Mock Draft

[ChaRisMa]

5 hours ago, Pilprin said:

I don't mind the mock draft / projected 53 except for a few things...

1. Who is your blocking TE? Either one needs to be drafted or one needs to be signed. None on the 53 can block 

2. I see no way that Ward gets to GB. I will be shocked if he gets out of top 10. I would be running around doing the happy dance if he is there at #14. Not a fan of Alexander as a back up plan.

3. I think there needs to be a few OL drafted. Unless we trade some picks, I would think at least 2 will be drafted.

I appreciate your efforts though and like many of the picks...I also like the Lazard pick as a WR. He could grow into a TE, but I think he could play WR too. Thanks for your work....I tried to do a Mock draft and got lost after round 5 and I was only doing Packer selections! So really appreciate the work.

All of the TEs need to block to some degree. When I was targeting a guy specifically to be that long term, backup, blocking TE it's Jordan Thomas at 6.186. Huge dude. 6'6" 280 LBS with experience at T at the college level. He has the frame to be a Bubba Franks--big dude who can either held pave a road at the goal line or sneak out and just be a size mismatch in the end zone.

I was literally TRYING to find someone to take Ward before us. If he gets past Denver, the odds go up. And Elway is already on record saying he doesn't know if CJ Anderson will be on the roster (hint: if Barkley falls to 5 I'll take him). If you read the evaluations I had for picks 1-13, it seems pretty plausible that a 5'10" CB will fall. Especially because of the apparent depth at CB this year. If you have a top 10 pick, you can get a nice CB with your 2nd rounder. 

I disagree about OL being necessary. We had SO MANY injuries on the OL last year that we got to see Bakhtiari / Taylor / Linsley / McCray / Bulaga / Spriggs / Murphy all deserve roster spots at the NFL level. Lucas Patrick (G/C), Adam Pankey (G/T), and Kofi Amichia (G/C) have all had respect thrown their way from people like Rodgers and McCarthy. 

[squire12]

2 minutes ago, ChaRisMa said:

I disagree about OL being necessary. We had SO MANY injuries on the OL last year that we got to see Bakhtiari / Taylor / Linsley / McCray / Bulaga / Spriggs / Murphy all deserve roster spots at the NFL level. Lucas Patrick (G/C), Adam Pankey (G/T), and Kofi Amichia (G/C) have all had respect thrown their way from people like Rodgers and McCarthy. 

Very much agree with this point.  GB will likely add an OL in the draft, but there are plenty of players on the roster currently that will be competing for spots that finding spots for many higher draft picks would be tough.  Now if a player falls, that offers exceptional value, then GB may pull the trigger to take them.

[Pilprin]

1 hour ago, squire12 said:

Very much agree with this point.  GB will likely add an OL in the draft, but there are plenty of players on the roster currently that will be competing for spots that finding spots for many higher draft picks would be tough.  Now if a player falls, that offers exceptional value, then GB may pull the trigger to take them.

Spriggs is terrible. I have zero faith he can compete as more than a makeshift depth guy. Likely an inactive type. Need better than him as an OT

[OneTwoSixFive]

Spriggs hasn't been good,  but that isn't the point. The point is what he will be. I would agree that if he does not become a good enough player to be starter-level through the 2018 season, then I don't think he ever will................but I haven't written him off yet. A critical year, for him.

[66fan]

3 hours ago, squire12 said:

Very much agree with this point.  GB will likely add an OL in the draft, but there are plenty of players on the roster currently that will be competing for spots that finding spots for many higher draft picks would be tough.  Now if a player falls, that offers exceptional value, then GB may pull the trigger to take them.

I agree. The Packers have a system that has worked. Mid round draft picks and UDFA’s that are developed and become starters by year 3. You have to slot this years third year players in to this years draft and only draft players that would be higher than current players. I think that McCrary would slot behind Nelson,  Wynn, and Hernandez, but ahead of the next tier of guards. So unless we take a guard in the first or early second, I don’t think that it is an upgrade. You would still draft later round picks to develop as replacements in the future. Lineman like Corbett or Noteboom who could play multiple positions would be preferred.

[Greg C.]

If that's the way the first round plays out, maybe they trade down a few spots and grab Davenport or Landry. They need a pass rusher so badly. I know, they need a CB badly too, especially after trading away one of their starters. 

I'm skeptical of drafting a WR and having him bulk up to play TE. The Packers have done that a few times, and they've ended up with guys who lost their speed and still couldn't block. Richard Rodgers is the latest example, although he made the conversion while still in college. 

[Kepler]

31 minutes ago, Greg C. said:

If that's the way the first round plays out, maybe they trade down a few spots and grab Davenport or Landry. They need a pass rusher so badly. I know, they need a CB badly too, especially after trading away one of their starters. 

