Official 2017 NFL Draft Thread

PackerJoe posted:

The Packers met with the following players at the combine:

Seth Russell/QB/Baylor

Dalvin Cook/RB/Florida State

D'Onta Foreman/RB/Texas

Corey Clement/RB/Wisconsin

Ryan Ramczyk/OT/Wisconsin

T.J. Watt/OLB/Wisconsin

Zach Cunningham/ILB/Vanderbilt (maybe OLB, but with GB I'd project him inside)

Marlon Humphrey/CB/Alabama

Clement was quoted as saying a Packer scout told him that Green Bay could draft two running backs.

And before anybody gets too excited about this list, last year there were about the same number of player meetings that were confirmed and the Packers didn't draft a single one of those players (Kolby Listenbee, Chris Jones, Su'a Cravens, Jaylon Smith, Reggie Ragland, etc).

We spend a lot of time during the season criticizing the organization for not thinking outside of the box, not participating in free agency, draft/develope philosophies, etc.

Yet now I look at that list and think the best outcome is if we got all three Badgers in the draft.

So much for out-of-the-box thinking on my part.  In Ted we trust.

I still like moving out of the first and getting guys like OLB Haason Reddick http://www.nfl.com/draft/2017/...n-reddick?id=2557887and CB Gareon Conley http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/s...outing-report-121916 in the early 2nd round.

Reddick and Conley are both going in round 1. 

ChilliJon posted:

Reddick and Conley are both going in round 1. 

Ugh  I had read they were 2nd rounder's.

I guess that's why I suck at Mocks

I think Reddick was second round coming out of the senior bowl. Then he graded out well at the combine. Some mocks now have him going anywhere between 18-26 which seems like natural combine over reaction. I do think he is going first round though. 

Goalline posted:

Agree with everything you said except the comment about TJ's weight vs Clay's. They weigh almost the same.

Whoa Tschmack, just saw that he weighed in at 252. That is a lot bigger than he weighed in college. Good roids? I would take him at 29 without hesitation.

ChilliJon posted:

I think Reddick was second round coming out of the senior bowl. Then he graded out well at the combine. Some mocks now have him going anywhere between 18-26 which seems like natural combine over reaction. I do think he is going first round though. 

I'd be interested to see how the NFL careers pan out of those who climb the chart at the combine.... I'll bet its a lot of disappointment.... game film has to be more reliable....

YATittle posted:

TT using misdirection like the great poker player he is....

 

More like TT looking for fallers. If cook falls in Round 2, for example, figuring out if he's worth the risk is prudent. If Clement is their for their 5th-round compensatory, he'd probably be good value. Most of those guys have some question about them.

Just waiting for the next all pro to fall into his lap.  Even if that happens none of us would know about it. 

Are you asking if Dalvin Cook would be a prudent pick at the end of round 2?

YATittle posted:

ChilliJon posted:

I think Reddick was second round coming out of the senior bowl. Then he graded out well at the combine. Some mocks now have him going anywhere between 18-26 which seems like natural combine over reaction. I do think he is going first round though. 

I'd be interested to see how the NFL careers pan out of those who climb the chart at the combine.... I'll bet its a lot of disappointment.... game film has to be more reliable....

It depends on what you mean by climb. A guy like Reddick is too small to play DE in the pros because he's isn't flat-out more athletic than the guys he'll line up across from and just beat them up field. He was in college so that's where they put him. So the Senior Bowl is his chance to show he's coachable and can play other positions and the combine is where he can show he's athletic enough to make the switch. 

I admit there's part of me that would love to see him in Green Bay where the Wizarding World of Wallabee Hairpieces could play with he and Matthews moving around the formation, wreaking havok. In "base" he'd line up inside but in (sub?/most) packages he could line up in many spots. 

Rivers looks like a better fit for OLBer than Reddick, bigger, stronger and almost as athletic;

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2017/...ek-rivers?id=2558040 

The upside of Reddick is how he moved easily from ILB to OLB in drills at the senior bowl. And he's better in coverage. Reddick is a chess piece you can move around with Clay. Agreed that Reddick is probably too light to play OLB as a full time edge/rush guy. If GB is looking for a FT OLB/edge guy then TJ Watt or Jordan Willis would be fine selections. 

