The Packers did what they must and basically cleaned house
at ILB. They have Sam Barrington who
played well last year and a Dark Horse candidate in Carl Bradford, who I
thought was a better fit as an ILB in the first place. I don’t think Bradford is ready but he could
get some time so that leaves an obvious need.
Barrington is more of a Mike Linebacker so they need a Will. I am firm believer that good players are good
players and sometimes you need to step away from the measurables (though those
are important). It has been interesting
to hear comments about London Fletcher over the past decade and a half or
so. There are a few other quiet needs
and a few needs being blown out of proportion.
So while we are far off from the draft I wanted to throw a few names and
thoughts out there.
#1 The Packers do not need a tight end as bad as many seem
to think. Richard Rodgers looked better
than Jermichael Finley did in his rookie year.
#2 If the Packers lose Randall Cobb, it will hurt, but there
are still plenty of good players left. The
Packers drafted three WRs last year that have potential to be difference
makers.
#3 If the Packers lose Bryan Bulaga, they have a possible
replacement in JC Tretter that nobody knows about. But he may also just be a tease. If Don Barclay re-signs he can also fill the
gap (he did so in 2013).
The Packers do need at least two ILBs, a difference maker on
the DL, a CB, another pass rusher, more OL depth, probably another RB/FB too.
Here are some early thoughts on some players I like so far:
ILB Eric Kendricks UCLA – Like I said, good players are good
players, I love him as the Packers Will Linebacker. Also, the Packers did not interview him. Thompson rarely shows his hand with the
players he really likes so I have a good feeling about him.
Jordan Phillips DT Oklahoma and Carl Davis DT Iowa – there has
been some talk that the Packers would be interested in both of these
players. Both are gambles to me but have
incredible potential.
RB/FB Tyler Varga Yale – If you watch the Senior Bowl, he
might be the MVP that nobody is talking about.
He was involved in three TDs: 1 rushing, 1 receiving, lead block for
another. What role he plays in the
NFL? Who knows? But the kind of guy you want on your team
FB Mark Weisman Iowa – Same boat as Varga but he is going to
be a more traditional Fullback. Why do I
like FBs so much?
OT Rob Havenstein Wisconsin – I was focusing in on him at
the senior bowl and the combine. He
looks ugly in shorts and somewhat unathletic.
But nobody is talking about him on the field. He does not seem to make any big mistakes and
just does his job out there. On the
field, this guy looks good. A very quiet
sleeper in the Mark Tauscher mold.
OT Jake Fisher Oregon – I have a feeling people will look
back at him a few years down the road and say, “We should have been able to see
that he was the top tackle”. He just
needs a little bit more weight.
TE MyCole Pruitte Southern Illinois – I need more
information on him but he may be a later round steal, more like a #2 TE but one
of those X factor type of players. In a
weak year of TEs you need to take a chance on somebody and he may be the one.
TE Cameron Clear Texas A & M – Look for this name a few
years down the road, he might be playing OT by then. Just an interesting prospect to me.
Two of the most intriguing players in this draft to me are Quinten
Rollins CB Miami of Ohio and Nick Marshall QB/CB Auburn. Rollins is the better of the two by far but
both have some intriguing skills. I
could see where a team may fall in love with either and overdraft them. Still, Rollins looks like he might be legit
and that he has as much potential as anybody.
He reminds me a bit of Brent Grimes.
On the other hand, Marshall has the QB mentality so if he can pick up on
the nuances of CB it will be a major asset.
Quick Thoughts on the Bears with Today’s news:
The Bears trading away Brandon Marshall was odd to me in a
way. However, if you are going to trade
away a wide receiver, this may be a good year to do so as there are a lot of
good wide receivers in this draft.
Furthermore, you still have Alshon Jeffery so you have a number 1. One thing to consider, is Jeffery going to be
able to take the lead as a number 1 wide receiver or will he fall back into his
old ways?
That is all for today!
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