What are your thoughts on each pick?

[James Lofton]

Here are my thoughts:

Jaire Alexander (CB-Louisville) - not Ward, but his doppelgänger, might be just as good. He seems to have a lot of flare, but then so do a lot of great players, and so did Randall who we traded away, despite descent production and athletic ability. Anyways, hoping he and King make a dynamic duo for years to come.

Josh Jackson - obviously he was a play making machine in college, but that doesn't always translate to the NFL. All the top corners I can think of have had quite good speed except for Richard Sherman, but even he had a 4.56 40 yard time (which is identical I think, but he's 3 inches shorter) So, hoping Josh Jackson plays more like Sherman, but he could be a one year wonder. We'll see.

Oren Burks - love his speed and potential, but I don't hear a lot of stats to back up that athletic ability. Yes, I know he switched positions a lot. I was actually hoping they'd play Josh Jones at LB more, I feel like he made a lot of plays from that position. But I guess after letting Burnett go, they need him to be a typical safety. I think Oren will be a good cover guy. A good blitzing guy. I was hoping they would find a great edge rusher and let Matthews play more in the middle, but I guess that aint gonna happen.

J'Mon Moore - I like his measurables, but that's all I know. His 40 time sucked at the combine, but he said he lined up at the wrong spot. If he lined up wrong for the 40 yard dash, how can we expect him to line up at the right spot in the game. Rodgers is going to chew him up and spit him out.

Cole Madison - like this pick. Hope he becomes the next Sitton or better yet TJ Lang.

JK Scott - looks like a great punter that can kick off and hold, but Vogel set the single-season franchise record for net punting average with 41.6 yards per punt and was selected to be an pro bowl alternate. This feels like a luxury pick in round 5 that we could have used else where.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling - yet another tall receiver to go with the other two we drafted and Clark and Davis and Yancey and Allison...

Equanimeous St. Brown  - yet another tall receiver to go with the other two we picked and clark and Davis and Yancey...

James Looney - ok

Hunter Bradley - no offense, but drafting a long snapper is not my favorite move and drafting one with a medical history seems even stupider, unless he is the Power Ranger, then I'm down with it.

Kendall Donnerson - I've been waiting for a kick *** edge rusher for several years now. Hope this guy turns out to be the Donald Driver of edge rushers.

 

[Gopackgonerd]

Jaire Alexander  -  I think he might be the best all around corner in the draft, not much different than Ward in size and speed and man coverage ability. I think he's the best tackler out of the top guys, maybe second best balls skills in the draft next to Jackson. Gotta love the kids swag on the field, trash talking guy as well which will throw off some receivers games. Good personality, leader, and teammate(see his reaction to Lamar Jackson getting drafted). Doesn't have the size of a Richard Sherman, but he plays bigger than he is. I wanted Derwin James, but I think Jaire is the next best guy we could have drafted. Think he will play the slot from Day one.

Josh Jackson - Best value of our draft, ball skills alone should of put him in the first round and we got him in the middle of the 2nd round. The way the guy plays the ball in the air is simply spectacular, not just having 8 interceptions, but he also has a great knack for getting his hands in a lot of passes thrown his way. He’ll need to work on getting off blocks, and sometimes his tackling is poor. (See game vs Wisconsin) Think he’ll be our 4^th guy starting out imo, and eventually take over Tramon.

Oren Burks – Not particularly excited about the guy initially watching his tape, but the Packers seem to like his upside as a LB the more he played throughout the season. He’ll be your new age converted S to LB that you want in coverage in the Nickel/Dime. He’s got some great measurable’s which was the theme of this draft from this point on. He’s good in coverage, good at chasing down the ball carrier, but not the best tackler in the world. Seems like a good mature kid. If he turns into a better tackler he will get more snaps than Jake Ryan this season playing in the Nickel and Dime.

J'Mon Moore – Didn’t really know about him prior to the draft as a WR and was pleasantly surprised how good he was. Guy is a really smooth route runner, a good YAC guy for his size which will be very good for our offense with so many run pass options and short hitches. Guy has good speed too which will be nice to have on the outside and he can play in the slot. Did struggle with drops in 2016, but he rebounded and had a very good 2017 season. I predict he will start opposite Adams week 1.

Cole Madison – Kid is a good pass blocker, he’ll play guard and fill Evans spot from last year. Question is his run blocking since they didn’t run pretty much at all at Washington State. But that shouldn’t be much of a problem because we are a pass first team. Hopefully he’s another good player for us with our track record of finding middle round OL gems.

