Recapping Packers NFL Draft Weekend

After Green Bay drafted Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, or Ha'Shon Clinton-Dix if you are a business professional, they went on the offensive for the greater part drafting four playmakers, an offensive lineman and a couple defensive players. Let's do a recap.

Second Round
WR Davante Adams (Fresno State) - Everyone is assuming he will be taking the role of James Jones on the Green Bay team. That's probably a fair assumption with him being 6'2, 215 which includes a massive vertical.  He only played two years of college with a bloated stat line given Fresno State's up-tempo offense so don't look too much into it. One thing I will be interested to see is how much Green Bay will use Adams in the screen game. He did a lot of damage in the slip screen game.

Third Round
DT Khyri Thornton (Southern Miss) - Some thought this was a reach in the third round, but it is worth the risk for Green Bay.  He will likely play the 3-4 defensive end position at 300 pounds, and I doubt he will be asked to bulk up to play nose tackle. One of the things that might have pushed Ted Thompson to draft Thornton was Jamie Collins, New England's 2013 draft pick from Southern Miss. He played well especially late in the season. Remember both Thornton and Collins played on a team without a win in two years, the gems can be forgotten.

TE Richard Rodgers (California) - Many people were unsure with the pick here. Once again, a program whose been struggling in the last couple of years, but Rodgers will likely be asked to play right away. There are some worries about his blocking, but honestly, when has Green Bay had a great blocking tight end?  Rodgers is one of those guys where I don't think the expectations should be too high.

Fourth Round
OLB Carl Bradford (Arizona State) - Here is a guy to keep an eye on this Fall. A lot of people thought he could go in the second or third round. I don't know if he will be a specialty player where he only comes in on third downs because he is the true definition of a pass rusher. Bradford seems like an aggressive player whom let's the emotions get the best of him at times. He got benched for a half with a fighting a teammate. That's okay with me. Green Bay needs to have more of an edge, and if they are adding more players with a little more of a badass nature, I am perfectly okay with it.

Fifth Round
C Corey Linsley (Ohio State) - It is completely awesome he is a huge Packer fan. I think there is something cool about that whenever it happens no matter the team.  He is in a weird spot as a center. Linsley only weighs 295 pounds, but he benched 225 pounds 36 times at the combine meaning his strength could make up for his lesser weight. He also seems to be a guy Green Bay could move around the line which is a good thing to have available as Packers have been known to shift around their offensive time from time to time.

WR Jared Abbrederis (Wisconsin) - Andy Staples of Sports Illustrated had Abbrederis in his early second round at one point of the college football season. There were some legit concerns about his concussions, but Green Bay adding him gives them a vertical home run hitter plus a true return man to keep the likes of Randall Cobb and  Micah Hyde away from it all. I also wonder if we didn't see Abbrederis' full potential at Wisconsin with some of the quarterback play there.

Sixth Round
CB Demetri Goodson (Baylor) - Real interesting kid because he played three years at Gonzaga for their basketball team, and then moved to football at Baylor. He had 16 pass deflections last season with three interceptions. It really seems like he wants to tackle and put a body on somebody. If Goodson can replace Davon House in the dime position, that would be ideal. One worry is Goodson has battled through some injuries with his ankle and arm.

Seventh Round
WR Jeff Janis (Saginaw Valley State) - This is the guy to keep an eye on. He was a complete workout warrior with some silly comparisons including... Julio Jones. Who knows whether Janis is that good of a player, or he is some freak athlete whom can catch the football every now and again. There is a chance here Green Bay got the steal of the draft. In general, they add four new tools to their already potent offense. If two out of four pan out, it is probably a good thing.

I don't really get into draft grades, but I am pretty satisfied with Green Bay's draft. It is unfortunate they couldn't get a better tight end in the draft, but sometimes, that's how it goes in the draft.

Charlie.