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Guys, there's no point in blocking a thread hijacker if you  keep quoting him. I don't have any time for attention whores. You know, I don't find this stuff amusing anymore (name the song). It's a game nobody wins, so I don't play. I'm here for Packer football.

I like this draft. I think we get a defensive starter at 27 and another (either DL or LB) day 2.  Can't wait, though I'll be working until 10 Thursday night. Would not be surprised by three bruisers (2 DT and 1 LT)

I disagree with McGinn about his analysis of Clark, but I don't think it's unrealistic that Clark is the pick. I think there will be someone better that is available at 27, but Clark would not be a bad addition. Clark has a lot of talent and has not hit his ceiling yet, but there's not one area of his game that has me really excited. He's not even close to the best run stuffer in the draft...Jarran Reed is far and away the top run stuffer and I would take Jon Bullard and Austin Johnson above Clark in that category also. Clark, Butler, and Jones are the 3 guys, out of all the DL prospects, who have the most upside, but none of them are quite there yet. 

Grave Digger posted:

I disagree with McGinn about his analysis of Clark, but I don't think it's unrealistic that Clark is the pick. I think there will be someone better that is available at 27, but Clark would not be a bad addition. Clark has a lot of talent and has not hit his ceiling yet, but there's not one area of his game that has me really excited. He's not even close to the best run stuffer in the draft...Jarran Reed is far and away the top run stuffer and I would take Jon Bullard and Austin Johnson above Clark in that category also. Clark, Butler, and Jones are the 3 guys, out of all the DL prospects, who have the most upside, but none of them are quite there yet. 

Would you take Clark over Billings? 

Final mock, no trades.

#27 - Kenny Clark/DT/UCLA

Projected him to the Packers with their first pick after a trade down in the last mock.  I'd rather see them draft Vernon Butler but when Thompson looks at the needs on the defensive line, plus this player's youth and pass-rush upside from the nose tackle spot, he seems the most likely candidate at #27.

#57 - Bronson Kaufusi/OLB/Brigham Young

Has played anywhere from 285 to 250...I'm guessing the Packers would want him at around 265 and would put him at outside linebacker.  If a late first/early second round grade defensive lineman (Chris Jones, Austin Johnson) slips to the area of #45, I wouldn't be surprised to see Thompson trade up and pick a second big defensive lineman.

#88 - Alex Lewis/OT/Nebraska

Tendency breaker pick for Thompson in that he's more of a thinner offensive lineman with longer arms and probably can't move all over the line (played left guard during his time at Colorado but he's either a left tackle or right tackle in the NFL).  But he does fit the profile of what Thompson likes in that he's tough, will battle every down and has a real mean streak to him. 

#125 - James Bradberry/S/Samford

As of yesterday Bradberry was not in the top 150 at CBS Sports, not in the top 150 at NFL.com, Nawrocki has him at #142, Ourlads has him at #149...the combined expert's opinion has him as a late sixth rounder.  Personally, I was thinking he's a solid fourth rounder and that's where he'll likely go.  Yesterday the JS published McGinn's top 100 players and Bradberry is included.  I'm still thinking fourth round and if he makes it to #125 then Thompson would love to pick him here.  Was a corner in college but I think Thompson would take him as a safety and use him like they use Micah Hyde.  Wouldn't be that surprised to see Thompson pick him at #88.

#131 - Nick Kwiatkoski/ILB/West Virginia

This is ILB pick'em.  Kwiatkoski, Nick Vigil/Utah State, Blake Martinez/Stanford could all carry similar grades on the Packer's board and all of them will probably get picked in this area of the draft.  I'm guessing Vigil is Thompson's favorite but he'll be picked ahead of #131 and Thompson would take Kwiatkoski over Martinez. 

#137 - Dean Lowry/DE/Northwestern

Had the reputation as a tough, try-hard guy with limited strength and athleticism but surprised everyone at the combine with plus-numbers across the board.  Was a really good player at Northwestern.  Tendency breaker pick in that he's not the 6-2, 300 pound gap penetrator that Thompson loves to pick.  Much more of a natural five-technique that would fit nicely in the Guion, Pennel, Kenny Clark (if picked by Green Bay) mix.

#163 - Brandon Williams/CB/Texas A&M

Of what I think Thompson will view as the team's seven primary needs, 6 of them have been filled (leaving only RB).  Very raw former running back that switched to cornerback in 2015.  Has decent height (5-11 3/8) and can really run (4.37 second 40-yard dash).  Project pick.

#200 - Daniel Lasco/RB/California

Lasco's stock spiked right after the combine but has slipped back down to this area of the draft.  I'm not real crazy about the running backs once it gets past the middle of round four.  If Thompson doesn't get a running back early, it will be interesting to see which one he picks late (or if he skips the position altogether).  West Virginia running back Wendall Smallwood is a pretty decent possibility as well.

