Ted Thompson is a genius!

[martyj72]

My initial reaction to the first round pick of Justin Harell was to yell and scream at the radio in my car. Well I decided to find out a little about the guy. It would appear that he has better talent than I thought,BUT I still don't like the pick. DL was the deepest position on the team. No one that is great but still a bunch of decent players. Plus Harell has a little history of injury.

The rest of his draft really scares me. He drafted B. Jackson in the second round. Is this guy any better than what we already have? He could have drafted a couple of playmakers in round 2 had he not traded down. Plus Jackson is has a history of injury. Vernand Morency and B. Jackson carrying the ball for us next year. Vikings fans must be scared now.

The other thing that makes me angry is that Randy Moss and D. Jackson were traded for 4th round picks. I'm not completely sure but I think we drafted a WR from VT in the 4th round. Wouldn't Moss and Jackson have more of an impact than a WR from VT?

Thompson drafted this year as if he will be there for the next ten years. We still don't have any offensive playmakers on offense. Our top playmaker is still B. Farve. I love the guy but he won't be here forever.

Thompson doesn't fill needs through free agency and he doesn't draft for needs. When are the needs of the team suppose to be filled? Please someone tell me that I am wrong and that everything is going to be ok

[Big Game 81]

Seems to me, and by what you've explained, that Ted Thompson does in fact, seem like an idiot

[porky88]

Cheap plug on my sporting blog but I wrote a review of the Packers draft and here is what I thought...

