Nonstopdrivel
16 years ago

Overall, Draft Fell Into Place For Packers  

by Mike Spofford, Packers.com
posted 04/26/2009

Green Bay Packers General Manager Ted Thompson always looks at a draft more as a long-term investment in the team's future than a vehicle to fill short-term needs.

But no matter which perspective is preferred, the Packers appear to have made progress in both of those areas with this past weekend's selection of eight new players.

With the major issues facing the team being the transition to a 3-4 defense and some uncertainty both immediately and long-term at the offensive tackle spot, the Packers directly addressed those with four of their first five selections.

Bringing in nose tackle B.J. Raji from Boston College and outside linebacker Clay Matthews from USC with two first-round selections on Saturday added two highly touted prospects at the two most important positions - inside anchor and outside pass rusher - in the new defensive scheme.

Head Coach Mike McCarthy on Sunday reiterated what both Thompson and the team's position coaches said on Saturday, which is that both Raji and Matthews have a chance to be every-down players on defense and to contribute immediately. And they will both be looked to for impact in the two areas the Packers struggled with most in 2008 -- run defense and pass rush.

"We weren't trying to sell tickets the last two days," McCarthy said. "We were looking for good football players, and those two guys were guys that were very high on our board. We are very excited to add those two types of football players to a 3-4 scheme. We think they are an excellent fit for the direction we are going."

Meanwhile on the other side of the ball, the selections of offensive linemen T.J. Lang of Eastern Michigan and Jamon Meredith of South Carolina in the fourth and fifth rounds, respectively, added two players who could get a chance to compete for a starting right tackle spot immediately or for the long-term left tackle job in the future.

There already were several potential, though unproven, candidates on the roster for those positions, and the sheer number of bodies now will make the tackle position among the most highly competitive on the roster all spring and summer.

Offensive coordinator Joe Philbin noted that the organized team activities (OTAs) through late May and June will be the start of the learning process for Lang and Meredith, but the true competition won't start for the linemen until training camp on Aug. 1.

"We'd like to teach these guys, especially the new guys, our system and see how quickly they can absorb it, see how comfortable they are in it," Philbin said. "But we're not going to make a whole lot of evaluations until we see live run-blocking and one-on-one pass rush where the guys have got pads on, the blitz situations in training camp, to see how they react under pressure.

"We want to get them indoctrinated, we want to teach them as much as we can fundamentally, see how they work, and teach them how we practice. But we're going to withhold a lot of hard evaluations until we get a chance to look at these guys in live situations."

That almost goes without saying for the player drafted between the two linemen - LSU fullback Quinn Johnson. If there's any position that demands full pads to see what a player can do, it's a straight-ahead lead blocker like Johnson, who will compete with incumbents Korey Hall and John Kuhn for a key job in the run game.

McCarthy has hinted this offseason about some tweaks to the running attack that may make it look at times like more of a power game, and even though that talk has been exaggerated a little and there are no major changes on the horizon, Johnson does fit that mold. Both Thompson and McCarthy felt Johnson was too good a value to pass up in the fourth round despite the presence of two veteran fullbacks on the roster.

"Quinn Johnson has that ability to play power football, in the power pattern schemes versus the zone schemes," McCarthy said. "But his number one asset will be in the inside zone scheme, which is the starting point the way we run the football. I think he's definitely a fit for us the way we have played and the direction we're making adjustments to."

With their final three picks in the sixth and seventh rounds, all three levels of the defense were spoken for.

Sixth-rounder Jarius Wynn of Georgia is a defensive end whom McCarthy feels could bulk up enough from his current 277 pounds to eventually play end in the 3-4, while seventh-rounder Brad Jones of Colorado is another potential pass rusher from the outside linebacker spot in the new scheme.

In between those two was cornerback Brandon Underwood of Cincinnati, who joins a deep group at his position as the team plans for an eventual future without veteran Pro Bowl corners Charles Woodson and Al Harris.

Overall, it was a weekend that featured several memorable elements:

--Good fortune, in the unexpected choice of either Texas Tech wide receiver Michael Crabtree or Raji at No. 9, two players many mock drafts had off the board by then.

--An aggressive trade, as Thompson traded up for just the second time in his five Green Bay drafts, surrendering his second and two third-round picks to move up 15 spots and get Matthews at the bottom of the first round.

--And a balanced finish, with the eight picks ultimately split 5-3 as far as defense to offense, and all areas of the roster getting an addition except the offensive skill positions and specialists.

"I think we had some guys targeted in spots where it worked out for us," Thompson said. "There were some specific players that we sort of eyed, and those guys kind of fell down where we thought they would go, and we were able to get them. We think all things considered it was a pretty successful weekend."

One the Packers hope increases the likelihood they can distance themselves from last year's disappointing 6-10 season, though Thompson noted several times this weekend that process from a roster standpoint is mostly up to the current players improving and, on defense in particular, applying their experience to the new scheme.

But the early impact some of the draft picks might be able to make will certainly help.

"Again, our success this year will depend on our existing group, not necessarily these guys coming in," Thompson said. "And that's the case with any team.

"I hope at the end of the day they're all good football players. I think they're good people, and hopefully they'll add to this team and hopefully add to the tradition of the Green Bay Packers in an honorable way."


