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.
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
The Packers selected Mississippi St. DT Josh Boyd in the fifth round of the NFL Draft.
With their second fifth round pick (167th overall) in the 2013 NFL draft, the Green Bay Packers selected Josh Boyd, defensive tackle, Mississippi State.
PLAYER DETAILS: Josh Boyd
DT
Mississippi St.
6’3″/310lbs
CAREER NOTES:
From CBSSports.com: Played in 51 career games, tied for third among active players in the FBS… Including 41 starts, has amassed 125 tackles, 18.0 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, a fumble recovery and field goal block … Made an immediate impact on the field as a true freshman and has continued it into his senior campaign … Led all MSU defensive linemen in tackles in the 2011 season by recording 51 in 13 games … Came to Mississippi State following a standout prep career at nearby Philadelphia High School.
Considering how much press linemate Fletcher Cox received a year ago, it is surprising how little Boyd received. After all, he signed with the Bulldogs as a similarly highly regarded prep prospect (turning down the likes of Alabama, LSU, Florida State and Miami among many others), was starting for the third consecutive season and finished last year with just five fewer tackles than the eventual No. 12 overall pick of the 2012 draft.
Perhaps the biggest reason for Cox enjoying so much more fanfare is the fact that he’s a more talented pass rusher than Boyd, whose thick lower body helped make him the more consistent run defender, especially when it came to handling double-teams.
He enjoyed quite the breakout campaign last year (51 tackles, eight tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks) after registering “only” 24 stops (7.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks) in 2010 and 17 tackles in three starts (played in all 12 games) as a true freshman in 2009 and thus must prove it wasn’t a fluke, but make no mistake, Boyd has the talent to warrant top 64 consideration.
Commentary:
He’s over 300 pounds, but not the big, unmovable object that you’d like to have inside. The tradeoff is he moves well. He’s more than just a take-up-space type of player. He’s athletic enough to make plays down the line of scrimage or downfield if needed. I wonder if the Packers see him more as a 3-4 DE instead of a DT? He’s going to have to get stronger, maybe add 10-20 pounds. With the future of BJ Raji and Ryan Pickett up in the air after this season, perhaps we’ll be hearing from Boyd in 2014. If he can develop a bit as a pass rusher, the Packers would be very happy with this pick.
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