VOTE - Packer Rats MOCK PACKER PICK

[3irty1]

Baldwin? Don't know much about him.

6'5" 230 lb WR
4.5 seconds in the 40 yard dash

Plays at about the same speed as James Jones but is significantly bigger. Actually a lot of his game reminds me of Jones. Both have big natural soft hands that you look for in a glue-handed receiver, both have a surprising amount of wiggle when asked to make guys miss and fight for yards after the catch. Jones does a little better job of exploding out of his cuts to create separation IMO but Baldwin has rare leaping ability (41" vertical) and shows the ability to highpoint the ball and take it away from defenders--a skill that can make you a star in the NFL. Baldwin is also a punishing blocker for a WR. My biggest concern about him is that he seems to jump for balls that don't need to be jumped for which results in taking a few in the stomach, particularly over the middle, with no chance of creating after the catch. This is probably a habit that came from the terrible QB play he's had to endure with which he's routinely found himself left out to dry over the middle. With an NFL QB that can hit him in stride he'll have a chance to grow as a route runner and drop his bad habits.

[Guiness]

PFT's mock is interesting.

It has the Pack taking Justin Houston at #32, passing on Ingram - so no first round RB's.

They also have quarterbacks going #1, 4, 10, and 15 (Panthers, Bengals, Skins and Dolphins). I was going to call them morons for that, but it's possibly accurate and GM's do tend to panic when they haven't got a signal caller. A couple of extra QB's being taken in the first round will push other quality players down.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/03/28/2011-mock-draft-take-three/

[Lurker64]

For those of you who voted for Ingram, he's currently scheduled to get an exhaustive evaluation on his knee to determine whether or not there is structural damage or degenerative arthritis. Assuming that Ingram's knee is not completely healthy, how much of a mess would it have to be before you'd change your vote? Note that the results from this evaluation will be available to all NFL teams before the draft, so you can assume that you have access to it and respond conditionally.

For Ingram supporters, supposing that Ingram's knee is a total mess... would you advocate taking a different RB instead, say LeShoure or Williams?

[RashanGary]

Lurker, of course, if his knee is shot and his career guaranteed to be short, sure, we'd choose someone else. Just going off the tape though, the guy is a damn good overall RB and a great redzone back. He'd be welcomed here with open arms. Grant is 18 mos away from 30 years old. Very few RB's with STarks build can handle the load in the NFL. Ingram would be a great piece for us.

[Guiness]

For those of you who voted for Ingram, he's currently scheduled to get an exhaustive evaluation on his knee to determine whether or not there is structural damage or degenerative arthritis. Assuming that Ingram's knee is not completely healthy, how much of a mess would it have to be before you'd change your vote? Note that the results from this evaluation will be available to all NFL teams before the draft, so you can assume that you have access to it and respond conditionally.

For Ingram supporters, supposing that Ingram's knee is a total mess... would you advocate taking a different RB instead, say LeShoure or Williams?

Not at all.

The Ingram choice was based on BPA alone - not need/desire for an RB at all. Actually, on the list of team needs, I'd rank RB as the third lowest - behind ILB and TE, so no chance we we reach a little for one of the other RB's.

If Liuget is as bad a fit as some are saying, I could see him being crossed off the board just because he'd be useless to us I don't know who would be next in line. Those two were the players who seemed to have dropped below their value.

Maybe Watkins is next? *shrug*

[RashanGary]

I started thinking about backs who have had great red zone production over the years. Immediately I thought about Ladanian Tomlinson (similar size and no nonsense running style). But LT is faster, so that's not a perfect comparison. Then I thought of Priest Holmes. Exact same size. Exact same running style. I don't know if Ingram just had a bad day at the track, but I think Priest Holmes is a great comparison back for Mark Ingram.

[Lurker64]

To be honest, I think Mikel LeShoure would be a more effective back on this team than Mark Ingram. More of a one-cut guy.

[Freak Out]

I'll change my pick now to one of the OTs available....I think there will be a good RB available in the 2nd or the 3rd. Is Mikel the guy from VT?

[swede]

I'll change my pick now to one of the OTs available....I think there will be a good RB available in the 2nd or the 3rd. Is Mikel the guy from VT?

Watching the combine, the guy I saw with the surest, quickest cuts was Dion Lewis from Pittsburgh. They say he's 6th or 7th round, but he ran 4.41 with a 1.51 10 yd split at his pro day. He may be 5' 7", but he weighs 194 lbs. He isn't small--he's short and talented. I'll be shocked if he is still there after the fourth round is over.

[Lurker64]

I'll change my pick now to one of the OTs available....I think there will be a good RB available in the 2nd or the 3rd. Is Mikel the guy from VT?

LeShoure is from Illinois, Ryan Williams is the guy from VT.

[Bretsky]

my guess is if the injury is severe most of us would flip to Reed

I picked Ingram because he is in the class of players above the ones left in the poll. I'd be fine with SeShoure but I'd pass on RB in round one if Ingram was gone

[TennesseePackerBacker]

To be honest, I think Mikel LeShoure would be a more effective back on this team than Mark Ingram. More of a one-cut guy.

Agree with you completely here. I also didn't know Ingram still had a questionable knee; I assumed he checked out.

Also, not a big fan of Ryan Williams. I saw a lot of VTech games due to being in the region. I just don't think Williams makes you miss enough. I also have to question his speed on the edges. He might have trouble breaking away in the NFL.

I'm assuming you want one of the guards with this pick Lurker. Which one? And, who in your eyes is the BPA in our mock draft?