UserPostedImage
go.pack.go.
16 years ago
I can't wait to see Marion Barber try to run over BJ Raji.....LMAO
UserPostedImage
Pack93z
16 years ago
After rolling the dice a little in day one, the draft broke very well for the Packers on day two..

It was either a stroke of brilliance or some plain Irish luck... but it is a good sign for the Packers in either case.

Maybe the ball will bounce our way this year.
"The oranges are dry; the apples are mealy; and the papayas... I don't know what's going on with the papayas!"
Fan Shout
beast (9m) : Oh yes, sometimes they make using a cellphone tough. I just wanted to make sure it was the correct article, & thank you for pointing it out.
jdlax (1h) : I can't believe one of my teams went out and wablammo just up and acquired one of the best players in the world overnight
dfosterf (6h) : I do very much appreciate when Beast and others pick up my slack 😊
dfosterf (6h) : I accept Beast's admonishment regarding my failure to link stuff I reference. I simply never learned to link from my cell phone.
beast (6h) : That's not what your she said 😌, she said keep going 😏
Mucky Tundra (9h) : Anything over 4 hours means he needs to get to the hospital
Mucky Tundra (9h) : Someone might want to check on Hafley and make sure his erection has gone down
Zero2Cool (11h) : LaFleur texts "bleep me I cannot sit down"
Zero2Cool (11h) : YouTube has had me last hour or two lol
Mucky Tundra (12h) : Ugh this trade happened right as my shift started and it's killing me
Zero2Cool (12h) : Parsons wore 23 in high school.
Zero2Cool (12h) : Packers just cost Lions more money with Hutchinson too huh
Zero2Cool (13h) : That is fair by me.
buckeyepackfan (13h) : Kenny Clark is the player, 2 1st rnd picks
Zero2Cool (13h) : umm... what?
wpr (13h) : I am stunned
Mucky Tundra (14h) : RICKEY SCOOPS WAS RIGHT AGAIN!!!
Mucky Tundra (14h) : ITS HAPPENING
buckeyepackfan (14h) : DEAL IS DONE
buckeyepackfan (14h) : MICAH IS COMING TO GREEN BAY!!!!!!!!!
wpr (20h) : Me do-ed it gooderly,
Zero2Cool (28-Aug) : Bahah, I was like WTF why isn't anyone posting on PP.com ... oops no one has permissions
dfosterf (27-Aug) : tell her I reckon
dfosterf (27-Aug) : Micah Robinson cut. Probable PS player tomorrow. Has to call mom back and t
Zero2Cool (27-Aug) : New site so much better. Might make switch and deal with it.
dfosterf (27-Aug) : Mecole Hardman to our practice squad
dfosterf (27-Aug) : Nick Nieman from Texans our 5th linebacker. Special teams signing
TheKanataThrilla (27-Aug) : Looks like we signed Clayton Tune as QB3
wpr (27-Aug) : TKT people lose their minds over QB3. Point is almost none of them are ready that's why they are on the PS and other teams don't take them.
TheKanataThrilla (27-Aug) : Unfortunately he doesn't seem ready to be an emergency QB.
TheKanataThrilla (27-Aug) : As a Canadian and a follower of Canadian University football. I am rooting for him
dfosterf (27-Aug) : I bet a lot of us will follow the Taylor Elgersma journey with interest. Personally, got a Kurt Warner vibe goin' on. I like him
TheKanataThrilla (27-Aug) : Not sure if either will be claimed though.
TheKanataThrilla (27-Aug) : Tune or Hooker would make sense
dfosterf (27-Aug) : Clayton Tune cut by the Cards? Don't know if that's the guy, we shall see
TheKanataThrilla (27-Aug) : Per Bill Huber, the Packers will not be bringing back Taylor Elgersma or Sean Clifford on the practice squad, so a new third quarterback
Mucky Tundra (27-Aug) : Schefter must have deleted his tweet
dfosterf (27-Aug) : Hopefully Jerry reaches under the seat cushions and ashtrays of his jet and scrapes up the 45 million apr and spares us further nonsense
dfosterf (27-Aug) : Have to admit the PO'd Cowboy fan videos would be fun to watch. Problem with draft picks is half their fanbase barely knows what that is
beast (27-Aug) : I think Cowboys fans are ready to get their pitch forks and burning sticks if Jerry were to trade Micah
dfosterf (27-Aug) : If Jerry traded Micah to GB, here in northern Va. they would have to quick build yet another data center to handle the internet hate traffic
Zero2Cool (27-Aug) : its signing and trades that you don't hear about, other then announced
Zero2Cool (27-Aug) : If you hear rumors about Packers sign or trade, won't happen. Not how they work
dfosterf (27-Aug) : 19 players in a contract year. Jones called loss to us worst loss in Cowboy history. Forget Parsons trade. Not happenin' Cap'n
packerfanoutwest (27-Aug) : The Packers, meanwhile, are the youngest team in the league for the third consecutive year.
dfosterf (27-Aug) : That it was darkest before the dawn in Bengals and Commanders before they got deals done
Zero2Cool (27-Aug) : what is Schefter saying?
dfosterf (27-Aug) : He was getting Dorito infusion therapy
dfosterf (27-Aug) : He's outta shape. Why, just the other day I saw him splayed out on the trainers table
Mucky Tundra (27-Aug) : Parsons has followed Rasheed Walker on Twitter. Quite the choice
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