AllGreenBayPackers.Com

Brian Schwenke

Green Bay Packers NFL Draft prospect profile: C Brian Schwenke

Player Information:

Brian Schwenke, C California
6-3, 314 pounds
Hometown: Oceanside, CA

STATS

NFL Combine:

40 yard: 4.99
Bench: 31
Vertical: 26.50″
Broad: 9’00″
Shuttle: 4.74
Cone: 7.31

News and Notes:

A relative unknown coming into the draft process, Brian Schwenke has cemented himself as a top 5 center in the 2013 NFL draft after an impressive showing in both the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine.  Schwenke started with the Cal Bears as a left guard but rotated between both sides until his senior year where he moved to the pivot.  While he lacks the experience playing center of some of the other draft prospects, Schwenke does offer good versatility being able to play anywhere in the interior offensive line but ultimately his preferred position will probably be center.   Schwenke posted some of the best combine results of any offensive linemen this year, especially by breaking the 5″ mark on the 40 yard dash and recording a remarkable 7.31 second 3 cone time (as a comparison, Nick Perry recorded a 7.25 3-cone last year)

 What they’re saying about him:   Read more... (722 words + 1 image, estimated 2:53 mins reading time)

---- Get AddToAny

Rookie C Tommie Draheim

Ted Thompson and the Green Bay Packers have signed a total of 27 rookies to contracts this offseason. Eight of those were his 2012 NFL Draft picks, while the other 19 were undrafted free agents picked up immediately after the draft or brought in as tryout players during Rookie Orientation Camp. With the roster now at a full 90 players, it’s time to get to know some of these new faces.

Next up is center Tommie Draheim.

Born on December 23, 1988, in Kennewick, WA, Tommie Draheim (Dray-hime) grew up in Lakeside, CA, where he played at center and defensive tackle as a senior at El Capitan High. He is the son of Tamura and Damon Draheim.

Draheim was a redshirt freshman in 2007 with the San Diego State Aztecs, and he was projected to be the starting center in 2008 until a shoulder injury suffered during summer workouts sidelined him for the season. Due to “team needs,” he was moved to left tackle upon his return, where he ended up starting in 30 consecutive games across his last three years with the team.

As a senior, Draheim became the first Aztecs offensive lineman to be named first-team all-conference since Brendan Darby in 2003. He was part of an SDSU offensive line that ranked 10th in the country in fewest sacks allowed (0.83 per game) and tied for 15th in fewest tackles for a loss allowed (4.42). They also helped quarterback Ryan Lindley become the school’s all-time leading passer and running back Ronnie Hillman finish third nationally in rushing.  Read more... (464 words + 1 image, estimated 1:51 mins reading time)

---- Get AddToAny

Scott Wells is likely to hit free agency, which opens Tuesday.

Barring any late change of heart or mind, Green Bay Packers center Scott Wells will get to the start of free agency without a new contract from the Packers.

According to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Wells “appears headed for free agency barring a last-minute deal.” The sides are still far apart on what the value of Wells’ new contract should be.

In my opinion, the two sides are playing a game of chicken, with the Packers going low and Wells going high and waiting to see which side breaks first. My guess is that the Packers are going to have to give in some, but whether it’s enough to sign Wells, I don’t know. Wells remembers that the Packers gave up on him two years ago only to see him beat out Jason Spitz for the starting job and become one of the most valuable players on the offensive line.

It appears that Wells is wanting a contract that puts him on par with the top centers in the NFL, somewhere in the $7-8 million a year range. The Packers are almost certain not to give him that kind of money, especially considering Wells will be 32 at the end of 2012-13 season and is a touch undersized for the position.

Given that wide impasse in yearly negotiations, the Packers are likely to let Wells scour the open market. Once there, it’s possible Wells will find out a harsher truth about his real value and the Packers will be able to negotiate a more cap-friendly deal for the veteran center.  Read more... (617 words + 1 image, estimated 2:28 mins reading time)

---- Get AddToAny

The Green Bay Packers signed South Florida center Sampson Genus Monday night.

