Who's out position by position next year

[burt packerack]

Hayward was the highest rated corner by pff in the league. You start testing him and seeing if he can handle some of the elite WRs in our division

as in one on ones? I would like to see that happen.

 

[burt packerack]

And we should draft one of those 3 too. EDS is a solid backup, but I don't think he's our answer at C.

The way I approach the draft is this: what is the weakest link in our team? My answer keeps coming up as our OL. IMO it would be bad idea to rely on the personnel we have. Yes, Bulaga was good last year. Yes, Sherrod has upside, but neither of these two is a guarantee. We need a solid C at least. After that it gets a bit more open. If we don't take a solid C in the 1st 3 round I think that will be a big mistake, and it may very well take one of our 1st two picks. Barrett Jones is the obvious choice, but he may go earlier than 27ish in the 1st round.

Any upcoming players in the draft you would like to see at our O-line? I don't watch college enough to validate O-line.

 

[Oshkoshpackfan]

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospectrankings

 

[KCBIGDOG]

Thought I'd start this post now, and give my opinions on this. As far as I'm concerned several players from this team need to go, because either A. They cost too much to keep or B. They don't play NFL caliber football. I'll take it by position and give reasons for who needs to go.

Quarterback: Everybody stays. Rodgers will be the starter, the other 2 aren't developed enough. I'm not even sure right now if we could trust Harrell to relieve Rodgers for the rest of a game if Aaron were injured

Running backs: James Starks needs to go. He can't stay healthy, and when he has over the last 2 seasons he's not ran well. He got us to the Superbowl in 2010, but nothing since then. I also think we'll see Ryan Grant let go. He's shown flashes of what he was, but not enough to keep. I also think with the emergence of Harris and with a hopefully un-injured Green both of them are expendable. I'm not sure whether I see Ted giving Benson another try.

Wide Receivers: Driver is definitely gone. Age, injury, and I think he's fallen out of favor with the coaching staff or management for some reason, I think he'll retire though and not get the boot. Jennings is gone too. He spent most of the year hurt, and as a free agent based on this year, he's not worth the franchise tag, or the salary someone else will give him. Jeremy Ross or Boykin will also be gone. I'd rather keep Boykin from a receing standpoint, but only if he can be taught, and would be willing to return punts and kicks.

Tight Ends: Finley needs to go! Attitude issues, drops, more attitude than effort right now. Not worth the money. I can also see Williams or Taylor being gone, not both. Quarless goes too if they draft a TE.

O-Line: Dietrich-Smith. There's a reason the guy hasn't been a legit starter until this year, and in the passing game he's not as good as he could or should be given the time he's had playing the last 2 seasons. I also don't think Saturday even makes it back to camp this coming year, probable retirement.

D-Line: Mike Neal. Drug suspension, injuries. He's only shown flashes of being an NFL player. I can also see them letting go of Pickett depending on how well Worthy comes back from injury.

Linebackers: HAWK! He's a wreck in coverage, he's not even a 3 down linebacker anymore and some in the Milwaukee media were even grumbling about him not making the team this year before Bishop went down. I also think Francoise or Lattimore don't make it back because they can't even get on the field. Prior to the game tonight I would've also put Erik Walden on that list, but now I'm on the fence about him. I think Moses is better at that spot, and with Perry hopefully coming back he'd be 3rd or 4th deep outside. Zombo I think is gone too, but don't hold me on that.

DBs: Woodson we know is probably retiring, so he's gone. I'd like to see them get rid of or trade Morgan Burnett, and put Heyward at safety with Jennings. I'm also going to say Jarrett Bush probably doesn't come back. I had heard knocks on him in pre-season from Milwaukee media, so I was surprised he made the team THIS year.

Special Teams: Crosby has got to go! Somebody will come up in Free Agency, or the draft that will be better at him. I think they were stuck with him this year, and they saw early on he wasn't where he was supposed to be when they started talking about the new addition affecting the wind patterns, and don't get me wrong I believe that to an extent, but his misses were more than what that addition could cause.

I'm interested in everyone else's thoughts, even though it's not the end of the season yet.

I usually do not respond - I like to read the discussions going on here; however, I could not resist on this one. First all I can say is WOW!!! There is no doubt that there will be a substantial turnover regarding the team in the off-season. TT will have to make some TOUGH choices regarding the roster......

