Chris Havel on Mike Hawkins

[motife]

Posted May 19, 2006
Chris Havel
Hawkins looks like different player
One year he is a wide-eyed, raw-boned rookie who doesn’t know what he doesn’t know. The next year, he is a noticeably stronger, clearly more confident NFL veteran.

As the Green Bay Packers begin their second offseason minicamp today, it’s a good time to get reacquainted with Mike Hawkins. Do you remember him? Perhaps. Would you recognize him at today’s practices? My guess is probably not.

Hawkins, an unheralded fifth-round draft pick last year, has added 11 pounds to his sleek 6-foot, 1-inch frame, and weighs a solid 189 pounds. He doubts he has lost any of his 4.28-second speed in the 40-yard dash, and he is positive he is stronger and more explosive as a second-year pro.

Getting stronger

He struggled to do seven reps at 225 pounds in the bench press last year. This year, he has increased that number to 15, and he is getting stronger by the day.

“Not only do I want to be able to cover guys,” Hawkins said Thursday. “But I want to be able to come up and jam receivers and punish running backs. I’m learning to adjust to the weight I’ve put on. I’m still fast, but I feel like I’m more explosive.”

Hawkins, 22, definitely is more comfortable.

The precocious cornerback has been a regular in the offseason conditioning program. He is getting to know his teammates one workout at a time. His buoyant personality and ready smile have drawn him to players on both sides of the ball.

“Last year, there was no set time for guys to come in and work out,” he said disapprovingly. “Guys came and went whenever they wanted. I couldn’t believe it. I’m glad we don’t have to go through that again. This year, we’ve got guys working out together, and the competition and the closeness makes it feel more like a team.

“I joke around with everybody,” he said. “Me and Aaron Rodgers like to play around a bit, but we also know when it’s time to go to work, and it feels good. I think it’s Coach (Mike) McCarthy’s plan to build a team. It’s not just offense on one side and defense on the other. It’s a team. We need to help each other.”

Playing catch-up

Hawkins’ almost non-existent college career meant he needed to play catch-up while learning how to play cornerback. His willingness andtalent enabled him to become the No. 3 cornerback after Week 8 when Joey Thomas was released. He played better than many gave him credit, allowing just one touchdown pass in that stretch.

Now, he is lining up at left cornerback behind four-time Pro Bowl player Charles Woodson. He is expected to battle Ahmad Carroll for the nickel cornerback job.

“I didn’t know how good Charles Woodson was until I saw him at the (post-NFL draft) minicamp. You’ve got to be a really good receiver to get Charles or Al Harris out of position. We may have the best starting cornerbacks in the NFL.”

Hawkins plans to hone his corner skills and become an impact teams player. The next step in the maturation process is today.

[chain_gang]

Sounds like he's been pretty busy since the end of the season. Double the bench press reps, quite impressive for him. I really hope he ends up working out, our secondary could be set for years upon years if him and carroll can step it up. Should be a great addition for the dime package. If he gets the experience he has the height, the speed, and if he can improve his strength a little more. He could turn out to be a shutdown corner in another year or two. Great to see.

[RashanGary]

It doesn't surprise me. Athletically he's as good as they get at the CB position. His technique needs some pollish. Acctually, that is an understatement. But the things you can't really teach like natural ball skills and freakish athletic gifts, he has in spades.

It's good to know he's been working hard. Physically, he's faster, more explosive, and longer than Ahmad Carroll. He's very smooth and deceptively quick for his length. I think he could be the long term solution at CB. It's really going to come down to how hard he works. If you had to pick a body to play CB of any of the Packer DB's I think you'd take Hawkins. Over Woodson, Carroll or Collins IMO. He was the most gifted player on defense that I saw last year.

We'll see though. If he can't hold up to a season of pounding or doesn't work his tail off to master his technique he won't be anything. As far as physical ability goes, I'd say he's about even with Antonio Cromartie.

[mraynrand]

Chris Havel is a total Packer shill. There's absolutely no way to know from what he writes if a guy is any good or not. He's always going to write a 'feel-good' story, unless of course you mess with Favre.

[Tarlam!]

Great Post Nick...

[HarveyWallbangers]

Chris Havel is a total Packer shill. There's absolutely no way to know from what he writes if a guy is any good or not. He's always going to write a 'feel-good' story, unless of course you mess with Favre.

I agree.

[Joemailman]

Havel may be a homer, but if Hawkins is getting stronger, that is very good news. I was at a couple of practices last year, and his ability to close on a thrown ball is unbelievable. Problem was, the way he was built, you were afraid someone might break him in two. He is still probably a project, but definiitely one worth persuing.