Another fanspeak pre combine mock draft

[onquack]

For this draft I used draft countdown rating with the difficult setting.  1a Devin White LB ( in this draft the first 5 players were all edge rushers),1b Nasir Adderley S ( seems to have all the tools plus return skills) 2 Jaylon Ferguson Edge ( I don't expect him to last this long ,but who knows) 3 David Edwards OT ( was the highest rated at this spot) 4a Charles Omenihu Edge ( After the senior bowl most likely won't be here either but in this case can't pass)  4b Will Grier QB ( backup to AR needs to be addressed and this was good value) 5 Mitch Hyatt OT ( green bay likes their oline to be mostly OT's moving to OG) 6a Tommy Sweeney TE ( we drafted a TE from BC Chmura and that worked out okay) 6b TJ Edwards OLB ( don'know how he would be here this late but too much value to pass on) 7 Penny Hart WR ( heard GB was talking to him at the senior bowl, could be a slot receiver to replace Cobb), so that's my effort trying to fill weakspots in our roster

[Shinesman]

We have two backups. Boyle is better than Kizer. Hopefully they trade kizer for some draft Capitol. We would have had our backup had the TT and MM brain trust not pissed away Taysum Hill after he clearly outplayed every QB not named Aaron Rodgers. We have too many other needs to draft a QB this year. If Rodgers goes down, there isnt anyone who can overcome the talent void on both sides of the ball. So why bother until next year.

[RT]

Alright onquack, you got me to go try a fanspeak way too early mock.

12: R1P12
DL ED OLIVER
HOUSTON

30: R1P30
TE TJ HOCKENSON
IOWA
 
44: R2P12
OT DALTON RISNER
KANSAS STATE

75: R3P11
DL ANTHONY NELSON
IOWA

114: R4P12
RB BENNY SNELL
KENTUCKY

118: R4P16
DL RENELL WREN
ARIZONA ST

151: R5P12
WR TERRY MCLARIN
OHIO STATE

187: R6P12
CB COEY BALLENTINE
WASHBURN

195: R6P20
OT TYLER ROEMER
SAN DIEGO STATE

228: R7P12
FB ALEC INGOLD
WISCONSIN

Before the combine and really knowing anything about this years draft entries, I think I would be OK with that draft for now.

[bmaafi]

I don't understand why you would draft 3 defensive linemen when GB already has Clark and Daniels. Also Lowry and lancaster are serviceable. No edge players taken either.

[footballdad]

Cannot speak for anyone else,but I can understand why.

1) Mike Daniels will be coming off IR. He will also be an UFA (along with Lowry) after the 2019 season.
2) If he were to be cut this off season, the pack would gain a little over 8 mil in cap space. That would go a long way toward signing a young, veteran pass rusher. Think Fowler or Barrett.
3) At 31 years old after the 2019 season, would they even want to re-sign him? Cannot just look at the now, have to forecast as well.

Teaming an Oliver or Wilkins with Kenny Clark and having a Fowler or Barrett screaming off the edge would be pretty wicked.

[RT]

I don't understand why you would draft 3 defensive linemen when GB already has Clark and Daniels. Also Lowry and lancaster are serviceable. No edge players taken either.

Don't forget Adams who played well the last 4 or so games of the season.

I should of caught it and made the correction, but Anthony Nelson is an EDGE player in Pettine's defense. As for drafting 2 more DL, it is the strength of the draft and they were the best players available. It would give the Packers the option to move on from Daniels as footballdad points out or go 7 deep on the DL for a season and still be set in the coming seasons. Oliver may well be the most disruptive front 7 player in this years draft and is said to be a freakish athlete, it will interesting to see how he tests at the combine.

As for drafting to just fill needs, I just don't believe in that and I don't think good drafting teams do either. Take the best player on the board when it is their turn to pick and for me those were the best players on the board in this exercise.   