RBs - STARKS is signed through next year and comes cheap under $600,000 - I think he is back but must win a roster spot - BENSON - may be brought in to camp if he signs another cheap one-year deal (my guess he is in camp). GRANT - will not be back. HARRIS - will be back. SAINE - coming off an ACL - under contract will be in camp if healthy to compete for a roster spot. Green - Will be back - camp friendly contract signed until 2015.

WRs - JORDY, JONES, COBB, BOYKIN, ROSS all come back next year with ROSS and Boykin competing for roster spots. JENNINGS (rumor Miami really wants him) and Driver will be gone.

TEs - FINLEY (50/50 on whether he returns) and the rest of the cast comes back - unless we draft a TE.

OL - I think the only one that does not come back is SATURDAY. There are a lot of question marks on the OL - Can SHERROD play next year, can BULAGA come back from the hip - do not forget we have DAKOTA on the PS - I think with this year to get stronger and gain confidence in his shoulder he may be the surprise of next years training camp (and the steal from last years draft).

D-Line - Everybody is back! PICKETT is our best run defender but long in the tooth (would be shocked if he not back but you never know with TT - He likes to get rid of veterans a year to early than a year too late.)

LBs - HAWK will probably have to take a pay cut to be back. WALSEN and JONES are FAs and TT will try to resign both on the cheap. I think ZOMBO is gone. We get BISHOP and SMITH back. MANNING should have stayed in school for one year - he had the illness that set him back early in the year - HE will be back. I can not remember where I read the article ( I wish I could) but there are rumors floating around the Packer organization that the Team is considering moving Perry to DE (not a bad thought as long as we draft a OLB early).

DBs - SHIELDS is a RFA and I think will be back. WOODSON - may have to take a pay-cut to return (50/50 on his return). I think rest of the crew is back. BUSH - is a Special Teams guy no more/no less and should NEVER see the field on Defense. He just signed a three year deal and will be back.

S/Ts - CROSBY, MASTHAY and GOODE will all be back since they all just signed extension - although, I think the Team brings in competition for CROSBY.

A little early but here is a first crack at the draft - We have all seven of our picks and may receive a COMP pick for Flinn (will speculate will this will be so I will just do our 7). Of course this all changes depending what TT does in the off-season and what happens at the combine.

RD1. Alec Olgetree - ILB (Georgia) or Giovani Bernard - RB (North Carolina)

D2. Sylvester Williams - DE (North Carolina) or Chase Thomas - OLB (Standford)

RD3. Mario Benavides - C (Louisville) or Khaled Holmes - C (USC) or Montee Ball

RD4. Ryan Swope - WR (Texas A&M) or Jordan Reed - TE (Florida) or Cory Grissom DE (South Florida)

RD5. Dion Sims - TE (Michigan State) or Jake Olson - OT (Central Michigan) or DeVontae Holloman S (South Carolina)

RD6. Lerentee McCray OLB (Florida)

RD7. Matt Scott - QB (Arizona) or Marcus Lattimore

Look forward to the discussion about the draft after we WIN the Super Bowl!!!!!

GO PACK GO!!!!

 

[Oshkoshpackfan]

^Montee ball is prospected at the 5th best RB, you think he will go in the 3rd round? lol
and I don't see the need to draft 3 LB's and 2 DE's


Our draft needs to focus on a good beefy center, 1 ILB, TE, RB

We have enough depth in the secondary to not draft there IMO.

and yes, a QB in the late round(s) wouldn't hurt at all.

NO WAY on Lattimore out of South Carolina......that dude is beat up from the feet up. 2 major injuries in 2 years.....no way I would draft him.

 

[KCBIGDOG]

^Montee ball is prospected at the 5th best RB, you think he will go in the 3rd round? lol
and I don't see the need to draft 3 LB's and 2 DE's


Our draft needs to focus on a good beefy center, 1 ILB, TE, RB

We have enough depth in the secondary to not draft there IMO.

and yes, a QB in the late round(s) wouldn't hurt at all.

NO WAY on Lattimore out of South Carolina......that dude is beat up from the feet up. 2 major injuries in 2 years.....no way I would draft him.

