I couldn't find a thread about 3-4 OLB in the draft in Packers Draft Talk so I'm starting one!
The main guys that we will be looking at in the draft will probably be these guys. (iI refuse to believe we wont draft a pass rusher. One of the biggest reasons for our failings was that we couldnt sack the QB and McCarthy wants an aggressive defence who can put pressure on the QB)
Everette Brown- 6ft4", 252lbs, 21 years old. He is clearly the most athletic of the bunch. He is a pure pass rusher from what i've seen of him but have seen nothing from him to suggest he can drop back in coverage. His speed is impressive for a guy his size. One knock against him is he apparently weighed 225lbs in his final college game. This suggests he may find it hard to keep his weight especially after a long 16 game season. In the NFL you need weight to have any chance of pushing the OT back and at 225lbs that's practically WR size!!.
Brian Orakpo- 6ft4", 260lbs, 22 years old. Workout freak but is a slower than E.Brown. Not a bad thing as he uses his superior strength to push the OT's back. He's a pure pass rusher. As a physical specimen, it is no surprise that teams are very interested in him.
Aaron Maybin- 6ft4", 236lbs, 20 years old. Just looking at the pictures of him, he looks too skinny to be a OLB. He does have the frame to put on more weight but i don't think he has the body type to push back OT's.
Larry English- 6ft2", 254lbs, 23 years old. He is an excellent pass rusher. he has a wide body girth meaning lower centre of gravity and he wraps his tackles around very well. He is my favourite pick of the entire OLB group. He plays with aggression unlike E. Brown who relies completely on his athleticism. He has a natural motor which i think is important in a 3-4 OLB. Also he is practically a local bloke and should have no problems playing in Green Bay weather. I think he is better than Brown and Orakpo in the long term.
Brian Cushing- 6ft3, 255lbs, 22 years old. Whilst he has the size, he plays more like a ILB than an OLB. I'm immediately put off by him from what I hear about his steroids allegations. I've seen the before and after pics and i have to say it certainly doesn't look natural. I would stay away from him.
Robert Ayers- 6ft3", 270lbs, 23 years old. I like the way he plays. Has that aggression i like. Also he plays at RDE for his college. If Kampman gonna play LOLB, Ayers could naturally play on the right. Whilst he is the heaviest of the lot, he can easily trim down a bit to fit as a 3-4 OLB. He has similar size to Jeremy Thompson.
Clint Sintim- 6ft3", 252lbs, 22 years old. He seems more of an Aaron Curry type player. Whilst he does have the size to play at OLB he seems to play more in coverage rather than rushing the QB. This suggests he is more of an ILB.
Lawrence Sidbury- 6ft4", 265lbs, 23 years old. Only one youtube vid which shows that he plays at LDE and has a good spin move which he used to sack the QB twice. He is captain so may have some leadership abilities.
Jerry Hughes- 6ft3", 260lbs, 21 years old. Has similar dimensions as Suggs but know next to nothing about him.
Cody Brown- 6ft2", 248lbs, 22 years old. I don't know much about him except he comes highly rated.
Which one would you prefer the packers to take and why?
With the 1st draft pick i would rather take Raji as it's important that we have a 2 good NT's to rotate and ensure the success of the 3-4. I would not be too bothered if we miss out on E.Brown and Orakpo as there are other good OLB available in the draft. I would hope with our no.2 pick we could get Larry English.
Are there any other good alternatives that i've not mentioned in the list of players?