Official 2007 Live Draft Thread

[MJZiggy]

Re: Opinion

I will say I was right on Corey Rodgers and TT was wrong

True. We both agreed, but it's not like Demetrius Williams tore it up. He had 22 catches and 2 TDs last year. Hard to argue with the 2006 draft though. No team is perfect on these picks.

That 2006 draft was a gem

If these guys do anywhere NEAR as well as the 06 guys, I will be one happy little camper.

[The Leaper]

More on Jackson

Positives: Has a compact, well-defined frame with good chest development, thick thighs and calves and deceptive burst to get out on the perimeter … Cuts sharply and changes directions suddenly … Makes quick decisions on the move, showing the field vision to locate soft areas on the field … Consistent in finding the cut-back lanes and changes direction well, showing the quick feet to side-step trash and break into the second level … Picks up defensive coverage well and is able to see the small cracks and explode through the holes … Even when he doesn't have the luxury of open lanes, he is capable of sinking his pads, redirecting and bouncing wide … Better when working along the perimeter, as he needs room to shift, and displays the balance and body control, along with forward lean, to pick up valid yardage after the initial hit … Aggressive inside runner with the weaving ability to pick-and-slide through traffic, doing a nice job of maintaining balance running through the pile and will keep his feet on the move … When he bounces to the outside, he can generate that accelerated second gear to separate from defenders upfield … Releases off the snap and gets into his routes smoothly in passing situations, showing marked improvement fielding the ball outside the framewor … Falls forward with good body lean and shows a good slide step to make the initial tackler miss … Can get to the corner, cut and break free down the sideline, building to top speed nicely … Runs at the low pad level you look for in a back (doesn't have to gear down to shift) … Has enough valid speed to be split wide in passing situations and is quite effective on swing routes … Lacks pop in his hips, but will face up as a blocker … Showed better patience waiting for his line to create rush lanes in 2006 than he did in the past … Shows no hesitation attacking the crease once he locates it, and has the field intelligence to avoid running into spots … Could use more upper body power, but can deliver a good stiff arm and has the proper pad level to bounce off tackles … Won't explode into tacklers, but has the leg drive to move the pile … One of his better assets is his ability to plant, drive and redirect, showing ease of movement to get past the second level … Has good hip swerve, head fakes and spin moves to set up and elude single tacklers … Knows how to shield the ball from defenders when working in the short-area passing game and has become a proficient underneath receiver due to his natural hands and ability to locate the soft areas in the zone … Can also provide emergency duty as a kickoff returner.

Negatives: Size is a bit of a drawback, as he has short legs that make it tough for him to simply run over tacklers in tight quarters … While he has good acceleration, he is not really explosive (4.55-second 40-yard dash at the Combine), and along with his short legs he can be run down by defenders in his attempts to go the distance (needs to set up his moves rather than try to enter a foot race) … Has a penchant for carrying the ball exposed working his way up field, and while this has not been much of a problem, he needs to protect the ball better … Has a history of shoulder problems that warrant further medical evaluation … Stamina might be an issue, as he runs hard early in games but tapers off late … Good receiver out of the backfield, but has had several costly drops as he prefers to absorb the ball rather than reach and pluck for it at its high point (poor timing on his leaps).

Compares To: J.J. Arrington, Arizona Cardinals … With only one season of heavy rush load work, Jackson is still a work in progress, but he shows he is a decent underneath receiver with some value as a return specialist … He appears to be very capable of breaking a game open with his speed, but while he flashes brilliance, he also disappears for long stretches on the field, making him appear to be better as a change of pace back than a featured runner … With two shoulder surgeries in two years, his durability is another concern.

[Partial]

What's really interesting is how teams rate players. A little known fact by fans is that almost all teams share notes up until about march on their players.

They also share scouts. Something like 3/4 of the scouts submit their reports to the parent scouting company which sends out the data to the teams.

I am willing to bet that most teams go into the draft with very similiar opinions on the first day players. Second day is where it gets a little sketchy.

[Joemailman]

I think a lot of people get too worked up because they imagine there is some correlation between the mocks, which mostly copy each other, and the talent evaluations of GM's. If a lot of mocks had Harrell being drafted in the middle of the 1st round, I suspect the reaction to him may have been different.

My thoughts on today:

Justin Harrell: Will be a key member of the DT rotation from the start, and will increase his playing time as the season progresses.

Brandon Jackson: Like Joseph Addai last year, will split carries early, but will likely emerge as the #1 RB by season's end.