If the Packers took Reddick they very likely put him inside.  Most of the talk is CB and OLB but one of the Journal-Sentinel writers (thought it was Silverstein but can't find the link) listed three primary needs for Green Bay: CB, OLB and ILB and then secondary needs like RB and OG (can't remember all the secondary need positions).  If Thompson sees it the same way then Reddick could very well be the best player available and 29 and Ted could cross everybody up and take the ILB when this is the first year in the last half dozen where most people don't seem to think ILB is a primary need.

The one thing that makes me think Reddick is an impossibility is that it would be like Ted giving up on Martinez, and since Martinez probably was the best rookie in training camp last year I can see Thompson being perfectly content to project him as a starter in 2017 even though he was brutally bad at the end of last year.

Last time I mocked out a first round I had Reddick going to the Dolphins at #22 and he did nothing at the combine to make me think he'd slide down much further than that.

I think that with the suspension of Guion and release of Pennell we may be looking for another DT/NT in the draft as well. With all the chatter about OLB's and CB's it is an overlooked need. That may also mean that a halfway good one drops to later rounds.

100% agree Patrick. Depth is going to be hit hard to start the season. Daniels, Clark, Lowry, and Ringo are the only 4 we have for the first 4 games. I expect them to add at least 1 DL in the draft before Round 5 and possibly an FA DL. Jonathan Hankins or Sylvester Williams might not be bad pickups, they will command more reasonable money unlike guys like Poe or Brandon Williams. 

They'll likely add Price to the 53 for depth. They signed him to a futures in December so he's in their plans. Take a look at the DL FA list at the end of March. Draft someone in round 5 with the comp pick. Maybe an UDFA. 

Really talking about replacing snaps here and not so much productivity. 37 total tackles in 16 between Guion and Pennel. Substantial snap count though. 

That's the major issue IMO, getting a deeper rotation has to be a priority. Daniels and Clark can't be effective late in games if they have barely been off the field, big guys wear down. You can throw bodies in there like Price, but they need to add some quality depth so there isn't such a need for Daniels to play to 45 snaps per game. 

It's a bad year for 3-4 NT in the draft.  D.J. Jones of Ole' Miss and Stevie Tu'kolovatu of Southern Cal are about the only two that project at playing that position.  Then there are some players like Caleb Brantley/Florida, Jarron Jones/Notre Dame, Elijah Qualls/Washington, Carlos Watkins/Clemson that could play nose tackle but would probably be better at other positions.  Then there are some later-round, try-hard guys that aren't great fits for NT but probably could make it work because they are workers and would give it everything they have.  Michigan's Ryan Glasgow might be the best example of that.  There are probably only about 7 worth drafting.  Tu'kolovatu was pretty mediocre at the combine and knowing Thompson's love for athletes on defense I'd think he's a long-shot to be picked by Green Bay.  Caleb Brantley would only be available with the Packer's first rounder and it's pretty unlikely that would happen, so cross him off the list for now.  Jarron Jones probably is best at 5-technique and Watkins really shoud be a 3-technique...putting those guys on the nose really wouldn't be a good fit for their talents.  Qualls would be the most logical fit of that bunch.  May be able to cut the good, realistic options down to D.J. Jones, Elijah Qualls and Ryan Glasgow.  And again, Glasgow would be a really undersized guy that could only make it work because of effort.  Worth noting that Glasgow would be a later round guy and posted a 4.50 short shuttle and 7.55 3-cone time which are really good numbers, but him holding up at NT over a long haul would be really questionable.  He didn't play NT at Michigan (Matt Godin was their NT), so he'd be a projection that would be counted on to share snaps and not have to carry the full load.

Other than the need at DL, oft injured and old OLB's, below average ILB, and multiple needs at CB.....I like our defense. 

