The official 2009 DRAFT thread

[Gunakor]

Malcome Jenkins is a hell of a pick at this point. Really really solid pick for the Saints.

Gunk, I've asked you countless times now. Answer da question.

What question, I must have missed it.

[Joemailman]

How far will Maclin drop?

[Rastak]

Here's ESPN insider take on Green Bay pick...

9. Green Bay Packers
The pick: B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College
What he brings: Players who can become 3-4 nose tackles are extremely difficult to find, and Raji has the potential to be one of the best in the league. He's big and strong enough to clog up the middle, but the reasons he's so special are his rare athletic ability and quickness. You just don't find 337-pound men who move like him. There are some character concerns, but Raji too much of a talent to pass up at this point in the first round.

How he fits: General manager Ted Thompson may have hit the jackpot with this pick because Raji is the best player on the board and fills a significant need with respect to building a 3-4 defense. Guys with Raji's body type and ability to anchor are rare and it is hard to find this type of player later in the draft. Raji will make the Packers' interior defense click with his ability to take up space and free up the linebackers. He has the ability to do for Green Bay what Vince Wilfork does for New England.

[Bretsky]

Gentleman, there is still a draft being conducted......

Dude... let me enjoy this... when is the last time you saw me happy about a TT 1st round pick???

you've turned soft

I will keep fighting the analytical fight Wist

[retailguy]

I've never been one to follow the herd

You've always been a stubborn one!

[Fosco33]

Texans are gonna be decent next year,

[Gunakor]

My thought is that you try the guy at a different position before you give up. but you do that AFTER you give up on the position you drafted him for.

Or maybe because you switch defensive alignments and realize that the 4-3 tackle you drafted would be horrible at the nose?

[Badgerinmaine]

TT talking live on packers.com

What did he say? He couldn't pass on a guy called BJ?

Yes, he's signing B.J. Thomas to sing the national anthem at the opener

[Rastak]

Texans take Cushing........


Overall Football Traits

Production 2 2005: Despite missing half the season with an injury, (See durability) appeared in eight games (four starts) recording 23 total tackles. 2006: Started all 13 games recording 57 tackles and a team-best 13.5 tackles-for-loss. 2007: Appeared in 10 games (eight starts) recording 25 total tackles including 2 ½ for losses. 2008: Started all 13 games recording 73 tackles, 10.5 tackles-for-loss, and three sacks. He also added one interception, six pass break-ups, one QBH, and one forced fumble. Earned second team All-American honors and first team All-Pac Ten honors this past fall.

Height-Weight-Speed 2 Possesses a good combination of height, bulk, and straight-line speed. However, he is tightly wound and does not appear to have much room left on his frame to add bulk.

Durability 4 Durability is a concern. He missed three games as a senior in high school with an ankle sprain. He missed nearly half the 2005 season with a shoulder injury. Had off-season shoulder surgery, which kept him out of part of spring ball. Missed moste of 2007 spring practice with a hamstring injury and also had left knee surgery once spring practices were finished. In 2007, he missed three games due to a sprained ankle. Also broke a bone in his right hand versus Oregon State in 2008.

Character 2 Has battle back from several injuries throughout his career. Is mentally and physically tough. Passionate about the game and is a tireless worker.

Outside Linebacker specific Traits

Instincts/Recognition 1 Shows good instincts. Seems to play a step ahead of everyone else, as he locates and gets to it extremely fast. Recognizes play action quickly and does a nice job of staying home against misdirection.

Pursuit/Point of Attack 2 Can be overaggressive at times, which leads to some false steps and poor pursuit angles. However, he flies around the field and is a sideline-to-sideline run supporter. His motor is always revving. He is strong and shows the ability to hold ground when teams run at him. Uses strong hands and powerful upper body (30 reps on the bench) to stack the edge and rip off of blocks. He is a punishing striker with explosive short-area power.

Tackling 2 A ferocious hitter. Explodes through ball carriers. Strong hands help him wrap up and bring down carriers. Also does a solid job of breaking down and making open field tackles when his pursuit angles are solid.

