2007 Packers Draft

Haven't had a ton of time to analyze the draft since the weekend what with the move and all but with a few days to reflect I guess the best that can be said is "Wait and see."

The Packers' first round draft pick was interior defensive lineman, Justin Harrell, from Tennessee. He only played 3 games his senior year after blowing out his bicep. Film from his junior year show him to be a high-motor upfield pursuer with long arms. A defensive tackle that can get to the quarterback can help any team and one hopes the Packers did their due diligence in testing his medical condition. A stud wide receiver would have been nice at #16 but after Calvin Johnson, there wasn't a sure-fire impact player at wideout and with a deep draft at that position quality still could be found in later rounds.

The second pick concerns me more. Again, they selected a player with a history of injury problems, junior running back Brandon Jackson from Nebraska. He posted gaudy numbers in split duty but a running back with injuries to both shoulders can be a worry given the pounding they take. He is supposedly a good receiver but needs to work on his blocking (as do most rookie running backs). Scouts have indicated that had he not come out early, he might have been considered the top back in college in 2008. Hopefully, he can replace departed Nebraska alumn, Ahman Green.

The rest of the draft saw the Packers taking WRs James Jones of San Jose State with their 1st 3rd round pick and David Clowney from Virginia Tech in the 5th round. Jones seems to be more of a possession guy with Clowney being the burner who needs to learn how to run routes but can make an immediate impact in the return game.

Needs were filled as they took Hokie safety, Aaron Rouse, in the 3rd round and Division II All-American, Allen Barbre, from Missouri Southern State in round four. Round six saw the Packers taking the top kicker, Mason Crosby, from Colorado who will compete with Dave Raymer. Also Korey Hall, of Boise State, was taken in the 6th as a possible replacement for retired William Henderson at fullback after being converted from his college position of linebacker. The Packers also selected another linebacker, Desmond Bishop, from California in the 6th round. I would have liked to see them take a run at tight end, Ben Patrick, in the 6th round.

Running back, DeShawn Wynn, from Florida was taken in the 7th round and could also compete for the fullback spot. Finally, another need was addressed in the 7th round with tight end, Clark Harris, from Rutgers. Of course, can you really expect needs to be filled in a big way that late in the draft? It definitely can happen but you can't count on it.

While I'd like to wait a couple of years to grade the draft, Packers GM Ted Thompson, probably deserves the benefit of the doubt given how the 2006 draft class was able to step up and contribue right away. So, I'll give the Packers a B-.

My Brain Is Literally Gonna Fall Out of My Head

I absolutely can't stand the way that no one apparently knows what "literally" means. It's misused in a variety of forums but the most frequent offenders tend to be sports writers and/or broadcasters. A few weeks ago during a Chicago Bulls broadcast, Johnny "Red" Kerr announced that one of the players was "literally hacked to death" during a drive to the basket. Yet no one was thrown out of the game much less arrested.

Then in a review of the pros and cons of top wide receiver prospect, Calvin Johnson, of Georgia Tech, John Murphy of Yahoo! Sports reported that Johnson "literally exploded out of the gates" during his 40 yard dash at the NFL combines. Wow. That was really not widely reported. One would think that if the best athlete in the draft "literally exploded" it would have been given a couple of seconds on SportsCenter.

I know they mean "metaphorically" (even if they don't know it). I guess it's kind of funny to think of how the "literal" version of their metaphors would play out in real life but geez you'd think that a professional communicator would figure it out at some point.

Draft Time

Yahoo! Sports has determined that the Green Bay Packers have needs at running back, cornerback, tight end, wide receiver and safety. They further make the following analysis of the Packers draft strategy:

RB: The Packers' staff is making more believers in the belief that it feels comfortable entering training camp with a combination of Vernand Morency as the potential starter, and Noah Herron and a draft choice battling for playing time. If that is the case, the Packers will likely pass on a first-round back and wait until later to draft someone, possibly Kenny Irons, Brandon Jackson or Chris Henry.

Editor Commentary: Huh? Vernand Morency had some flashes of being a decent running back as Ahman Green's back up but as the primary back? There will probably be much hand wringing if the Packers pass on Marshawn Lynch of Cal should he fall this far. And I will run amok down the streets of Green Bay if Adrian Peterson of Oklaholma is available and they don't snatch him. I doubt Peterson will fall that far however. I wouldn't even mind seeing a trade up if they can make a run at him.

CB: This position needs to be addressed so that they can line up better against three- to four-wide receiver sets. They have two good starters and are hopeful that '06 fourth-rounder Will Blackmon will develop. The Packers can afford to take someone in the second or third round because they would prefer a defender along the lines of Michael Coe, Tarell Brown, David Irons or C.J. Gaddis.

Editor Commentary: Still paying the price of the Ahmad Carroll debacle.

TE: With Bubba Franks slowing down and David Martin departing via free agency, the time has come to find a pass-catching threat down the middle that can help spread the field for Donald Driver and Greg Jennings. If they do not have a chance at Greg Olsen in the first round, they could opt for players like Ben Patrick, Clark Harris or Martrez Milner between rounds 3 and 4.

Editor Commentary: If Peterson and Lynch aren't around in the 1st round and Olsen is, that might not be a bad thought. Otherwise, you have to wait a couple of rounds for the next group of TEs.

WR: Outside of Driver and Jennings, the team has no real depth at this position although former undrafted free agent Ruvell Martin shows signs of being a capable reserve when healthy. The Packers would like to find someone that is more of the physical, possession type, and could also opt to add a second receiver that could add some punch to their return game later in the draft.

Editor Commentary: Is Koren Robinson (assuming he's sober and out of trouble) still in the mix? Even Yahoo didn't seem impressed enough with the WRs after Georgia Tech's Calvin Johnson to mention any of them by name. No way do the Packers have a shot at Johnson.

S: They added veteran Marquand Manuel a year ago via free agency, but he did not produce nearly enough big plays. Nick Collins continues to grow, but finding a prospect with better range, speed and ball skills to challenge Manuel for playing time would improve the pass-coverage ability of the entire secondary.

Editor Commentary: Not a huge concern at this point although Manuel was a bit of a disappointment.

Final Commentary: What, no plan for the post-Favre era yet?

Overall pick/round: 16 (1), 47 (2), 78 (3), 112 (4), 157 (5), 193 (6), 228 (7), 235 (7), 243 (7)