#248 - Nelson Spruce/WR/Colorado

With this pick I looked at Spruce, Wendall Smallwood, Michigan State DE-Joel Heath, Montana OLB-Tyrone Holmes and Florida State ILB-Terrance Smith.  Since Thompson had already picked a RB, DE, OLB and ILB I went with him taking Spruce although it wouldn't be surprising to see him take another DLman or ILB.  Spruce is kind of average size-wise, average speed-wide, average athleticism...but was a super-productive player in college.  Caught 294 passes while at Colorado which is a record for PAC-12 receivers.  Insurance pick in case another receiver goes down in training camp.

FLPACKER posted:
Grave Digger posted:

I disagree with McGinn about his analysis of Clark, but I don't think it's unrealistic that Clark is the pick. I think there will be someone better that is available at 27, but Clark would not be a bad addition. Clark has a lot of talent and has not hit his ceiling yet, but there's not one area of his game that has me really excited. He's not even close to the best run stuffer in the draft...Jarran Reed is far and away the top run stuffer and I would take Jon Bullard and Austin Johnson above Clark in that category also. Clark, Butler, and Jones are the 3 guys, out of all the DL prospects, who have the most upside, but none of them are quite there yet. 

Would you take Clark over Billings? 

I would. I've said this before, I'm skeptical of players coming out of Baylor under Art Briles. A lot of great athletes, but few (if any) great football players. Billings is an insane athlete, but will he be the same player when he's not the best athlete in the front 7 and has to play within a system? I see him attack and fly around the field, but when he has to tie up blockers or show power in short yardage I see him struggle. 

Whoa.

@RapSheet: Sources: #Bama LB Reggie Ragland was flagged for an enlarged aorta, which requires yearly monitoring. Some teams have pushed him down a bit.

@RapSheet: According to seven teams, #Bama LB Reggie Ragland's enlarged aorta is not expected to alter his football career. He just must watch it close.

Last edited by ilcuqui

I intentionally skipped about five pages for obvious reasons so excuse me if someone has already posted this link.

McGinn's top 100:

http://www.jsonline.com/sports...198z1-377214661.html

And once again I'll take my shot.

PackerJoe's top 100:

Quarterback (6) - Carson Wentz/North Dakota State, Jared Goff/California, Paxton Lynch/Memphis, Connor Cook/Michigan State, Dak Prescott/Mississippi State, Christian Hackenberg/Penn State

Running Back (6) - Ezekiel Elliott/Ohio State, Derrick Henry/Alabama, Devontae Booker/Utah, Jordan Howard/Indiana, Kenneth Dixon/Louisiana Tech, C.J. Prosise/Notre Dame

Wide Receiver (9) - Laquon Treadwell/Mississippi, Corey Coleman/Baylor, Josh Doctson/Texas Christian, Will Fuller/Notre Dame, Sterling Shepard/Oklahoma, Tyler Boyd/Pittsburgh, Michael Thomas/Ohio State, Braxton Miller/Ohio State, Malcolm Mitchell/Georgia

Tight End (4) - Hunter Henry/Arkansas, Austin Hooper/Stanford, Nick Vannett/Ohio State, Jerell Adams/South Carolina

Offensive Tackle (10) - Laremy Tunsil/Mississippi, Ronnie Stanley/Notre Dame, Jack Conklin/Michigan State, Taylor Decker/Ohio State, Jason Spriggs/Indiana, Germain Ifedi/Texas A&M, Le’Raven Clark/Texas Tech, Shon Coleman/Auburn, Jerald Hawkins/Louisiana State, Alex Lewis/Nebraska

Offensive Guard (6) - Cody Whitehair/Kansas State, Joshua Garnett/Stanford, Christian Westerman/Arizona State, Nick Martin/Notre Dame, Connor McGovern/Missouri, Joe Thuney/North Carolina State

Center (3) - Ryan Kelly/Alabama, Max Tuerk/Southern California, Evan Boehm/Missouri

Defensive End (11) - Joey Bosa/Ohio State, DeForest Buckner/Oregon, Shaq Lawson/Clemson, Kevin Dodd/Clemson, Emmanuel Ogbah/Oklahoma State, Jonathan Bullard/Florida, Shilique Calhoun/Michigan State, Jihad Ward/Illinois, Carl Nassib/Penn State, Bronson Kaufusi/Brigham Young, Charles Tapper/Oklahoma

Defensive Tackle (13) - Sheldon Rankins/Louisville, A’Shawn Robinson/Alabama, Jarran Reed/Alabama, Robert Nkemdiche/Mississippi, Vernon Butler/Louisiana Tech, Kenny Clark/UCLA, Andrew Billings/Baylor, Chris Jones/Mississippi, Austin Johnson/Penn State, Maliek Collins/Nebraska, Hassan Ridgeway/Texas, Adolphus Washington/Ohio State, Javon Hargrave/South Carolina State

Outside Linebacker (10) - Myles Jack/UCLA, Leonard Floyd/Georgia, Darron Lee/Ohio State, Noah Spence/Eastern Kentucky, Su’a Cravens/Southern California, Kamalei Correa/Boise State, Jordan Jenkins/Georgia, Kyler Fackrell/Utah State, Deion Jones/Louisiana State, Yannick Ngakoue/Maryland