The Draft has come and gone and everybody has an opinion on how well there teams did. Some bad and others good. Here are my thoughts on the Packers 2007 NFL Draft.... 1st Round Justin Harrell, DT, Tennessee - One thing that I need to get off my chest is, Justin Harrell would have absolutely been a 1st round pick even if the Packers didn't take him. He would not of fell to early round 2 or mid round 2 like some Packer fans think. He is a great prospect and was the #1 DT prospect heading into the 2006 Season and then he got hurt which was a setback. However he's a tough football player with a great attitude. Yes the Packers have Corey Williams but he is going to be a free agent and he wants big money so long term, Green Bay is not safe at the position. Now with this said I wouldn't of taken him at 16. I would of moved down to Denver's spot and selected him ahead of Kansas City. I think Dwayne Bowe, Greg Olsen, Robert Meachem, and Reggie Nelson would of been better picks at 16. Justin Harrell is not a bad pick like some think but it's also not a very good one. Grade C Round 2 Brandon Jackson, RB, Nebraska - This is an intriguing pick and one that I did not like right away but then I listened to him talk on the radio and heard good things about his work ethic and I'm slowly coming around. Now Michael Bush and Antonio Pittman would've been much better selections but the Packers went with someone who should have no problems making the transition to their zone blocking scheme because Nebraska runs it as well. Jackson is about 5'10" which is good size for a back and has outstanding vision. It was a bit of a reach for him in my opinion but a nice sleeper pick. Jackson has a chance to contribute right away but at the moment I don't see him as guy who can carry the ball 15 to 20 times a game through a 16 game season. He has durability issues and he never really carried the load in college. I think he'll backup Morency and the Packers still have problems in the backfield. Grade C Round 3 James Jones, WR, San Jose State - This was a shocking pick. Why not trade this pick for Randy Moss? Your telling me that James Jones is better than Randy Moss? That's really hard to believe even with Moss coming off his worst season in his entire career. Jones has some skills. He can make tough catches and he isn't scared to go across the middle. He could a nice red zone target. However he's slow and doesn't get the separation you would like. Farther more this pick was absolutely a reach for the Packers. Jones was a 5th round talent and if your going to reach then do it in round 4, not 3. Grade D Aaron Rouse, S, Virginia Tech - Now this was my guy before the Draft even started. Rouse has the size of a linebacker but runs like a corner. He has an outstanding attitude. At the Senior Bowl Rouse was all over the place. I watched all the practices and he was one safety who seemed to always be around the ball. Now he does have some coverage issues but he has terrific intangibles to make up for it. Rouse also had great value at this spot. I had him graded out as a 2nd round prospect so to get him at the end round 3 is excellent value. I think he could start from Day 1. Grade B+ Round 4 Allen Barbre, OT, Missouri Southern State - This is a typical pick by the Packers. An offensive lineman that fits their scheme on Day 2. Barbre is a quick guy who is a perfect fit in the zone blocking scheme which likes those undersize lineman that are able to cut. He's versatile and can play either guard or tackle. He also will give the Packers depth to a position that they need it at. However he does not play very strong and he is kind of a project. I see him as a backup guard and tackle but nothing more. Grade C Round 5 David Clowney, WR, Virginia Tech - The Packers might of reached for James Jones but here they got excellent value. Clowney was a late 3rd to early 4th round projection in my opinion. He has great upside. He is fast with soft hands. He is the deep threat this team is looking for if he can indeed step in from Day 1 and contribute. I think he will. He is a bit undersized so he'll need to bulk up. If he can gain 5 pounds and maintain his speed before the start of training camp that would be excellent. He's not scared to go across the middle but in the NFL you can't go across the middle at 188 and expect to remain healthy the entire season. Grade A - Round 6 Korey Hall, LB, Boise State - The WAC Defensive player of the year is a great athlete and a really hard nose type of player. The Packers want to move him to FB but they also like what he can bring on Special Teams. He is a project. A guy who you take a chance on in the 6th round and hope that he can pan out. We'll see how he does but for now I have to question the Packers for continuing to pass on Ben Patrick when he has great value this late. Grade C - Desmond Bishop, LB, California - The Packers special teams was awful last year on coverage and return. They really were one of the worst in the NFL in my opinion. So spending late picks on special teams was a wise move. However you can also shore up your special teams in free agency. I question this pick because there is still better value on the board and the Packers are deep at LB. Bishop will probably backup Brady Poppinga and maybe he can be a sleeper but overall I'm not crazy about selecting him here. Grade D+ Mason Crosby, K, Colorado - This is not a bad pick at all. Crosby has an outstanding leg and he'll be able to kick in the cold winter of Green Bay. Forget the stats because Colorado was asking him to kick way to many difficult field goals. He'll compete with Dave Rayner who did a decent but not great job replacing Ryan Longwell. I think Crosby can win that roster spot if he gets his timing down. He's great inside the 50 and with the Packers red zone offense struggling this could end up being the best pick the Packers made. Grade B Round 7 DeShawn Wynn, RB, Florida - Wynn has the size to play FB so it will be interesting if Mike McCarthy gives him a look there. Wynn has a lot of talent and is a down hill runner that works in the zone blocking scheme. He should have very little trouble adjusting to it. He was a key player on the Florida Gators offense and in a pro style offense he could end up being a steal this late. With that said character is a major concern with him and he got into a few arguments with Urban Meyer. So while the upside is there so is the downside. Grade C Clarke Harris, TE, Rutgers - This was not a bad pick. In fact it was a good value pick for someone who could of gone in late round 4 or early round 5. He'll be a great red zone target and I think he'll end up being the Packers #2 TE behind only Bubba Franks and he could even be the best pass catching TE on the roster. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Probably a bad thing. Harris will have a shot to play a key role on a team who needs red zone targets. He could be a real contributor. Overall not a bad pick but they should have addressed TE in the first four rounds. Grade B - First the Packers did help themselves. Saying they didn't or any team for that matter is ridiculous. Every single team helps yourself on Draft Day. You can't get worst adding talent. With that said it's about how much you helped yourself. In my opinion the Packers missed out and should of traded down and gained one more pick. They had a chance for Randy Moss and quite frankly Ted Thompson blew it. Moss did not want to play in Oakland and he didn't think New England was a possibility until late Sunday Night. Thompson should have struck a deal on Day 1 of the Draft when he had his chance. That could be a monumental mistake for the Packers. However Thompson is a solid talent evaluator and the Packers scouting department are good at what they do. This Draft was not as good as last years but I think it has the potential to really get at least 4 or 5 players that will contribute from Day 1. Those being Justin Harrell, David Clowney, Brandon Jackson, Mason Crosby, and Aaron Rouse. How well those guys will do will define this Draft. This grade is more so what you get on a quiz so to speak. The Final Grade given out will come in two years when we see how much potential was reached. Overall Grade: C

[Saint33]

Ted Thompson is one of my favorite packers

[porky88]

Originally Posted by Saint33 Ted Thompson is one of my favorite packers

Considering he had one of the better drafts in the NFL last year I would be hesitant to put on a big smiley if I were you. Now I'm not saying the Packers have hit gold again ,so to speak, but I will say he knows what he is doing regardless of whether or not angry Packer fans boo or approve.

