Grade the 2016 draft

[Bretsky]

I don't get the Spriggs concern at all. I was worried TT would grab him round one. I think he's a great pick where we got him. He was a VERY solid college players and played very well at the Senior Bowl. And y'll know I'm not a TT worshipper but to me that pick was stellar

[Bretsky]

I give this draft a B. It has the blessing of Bretsky. To me this was "smart" draft. Some very needed spots address. Still ignoring my Darren Sproles threat but it gives me something besides the Fresno Fraud to complain about.

Back to smart. Tretter from Cornell...he's a guy who mentally picked up all of the positions very fast per the Packer beat guys. Last year...Stanford guy...Montgomery...reportedly learned the offense heads and heals faster than other rooks. Did we grab two Stanford guys this year ? Smart dudes.......

We have Aaron Rodgers, who gets us 6=8 wins unless we have utter incompetence all around him. So TT does what he does.....drafted a lot of decent guys...probably no stars....to surround Rodgers and the Claymaker.

Sounds like another 10-12 win season is coming.........

[Striker]

This was a solid B draft.

Helps solidify the lines. Provides a potential returner. Maybe a coverage ILB. Nothing flashy but solid overall.

[bobblehead]

I don't get the Spriggs concern at all. I was worried TT would grab him round one. I think he's a great pick where we got him. He was a VERY solid college players and played very well at the Senior Bowl. And y'll know I'm not a TT worshipper but to me that pick was stellar

Spriggs has all the measurable except size. Can he bulk up to 330 by next year and develop the punch you need in the NFL. This draft grade lives and dies by what spriggs weighs July 1st 2017.

[woodbuck27]

Spriggs has all the measurable except size. Can he bulk up to 330 by next year and develop the punch you need in the NFL. This draft grade lives and dies by what spriggs weighs July 1st 2017.

[woodbuck27]

Comment From Ryan

" ...In 10 years how many of these 7 picks do you think we will be able to look back on and say Ted was right and how many you think will be a bust? .."

Response from a chat:

" That's what makes grading drafts a fruitless endeavor. I hear guys say this was a great pick or that was a great pick, or this team had a good draft, and it's always based on either they made big-news trades for big-name players or used early picks on big needs. But that doesn't mean those players are going to pan out. If three of them turn out to be good picks Thompson will have done well. If it turns out he found a Hall of Famer, or a near Hall of Famer, he'll have had a great draft... " Pete Dougherty

[Patler]

I am loath to do this sort of thing, because I do not know college players well, and what do I know about what it takes to be an NFL player? But, what the heck, might as well try it one time.

I do very little about studying players before the draft, but find out as much as I can about the Packers picks after the draft, So here are my grades based on my perceived value for the spot the player was taken. For example, a late round "A" means it was a great pick at that time, not that the player is a better player than an early round "C". It also doesn't mean that I think he has a better chance for a long NFL career than the early round "C". It does mean that I think he has a better chance than a typical late round pick. My grades factor in need. A good pick at a position of need is graded higher than an equally good pick at a position of lesser need.

Here goes:

Clark (B+) - young, lots of potential, hit a serious need for GB. Perhaps more importamtly, I think he has little "bust potential". May not be great, but likely to be a solid player for a long time. Very good pick for late in the 1st round.

Spriggs (B+) - I want to give this pick an A because of how badly GB apparently wanted him, giving up two picks to move up. A lot of what has been said about him could have been said about Clifton, with one exception that I think is huge. Spriggs is said to not have a good punch, Clifton's was outstanding. Clifton's punch is what made his pass pro so good. I remember an article about Clifton in which rival pass rushers said his punch stunned them at times, made them stop dead just to retain balance. Great feet keep you in the rushers way, a great punch keeps them well away from the QB. Clifton had both. I hope Spriggs can be taught that.

Fackrell (B) - I like the pick, but I'm not sure it was a special pick at that spot in the draft.

