ON BOARD WITH BROOKS REED-- Article

[Bretsky]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/640105-nfl-draft-2011-latest-draft-news-and-predictions-for-all-16-nfc-teams/entry/55145-2011-nfl-draft-will-the-green-bay-packers-add-rookie-pass-rusher-and-repeat


Can Green Bay Overcome Free-Agent Losses and Repeat as Super Bowl Champions?

I fully expect some familiar faces in Green Bay to be in a different uniform in 2011. The Packers will need to fill needs on the defensive line via the draft.

Both Todd McShay and Mel Kiper of ESPN have the Packers eying a new face in first-round mock drafts—tweener Brooks Reed.

Reed can attack the quarterback successfully in Green Bay with Clay Matthews dominating attention and vying for the Defensive Player of the Year award again in 2011.

According to Kiper, Brooks is “a smart player with above-average quickness, he's a sleeper in this class, as a player who can get after the passer, but also shows instincts as a guy who can drop into coverage.”

Most importantly regarding Brooks, according to ESPN’s Scout’s Inc. he is “technically sound and has a very good motor...and will fight to get through the double-team and works hard through the whistle.”

This is exactly the type of player Mike McCarthy and Dom Capers want on their defense. They need to keep this tradition going on their defense that every player is going to work hard and be accountable for their actions.

According to Aaron Wilson of National Football Post, “Reed has been drawing comparisons to Packers star linebacker Clay Matthews for reasons beyond having long, blond hair. Reed had the top 10-yard split among all defensive linemen with a 1.54 clocking. Like Matthews, he's also regarded as a former Pac-10 player who moved up considerably as a senior.”

Imagine if the Packers could have Clay Matthews and then Clay Matthews-lite (aka Brooks Reed) on one side of the ball? This would be devastating for opposing offenses and would solidify the Packers’ chances at repeating as Super Bowl champs in 2011.

[Fritz]

I just don't know enough to have much of an opinion.

In Ted I trust.

[RashanGary]

I love him. I hate to be, wanna be scout guy, but I watch the clips. And I know they're all going to look good in their highlights, but some highlights are better than others. Blowing up an OT, for instance, is better than getting a free run. You can see amazing closing speed. You know it when you see it. This guy showed in his clip he can get the edge, has moves inside, and closes. I like to be amazed when Iwatch the clips. He looked amazing. Very clay-like.

I think this guy is good. I'm on board.

[woodbuck27]

Here are his combine stat's and listing as a DL:

Brooks Reed Arizona ... Ht : 6-3 wt: 263 lbs 4.66 sec. in 40 yds 30 bench 30.5 vert. 32 1/4 arm

Brooks Reed is projected to be drafted be drafted in the 16-27 range. Reed had a great Combine; he ran the fastest 10-yard split of all the defensive linemen. In fact, his 10-yard split was only 0.05 seconds slower than Clay Matthews.

Looking at some prominant LB eligible for this draft:

Von Miller, DE/OLB, Texas A&M

Robert Quinn, DE/OLB, North Carolina

Both Von Miller and Robert Quinn will be 'off the board' by pick 15, according to draft experts.

So who might we realistically go with at LB?

Do you like this fella?

Akeem Ayers, DE/OLB, UCLA? He may be there at our 32nd pick and his combine numbers:
Ht. 6-3 Wt. 254 40 Yard. 4.80 Bench 18 Vert. 31 Arm 33

I'm not impressed with his strength or speed. I'm also thinking that TT may trade his 32nd pick as it's served him very well in the past to do so and this draft is reported as deep in rounds two and three.

Others available in Rounds 2 and 3:

Sam Acho, DE/OLB, Texas projected at about pick 50.
Ht. 6-2 Wt. 262 40 yards 4.63 Bench 23 Vert. 33.5 Arm 33 1/2

Martez Wilson, ILB, Illinois projected at about pick 60.
Ht. 6-4 Wt. 250 40 Yard 4.44 Bench 23 Vert. 36 Arm 34 5/8

Bruce Carter, OLB, North Carolina, projected as an early 3rd rd. pick
Ht. 6-2 Wt. 241 40 Yard DNP Bench 25 Vert. DNP Arm 32 5/8

Mason Foster, OLB, Washington projected around pick 70.
Ht. 6-1 Wt. 245 40 Yard 4.65 Bench 22 Vert. 21 Arm 31

