This is my
first article for Draft Blitz so I would
like to start off with a few thoughts.
First its great to be now part of the
staff here...........
Many have not liked the
packers draft and had many questions
about it. One of the complaints was that
they took Rodgers in the first rather
than a defensive player to help the
packers horrid defense from a year ago.
My answer is they did help it, but not
through the draft but by dumping Bob
Slowik who did a few things that made
people scratch their head and wonder why
he was a defensive coordinator, there
were reports that all week through
practice they planned to use a certain
type of coverage with the DBs and the
day before the game he completely
changed it and went with something else.
The packers then brought in Jim Bates to
bring the defense that he used in Miami
that was always rated among the top ten
in the league and only dropped last year
because of mass injuries on the d-line
and linebackers. Players love playing
for Bates and a lot of Miami’s players
especially the defensive players wanted
Bates to be kept as head coach or stay
as the defensive coordinator in Miami
but Saban wanted to bring in his own
guy. Now with Bates in Green Bay that’s
almost like a draft pick because
everywhere he’s been his defense has
played well. As far as the Rodgers pick
in my opinion it was a very good pick
and even I would have made that pick and
some of you remember me constantly
saying to mock drafters that the packers
would not take a quarterback on day one
of course some had to rub it in on me.
Even leading up to the pick I never felt
Rodgers would last until #24 but when he
did I said ‘pick him’ and the reason is
because of the great value he presents
at #24 a guy projected to go on the top
10 it’s a great pick. Now to the 2nd
round the packers had two picks #51 and
#58 and I felt surely after taking a QB
at 24 that the packers would now focus
in on defense for the majority of the
rest of the draft. When #51 came up and
the packers picked Nick Collins most
people thought “huh?” or “who?” Collins
a safety from small Bethune-Cookman was
a player most had rated in the 4th-5th
round area who was seen as more of a
corner back than a safety, a position of
need for Green Bay. When the pick was
made I was one of those that said who?
and didn’t like the pick at all
especially with some good defensive
players still out there guys like
Crowder, Atogwe, Tuck, Morrison, even
Fincher and Blackstock would have been
better picks. Once I started reading up
on Collins I started feeling a little
better about the pick but still felt
that they could have traded down or
taken one of the aforementioned players
and still gotten Collins in the 3rd
round who on the good side will play
safety in GB. Then pick #58 came up and
none of the above mentioned players had
been picked so I felt well they got to
pick one of them, maybe not Atogwe but
maybe one of the linebackers and
Thompson goes and tricks us all and
selects Terrence Murphy and again leaves
everyone wondering what he’s doing.
While Murphy at the end of the 2n round
was good value many including myself
felt that there was no need for Murphy
with Driver, Ferguson and Walker as the
top three receivers. Murphy does have
return ability so that is most likely
will make his biggest contribution as a
rookie but should also see time as a
fourth receiver. This pick though I
can’t really defend because even now it
still doesn’t make sense Thompson could
have taken a linebacker and gotten an
4th receiver/returner later in the
draft. When pick 89 came up most of
those guys were gone with only
Blackstock left and I felt ok now he
will take a linebacker and what does
Thompson do? trades down. At the time
and even a bit now it left me hating the
first day for the packers.
