THE draft thread (2013 version)

[Deputy Nutz]

He is really fast, raw, and tall. I think the kid has talent and tools, but is unpolished. He needs to use his long arms to separate from the offensive tackle, he is skinny, and he stands up way too much.

[Joemailman]

He's pretty explosive once he disengages from the blocker. The epitome of a boom-or-bust pick. I'd consider him in the 2nd round. Too risky in the 1st, IMHO.

[Guiness]

Agree with Nutz that he seems to be standing up too much. Not very fluid looking, almost awkward at times, but could be just gangly looking from his extreme height. His change of direction didn't seem great either, will be interesting to see what his 3-cone speed is.

On the plus side, if he can hold the edge and has good instincts for when the QB throws, that wingspan would be a nightmare for them.

[rbaloha1]

He's not Ngata, but I think he anchors well enough. He's awesomely strong, and is still learning how to play the game. Wait until MM teaches him about pad level. He's versatile, having played 5-Tech and NT. He's also lined up at FB in short yardage situations. I think he's an improving player, and right now he's my pick for the Packers in Round 1.

Williams is an Aussie with superior strength.

Packers need more of these types to control the line of scrimmage against teams that run dive plays off spread optin,

BTW for the poster who said the packers controlled gore -- 23 carries 119 yds. We all know what CK did.

Let the roster turnover begin at whatever number the esteemed threadmaker desires.

[Packgator]

he blocked 17 fg's/xpts in his 4 years

That's an amazing stat.

[Pugger]

Yes, that "song" was crap. Call me crazy though, but Lacy's running style reminds me of Adrian Peterson.

I'm glad I didn't have the sound on. It would be nice to have a back that other teams have no desire to see coming up field.

[Pugger]

DISCLOSURE.......I bleed Badger Red.......Ball would be a great pickup. Two years ago I said the best RB in Wisconsin was Ball. Ditto for this year.

But IMO, he runs about a 4.55 40yd dash and he porbably slips to mid to late round two. I think it's likely he could fall right to us

He does everything good. Underrated as a receiver

He should have come out last year. I agree with you guys, if he's there in the second he might be worth taking.

[rbaloha1]

I'm glad I didn't have the sound on. It would be nice to have a back that other teams have no desire to see coming up field.

Lacy is a step below Trent Richardson and unfortunately only available for a trade up.

[woodbuck27]

Eddie Lacy really has my attention, I'd love to have him drop to the Pack, dude is a beast and played on a national championship team: http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings...2015&genpos=RB

He looks great.

[woodbuck27]

He is really fast, raw, and tall. I think the kid has talent and tools, but is unpolished. He needs to use his long arms to separate from the offensive tackle, he is skinny, and he stands up way too much.

That fella has serious upside.

[pbmax]

This guy will not be drafted nor signed by the Packers:

CFL’s top offensive lineman nixed by Packers medical staff

Posted by Josh Alper on February 6, 2013, 8:12 AM EST

Reuters
Jovan Olafioye was named the best offensive ...

Seems he has a medical condition that involves taking medication for his blood pressure and its raising some red flags.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/06/cfls-top-offensive-lineman-nixed-by-packers-medical-staff/

[Smeefers]

Well, I had some time off so I decided to look around to see who's slotted to go near the Packers. Because I'm not a huge researcher, I decided to stick with ESPN's scout inc big board. Assuming that they have a half way decent view on who's coming out, I pulled out +/- 5 picks from our #26. So here's who they have.

21. Ezekiel Ansah - DE, BYU
6'5" 274 LBS
The guy has been compared to Jason Pierre-Paul and Clay Mathews. He's a great pass rusher, but would be a conversion project from DE to OLB for the Packers. We've already began that process with Perry, so I'm not sure if that's something we want to tackle again this year. What I don't like about him is that he's only been playing football for 3 years. He's only had one starting year in the college ranks. I know there's other great players out there who have gone through that, but those guys came from a lifetime of playing football. He was a flash in the pan in college, having one good year when nobody knew who he was. I have a hard time jumping at a guy like this.

22. Johnathan Hankins - DT, Ohio State
6'3" 320 LBS
A Junior declaring early. He's a big guy who's played every position on the D line. He's described as fluid and mobile, which is very nice to have. The scouts say his pros are his quick feet, mobility down the line and his first step ability. They also point out his aggresive run defense. All very nice things. Due to his high snap counts in college, he often seemed to wear down during games. Those big bursts of strengths didn't show up in the second halves of games. Streaky. He's also known for relying to much on his upper body strength, which will get you worn out in a hurry in the NFL. With the solid rotation we're going to have on the line, I would have no problem with the pack moving to pick this guy up.

