2010 Rookies

[Lurker64]

Zombo may be understudying for the Brady Popinga role--good spot starter, will do anything for the team, expendable when the next better football player comes along.

One must also note that Frank Zombo has what is quite probably the best sack celebration in the NFL.

[Smidgeon]

Zombo may be understudying for the Brady Popinga role--good spot starter, will do anything for the team, expendable when the next better football player comes along.

I think Zombo will be better than Popp. I have no basis for that, but Popp always seemed really limited to me. Zombo at least hit a couple of sacks while being known for his run defense game.

[Smidgeon]

One must also note that Frank Zombo has what is quite probably the best sack celebration in the NFL.

The Zorro?

[HarveyWallbangers]

Shown Star potential:
Neal
Starks (Grant with receiving hands and better feet)
Shields

Shown good player potential
Bulaga
Quarless
Wilson
Zombo
Burnett

Don't know yet
Newhouse
McDonald


To Smidgeon's point, there are 8 guys in this draft where you think, hey, we've got something here. There is some star potential in the group. Let's give this draft a couple years. I doubt the top end will be as impactful as Raji and Matthews, but a star corner and DE, a 10 year LT along with several other solid starters. . . . This draft has high potential to be great.

I'd put Starks in the middle group. Wilson has impressed me. I think Quarless will be a good player. The guy has a really nice skillset, and he has made some plays for us. He gets open a lot. It's just a matter of maturing and learning the game for him. I think he'll be a really solid player, but he does have the potential to go Tyrone Davis (e.g. ooze potential but never fulfill it).

[Patler]

Finley screwed up several crucial pass plays as a rookie, then blamed Rodgers, saying he (Finley) didn't do backshoulder throws. He also made some comment about not being used correctly, and I suspect was read the riot act by McAdoo, if not MM himself.
Finley showed nothing as a rookie other than the potential to be a big headache.

Quarless has time to show his potential.

[Patler]

I don't understand why everyone seems so sure about what Neal will contribute. "Star potential"? When did he show that? He played in just two games, Detroit and Washington. Pretty hard to draw any conclusions from that. I don't feel he proved anything in that time. His potential is no more nor more less than when he was drafted. Basically, 2010 was nothing for him.

I liked him when he was drafted. I don't feel any different about him now because he neither proved nor disproved anything this year.

[HarveyWallbangers]

I was thoroughly impressed with Neal during the preseason and his limited action in the regular season. Sure, it's possible he surprised people and other teams will figure him out (he'll have to make adjustments), but it's been awhile since I was as impressed with a Packers rookie DL.

[Bretsky]

IMO huge potential in Neal as well; the dude just blew up some plays with shear power. Can't remember the last rookie DL I was impressed with either but if this guy stays healthy he's a gamer.

I'm not sure about Quarless. I thought I saw a lot of potential/ability in Finley. I thought he was an idiot with the change of being a prima donna right from the start but I saw a ton of ability waiting to be put together.

I don't see that same upside in Quarless. I may be wrong but I thought we passed up both NE Tight Ends and to me both have looked better so far. Wait, maybe Gronkowski was drafted before Quarless. Anybody recall ???

[Bossman641]

IMO huge potential in Neal as well; the dude just blew up some plays with shear power. Can't remember the last rookie DL I was impressed with either but if this guy stays healthy he's a gamer.

I'm not sure about Quarless. I thought I saw a lot of potential/ability in Finley. I thought he was an idiot with the change of being a prima donna right from the start but I saw a ton of ability waiting to be put together.

I don't see that same upside in Quarless. I may be wrong but I thought we passed up both NE Tight Ends and to me both have looked better so far. Wait, maybe Gronkowski was drafted before Quarless. Anybody recall ???

Gronkowski went 10th in the second round. Hernandez went 15th in the fourth round. Quarless went 23rd in the fifth.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Hernandez (4th round) and Gronkowski (2nd round) were both drafted before Quarless (5th round).

[Joemailman]

IMO huge potential in Neal as well; the dude just blew up some plays with shear power. Can't remember the last rookie DL I was impressed with either but if this guy stays healthy he's a gamer.

