Here is what I wrote on my sporting blog <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>The Draft has come and gone and everybody has an opinion on how well there teams did. Some bad and others good. Here are my thoughts on the Packers 2007 NFL Draft.... 1st Round Justin Harrell, DT, Tennessee - One thing that I need to get off my chest is, Justin Harrell would have absolutely been a 1st round pick even if the Packers didn't take him. He would not of fell to early round 2 or mid round 2 like some Packer fans think. He is a great prospect and was the #1 DT prospect heading into the 2006 Season and then he got hurt which was a setback. However he's a tough football player with a great attitude. Yes the Packers have Corey Williams but he is going to be a free agent and he wants big money so long term, Green Bay is not safe at the position. Now with this said I wouldn't of taken him at 16. I would of moved down to Denver's spot and selected him ahead of Kansas City. I think Dwayne Bowe, Greg Olsen, Robert Meachem, and Reggie Nelson would of been better picks at 16. Justin Harrell is not a bad pick like some think but it's also not a very good one. Grade C Round 2 Brandon Jackson, RB, Nebraska - This is an intriguing pick and one that I did not like right away but then I listened to him talk on the radio and heard good things about his work ethic and I'm slowly coming around. Now Michael Bush and Antonio Pittman would've been much better selections but the Packers went with someone who should have no problems making the transition to their zone blocking scheme because Nebraska runs it as well. Jackson is about 5'10" which is good size for a back and has outstanding vision. It was a bit of a reach for him in my opinion but a nice sleeper pick. Jackson has a chance to contribute right away but at the moment I don't see him as guy who can carry the ball 15 to 20 times a game through a 16 game season. He has durability issues and he never really carried the load in college. I think he'll backup Morency and the Packers still have problems in the backfield. Grade C Round 3 James Jones, WR, San Jose State - This was a shocking pick. Why not trade this pick for Randy Moss? Your telling me that James Jones is better than Randy Moss? That's really hard to believe even with Moss coming off his worst season in his entire career. Jones has some skills. He can make tough catches and he isn't scared to go across the middle. He could a nice red zone target. However he's slow and doesn't get the separation you would like. Farther more this pick was absolutely a reach for the Packers. Jones was a 5th round talent and if your going to reach then do it in round 4, not 3. Grade D Aaron Rouse, S, Virginia Tech - Now this was my guy before the Draft even started. Rouse has the size of a linebacker but runs like a corner. He has an outstanding attitude. At the Senior Bowl Rouse was all over the place. I watched all the practices and he was one safety who seemed to always be around the ball. Now he does have some coverage issues but he has terrific intangibles to make up for it. Rouse also had great value at this spot. I had him graded out as a 2nd round prospect so to get him at the end round 3 is excellent value. I think he could start from Day 1. Grade B+ Round 4 Allen Barbre, OT, Missouri Southern State - This is a typical pick by the Packers. An offensive lineman that fits their scheme on Day 2. Barbre is a quick guy who is a perfect fit in the zone blocking scheme which likes those undersize lineman that are able to cut. He's versatile and can play either guard or tackle. He also will give the Packers depth to a position that they need it at. However he does not play very strong and he is kind of a project. I see him as a backup guard and tackle but nothing more. Grade C Round 5 David Clowney, WR, Virginia Tech - The Packers might of reached for James Jones but here they got excellent value. Clowney was a late 3rd to early 4th round projection in my opinion. He has great upside. He is fast with soft hands. He is the deep threat this team is looking for if he can indeed step in from Day 1 and contribute. I think he will. He is a bit undersized so he'll need to bulk up. If he can gain 5 pounds and maintain his speed before the start of training camp that would be excellent. He's not scared to go across the middle but in the NFL you can't go across the middle at 188 and expect to remain healthy the entire season. Grade A - Round 6 Korey Hall, LB, Boise State - The WAC Defensive player of the year is a great athlete and a really hard nose type of player. The Packers want to move him to FB but they also like what he can bring on Special Teams. He is a project. A guy who you take a chance on in the 6th round and hope that he can pan out. We'll see how he does but for now I have to question the Packers for continuing to pass on Ben Patrick when he has great value this late. Grade C - Desmond Bishop, LB, California - The Packers special teams was awful last year on coverage and return. They really were one of the worst in the NFL in my opinion. So spending late picks on special teams was a wise move. However you can also shore up your special teams in free agency. I question this pick because there is still better value on the board and the Packers are deep at LB. Bishop will probably backup Brady Poppinga and maybe he can be a sleeper but overall I'm not crazy about selecting him here. Grade D+ Mason Crosby, K, Colorado - This is not a bad pick at all. Crosby has an outstanding leg and he'll