Official 2008 NFL Draft thread Day 2

[Rastak]

Hawks take long snapper.....WTF? - Schmidtt - No Bio obviously.....

[woodbuck27]

I love this pick! Finley is a beast. He has a great youtube video. Search his name at www.youtube.com

I had read he timed poorly, but he doesn't look slow in his video. He looks good. I'm on the bandwagon. Doesn't look like he'll be much of a blocker.

Jermichael Finley Height: 6-4 | Weight: 253 | 40-Time: 4.82

Official Bio

Strengths:

Has great height with the frame to get even bigger...Very athletic...Decent timed speed and quickness...Has soft, reliable hands and great ball skills...Good leaping ability and body control...Can do some damage after the catch...

Gives pretty good effort as a blocker...

Hard worker with terrific intangibles...

Still has a ton of upside.

PACKERS FOREVER!

[HarveyWallbangers]

When is the last time you can think of when we had a great athlete at TE ? I'm not sure I can think of any

Donald Lee is pretty damn athletic for a TE. I bet his measurables were comparable to this guy.

[digitaldean]

Hope they find some additional help at RB/FB.

Punters can be had as UFA's (kid from North Dak. St. or DeBauche from WI).

Would be nice to add Swan, but there is a logjam already at WR.

[CaliforniaCheez]

Steelers take LB Humpal:


Strengths: Instinctive, reads keys and locates quickly. Has added substantial bulk to frame and is tall enough to continue to get bigger. Plays with good leverage, can hold ground at the point of contact and can set the edge. Keeps head up and slides off when comes into area. Rarely takes false moves, takes excellent pursuit angles and shows better range. Gets though quickly and is relentless in pursuit. Quicker than fast, gets good inside lean, times blitzes well and flashes the ability to get to the edge. Gets good depth and shows good awareness when asked to drop into zone coverage.

Weaknesses: Takes too long to open hips and going to have problems with tight ends. Isn't explosive coming out, appears stiff in space and is going to have problems matching up with backs underneath. Possesses limited ball skills. Has adequate upper body strength but isn't violent with hands. Sustained a season-ending back injury in 2004 and missed one game with an injury in 2006 so durability is a concern.

I'm not so sure of the pick Hump All.

When you review the strengths and weaknesses he could be a mess.

[Rastak]

Browns take DT Rubin:

Strengths: Has excellent bulk, has a low center of gravity and is stout at the point of attack when gets single blocked. Quick enough for a player his size, locates the ball carrier quickly and flashes the ability to disrupt running plays in the backfield when fresh. Keeps head up, shuffles feet well enough and generally does a good job of riding the hips of pulling guards when fresh. Though doesn't show great body control in space and doesn't always break down wraps up upon contact and is an adequate open field tackler. Needs to do a better job of getting under blockers pads but drives legs one in position and flashes the ability to collapse the pocket. Shows adequate awareness and generally gets hands up when isn't going to get to the quarterback.

Weaknesses: Plays with a narrow base, stands up a little too much and can get washed down the line by double teams. Shows adequate upper body strength and locks arms out once engaged but doesn't have great hand speed and generally takes too long to shed blocks. Lacks range, doesn't always take sound pursuit angles and isn't going to make many plays in pursuit. Explosiveness is adequate but not great and doesn't show great closing speed when gets a clear path to the quarterback. Takes too long to redirect, doesn't use hands all that well and doesn't show a variety of moves when rushing the passer. May carry too much weight for frame and appears to wear down at times.

Overall: Rubin attended Trinity Valley (Texas) CC in his first two years out of high school (2004-'05), moving from the defensive line to the offensive line between his first and second seasons. He transferred to Iowa State in 2006 and joined the team in August, just before the season, moving back to the defensive line. He played all 12 games as a junior, starting the last nine, and had 34 tackles (four for losses) and a sack. As a senior last season, Rubin started all 12 games and finished the season with 42 tackles (four for losses) and 1.5 sacks. Rubin isn't going to be much of a factor rushing the passer and he would likely struggle in a one-gap scheme because he lacks prototypical top-end speed and athletic ability. There are come concerns about his endurance but he has the size and quickness to develop into an effective nose tackle once he learns to stay lower to the ground and adds some lower body strength so he projects as an early second day pick.