Hell the Combine has not happened yet and we do not know how the roster will shake out before the draft - Do not have a clue on Ball if he goes in the 3rd or 6th RIGHT now - most draft Scouts have a 3-4 round grade on him - a lot of scouts do not think his game translates to the NFL (their words not mine) . Never hurts to have secondary help and I think the Packers can upgrade from MD Jennings - not sold on him. I think we should get some help for the interior line but Idk if TT goes higher than a third for an OL. I agree with Lattimore just threw it out there as a late round flier and generate some discussion. We wont draft three LBs and two DEs thats why there were alternate picks depending how we pick - I do believe strongly that TT will pick up a WR to off-set the lost of DRIVER and possibly (most likely) JENNINGS.

 

[HyponGrey]

Braxton Cave, Barrett Jones or Mike Golic would be better at Center than EDS, and Golic's only had fill in duty in college at Center

Each of them have their problems, Cave is more of a developmental prospect, Jones is slow off the snap, Golic I still have some tape to watch. I'll give you Golic and Cave in the 3 or 4, but Jones will be gone in the early second, if not the first. As to how much better they are (I'll only question the extent for now, though I'm not convinced either of the ND guys would usurp him) than EDS, that remains to be seen. Really like the idea of Golic as our back up though.

 

[HyponGrey]

^Montee ball is prospected at the 5th best RB, you think he will go in the 3rd round? lol

We'll that's where the draft advisory board told Ball he would slot.

 

[Einstein McFly]

While you may THINK you are right in 2 areas above, please let me educate you. 1. Pickett is 330 pounds, not many defensive ends play at that size, and if he IS a defensive end, he's a back up, and probably a high cap number back up. 2. YES get rid of both centers. I can name 3 guys from the National Championship game alone that could be drafted by Green Bay in either round 3 or 4 and be a better Center than EDS 2 of which could do it as rookies next year.

Uh, the position you play is determined by where you line up in the base defense, not how much you weigh. Pickett lines up to the outside of the tackle. Last I checked, that position is called "defensive end". Also, Pickett has had a great year and should be brought back. People keep wanting to push for pass rushers to help Mathews, but stopping the run on first and second down and setting up obvious passing situations helps Mathews as much as anything else. If' it's always 2nd and 2 I don't care if you have LT and Bruce Smith, you're not going to get a lot of sacks. Apart from Watt and Justin Smith, there aren't a lot of guys at 3-4 end that are beasts against both the run and pass, so having a guy as solid as Pickett is a GREAT thing to have. Believe me, if we didn't have him and he was a free agent for some other team next year, we'd be talking about picking him up. Also, Worthy was playing at less than 290 when he got hurt. Unless he seriously explodes he'll never be a nose in a 3-4. Besides, the guy did next to nothing this year. I was so excited when they got him after what he did against the Badgers but man, I didn't see any of that this year. Daniels had a better year. Neal has shown more than either of them, so he should be kept.

If the best player available is Barrett Jones, they'll probably take him and he may play center, but getting rid of a dirt cheap guy like EDS who has shown that he can be serviceable as a center would be nuts. It should be clear right now that with all of the injuries that go around, depth is key and depth means solid backups at every position, not all-stars sitting on the bench.

 

[profile_removed]

I usually do not respond - I like to read the discussions going on here; however, I could not resist on this one. First all I can say is WOW!!! There is no doubt that there will be a substantial turnover regarding the team in the off-season. TT will have to make some TOUGH choices regarding the roster......

RBs - STARKS is signed through next year and comes cheap under $600,000 - I think he is back but must win a roster spot - BENSON - may be brought in to camp if he signs another cheap one-year deal (my guess he is in camp). GRANT - will not be back. HARRIS - will be back. SAINE - coming off an ACL - under contract will be in camp if healthy to compete for a roster spot. Green - Will be back - camp friendly contract signed until 2015.

WRs - JORDY, JONES, COBB, BOYKIN, ROSS all come back next year with ROSS and Boykin competing for roster spots. JENNINGS (rumor Miami really wants him) and Driver will be gone.

TEs - FINLEY (50/50 on whether he returns) and the rest of the cast comes back - unless we draft a TE.

OL - I think the only one that does not come back is SATURDAY. There are a lot of question marks on the OL - Can SHERROD play next year, can BULAGA come back from the hip - do not forget we have DAKOTA on the PS - I think with this year to get stronger and gain confidence in his shoulder he may be the surprise of next years training camp (and the steal from last years draft).

D-Line - Everybody is back! PICKETT is our best run defender but long in the tooth (would be shocked if he not back but you never know with TT - He likes to get rid of veterans a year to early than a year too late.)

