Packers 2010 3rd Round Draft Choice, Georgia Tech S Morgan Burnett
by Brandon on Apr 23, 2010 9:01 PM CDT in Draft
The Green Bay Packers really needed depth in the secondary and they found a talented player in the 3rd round of the 2010 NFL draft, Georgia Tech S Morgan Burnett.
I hadn't liked that many of the top cornerbacks were smaller, in the 5'10", 195 lbs. range. And that few college safeties had a 2nd round grade. I had chosen a cornerback in the 2nd round of the SB Nation mock draft, but I wasn't sold on him and I liked many of the alternatives in the 2nd round even less. Maybe if S Taylor Mays had continued to fall in the 2nd round, then he could have been an option. But Burnett is a good fit in the 3rd round because has more size (6'1" 209 lbs.) than most of the cornerback options and the only reason he's only a 3rd round prospect is because of inconsistencies.
To move up and select Burnett near the top of the 3rd round they swapped 3rd round picks with the Eagles and gave up their 4th round pick. As a general rule, I don't like trading away draft picks, but the Packers have enough roster battles on their hands and it's more important to move up and draft the player they like then adding more quantity.
Not surprisingly, Georgia Tech fans love the guy. Here's BirdGT at From The Rumble Seat:
M. Burnett - Georgia Tech DB #1
Unlike his predecessors at Tech (Ravens safety Dawan Landry and Giants safety James Butler), Morgan Burnett's game is speed. He is lightning quick and breaks on passes like it's nobody's business. The Tech safety racked up 14 interceptions over his three year career at Tech because he had enough speed to react to poorly thrown footballs and the hands to snab the errant throws.