The official 2009 DRAFT thread

[Gunakor]

i'm still in shock, time to start drinking

anyone else think mathews might be a replacement for barnett? maybe try and trade nick for more picks?

otherwise i don't get it because i never saw him as a possibility for olb in the 3-4

Think maybe Hawk could play outside opposite Kampy with Barnett and Matthews inside? I don't know, but I always thought Hawk might be okay outside. Said before the FA spree that if we got Bart Scott that Hawk would be playing outside anyway, so maybe that's what happens.

[Bretsky]

Not that it matters, but a lot of people like Matthews. I saw him going in the mid teens in some mocks. Most had him gone by pick 23 or 24.

From everything I read he's definitely a Packer person and the spot he went was probably about right

Curious about the charts; giving 3 high picks for a late 1st and a late 5th seems like an ugly value deal

[HarveyWallbangers]

Here is what Brandt's site had as a writeup.

The Good: An ideal 3-4 outside linebacker prospect who plays with great instincts and read-and-react skills at the line of scrimmage. Is a fluid athlete in his drop and has the ability to stay with tight ends in man coverage. Is a polished blitzer with the power to bull rush defenders and the lateral ability to slip blocks. A physical tackler who breaks down well in the hole and can fill gaps inside.

The Bad: Has only one year of starting experience and was surrounded by elite talent at USC. Needs to do a better job taking on blocks in the hole and using his hands to shed once he is engaged.

Here is what Pro Football Weekly wrote:

Positives: Very good size and growth potential. Instinctive. Gives maximum effort and energy. Hustler. Plays with intensity and can be disruptive. Is physical at the line. Presses off blocks and pressures the passer. Creative defensive playmaker. Positional flexible — played DE and OLB spots and is intelligent enough to play any linebacker spot. Intriguing upside as a pass rusher — excellent get-off confirmed by superb 10-yard times (1.49) at the Combine. Weight-room warrior. Selfless team player with special-teams ability. Showed he could drop into coverage effectively at the Senior Bowl. Demonstrated nice lateral movement at the Combine by impressing in the short shuttle. Has NFL pedigree — football is in his blood.

Negatives: Only a one-year starter. Average career production. Does not have extensive experience playing in reverse and dropping into coverage. Hand use is raw. Needs to learn how to set blockers up and execute a full repertoire of pass-rush moves. Average sack totals.

Summary: Walked on at the most talent-laden program in the country, earned a scholarship and became an impact player by his senior year. Steadily improved his stock in his final year and continued his postseason ascent at the Senior Bowl and the Combine, where he worked out and interviewed exceptionally well. A late bloomer with major upside as a 3-4 rush linebacker. Will require some patience, but his personal history and bloodlines suggest he will reach his potential.

Grade: First-round talent.

I hadn't really read any of the writeups on him, but these are very encouraging.

[imscott72]

I don't like trading up, so I don't like this. I say a big screw you to all of those that have been hammering Ted Thompson for not trading up.

I'm not against trading up, but my God we got fucked. I'm shocked TT did this.

[channtheman]

I hope Wells falls to Arizona. This could be good for them BIG TIME!

[Gunakor]

Is Clay Matthews a star ?

Maybe he is but I thought he was a solid 2nd rounder

im going to chalk this one up to the fact that TT knows way more then me

TT must've loved the guy cause he gave up a shitload

Dom probably had a bit of imput on this deal too.

Well we were off

I guess we're just fine at OT

I'm expecting another trade up from TT. Weird hey? But we do need a RT, and there's only so many left.

[Rastak]

Giants take Hakeem Nicks.......they got their Plax replacement.....


Overall Football Traits

Production 1 2006: Nicks starts 11 games during true freshman season catching 39 passes for a total of 660 yards and four touchdowns. He gets one carry and picks up 10 yards. Nicks returns five kickoffs for a total of 101 yards. (20.2 yard avg.) 2007: Nicks starts 10 of the 12 games he appears in catching 74 passes for a total of 958 yards and five touchdowns. He gets one carry and loses a yard. 2008: Nicks starts all 13 games catching 68 passes for 1,222 yards and 12 touchdowns. He rushed for 34 yards and a touchdown on five carries. Hicks returns seven kickoffs for a total of 134 yards (19.1 yard avg.).

Height-Weight-Speed 3 Adequate height, prototypical bulk and only decent top-end speed.

Durability 2 Missed 2006 South Florida game with an ankle injury. Strained hamstring at combine.

Character 3 Added 14 pounds from Combine to Pro Day for no good reason. Questions arising about his consistent work habits maturity, as a result. On one hand, you love his competitiveness. On the other, it can be distracting when he becomes frustrated not getting enough touches. No off-the-field issues to our knowledge, though.