[Smidgeon]

Personally, I'm a fan of the Baldwin direction. Driver isn't getting younger, already started showing decline, and Jones could be gone. That would basically leave Jennings, Finley, and Nelson as 1-2-3 with Driver being 4 and Swain being 5 (and yes, I hope the offense goes through Jennings first instead of Finley). The Baldwin selection would set of the offense to be potent for 5-7 years. Plus, there's enough leaders in the locker room to keep him in line. After all, Finley got in line after his first year. He threw his QB under the bus that first year and nary a complain since. I don't doubt for a second this team could put Baldwin on the right line and keep him there.

[Bretsky]

Titus Young would also bring some excitement. Speed....playmaker. Some have compared him to Desean Jackson w/o the bad attitude. He'd be our kickoff return guy as well as an explosing deep threat IMO

[Bretsky]

HERE ARE SOME SUMMARIES

03/30/2011 - Underrated: Jabaal Sheard, Pittsburgh: Sheard isn't a traditional pass-rushing end -- a sudden athlete capable of beating NFL-caliber offensive tackles with speed alone. Sheard has a surprisingly strong bull rush at 6-3, 264 pounds, and has shown consistent improvement throughout his career. Rather than fall apart while facing double teams after "star" Greg Romeus went down because of an injury, Sheard raised his game, earning the Big East Defensive Player of the Year honors with 52 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, nine sacks and four forced fumbles. Sheard, likely to be taken between picks 20-45, will be more productive as a rookie than at least a few of the more highly touted defensive ends of this draft. - Rob Rang, NFLDraftScout.com

•Full Jabaal Sheard News Wire
Overview
Sheard became an impact player for the Panthers, living up to his billing as a top defensive end prospect coming out of Florida before the 2007 season. He and fellow all-conference performers Greg Romeus and Brandon Lindsey formed one of the best tandems in the country the past three seasons.

Sheard earned playing time in nine games as a true freshman, making three tackles and breaking up two passes with his active hands on the line of scrimmage. Starting every game in his sophomore year allowed him to steadily improve while racking up 45 tackles, 10.5 for loss, 5.5 sacks, seven pass breakups and 11 quarterback hurries. Sheard continued to progress as a run-stopper and pass-rush force in 2009, as he was credited with 42 stops, including 10.5 behind the line, five sacks, three pass breakups and 12 hurries.

With Romeus out most of 2010 with injuries, Sheard earned the hype he deserved -- Big East coaches unanimously voted him first-team all-conference after he made 52 tackles, 14.5 for loss and nine sacks. He has the potential to be a starter on a four-man line, or potentially as a 3-4 linebacker, because of his strength against the run and pass-rush ability. If teams believe he has put his summer 2010 arrest for assault behind him, he could be a top-50 pick.

Analysis
Pass rush: Hustling power rusher who can be a tough task for right tackles. Nice bull rush, gets under the blocker's pads and pushes them into the backfield. Gives great effort to get to the quarterback, even when he's all but tackled by blockers. Sniffs out misdirection and quick screens to his side; not exceptionally agile in space, but he reads cut blocks well and contains and drops to affect passing lanes. Very active moving and jumping to affect passing lanes if unable to reach the quarterback. Keeps his feet moving after initial contact, but is inconsistent disengaging from the blocks of better linemen. Needs to be more violent with his hands and take advantage of his speed against slower tackles. Only adequate flexibility and change-of-direction agility to turn the corner or be effective on twists. Must learn counter pass-rush moves to get past tackles at the next level; loses his balance and backfield awareness when attempting the occasional spin move.

Run defense: Not the largest strong-side end but maintains leverage to hold the line of scrimmage. Crashes down hard on inside and short-yardage runs, lowers his pads to get leverage against approaching linemen. Tight ends have a difficult time controlling him on the edge, uses strong hands or quickness to contain on his side of the line. Works hard to stay on his feet, get off blocks to stay active and keep containment on plays run towards him.

Explosion: Is not elite in this category, but has adequate speed off the snap for his size when his ears are pinned back on the pass rush. Good pop into his man's numbers on bull rushes. Uses violent hands to knock aside blockers on run plays.

Strength: Plays stronger than his height/weight numbers indicate. Knows how to keep his pads low to get leverage on the edge against the run and bull rush his man into the pocket. Stacks his man and can disengage using violent and strong hands to move inside or outside.

Tackling: Solid, if not explosive, tackler on the edge who makes it difficult for teams to run inside or outside of him. Closes well when coming straight toward the ball, but his stiff hips do not always allow him to break down in space or change direction quickly. Good hustle-and-chase type, makes plays down the line and downfield.

Intangibles: Team leader and captain because of his work ethic and intensity. Worked through a knee injury suffered in the summer of 2009 to play every game last season. Had minor elbow surgery in December 2010 that caused him to miss the team's bowl game. Helped an elderly woman escape from her burning home and received a bravery award. Good student, majoring in forensic sciences. Arrested in July 2010 for involvement in fight; continued to punch the man after police called for him to stop and threw the man through the glass door of a business. Pled guilty to disorderly conduct (originally charged with felony aggravated assault and resisting arrest), was order to apologize, pay medical bills. He was suspended for two weeks and faced internal discipline.

2010 Season
An AFCA All-American, Sheard has compiled 52 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, nine sacks, four forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. He leads the Big East in forced fumbles (tied, 0.33 forced fumbles/game), ranks second in tackles for loss (tied, 1.21 TFLs/game) and is third in sacks (tied, 0.75 sacks/game). Nationally, he ranks fifth in forced fumbles and 21st in sacks.