[martyj72]

I've heard good and bad things about Rouse, and I also have heard good things about Clowney. Your assessments about everyone was pretty much how most have viewed this draft, with a little more detail. Unfortunately that doesn't make me feel better. I think the Packers will be somewhere between 6-10 and 8-8 this year. Their schedule is actually pretty tough this year.

[Plugs22]

I think the players he (thompson) drafted are fine footbal players, although Not trading a 3rd rounder for D Jax or Moss and instead picking Jones really left me scratching my head. The most pressing point is the one about filling needs. He did nothing to address the short-term needs of this team, and i know his philosophy is build a team that wil be good for many yrs to come, but the NFL is win NOW. ANd the packers have built a solid D over the psat couple years, and with Favre running the offense, if you coulda got him a couple of playmakers with that improving D you could make a run for the Superbowl (specially in the NFC) this year w/o costing ur future all that much. The team is far enuff under the cap to have signed a couple big offensive play makers for a couple of years, b/c another big chunk of cap room will free up when favre retires. I think Thompson is sticking to his plan and that plan is being a ply-off contending team every year, but would you as a fan rather see your team wi na super bowl and miss the play-offs for 3 years or be in the play-offs and lose in the first round 4 yrs in a row?

[martyj72]

The point about signing guys to help the offense now is a good one. That is how I have felt. They have so much cap space they could have front loaded some contracts to sign some players, D. Graham,
D. Stallworth, or T. Henry. I'm not saying to sign all those players, but one would have made this draft easier for Thompson. This offense has no playmakers, D. Driver is pretty close though. He would not have been booed if he had signed one of those players.

I just can't believe that Thompson is completely wasting the last years of Farve. Grant it Farve is not what he was, and I don't believe he can do everything by himself like the good old days; I miss the 90's. Does he believe that an offense led by Rogers with no offensive weapons will be able to go to a Super Bowl led by a solid, not great, defense?

To answer your question, I will take the Super Bowl win.

[porky88]

Originally Posted by martyj72 The point about signing guys to help the offense now is a good one. That is how I have felt. They have so much cap space they could have front loaded some contracts to sign some players, D. Graham, D. Stallworth, or T. Henry. I'm not saying to sign all those players, but one would have made this draft easier for Thompson. This offense has no playmakers, D. Driver is pretty close though. He would not have been booed if he had signed one of those players. I just can't believe that Thompson is completely wasting the last years of Farve. Grant it Farve is not what he was, and I don't believe he can do everything by himself like the good old days; I miss the 90's. Does he believe that an offense led by Rogers with no offensive weapons will be able to go to a Super Bowl led by a solid, not great, defense? To answer your question, I will take the Super Bowl win.

Couple of things here

Stat of the century. 21 of 22 players on the Colts starting roster this year were Draft Picks. I believe 19 of 22 on the 05 Steelers were Draft Picks. You build through the draft. Now I completely agree you need to make some moves and he has in the past. Ted Thompson signed Charles Woodson and Ryan Pickett last year. Those two free agent signings made bigger impacts than any free agent signing has in a very long time. Since maybe the 90’s. It’s a misconception to think he won’t go out and sign free agents. He will if he believes it’ll upgrade team. However I think the Packers are overrating themselves this off season and they benefited from playing 3 lousy teams to close out the year.

I would love to see Favre go out on top but Brett Favre's last Super Bowl Hur-Rah was wasted under Mike Sherman. If Favre can commit to another year after this then I think the Packers have a chance but the best chance for Favre to get his ring post Holmgrem was between 2000 and 2004.

Years past the Packers lived and died with Brett Favre. Especially this decade. It’s been Favre plays good the Packers win and if he plays bad the Packers lose. Ted Thompson is building a team that relies less on the QB position and more on running the ball and playing good defense. He continues to upgrade the Defense. McCarthy switched to a zone blocking scheme and I’m pretty sure that was a key reason to why he was hired. So Rodgers is never going to be Favre but Rodgers might only have to be Brad Johnson if this team lives up to it’s potential.

I think people keep jumping the gun on this is Favre’s last year. They said that the year before and last year. To me he has 2 and maybe 3 more years left in him so he might get his chance under this regime. It’s a wait and see game.

[Plugs22]

I'm not saying this iss favre's last year either but i am saying they could ahve front laoded a couple contracts to get offensive weapons for a run this year w/o any problems to their cap at all. thats the point i thin is the most pressing her, I like thompson's idea of building through the draft to have a solid team year in and year out, but u also have to try and run for the super bowl every now and then