Packer Update

I used to hate it when some “old person” would tell me how much better things were when they were young. Movies were better back then. So was music. And, of course, there was no comparison when it came to sports. I would just roll my eyes and swear to myself that I would never become one of those geezers when I grew up. Well, I’m all grown up now, and you know what, I’m going to say something today that I swore I’d never say – the NFL draft was better when I was young.

Instead of a prime time event broken up over three days, the draft used to begin on a Tuesday morning and it didn’t end until every single pick was made (or until one of the GMs keeled over from exhaustion – whichever came first). It was survival of the fittest, and it was great.

Instead of squeezing in an occasional pick between a million promos and commercials, ESPN used to actually cover the draft. Imagine that. Back then, you didn’t have to worry about missing your favorite team’s selection because yet another Subway ad was being forced down your throat.

Instead of plastering my television with so many graphics that I don’t know whether I’m watching the NFL draft on ESPN or “Hardball” on MSNBC, how about letting me know what’s happening by actually telling me what’s happening. Do I really need a constant reminder on Saturday of which player the Packers took on Thursday? And do I need a continuous graphic telling me which poor slobs from the Best Available Players board are still undrafted?

Instead of Chris Berman trying to impress the viewing audience by mentioning ad nauseam his numerous sycophant-like relationships around the NFL, the man now more a caricature than a broadcaster used to actually talk serious football with his colleagues. No ridiculous nicknames. No fawning over the Andy Reids and Bill Polians of the NFL. Just nuts and bolts draft conversation. Boy, I miss that.

Instead of Mel Kiper tempering his comments in an effort to maintain his relationships around the league, the man with the coiffed hair actually used to criticize picks, and more importantly, he criticized the people who made them. His frankness often led to uncomfortable moments. Who can ever forget then-Indianapolis Colts president Bill Tobin eviscerating Kiper in 1994? It was classic TV. Nowadays, Mel spends most of his time sparring with fellow draft “expert” Todd McShay. It’s hardly the same.

Instead of pretty much glossing over rounds two through seven in lieu of giving its 48 correspondents a chance to earn their salaries by conducting numerous mind-numbing interviews, wouldn’t it be nice to hear a cogent analysis of each pick? How many times do we need to hear a head coach or a general manager tell us how surprised they were that a certain player fell or just how good of a kid they’ve added to their roster?

Instead of listening to semi-literate former NFL stars give their opinions on players they’ve probably never actually seen play, how about hiring more people who actually know what they’re talking about? CNN’s Paul Zimmerman used to sit at the adult table when the draft first started, and he was great. He never played in the league and he certainly wasn’t pretty to look at, but he spoke articulately and he actually knew his stuff. Now we get the likes of Warren Sapp and Michael Irvin – if they’re not charged with a crime at the time.

OK, I know some of you are thinking that I’m just some middle-aged guy who doesn’t have NFL Network. Well I am and I don’t, but that’s beside the point. Television has turned the NFL draft from a die hard football fan’s dream into just another prime time show. The difference is that prime time shows are often filled with interesting characters whose primary job it to enhance and advance the story. ESPN’s characters are seldom interesting and they more often than not either distract from the story or even obscure it.

I’m going to end this column rant now. It’s time for me to remove my bifocals, have a glass of warm milk and take a nap. After all, the draft is tonight and I can’t wait.

(I wrote this column last April. My cable company added NFL Network between then and now, so I won’t have to watch ESPN’s coverage. This post is for all the fans who aren’t so lucky.)

Coach Mike McCarthy hired Dom Capers to bring the 3-4 to Green Bay, but that doesn’t mean the 4-3 is history. In fact, after what happened over the weekend, expect to see a lot more of the traditional defense in 2009. “McCarthy will talk about the 3-4 ad neauseam between now and the start of the regular season, but when push comes to shove, I think you’ll see quite a bit of the 4-3,” said a former scout. “That would allow Aaron Kampman to keep his hand on the ground more often. It would also allow both Ryan Pickett and B.J. Raji to be on the field at the same time. That’s the beauty of what GM Ted Thompson did on Saturday. He selected two players who can function in either scheme.”

Here are the scout’s comments on the second and final day of the draft:

“T.J. Lang is already the best right tackle on Green Bay’s roster. I’m not saying that he’ll definitely be the starter when the season opens in September, but it wouldn’t surprise me. Jamone Meredith could also compete for that job, but I think he’ll wind up on the other side. Along with Josh Sitton, the Packers have added some pretty good offensive line prospects in the middle rounds of the past two drafts.”

“We talked about the Packers needing a more physical fullback in last week’s position-by-position analysis. Well, now they have that player. There’s no question Quinn Johnson will be a dominating lead blocker at the next level. Whether he’ll be a good fit in Mike McCarthy’s offense remains to be seen.”