[Gunakor]

Paul Hubbard to Browns

[Rastak]

Browns also take Hubbard WR from Wisc:


Strengths: Excellent combination of height, weight and straight-line speed. He shows enough straight-line speed to get over the top of DB's in man-coverage and his height and long arms put him in position to win most jump-ball opportunities. He's a mismatch waiting to happen in the red zone. He's not strong but he is tougher than most track stars turned WR. He isn't afraid to go over the middle and he has proven capable of making tough catches in traffic. Gives a great effort as a blocker. Not afraid to throw his body around and seems to enjoy hitting.

Weaknesses: Still raw. Needs more game experienced. Hands are inconsistent. He has big hands and will make some acrobatic catches, but he still drops too many catchable passes. Lets the ball get into his pads at times. Also needs to show better focus and look the ball in before attempting to turn up the field. Must become more adept at reading coverage and finding soft spots in zone. Route running skills must improve. He's not crisp or precise enough, especially on intermediate routes. He has good speed for his size but he's not explosive after the catch. Does not show a second-gear to run away from defenders in the open-field. Not as strong as his measurables indicate. He will get muscled around by more physical DB's. Needs to improve his strength and add more variety to his release moves off the line of scrimmage. Effort is outstanding as a blocker but he needs to take better angles. Durability is also a concern following knee injury in 2007.

Overall: Hubbard redshirted his first year at Wisconsin (2003). In the next three seasons (2004-'06), he appeared in 27 games (13 starts, all in '06) and grabbed 39 receptions for 631 yards (16.2 average) and five touchdowns. He missed the second half of one game in 2006 after a big hit. His senior year was marred by a knee injury that cost him five games. He finished the season with 14 receptions for 305 yards in eight games (all starts). Hubbard also was the Big Ten indoor and outdoor long jump champ and a member of the Badgers' championship outdoor 400-meter relay team that year. Hubbard, who had almost no game experience prior to his breakout season in 2006, is still a work in progress. A track star turned football player, Hubbard's routes need polishing and he must continue to improve his hands. However, his size-to-speed ratio is outstanding and he flashes some game-breaking qualities. With that in mind, Hubbard is flying under the radar but we think he could be worth the risk as a developmental project in the third-to-fourth round range.

[Rastak]

Vikes should grab an OT this pick.......Barton I say.......

[Rastak]

Chargers take "Trouble with" Tribble:


Strengths: Explodes out of cuts, is fluid and shows above-average short-area man-to-man cover skills. Gets good knee bend in backpedal and closes quickly when going forward. Aggressive when the ball is in the air, catches the ball fairly well and can be a playmaker in coverage. Plays with a mean streak, takes sound pursuit angles and is more effective in run support than size would suggest. Takes the shortest path to the ball and flashes the ability to make plays in the backfield. As a return man, doesn't have breakaway speed but shows good vision, can make the first defender miss, reaches top speed quickly and is fast enough to go a long way when gets a seam. Has experience kicks and can contribute on coverage teams.

Weaknesses: Takes too long to open hips, lacks ideal top-end speed and is vulnerable to getting beat deep when left on an island. Though times jumps well and is an above-average leaper, is short and should have problems competing for jump balls working against bigger receivers. Lacks ideal upper body strength, doesn't have great size and should have problems rerouting receivers at the line of scrimmage. Can be overaggressive, gambles at times and lacks the second gear to recover when gets caught out of position at the second level. Occasionally loses focus and drops some passes that should catch. Doesn't use hands particularly well and takes too long to shed blocks when reached by blocker. Missed a 2005 game with a hamstring injury and underwent arthroscopic surgery on left knee in 2006. Sprained medial collateral ligament in right knee during a 2007-practice, missed three games with the injury and lack of size makes durability an even bigger concern. Involved in an incident with police in 2005, charged with assault and battery for involvement in a nightclub incident in August of 2007 and character needs to be investigated.

