Official 2017 NFL draft thread

[Joemailman]

Pair him in the backfield with Lacy: Chubb and Chubby.

[hoosier]

PJ Hill. I was trying to remember the truly mediocre Badger tailbacks, and kept coming up with guys who were better than mediocre, like Calhoun and Fletcher. PJ Hill fits the bill.

[pbmax]

Random Badger note:

Tom Oates @TomOatesWSJ 51m51 minutes ago
NFL teams told @BobMcGinn that #Badgers LT Ryan Ramczyk will have arthroscopic surgery to fix torn labrum in hip after bowl. Out 4 months.

[red]

theres a video out of mixon from oklahoma punching some chick in the face, suppose to be worse then the ray rice video

theres a first rounder making sure he goes undrafted

[pbmax]

How NFL teams are evaluating and valuing athletic explosion in their draft prospects.

https://theringer.com/nfl-playoffs-draft-scouting-explosion-seahawks-steelers-cowboys-patriots-chiefs-85ea73e65837#.53qbakza4

- 3 cone, broad jump, vertical jump, short shuttle

- These are all claims you have seen before, Seahawks used a more refined system from Nike called SPARQ that launched a bunch of imitators

Data on similar numbers for players, see Jason Spriggs at 10th for all O lineman n 2016 draft.

https://3sigmaathlete.com/rankings/ol/

[call_me_ishmael]

I dunno if he'll last until we pick but I want TJ Watt like no tomorrow. High ceiling, high floor. I think he'll test worse than some would expect since I don't think he's a burner, but I think he'll be a darn fine NFL pass rusher.

[Maxie the Taxi]

- These are all claims you have seen before, Seahawks used a more refined system from Nike called SPARQ that launched a bunch of imitators

Data on similar numbers for players, see Jason Spriggs at 10th for all O lineman n 2016 draft.
https://3sigmaathlete.com/rankings/ol/

The correlation between SPARQ rating and Packer personnel transactions is striking. I've been watching it for a while now. I posted the following in early September:

Just as an aside, I've been watching the Packer's personnel moves with an eye on the SPARQ rankings which, I guess, attempt to grade and compare the athletic abilities of NFL players and prospects. The correlation is uncanny. I suspect TT puts a lot of stock in them.

For instance, Devin Cajuste is ranked #5 among all WR prospects and Herb Waters #20. That puts Cajuste in the company of Josh Doctson and Corey Coleman and Waters ahead of Sterling Shepard. Doctson, Coleman and Shepard are all starting caliber draft choices.

Also, if you are surprised TT didn't draft Reggie Raglund, it could be because Ragland ranked #77 among LB prospects whereas Kyler Fackrell was #57 and Blake Martinez was #55.

By the way, Dean Lowry was ranked #5 among Defensive Linemen and Brandon Burks, Don Jackson and Jhurell Pressley were ranked #12, #13, and #14 respectively among all rookie running backs.

Kind of too strange to be a coincidence.

Yes, Spriggs is rated #10, but what's more telling is Lucas Patrick is rated #7 and he happens to be on TT's practice squad.

Look at where these other Packers fare with respect to SPARQ position rankings:

Beau Sandland #3; Josh Hawkins #7; Kentrell Brice #10; Trevor Davis #11; Ty Montgomery #15; Jermaine Whitehead #15; Marwin Evans #18; John Crockett #19; Keith Baxter #20; Christian Ringo #35; Joe Kerridge #37.

Virtually everytime TT puts an "unknown" name on the roster or the practice squad, that player's SPARQ rating is off the charts, or at least in the top 50. In many cases these lesser known players have SPARQ position ratings higher than those of the more recognizable, marquee players.

I'm not saying it's TT's only criteria and a high SPARQ position rating is by no means a guarantee of success in the NFL, but it seems to be a better indicator than most and I have to believe TT puts an inordinate amount of stock in it.

[pbmax]

^ Yep. Its no accident the Packers have seemed to be getting faster these days. Put an emphasis on coaching though. Whitt will thrive.

There was a moment a few years ago where Ted mentioned that he had started to hire people to dig into analytics in player personnel. He said it was something he was not comfortable with but felt he had to get comfortable with, or something similar.

I had hoped a writer would revisit this and I haven't seen anyone do it. But I think Maxie's post and that Ringer article make it clear he has moved in that direction.

[esoxx]

Agree with drafting Nick Chubb.

Then we could have Chubby & Stubby.

[esoxx]

I dunno if he'll last until we pick but I want TJ Watt like no tomorrow. High ceiling, high floor. I think he'll test worse than some would expect since I don't think he's a burner, but I think he'll be a darn fine NFL pass rusher.

He's rated around 10th in his position group from what I've seen. Packers will be able to draft him if they want him.

[pbmax]

Packers eligible for 2 compensatory picks, but only get one for Hayward as Tolzien is ranked one spot over the limit. 5th comp pick of 5th round.

http://overthecap.com/projecting-2017-compensatory-draft-picks/

[red]

Packers eligible for 2 compensatory picks, but only get one for Hayward as Tolzien is ranked one spot over the limit. 5th comp pick of 5th round.

http://overthecap.com/projecting-201...y-draft-picks/

seems low for a guy that signed a 5.1 million dollar a year deal

[Bretsky]

hate to curse the idea of TJ Watt being a Badger, but I'm on the wagon for GB to draft him...just iike...........Troy Vincent ....lol

[call_me_ishmael]

He's rated around 10th in his position group from what I've seen. Packers will be able to draft him if they want him.

I think he'll be a lot higher come draft time. He will be a first round pick I would think.

[texaspackerbacker]

Getting T.J. Watt as a bargain pick - 2nd or 3rd round - would be great. I'm not so sure we don't need other things more in the first round - like maybe a cover Corner. If you think about it, though, several of our perceived needs have kinda melted away recently - RB, WR, TE, O Line, D Line, maybe even ILB. All of those things have begun to look pretty solid.