“Thompson hit just about every need this team had going into the weekend. The Packers added two defensive linemen, two offensive linemen, two outside linebackers and a fullback. If a GM was ever going to draft for need, this was the year to do it. After the top 50 guys, you could bunch the next 100 together and get similar value in the fifth round that another team got in the third. I have a feeling that’s why Thompson was willing to give up both of his 3s to move up.”

“Only a fool would grade a draft now, but I certainly like what Thompson did over the weekend. It wouldn’t surprise me to see six or seven of these kids make the final roster, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see three or four earn starting jobs. Raji and Matthews will be given every opportunity to start, and Johnson, Lang and Meredith all play positions where there’s likely to be plenty of competition in training camp. From top to bottom, I like this draft better than last year’s.”

Copyright 2009. Do not repost.

We have absolutely no idea whom the Packers will choose in the first round. And anyone who tells you differently is flat-out lying. Ted Thompson is as tight-lipped as any general manager in the league and his staff is almost as secretive. So even though we spent the past few days analyzing eight players who figure to be strong possibilities at No. 9, it wouldn’t surprise us if the eventual choice doesn’t even come from that group. So instead of blindly guessing as to whom Thompson will select, we asked a former scout – with over 20 years of experience in the NFL – for his expert opinion. Here’s what he would do if he were running the Packers:

“I’m old school, so I grade players on what they did on the field in the fall and not on how they looked in shorts in the spring. Back in January, my top 10 players were Michael Crabtree, Andre Smith, Matthew Stafford, Eugene Monroe, Jason Smith, Malcolm Jenkins, Aaron Curry, Brian Orakpo, Mark Sanchez and B.J. Raji – in that order. Crabtree’s foot surgery dropped him a bit, but I still think these are the 10 best prospects in the draft. I know that Tyson Jackson, Robert Ayers and Michael Oher have been flying up the board in the last two or three few months, but as far as I know, none of those guys has made a tackle or blocked a pass rusher in that time.

I don’t expect Stafford, Monroe, Jason Smith, Sanchez or Curry to be there at 9, and I don’t think the Packers would take Crabtree. That leaves Andre Smith as a possibility and Malcolm Jenkins, Brian Orakpo and B.J. Raji as probabilities. I know Smith has had a very tough few months, but that wouldn’t keep me from selecting him. He’s simply too talented to pass up. At best, he’ll be a Pro Bowl tackle. At worst, he’ll be a Pro Bowl guard. If Smith is gone, the choice between Jenkins, Orakpo and Raji would be a very difficult one. I’d remove Orakpo from the mix because he’s a projection to outside linebacker and there’s simply better depth at that position than there is at either defensive back or nose tackle. That leaves two.

THE PICK: The temptation would be to select Raji. Quality nose tackles are very hard to find, and with Ryan Pickett pushing 30 and in the final year of his contract, there’s a real need there. But I’ve always believed in taking the best player available, and in this scenario, the best player available wouldn’t be Raji. Jenkins played at an extremely high level from the moment he stepped onto the Ohio State campus in 2006. A slower than expected 40 time at the Combine seems to have made too many people forget just how terrific of a football player this young man is. I think he can be a Pro Bowl cornerback at the next level, but if I’m wrong, then he’ll be a Pro Bowl safety. Either way, the Green Bay Packers will get their money’s worth from Jenkins.” And in today’s economy, there’s definitely something to be said for that.

Copyright 2009. Do not repost.

The draft is three days away and we still have no clue (surprise, surprise) as to what GM Ted Thompson is thinking at No. 9. Assuming that Green Bay has no shot at outside linebacker Aaron Curry and offensive tackles Jason Smith, Eugene Monroe and Andre Smith, and no real interest in quarterbacks and wide receivers, we’ve narrowed the list of possible first round picks to eight. We asked a former scout to give us a thumbnail sketch of each of these players. Here are his comments:

DE/OLB BRIAN ORAKPO (Texas)

“He’s going to be a very good pass rusher in the NFL, but I’m just not sure if he can play in a 3-4. While he has excellent straight-line speed, he’s a little stiff – something that could be a problem in coverage. A lack of fluidity could also be an issue with Aaron Kampman. Do the Packers really want two outside linebackers who may not be all that effective dropping into zones? To me, Orakpo is an ideal 4-3 end. He’s big enough to hold his own against the run and explosive enough to manufacture consistent pressure off the edge. He would’ve been a perfect fit for the defense Bob Sanders ran last season. Probably not so much anymore.”

Biggest question – Can his stay healthy? He battled quite a few nagging injuries in college, and then tweaked his hamstring at the Combine.

