Packer Rats 1st round poll: Hawk selection

[RashanGary]

Thanks B...

It's pretty stressfull being a fan of a team when they're picking #5...You guys had a damn good read on that guy...I'm have a lot to learn about LBers that is for sure.

[woodbuck27]

Re: Packer Rats 1st round poll: Hawk selection

Vote!

The way the Draft played out with Mario Williams off the top, it had to be us grabbing Vernon Davis or AJ Hawk as both were rated properly in the draft AND it was this or that guy depended on need on "O" or "D".

All the experts were claiming that Hawk would serve his team very well for a decade.The reports on Vernon Davis claimed that he was an exceptional talent with amazing strength and speed. Film of Davis had to make any GM drool and the 49ers got an excellent TE in Davis after TT pulled the trigger on OUR man.

OUR pick of Hawk was sound and logical given OUR need at LBer. Those who felt we had to go inside at LBer got their wish when TT snagged Abdul Hodge at #67 in the third round. Good value here as Abdul Hodge was ranked at about #50.

[Pack0514]

Three Words

Perennial All-Pro

[CaptainKickass]

Woodbuck is on the "Late Train".

[Zool]

Yeeup. He's a gamer alright.

[PaCkFan_n_MD]

I am so happy we drafted hawk, but even happier we didn’t draft Davis. I much rather draft a football player than draft some physical beast that doesn’t know how to play game. Now, I’m not saying that Davis doesn’t know how to play the game, but I just found it kind of funny how he reach the top 10 in mock drafts after the pro day and wasn’t in the top 10 b4 that. A.J. hawk showed in college that he is a FOOTBALL PLAYER and that when is comes down to it has instincts will take over. The fact that he runs a 4.5 or jumps a certain height is really less important to me them proving you have the know how.

Look at Kampmen, he is an average athlete, but is smart and has good instincts so he has success. But with Hawk your getting a player who is smart and has good instincts , but is also an above average athlete. And at the end he will be a special player.

[pbmax]

Barnett was the same type of college player. He isn't Urlacher (9th) or Lewis (5th). THAT is a fact. He may be a first rounder but not a top 5 or even a top 10.

Unless you are talking about Jamal, Ray Lewis was picked at #26, not #5.

And if Hawk just makes a couple Pro Bowl appearances, the number 5 pick will have panned out, reglardless of Davis. Any hit in the first round is a success. At less than 50% of first round choices making it as starters, arguing that he isn't all world is pointless.

And Zak Thomas and many smaller OLBs have had good success in this scheme. They aren't taking guards head on in most cases.

[The Leaper]

Living in Columbus, I've seen a lot of Hawk. I really am high on the kid. He is a football player. Some positions are hard to project to the next level, but I don't feel LB is one of them. Hawk is a carbon copy of Barnett athletically, but he played at a higher level over a longer period in college and displayed the ability to step up his game on a huge national stage against ultra-elite competition...which didn't happen with Barnett. Hawk isn't being placed out of position at the next level, like Barnett was. He's going to shine at the OLB position, and become a bona-fide playmaker who will be a leader on defense for years to come.

Hawk is coming from a fundamentally sound coaching staff led by Jim Tressel...a defensive specialist who is a proven winner everywhere he has been. Barnett came from a coaching staff led by Dennis Erickson, an offensive innovator whose career is a roller coaster. If I was drafting a LB, I'd want him to come from the Tressel team.

Vernon Davis might have a higher upside...but he also has a much greater risk. I'm glad we got the guy who is a football player, not an athlete in a football uniform. Long term, Hawk will be the better player IMO...although I don't doubt that Davis may have a handful of dominating seasons at TE/WR.

[HarveyWallbangers]

To add to Leaper's thoughts. The most underrated aspect of Hawk's game is his tackling ability. I'm pretty sure it will translate to the pro level. Hawk was as good of a tackler as anybody I've seen on the college level. When he gets to somebody, they go down.