I'm not sure about Quarless. I thought I saw a lot of potential/ability in Finley. I thought he was an idiot with the change of being a prima donna right from the start but I saw a ton of ability waiting to be put together.

I don't see that same upside in Quarless. I may be wrong but I thought we passed up both NE Tight Ends and to me both have looked better so far. Wait, maybe Gronkowski was drafted before Quarless. Anybody recall ???

I thought Neal was the Best D-Lineman on the field in the preseason game against Indy, I know it was preseason, but he was doing it against their starters. Very impressive combination of power and quickness.

I agree Quarless doesn't have the same upside as Finley, but who does? He reminds me a little of Dustin Keller physically. He doesn't have the hands or height of Finley, but he does have good speed. It will be interesting to see how much he progresses his second year.

[Lurker64]

I don't see that same upside in Quarless. I may be wrong but I thought we passed up both NE Tight Ends and to me both have looked better so far. Wait, maybe Gronkowski was drafted before Quarless. Anybody recall ???

The following TEs were taken before Quarless (#154): Jermaine Gresham (#21, CIN), Rob Gronkowski (#42, NE), Ed Dickson (#70, BAL), Tony Moeaki (#93, KC), Jimmy Graham (#95, NO), Aaron Hernandez (#113, NE), Dennis Pitta (#114, BAL), Garrett Graham (#118, HOU), Clay Harbor (#125, PHI), and Michael Hoomanawanui (#132, STL).

The following TEs were taken after Quarless (#154): Brody Eldridge (#162, IND), Fendi Onobun (#170, STL), Dennis Morris (#174, WAS), Nate Byham (#182, SF), Anthony McCoy (#185, SEA), Mickey Shuler, Jr. (#214, MIN), Dorin Dickerson (#227, HOU), Jim Dray (#233, ARZ), and Dedrick Epps (#235, SD).

So I don't think we passed on any great TEs to take Quarless, but I honestly can't tell you how Fendi Onobun did this year.

[Patler]

IMO huge potential in Neal as well; the dude just blew up some plays with shear power. Can't remember the last rookie DL I was impressed with either but if this guy stays healthy he's a gamer.

I'm not sure about Quarless. I thought I saw a lot of potential/ability in Finley. I thought he was an idiot with the change of being a prima donna right from the start but I saw a ton of ability waiting to be put together.

I don't see that same upside in Quarless. I may be wrong but I thought we passed up both NE Tight Ends and to me both have looked better so far. Wait, maybe Gronkowski was drafted before Quarless. Anybody recall ???

I think I missed conveying my point about Neal. I see potential in Neal, too; the same as when he was drafted. My point was that for the little we saw of him, he deserves no more than an incomplete for this year. Samkon Gado looked like a future pro bowl player for a handful of games, too. A player doesn't show star potential playing a limited number of snaps in just two games. He needs to perform in a lot more situations than Neal has to deserve that kind of rating.

As for Finley, I don't think we ever really saw his ability as a rookie, not as much as we were told it was there by coaches and some who watched practices. He really did nothing in the games, catching six and dropping or otherwise screwing up just as many more. I'll admit, the coaches seemed fascinated with him even as a rookie.

[HarveyWallbangers]

It's just my opinion based on what I saw. He doesn't have to play a lot or doing anything. It's what each individual sees in the guy. He looked strong (which he was billed to be), but he also looked pretty fast and had better technique and more moves than I was expecting. I think he has star potential. Well, as much as any 3-4 DE can be a "star" (rarely). If he comes back healthy, I think he could be one of the better 3-4 DEs in the league. And I base that solely off what I saw this year--because I had never heard of the guy until he was drafted by the Pack and I didn't watch him at all in college.

[Patler]

But how many snaps did he really play, and how much can you be certain of from a handful of plays against Detroit and Washington. To me, it just isn't enough to be very meaningful. Certainly a lot of written hype for him though, especially in the weeks before he actually got his brief exposure to league play.

I just hope he doesn't have Justin Harrell disease!