AJ Hawk

[Deputy Nutz]

Honestly, I think the NFL game is a bit to fast for Hawk. I have always been a fan of AJ Hawk, he is athletic, but more of a workout warrior than a true athlete. He is a hard worker in the weight room, and in the film room, and it is because of those reasons that he stays on the field, it isn't his athletic ability or his feel for the game, which aren't bad, but not great either. I probably watch Hawk more than any other defensive player for the Packers, and he just doesn't get into the flow of the game, ever, if he has natural instincts he doesn't ever use them.

[rbaloha1]

Honestly, I think the NFL game is a bit to fast for Hawk. I have always been a fan of AJ Hawk, he is athletic, but more of a workout warrior than a true athlete. He is a hard worker in the weight room, and in the film room, and it is because of those reasons that he stays on the field, it isn't his athletic ability or his feel for the game, which aren't bad, but not great either. I probably watch Hawk more than any other defensive player for the Packers, and he just doesn't get into the flow of the game, ever, if he has natural instincts he doesn't ever use them.

Nice assessment.

[Guiness]

Here is my take; year one Hawk looked pretty good. I think they wanted him to bulk up and focus on his strength ; a lot of the radio heads thought that as well. I think Hawk lost some speed year two and was less effective. He seems to be a natural leader and for the first time last year he was put in a leader role. I think he's focused and pays more attention to detail in his spot now so now he's just flowing naturally again.

I tend to think this way as well. I remember it being mentioned after Barnett went down that he would be communicating the defensive alignments and plays on the field...and it was much improved. I think the work in the film room that Nutz mentions is part of this.

[Yoop]

would the NFL continue to pay out gobs of money each year for a combine GM's payed little attention to? I think the combine serves to confirm thoughts GM's have already garnered about players or to expose weakness they have not seen.
obviously Hawk looks like a much better fit in Capers 34 than he ever looked in the Bates/Sanders 43, Hawk looks best in tight quarters, much better than he looks in space, he had a 130+ tackles last year, to go along with Bishops 100+, thats 230+ tackles from your inside backers, who would argue with that kind of production? we got DB's to take care of the space work, I want Hawk thumping the LOS, for 150 tackles this year lol.

[gbgary]

Honestly, I think the NFL game is a bit to fast for Hawk. I have always been a fan of AJ Hawk, he is athletic, but more of a workout warrior than a true athlete. He is a hard worker in the weight room, and in the film room, and it is because of those reasons that he stays on the field, it isn't his athletic ability or his feel for the game, which aren't bad, but not great either. I probably watch Hawk more than any other defensive player for the Packers, and he just doesn't get into the flow of the game, ever, if he has natural instincts he doesn't ever use them.

Nice assessment.

just thinking too much. he's bounced around a bit since he got here. o/s, i/s, part-time, full-time. maybe now, with consistent play, he'll be better/quicker/faster.

[Smidgeon]

Morgan Burnett says hi.
20 Yrd Shuttle: 3.92

There was a reason Hawk went top 5 and I think you found it. He was a LB prospect the likes of which haven't been seen since. Between Hawk's 2nd and 3rd year it seemed like he bulked up an awful lot and a guy who's only knock was that he was stiff became totally rigid. In truth the guy is still an outrageous athlete, but being a fluid athlete is the other half of the equation especially for those bigger guys--just ask Jermichael Finley.

Thanks. Couldn't find Burnett's numbers past his 40.

[MadScientist]

would the NFL continue to pay out gobs of money each year for a combine GM's payed little attention to? I think the combine serves to confirm thoughts GM's have already garnered about players or to expose weakness they have not seen.

We always get reports on the numbers, especially the over-rated 40 times, but there are two other critical aspects of the combine, the interview and the medical check. It is cost effective for NFL teams to support the combine instead of flying in various prospects or going to pro days all over the place. It also means that a team won't get a stud player burned out from traveling to various teams and interviewing poorly and then wind up drafting a crappy player instead (see Ronnie Lott vs Rich Campbell).

The numbers game is useful for normalizing players, since the competition they faced is so different. Although you can still get burned by a player with good numbers and production who succeeded only because his talent was so much better than the competition.

