"Making draft choices such as Mississippi State's Derek Sherrod are how top National Football League organizations stay on top for the long haul. Twelve years after the Green Bay Packers drafted left tackle Chad Clifton with the 44th overall pick, the Packers landed his heir apparent Thursday night with the 32nd and final selection of the first round. "I hope he's as good as Chad Clifton in terms of pass setting and doing what we want him to do," general manager Ted Thompson said. "We'll see. We're going to give him a chance to play, though." Sherrod, 6 feet 5½ inches and 315 pounds, is a three-year starter at left tackle in the Southeastern Conference just as Clifton was a four-year starter in the SEC for Tennessee. Besides similar body types, personnel people said there are also similarities how Sherrod played compared to how the 34-year-old Clifton has played for 11 seasons in Green Bay. Sherrod is regarded as more of an athletic player than a power player. By style, he probably fits better as a left tackle. "He plays with good balance and base," Thompson said. "Hard to knock off his feet. He has ability to run block and cross over to pass block. We think he has a chance to be a complete player." Somewhat surprisingly, Sherrod was the sixth tackle to be taken, although the Packers had him ranked several rungs higher. When Sherrod fell to Green Bay, Thompson said the mood in the draft room was jubilant. "We were pretty happy," he said. "I feel OK. If you can get a quality big man I think you always lean that way." Sherrod's bid to play early in his career and become a long-term player will be enhanced by his intelligence. He graduated, earned a 3.54-grade point average and scored 25 on the 50-question Wonderlic intelligence test. That gives him the edge on Clifton, who has always required extra repetitions throughout his career as one of the most gifted pass blockers in the business." Read more: http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/120896269.html
