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According to Mike Vandermause: 

 

1. Aaron Rodgers, QB (No. 24 overall pick in 2005)

Critics of Thompson say he got lucky when Rodgers fell into his lap after so many other teams passed on him. But it took guts to make the selection when Favre was still playing well. It didn’t help the Packers in the short term but set the table for their Super Bowl title nearly six years later and continues to keep them in playoff contention every year.

2. Clay Matthews, LB (No. 26 in 2009)

The normally conservative Thompson shocked the NFL world by trading a second-rounder and two third-rounders to New England to move into the first round to grab Matthews, who was perfectly suited for Dom Capers’ 3-4 defense. One of the third-rounders the Packers dealt had been acquired in the Favre trade with the New York Jets the year before. It was a bold and spectacular move by Thompson.

3. B.J. Raji, NT (No. 9 in 2009)

Raji has started every game he has played the past four seasons — 70 in all — and was a key piece in Capers’ defense on the Super Bowl-winning team in 2010. His pick-six against the Chicago Bears in the NFC title game was as big as it gets. Although Raji’s production fell off in 2013, the Packers brought him back for another year and plan to line him up over the center where he is most effective.

4. A.J. Hawk, LB (No. 5 in 2006)

Hawk doesn’t make the splash plays expected of such a high first-round pick and to some has been a disappointment. But he is reliable, assignment-sure and always available, playing in 137 of a possible 139 games in eight seasons with 133 starts. He had perhaps his best season in 2013 at age 29.

5. Bryan Bulaga, T (No. 23 in 2010)

He has missed the last year and a half with injuries, including a season-ending torn ACL suffered last August in the Family Night scrimmage. He was slated to be the Packers’ starting left tackle before the injury and assuming a full recovery will be a strong contender for the starting right tackle job.

6. Nick Perry, LB (No. 28 in 2012)

Injuries have sidetracked his first two seasons, with 17 games played and 11 starts. But the Packers haven’t given up on Perry, who might be suited for the new elephant position that will include lining up as an outside linebacker and defensive lineman.

7. Datone Jones, DE (No. 26 in 2013)

He made only a modest contribution as a rookie, with no starts and limited action in defensive subpackages. He showed flashes early in training camp but was never the same after injuring his ankle in August. He has the potential to move up the list.

8. Derek Sherrod, T (No. 32 in 2011)

Can he overcome the effects of a severely broken leg suffered as a rookie? Even before the injury, he couldn’t beat out Marshall Newhouse for a job at tackle, raising questions about his ability to rise above backup status.

9. Justin Harrell, DT (No. 16 in 2007)

This was Thompson’s low point in the draft room. Harrell was injury-prone and inconsistent coming out of Tennessee but Thompson picked him anyway. Lo and behold, Harrell didn’t change his ways in the pros. He never recorded a sack and started just two games in his failed NFL career.

 

http://www.packersnews.com/art...orst-1st-round-picks

Last edited by Sep
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Wow, quite a drop off after the first 2.  Raji is probably the most frustrating because he was tremendous in 2010 and mediocre after that great season.

 

Bulaga possibly could have ranked #3 on this list but after a lost season due to injury there's no guarantee he'll live up to the potential he showed before 2013.  In Datone Jones and Nick Perry it will take another year or so before we know what we've got there.  Perry has flashed talent, but just can't stay healthy and at times looks like he'd be better in a 4-3 than the 3-4 he's forced to play in. 

Mike seems to value availability over performance. Hawk and Raji have been great about staying healthy and being available, but if your play swings wildly between good and mediocre then availability means very little (to me at least). Jarrett Bush has been just as available as those two, but he gets judged only on his performance. First round picks (especially top 10 picks) are expected to be available and show talent to match their draft slot.

 

I would put Bulaga as #3. He started as a rookie on the SB team. He's struggled with availability, but when he's been available he has been consistently solid. Nick Perry is in the same boat for me, which is why I would put him at #4. He's struggled a lot with injuries, but when he's in there his run D is above average and has shown flashes of dominant ability rushing the QB. 

 

I don't think it's fair to judge Datone, he shouldn't really be factored in. He was available for all 16 games and showed flashes of great playmaking ability. My list:

 

1. Aaron Rodgers

2. Clay Matthews

3. Bryan Bulaga

4. Nick Perry

5. BJ Raji

6. AJ Hawk

7. Derek Sherrod

8. Justin Harrell

 

 

Tough break when Bulaga, Sherrod and Perry have all had their careers derailed by injuries thus far.  Freak injuries too, nothing you can pin on TT. 

