Packers 2013 NFL Draft – Sixth Round Pick: Nate Palmer, OLB, Illinois State

Packers sixth round pick in the 2013 NFL draft, Nate Palmer, OLB, Illinois St.

Packers sixth round pick in the 2013 NFL draft, Nate Palmer, OLB, Illinois St.

With their sixth round pick (193rd overall) in the 2013 NFL draft, the Green Bay Packers select Nate Palmer, outside linebackers, Illinois State.

 

PLAYER DETAILS: 
Nate Palmer
OLB
Illinoise State
6’3″/240 lbs

Career Notes: Injury issues throughout his career. Broke his ankle as a junior in high school and played just four games. Broke his foot after getting knocked off a motor scooter by a woman in his car during his third and final season at the University of Illinois. Eventually transferred to Illinois State.

Palmer visited the Packers before the draft. Here is a story on Palmer from the Chicago Tribune.

From CBSSports.com.

2012 SEASON

All-Missouri Valley Football Conference Second-Team selection … started all 13 games at defensive end … ranked third on the team and was fifth in the MVFC with 15 TFL … 10.5 of those came in conference play, which tied for third …was second on the team and tied for fourth in MVFC with 7.5 sacks … finished the season with 71 tackles and was credited with 27 quarterback hurries … also forced a team-high three fumbles … posted multiple TFL in four games … tied career-highs with two sacks and three TFL against Southern Illinois … had a career-high nine tackles against Missouri State … had a sack and two TFL in a road win at UNI … posted at TFL in each of ISU’s playoff games.
2011 SEASON
All-Missouri Valley Football Conference Second-Team selection … started all 11 games at defensive end for the Redbirds, who led the conference in total defense (294.8 ypg) … led the team and the MVFC with 9.5 sacks … was 19th in the country in sacks per game (.91) … recorded 46 tackles, 10.5 tackles-for-loss and forced two fumbles … posted at least a half sack in nine games … posted a sack and returned a fumble 42 yards for a touchdown against Morehead State … recorded a career-high eight tackles and a sack at North Dakota State … named the MVFC Newcomer of the Week after registering five tackles, two sacks, three tackles-for-loss and a forced fumble in a win over nationally-ranked Indiana State.
2010 SEASON
Played in nine games for the Illini … recorded six tackles on the season … tallied a pair of stops in the win over Indiana … added one tackle in back-to-back games against No. 6 Ohio State and at Penn State … registered a solo stop in consecutive contests against Northwestern and at Fresno State.
2009 SEASON
Earned Academic All-Big Ten honors … played in all 12 games on special teams … recorded two tackles at Ohio State … had one tackle at Cincinnati.
Combine:
Did not participate. Did have a predraft workout with the Packers.
Scouting Report: 
Not much for scouting reports out there on Palmer. For now, check out this interview he did with New Era Scouting.
He took part in Northwestern’s pro day and ran the 40 in 4.7 to 4.76 seconds, had 20 reps on the bench, a 35.5 inch vertical and 10’5″ broad jump. He also played DE in college, but almost certainly will play OLB for the Packers.
Commentary:
Palmer might be Dezman Moses 2.0. Very raw. Very athletic. A hit or miss kind of guy, with the odds heavy in favor of miss, but you never know. All the injuries throughout his career are a concern, but this is another project type of pick for the Packers. If he sticks with the team through training camp, I don’t expect to hear much from him in 2013. Then again, maybe he’ll get a shot on special teams and make an impact. We shall see.
Video:

Palmer wears white 93, you can see him a couple times near the end of the clip

10 Comments On “Packers 2013 NFL Draft – Sixth Round Pick: Nate Palmer, OLB, Illinois State”

  1. I think we could of had this guy in the 7th. Would of rather had Da’rick Rodgers. There is always next year though.

  2. Almost every evaluation of these last several players is “very raw and very athletic”. A LB with a history of being injured! We don’t need anymore of that.

    • it’s the 6th round, what are you expecting? If they had experience and athleticism they would have been taken higher.

  3. I trust TT, but I just don’t get this one. At. all. The worst players at the combine do 12 reps on the bench press, this guy did 13. I think he could have been had as a UDFA.

  4. I agree with all of these comments. It sure seems to me like many of TT’s draft picks this year could’ve been picked up in much later rounds, even as UDFA’s. There were so many other guys available and ranked incredibly higher in their past gameplay and physical measurables.

    • I’m not entirely sure what you are expecting, there really isn’t all that much difference between a 6th round pick and a 7th round pick, the success rate is very small for both rounds. My feeling is that what really separates a low round draft pick and an undrafted guy is the coaches and front office’s preferences, not the differences in athleticism/ production

  5. guy in the video is the wide receiver nate palmer. the video has his receiving stats lol

  6. number 93 on Illinois state is Shelby Harris. Nate Palmer is number 4.

  7. We need someone better than this to take waldons place and back up CM and NP.

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