JK Scott  - Not sure what to think of this pick, I thought Vogel was good last year, but I guess we were impressed by the kids hang time. The more competition the better I suppose.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling – MVS’s length and size is very intriguing. If I had to find something in his game to separate from the other guys we’ve drafted, he is really good with the ball in his hand for a big guy, get the ball in his hands and he’ll make plays. Guy can stretch the field like the other guys we’ve drafted so not much else to say there. People say he’s a body catcher, but I’ve seen him pluck balls out of the air with his hands pretty nicely. Also is a threat in the redzone. I think he’ll make the roster as our 5^th or 6^th WR.

 

Equanimeous St. Brown  - Our next best Value to Jackson in the 2^nd round. Guy could have went a lot earlier, I was looking for his name to be called since the 4^th round. Love his size and length, is very Calvin Johnson like. Not saying he’s CJ, but the size and speed is there. Guy will be a major threat in the redzone. Runs some nice routes for his size. Has a good catch radius. Love the pick in the 6^th round for EQ. Think he’ll be our 4^th or 5^th WR.

James Looney -  Looney Toons is a tweener type player, perhaps a Datone Jones type where you really don’t know where to put him. Had very nice production in college and his measurable’s are very good. Haven’t watched much film on him, but If he sticks on the team I think he’ll  a sub package pass rusher from the interior.

Hunter Bradley – LS replacement for Goode, not much else to say except he was a TE whom tore his acl 3 times, but has good determination to come back from all those. Might help more than Goode  than just snapping the ball, showed he can run down field and make plays on punt returners.

Kendall Donnerson – Havent watched anything on this guy  honestly. Just know he tested for insane numbers. 4.48 40, 40 inch vert.  Hopefully he’ll show some promise and add to our pass rush as a backup.

[ricky]

2 hours ago, James Lofton said:

Here are my thoughts:

Jaire Alexander (CB-Louisville) - not Ward, but his doppelgänger, might be just as good. He seems to have a lot of flare, but then so do a lot of great players, and so did Randall who we traded away, despite descent production and athletic ability. Anyways, hoping he and King make a dynamic duo for years to come.

What bothers me is his height. There is a reason that Ron Wolf and TT never wanted to draft a DB under 5'11". He has a lot of pluses, but if he can't stop tall WR's from simply catching the ball above his head, he has a problem. That, and his injury history.  

 

•  

 

2 hours ago, James Lofton said:

Josh Jackson - obviously he was a play making machine in college, but that doesn't always translate to the NFL. All the top corners I can think of have had quite good speed except for Richard Sherman, but even he had a 4.56 40 yard time (which is identical I think, but he's 3 inches shorter) So, hoping Josh Jackson plays more like Sherman, but he could be a one year wonder. We'll see.

One very good year at Iowa. Does that mean the "light went on" his last year? Or was it a fluke. Absolutely agree- We'll see.  

Oren Burks - love his speed and potential, but I don't hear a lot of stats to back up that athletic ability. Yes, I know he switched positions a lot. I was actually hoping they'd play Josh Jones at LB more, I feel like he made a lot of plays from that position. But I guess after letting Burnett go, they need him to be a typical safety. I think Oren will be a good cover guy. A good blitzing guy. I was hoping they would find a great edge rusher and let Matthews play more in the middle, but I guess that aint gonna happen.

The big knock on Burks is he often overruns plays, taking himself out of position to impact the play. Maybe he should watch a few episodes of "Curb Your Enthusiasm".

J'Mon Moore - I like his measurables, but that's all I know. His 40 time sucked at the combine, but he said he lined up at the wrong spot. If he lined up wrong for the 40 yard dash, how can we expect him to line up at the right spot in the game. Rodgers is going to chew him up and spit him out.

This is pretty harsh. He made a mistake at the Combine, and suddenly he doesn't know what he's doing on the field? Hmmm.

Cole Madison - like this pick. Hope he becomes the next Sitton or better yet TJ Lang.

Obviously they want a plug and play guard. However, there are players already on the Packers who already have real game experience playing both guard and RT. It sounds like the guy is more pass protector than road grader, but considering the Packers offensive strength, this only makes sense. Also, mixing in play action and short passes should work well for his skill set.

JK Scott - looks like a great punter that can kick off and hold, but Vogel set the single-season franchise record for net punting average with 41.6 yards per punt and was selected to be an pro bowl alternate. This feels like a luxury pick in round 5 that we could have used else where.

This guy isn't BJ Sander. He excels at placement, and could be a weapon in those inevitable "field position" games. The knock on himis he seems to be slow in getting off the kick. That is a formula for blocked punts. Hopefully Zook can teach him some fundamentals about getting the kick off in a more timely manner.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling - yet another tall receiver to go with the other two we drafted and Clark and Davis and Yancey and Allison...

