Thursday, April 14, 2011

WIDE RECEIVERS: need in 2011 draft???...I say yes.

No mention of Jon Baldwin or Greg Little by Silverstein...WHAT's up with that?...I'd be fine with Torrey Smith (maybe even @32) but would like him in 2nd round...really, the ONLY WR I'd like in the first is Jon Baldwin...he's just a physical FREAK and can run!...I'd categorize him as a guy with a chip on the shoulder vice a "diva"...but that's JMO.

I'd be good with Brett Swain as the #4 WR...I'd bet $$ that Antonio Robinson and Chastin West are camp fodder or PS material.

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/119877919.html#comments
WIDE RECEIVERS
Need level: Moderate
On the roster: Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, Brett Swain, Antonio Robinson and Chastin West.
Free agent: James Jones.
Outlook: The future is cloudy at the position due to Driver’s advanced age and Jones’ possible departure. Barring a sudden end to the lockout, GM Ted Thompson won’t know for sure if he’ll have Jones this season. What’s more, Nelson will be a free agent after this year and Jennings will be the year after that. So it’s time to start addressing this position. After his terrific Super Bowl performance and strong showing in the post-season (tied with Jennings for team lead with 21 receptions and second in yards per catch at 13.6) the No. 2 position in his sights. He needs to cut down on his drops, but he’s a capable blocker and needs to be on the field on running and passing downs. The indefatigable Driver hasn’t had a 100-yard game in forever and will have to give way to the others more next season. If the Packers had their druthers, they’d take Jones back. They probably value him more than other teams around the league and don’t seem put off by his adrenaline-draining drops. So, it’s very possible he’ll be back. But it takes just one team to create an inflated market and the Packers would drop out at a certain level. Swain may have to fight off Robinson and West, two competitive practice-squad players, in camp.
Eye-opening stat: The Packers have only taken two wide receivers in the first round over the past 31 years (Sterling Sharpe, ’88 and Javon Walker, ’02).                       
What’s available: The Packers have no shot at the top two candidates, Alabama’s Julio Jones and Georgia’s A.J. Green. As a result, it’s unlikely they’ll take anyone early. However, one intriguing prospect is Kentucky’s Randall Cobb, a do-everything prospect along the lines of Hines Ward and Antwaan Randle-El. Cobb is raw, but he could fill a return role until his receiving comes around. It’s likely the Packers would have to take him with their first pick because he won’t be around in the second. There are a number of other receivers with return ability such as Maryland’s Torrey Smith and East Carolina’s Dwayne Harris, both of whom will go somewhere between the second and fourth rounds. There aren’t a lot of classic West Coast, run-after-catch receivers in this draft, and depth overall isn’t very good. So, if Thompson doesn’t go for someone in the first three or four rounds, he might be forced to go with a rawer talent like Boise State’s Austin Pettis, who doesn’t test well, but is fast enough.
Bottom line: Thompson did a good job finding Jones in the third round and Nelson in the second, but he hasn’t found much in the later rounds and probably will have to use one of his top three picks to snare someone this year. It’s unlikely he’d move up for anyone other than maybe Cobb and with the last pick in the first round he wouldn’t have to. It’s more likely he’ll take a shot later, but the competition for good receivers will be strong because the class is not very good.

Thursday, March 31, 2011

~5wks til 2011 draft

I don't know if Jimmy Smith will be taken before #32 but he definitely appears to be 1st rnd talent!...I'm confident (i.e., would bet on) that Ijalana & Brooks Reed will be available.  Aaron Williams would also be a v.good pick & could learn the slot position under CW's tutelage.
[five guys, not named Jon Baldwin, I'm interested @32]
Jimmy Smith, CB, Colorado
Aaron Williams, CB/FS, Texas  
Torrey Smith, WR/KR, Maryland
Brooks Reed, DE/OLB, Arizona
Benjamin Ijalana, G/OT, Villanova

If only Brooks Reed & Ijalana are available, then hopefully TT has options to trade down...but whatever he does I'll be OK with...he's definitely one of the NFL's best draft wizards!

Some of the mocks I've been tracking and who they pick for the Pack...


In Ted we trust!
DateDraftNikTeamPlayer21 mocks w/ 31Mar by Prisco as the latest
3/2/2011Pat Kirwan32. GBMike Pouncey, OG, FloridaAbsolutely no way Pouncey is available @32
3/2/2011Charles Davis32. GBCameron Heyward, DE, Ohio St.This could be the pick….he'd be the guy that Justin Harrell 
3/6/2011Rob Rang32. GBChristian Ballard, DE, IowaBallard is at a 'tweener' weight for DE (too light) or OLB (285lbs is too heavy?)
3/6/2011Chad Reuter32. GBMikel LeShoure, RB, Illinois
3/6/2011NFP32. GBJon Baldwin, WR, Pittsburgh
3/9/2011Don Banks32. GBMuhammad Wilkerson, DT, TempleAbsolutely no way Wilkerson is available @32
3/14/2011Rob Rang32. GBMartez Wilson, ILB, Illinois
3/14/2011Chad Reuter32. GBBrooks Reed, OLB, Arizona
3/14/2011Pat Kirwan32. GBAdrian Clayborn, DE, Iowa
3/14/2011Nolan Nawrocki32. GBJustin Houston, OLB, Georgia
3/16/2011NFP32. GBBenjamin Ijalana, OT, VillanovaMayock's #t5 OT (tied w/ Sherrod)
3/21/2011Rob Rang32. GBAkeem Ayers, OLB, UCLA
3/21/2011Chad Reuter32. GBAkeem Ayers, OLB, UCLA
3/22/2011WalterFootball.com32. GBTorrey Smith, WR, MarylandTorrey Smith or Jon Baldwin?...I'd take either in a heart-beat @32
3/25/2011Nolan Nawrocki32. GBChristian Ballard, DE, IowaBallard is ~280lbs…prob too big for OLB & too small for 5-tech
3/28/2011Rob Rang32. GBAkeem Ayers, OLB, UCLAIf teams are sold on Ayers' 2010 tape then he won't be available @32
3/28/2011Chad Reuter32. GBAkeem Ayers, OLB, UCLA
3/28/2011Pat Kirwan32. GBMark Ingram, RB, AlabamaIngram would be a pipedream!
3/28/2011NFP32. GBJabaal Sheard, DE, PittsburghIs Sheard's potential better than Brooks Reed's or even Justin Houston?...what about Ayers?
3/29/2011Steve Wyche32. GBBrandon Harris, CB, Miami (Fla.)Will somebody trade-up for #32 if Ryan Mallett is available?...would he be worth drafting by GB?
3/31/2011Pete Prisco32. GBBrooks Reed, OLB, Arizona