With NFL draft now behind us, I’ve found myself asking one question about the Packers over the last week: Do the players Ted Thompson selected make the Packers a more physical team?
The answer I come up with is…maybe?
First-round pick Datone Jones is 6-foot-4, 280 pounds. When you see him play, you think long and lean instead of tough and mean. But a player’s height and weight doesn’t tell you much about how physical they’ll play. I’m sure Jones will add some weight. If he doesn’t, sometimes smaller guys play with such an attitude that they might as well be 320 pounds of brute force.
The first thing that comes to mind when I watch Eddie Lacy run is physical. You can automatically place Mr. Lacy in the immediately-makes-the-Packers-more-physical category. The catch with Lacy is his health. One of his big toes is fused on, he’s got screws in his hand, he can barely bench press because of an old pectoral injury and he’s had hamstring issues. It’s hard to help your team be more physical while riding an exercise bike on the sideline. Let’s hope Lacy is able to use his aggression on the field instead of in the team’s rehab facility.
J.C. Tretter and David Bakhtiari are two offensive linemen that were not projected to be drafted because of their physicality. The Packers like drafting athletic college tackles who can play multiple positions in the NFL, and that’s what Tretter and Bakhitiari are. I suppose they could develop into maulers, but neither one makes me think they’ll immediately make the Packers more physical.
When you think of being physical, do you think of riding a Jetski? Probably not, but that’s the nickname given to Packers fourth-round pick Jonathan Franklin because of his ability to leave defenders in his wake. Franklin does little to make the Packers more physical, but I don’t really care. You don’t draft speedy running backs to batter the other team. You draft them to run away from the other team once they are already battered.
Fifth-round pick Micah Hyde probably won’t get an opportunity to make the Packers more physical on an every-down basis, but he should get his shot on special teams. The Packers could always use more physicality on their special teams. Josh Boyd, the Packers other fifth-round pick, is 6-foot-3, 310 pounds. He at least possesses the measurements to make the Packers more physical.
I don’t know enough about the late-round picks to speculate either way. Nate Palmer is intriguing, though.
Regardless of how Mike McCarthy and the Packers try to spin it, they need to play more physical in 2013. Third-and-1 shouldn’t have to be a nail-biting adventure all the time. Adrian Peterson shouldn’t run for over 500 yards whenever he plays against Green Bay. Quarterbacks, regardless of how mobile they are, shouldn’t be able to move and dance around the field whenever they feel like it.
Staying healthy will go a long way in improving the Packers’ physicality (I love that word). I hope the draft class does too, but I’m not quite sold yet.
Of course, it’s silly to judge a draft class on their physicality before any of them step foot on the field, but the NFL draft wouldn’t be as fun as it is without the prognostication, speculation and analysis that comes with it.
When it comes to the physicality of this Packers’ draft class, let’s hope my “maybe?” turns into and firm “YES!”
Packers News, Notes and Links
The folks had Cheesehead Radio had a nice chat with Packers defensive lineman Ryan Pickett this week. Make sure to give it a listen here.
The Packers offensive line, it’s a shufflin’. Check out the changes here, then read the words I wrote about it here.
Al Harris officially retired as a Packer this week. Jason Wilde always had interesting interviews and stories on Harris, and Wilde’s blog post this week was no exception.
Evan Western at Acme Packing Company breaks down the Packers wide receiver post-draft.
Could the Packers add a veteran safety? Brian Carriveau at CheeseheadTV has a nice breakdown of that situation.
Quick shoutout to Packerpedia’s twitter account. They’re always tweeting useful news and nuggets of information on the Packers that are great for people on the go (also check out their fine blog here).
Non-Packers Links and Other Nonsense
Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman died this week from liver failure. People always laugh at me when they learn I’ve listened to Slayer since I was 10 years old, but I don’t care. There is more emotion and feeling packed into a Slayer song like “War Ensemble” than most of what passes as acceptable or safe music that the “cool” people listen to these days. Hanneman’s death bothers me. I know, he’s just some quasi-celebrity that I’ve never met and probably have little in common with, but when you’ve connected with a band’s music for 20 years, it stings a bit to see one of its members die. It’s an odd sense of feeling old yourself, knowing you’ll never get to hear him play again, and hoping he’s up in heaven (or hell, he played in Slayer, after all) at peace and with a clear understanding of all the lives he touched through playing loud, obnoxious, fast, and just plain awesome music. I guess I would compare the feeling to how I felt after Reggie White died, even though I was much younger when White passed on.
That’s all I got this week. RIP Jeff Hanneman \m/ \m/
The Packers will move Bryan Bulaga from right tackle to left tackle for the 2013 NFL season.