I don't think they look for that classic run stuffing NT like Casey Hampton. They seem to want more 3-tech's who can slide down to NT when they actually play a base 34 (which isn't often). Guys who can play the run and don't have to come off the field on passing downs.

No shortage of DL slobs hitting FA this year. DT and DE. Ted should just sit back and see what's available two weeks after the spending spree kicks off. Bennie Logan. Sylvester Williams. Alan Branch. Lawrence Guy. 

You'll find Mike Pennel listed as an available FA at the bottom of the barrel in most lists. 

Grave Digger posted:

I don't think they look for that classic run stuffing NT like Casey Hampton. They seem to want more 3-tech's who can slide down to NT when they actually play a base 34 (which isn't often). Guys who can play the run and don't have to come off the field on passing downs.

yes, in reality we played a 2-4 significantly more than a 3-4 

Need a NT?

Demovsky posted something a while back on Raji. His agent said (at the time) BJ had no pressing interest in getting back into football. I'll see if I can find the story. 

Considering Raji has been sitting on the couch over a year now there's a pretty good chance he might be even fatter than Lacy.

I'm guessing he's Fridge-like at this point.

heard that about Raji on the radio this week too - he's not coming back at this point...  and that to me means he's done.  it's a young man's game.

Blair Kiel posted:

I'm guessing he's Fridge-like at this point.

That poor couch.

PackerJoe posted:

Considering Raji has been sitting on the couch over a year now there's a pretty good chance he might be even fatter than Lacy.

Raji was fatter at his healthiest as a Packer than Lacy was at his phattest.

The Packers also met with UTEP RB-Aaron Jones at the combine.

Walter Football's updated prospect visit list (COM= Combine, SR= Senior Bowl, EW= East/West Shrine Game):

• Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State (COM)
• Julie'n Davenport, OT, Bucknell (SR)
• Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama (COM)
• Aaron Jones, RB, Texas-El Paso (COM)
• Jonathan McLaughlin, OT, Virginia Tech (EW)
• Fabian Moreau, CB, UCLA (EW)
• T.J. Watt, 3-4OLB/OLB/ILB, Wisconsin (COM)
• Joseph Williams, RB, Utah (EW)

I'm surprised they met with Dalvin Cook, I wonder if they were doing due diligence because there's the potential he could drop?

I can't see any possible way Dalvin Cook falls to 29. There are some character concerns. But he has three full years of tape against real competition and put up huge numbers. Rare RB talent. 

Yeah I agree, it seems curious they would even take the time to sit down with him knowing he's likely not a realistic option. 

There's also Cook's hands, which appear to be stone-like. Is it a lack of practice/experience? Does he recognize that and earnestly want to get better? It's a great year for backs, so teams may prioritize other positions first. 

Is it probable? I don't think so, but I could see it as a possibility. 

He had 33 catches this past season & a 15 yard per catch average. Did he not catch the ball well during combine drills? 

He really looks like he's fighting the ball when he catches it. His hands don't look natural at all to me. I noticed it in games I watched and the combine didn't alleviate that concern. 

"Cook's inate ability to catch the ball is one aspect of his game that might separate him from other backs. Longtime wide receivers coach Jerry Sullivan, who recently retired after 25 years in the NFL, told Omnisport that Cook reminds him of Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell.

"The guy’s got the whole package," Sullivan, who was most recently with the Jaguars from 2012-16, said of Cook. "He’s a great receiver out of the backfield, smart, instinctive. If you put him outside, he can catch"

The Bell comparison is accurate. Total package at RB who's three year career at FSU stands up. Like Bell you can't pretend he doesn't have character issues that might come back and bite you. Risk is probably worth the reward because he's going to produce in the NFL. I'd love to see him in GB. I just don't see him lasting past the 15th pick. 

So funny how opinions on draft picks can differ so much. That is all part of the uncertainty, drafting young men.

ChilliJon posted:

I can't see any possible way Dalvin Cook falls to 29. There are some character concerns. But he has three full years of tape against real competition and put up huge numbers. Rare RB talent. 

If not, I'd love to land Matt Dayes in later rounds