be able to kick in the cold winter of Green Bay. Forget the stats because Colorado was asking him to kick way to many difficult field goals. He'll compete with Dave Rayner who did a decent but not great job replacing Ryan Longwell. I think Crosby can win that roster spot if he gets his timing down. He's great inside the 50 and with the Packers red zone offense struggling this could end up being the best pick the Packers made. Grade B Round 7 DeShawn Wynn, RB, Florida - Wynn has the size to play FB so it will be interesting if Mike McCarthy gives him a look there. Wynn has a lot of talent and is a down hill runner that works in the zone blocking scheme. He should have very little trouble adjusting to it. He was a key player on the Florida Gators offense and in a pro style offense he could end up being a steal this late. With that said character is a major concern with him and he got into a few arguments with Urban Meyer. So while the upside is there so is the downside. Grade C Clarke Harris, TE, Rutgers - This was not a bad pick. In fact it was a good value pick for someone who could of gone in late round 4 or early round 5. He'll be a great red zone target and I think he'll end up being the Packers #2 TE behind only Bubba Franks and he could even be the best pass catching TE on the roster. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Probably a bad thing. Harris will have a shot to play a key role on a team who needs red zone targets. He could be a real contributor. Overall not a bad pick but they should have addressed TE in the first four rounds. Grade B - First the Packers did help themselves. Saying they didn't or any team for that matter is ridiculous. Every single team helps yourself on Draft Day. You can't get worst adding talent. With that said it's about how much you helped yourself. In my opinion the Packers missed out and should of traded down and gained one more pick. They had a chance for Randy Moss and quite frankly Ted Thompson blew it. Moss did not want to play in Oakland and he didn't think New England was a possibility until late Sunday Night. Thompson should have struck a deal on Day 1 of the Draft when he had his chance. That could be a monumental mistake for the Packers. However Thompson is a solid talent evaluator and the Packers scouting department are good at what they do. This Draft was not as good as last years but I think it has the potential to really get at least 4 or 5 players that will contribute from Day 1. Those being Justin Harrell, David Clowney, Brandon Jackson, Mason Crosby, and Aaron Rouse. How well those guys will do will define this Draft. This grade is more so what you get on a quiz so to speak. The Final Grade given out will come in two years when we see how much potential was reached. Overall Grade: C</div>
My favorite player out of all those is Aaron Rouse. He is a big safety that could be a very good starter across from Collins.
i love harrel, jackson, rouse, bishop and crosby! they all have potentiall to go big! (bishop and crosby in ST) and i belive James Jones will be a huge project and he will end up producing for the pack in 2 or 3 years.
I really didnt like this draft at all but there are some players who have potential. I just dont like having to rely almost solely on rookies after each off season. C, quite a few reaches. Favorite Pick would probably be Allen Barbe or DeShawn Wynn
The thing is the Packers could have realistically gotten harrell at 25 maybe even early 2nd, trading back ten spots would have given you guys an extra pick. I guarantee you that some of the teams would have jumped on the opportunity to jump up.
That I disagree with, Denver initially wanted to trade up to get him, when he was gone they traded up to insure they got their second man, Jarvis Moss. That said i really didnt think DT was the best pick, were pretty solid there already and were in negotiations with Corey Williams long term. So i just didnt really see the reason i guess =/ If he stays Healthy Harell will be a force IMO but i have my doubts, same goes for Brandon Jackson. and the James Jones pick ugh, dont even get me started there, i hope he plays like a crazy man, but i think he was a major reach. I have doubts about Aaron Rouse's coverage abilities as well. The good new is this draft cant be any worse than the 2004 draft though! Two drafted players remain on our team from that year, Corey Williams 5th round, and Scott Wells 7th round. We had two very solid Undrafted free agents though, in Cullen Jenkins and Colin Cole. but the draft itself was pitiful in the early rounds 1. Amahd Caroll with Chris Gamble still on the board 3A. Joey Thomas(wowed in TC but was cut after his first start!) 3B. Donell Washington(never even saw a down for the packers) 3C. B.J Sander, He may be from Ohio State but a freaking trade up into the 3rd round for a PUNTER? that draft makes this years look like a true blue winner! lol
Yeah Adam Schefner reported the Broncos would've selected Justin Harrell if he was on the board. He has close ties with Denver as well so I believe the story. I saw it on NFL Total Access a few weeks back so that made me feel a lot better about the Packers taking him at 16. I really like the Packers front seven. Jenkins, Harrell, Pickett, Kampman, Hawk, Barnett, and Poppinga. With KGB and Corey Williams working in the line rotation. Abdul Hodge was a 3rd round pick last year and is a hard hitter too. The potential is there for the Packers to have a very good defense. If that potential is relized, that will keep them in games.