James Jones: Like most rookie WR's, will probably start slowly. However, his strong points (Ability to get yards after catch, toughness to run slants) are a perfect fit for the WCO. I knew nothing about him before he was picked, but I can see why TT valued him.

Aaron Rouse: Hard to evaluate this one. Not sure if he'll be a SS or a SLB. At the very least, he should have the ability to contribute immediately on special teams.

[Tarlam!]

Anyone have the rap sheet on Brandon Jackson?

http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/2007/jackson_brandon

[Partial]

When I picture Jackson, I picture Clinton Portis. Write-up seems similiar to what i'd right for Portis. Except the negatives probably wouldn't be there.

[chain_gang]

# Sel# Team Player Pos. School
31 63 Green Bay Brandon Jackson RB Nebraska
Gil Brandt's Analysis
Jackson has a chance to be the real surprise of this draft, as far as running backs go. He reminds me of Frank Gore and Rudi Johnson. A three-year player at Nebraska who left a year early, he's a complete back. He's a real good receiver; you don't have to take him out in passing situations.

[pittstang5]

Hell, the RB a lot of us wanted him to take in the 2nd (Pittman) is still there, Thompson might still be able to get him tomorrow.

I don't think we'll go for Pittman. I liked Pittman a lot...but he is too much like Morency. Thompson did the smart thing by grabbing a guy who seems good at picking up short yardage...something Morency and Pittman could struggle with.

I actually think TT is done looking at the RB position, unless he's looking at a RB to convert to FB.

(yeah, yeah, yeah.....I know, TT will take BPA)

[The Leaper]

I think a lot of people get too worked up because they imagine there is some correlation between the mocks, which mostly copy each other, and the talent evaluations of GM's. If a lot of mocks had Harrell being drafted in the middle of the 1st round, I suspect the reaction to him may have been different.

I agree entirely. ESPN's coverage also really tilts things. For 2 hours, all we heard about was Brady Quinn dropping...as if he was clearly the best player in the draft and this was some kind of ridiculous situation where NFL GMs pulling hefty salaries to research these guys 24-7-365 were completely missing the boat.

The fact of the matter was that Quinn had some serious flaws in his game that most NFL GMs viewed as reducing his value. That tidbit was thrown out right away by Jaworski, who does plenty of film work on his own...but ESPN wasn't going to let this chance to "bump ratings" slip by so easily.

The fact of the matter is that Harrell wasn't even a blip on most "mock" radars...yet few pundits covering the draft are piling on the Packers for taking him. In other words...his level of talent certainly measures up to where he was selected.

[Tarlam!]

I was just reading up on our new SS.

The guy is a beast with a mean streak. 4.31. Are you kidding me? Calvin who??

I love him already!

[Partial]

I was just reading up on our new SS.

The guy is a beast with a mean streak. 4.31. Are you kidding me? Calvin who??

I love him already!

I hope so!

[pittstang5]

I was just reading up on our new SS.

The guy is a beast with a mean streak. 4.31. Are you kidding me? Calvin who??

I love him already!

4.31!!!!!! Where did you get that? I've seen 4.52 and 4.59.

[Guiness]

So, who are surprises left on the board for the second day?

Pittman is the obvious one. Anyone else that someone thought would go, but is still hanging around?

[Bretsky]

I think a lot of people get too worked up because they imagine there is some correlation between the mocks, which mostly copy each other, and the talent evaluations of GM's. If a lot of mocks had Harrell being drafted in the middle of the 1st round, I suspect the reaction to him may have been different.

I agree entirely. ESPN's coverage also really tilts things. For 2 hours, all we heard about was Brady Quinn dropping...as if he was clearly the best player in the draft and this was some kind of ridiculous situation where NFL GMs pulling hefty salaries to research these guys 24-7-365 were completely missing the boat.

The fact of the matter was that Quinn had some serious flaws in his game that most NFL GMs viewed as reducing his value. That tidbit was thrown out right away by Jaworski, who does plenty of film work on his own...but ESPN wasn't going to let this chance to "bump ratings" slip by so easily.

The fact of the matter is that Harrell wasn't even a blip on most "mock" radars...yet few pundits covering the draft are piling on the Packers for taking him. In other words...his level of talent certainly measures up to where he was selected.

Pete Prisco predicted this pick yesterday for Green Bay; he's been accurate in the past. I almost fell off my chair when I heard that this morning. And he was right

[Tarlam!]

I was just reading up on our new SS.

The guy is a beast with a mean streak. 4.31. Are you kidding me? Calvin who??

I love him already!

4.31!!!!!! Where did you get that? I've seen 4.52 and 4.59.

http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/2007/rouse_aaron