The Green Bay Packers aren’t waiting until training camp to shuffle their offensive line.
Details of the Packers new-look line can be found in this excellent Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel story by Tom Silverstein. To summarize:
Bryan Bulaga moves from right tackle to left tackle
Josh Sitton moves from right guard to left guard
T.J. Lang moves from left guard to right guard
Marshall Newhouse (last season’s starting left tackle), Don Barclay (who got a few starts in 2012) and Derek Sherrod (coming off a major leg injury that forced him to sit out last season) will compete to start at right tackle.
Evan Dietrich-Smith is the starting center
Essentially, Packers coach Mike McCarthy is moving his two most talented and experienced offensive lineman from the right side to the left, which is Aaron Rodgers’ blind side, the Packers franchise quarterback who just signed a five-year contract extension worth $110 million.
Having a shutdown left tackle isn’t as important as it used to be in the today’s NFL. If you have a quarterback like Rodgers — someone who is mobile, smart and reads the opposing defense like a coach — you can get away with having an average left tackle.
But why take that risk? Why not combine your all-world quarterback with a reliable left tackle? If I climbed inside McCarthy’s head, I’m guessing that’s what his thinking behind the move would be.
On the surface, I like the move. But let’s not fool ourselves into thinking the Packers offensive line woes are magically cured by moving a few players around.
Bulaga is coming off a bad injury and has missed 11 games in his three seasons in the league. He also looked completely lost at the beginning of last season. Lang played hurt most of last season and isn’t the most physically dominant guy to begin with. Who knows what the Packers will get out of the Newhouse/Barclay/Sherrod three-headed monster on the right side?
Evan Dietrich-Smith is a new starter center and is a smallish guy. Josh Sitton, if healthy, will be fine no matter where you line him up.
The Packers want to be more physical in 2013 and the offensive line will play a big role in making that happen. Eddie Lacy and the continued development of DuJuan Harris should also help.
Does shifting players on the offensive line automatically make the Packers more physical? Not necessarily, but it doesn’t hurt, either.
Staying healthy up front, no matter where players line up, should automatically help the Packers play more physical. I also think moving away from zone blocking will lead to more physicality, but that’s a different topic.
It will be interesting to see how the Packers will operate with a few new toys in the backfield and a shuffled offensive line. Bulaga, Sitton and Lang have been around a while. With them, health is more of a concern than learning new positions.
If those three remain healthy, and Dietrich-Smith, Newhouse/Barclay/Sherrod make progress, good things could (finally!) happen for the Packers on the offensive line.
The Packers used the 2013 NFL Draft to finally address the running back position and add a much-needed player on the defensive line. What were the Packers division opponents up to in the draft?
Well, two of them used fifth-round selections to take punters and another drafted an offensive lineman in the first round that most analysts pegged as a second or third rounder.
Those were a few of the moves that made people scratch their heads. But it wasn’t all bad in Vikings/Lions/Bears land. Let’s take a trip around the NFC North to see how the Packers’ rivals used the draft to (maybe) close the gap and challenge Green Bay for a division title in 2013.
Minnesota Vikings
The Picks:
1 — Sharrif Floyd, DT Florida
1 — Xaveir Rhodes, CB Florida State
1 — Cordarelle Patterson, WR Tennessee
4 — Gerald Hodges, LB Penn State
5 — Jeff Locke, P UCLA
6 — Jeff Baca, G UCLA
7 — Michael Mauti, LB Penn State
7 — Travis Bond, OG North Carolina
7 — Everett Dawkins, DT Floriday State
The Breakdown:
Just when it looked like the Vikings might be on the right track, they draft a punter in the fifth round. A punter! In the fifth round!
Ok, a fifth-round pick isn’t going to make or break a draft, but c’mon. A punter! In the fifth round!
Until that happened, the Vikings were doing some good things. At first glance, the trade to get a third first-round pick seemed like a horrible idea. Minnesota gave up a lot to move up and pick a receiver, a position you can usually fill later in the draft.
But the more I thought about it, the more I liked it. How often do you have a chance to pick three players in the first round? Rarely. General manager Rick Spielman had some extra picks to work with so he was able to make the deal. When the draft was over, the Vikings still ended up with nine players, even after the trade. That’s a fair balance of using several picks to build depth and making a move that is risky, but could pay off.
Despite making the playoffs last season, the Vikings still need to be thinking long-term. I don’t think the trade altered that long-term mindset at all.
Sharrif Floyd is a tremendous value late in the first round. He was the best player on the board at that point in the night and will fill in nicely when Kevin Williams is likely gone after this season.
Xavier Rhodes and Cordarelle Patterson address immediate needs. The Vikings need all the help they can get in the secondary to try and contain the Packers and Lions passing attacks, especially with Antoine Winfield off the team. We all know how bad the Vikings receivers were last season. Any help in that area would be more than welcome.
