ROUND 1 PICK 32 - OT DEREK SHERROD (MISSISSIPPI STATE)

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Hopefully Campen Clifton Tauscher can coach him up.

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Last three times Pack has drafted an OT in first round, they have gone to the Super Bowl the next year, winning twice.

1996 - John Michels
1997 - Ross Verba
2010 - Bryan Bulaga

Let's keep the streak alive.

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ATHLETIC ABILITY / FLEXIBILITY / AGILITY / POSITION VERSATILITY
Sherrod is a top level athlete, which has helped him to be a highly productive LT at Mississippi State despite not having great strength. He has very quick feet and has consistently shown them sliding out to the corner to cut-off the explosive edge rusher. He has the flexibility to bend his knees and sink hips to block with good base/leverage and when he does his quick feet enable him to slide
well side to side to adjust to quick pass rush moves. He has the foot quicks and playing to pull and lead block on outside runs and can get thru to the 2nd level very quickly. He has the athleticism to stay over his feet to maintain and block very well out in space. Overall, he has the athleticism to be a top LT if he improves his hands better in pass pro and improves his playing strength consistency.

RUN BLOCKING -- IN-LINE / OUT IN SPACE
Despite not being a huge OT, he is a consistently productive run blocker on most types of run blocks. He is quick and aggressive off the ball on side/angle run blocks - Makes contact quickly, gets into position and can either pin/seal man out of the play or occasionally shows strength to knock DL backwards and puts man on back. He is very effective getting ahold of head-up or outside shaded DE, can tie DE up, works around him and can pin him inside to get the corner for the RB. Does a good job of locking onto to head-up DE, can work inside and seals DE outside on inside runs. The only area he really is not effective as an in-line run blocker is on straight ahead run blocks when he needs to drive DE and get movement - Lacks power and can be stood up at the POA. He has consistently shown the quicks and athleticism to pull and lead block the “Fill LB” in the hole and can pin man to the side of hole to open hole for RB. He can pull and get outside to lead block defender on outside runs and can adjust to block a moving defender easily. He is very quick getting thru the LOS and can block LB on the 2nd level very well - Consistently blocks with VG base/leverage and stays on and maintains block.

PASS BLOCKING -- ON DEEP PASS DROPS AND SHORT/QUICK SETS
Sherrod has the foot quicks to slide out to the corner to cut-off explosive edge rushers. He has the flexibility to bend knees and sink hips to pass block with good base/leverage and when he does he is a very good pass blocker. When he blocks with base he has consistently shown the ability to stay on and maintain pass blocks and could adjust easily to secondary pass rush moves. When he blocks with base he can re-direct and slide quickly side to side to handle quick inside pass rush moves, but he needs to be more consistent using his inside hand aggressively to slow inside pass rush move even when he has good position. The biggest issue is that despite pass blocking with good base/leverage, Sherrod does not use his hands aggressively (Tends to keep hands low and grabs outside the pass rusher’s shoulders) which leaves his chest wide open and allows aggressive pass rushers to jolt him and drive him backwards into the pocket. When he does set short and uses hands to aggressively punch pass rusher he can stop man and keeps him pinned on the LOS.

INITIAL QUICKNESS - OUT OF STANCE AND INTO BLOCKING
Sherrod’s foot quicks helps him to consistently get out of stance and set to block fast. In pass pro he has consistently shown the quicks to slide out to
the corner in time to cut-off explosive, edge rusher and to get set quickly to take on pass rusher fast on short sets. On run blocks his quicks off the ball to make contact with defender is what enables him to be a consistently productive run blocker despite not having great natural strength - It enables
him to play stronger than his natural strength. Additionally, he shows really good initial quicks off the ball to get thru the LOS to the 2nd level in a flash.

PLAYING STRENGTH / USE OF HANDS / PUNCH
This is the area of biggest concern and will likely be the area that determines Sherrod’s level of success in the NFL. He is not a big, thick bodied OT and has to rely upon his ability to get into good blocking position with good base/leverage very quickly to help him play stronger than his natural strength. However, he lacks the playing strength to get movement on straight ahead run blocks and can be jolted upright and backwards at times. He does not have the strength to consistently get movement on side/angle blocks - Always pins/seals man out of the play, but does not get movement consistently. He does not punch/use his hands aggressively, which hinders his strength in pass pro. He has a tendency to keep his hands low as he sets up in pass pro and ends up grabbing outside the pass rusher’s shoulders, instead of punching pass rusher in chest, and this leaves his chest wide open to aggressive pass rushers - Aggressive bull rushers are able to jolt and drive him backwards into the QB’s lap even when he pass blocks with good base/leverage when he does not use his hands aggressively.

