It's a shame Ted Thompson can't be anywhere near as good in Round 1 or with defensive players. He needs to draft defense in Round 2 more often.
Originally Posted by: uffda udfa
I think it is fair to say that (i.e. Ted has been bad with 1st round picks - especially on D).
The more interesting question is 'why'? He can certainly spot value in later rounds - Hyde, Shields + Tramon (albeit neither were drafted), Barrington, Demond Bishop, Boyd, Daniels - so it's not as if Ted has no clue on scouting defensive talent.
Is it simply the low draft position? Rumours are that Packers had JJ Watt and Revis rated as the best defensive prospects of their class, but neither were realistic gets given the Packers' low draft position in round 1.
Maybe it is simply lost talent evaluators (Reggie McKenzie, John Dorsey, etc.)? I don't exactly think this is the reason, because it's not like the Packers hit on all 1st round picks with those evaluators around (Clay being excluded).
I'd be very interested to see where the "core" players of good defences were drafted. I think the Seahawks will show that outside of Bruce Irwin and Earl Thomas, they didn't use top-15 picks to get their "core" players at other positions. BUT, is that the trend or the exception?
If teams with good defences routinely draft their "core" players in later rounds, the case is stronger that Ted may be weak at defensive scouting. If, however, good defensive teams have a lot of top-10/top-15 picks forming the "core" of their defence, I think it kind of makes the heat Uffda Udfa gives Ted unwarranted. Anyone willing to do such an analysis / know where one might find such data conveniently (without having to search and browse multiple sites)?
The NFL: Where Greg Jennings Happens.