Chris Carter, DE/OLB, Fresno State projected around pick 75.
Ht. 6-1 Wt. 248 40 Yards 4.66 Bench DNP Vert. 36 Arm 33

Others projected to go in mid to late Round 3 :

Greg Jones, LB, Michigan State
Ht. 6-0 Wt. 242 40 Yard 4.75 Bench 21 Vert. 31.5 Arm 32

Quan Sturdivant, ILB, North Carolina
Ht. 6-1 Wt. 241 40 Yard DNP Bench 21 Vert. 34 Arm 32 1/2

K.J. Wright, OLB, Mississippi State
Ht. 6-3 Wt. 246 10 Yard 4.70 Bench 20 Vert. 32 Arm 34 7/8

Dontay Moch, DE/OLB, Nevada
Ht. 6-1 Wt. 248 40 Yard 4.45 Bench DNP Vert. 42 Arm 33

GO PACKERS!

[red]

justin houston from georgia

played as a defensive end until last year when he switched to OLB in a 3-4 system. guys been there, done that, and looked good doing it already

[red]

yeah, now that i've read up some on brooks reed, he looks like the perfect TT guy

high energy/team leader

[RashanGary]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32KAqii4lrk

[red]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32KAqii4lrk

that feels like your watching a CMIII highlight reel, its like a mirror image

[RashanGary]

that feels like your watching a CMIII highlight reel, its like a mirror image

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFi0o8GCM9c

Here's an old Clay clip.

Reed's game is very similar. I liked the big fumble causing hits on Reed's clip. That's very similar to what Clay did at USC. It shows he's playing fast, with explosion.

[woodbuck27]

justin houston from georgia

played as a defensive end until last year when he switched to OLB in a 3-4 system. guys been there, done that, and looked good doing it already

There's a chance he might be available at #32 and he had an impressive Combine

Justin Houston Georgia Ht. 6-3 Wt. 270 40 Yards 4.63 Bench 30 Vert. 36.5 Arms 34 1/2

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=justin+houston+2010+highlight s&aq=4

Akeem Ayers might be there as well and his Combine numbers may not impress but he's an awesome athlete, has a nose for the ball, a very good football player:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=akeem+ayers+2010&aq=4

GO Packers !

[woodbuck27]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/642509-2011-nfl-mock-draft-comparing-the-latest-expert-mocks-from-around-the-web#page/33

32. Green Bay Packers

Kiper: Brooks Reed, OLB, Arizona

McShay: Brooks Reed, OLB, Arizona

Banks: Muhammad Wilkerson, DT, Temple

Kirwan: Adrian Clayborn, DE, Iowa

Rang: Akeem Ayers, OLB, UCLA

My take: Akeem Ayers, OLB, UCLA

Akeem Ayers could conceivably drop to the Packers if the New England Patriots decide to go with a potentially game-changing receiver instead of filling a hole at linebacker early.

If he drops to the Packers, I find it hard to believe they won't jump at the chance to line Ayers up opposite to Clay Matthews.

That could be a headache for quarterbacks galore.

GO PACKERS!

[Lurker64]

I'm not really enamored with Ayers. Three combine numbers generally indicate good pass rush ability: bench, 10-yard split, Vert.

Ayers: 18 Bench, 1.68 10-yard, 31" vert
Reed: 30 bench, 1.54 10-yard, 30.5" vert

We'll see if Ayers can rebound at his pro day, but that's a really bad workout for a pass rusher and his tape just doesn't make me fall in love.

[Gunakor]

justin houston from georgia

played as a defensive end until last year when he switched to OLB in a 3-4 system. guys been there, done that, and looked good doing it already

+1

This is who I'm pulling for. I'd love to see Capers and Greene mold him the same way they did CMIII. A Matthews/Houston tandem in a Dom Capers defense would be giving opposing OC's headaches for years.

[packrulz]

I like Reed but I wonder if TT isn't hoping to draft him in the 2nd round, after all, Jones, Zombo, and Walden are all pretty good, and probably will make the team, so it's debatable how much they would use Reed. This draft is loaded at DL, Harrell is gone, Jenkins is on his way out, Pickett is getting old, Neal has been hurt, so DL is definitely a need. A guy I'm hoping will drop is Stephen Paea, DT, Oregon State, he's strong as an ox, takes on double teams, and plays violent.

