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Packers CB Davon House

Every NFL season begins with a blank slate and ends with a long list of newly-minted star players.

Last season, 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick may be the prime example of a player that took the next step and pushed his team to the next level, as San Francisco won the NFC and advanced to Super Bowl XLVII.

Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas went from being an afterthought in a Tim Tebow-led offense in 2011 to being one of the most dangerous offensive players in football in 2012. Thomas ranked fourth in the NFL with 1,434 receiving yards.

And in Green Bay, a pair of Packers wideouts enjoyed breakout years of their own.

After showing flashes of brilliance as a rookie in 2011, Randall Cobb exploded onto the scene last season, leading the team with 80 catches and 954 receiving yards. Cobb is the odds-on favorite to lead the team in both categories in 2013.

Fellow receiver James Jones enjoyed a breakout season of his own. Jones set career highs in all three major categories, catching 64 passes for 784 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Playing in an offense with Aaron Rodgers under center, any receiver could become the team’s “go-to guy” on a week-to-week basis. But Jordy Nelson had his coming-out party in 2011, and Jones and Cobb had their last year. So unless one of the Packers young, unproven receivers can take a step forward and join the rotation, this year’s breakout player may be on the defensive side of the ball.  Read more... (1330 words + 1 image, estimated 5:19 mins reading time)

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Who will replace Greg Jennings in 2013 is one of many questions left after the draft

The Green Bay Packers added 11 new players to their offseason roster via this past weekend’s NFL draft.  Packers GM Ted Thompson, as he does every year, maneuvered around and was able to add some additional picks to the stash that he began the draft with.

Heading into the draft, the team’s biggest needs were Defensive Line, Safety, Running Back, Wide Receiver, Tight End and Offensive Line.  The team addressed the defensive line with two selections in the first five rounds.  At running back, they added two players in the first four rounds and they selected two offensive linemen in the fourth.  Any pick within the first five rounds should be expected to stick on the team’s final 53 man roster.  The key word is “should” so I cautiously say that those three areas seemingly were covered.

While some GM’s draft more for need, Thompson’s philosophy has been more about taking the best player available on his board at the time.  Two good examples are his selecting two offensive tackles within 10 draft slots of each other in round four and trading back into the fourth round to select running back Johnathan Franklin when he had already selected a top-tier running back two rounds earlier in the form of Eddie Lacy.  Read more... (1362 words + 3 images, estimated 5:27 mins reading time)

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Nevada TE Zach Sudfeld

Green Bay Packers NFL Draft prospect profile: TE Zach Sudfeld

Player Information:

Zach Sudfeld, TE Nevada
6-7, 253 pounds
Hometown: Modesto, Cal.

STATS

NFL Combine:

40 time: 4.78
225-pound bench: 11 reps
20-yard shuttle: 4.41
Broad jump: 9′ 5″
Vertical jump: 37″

News and Notes:

One-year starter who caught 45 passes for 598 yards and eight touchdowns as a sixth-year senior … Redshirted as a true freshman at Nevada, before sitting out his redshirt freshman season with an injury … Played in every game in 2010 behind current Denver Broncos backup tight end Virgil Green … Started the 2011 season opener before suffering a broken leg which ended his season … Received a medical redshirt for the 2012 season … Wasn’t invited to the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine after being one of eight semifinalists for the Mackey Award in 2012.

 What they’re saying about him: 

• CBSSports.com: “Excellent size/strength combo for the position. At 6-7 and 255 pounds, he is a large target, shows natural receiving skills and the ability to watch the ball into his hands. shows his athleticism once he gets going, accelerating in-and-out of his breaks and creating some separation from linebackers or safeties.”

Video:

Video Analysis:  Read more... (459 words + 1 image, estimated 1:50 mins reading time)

• Big. Excellent blocker.
• Not a “burner” but smooth in and out of his breaks. He’s a former basketball player, and he plays like it.
• Natural catching the football.

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Demetrius Harris

Green Bay Packers NFL Draft prospect profile: TE Demetrius Harris

Player Information:

Demetrius Harris, TE UW-Milwaukee
6-7, 240 pounds
Hometown: Jacksonville, AR.

STATS (Basketball)

NFL Combine:

Did not work out at the Combine.
*40 time: 4.45
*Vertical: 37″
*According to CBSSports.com

News and Notes:

Harris looks to be another college basketball player-turned-NFL tight end … Originally signed to play football at Arkansas State out of high school but didn’t meet the academic requirements … After spending time at a community college, Harris decided to focus on basketball before transferring to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee … Harris averaged 9.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game as a senior … He’s spending time at St. Vincent Sports Performance working out with Pro Bowl tight end Dallas Clark … Harris has a pro day set up in Milwaukee on April 20.