Not only tall, but physical and fast. We've been complaining about the lack of "burners to stretch the field". Not any more.

Equanimeous St. Brown  - yet another tall receiver to go with the other two we picked and clark and Davis and Yancey...

Ditto.

James Looney - ok

Yup. 

Hunter Bradley - no offense, but drafting a long snapper is not my favorite move and drafting one with a medical history seems even stupider, unless he is the Power Ranger, then I'm down with it.

The Packers needed to settle this position. This is one of the luxuries of having so many picks- you can fill those "niche" positions.

Kendall Donnerson - I've been waiting for a kick *** edge rusher for several years now. Hope this guy turns out to be the Donald Driver of edge rushers.

A project, pure and simple. 

 

 

[MantyWrestler]

JK Scott 2016 stats below... look at the long and average then consider how many he dropped inside the 20 & 10!(Vogel had a very nice year too with 4 punts of over 60 yards with a long of 62)

I believe I read where he averaged over 4.55 hang time, 25% inside the 10 and 50%+ inside the 20!

45.6 per pint for a career  

2017 not quite as good but close with only 4 touchbacks.

game     Team    #      Ave.     Long

1	USC	5	47.0	54
2	WKU	5	46.4	58
3	@MISS	5	38.8	63
4	KENT	2	49.0	53
5	UK	1	58.0	58
6	@ARK	4	51.5	63
7	@TENN	4	50.0	62
8	TA&M	2	53.5	60
9		DID NOT PLAY
10	@LSU	5	51.6	66
11	MSST	3	51.3	62
12	CHAT	6	48.8	56
13	AUB	2	39.5	43
14	@FLA	2	40.5	41

[Gopher Trace]

Cool. Here's mine...

Alexander + 2019 1st Rounder -- my main concern with Alexander is if he has the body to take the punishment of pro 'ball, but having next year's 1st helps me get over that (even if I think it's going to be a late 1st). As far as the player goes, I think he'll shore up a position of single greatest need with a guy who will play at a pretty high level. While he's a bit on the short side, his arms are a bit longer than they should be for 5'10, so I'm not as down on his height as I would normally be. All in all, I cannot poke any real holes into this pick.

Burks -- he's also part of the package deal with Jaire and NO's 1st. He's an athletic, instinctive linebacker, which will be really nice to have for a change. Martinez was coming on for us last year, but I'd like to have more than one guy who can make plays at the second-level so an injury does not take it away.

Josh Jackson -- I did not like him as a prospect. I felt he didn't move well enough to be a CB and was not good enough in run-support to move him to S. With that said, Pettine is a secondary-minded D-Coord, so if our guys feel like he's a fit in his new scheme, then I should hardly think to argue otherwise. I don't see it with him, but I don't need to until the regular season. For now, it's more important that our staff does.

Moore -- 'love him. He's a very talented wideout. I wrote him off for this team because some folks had concerns with his persona, but he was one of the guys we brought in for a visit. If they feel okay with him, then that's a very good sign. I expect him to have a pretty significant impact as a rookie. High-end WR2 is my conservative career estimate with him.

Madison -- okay, I guess. I'm sure they'll make a player out of him, but his skill-set underwhelms me and I feel like we passed on quite a few better OL prospects. We'll see

Punter (Scott) -- Vogel has been playing well enough, so Scott has to really be a revelation for this to be worth the pick. I don't feel like we're a good enough team yet to be making that kind of pick over full-time position players.

Marquez -- He looks like a project to me, ala Janis, but we're taking him two rounds earlier than we took JJ (who served his purposes well enough for a 7th-round flier). The value does not check out for me here. This pick and the last get dinged by me.

EQSB -- See, this is a far more sensible mid-round WR selection (and I wasn't as high on St. Brown as other folks were). He's not quite as talented as MVS, but is more refined, and I think he has a shot at contributing as a rookie.

Looney -- I checked him out and was not real high on him as a projected mid-rounder. As a late-round flier, though, I'm more than okay with it. He has a pretty intriguing skill-set for the DL, may need some time on our PS before he's ready, but he could be a nice role player in Dean Lowry's mold if it hits. Not bad value in 7.

Bradley -- if you want/need a LS, this is about the right place to go get 'er.