Overview
Wide as a Coke machine and just as difficult to move, Paea (pronounced pie-uh) has developed into one of the nation's best run-stuffers. His development is staggering in the sense that he signed with Oregon State having only played three years of organized football.

A highly touted rugby player, Paea moved to the United States at age 16 and began playing football and learning the English language at that time. With only one season at Timpview High School, Paea signed with Snow Junior College, where he helped the Badgers finish the 2007 regular season undefeated and eventually ranked No. 3 in the country.

With Oregon State in 2008, Paea earned honorable mention All-Pac-10 honors with 41 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and five sacks. Despite being the object of every opponent's blocking scheme, Paea was similarly effective in 2009, registering 43 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and tying the school record with four forced fumbles. Pac-10 offensive linemen voted him the Morris Trophy as the conference's most dominant defensive lineman. Even more impressively, Paea repeated as the Morris Trophy winner in 2010, registering similar tackle numbers (45) and roughly doubling his efforts behind the line of scrimmage (10 TFLs, six sacks). He again posted four forced fumbles, giving him the school record of nine over his career.

Paea is a bit of a one-trick pony. He isn't agile enough to put consistent pressure on the quarterback at the NFL level. His ability to tie up blocks in the middle will lead teams to look at him closely over the first 50 picks of the 2011 draft no matter what scheme they utilize. Huh? He had 6 sacks!

Analysis
Pass rush: Doesn't provide much in terms of a pass rush. Is able to split gaps due to his burst off the snap, but doesn't have quick feet or agility to chase down the quarterback. Relies on his bull rush to knock interior linemen into the pocket and flush the passer into the arms of teammates. Lacks the height and arm length required in consistently altering passing lanes.

Run defense: Is quick enough to surprise his opponent with a burst through the gap, but will make his NFL millions due to the fact that he is a natural run plugger due to his short, squatty build and rare upper- and lower-body strength. Can be knocked off the ball when double-teamed, but flashes the ability to split them and is rarely pushed far before he's able to plant his legs in the ground and create a pile. Doesn't have the lateral agility and balance to beat runners to the sideline, but hustles in pursuit.

Explosion: Fires off the snap low and hard, flashing a sudden burst that surprises opponents. Burst is short-lived and only extends to his ability to go straight upfield. With his strength and bowling ball-like frame, Paea can explode into the ballcarrier if he gets a running start.

Strength: Ranks as one of the country's strongest players, reportedly boasting a 600-pound squat, 500-pound bench press and the ability to churn out 44 repetitions of 225 pounds. Is even stronger than his weight-room numbers indicate due to his natural leverage. Doesn't disengage from blockers as well as his strength would indicate due to the need to refine his hand technique and average lateral agility.

Tackling: Stays squared and low to knock down the ballcarrier near the line of scrimmage. Flashes explosive hitting ability, with a proven ability to knock the ball free. Tied the OSU record with four forced fumbles in 2009. Good upper-body strength to drag down ballcarriers as they attempt to go past him. Doesn't have the speed or change of direction to offer much in pursuit.

Intangibles: High-effort player was voted a team co-captain in 2009, in his second year in the program as a junior. Proved his toughness in 2008 by playing the final month of the regular season despite a painful bursa sac injury in his knee. Born in New Zealand, grew up in Tonga and dreamt of becoming a professional rugby player. Learned the English language after moving to the United States at age 16.

[wootah]

A guy I'm hoping will drop is Stephen Paea, DT, Oregon State, he's strong as an ox, takes on double teams, and plays violent.

What worries me with Paea for the Pack is his length. DE's are typically not that short, and we already have a good NT and back-up. Where do you see him contribute, packrulz?

With Reed, it's the vertical that is a red flag. But like Fritz, I've complete faith in TT. Whoever he picks, I'm confident it'll be a good one :)

[RashanGary]

cbssportsline just stopped listing 10 yard splits, 3-cones, jumps and shuttles. Does anyone know anywhere else that offers that information?

[wootah]

cbssportsline just stopped listing 10 yard splits, 3-cones, jumps and shuttles. Does anyone know anywhere else that offers that information?

Combine numbers & measurements can be found at combine nr's (http://www.footballsfuture.com/2011/combine/olb.html). It's not updated by pro day numbers, but IMO that's a good thing; the combine means identical conditions for all prospects. The link is the OLB page, but you can switch by position. 10 yard splits are not available there, but for the OLB's the main ones are listed here; OLB 10 yard splits (http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/Behind-the-times-The-Tenyard-split.html).

