April 16th,2010 On The Sidelines

With the draft next Thursday, you can bet your bottom dollar that there are a ton of rumors circulating in and around NFL circles. I will admit that there are a few that even I can't (and won't) touch for various reasons. Here is the latest edition of the O.T.S.

Here are some rumors that I have heard about.

RUMOR:


n.

A piece of unverified information of uncertain origin usually spread by word of mouth.
Unverified information received from another; hearsay.

A rumor has started to circulate in and around NFL circles. The rumor is the Packers will not take a player in round 1 that has been linked to them (i.e. Charles Brown, Bruce Campbell) but instead they will take a player that many don't think they would take. A couple names that I heard are Jahvid Best, Taylor Mays, Morgan Burnett, Ricky Sapp or Georgia Tech wide receiver Demaryius Thomas..

Let me expand on Thomas. I was told that Thompson feels he is a bigger, faster Brandon Marshall type player and would be an excellent compliment to Greg Jennings. After watching watching 2 days worth of film on him, I came away impressed with him. While I think he needs to work on his route running and how to come out of his breaks without telegraphing what he is about to do, I think he was a tremendous upside. He has huge hands and an impressive wingspan.

I have also heard that the Packers are really looking into adding a 2nd round pick (while not trading back in round 1). I have heard that the Packers want a 3rd selection on day 2 of the draft (rounds 2 & 3) and the Packers have been active in trade talks. The trade talk involves players on their team and draft picks including a possible 2011 draft pick.

I was told by a person in the scouting community that Ted Thompson wants this to be a 4 player draft in (which he lands 4 eventual starters). He claims that this will not be a "typical Ted Thompson draft" and "look for the Packers to be an active team".

Patty (on Packer Chatters) touched on a rumor that had the Raiders wanting to draft Taylor Mays, but not at pick #9. She said that she heard they wanted to trade back into round 1. I did some checking and found out that the Raiders are willing to deal their 2nd and a player to do so. I heard from a scout with-in the Raider organization that there has been talk that the Packers could be the team to deal with. I was told the Raiders could/would offer their 2nd and Thomas Howard, their young outside linebacker should Mays be available.

Keep an eye on Jevan Snead and Jonathan Crompton on day 3 of the draft. I have heard that Mike McCarthy really thinks he can develop one of these two young QB's into a nice NFL player. Snead has mre tools to work with, but also that "gun-slinger" mentality, while Crompton was a really good pro prospect until Lane Kiffin got to Knoxville and started developing him last year.

After the run of OT's (which I was told will go fast and furious early in round 1) look for CB's to go quick as well.

That's all for right now. Thanks for taking the time to read this and feel free to tell a friend about the site. Also, don't forget to sign-up for the forums (if you haven't already).

Joe Arrigo
joearrigo@joeslockerroom.com [url=index.php?name=Pro_News&aid=136]full article[/url].

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cheers, arrigo...even if these things never amount to anything they're still fun to read and pretty much the only reason i lurk around during the off-season.



hmmm. i'm not exactly sold on Mays, i hope it's not him.



interesting. ok, now i'm getting excited.

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I felt the same way about this TG - cept for the 'raider' trade. Never heard of that LB and feel there is no reason we should trade our 23rd pick for him.

I tend not to read too much into any news coming out from teams themselfs around this time, but these are always fun to read.

That list of players that they'd take in round 1 reaks of a smoke screen. (Nearly) all of those players should be easily available if you trade out of the 1st round. For a team that would want another 2nd/3rd, those are the players you'd be looking at when trading down. Not in the 1st. Yet, another rumor has it that we don't want to trade back.

Jahvid Best! That's what I like to hear. I'd also love Brandon Graham or Kyle Wilson if one drops to us.

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I'm excited about the idea of trading up for another 2nd or 3rd round pick. We spent the last 4 years drafting for depth and developing our youth. Now that there are no glaring weaknesses (besides OT), you can afford to target impact players in the draft at the expense of later or future picks. This is exactly the strategy I want to see Ted Thompson take for the next two seasons.

If I had to wager a bet.. out of all the names being kicked around with the first pick of the Packers.. whether at 23 or they trade down.. I would guess...


Rodger Saffold, T Indiana. Kid seems to have everything the Packers look for in a tackle.. athletic, good feet, pass protector first and played in a big time conference.

Smart engaging gent... in the range we are picking. it just seems to make sense if tackle is the target.

The other.. Jerry Hughes, TCU OLB

I think they will address the safety in the second or third round.. after Berry.. I think most of the guys are similar in rankings at this point.. a number of them.

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Not a typical Ted Thompson draft? I love it, last year was also not very typical and look how great that turned out. I hope if Ted sees his man available he does what it takes to get him.

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If we take Demaryus Thomas at 23, who's going to Harrisburg to mainline JD and smoke Pall Malls with Foster. Dude's gonna blow a gasket.

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I think it's funny that there is such a concept as a "typical Ted Thompson draft". When he showed up the roster wasn't even deep enough to throw a rubber duck into. He had to get as many quality football players as he could on the team until it was well rounded again. Last year was the first time we saw him shift strategies BASED ON THE STATUS AND NEEDS OF THE TEAM. That is all he is doing. It's all he's ever done.

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