Donnerson -- sounds like he's just an athlete in pads right now. He has got a skill-set that could look really nice on special-teams, though, which alone would make this worth the pick at the tail end of the draft. His athletic tools make you think he may have the upside to get on the field for our defense at the EDGE spot, and can become a star-caliber player if it all hits. I am highly skeptical (especially if what I read about his Wonderlic score of 9 is correct) but it's a sensible pick this late in the draft.

Overall it's a B+/A- draft to me. I'd have done some things differently based on how the 'board fell, but I accept that they know way more than I do and that time will prove it.

[vegas492]

Jaire Alexander (CB-Louisville) - Hard not to like the pick and the player.  Can play slot or boundary.  Quick.  Fast.  Ball hawk.  Talker.  Swagger.  Drafted a corner who actually played corner in college.  I didn't like him at #14, don't love him at #18, but do love him at #18 with the Saints first round pick next year.  Drawback may be size, but we've got King to take the taller guy if needed.  And...I see good slot abilities in Jaire...we needed that.

Josh Jackson - For as much as I hated him at #14, I love him in the second.  Ball hawk.  Comes forward very well.  Former receiver...has size.  I think he has a lot of tools to work with and it is hard to not be excited about the future potential of that secondary.  King, Jackson, Alexander.  Makes me happy.

Oren Burks - I'll soften here.  I really disliked the pick because i felt there were better football players on the board.  Now...if GB really wants a nickle or dime 'backer that can cover and be a core special teamer?  Then I get the pick.  This isn't a guy to line up next to Martinez inside on running downs.  He lacks instincts and he lacks tackling ability.  But, he can run fast and is large.  Much to work with.  Plus is his character and intelligence.  I'm warming to him.

J'Mon Moore - Couple 1,000 yard seasons in the SEC.  Great 3 cone, great size, plenty fast.  Much to like here.  Wonder if he goes higher with a better 40 time at the Combine and without the Missouri stuff....

Cole Madison - Had no clue who he was.  None.  Did google search, read write ups, thought he was Mark Tauscher.  Saw a picture and am convinced that Tauscher is his daddy.  Not kidding here, I almost expect him to start at right tackle at sometime in the year and then anchor it for the next 8 years.  He's got length, smarts and feet.

JK Scott - Hard to get excited about drafting a punter, especially when our rookie punter last year was pretty good.  But...this kid has a big leg, can kick directionally, is a good holder and can kick field goals if needed.  If Vogel beats him out, well, then that is because Vogel improved a lot and we are better at punter than we were last year and that's good enough for me.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling - Had no idea who he was.  Did google search.  Became giddy at size/speed combo.  Thinking he is Janis 2.0.  Let's hope he gets the playbook more because there is a lot to like about his skill set.

Equanimeous St. Brown  - Loved the pick.  Thought he was a 3rd or early 4'th prospect.  Immense size, great speed, quickness...etc.  5 years from now, he could be the steal of the draft...if he knows where to line up...that's key with #12.

James Looney - Know nothing about him.  Nothing at all.

Hunter Bradley - Dumb pick.  Not in picking a long snapper, but in taking a guy with 3 knee surgeries already.  Aren't they trying to replace a guy that is injury prone?  With being a long snapper...with knee surgeries...anyone else going to draft him?  Head scratcher, but GB had the late round picks, oh well.

Kendall Donnerson - Know nothing about him.  Nothing at all.

 

I know it is silly to grade a draft right away, but here is how I feel.  With what we got, it is hard to not be excited about the corners and receivers we drafted.  If you take the high level approach, the EDGE guys were bad in the draft.  So?  Unless there is value there, you avoid them.  Which we did.  Gained and extra first, filled some needs, got some much needed size/speed.  I give it a B based on players selected.  I'd bump it to A- when factoring in the extra one we got.  I'm pretty happy with the draft.

[OneTwoSixFive]

No high value pass rusher. No high value WR. No 3rd/4th round TE. Looks rubbish, right !    BUT

Had to fill the starting nickel CB slot - got the best in the draft with Alexander. Adding the NO first next year as well, crazy value (though losing the third rounder this year hurt). Value seems average, but making the target of  filling a crucial need is met. there were good picks on the board at #14, but imo, the trade was the best way forward. Had a 9.54 (out of 10) RAS score. Has the feistiness, route anticipation and speed to excel inside.

Had to get a starter opposite King and since the Pettine system seems to rely on good CBs, a 35 year old Williams is not the guy to hang your hat on. Jackson may have only had one stellar year, but college guys often come on late, and he did that in spades. Value is above average (compared to where media though he was worth). Filling a need is met again. The DB position has had too may high picks invested in it since 2014  (6 of 10 round 1&2 picks), but that is more the fault of the past, coupled with allowing a couple of guys to move on that they shouldn't have. his RAS was 9.27 (his timed speed put the brakes on an even higher score).