Middle linebacker is probably the Vikings biggest remaining hole. They’re a little weak at guard as well (but with Adrian Peterson carrying the ball, who cares?). I also think safety leaves a lot to be desired despite Harrison Smith’s impressive rookie year.
The Vikings ran their 2013 draft the same way they run their organization: Make a big splash that may or may not work (trade) and do something really dumb that leaves people scratching their heads (punter in fifth round). Business as usual for the folks who like to wear golden braids and blow their own horns.
But if two of the Vikings three first-rounders develop into good players, watch out. Minnesota is stashing some interesting young players that could develop into blue-chippers.
Detroit Lions
The Picks:
1 — Ziggy Ansah, DE BYU
2 — Darius Slay, CB Mississippi State
3 — Larry Warford, G, Kentucky
4 — Devin Taylor, DE South Carolina
5 — Sam Martin, P Appalachian State
6 — Corey Fuller, WR Virginia Tech
6 — Theo Riddick, RB Notre Dame
7 — Michael Williams, TE Alabama
7 — Brandon Hepburn, LB Florida A&M
The Breakdown
Because when you have an opportunity to draft a punter from Appalachian State in the fifth round, you have to do it…
I’ve been hearing for the last three years about how scary the Lions defensive line is. As soon as Ansah was picked, everyone once again started talking about how scary the Lions defensive line is.
Sure the Lions defensive line is good, but good enough to contain Aaron Rodgers and Adrian Peterson and make up for other deficiencies on the team? Nah.
Will the addition of Ansah change that answer from nay to yay? I don’t think so, but if he’s used right, he’ll have an impact. I don’t see Ansah as an every-down player, at least not right now. Put him out there as a pass-rusher in sub-packages for about 30 snaps per game and I think he’ll do some damage.
Thanks to the addition of Jason Jones and fourth-round pick Devin Taylor, the Lions defensive line may indeed become scary if managed correctly. Is Jim Schwartz capable of managing anything correctly?
Darius Slay has a knee injury that will probably linger into training camp. The Lions always need help in the secondary so you’d think they would avoid defensive backs with potential injury issues. Being 6-feet and possessing speed to run the 40 in 4.36 seconds goes a long way in helping teams get past injury concerns.
We know Jim Schwartz does a pretty good job of developing defensive linemen. Now it’s time to find out if he can develop anything else. With the right rotations on the defensive front, the line could go from good to great and maybe finally become as scary as everyone thinks they are.
Maybe…
Chicago Bears
The Picks
1 — Kyle Long, G Oregon
2 — Jonathan Bostic, LB Florida
4 — Khaseem Greene, LB Rutgers
5 — Jordan Mills, T Louisiana Tech
6 — Cornelius Washington, DE Georgia
7 — Marquess Wilson, WR Washington State
The Breakdown
All I’ve been hearing is how Kyle Long wasn’t a good “value” at 20th overall. I’ve got news for you: Coaches don’t care about value as it relates to draft position. They want guys who can play.
I think Long can play, and play right away. If you see a guy that you think can play and will be a good player, then pick him. Value be damned. I suppose you could try and trade down, but it takes two teams to trade. Perhaps the Bears didn’t like what was being offered.
I see Long playing guard right away, then one day moving to tackle or center because of his athleticism.
The Bears could always use help on the offensive line, but they’re biggest need is at linebacker after Brian Urlacher was shown the door. Jon Bostic should fill in nicely inside. In a perfect world, Khaseem Greene or Cornellius Washington will one day take over for Lance Briggs, but we’ll see if that actually pans out.
I’m surprised the Bears didn’t take a quarterback in the mid to late rounds. New coach Marc Trestman would have probably welcomed a development project and the Bears could use some insurance in case contract negotiations with Jay Cutler take a turn for the worst.
Are the Bears close to returning to the playoffs or are they in some type of rebuilding mode? The answer to that question depends on how Trestman and Cutler click, not so much on this draft class.
My gut tells me the Bears are rebuilding, but we’ll see.
Started 11 games at linebacker, missing the UConn game … earned second-team All-BIG EAST honors … was selected to play in the East-West Shrine game … posted 80 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 6.5 TFL, three PBU and two forced fumbles … recorded at least seven tackles in eight of his 11 games … his 7.3 tackles per game ranked eighth in the BIG EAST … the 80 tackles were a career high and ranked second on the team … tallied four tackles, a sack and two TFL in the season opener versus Chattanooga … notched eight tackles, two forced fumbles and a PBU at Nevada … posted nine tackles and a TFL versus Rutgers … added six tackles and a PBU at Ball St. … tallied five tackles and a PBU against Florida St. … recorded eight tackles at Temple … posted 10 tackles and a half TFL at Louisville … added eight tackles versus Syracuse … notched seven tackles and a half sack at Miami … tallied eight tackles and a half TFL at Cincinnati … recorded seven tackles and two sacks in his final game against Pitt.
