VOTE - Packer Rats MOCK PACKER PICK

[packrulz]

No way Ingram slips this far in the real draft, Watkins gets my vote, we can get 4-6 years out of him and protecting ARod is critical. He'll be more consistent than Colledge ever was.
The top-ranked guard according to NFLDraftScout.com, Baylor's Danny Watkins, played left tackle in the Bears' spread offense. His dominant performance at the Senior Bowl and showing in private workouts make him a first-round target with potential to play any position on the line.

[Smeefers]

No way Ingram slips this far in the real draft, Watkins gets my vote, we can get 4-6 years out of him and protecting ARod is critical. He'll be more consistent than Colledge ever was.
The top-ranked guard according to NFLDraftScout.com, Baylor's Danny Watkins, played left tackle in the Bears' spread offense. His dominant performance at the Senior Bowl and showing in private workouts make him a first-round target with potential to play any position on the line.

Yeah, there is no way that he falls to us in the real draft, but he did in this mock one. There's absolutely no way I pass on Ingram. No way. In fact, if he's still on the board, TT will be crying like a blubbering child as he makes the call, not having gotten a steal like this since Aaron Rodgers.

[TennesseePackerBacker]

I wish Brooks Reed wasn't on the poll as well. Every year we do this, it seems the one player most want fails to get picked and inexplicably falls to the Packers selection. No way Brooks lasts until 32. Keep smoking on your pipe dreams fellow rats.

[Bretsky]

Most mock drafts I see don't have Reed getting picked earlier than GB and some have him in round 2

[TennesseePackerBacker]

Most I've seen have Brooks being picked before Ayers (UCLA OLB). His combine and pro day numbers alone will elevate him in to the first round. Call it the "Clay Matthews" effect. If I'm wrong I'll eat crow, but I just don't see it.

[Lurker64]

So assuming we don't have a shot at Reed or Ingram, who would everybody pick in that case?

For me, it's between Ijalana and Sheard.

[TennesseePackerBacker]

So assuming we don't have a shot at Reed or Ingram, who would everybody pick in that case?

For me, it's between Ijalana and Sheard.

I like both. Add Watkins to that list for me as well. Who cares if he's 26? Offensive guards have one of the highest longevities of any position.

[3irty1]

Major reach for Brooks Reed. Someone remember and told-ya-so me if I'm wrong, but I bet Brooks Reed can be had with pick #64.

[3irty1]

Remember TT drafted Justin Harrell when most of us thought our DL was very strong; but IMO he anticipated Williams might leave. IMO about the only positions that are nearly out are QB and TE in round one. If TT feels Ingram is special that pick is very possible IMO

I wouldn't even count those two out. If TT thinks Rudolph is the BPA you bet he'll be taken. Elite TE's are a cheap way to keep your offense in the top tier. NE fans know better than anyone what a pair of young TE's can do for your offense. With Flynn in jeopardy of leaving to free agency, a capable backup QB is a pretty big concern. This position is at a premium now with the concussion rules. I would be more surprised to see the pick be a reach like Brooks Reed than a pick with value, even at QB, like Christian Ponder--that's just how Ted rolls.

[3irty1]

I understand the votes for Mark Ingram, he's a great value here. Where are all the votes for Ben Ijalana??? Safest pick on the board IMO. Could play nearly anywhere on the line and should give a major boost to this unit which will likely lose two or three solid players.

I voted for Baldwin. The offense underperformed last year during the regular season last year and now there is a chance they lose a productive receiver in James Jones. TT has chosen a lot of players that are vaguely in the Baldwin mold but none of them are quite right. Baldwin is what Jordy was supposed to be IMO. Give McCarthy another big weapon and the offensive droughts from last year are a thing of the past IMO. It takes a special player to cover a guy like Baldwin... or Finley... or Jennings. Baldwin is a decent value at #32 but IMO he represents such a mismatch schematically that when paired with Finely, the offense can do whatever it wants.

[Guiness]

Ingram's the BPA, so that's where my vote went. However, in this spot I could certainly see someone calling Ted with a nice trade offer. If the option to trade down on the poll that's where I'd vote. If Ingram really were there at 32 someone would pay dearly for that pick.

Agreed that if that's the way the board fell, it could go that way.

I voted Ingram, but I don't see it happening if this is the way the board fell. If the board looked like this, I could see TT calling Carolina and asking them if they want Ingram, and getting them to swap picks and pick up an extra late rounder.

At that point...the next BPA is Liuget. You can never have enough big men. He develops for a year while you play Green.

[Guiness]

I understand the votes for Mark Ingram, he's a great value here. Where are all the votes for Ben Ijalana??? Safest pick on the board IMO. Could play nearly anywhere on the line and should give a major boost to this unit which will likely lose two or three solid players.

I voted for Baldwin. The offense underperformed last year during the regular season last year and now there is a chance they lose a productive receiver in James Jones. TT has chosen a lot of players that are vaguely in the Baldwin mold but none of them are quite right. Baldwin is what Jordy was supposed to be IMO. Give McCarthy another big weapon and the offensive droughts from last year are a thing of the past IMO. It takes a special player to cover a guy like Baldwin... or Finley... or Jennings. Baldwin is a decent value at #32 but IMO he represents such a mismatch schematically that when paired with Finely, the offense can do whatever it wants.

Baldwin? Don't know much about him.

[Lurker64]

I understand the votes for Mark Ingram, he's a great value here. Where are all the votes for Ben Ijalana??? Safest pick on the board IMO. Could play nearly anywhere on the line and should give a major boost to this unit which will likely lose two or three solid players.

I would have voted for Ijalana, but I voted for Reed because I didn't want Ingram to be the pick. I'd rather have Ijalana than Reed though.

[TennesseePackerBacker]

Agreed that if that's the way the board fell, it could go that way.

I voted Ingram, but I don't see it happening if this is the way the board fell. If the board looked like this, I could see TT calling Carolina and asking them if they want Ingram, and getting them to swap picks and pick up an extra late rounder.

At that point...the next BPA is Liuget. You can never have enough big men. He develops for a year while you play Green.

I'm not so sure Liuget fits our scheme. He's more of a 4-3 DT.

[Lurker64]

I'm not so sure Liuget fits our scheme. He's more of a 4-3 DT.

Yeah, great 3-tech prospect. I'd take him over Fairley if I was a 4-3 team. But in the 3-4? We don't need another nose, and I really doubt that he has the length to play the 5-technique position effectively. You have to like Neal a lot more than Liuget in this scheme, and we got Neal in the second.

I don't think the 5-tech hole is really even that big a need, we really only need depth and developmental guys (I really like Oregon's Brandon Bair on day 3), assuming we can finally get some pass rush from the other OLB. We play 2.25 DL/play, and if Raji and Neal can be counted on then you don't want to spend your first on .25 of a player (or a guy who relegates last year's promising #2 to .25 of a player). Dom wants extra defensive backs whenever he can get away with it, and it's always going to come at the expense of your big horses.