Inside Linebacker (3) - Reggie Ragland/Alabama, Joshua Perry/Ohio State, Kentrell Brothers/Missouri

Cornerback (11) - Jalen Ramsey/Florida State, Vernon Hargreaves III/Florida, Eli Apple/Ohio State, William Jackson III/Houston, Mackensie Alexander/Clemson, Kendall Fuller/Virginia Tech, Artie Burns/Miami, Fl, Xavien Howard/Baylor, Cyrus Jones/Alabama, Will Redmond/Mississippi State, KeiVarae Russell/Notre Dame

Safety (8) - Vonn Bell/Ohio State, Karl Joseph/West Virginia, Keanu Neal/Florida, T.J. Green/Clemson, Sean Davis/Georgia, Darian Thompson/Boise State, Miles Killebrew/Southern Utah, Jalen Mills/Louisiana State

I'm going with DL for their first round pick, unless Paxton Lynch is on the board then they trade back with the Browns or Cowboys (rumored to have interest).  I'd actually be pretty happy with Ragland at #27 but I just don't think TT values ILB enough to go with him in round 1.  

I'd love to predict which DL but there are way too many of them and they're all pretty unique.  I'd be pretty happy with Billings, Reed, C Jones, or Butler.  Not high on Nkemdiche or Robinson though.  Former is all talent no production (with off field issues) and latter offers literally zero pass rush.  

So, what does an enlarged aorta mean medically, exactly? The few articles I've read state it shouldn't affect his football career, but it will require annual monitoring. What exactly does this mean? An annual cardiogram/cardiac CT, or do they need to do more extensive testing? It seems that the information is contradictory. Some state that he'll drop several spots in the draft because of it. If it shouldn't affect his career, does somebody get a bargain?

Do we have any medical experts here that could shed some light on this, and the amount of increased risk an enlarged aorta means for a team??

Last edited by lambeausouth
lambeausouth posted:

So, what does an enlarged aorta mean medically, exactly? The few articles I've read state it shouldn't affect his football career, but it will require annual monitoring. What exactly does this mean? An annual cardiogram/cardiac CT, or do they need to do more extensive testing? It seems that the information is contradictory. Some state that he'll drop several spots in the draft because of it. If it shouldn't affect his career, does somebody get a bargain?

Do we have any medical experts here that could shed some light on this, and the amount of increased risk an enlarged aorta means for a team??

I work in the biomedical research field on connective tissue disorders (but am not an expert at cardiology). From my perspective, I wouldn't touch Ragland as an NFL player based on this. I would think he's at a much higher risk of an aortic aneurysm. He'd be monitored if he was a "normal" human being for things like left ventricular hypertrophy, etc., but you'd be very worried about high intensity activities like weightlifting, etc. that could put a lot of pressure on the aortic wall. You'd also want to make sure there wasn't some underlying connective tissue problem that would make him even more likely to rupture. They are probably worried about that and one of the big considerations for this (aortic aneurysm) is not lifting weights.

http://www.johnritterresearchp...t-is-aortic-disease/

 

Risk Factors

Several factors increase the risk of developing an aortic aneurysm or dissection, including environmental and genetic influences.

Environmental factors that increase the chance to develop an aortic aneurysm or dissection include:

  • Uncontrolled hypertension (high blood pressure)
  • Smoking
  • Bicuspid aortic valve
  • Weight lifting (see http://www.iradonline.org/arti.../lifestyle_recs.html for recommendations regarding lifestyle and work)
  • Trauma to the aorta (e.g. being in a car accident)
  • Inflammatory diseases

Here's another good link for this:

 

http://www.umcvc.org/condition...ments/enlarged-aorta

 

Is an Enlarged Aorta the Same Thing as an Aortic Aneurysm?

If you’ve been diagnosed with an enlarged aorta, you likely have many questions about your condition: How big is too big? When should I be worried? What does “watchful waiting” mean? Are there any early warning signs before it bursts?

Most of the answers to these questions depend on a variety of factors, including your age and body size, medical history and the position and size of your aorta, among others.

Dr. Michael Shea, a cardiologist at the University of Michigan Frankel Cardiovascular Center, says he hesitates to use the word "aneurysm" when consulting with patients about an enlarged aorta, instead referencing an aortic dilation or a blood vessel issue. “It’s a scary term,” he says, “especially if a patient has a relative who has died from it.”

Regardless of the terminology, when the aortic diameter is greater than 50 percent of what is considered normal for a patient, Dr. Shea says he begins to consider surgery. Watchful waiting, he says, is the typical protocol when aortic dilation is below 50 percent of “normal” for the specific patient. “But every case is different, which causes a lot of angst among patients.”

For example, a patient with connective tissue disorders such as Marfan or Loeys-Dietz syndromes typically experiences ruptures at a much lower diameter than a patient without one of these conditions. A patient with a bicuspid valve may also experience rupture at a lower diameter. For example, a person with a 5 cm dilation and a bicuspid aortic valve is more at risk than a person with a 5 cm dilation with no underlying conditions. Overall, patients with these conditions, as well as those with a family history of aneurysm, would be considered for surgical intervention at 4 to 5 cm.

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