23. Geno Smith - QB, W. Virginia

I highly doubt we're going after a quarterback in the first round. Not gonna do the research.

24. Johnathan Jenkins - DT, Georgia
6'4" 359LBS
Damn that guys big! This guy has had a target on his chest and has still performed well. He is a run stopping machine. Can move laterally down the line well and can collapse the pocket, but due to his size, he's not likely to get to the QB. He's not slippery, he's more like a brick wall. He's also prone to slowing down during the game. I think of Gilbert Brown. If you keep the guy fresh, he's going to be a monster for you. With our rotation abilities, I think this is a no miss for the packers. If I had to pick a guy to target, this would be it.

25. Cordarrelle Patterson - WR, Tennessee
6'3" 205 LBS
With Jennings and Finely possibly leaving the fold, and with the other three big recievers only having 1-2 years left on their contracts, it's not unlikely that TT will grab a WR early in the draft. This guy is fast and big. He's a good route runner, loves the slants and likes the big play go route. He does catch with his body a lot. He also wasn't asked to make a lot of jump ball catches. He always try's to make the most of a catch though (for good and for bad) and he's been known to drop an easy catch because his eyes are already up field. He'd be a nice project for the Packers. He'd be allowed to develop with our team and he could turn into a great player for us.

26. Johnthan Banks - CB, Miss. St.
6'1" 185
A small town kid. He started off at safety and then converted to CB. They say he's a ball hawk and a good route reader. He is a risk taker, likes to bait a QB and he's not afraid to go for the home run.

"Aggressive and tough against the run and works hard to shed. Lacks ideal bulk but doesn't shy from big hits and easy to love his physical nature and competitiveness. Fiery demeanor and not afraid to get on teammates for mistakes. Known as a vocal team leader with strong football character, work ethic and ambition." - CBS Sports

When talking about his negatives, it's all angles and overpursuit and technique. Basically things that can be taught. If we weren't stacked at CB, I'd jump at him.

27. Sam Montgomery - DE, LSU
6'5" 260 LBS
This guy is a pure 4-3 DE. I don't see the packers taking him. I'll give a little info on him though. He's tall, lanky, and fast. He's a good chase down player, but doesn't have that initial burst speed that you like to see in a DE. He's one of them motor guys you hear about, he holds the line well against run plays. He's also known to get locked up, can't break free or shed blocks and doesn't have the flexibility to get slide past guys when his bull rush or his outside speed are failing him.

28. Keenan Allen - WR, California
6'3" 210LBS
A big play reciever who's not afraid of contact. Constantly had the bullseye on him and still made plays, much like Jordy did before he came out of college. He plays every WR position on the field, likes to catch with his hands and willingly blocks downfield, even when the ball is run away from him. He's not as fast as people would like, and he's not known for shaking tackles. He also had a knee injury in October. I think we already have a player like this and his name is Jordy Nelson, I wouldn't mind him, but knee injuries scare me.

29. Zach Ertz - TE, Stanford
6'6" 252 LBS
He's another Jermicheal Finley. Big, good hands, fast, route runner, can play any WR position, great in the red zone. Needs a lot of help on blocking. If we pick him up, you can wave goodbye to Jermicheal in a hot second.

30. Eddie Lacy - RB, Alabama
We have discussed him, so I'm going to skip him.

31. Tavon Auston - WR, W. Virginia
5'9" 175 LBS
This little guy is a Darren Sproles, Randall Cobb type reciever. If we didn't already have 2 of these types of players on our team (Cobb/Ross), I wouldn't mind giving him a look. He doesn't fit our roster though, so I doubt we're going to target him.

All information was gained from the interwub. CBS sports, ESPN, NFL.com, hell, even a patriots web site. I just summed up what they said, expanded when I was interested and shrunk when I wasn't.

[smuggler]

I have a feeling the Bears are going to draft Eifert (TE from ND) and the Steelers are going to take big John Jenkins (NT from Georgia). That leaves us in a place where we might trade back and try to pick up selections. If we could trade into the top of the 2nd round, but still get the safety from Florida, that would be fine with me.

[pittstang5]

Ansah blew up the Senior Bowl. He was everywhere. If his combine numbers are off the charts, someone could take him earlier - think Bruce Irvin last year.

If he's around when the Packers pick and TT takes him, no complaints from my camp.

[Bretsky]

He should have come out last year. I agree with you guys, if he's there in the second he might be worth taking.

One of the many aspects Ball has and could be a benifit is that he is an effective cut blocker in the hole and willing to stand up to blitzers when protecting the qb. He is a natural receiver and adjusts to throws over the middle and in the flat and continues downfield fluidly. I recall a number of marginally thrown passes that Ball made great plays on as a Badger....several in key situations.

IMO he's a guy that would help Green Bay