DT B.J. RAJI (Boston College)

“The Packers should know this player as well, if not better, than any team in the league. One of Mike McCarthy’s closest friends in football is Jeff Jagodzinski, who just happened to coach Raji at Boston College. If Jags’ opinion of the player is positive, then it’s hard to imagine Ted Thompson passing on him at 9. Raji is the type of nose tackle that every 3-4 team covets. He’s difficult to move and has very good short-area quickness. Green Bay could probably get by with Ryan Pickett for another season, but he’s pushing 30 and in the last year of his contract.”

Biggest question – Is any nose tackle worth a top 10 pick? Two of the best – Casey Hampton and Vince Wilfork – went much later in round one.

DE/OLB AARON MAYBIN (Penn St.)

“He might have the highest ceiling of all the hybrid rushers, but two things concern me. First, he started for only one year at Penn State, and second, he gained over 20 pounds between the end of last season and the Combine in February. And while he carried the weight better at his pro day, I’m still not sure if he’s ever going to be comfortable at 250. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me to see him back down in the 230s by the middle of two-a-days. Maybin has the talent to be an impact player in the NFL, but there are too many unknowns to consider him at 9.”

Biggest question – Can he be as effective with the extra weight? He showed a tremendous burst at Penn St., but that was 25 pounds ago.

OT MICHAEL OHER (Mississippi)

“He’s too talented to dismiss at 9, but he’s too inconsistent to be a no-brainer that high in the draft. On his best days, Oher is a more dominant player than either Jason Smith or Eugene Monroe. But there are too many other times when he looks more like a mid-round prospect. He should probably go in the late teens or early 20s, but the lack of talent at the top of the draft and the number of teams that need a tackle will push him up – maybe all the way into the top 10. Any team that picks him that high will be rolling the dice. I don’t see much middle ground with Oher. I think he’ll either be a perennial All-Pro or be out of the league in five years.”

Biggest question – Does he want to be great? Oher took too many plays/series off at Mississippi and appeared almost disinterested at times.

DE TYSON JACKSON (Louisiana St.)

“I know people question whether Jackson is worth the No. 9 pick, but 3-4 ends who can stuff the run and also provide a little something in the pass rush are few and far between. That’s why [ex-Cowboy] Chris Canty got $17 million guaranteed from the Giants last month. And Jackson should be a better pro. He didn’t play very well as a junior, and that bothers me. It’s inexcusable for a player with his talent not to be one of the best players on the field every Saturday. Is he worth the No. 9 pick? In most drafts, I’d say no. But in this draft, I don’t see it as much of a reach.”

Biggest question – Can he rush the QB? He only recorded eight sacks in the past two seasons, a surprisingly low number for a player with his skill set.

DB MALCOLM JENKINS (Ohio St.)

“This kid is the anti-Mike Mamula. He was terrific on the field for three seasons, but struggled a bit in shorts at the Combine. He’s bigger and faster than Al Harris, and that guy has done pretty well for himself in the NFL. I’ve read mock drafts that have Jenkins going between 18 and 24. Are you kidding me? He has more than enough skills to be an elite cornerback in the NFL if used properly. I think a team would be insane to play Jenkins at safety early in his career. Any scouts who don’t think he can play cornerback need to toss their Combine notes in the garbage and just watch his 43 starts at Ohio State.”

Biggest question – Does he run well enough to play cornerback at the next level? He was timed at 4.53 and 4.58 at the Combine in February.

“Ted doesn’t care what other people think, but would he really draft another kid from Tennessee so soon after taking Justin Harrell? Ayers didn’t do much as a sophomore and junior, but his senior season was very good. He also put up excellent numbers at the Combine in February. He’s bigger than Everette Brown, Aaron Maybin and Brian Orakpo and more explosive than Tyson Jackson. To me, he’s not really a pure 4-3 defensive end or a pure 3-4 outside linebacker. I see him simply as an impressive athlete and an ascending football player who would be a significant asset to any team that employs a creative defensive coordinator. And with Dom Capers now in Green Bay, that includes the Packers.”

Biggest question – Can he help you right away? He’s raw and needs to get stronger. A team might have to wait to get a return on its investment.

“If picking another Volunteer in the first round would upset Packers fans, I can only imagine how they’d react to taking another undersized pass rusher from Florida State in the top 10. But I don’t think that Brown will be a bust in the pros. Unlike Jamal Reynolds, he comes into the league with a pair of healthy knees, a flexible body and a wide variety of pass rush moves. He’s probably too small to play end in a 4-3, so if he’s going to be starter in the NFL, it will have to be at outside linebacker in a 3-4.”

Biggest question – Can he drop off the line into coverage? He was very rarely asked to do that at Florida State. If he can’t, then any team that picks him will be stuck with an awfully one-dimensional player.

Copyright 2009. Do not repost.