[onquack]

I like it RT, and believe you are right with BPA. As Ron Wolf has said many times(you can't have too many good football players). This draft depth is at D-line and you never know what seems to be a strength for your team becomes a weakness with a couple injuries. Our GB team needs difference makers but who are those guys? I don't have a clue what Gute thinks about some of our current players, just maybe he thinks moving on from Daniels is coming soon. Now that would shake things up.

[dannobanano]

I know the the DL is the strength of the draft, but it’s also got some serious Edge talent at the front end of the draft. I’d advise taking one Edge early on since the draft is deep at DL. The Packers have several young DL that they already have on the roster. Lancaster and Looney finished the season on the 53. A couple were on the PS, and they signed a couple more to futures contracts in January.

As I posted in my pre-combine mock, it isn’t out of line to consider moving on from Daniels.

[The GM]

Always draft talent over need.  In todays NFL with so much player movement.  Getting impact players will take you further down the line than a subpar need player.  JMO

[bmaafi]

I don't understand why you would draft 3 defensive linemen when GB already has Clark and Daniels. Also Lowry and lancaster are serviceable. No edge players taken either.

Don't forget Adams who played well the last 4 or so games of the season.

I should of caught it and made the correction, but Anthony Nelson is an EDGE player in Pettine's defense. As for drafting 2 more DL, it is the strength of the draft and they were the best players available. It would give the Packers the option to move on from Daniels as footballdad points out or go 7 deep on the DL for a season and still be set in the coming seasons. Oliver may well be the most disruptive front 7 player in this years draft and is said to be a freakish athlete, it will interesting to see how he tests at the combine.

As for drafting to just fill needs, I just don't believe in that and I don't think good drafting teams do either. Take the best player on the board when it is their turn to pick and for me those were the best players on the board in this exercise.   

Nelson is 6'7 270 and one of his weaknesses is his lack of burst, stiff hips, and can't play in space. I don't see how he can plays OLB in the NFL. He also has a big frame so he will probably get bigger. He sounds more like a 3-4 DE or 4-3 DE. Adding Adams and Oliver(who i'm fine with) even lessens the need for big DL.

[RT]

I don't understand why you would draft 3 defensive linemen when GB already has Clark and Daniels. Also Lowry and lancaster are serviceable. No edge players taken either.

Don't forget Adams who played well the last 4 or so games of the season.

I should of caught it and made the correction, but Anthony Nelson is an EDGE player in Pettine's defense. As for drafting 2 more DL, it is the strength of the draft and they were the best players available. It would give the Packers the option to move on from Daniels as footballdad points out or go 7 deep on the DL for a season and still be set in the coming seasons. Oliver may well be the most disruptive front 7 player in this years draft and is said to be a freakish athlete, it will interesting to see how he tests at the combine.

As for drafting to just fill needs, I just don't believe in that and I don't think good drafting teams do either. Take the best player on the board when it is their turn to pick and for me those were the best players on the board in this exercise.   

Nelson is 6'7 270 and one of his weaknesses is his lack of burst, stiff hips, and can't play in space. I don't see how he can plays OLB in the NFL. He also has a big frame so he will probably get bigger. He sounds more like a 3-4 DE or 4-3 DE. Adding Adams and Oliver(who i'm fine with) even lessens the need for big DL.

Well lets take a look at Mike Pettine's history as a DC and it might shed some light on the type of EDGE players that will be on the Packers draft board.

2009-2012 he was the DC for the Jets and his starting OLB's were Calvin Pace (6'4/262) and Bryan Thomas (6'4/266) both college DE's. In 2012 the Jets drafted DE Quinton Coples (6'6/284) 16th overall in the 1st round and turned him into an EDGE player.

2013 in Buffalo, his only season there before becoming the Browns HC, one of the first things he did in tinkering with the pieces he had to work with there was stand Mario Williams (6'6/300) up as an EDGE player. Also their was much talk that year about them trading Jerry Hughes (6'2/245) because he did not fit their defense, Hughes had been a high priced FA signing by the old staff the season before. The ironically fun thing about that is some here where calling for the Packers to trade for Hughes last summer to help fill their believed need at OLB.