2011 SEASON
Started all 12 games at linebacker … finished third on the team in tackles with 72 and added 2.5 sacks, 6.5 TFL, two PBU, an INT and a forced fumble … posted nine tackles at Notre Dame … collected seven tackles against Ball State … registered three tackles against FAMU … returned his first career INT 30 yards for a TD against UTEP … established a career-high with nine tackles and a pressure at Pitt … posted six tackles, 1.5 sacks and a PBU at UConn … registered six tackles, a TFL and a pressure against Cincinnati … tied career-high with nine tackles and set a career high with two TFL, including a sack, at Rutgers … posted six tackles and a pressure at Syracuse … added five tackles and a TFL versus Miami … notched six tackles against Louisville … tallied five tackles, a PBU and a forced fumble versus West Virginia.
2010 SEASON
Appeared in 13 games, starting 11, at linebacker … finished third on the team in tackles with 65 to go along with a half sack, 6.5 TFL, a pressure, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and three PBU … tallied eight tackles at Florida … posted a team-high six tackles and a half TFL versus WKU … notched eight tackles, 1.5 TFL, a pressure and a forced fumble against FAU … added seven tackles and a PBU versus Syracuse … posted three tackles at WVU … tallied a career-high nine tackles and a forced fumble at Cincinnati … posted five tackles and a TFL against Rutgers … added three tackles at Louisville … notched two tackles and a TFL versus Pitt … tallied six tackles, a TFL and a PBU at Miami… recorded three tackles and recovered a fumble against Connecticut … notched four tackles, a half sack, 1.5 TFL and a PBU in the Meineke Car Care Bowl victory over Clemson.
2009 SEASON
Appeared in 13 games, starting one, at linebacker as a true freshman … named to All-BIG EAST Freshman Team by ESPN.com … racked up 41 tackles, two TFL and a PBU … opened the season with three tackles against Wofford … added five stops against Charleston Southern … notched four tackles at Florida State … notched five tackles and a half TFL at Pitt … added three tackles and a half TFL at Rutgers … tallied six tackles and a half TFL against Miami … posted a season-high seven tackles and a half TFL against UConn … added three tackles in the International Bowl win over Northern Illinois.
COMBINE: 4.91 40-yard dash, 22 bench, 32.5 inch vertical, 117 inch broad jump
Sam had a knack for the big play (off the top of my head I can remember his forced fumble at the goal line against Nevada, his pick six to put away to UTEP game, and his forced fumble against West Virginia that almost won us the game. Man, we didn’t win many games the last couple seasons, did we?) because he was built for it. He’s an athletic, instinctive player who can just as easily cause havoc in the backfield as he can drop into coverage. He was a little small over his USF career, listed at 230 pounds, but he weighed in at 246 at the combine, which is certainly a good sign.
But I can’t say he was always productive, because he wasn’t. Sam can disappear for large chunks of games, and for all his talent, never really turned into the tackling machine that he could have been. When you heard Sam’s name mentioned, it was usually a good sign-but you could go a whole game without hearing his name.
For what it’s worth, Sam was also plagued by minor violations and suspensions throughout his career. Usually nothing more serious than driving-with-an-expired-license level, but it happened multiple times and caused him to miss multiple games. It’s not a huge deal, but it’s not something Bulls fans liked to see out of their senior leader in a season where they really needed any playmaker they had on the field.
I personally don’t see Sam getting drafted, and I don’t think most “experts” do either. But there are much worse players to take a late-round flyer on than Sam Barrington. He’s an athlete and a playmaker who’s seen substantial action at both linebacker positions. Most players with his kind of talent haven’t put up his kind of numbers, and the few that have probably won’t be available, as he will be, in the late rounds.
COMMENTARY: There’s room at linebacker after the release of D.J. Smith so the Packers grabbed another one with their last pick. He’s a linebacker, but on the surface, it lookls like Barrington could play either outside or inside. Barrington got arrested four times for driving with a suspended license. Yeah, it’s a minor infraction, but four times?!?! Sheesh. Like a lot of the Packers’ late-round picks, Barrington has raw skill, but it’s unclear if anything will be made of it. I feel like a broken record typing this today, but if we see Barrington on the field much in 2013, it will probably be on special teams. Let’s check back in in 2014 to see if Barrington is A) still on the team, B) improving, or C) finally driving with a valid license.
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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