Overall: Tribble arrived at Boston College in 2003 and redshirted the year. In his first three seasons (2004-06), he played in 35 games (26 starts) and had 135 tackles (eight for losses), two forced fumbles, 14 pass breakups and 11 interceptions, three of which he returned for touchdowns (all in 2006). As a senior last season, he started all 11 games in which he appeared, turning in 35 tackles (two for losses), four interceptions and eight pass breakups. For his career, Tribble also had 16 kickoff returns for 335 yards (20.9 average) and 55 punt returns for 521 yards (9.5 average) and two touchdowns. In 2007, he suffered a right knee MCL sprain and missed three games. In '06 he missed a start because of a left knee bruise that required arthroscopic surgery after the season. In 2005, he missed one game because of a hamstring pull. Tribble also was involved in off-field incidents that led to his being charged with two counts of assault and battery (2007) and being detained by police along with former Eagles basketball player Sean Williams, who was in possession of debit cards that didn't belong to him (2005). Tribble has the burst, instincts and athletic ability to develop into a decent starter or excellent sub-package corner and he can contribute on returns. However, he doesn't have great size or elite speed so he could have problems holding his own on an island when lined up on the outside at the NFL level. In addition, he's had some problems staying healthy and out of trouble off the field. As a result, Tribble projects as a late-fourth or early fifth-round pick.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Browns take DT Rubin

Thought this guy fit our scheme.

[Rastak]

Vikes take WR Jaymar Johnson: No Bio

[pbmax]

Campen is on the JSO blog with Bedard saying he might play at tackle as well as center/guard. He will be busy.

[The Leaper]

With 3 seventh rounders, I would seriously consider taking a flier on Ike at CB. He fits our defensive system, as he excelled at press coverage in college. He likely would have been a 3rd-4th round pick without his injury.

[woodbuck27]

http://static.nfl.com/draft/tracker#tab:dt-by-team|team-gb

An NFL.COM update to this point in the 2008 Draft for THE GREEN BAY PACKERS:

PACKERS Needs Analysis:

For a team that had the top offense in the NFC, the Packers still have several offensive needs. Brett Favre's retirement leaves a huge hole at QB. Aaron Rodgers assumes the starting role, but the Packers lack an adequate backup and Rodgers has shown in limited playing time that he can be injury-prone. The loss of Bubba Franks creates a void at the backup TE spot and with both starting OTs in their 30s, the team could use a young tackle. Defensively, the Packers need another cornerback. Al Harris and Charles Woodson are aging and the young reserves have not shown they are capable of starting.


Pick Player Pos Ht Wt College

Round 2, Pick 5 (36) (From Jets) Jordy Nelson WR 6'3" 217 Kansas State

Pick Analysis: After playing defense as a sophomore, Nelson moved to receiver and caught 122 passes in 2007. He can also be dangerous in the return game with track speed. The Packers liked his hands and speed in pads.

Round 2, Pick 25 (56) (From Browns) Brian Brohm QB 6'3" 227 Louisville

Pick Analysis: If you're Aaron Rodgers, you're probably scratching your head right about now. The Packers are looking to add a little competition to this year's training camp in order to motivate Brett Favre's successor. In his senior year at Louisville, Brohm improved his numbers from the season before, which seems to bode well for his ability to improve going forward.

Round 2, Pick 29 (60) Patrick Lee DB 6'0" 200 Auburn

Pick Analysis: With some age on their cornerbacks, the Packers went with Lee. He will have a chance to learn from veterans Charles Woodson and Al Harris, while slowly working into the rotation. Lee deflected 20 passes to go with five interceptions.

Round 3, Pick 28 (91) Jermichael Finley TE 6'5" 243 Texas

Pick Analysis: Finley has a lot of potential, but is somewhat immature and needs time to develop. He was an outstanding basketball player in high school and there is a tradition of tight ends with a basketball past becoming great players in the NFL.

Round 4, Pick 3 (102) Jeremy Thompson DE 6'5" 264 Wake Forest

Pick Analysis: Thompson holds Wake Forest's record for an interception return at 86 yards. He is a great prospect at this point in the draft. Thompson ranked much higher than this on many draft boards.

Round 4, Pick 36 (135) (Compensatory selection) Josh Sitton OT 6'4" 319 Central Florida

Pick Analysis: Sitton is a player that was discovered at Pro Day. There were a lot of scouts down there at Central Florida to watch Kevin Smith and he really impressed the teams. This is a good spot for him to go in the draft as his measurables had him soaring up draft boards.

Round 5, Pick 15 (150) (From Vikings) Breno Giacomini OT 6'7" 303 Louisville

Pick Analysis: Giacomini spent time at tight end and on the offensive line in college, which you can see in his knee bend and athletic ability. He has exceptional size and decent speed. Giacomini loves football and has a passion for the game. He's a project but has a great attitude and promising skills.

Round 7, Pick 2 (209) (From Rams through Vikings)

Round 7, Pick 30 (237)

PACKERS FOREVER!