[Pugger]

If memory serves the draft class that Hawk came from wasn't very deep. He might not be the player we all hoped but he is a leader and seems to be well respected in the lockerroom. These traits have served him well.

[Deputy Nutz]

Linebacker was pretty deep in this class but that shouldn't matter all that much, it should be graded 3 to 4 years after. I think Chad Greenway is far and away the better player between him and AJ Hawk, and Greenway went like ten picks lower. Hawk was a great college player, had the size, and the combine numbers to back up his play at Ohio St, he just wasn't able to transition his dominance of the college game to the NFL game like you would hope a 5th overall pick would make.

[Fritz]

Morgan Burnett says hi.
20 Yrd Shuttle: 3.92

There was a reason Hawk went top 5 and I think you found it. He was a LB prospect the likes of which haven't been seen since. Between Hawk's 2nd and 3rd year it seemed like he bulked up an awful lot and a guy who's only knock was that he was stiff became totally rigid. In truth the guy is still an outrageous athlete, but being a fluid athlete is the other half of the equation especially for those bigger guys--just ask Jermichael Finley.

One of the few times that a guy being stiff is seen as a bad thing.

And I just realized that in the NFL there somcetimes is a difference between being stiff and being a stiff.

[HarveyWallbangers]

I'd agree that Greenway is better than Hawk, but Hawk is solid and I also think Greenway is a bit overrated. He's good, but not great. Watch the Packers-Vikings games last year and watch how often Brandon Jackson made Greenway look like a fool on the outside.

[Lurker64]

If memory serves the draft class that Hawk came from wasn't very deep. He might not be the player we all hoped but he is a leader and seems to be well respected in the lockerroom. These traits have served him well.

It was a ridiculously overhyped draft class, we were projecting like 3-4 hall of famers on draft weekend, but ended up being the most disappointing draft (first round at least) in recent memory. There are about 4 players drafted behind Hawk in the first round that are clearly better players (at their position) than Hawk is: Ngata (best player in the draft), Hali, Holmes, and Mangold. There are two players drafted ahead of Hawk that are better players than he is (Mario Williams and Ferguson). Hawk's about the seventh best player in the first round and he was drafted fifth. Not that big a disappointment. Hawk is a push with guys like Greenway, I would say. Greenway's been pretty overrated for a long time.

Guys like Reggie Bush, Vince Young, Donte Whitner, Matt Leinart, Ernie Sims, Kamerion Wimbley, Brodrick Bunkley, Bobby Carpenter, and Lawrence Maroney... now those are disappointments, that draft was a minefield.

[vince]

It was a ridiculously overhyped draft class, we were projecting like 3-4 hall of famers on draft weekend, but ended up being the most disappointing draft (first round at least) in recent memory. There are about 4 players drafted behind Hawk in the first round that are clearly better players (at their position) than Hawk is: Ngata (best player in the draft), Hali, Holmes, and Mangold. There are two players drafted ahead of Hawk that are better players than he is (Mario Williams and Ferguson). Hawk's about the seventh best player in the first round and he was drafted fifth. Not that big a disappointment. Hawk is a push with guys like Greenway, I would say. Greenway's been pretty overrated for a long time.

Guys like Reggie Bush, Vince Young, Donte Whitner, Matt Leinart, Ernie Sims, Kamerion Wimbley, Brodrick Bunkley, Bobby Carpenter, and Lawrence Maroney... now those are disappointments, that draft was a minefield.

I'm pretty sure Tramon Williams went undrafted that year. In retrospect he should have been a high first-round pick.

[Guiness]

I'm pretty sure Tramon Williams went undrafted that year. In retrospect he should have been a high first-round pick.

With the benefit of hindsight, maybe, but his development surely couldn't have been forseen. It wasn't like he was a finished product that was overlooked, he was cut from Houston, and spent a year on the practice squad here. He probably should have been drafted, but to say someone should have taken him in the first is a reach!

[Guiness]

There are certainly not a lot of first round players from that draft you would take over Hawk, even now.

Mangold is good, but who ever heard of taking a center with the 5th pick of the draft? Holmes? We got Jennings a round and a half later.

The only slam dunks would be Ngata, Hali and DeAngelo Williams. Vernon Davis I'm not sure about. His first couple of seasons were mediocre, but he's come on strong.