I'm skeptical of drafting a WR and having him bulk up to play TE. The Packers have done that a few times, and they've ended up with guys who lost their speed and still couldn't block. Richard Rodgers is the latest example, although he made the conversion while still in college. 

Who else have they done that with? Honestly asking. Right now I can't recall anyone other than Rodgers, who as you already noted made the switch in college. 

[Greg C.]

1 hour ago, Kepler said:

Who else have they done that with? Honestly asking. Right now I can't recall anyone other than Rodgers, who as you already noted made the switch in college. 

Tyrone Davis (1997-2002) and David Martin (2001-2006). I'll let you know if I find another one. 

[ChaRisMa]

1 minute ago, Greg C. said:

Tyrone Davis (1997-2002). I think there was another one after him. I'll do some digging and let you know if I find another one. 

The 1997 Packers are not the 2018 Packers. Not a single staff member still around from back then.

I had the same idea with Tanner McEvoy when he came out. You take a quality athlete without WR speed and put him at TE and see what he does. 

[Greg C.]

5 minutes ago, ChaRisMa said:

The 1997 Packers are not the 2018 Packers. Not a single staff member still around from back then.

I had the same idea with Tanner McEvoy when he came out. You take a quality athlete without WR speed and put him at TE and see what he does. 

I'm not saying it can't work. I just can't think of any players who have made this conversion successfully. There must be some. But I don't think there are many athletes who can bulk up without losing a lot of speed, and if they've played WR they don't have much experience blocking, so you've got a real project on your hands when you convert them to TE. 

[squire12]

Evan Engram was certainly a bit faster, but that might be the type of TE you would want Lazard to be.  More of a pass receiving option.  If defenses use a CB on him, he should be able to dominate most DB in the run game while blocking.

[Gopher Trace]

On 3/31/2018 at 12:50 PM, ChaRisMa said:

I'll be honest. I was trying to get us Jaire Alexander here but I couldn't find a good place to put Ward in front of us othee r than

 

You may not have, but those teams will find a place for him.

An elite athlete at a premium position with no red-flags to speak of is a lock for Top-10. He will not be passed up because "bigger needs elsewhere."

So as much as I hate to say "X will not be there at # pick" given how much the draft is a crapshoot, I think Ward is one of the safest bets of non-QBs not to last to 14. A lot of folks have him as the best DB/pure coverage player in the draft. We'd have a better shot at Fitz, IMO.

Let's say our first two picks were Alexander (as you were intending initially) and Key, though? Yeah, that'd be a pretty solid first two. I don't love either but Alexander would help immediately where we badly need it, and Key can be a player.

[ChaRisMa]

1 hour ago, Gopher Trace said:

You may not have, but those teams will find a place for him.

An elite athlete at a premium position with no red-flags to speak of is a lock for Top-10. He will not be passed up because "bigger needs elsewhere."

So as much as I hate to say "X will not be there at # pick" given how much the draft is a crapshoot, I think Ward is one of the safest bets of non-QBs not to last to 14. A lot of folks have him as the best DB/pure coverage player in the draft. We'd have a better shot at Fitz, IMO.

Let's say our first two picks were Alexander (as you were intending initially) and Key, though? Yeah, that'd be a pretty solid first two. I don't love either but Alexander would help immediately where we badly need it, and Key can be a player.

I’d agree, but like a I said, not a lot of top ten teams looking to invest in a 510 CB. Last year Kazee was the first sub 511 CB and he was a 5th rounder.

There’s only been 2 first round CBs under 511 this decade. Verret 25th in 2014. Hargreaves 11th in 2016. 

I’m not saying it’s the kiss of death but if your at the top of the draft you want the pick to check all the boxes, especially size.

[mikemike778]

5 picks in the first 4 rounds and nothing on offense. 12 draft picks but no OL even though we have no RG and unless by some miracle occurs and Bulaga's health holds up, have no obvious RT either. We have a lot of guys we may be able to plug in and get away with if we are lucky but with so many 4th and 5th round picks which is the area we have found so many good OL, we should be targeting two OL in rounds 4 and 5.

As things stand receiver needs to be targeted early instead of keep on throwing round 5 picks at the position like we have been doing.

We can't draft defense every year and hope to get away with it. There's got to be some sort of balance or positions get old. We used to have a stellar receiving corps now it is full of late round and UDFA projects. We had a fantastic OL, now we are hoping we can maybe get away with plugging another JAG or two into the starting line-up. Tight End we had no-one so had to pay a fortune to Graham who could easily look a horrible contract this time next year. 

 

[Pugger]

19 hours ago, ChaRisMa said:

The 1997 Packers are not the 2018 Packers. Not a single staff member still around from back then.

I had the same idea with Tanner McEvoy when he came out. You take a quality athlete without WR speed and put him at TE and see what he does. 

I wonder if we ever tried to sign him as an UDFA like Seattle did...