In 2014 Pettine became HC in Cleveland and what was the first thing the Browns did in free agency? They signed Paul Kruger (6'4/285) to what many people felt was a very highly over pay contract to play on the EDGE in Pettine's defense.

Before all that he was a LBer's coach with the Ravens and his OLB's were Terrell Suggs (6'3/265), Jerret Johnson (6'3/285) and Adalius Thomas (6'2/270).

The number one job of an EDGE player for Pettine is setting a stout edge and contain, it is not bending the corner and getting after the QB. That is secondary for him.

Their will be a great deal of debate about EDGE draft prospects in the coming months, but many of the players that fans will pound the table for may well not even be on their draft board. IMO, I doubt their is much chance they draft any of these guys that come in at that 240ish range. Vince Biegel (6'3/245) works in some defenses, but just didn't have enough lead in his pants to work in Pettine's defense as an EDGE player. Just a few things to consider when reviewing 2019 draft possibilities.

[footballdad]

Thanks RT. How much input do you think Pettine may have? With (at least to me) Murphy appearing to try to become supreme ruler of all, lets hope all input is welcome. Not just what Murphy wants/thinks.

If the past is any indication of what Pettine is looking for, these guys would be ruled out.
Polite - too short (6'2")
Burns - too light (230) though a year in the weight room could help.

Looking at height/weight, these guys would meet the criteria.
Rashan Gary - 6'5 280 (1)
Clelin Ferrell - 6'5 250 (1)
Josh Sweat - 6'6 250 (1)
Jaylon Fergusen - 6'4 265 (1-2)
Anthony Nelson - 6'6 260 (3)
Joe Jackson - 6'5 258 (3-4)
Shareef Miller - 6'5 257 (3-4)
At this point in time, I would guess it is 50/50 that Gary, Ferrell, and Sweat are still there @12. I do not expect any of them to be there @30.

Looking at free agency, these guys meet the criteria.
Preston Smith - 6'6 256
Za'Darius Smith - 6'4 275
Dante Fowler - 6'3 267

If any of those guys are signed, it would make a lot of sense to go DT in the draft @ 12.

[RT]

Nice work footballdad.

Not sure I would cross Polite off the list yet, not sure his height is a deal breaker. But I tend to pump the brakes on this whole process until after the combine and we have actual measurables to work off of. This time of year fans man crush's are in the honeymoon stages and that relationship does grow pretty strong for some, but for many their new love may never be an option and not even exist on the Packers draft board. Before I deep dive into watching tape on players I want to know that their is a strong likelihood of them being on their big board. It is going to be a fun year for front 7 players, a lot of good talent this year. 

[dannobanano]

Nice work footballdad.

Not sure I would cross Polite off the list yet, not sure his height is a deal breaker. But I tend to pump the brakes on this whole process until after the combine and we have actual measurables to work off of. This time of year fans man crush's are in the honeymoon stages and that relationship does grow pretty strong for some, but for many their new love may never be an option and not even exist on the Packers draft board. Before I deep dive into watching tape on players I want to know that their is a strong likelihood of them being on their big board. It is going to be a fun year for front 7 players, a lot of good talent this year.

   True statement RT.

We can speculate all we want, but the Combine, AND free agency, will clear some of the fog that exists at this time.

We are just throwing darts blind folded at the moment.

[OneTwoSixFive]

I used the Bleacher Report big board (30 Jan), user voted needs, and difficult setting to get:

1a   Edge Jachai Polite
1b   OT    Andre Dillard
2     FS    Juan Thornhill
3      G    Chris Lindstrom
4a    TE   Isaac Nauta
4b    RB   Mike Weber
5      LB   Te'von Coney

I felt pretty good about that combo, and I'd be a happy man if these were the picks. On a somewhat different tack, where in the draft would you most like an extra pick (and i don't mean pick #1) ?  For me, there is great value in the late second round. Usually, for me, it's an early 2nd, but this year it's late.