When the 2nd day came around I awoke
with a more positive feeling. There were
still plenty of solid defensive players
still on the board. With picks 115 and
125 in hand GB then proceeded to select
Marviel Underwood and Brady “Big Poppa”
Poppinga. Underwood wasn’t a big name in
college or even one of the workout
wonders who rose late in the process,
but he is a good player. Ted Thompson
also reported that he had calls from
about 10 teams congratulating him on the
pick. Even though he was drafted two
rounds later Underwood actually has a
better chance at starting this year than
Collins. Poppinga was a bit of a head
scratchier to some who don’t follow the
draft or college football. On the
surface it was a good pick, Poppinga
would bring a pass rush threat from the
other side of KGB and fit the type of
defensive end that Bates likes, but it
was later revealed that Bates planed to
use him at linebacker. Green Bay then
traded #126 in the 4th for #167, 175,
and 245. When the 5th round came the
packers had three picks and used the
first on Junius Coston, a center/guard
from small North Carolina A&T but was
listed by ESPN as a center and right
away that threw many fans who didn’t
know anything about him, but upon more
research Junius has actually played
three different spots in college and
that Junius actually projected better to
guard so he helped fill the hole at
guard left by Wahle and Rivera. The
packers then proceeded to select corner
Michael Hawkins from Oklahoma someone
most had never heard of and couldn’t
find any info on, it was later revealed
that he had actually left Oklahoma and
had been playing in the AFL the last
year he had ran in the 4.3 area for
scouts so he was talented but very raw
and in my opinion was a big reach and
could have been had in the 7th no
problem. Ted Thompson then traded #175
to New England for #195 and #246 leaving
the packers with two picks in the 6th
and two in the 7th as well. In the 6th
round the packers selected Mike
Montgomery at #180 and Craig Bragg at
#195 two very odd picks since Montgomery
was a DE/DT tweener who lacked the speed
to play defensive end and the bulk to
play defensive tackle which didn’t fit
Bates scheme then Bragg which for some
odd reason slipped all the way to the
6th when he was originally slotted to go
late day one early day two, so it was
mainly a value pick but still with
Murphy having been drafted in the 2nd
there seemed to be almost no room for
Bragg, although in the 6th round Bragg
is a steal. The pack then selected with
their final two picks Kurt Campbell and
Will Whitticker. Campbell a small school
safety from Albany was another eye brow
raiser since the pack had already
drafted two safeties but at Campbell’s
size(6’1 230) it was speculated that
maybe he would be moved to linebacker
and was later revealed on the packers
site that he would play linebacker.
Whitticker was a ok pick the packers
after taking Coston and signing Klemm
and O’Dwyer in the off season didn’t
really have room for Whitticker on the
roster but you never know these days in
the NFL and in the 7th round you usually
just take the best athlete left on your
board and Whitticker is a good athlete
and has the talent to be a starter in
the NFL he could just never put it
together in college because of
inconsistency, injury, or just lack of
intensity. The draft was now over for
the packers and they acquired a future
quarterback who would have time to sit
on the bench and learn for a couple
years behind Favre, two safeties who
should both eventually develop into
starters, two wide receivers with
experience returning kicks, two guards
with potential to be starters in this
league, two linebackers with speed, and
a speedy project cornerback. Something
that stood out about all these players
(minus Rodgers) was that they were all
good athletes and were all versatile and
could be used at multiple positions this
seems like it will be a staple of future
Thompson drafts and even though a lot of
GMs use the cliché of best player
available it seems as though Thompson’s
stuck to it. On the surface this doesn’t
look like a good draft but if you look
deeper it was actually a solid draft the
top three defensive players selected
will definitely see playing time this
year and could see it at multiple
positions, Collins and Underwood could
both see time at cornerback and safety
and Poppinga will probably be used like
Bryce Paup was in the early 90’s and if
Hawkins develops he could be a top
cornerback in this league. My only
complaint about this draft is that three
of these players chances of making the
roster this year are slim to none and at
least four of the players (Collins,
Hawkins, Campbell, and Montgomery) were
reaches and could have been had later or
even as undrafted free agents. Overall
though I like this draft and there’s no
reason why all theses players wont be on
the roster and making a contribution by
the ‘06 season. As far as a draft grade
well w all know you cant truly evaluate
a draft until three to four years down
the line but as of right now I would
give it a C+ but could easily go up to a
high B if the players develop. In case
any of you forget here’s a list of all
the packers picks:
1(24) Aaron Rodgers-QB-Cal
2(51) Nick Collins-S-Bethune-Cookman
2(58) Terrance Murphy-WR-Texas A&M
4(115) Marviel Underwood-S-San Diego St.
4(125) Brady Poppinga-LB/DE-BYU
5(143) Junius Coston-G-North Carolina
A&T
5(167) Michael Hawkins-CB-xOklahoma
6(180) Mike Montgomery-DE-Texas A&M
6(195) Craig Bragg-WR-UCLA
7(245) Kurt Campbell-LB-Albany(ny.)
7(246) Will Whitticker-G-Michigan State