 What they’re saying about him: 

• CBSSports.com: “As the draft approaches, there is a growing buzz among scouts about Demetrius Harris, who played college basketball at Wisconsin-Milwaukee and whose freakish workouts are generating a following. Harris hasn’t played football since high school, but at 6-foot-7, 241 pounds (he projects to play at around 250), he runs in the 4.45-second range in the 40 and has a 37-inch vertical leap.”

Video:

Video Analysis:  Read more... (491 words + 1 image, estimated 1:58 mins reading time)

• With no on-field video of Harris, it’s impossible to evaluate him on anything besides athletic ability.
• He’s clearly a fluid athlete; long, fast, quick and agile.

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Minnesota quarterback Marqueis Gray with his fiancee, Alley Behr, and their three children — Tessa, top left, and nine-month-old twins, MarZell, left, and MarShawn, right. (Photo from Pioneer Press)

Green Bay Packers NFL Draft prospect profile: QB/WR MarQueis Gray

Player Information:

MarQueis Gray, QB/WR Minnesota
6-3, 240 pounds
Hometown: Indianapolis, IN

STATS

NFL Combine:

40 time: 4.73 second
Bench press: 15 reps
20-yard shuttle: 4.30

News and Notes:

I like to torture myself by following the Minnesota Gophers football team, so I thought I should do a draft profile for one of its players. … Highly recurited out of Ben Davis High School in Indiana as a dual threat QB. … Moved between QB and WR at Minnesota. … Has worked out some as a TE at the NFL combine and at his pro day. … More of a running threat than a passing threat at QB. … Ran for 11 touchdowns in his junior and senior seasons. … Had some buzz as a possible slot WR type of player, but slow 40 time at the combine has hurt him. … Gray says he’s been bothered by an injured ankle. … The Colts hold the last pick in the draft. Could Gray’s Indiana ties make him a candidate to be this year’s Mr. Irrelevant as the last player chosen in the draft?

What they’re saying about him:  Read more... (864 words + 1 image, estimated 3:27 mins reading time)

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Packers TE Matthew Mulligan

Tight end Matthew Mulligan agreed to a one-year deal with the Green Bay Packers, according to WCSH TV 6 in Portland, Maine.

Mulligan, a four-year veteran out of the University of Maine, played with the St. Louis Rams in 2012 after spending three years with the New York Jets. The Packers, having lost reserve tight end Tom Crabtree to Tampa Bay earlier this offseason, are looking for some depth at the position.

Mulligan was credited with 18 starts the past two years, catching a total of 13 passes for 142 yards and one touchdown over that span.

Behind starter Jermichael Finley, Mulligan will compete for playing time with the likes of Andrew Quarless, Ryan Taylor and D.J. Williams. If healthy, Quarless is likely the frontrunner to be No. 2 on the depth chart, but he missed the entire 2012 season after tearing his ACL and MCL in December of 2011.

Brandon Bostick, an undrafted free agent from Newberry College, stuck on the team’s practice squad last season after an impressive training camp. Bostick played wide receiver in college and could threaten for a spot on the Packers’ 53-man roster this season.

For depth and special teams purposes, the Packers typically carry multiple tight ends on the roster. Brining Mulligan into the fold is a minor move that could help mask the loss of Crabtree, while adding another capable veteran to a young group of tight ends.  Read more... (268 words + 1 image, estimated 1:04 mins reading time)

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What chemistry problem?

With such a deep receiving corps, the Green Bay Packers have been able to let things slide a bit at the tight end position.  The question is how much longer they can afford to do so.  Starting tight end Jermichael Finley set a franchise record for receptions by a tight end while the departed Tom Crabtree seemingly scored a touchdown every time the Packers played on national television.

With Crabtree gone and Finley entering the final year of his contract, the tight ends face a crucial year in 2013.  Could the Packers draft a tight end early in this spring’s draft? Will Finley become the game changing weapon everyone thought he could be back in 2009? Who will replace Crabtree as the blocking specialist among them?

Where are we now:

Here are the current suspects:

Jermichael Finley (3rd round, 2008)

D.J. Williams (5th round, 2011)

Ryan Taylor (7th round, 2011)

Brandon Bostick (undrafted free agent, 2012)

Andrew Quarless (5th round, 2010)

For expanded coverage of this topic, listen in using the player below or download the podcast from the Packers Talk Radio Network on Itunes.

Finley: The player so many fans love to hate.  His mouth got him into trouble early in the season but he came around late and had some solid games to close out the regular season.  Read more... (795 words + 1 image, estimated 3:11 mins reading time)

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