Wide Receiver specific Traits

Separation Skills 2 Shows above-average footwork coming off the line and is strong enough to muscle a clean release when corners try to jam him. However, he lacks ideal initial quickness and takes too long to eat up cushion. Fluid enough coming out of breaks but lacks the burst to consistently separate from man coverage at the NFL level. Needs to do a better job of working back to the quarterback when he gets flushed out of the pocket.

Ball Skills 2 Possesses huge, strong hands. Extends arms and can snatch ball out of air. Opens hips well enough to adjust to passes thrown behind him and flashes rare focus when the ball is in the air. (See third-quarter third-and-seven catch during 2008 Meineke Car Care Bowl) Does an adequate job of adjusting to passes thrown below waist. Uses frame to box out corners when has back to the defense and flashes ability to make tough catches in traffic.

Vertical Speed 3 Isn't fast enough to run past NFL corners but still fast enough to make the occasional play downfield and does an excellent job of tracking the ball.

Run After Catch 3 Runs hard and flashes an effective spin move. Displays good vision as a runner and navigates fluidly through traffic. Strong runner and DB's struggle to bring him down. However, he lacks ideal elusiveness and isn't going to make multiple defenders miss when gets into space. He also lacks a second-gear to run away from defenders.
Competitiveness and Toughness 2 A strong, physical receiver who competes hard when the ball is in the air. Makes tough catches in traffic and is not afraid to go over the middle. Runs hard and flashes the ability to pick up yards after contact at times but slips out of bounds instead of lowering his shoulder into defenders at other times. Can gear down when isn't first option (See first quarter of 2008 Miami game). Flashes ability to seal defenders inside but shows questionable-at-best effort when blocking and doesn't try to spring other receivers by throwing blocks downfield. Doesn't deliver a violent initial punch.

[Partial]

God damnit. Would have been nice to get a 3rd back.

Matthews ...

pause:

Look at that fat bastard cheering for the Hakeem Nicks' pick. He's going wild!!!!


end puase.


Matthews looks very fast off the right edge. I love how those USC LB's actually play they Spartans. They hit so F'in hard. I really like the player. Not sure how I feel about giving up that much more him, but I'm sure TT definitely thought this one through. I trust him.

[Bretsky]

Re: Mathews

Well, I remember someone on ESPN the other night who was very very high on Mathews. Gave up a lot.

But, I hate Poppinga so much anything is worth not having to watch him wrap up another RB high.

I don't know, just don't know...........

shut up and show your turtle love

[Rastak]

Is Clay Matthews a star ?

Maybe he is but I thought he was a solid 2nd rounder

im going to chalk this one up to the fact that TT knows way more then me

TT must've loved the guy cause he gave up a shitload

Dom probably had a bit of imput on this deal too.

Well we were off

I guess we're just fine at OT

I'm expecting another trade up from TT. Weird hey? But we do need a RT, and there's only so many left.

I was thinking the same thing but I don't know if they have the ammo to do that now.

I'm hoping the Vikes move up to get Loadholt if he falls far enough. I wouldn't want to pay the packers kings ransom to move WAY up though.

[HarveyWallbangers]

From Yahoo:

Analysis: The Packers needed to add another edge rusher to their new 3-4 scheme and Matthews should fit in nicely. He is a gifted athlete who plays with a good motor and has a nose for the ball. This is a nice value at the end of the first round and Matthews should be able to play on all three downs in Green Bay.

[Bretsky]

Is Clay Matthews a star ?

Maybe he is but I thought he was a solid 2nd rounder

im going to chalk this one up to the fact that TT knows way more then me

TT must've loved the guy cause he gave up a shitload

Dom probably had a bit of imput on this deal too.

Well we were off

I guess we're just fine at OT

I'm expecting another trade up from TT. Weird hey? But we do need a RT, and there's only so many left.

But we don't have anything left to trade up with ??????????

[Gunakor]

Presser about to start on Packers.com... Audio just turned on.

[Packnut]

Re: Mathews

Well, I remember someone on ESPN the other night who was very very high on Mathews. Gave up a lot.

But, I hate Poppinga so much anything is worth not having to watch him wrap up another RB high.

I don't know, just don't know...........

shut up and show your turtle love

Yeah fuck it, your right, I wanted help on D and Teddy accomplished that. Mathews has potential. With the right guy teaching him, he could be a stud 3 years down the line. In any event, he's better than the 2 outside guys we have right now.

[MateoInMex]

Somone's gonna approach the podium on Packers.com, 'cuz they just covered the big screen up with the PACKERS LOGO BACKDROP