Pass Coverage 3 Lacks ideal experience in coverage. Would come off the field on most third downs for USC. Has some stiffness in his hips and will be limited in man-to-man matchups, as a result. Also will bite occasionally on play-fake. But when in position he displays good overall ball skills making the play given the opportunity (see California 2007 1st quarter). Shows good awareness in coverage and does a sound job of looking up receivers. Reads the quarterback's eyes well and makes quick break on the ball.

Pass Rusher 4 Times stunts through the A and B gaps well. Shows some closing burst to the quarterback. But he lacks experience in this area and it shows in his limited array of pass rush moves. He does not explode off the line of scrimmage and does not bend the edge as tightly as good pass rushers do.

[BZnDallas]

Gentleman, there is still a draft being conducted......

Dude... let me enjoy this... when is the last time you saw me happy about a TT 1st round pick???

if wist is happy, we should all jump for joy!!...

haha, love ya wist!...

[retailguy]

My thought is that you try the guy at a different position before you give up. but you do that AFTER you give up on the position you drafted him for.

Or maybe because you switch defensive alignments and realize that the 4-3 tackle you drafted would be horrible at the nose?

We shall see. I disagree that Pickett is going anywhere. Harrell? Not anywhere near as confident.

[Bretsky]

Crabtree at 10 is by far the best pick in the draft so far...

How can you be excited about Raji as a 5 snap a game player?!? Starting NT only plays 20ish snaps a game according to Waldo. Awful pick imo.

right, just because he's a monkey wearing glasses doesn't mean he is setting our depth chart

So you have Pickett, a very solid player, as a 5 snap a game player? I don't understand this logic at all.

This guy doesn't fit. We don't have a huge need at NT. We had a glaring need at DE. We've made a rich position richer, but passed on a rare talent in Crabtree.

Raji can play DE. Or is your man crush on Crabtree blind you?

You have no more evidence to suggest he can play DE than somebody who says he can not ; if you look at him physically a guy of his size is not normally a DE in the 3-4

But that doesn't automatically preclude him from playing DE either. Im just reponding to Partial's usual retardosity. You understand the pick at least.

Yes, I do

It's funny; in the past I've always been a NEED guy

But this year, I just thought Crabtree is a WR that really might be a special talent so I flipped

Now let's shore up the D with the rest of the draft

[gbpackfan]

The media would have crushed TT for drafting Crabtree.

We are stacked at WR as is. I understand BPA. But TT said that you draft for need if the two are ranked the same. He obviously had Raji ranked as high as Crabtree. You can't honestly tell me TT has changed his ways. We all know that is not possible. Raji is a damn fine player and we should be damn happy that he fell in our laps.

One more thing, why does everyone keep worrying about Jennings? He is not going anywhere! I guarantee that. Ever heard of the franchise tag? A deal will get done. And if TT picked Crabtree, Jennings would have been none to happy to be making less money then a rookie.

Okay, I'm done now.

[Partial]

Crabtree at 10 is by far the best pick in the draft so far...

How can you be excited about Raji as a 5 snap a game player?!? Starting NT only plays 20ish snaps a game according to Waldo. Awful pick imo.

right, just because he's a monkey wearing glasses doesn't mean he is setting our depth chart

So you have Pickett, a very solid player, as a 5 snap a game player? I don't understand this logic at all.

This guy doesn't fit. We don't have a huge need at NT. We had a glaring need at DE. We've made a rich position richer, but passed on a rare talent in Crabtree.

Raji can play DE. Or is your man crush on Crabtree blind you?

You have no more evidence to suggest he can play DE than somebody who says he can not ; if you look at him physically a guy of his size is not normally a DE in the 3-4

But that doesn't automatically preclude him from playing DE either. Im just reponding to Partial's usual retardosity. You understand the pick at least.

Retardosity? I understand the pick as well. They're going to solidify depth at NT.. Next year, they will probably let a quality NT in Pickett walk so they can replace him with a Raji. No net improvement in the roster. Don't like the pick at all.

[Rastak]

TT talking live on packers.com

What did he say? He couldn't pass on a guy called BJ?

Yes, he's signing B.J. Thomas to sing the national anthem at the opener

I bet that's true,....he loves his BJs......