MOBILITY - BLOCKING ON 2ND LEVEL / PULLING / TRAPPING
While playing strength is an issue for Sherrod, athleticism/mobility are the areas where he shines. He has the foot quicks to get thru the LOS to the 2nd
level very fast and does a very good job of keeping knees bent and blocking with good technique out in space, which helps him to stay on and maintain
block on LB. He is quick to make short pull to lead up into the hole and can block the “Fill LB” to the side to open up the hole consistently. He also shows the speed to make the long pull to get outside to lead block on outside runs and has the athleticism to adjust and block a moving target.

SMARTS / AWARENESS / SIZE / BODY TYPE / COMPETES
Sherrod is a smart player with good awareness, which shows up in his ability to consistently switch off well with OG to handle DL stunts/loops. He uses good technique in terms of knee bend and base/leverage, but does not use hands well in pass pro so how he learns technique from coaching is a question mark. He has good height at 6’5 and longer than expected arms, but is thin framed and lacks the bulk/weight to play strong vs NFL DL consistently without better use of hands. He is a very competitive blocker (But not an aggressive one) who gets after man quickly, keeps feet moving and stays after block until the whistle.

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Originally posted by Tdog:

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Does not roll off the ball flat-backed with power

am I the only one that has no idea what that means?
all I wanna know is does he play at a high level!

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Originally posted by Chronic Hobbit:
Maybe GD can answer this: was Sherrod a major player in the Mississippi State running game? In other words, did they run to his side a lot?

And yes, I'm too lazy to look this schit up myself.

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Originally posted by JJSD:
How was his time in the cone drill?

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Originally posted by Grave Digger:
Anyone notice this guy is a California guy? Thompson loves California boys.

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Originally posted by El-Ka-Bong:

Looks like my sources were correct.

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Originally posted by Grave Digger:
It will be interesting to see where they put him because I'm of the opinion he would be a really good fit at RT. My hunch is that, if they think he's ready to play immediately, they will stick Sherrod at RT and move Bulaga to LG and back-up LT. I don't see Sherrod playing OG really...he has the size to play there, but never showed the strength in my opinion. Either way, our Oline just got a really solid addition.

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Originally posted by JJSD:
Chula Vista is more like Mexico than California.

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Originally posted by Bullseye:
It doesn't say anything about his "pad level"

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Masterful. Ted Thompson’s selection of Derek Sherrod reminds one of Arthur, son of Uther Pendragon, confidently removing Excalibur from the mythical stone. And in doing so, Thompson has chosen another solid stone in the foundation of this Packer team and their inevitable legacy of greatness. Like a true king, Thompson is building a dynasty the likes of which haven’t been seen since May of 1989 ended the adventures of the Carrington oil barons. At this point, Thompson is nimbly dancing around other GMs, evoking the late Rudolf Nureyev performing Les Sylphides for the royal family. Like royalty, Thompson proves time and again that he is a true king among NFL front offices and that his drafts are as flawless and breathtaking as the mythical unicorn.

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Originally posted by Tdog:

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Hopefully Campen Clifton Tauscher can coach him up.

FTFY

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DAQUAN BOWERS! TED THOMPSON you idiot.

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If I don't show up to work tomorrow you know why. (@#& ted Thompson

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i think this might be another Justin Harrell-like pick...Ted Thompson, you shouldve drafted a good player...

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YOU SUCK TED THOMPSON!

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Originally posted by BufordT:
I loved these quotes from him:

“I’m definitely looking forward to meeting Aaron Rodgers. I’m basically there to protect him. That’s what I do – I go in and work hard and make sure that nobody hits the quarterback."

“I don’t give up sacks, I take pride in not letting anybody even touch my quarterback (or) get near my quarterback.”

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Originally posted by Rusty:

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Masterful. Ted Thompson’s selection of Derek Sherrod reminds one of Arthur, son of Uther Pendragon, confidently removing Excalibur from the mythical stone. And in doing so, Thompson has chosen another solid stone in the foundation of this Packer team and their inevitable legacy of greatness. Like a true king, Thompson is building a dynasty the likes of which haven’t been seen since May of 1989 ended the adventures of the Carrington oil barons. At this point, Thompson is nimbly dancing around other GMs, evoking the late Rudolf Nureyev performing Les Sylphides for the royal family. Like royalty, Thompson proves time and again that he is a true king among NFL front offices and that his drafts are as flawless and breathtaking as the mythical unicorn.

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Originally posted by Goalline:

Unicorns aren't mythical creatures, dum dum. I'm petting one as we speak.

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Originally posted by Iowacheese:
35 3/8-inch arm length; 11-inch hands

That my friends is what a LT needs...long arms and freakin man hands!

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Originally posted by El-Ka-Bong:
I'm not going to divulge who my sources are