[Smidgeon]

I like Reed but I wonder if TT isn't hoping to draft him in the 2nd round, after all, Jones, Zombo, and Walden are all pretty good, and probably will make the team, so it's debatable how much they would use Reed. This draft is loaded at DL, Harrell is gone, Jenkins is on his way out, Pickett is getting old, Neal has been hurt, so DL is definitely a need. A guy I'm hoping will drop is Stephen Paea, DT, Oregon State, he's strong as an ox, takes on double teams, and plays violent.

Ryan Pickett is 31 and won't turn 32 until October. While this is starting to get old for skill positions such as WR and RB, it isn't uncommon for players to play until 36, 37, or 38 on the DL. With how often they spell Pickett to keep him fresh, I'd expect him to be around and starting for another 5 years.

I personally don't see the need for DL that other people do. I could be wrong, but I don't see the need. Now, if TT sees a DLinemen as the best player available at 32, I won't whine.

I wish Harrell had worked out since he was (apparently) a run-stuffing beast in college, but sometimes those things don't work out and sometimes weight-lifting gurus lose jobs...

[Fritz]

I'm getting on the Justin Houston train. Just because.

[Bretsky]

Reed ain't lasting til the end of round two.

Poor Houston

[RashanGary]

I don't like Akeem Ayers. I watched his clip. He looks very AJ Hawk pedestrian to me. He's alright but no way I spend a first on him.

Justin Houston, they didn't show a lot of run game in his clip, but I like his size. If he's a dominant run stopper and solid in coverage, he has a chance. His pass rushing, I think he's good. I'd guess he's a 6-7 sack per year type player. If the rest of his game is complete, OK

Brooks Reed is my favorite. He plays a step faster than the two above. As a pure pass rusher, he's my favorite, but how their complete games come together, that's hard for me to say.


Ayers is the best coverage guy and worst against the run or rushing the passer.
Houston is the best against the run, 2nd best pass rusher and worst in coverage.
Reed is the best pass rusher, 2nd best run player and 2nd best in coverage.

With the info available to me, I like Reed the best.

Reed, Houston, Ayers in that order.

[woodbuck27]

cbssportsline just stopped listing 10 yard splits, 3-cones, jumps and shuttles. Does anyone know anywhere else that offers that information?

You get all that information and lots more on draft prospects by position @ this site (LINK below).

Has anyone looked at Rickey Elmore of Arizona who played with Brooks Reed and led the Pack 10 in sacks the past two seasons? He is a projected 4th round pick. Watch Rickey Elmore in videos of Arizona State games in video links. He can play and like Brooks Reed has a high motor.

http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=78819&draftyear=2011&genpos=DE

GO PACKERS!

[packrulz]

What worries me with Paea for the Pack is his length. DE's are typically not that short, and we already have a good NT and back-up. Where do you see him contribute, packrulz?

With Reed, it's the vertical that is a red flag. But like Fritz, I've complete faith in TT. Whoever he picks, I'm confident it'll be a good one :)
Paea is 6-1 tall, Jenkins is 6-2, so I don't think it matters that much. Last year scouts said Bulaga's arms were too short. Lol. If you remove Harrell and Jenkins the backups for Pickett are Howard Green, Mike Neal, C.J. Wilson, and Jarius Wynn, who are pretty good, but we could use more depth there.

[packrulz]

Ryan Pickett is 31 and won't turn 32 until October. While this is starting to get old for skill positions such as WR and RB, it isn't uncommon for players to play until 36, 37, or 38 on the DL. With how often they spell Pickett to keep him fresh, I'd expect him to be around and starting for another 5 years.

I personally don't see the need for DL that other people do. I could be wrong, but I don't see the need. Now, if TT sees a DLinemen as the best player available at 32, I won't whine.

I wish Harrell had worked out since he was (apparently) a run-stuffing beast in college, but sometimes those things don't work out and sometimes weight-lifting gurus lose jobs...
Actually, Harrell is still on the roster, but I'm losing hope he'll ever contribute. Pickett needs a breather now and then, I just think that there is more quality on the DL in the 1st round, most of the boards I've seen have Houston and Ayers ranked ahead of Brooks, who will probably be drafted in the 2nd round. And I'm not knocking Brooks, I like him, I'm just saying the draft is deeper at other positions early on.

