust. Isn't he slow? I think we need some speed. What about this Everette (?) kid from Florida State. Someone like that.

[Cheesehead Craig]

There is a lot of dead air with the Packers and Raji as of late. We either love him or hate him, to the point where we're either sending out strong smokescreens in other directions, or there really is very little interest. I don't think that there is much interest in the first round pass rushers.
It's almost like when they drafted Hawk. They didn't do much with him as I recall. This is almost sounding like that situation again.

[RashanGary]

Thanks for the info, Waldo. Very interesting.

It does seem like Ted has a lot of respect all over the scouting world. He speaks at the combines (I'm sure they ask him to do that because they respect him) and everything you see written from these guys on the scouting circuit about TT is positive. He even won the front office exec of the year, voted by his peers. The guy has a lot of support. I think if the Packers fired him today he'd be hired tomorrow somewhere else, making a lot of money and given a lot of responsibility.

Also, I got the feeling through the whole Favre debacle that Ted trusted McCarthy's opinion and went with what McCarthy wanted. During the whole thing, he never deflected the heat on McCarthy. There were times where McCarthy said, "Ted is one of the best, most trust worthy people I've met". I also saw an email from the son of a scout who recently died that knew and liked both FAvre and Thompson. Shortly before he died, his son asked his dad about it and the son wrote Bedard saying what his dad told him a little about Thompson. The son just wanted to share it because he felt it was the right thing to get it out for people to read. He said, "Ted Thompson is one of the most honest men I've ever met. I know Brett and think the world of him, but it hurts me to see him call an honest man dishonest". Something to that effect. People not only like Thompson from the impressions I get; they respect him greatly and look at him as a person with great integrity and to me that is one of the greatest things you can earn from people.

I'm a big fan of Thompson, obviously, for many reasons. First, I think he has a great approach, but I also see so many sneaky, dishonest people and every time I hear Thompson talk, I hear a guy who will take every bullet for his team and a guy that has no spite toward other people even when they try to hurt him. It hurt me to see someone with the celebrity and power of Favre try to hurt a good, honest person. People here hate Thompson, but they do not know him. People who know him, everyone within the Packers, seem to respect him to the highest level and follow his lead because they believe in him. There isn't even a hint of decention through any of the tough times that have come. Look at the power Favre had. The whole organization from top to bottom, not one whisper to the contrary, supported Thompson. Wow. I don't think anyone would have thought that day would come and it came at the height of Brett's power, after a great season.

[HarveyWallbangers]

I'd be fine with them using all seven picks on defense. In fact, I wish they would.

Nine picks.
:D

[The Shadow]

Thanks for the info, Waldo. Very interesting.

It does seem like Ted has a lot of respect all over the scouting world. He speaks at the combines (I'm sure they ask him to do that because they respect him) and everything you see written from these guys on the scouting circuit about TT is positive. He even won the front office exec of the year, voted by his peers. The guy has a lot of support. I think if the Packers fired him today he'd be hired tomorrow somewhere else, making a lot of money and given a lot of responsibility.

Also, I got the feeling through the whole Favre debacle that Ted trusted McCarthy's opinion and went with what McCarthy wanted. During the whole thing, he never deflected the heat on McCarthy. There were times where McCarthy said, "Ted is one of the best, most trust worthy people I've met". I also saw an email from the son of a scout who recently died that knew and liked both FAvre and Thompson. Shortly before he died, his son asked his dad about it and the son wrote Bedard saying what his dad told him a little about Thompson. The son just wanted to share it because he felt it was the right thing to get it out for people to read. He said, "Ted Thompson is one of the most honest men I've ever met. I know Brett and think the world of him, but it hurts me to see him call an honest man dishonest". Something to that effect. People not only like Thompson from the impressions I get; they respect him greatly and look at him as a person with great integrity and to me that is one of the greatest things you can earn from people.

I'm a big fan of Thompson, obviously, for many reasons. First, I think he has a great approach, but I also see so many sneaky, dishonest people and every time I hear Thompson talk, I hear a guy who will take every bullet for his team and a guy that has no spite toward other people even when they try to hurt him. It hurt me to see someone with the celebrity and power of Favre try to hurt a good, honest person. People here hate Thompson, but they do not know him. People who know him, everyone within the Packers, seem to respect him to the highest level and follow his lead because they believe in him. There isn't even a hint of decention through any of the tough times that have come. Look at the power Favre had. The whole organization from top to bottom, not one whisper to the contrary, supported Thompson. Wow. I don't think anyone would have thought that day would come and it came at the height of Brett's power, after a great season.

Well said!

[Guiness]

[quote="Waldo"]Lately the Packers have had private workouts with 3 OT's:

Oher, A. Smith, and Britton

A couple of names you mention that I'd like to see...but don't know how we'd to it outside of a trade.

Britton is a name that comes up often enough, and he's got a lot of upside - but I don't see how we land him. He's not even on the radar for a #9 pick - and I don't think he lasts until the second round.

A. Smith is a real enigma at this point. And not to be discounted is how much smoke the teams drafting around our spot are likely blowing, saying that he's a huge risk, hoping he's there when they draft!!!

A guy like English might be there though. I have to think him and Clay Mathews would get a long hard look with our second rounder should they be around. Mathews not likely though.

[packrulz]

Not everyone hates TT, I don't. When he got here the salary cap was maxed out, the team was spending a lot of cash on guys like Cletius Hunt, Wahle, Rivera, and there was no QB of the future post Favre. Now, they have cap room, a good young QB and back ups, an improving O-line, and some good WR's that are probably better than Favre had. He picked up Woodson, Pickett, and Chilliar in FA, which is good but he does have an aversion to free agents, which I think hurts him. Wolf traded for Favre, brought in FA's like Reggie White and Sean Jones, and won the Super Bowl, I wish TT would at least look at the available FA's more. I haven't called Harrell a bust yet, he hasn't been able to play enough, he has shown flashes of talent in the little time he has played.

[DonHutson]

Lots of great info in there, Waldo.

But the biggest revelation of all has to be that Ted Thompson has friends.

:shock:

Ted is a long time scout and a GM from the scouting area. Guys like Kirwan and Brandt he's been seeing at pro days and whatnot for 20 years.

People from the true scouting side of things (not the Kipers) tend to be friends with TT. On the scouting circuit is is very well respected and old timers tend to be friends with him.

I'm simply taking a cheap shot at his lack of personality. I know he is respected by his peers.