Oren Burks was a surprise pick to me but it makes sense. Now that Joe Thomas has moved on, and Josh Jones is concentrating on playing safety (as opposed to S/ILB hybrid), another guy was needed as the coverage type ILB. Ryan is best vs the run, and Martinez is a halfway house between run and coverage. Burks is going to be the coverage guy. His RAS is 9.72. Why is his score high ? Well at 6'3", 233 he ran a 4.59 40, long-jumped 131", verticalled 39.5", has 33 3/8" arms, with a 6.82 3cone. This is just the kind of numbers a coverage LB needs. He was underrated by many media guys (never even appeared in the ProFootball and Lindy draft magazines, for example). Therefore the value is low by that standard, but to the Packers his value is higher. Again a specific need was addressed. The Pettine-led defense is finally looking like it has most of the parts it needs to function well.

J'Mon Moore was a need pick. the Packers really want a starter-level WR opposite D.Adams. Solid (but not spectacular) height/weight/speed. Plays faster than he times, can win short and deep, very competitive. Can cut sharply to create separation on his routes. Had a RAS of 8.3, let down by a poor 4.6 40 time. He allayed any fears of being slow by improving that to a 4.48 time on his pro day. A good candidate for the backshoulder throw Rodgers loved to throw to Jordy. His drops, too many in 2016, improved in his senior year. A good candidate to beat out Allison for snaps, but that would be tough to do in his rookie year. Value of pick, solid. Does it fill an important need, very much so.

Cole Madison was projected as a 5th round pick and he went with pick 1 in round 5. A classic Packer type in that he was a tackle and projects best at guard, with tackle as an extra arrow in his quiver. Experienced (4 year starter). His run-blocking is not where his pass-blocking is, a function of how Washington State played (the number one passing team in the country). His RAS was the poorest rating by far, of the Packers picks this year (4.59), not so important at guard, and he does have good feet and decent speed for a 6'5", 307lb guy. Value is average. Fills a need if he can be a RG. His floor is probably a G/T backup, his ceiling is a decent starter at guard. It will be interesting to see how he fares in a year or two compared to guard Crosby, who was still on the board.

Beyond this, it is guys who need to add value by being on ST, and projects. Big fast receivers who need work (Valdez-Scantling, St.Brown), P J.K.Scott, LS H.Bradley, athletic DE Looney and size/speed project at Edge Donnerson.  Nothing in this draft seemed like a wasted pick. It's not exactly what I would have drafted, but every pick seemed to make some sense - when you have 11 picks, which is how many the Packers ended up with, you can afford the luxury of taking a punter or long-snapper, to secure the best.

[Joe]

Alexander - Liked him more than Ward due to his size though he and Ward are very similar prospects physically; Jaire's just a bit bigger. Hoping he can be tougher in the red zone than he was in college. Blazing fast speed and an excellent 3-cone time make him more intriguing, especially given his physicality.

Jackson - Love his ball skills, hate his 40. Hopefully his ball skills can supercede his lack of straight-line speed and his physicality can disrupt opposing receivers.

Burks - This is the most interesting prospect we drafted by far. Don't really know what to think of him until we see how he's used. His measurables and football IQ are quite positive and his scouting report reads like that of a poor man's Roquan Smith; especially in the run game. Hopefully he can jam TE's and disrupt opposing offenses on passing plays.

Moore - Probably the biggest boom-or-bust guy out of this draft. He's got the measurables, but the mental game and his route tree need serious development.

Madison - After reading his scouting report, I'm convinced we took him due to his experience in a pseudo-ZBS that Mike Leach uses. 26 reps on the bench ain't too shabby either, but he'll need to find a way to convert that to functional play strength at the next level. Campen has worked some miracles with young OL and perhaps this is another early Day 3 pick that shines for us.

I'll stop here as well. I think each of the last few guys are pretty self-explanatory, but I'll be watching the two WR's in particular. We kinda know what we have with ESB, but MVS is a bit more intriguing to me only in that he played against a slightly lower level of competition, but was just as productive. Reading his Combine scouting report, this quote jumped out to me: "His issues look coachable to me. You don't know what he was being taught, but he's big and can run so you take that and then just get those routes right." -- Former NFL Pro Bowl receiver. That alone should suggest that we may have gotten two steals at WR later in this draft. My guy out of this draft, on the back-end of things, is definitely Kendall Donnerson; I'm pullin' for that dude big time. He's got all the physical traits you want and it sounds like he just needs to get coached up.