Genus was not on the Packers official visit list prior to April’s NFL draft. He weighs in at 315 pounds and stands 6-1, prototypical measurements for a center.

At his pro day, Genus ran the 40-yard dash in 5.51 seconds, bench-pressed 225 pounds 28 times and had a vertical leap of 27 inches. His 20-yard shuffle time was 4.80 seconds. He was invited to the NFL combine but didn’t workout.

College summary

Genus arrived at South Florida as an offensive line prospect, but switched to defensive tackle in the spring of 2008 (sophomore year). While he was attracted attention at that position, Genus switched back to the offensive side of the ball in ’09.

Starting at center for the Bulls, Genus was a second-team All-Big East in ’09 and followed that performance up with a first-team selection in 2010. He started all 12 games in ’10 and was named team captain.

Commentary

The Packers are always in search of bodies along the offensive line, and Genus looks like one of those for camp. CBS Sports ranked him as their 21st best center for the 2011 draft, but it’s hard to judge him without seeing more tape and time in practice.

The Packers have two, and possibly three, capable centers in Scott Wells, Evan Dietrich-Smith and Nick McDonald. McDonald may be more of a guard, but he does have a past at the position. Genus could be a practice squad possibility.  Read more... (308 words + 1 image, estimated 1:14 mins reading time)

---- Get AddToAny

In this next installment of our 2011 Draft Prep series looking at the Green Bay Packers’ needs by position, we are going to analyze how the offensive line positions currently stand. Strengths, weaknesses, depth, and uncertainties will all be examined to determine the urgency of need in regards to next season.

This series is meant to help us figure out the needs of the team and how the draft could be used to improve the weaker areas. While Ted Thompson largely uses the “best player available” (BPA) approach, his decision to trade up or down the board is affected by what position players he would prefer to have. Additionally, the picking up of players in the later rounds and in undrafted free agency is often based on need, since the talent is less defined.

CURRENT PLAYERS:

#63 Scott Wells [C]
30 yrs. old / 7 yrs. exp.
Signed through 2011

#62 Evan Dietrich-Smith [C/G]
24 yrs. old / 2 yrs. exp.
Signed through 2012

#67 Nick McDonald [C/G]
23 yrs. old / 1 yr. exp.
Signed through 2012

#72 Jason Spitz [C/G]
28 yrs. old / 5 yrs. exp.
Free Agent (no tender offered)

#71 Josh Sitton [G]
24 yrs. old / 3 yrs. exp.
Signed through 2011

#64 Adrian Battles [G]
24 yrs. old / 1 yr. exp.
Signed to reserve/future contract

#73 Daryn Colledge [G]
29 yrs. old / 5 yrs. exp.
Free Agent (tender offered)  Read more... (1618 words + 1 image, estimated 6:28 mins reading time)

---- Get AddToAny

Offensive Interior Linemen: Here’s the sixth of a series of articles and final for the offense, looking specifically at the NFL combine and the Packers’ drafting tendencies. (read here for the rationale for this series, here for quarterbacks, here for running backs, here for wide receivers, here for tight ends and here for offensive tackles).  This article will use the combine numbers from previous players drafted by GM Ted Thompson as a guide for what offensive interior linemen are likely to fit into the Packers’ scheme.

Again, this is merely an attempt to make a best guess based on statistics at which players the Packers might be interested in, game tape naturally trumps combine numbers, so take all of this with a grain of salt.  But I believe it will make for some interesting discussion.  Also listed below are also two offensive interior linemen in this year’s draft who I think fit the Packers scheme the best, based on their combine numbers.

Statistics of offensive interior linemen drafted by the Packers:  Read more... (1011 words + 1 image, estimated 4:03 mins reading time)

---- Get AddToAny