Martinez (A) - I don't know why completely, but I think this guy might be viewed in the future like the pick of Linsley. This pick hit a big need for GB with one of the better prepared candidates in this draft to fit that need. At this point of the draft, it is a great pick. Martinez sure has his coaches' support for his work in coverage. One noted that while his 40 time wasn't great, his 3-cone and shuttle times were very good, and he felt those better indicated what he does in coverage. The guy is all football and maximum effort. If he fails, it won't be from lack of preparation or poor effort. Great pick at that spot. Need + players suitability to meet that need relative to other players in the draft bumps the grade on this pick way up, even if Martinez isn't exactly what you want at the position.

Lowry (C+) - I like him, size gives him the "+" in spite of the fact he was apparently born without arms. Otherwise, just a run-of-the-mill pick for that spot.

Davis (C+) - I think he has some things going for him, speed and hands give him a "+"; but I'm not sure the roster has a spot for him. If GB had a big hole in the 4th or 5th WR spot, I would rate this pick a lot higher.

Murphy (B) - Real solid pick for the 6th round. May never become a player, most 6th rounders don't. But I think he has a lot to work with, it matched a position of need, so a real good pick for that spot in the draft.

Overall, I still grade the draft an "A" for the reasons stated in my earlier post. The total is really more than the average of its parts. No weak picks, no "who?" picks, no picks not directed at a need. All picks were players with perceived shots to contribute in some way.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Spriggs has all the measurable except size. Can he bulk up to 330 by next year and develop the punch you need in the NFL. This draft grade lives and dies by what spriggs weighs July 1st 2017.

He won't and shouldn't be 330 by next year or ever. He has good lower body strength. Despite 31 bench presses, he needs to improve upper body strength. Not to the tune of an extra 30 pounds. My guess is he'll settle in at around 315, maybe 320 in his prime.

[bobblehead]

He won't and shouldn't be 330 by next year or ever. He has good lower body strength. Despite 31 bench presses, he needs to improve upper body strength. Not to the tune of an extra 30 pounds. My guess is he'll settle in at around 315, maybe 320 in his prime.

Then he should make a fine RT someday. And lower body strength is what matters for linemen, not upper (with the rare exception of former Greco Roman wrestlers who translate upper body into balance and leverage).

He needs the size so that the bulls don't run through him. He seems to have good feet, and understands the angles, but if you get run over it doesn't matter.

[HarveyWallbangers]

330lbs is too strict for a minimum requirement for a LT. Plenty of LTs that are 320lbs or less: Tyron Smith, Joe Staley, Jason Matthews, Terron Armstead, Branden Albert, Eric Fisher, Donald Penn, Eugene Monroe, Joe Thomas, Duane Brown, Anthony Constanzo, Luke Joeckel, Taylor Lewan. There are more, but I listed some bigger names. Many are under 310lbs. I think a good weight for Spriggs will be 315-320lbs. I don't see him putting on almost 30 pounds. He's got LT feet, so he doesn't need to be 330lbs. He might lose some of the athleticism at that weight.

[swede]

I would amend my grades slightly to reflect that the Blake Martinez pick has been growing on me as I learn more about him. Picks like Khyri Thornton fail because they lack the effort or ability to learn the job or refine their skills to compete at the next level. According to his coaches, Martinez gives maximum physical and mental effort and prepares incessantly.

I would also add even more to my enthusiasm for the Lowry pick. He has the size and motor and intelligence to be a very, very good DE for us.

The last few years the draft seemed to have fallen badly for us. This year, things may have worked out to such a degree that Ted was still grabbing his fourth rounders in the fifth and sixth round.

[3irty1]

The WR Davis is grown on me the most since I posted my grades. Shades of Greg Jennings in him. Seems like a smart guy too. Wouldn't surprise me if he pulled a Montgomery and made leaps in his game before even stepping on a pro field.

[mraynrand]

I have an unidentified fungus growing on me. Does that count?

[pbmax]

I have an unidentified fungus growing on me. Does that count?

Can it rush the passer?

[mraynrand]

Can it rush the passer?

Let it evolve for a few more months and maybe, just maybe.