 

TT has done a good job of finding NFL starters throughout the draft but he's struggled finding difference makers on defense.  Other than CMIII and Collins, he hasn't found much.  

I'm looking forward to seeing what type of information Datone can glean from Peppers since they have a similar body type.  I'm hoping that's an unnoticed bonus from the acquisition of Julius.

http://www.pro-football-refere...years/2005/draft.htm

 

Pro-Football-Reference has sortable charts showing every draft pick.  One of the columns is "DrAV" which is the approximate value that a player has delivered for the team that drafted him.  I thought it would be interesting to see about where TT's picks might have fallen in a hindsight re-draft each year.  Specifically, I checked to see how many of his picks fell within the top 32 picks (i.e. first round picks) of their draft as measured by "DrAV".  

 

2005:

 

#3 Aaron Rodgers  (DrAV has him behind #2 Demarcus Ware and #1 Logan Mankins, probably due to the fact they have played more games.  OK, it's not perfect)

#17 Nick Collins

 

(to give you an idea of how few really good players there are in a given draft, consider that QB Jason Campbell finishes off the #32 in the first round in the re-draft)

 

2006:

 

#8 Greg Jennings

#10 AJ Hawk (expect to hear some moaning about this)

#26 Daryn Colledge

 

2007:

 

#19 James Jones

 

2008:

 

#6 Josh Sitton

#14 Jordy Nelson

#32 Jermichael Finley

 

2009:

 

#1 Clay Matthews

#14 TJ Lang

#22 BJ Raji

 

2010:

 

(none.  Marshall Newhouse was #42, Bulaga #43)

 

2011:

 

#27 Randall Cobb

2012:

 

(none)

 

2013:

 

#3 Eddie Lacy

#9 David Bakhtiari

 

To Summarize:

 

In 9 Drafts TT has accumulated about 15 players that should have been picked in the first round in hindsight, including several that would have gone in the top 10 or even #1 over all.    

I think the spot picked is something that he didn't really take into consideration.  While you always want to hit on a 1st rounder, realistically, I don't consider a mid/late 20's as an automatic home run.  Whereas in the Top 10, especially Top 5, you gotta hit those.

 

1.  Rodgers

2.  Matthews

3.  Bulaga

4.  Jones

5.  Perry

6.  Raji

7.  Hawk

8.  Sherrod

9.  Harrell

 

 

had never used that feature before 18c, show how much flotsam there is in a given draft.  

 

injuries, es, to no ones surprise, have killed the Pack.  Des bishop is another one who with his legs under him would have gone significantly higher in a redraft.  

 

You out can also assume if you are a second round pick of Ted's that you should have been a first round pick.  

I agree that I can't wait to see what Datone does this year playing with Peppers. I remember Datone absolutely destroying the No. 1 pick, the LT Eric Fischer, in Senior Bowl drills -- the only guy to consistently beat Fischer. I'd like to see that Datone again, and maybe Peppers can bring it out in him. And while I'd like to see it this year, realistically, any consistent benefit should come about in 2015.

Here's more from PFF, covering the Pack today in their running "Draft Grader" series. They look at all of a team's picks from 2009-2011, and score the picks on a +2.0 to -2.0 grade scale. 

 

Only six ended up with a negative grade, and two of those had brutal injuries in their rookie season.

Yeah, I know his career grade is pretty low on their site, so I can see it from their numbers driven approach. But I think it's also completely reasonable for us fans to think of the two good years, with one of them contributing to a title.

A 300 plus DL that drops into coverage and get's a pick 6 that ends up being the winning score in an NFL championship game on the road against a bitter divisional rival that eventually leads to another Lombardi trophy is ending his GB career at some point as a good pick in my book. Not a great pick but a good one. Stats be dammed.

 

 

 

A 300 plus DL that drops into coverage and get's a pick 6 that ends up being the winning score in an NFL championship game on the road against a bitter divisional rival that eventually leads to another Lombardi trophy  

Raji at NT 

 

Coincidence?

 

Originally Posted by Boris:

I think Raji at NT is a different beast than Raji at 3-tech or 5-tech.

 

IMO, JMO. humbly


I think he was worse at NT, IMO baas. Then again, Judge Judy will be happy to remind you of my track record judging DL.

I'm with the boss on this one.  Raji is a NT and that's where he's wanted to be.  My recollection tells me he performed better there.  I know he hasn't fared well as a DE.  We'll all find out this season after this long arduous painful offseason.  (hi Pablo)

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