[RashanGary]

I think the NFL is about big plays and some things matter more than others. Waldo showed me that the Packers at least are interested in great athletes who also make big plays.

Last year I went through and looked at the best athletes, then looked at their production, then looked at their highlight videos. I found two freak athletes who had excellent production (one a little less due to an injury) and were amazing on the highlight film. And when I say amazing, I don't mean an OT missed his block so the pass rusher had a free shot. I don't mean a RB had a free wide open lane and nobody touched him on his way to the endzone.

The guys I picked to be underrated were Ryan Matthews and Tyson Alualu. Matthews was picked anywhere from about pick 20 to the 2nd round. Alualu was early to mid 2nd round. Alualu tossed OL around like Gerald McCoy. His production was just as high and his athletic ability was equal. Plus he's as solid of a personality as you're going to find. Matthews showed break away speed, very good one cut agility and an amazing ability to break tackles. Guys with that skillset tend to be dominant runners in the NFL. People called him Ryan Grant, but when you watch the highlights, all of his big plays came after breaking one or two tackles. That's more AP than Ryan Grant-like.

When the draft finally rolled around, both guys went in the top 12 I believe. NOBODY had them going that high. I said Matthews looked bettre than Spiller and McCoy and Suh had nothing on Alualu.


I think it's better to look at the athletic numbers (only take great athletes), look at the production (I don't think we're good enough to find the deep diamonds in the rough), and then look at the game tape for the must haves at each position. Maybe I was lucky last year, but I picked the two players that people at the most underrated in the whole draft. Sometimes just the WOW factor mixed with athletic ability and production is enough. Of course, Ted tends to find guys who didn't even have good production in college, just going off of tape. I can't do that, but I think I there is enough info to pick some underrated players if you just go with what you see and ignore what Kiper writes.

[wootah]

Paea is 6-1 tall, Jenkins is 6-2, so I don't think it matters that much. Last year scouts said Bulaga's arms were too short. Lol. If you remove Harrell and Jenkins the backups for Pickett are Howard Green, Mike Neal, C.J. Wilson, and Jarius Wynn, who are pretty good, but we could use more depth there.

When looking at the depth charts of the 3-4 teams on nfl.com, these are the lengths of the 2 starters.

cleveland 6-5 & 6-6
pittsburgh6-3 & 6-5
packers 6-2 & 6-2 (Pick & Jenkins)
dolphins 6-6 & 6-3
pats 6-4 & 6-4
jets 6-5 & 6-3
cowboys 6-5 & 6-5
chiefs 6-4 & 6-1
chargers 6-2 & 6-3
cards 6-8 & 6-4

The one guy who is 6-1 (Chiefs) is Glen Dorsey, who was drafted to be a 4-3 DT. I'm not saying it can't be done by Paea, but he sure doesn't fit the mold as the typical DE. There should be some "classic" DE's available though at the end of the 1st in the likes of Muhammed Wilkerson or Cameron Heyward.

[Smidgeon]

Actually, Harrell is still on the roster, but I'm losing hope he'll ever contribute. Pickett needs a breather now and then, I just think that there is more quality on the DL in the 1st round, most of the boards I've seen have Houston and Ayers ranked ahead of Brooks, who will probably be drafted in the 2nd round. And I'm not knocking Brooks, I like him, I'm just saying the draft is deeper at other positions early on.

I know Harrell is still on the roster, and I'm holding onto a sliver of hope that he gets another shot. I want him to have another shot, but I really don't see it happening with his injuries. The possible silver-lining is that the ACL tear meant that his back got a lot of extra rest. Who knows, he could come into OTAs or training camp in the best shape of his life. But I sadly think he gets cut before he can try to show anything.

[vince]

I'm a bit iffy on Reed. I like him, and if TT likes him that's good enough for me, but while he busted out against Iowa, his production wasn't great overall and I don't see the explosiveness that Matthews possesses. But he has good size and I think could complement Matthews well. I'd be happier with Houston personally, who also has the size but is a better edge rusher IMO.

[woodbuck27]

Reed ain't lasting til the end of round two.

Poor Houston

I predict that his draft status will rise over the next month. Having predicted that:

Ted Thompson will not error with pick # 32. We have a solid core at the LB position. I predict that we will not see Brooks Reed in a Packer jersey as we have more pressing needs on the DL and OL. Ted Thompson will not risk 'the glamour pick' to appease Packer fans.

GO PACKERS!