AllGreenBayPackers.Com

“A couple of days before the draft, I heard the Cowboys were a threat to take (Kyle) Long in the first round, perhaps if they moved down from the 18th pick. I later heard from league sources outside of Halas Hall that the Colts (24th pick) and Rams (22nd pick) were very interested in drafting him. Some suspected the Packers (26th pick) also were in the Long market.” – Dan Pompei, Chicago Tribune

This recent bit of news caught my attention claiming that Kyle Long was actually a very hot commodity in the 1^st round with at least 4 other teams, including the Packers, were willing to take the multifaceted offensive linemen, who will begin his career as a guard.  The only reason that this struck me as a little odd was that this exact same story popped up after last year’s draft, again involving an offensive guard.  In 2012, Kevin Zeitler was selected 27^th overall to the Cincinnati Bengals, one spot ahead of Nick Perry, who was selected by Packers with the 28^th overall pick.  Again the Packers were rumored to be in love with Zeitler and were distraught when the Bengals stole him away with the pick before theirs that they dejectedly handed in their card for Perry (so the story goes).  Read more... (1126 words + 2 images, estimated 4:30 mins reading time)

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It’s a little early, but the 2013 draft might contain a special treat for Green Bay Packers fans, namely a shot at a Packers rookie getting the prestigious Offensive NFL Rookie Of The Year Award.  Last year’s draft was basically all defense with only BJ Coleman and Andrew Datko getting picked in the 7th round, and both spent the year on the practice squad (although 2nd round pick Casey Hayward almost got the defensive NFL Rookie Of The Year Award, but that’s a different story).

In 2011, Randall Cobb was a good candidate but going up against a loaded wide receiver core with Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson and James Jones, Cobb ultimately didn’t end up seeing much of the field during his rookie season.

In 2009 and 2010, the Packers didn’t really have a logical candidate as the early parts of the draft were filled with linemen and defensive players.  This year however is a little different where the draft has fallen in such a way and the Packers have drafted in such a way where I think rookie running back Eddie Lacy actually has a pretty decent shot at winning the award.

The Rules    Read more... (2192 words + 14 images, estimated 8:46 mins reading time)

1. In the last 20 years, only two offensive players who won were not drafted in the rounds 1 or 2 have won the award.  This makes sense as high round rookies are likely to see the field early and often, while lower round picks are often given more time on the bench to develop.

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I actually got my first shot writing for AllGreenBayPackers.com when Al allowed me to post my draft rationale on his site and 3 years later I’m continuing the tradition.  As before I’m not going to be assigning draft grades or projections, I agree with the idea that grading picks now is something akin to being graded on a test you haven’t taken.  In this article I want to point out some more broad observations I noticed during the draft

Aaron Rodgers dictated the Packers 2013 draft: And Clay Matthews III to some extent as well.  Simply put the Packers are now in a mini-rebuilding year, not due to a lack of talent but due to a lack of money.  While Rodgers’ $110 million and Matthews’ $66 million contracts were both necessary and in my opinion great deals for the Packers, let’s not kid ourselves and think that the Packers are going to be awash with saved money over the next couple years, Rodgers and Matthews are still two of the highest paid players in the NFL and that will have financial ramifications down the road; maybe not as bad as Joe Flacco and DeMarcus Ware bad, but Ted Thompson probably isn’t going to be able to keep everyone he wants.  This is why I think this is the start of a mini-rebuild; teams typically trade down and stockpile draft picks in order to stock the team with young, cheap players who can be the foundation long term and perhaps become stars.  Read more... (1368 words + 1 image, estimated 5:28 mins reading time)

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With the 125th pick in the 4th round, the Packers select Johnathan Franklin, RB UCLA

PLAYER DETAILS: 
Johnathan Franklin
RB
UCLA
5’10″/205lbs

CAREER NOTES:Franklin was a little-known three-star recruit out of high school and redshirted in 2008 before becoming a four-year starter for the Bruins. He produced quality numbers as a freshman, sophomore and junior and needed a strong senior season in order to grab the attention of NFL scouts.  That’s exactly what Franklin did, setting new school single-season records for rushing yards (1,734), all-purpose yards (2,062) and career records for rushing (4,403), all-purpose yards (4,920).  Franklin thrived in 2012 as part of UCLA’s zone-read offense, routinely making something out of nothing with his fast, tough and energetic running style. Although he doesn’t have the frame to get much bigger than 205 pounds, he has good muscle definition and has stayed durable over the years, leaving UCLA with 45 career starts.  Franklin loves to bounce runs outside with this vision and explosive lateral movements, reminding many of another former Bruin running back with a smaller stature, but very balanced attack (Maurice Jones-Drew).

COMBINE: 

4.49 40 yard dash, 18 bench, 31.5″ vertical, 115.0″ broad, 6.89 3 cone, 4.31 20 yard shuttle, 11.33 60 yard shuttle

SCOUTING REPORT:
 Read more... (470 words + 1 image, estimated 1:53 mins reading time)

• While Eddie Lacy doesn’t fit the mold of a Packers running back, Franklin definitely does.
• More of a one cut and go runner but shows some wiggle

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With their first round pick (26th overall) in the 2013 NFL draft, the Green Bay Packers select Datone Jones, a DE from UCLA.

PLAYER DETAILS: 
Datone Jones
DE
UCLA
6’4″/283lbs

CAREER NOTES: 

From NFL.com: The graduate of Compton High School stuck around Los Angeles to play college ball after being named a four-star recruit by multiple recruiting services. Datone (pronounced DAY-tone) played in 10 games, with two starts, as a true freshman in 2008 (credited with 17 tackles) before starting every game the following year while racking up 11 tackles for loss and four sacks (including one in the team’s EagleBank Bowl win over Temple). Unfortunately, Jones missed the entire 2010 season with a fractured right foot suffered in preseason camp. Jones’ statistics were nothing special in 2011 (41 tackles, 6.5 for loss, three sacks as a 14-game starter), and he wasn’t even named to the All-Pac 12 honorable mention squad by league coaches.

COMBINE: 
4.80 40 yard dash, 29 bench, 31.5″ vertical, 112.0″ broad, 7.32 3 cone, 4.32 shuttle

SCOUTING REPORT: (from our own Jason Perone)  Read more... (383 words + 1 image, estimated 1:32 mins reading time)

• Has a good initial move.  Quick burst, powerful
• Uses hands effectively but will initially have issues disengaging NFL O-linemen
• Can get downfield and pursues well
• Has a good motor and his initial burst can get him into the backfield
• Lacks ideal size for a 3-4 DL.  Will need to add some weight
• As with many college defensive prospect, overruns the play, taking himself out of it

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Last week Clay Matthews III signed a new 5-year extension with the Packers that made him the highest paid linebacker in the history of the NFL.  The press release announced that Matthews was awarded a $66 million extension that averages $13.2 million yearly, which just barely eclipses Dallas Cowboy outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware’s 2009 extension that averaged $13 million yearly. However, as the title has mentioned I personally don’t feel that the contract signed by Matthews is worth it.  Furthermore, I’m a little surprised that so many Packers fans are okay with the deal.

What Packers fans should be doing is jumping up and down with joy.

For all intents and purposes, the Packers just got away with “grand theft Matthews”.  While initially it looks like Matthews was rewarded handsomely for his services and now can claim to be the highest paid linebacker in NFL history, if you dive deeper into the structure of the deal, it’s pretty obvious that general manager Ted Thompson and lead contract negotiator Russ Ball really got the better end of the bargain.  Read more... (1520 words + 2 images, estimated 6:05 mins reading time)

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