Jenkins and Jolly are free agents at the end of the season.

He's athletic and powerful. Can really be a strong force when he wants to be. He's so inconsistent and he's not relentless. I don't think he has a high motor either. I thought this was a reach, but DEs in the 3-4 are hard to find and a lot of teams will reach for them.

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I can understand adding to the defensive rotation.. watched this kid for a couple years in the Big Ten.. I apparently don't like him as much as the Packers do.

Jolly is a question mark (Suspension possible).. Monty was let go.. and Wynn is a question mark yet.. and Neal may give us a push at times.. just kinda wanted Tate there.

Strong kid.. but disappears at times.

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With Jenkins and Jolly are free agents at the end of the season maybe having this youngster nipping at their heals will give them an added drive to do better. One player, making two other players better?

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The draft guru bloggers had him as a DT and downgraded him a bit for never leaving the field while other guys in the draft were part of a rotation.

The Packers on film saw a good DE for the 3-4.
He is very strong and also quick.
He is a very good charater guy with leadership skills. He was co-captain of Purdue's football team. This guy got 5.5 sacks as a DT. He has some pass rushing skills.

The Packers were lucky neither Jolly or Jenkins got injured last season. There was not much depth.

Montgomery is gone and this guy takes that roster spot. Considerable upgrade for the 3-4.
Now Jolly and Jenkins can get some relief in a rotation that also includes Raji. Rested D-linemen make the whole defense better. Injury insurance is another benefit.

The more I learn about the guy the more I like this pick.

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Mike Neal... Mike Neal. Oh, yeah! the, uh... DT, yeah, yeah. He's the one with the... you know, the kid who... er...

Yay! We got Bryan Bulaga!

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Obviously a surprising pick, but I'm going to trust the scouts for now. This guy seems like a freak at the 3-4 DE position. If they are able to tap his potential in a rotation, he could be a significant contributor.

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I didnt know what to think of the pick when we first landed him - just because I didnt know about him and expected either a safety/corner or OLB before a DE.

But like you said calcheez - adds depth especially to a line that needs it; because wynn or montgomery wernt that good for what we needed them for.

and especially since we might lose jolly for a few games and then the contract years coming up (but I really hope we resign both of them).

- I should add that the way a 3-4 works is that the better the line the better your OLBers are able to do their job

I think we're going to start hearing about this guy during minicamps and training camp. He's going to have a number of surprisingly strong showings leading up to the season... 500 lb bench presser and 4.89 40 yard dash? 5.5 sacks per season? Whew...

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it was a surprise out of left field at first, but i'm ok with it after reading and hearing discussion about him.

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Kinda surprising but shores up our rotation for sure, especially with Jolly and Cullen in contract years. Gotta love that we have 5 reliable big ass dudes anchoring the front of our new 3-4. Just not sure if they plan on pushing Raji into more NT snaps to keep pickett fresh, or if its a full free for all.

Clay and the boys got to be excited seeing Neal added to the list of Jenkins, Raji, Pickett, Jolly.

The end of Bustin?

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