Assessing Packer Draft "Needs" as of today

personally, before Peppers, I saw them taking a TE or S, depending on the board, but now, well its' the same, I think the talent that is slated to be available is in TE maybe S but some pundits show 1 or the 2 top S being gone, to get the Blue chip TE is a good deal in my books.

I'd still prioritize S and ILB early in 1st 2 days.  Probably a WR there as well.  Day 3 probably TE and C earlier, end with DB as Tramon gone next season and best available DL/OL from there, ending with a project WR from Podunk U that will be the next Boykin.

OL might not be out of the question either.

 

The Packers Oline and/or running game scheme needs to do more to help Lacy than they did last year. IMO JMO 

 

I don't see TE as this huge need that others apparently do.

The presence of a guy named Aaron Rodgers may help the running game just a tad.  JMO IMHO.

I'd be surprised with OL early,  but I am sure TT will take a flyer on one in the late rounds.  I think an athletic TE is what this offense needs, to create the matchup problems, and let Lacy and Jordy and Cobb carve up D's.  I think they will roll with AJ and Jones, and hoping the DL plays better, will allow better LB play.  

True dat JJSD.

 

Russ, you think TE is a bigger need than ILB?

 

TE Brandon Bostic flashed some downfield skills before he was lost for the season and the team is high on his potential.  

 

I'd to see them pick up a playmaking ILB.

Finley is done, and Quarless is never going to be a top level TE. However, if they wind up re-signing Jones, then TE drops down the list of priorities. Rodgers would have more than enough targets with Jones/Nelson/Cobb/Boykin/Quarless as his options at WR and TE and Lacy/Franklin/Harris at RB. If they do get JJ back, the targets in the draft need to be S, ILB and C, in that order.

What one NFL scout told Bad Bob about Centers:

 

Centers don't need to be especially talented. You can get away with smart, dependable, instinctive guys who know how to call out the fronts and can play with angles.

 

FWIW.

Of course an upgrade at ILB is welcome.  But with the DL potential and OLB productivity,  maybe ILB isn't the biggest need?  JMO.  A motivated Raji, plus JP, Datone getting better and Neal and Perry, with CMIII, and Worthy, and Daniels keep producing, I think the hope by TT is that the ILB's will play better?  We'll see, I think the needs are TE, S, ILB, CB, OL.

Fine.  I am now blue in the face.  TT is not taking a TE in RD1.

Assuming that Finely doesn't re-sign, I wouldn't mind Eric Ebron in the first round.  I'm not sure who I'd want if he and Pryor and Clinton-Dix were all available, but I would take CJ Mosley over any of them.

If Jones is back, I'll be kinda ticked if they target any offensive position outside of C in the first three rounds of the draft. They need to get messes at safety and ILB fixed. You can live with Morgan Burnett and either Hawk or Jones, but they need to be paired with quality players. Combining Burnett with an MD Jennings or the Hawk/Jones combo is just a disaster.

 

JMO, but I think if Schneider had even the remotest confidence his staff would clear him, he never leaves Seattle. Still possible he's cleared at some point but really here we sit way into FA and a former Packer Exec the only one to kick the tires on him. Doesn't bode well...

if Ebron is there I don't think Ted passes him up. I don't think Ted goes safety in Rd 1 but if he does it won't be Haha or Pryor. Neither ran a very good 40. There are injury concerns about CJ Mosely. Possibly Van Noy if he is there. But if both Van Noy or Ebron are gong, I could see WR. Odell Beckham who is a burner or the WR from Florida State. Safety/Corner goes in rd 2 and Lb (Skov) goes in rd 3.

I wanted TT to draft Eifert last year... alas he was gone by the time we were on the clock. I'd be fine if he got Ebron this year, but I'd prefer one of the safeties. As glaring a need as S is, I still think BPA is the best policy at the top of the draft.

BPA. Count on it.

They both ran 4.5's.  That is plenty good for a safety.

I think the "BPA" stuff is a little over-hyped.  Ted probably has more than one player that would slot at #21.  Or nobody left at #21 grades high enough to be the #21 pick.  With so many players, I'm sure several grade out the same.  So in reality, it's probably BP(s)A: Best Players Available.

BFPA

Best Football Player Available.....

PERIOD.

You can bank on it.

The Packers have been know to focus on big guys who can move in the first round. High speed to size ratio, safeties are not big guys so I do not think they will go there in the first. I suspect Ted would love to grab C.J. Mosley or Ebron,  then the best big guy he can get.

After the Seattle visit Finley has dropped off the radar, my guess is he is done.

I don't think you can pass on Mosley if he's there at R1.  The big fatty from Notre Dame makes sense in R1 too, as does Haha and Pryor.  

 

TT does different stuff though... I wouldn't be shocked to see the WR from USC taken in R1 either. 

Re-signing some solid depth and signing Peppers allows for a lot of flexibility. Whereas before DE might have been more of a need, the 1st rounder can truly be Best Defender Available. My hunch is that BDA will be CJ Mosley, despite what some populate mock drafts might say. Could be Clinton-Dix, which is fine, could be Pryor which would also be fine. I know some of you have convinced yourselves that Hyde is the future at FS, and he may be I'm not discounting it, but if a Safety is the BPA on day 1 or day 2 then TT will take him regardless of Hyde's future. Day 2 will be very exciting because we will have so many directions to go in. I definitely think we see either a round 2 WR or a round 3 TE.

Mosley is the guy I'd probably want over anyone right now...I just don't believe he'll be there when we pick. I bet one of the top two safeties will be, though. That would be hard for me to pass up.

I agree on Mosley not being there, but one of the top TEs and one of the top S will be there. If you have a choice of both, which do you choose?

TT will take someone no one expects.

I wouldn't expect QB, RB, OT, K, or P. Everything else is fair game.

MHO is that our needs we have haven't changed a bit, p'boi.

Realistically, our FA signings (including our own guys) thus far buy 1-2 of service, and should allow the development part of "draft & develop" to take place. The same holds true for guys like JJ, Kuhn, or Jolly; if they are re-signed, it's likely for the same 1-2 year window. Raji could be an exception, and get a longer-term extension eventually, but it's still a position that will have to be dealt with sooner rather than later.

It should be obvious that overall speed on defense must improve, especially at ILB, and that remains the single biggest need to draft. I'm not opposed to taking a S or even CB early, assuming the right player is there, but we've got a lot of DB talent on the roster than needs to develop. It wouldn't hurt to get a guy that can hang with the bigger physical WRs in our division (Megatron and Marshall, primarily).

Unless Joe Thomas is available at #21, I'd rather not see a high pick used on the OL. We've got to get these guys sorted out and playing; there's way too many of these high picks that haven't been able to contribute.

I've gotta go the same way at TE. Not that we have a lot of high draft picks there, but we've got a lot of them on the roster not producing anywhere near enough, so they need to shake out the same as OL. Again, if somebody is available that's too good to pass up, I'm sure TT won't, but I personally don't perceive it as a big need.

Defense still needs fixing even with the addition of Peppers. Glaring holes at both safety and ILB (Jones was a horrible mistake).

I think TE is a real possibility even thought they have much greater needs at ILB and S.   Of course, TT could surprise us all and draft a DL or WR and then our heads would explode.

Mosley, Dix, & Pryor appear logical choices, but if Ebron is still there at 21 it could be very tempting.  

With Peppers, this D really needs a headhunting ILB or S to be legit.

 

If Kahil Mack somehow falls to 21....

I think Mack is going in the top 10

Mack is going in the top 5. Mosley has been falling some because needs are changing and other players are rising. No one said Bryan Bulaga would fall either and he dropped for the same reason I think Mosely will. If we don't get Mosely in r1 then I think they will shoot for another ILB in r3 or r4.

 

I think that's a little harsh. He was a 7th round draft pick & is decent on special teams. What were you expecting? Mark Tauscher or Donald Driver?

 

Yes, Safety & ILB  need upgrading. But to expect Ray Lewis type production from a 7th rounder is unrealistic IMO. You should be disappointed in AJ Hawk. Sucks that Bishop got hurt

 

Who do you like in 3 or 4?  Borland, Skov, ??

I agree with those that are asking for ILB and Safety help. We need someone to contain the likes of Wilson and Kapernick.

Borland won't make it to round 3 or 4.

If they don't bring back JJ I could see Uncle T looking at a WR early too

A QB falling to 21 would be classic though

Performance more reflective of the contract he was given. Right now he appears to be a pretty marginal player that the team overpaid for.