LBs - HAWK will probably have to take a pay cut to be back. WALSEN and JONES are FAs and TT will try to resign both on the cheap. I think ZOMBO is gone. We get BISHOP and SMITH back. MANNING should have stayed in school for one year - he had the illness that set him back early in the year - HE will be back. I can not remember where I read the article ( I wish I could) but there are rumors floating around the Packer organization that the Team is considering moving Perry to DE (not a bad thought as long as we draft a OLB early).

DBs - SHIELDS is a RFA and I think will be back. WOODSON - may have to take a pay-cut to return (50/50 on his return). I think rest of the crew is back. BUSH - is a Special Teams guy no more/no less and should NEVER see the field on Defense. He just signed a three year deal and will be back.

S/Ts - CROSBY, MASTHAY and GOODE will all be back since they all just signed extension - although, I think the Team brings in competition for CROSBY.

A little early but here is a first crack at the draft - We have all seven of our picks and may receive a COMP pick for Flinn (will speculate will this will be so I will just do our 7). Of course this all changes depending what TT does in the off-season and what happens at the combine.

RD1. Alec Olgetree - ILB (Georgia) or Giovani Bernard - RB (North Carolina)

D2. Sylvester Williams - DE (North Carolina) or Chase Thomas - OLB (Standford)

RD3. Mario Benavides - C (Louisville) or Khaled Holmes - C (USC) or Montee Ball

RD4. Ryan Swope - WR (Texas A&M) or Jordan Reed - TE (Florida) or Cory Grissom DE (South Florida)

RD5. Dion Sims - TE (Michigan State) or Jake Olson - OT (Central Michigan) or DeVontae Holloman S (South Carolina)

RD6. Lerentee McCray OLB (Florida)

RD7. Matt Scott - QB (Arizona) or Marcus Lattimore

Look forward to the discussion about the draft after we WIN the Super Bowl!!!!!

GO PACK GO!!!!

Isn't Ogletree the guy who transferred from USC to Georgia? The guy with the neck? If so, we need to do better.

 

[profile_removed]

^Montee ball is prospected at the 5th best RB, you think he will go in the 3rd round? lol
and I don't see the need to draft 3 LB's and 2 DE's


Our draft needs to focus on a good beefy center, 1 ILB, TE, RB

We have enough depth in the secondary to not draft there IMO.

and yes, a QB in the late round(s) wouldn't hurt at all.

NO WAY on Lattimore out of South Carolina......that dude is beat up from the feet up. 2 major injuries in 2 years.....no way I would draft him.

I agree with just about all of this post. I'm not sure I agree that we don't need secondary help. I think at the very least we need to upgrade at corner.

 

[profile_removed]

A real concern coming off surgery,
but Benson doesn't
have the mileage that comes
with a 30
year old back.
In fact Benson and Frank Gore were both drafted in 2005
yet Benson has 22%
less rushing and receiving attempts than Gore.
That equates to about 1.5
seasons worth of usage.
If there isn't much demand out there, I'd bet there's a decent chance that Benson is signed for a one year minimum.

Lisfranc surgery, and if I remember correctly an ACL repair already. Maybe he doesn't have the miles of a 30 year old, but I think he may be an Edsel.

 

[HyponGrey]

Uh, the position you play is determined by where you line up in the base defense, not how much you weigh. Pickett lines up to the outside of the tackle. Last I checked, that position is called "defensive end". Also, Pickett has had a great year and should be brought back. People keep wanting to push for pass rushers to help Mathews, but stopping the run on first and second down and setting up obvious passing situations helps Mathews as much as anything else. If' it's always 2nd and 2 I don't care if you have LT and Bruce Smith, you're not going to get a lot of sacks. Apart from Watt and Justin Smith, there aren't a lot of guys at 3-4 end that are beasts against both the run and pass, so having a guy as solid as Pickett is a GREAT thing to have. Believe me, if we didn't have him and he was a free agent for some other team next year, we'd be talking about picking him up. Also, Worthy was playing at less than 290 when he got hurt. Unless he seriously explodes he'll never be a nose in a 3-4. Besides, the guy did next to nothing this year. I was so excited when they got him after what he did against the Badgers but man, I didn't see any of that this year. Daniels had a better year. Neal has shown more than either of them, so he should be kept.

Pickett is a Nose Tackle we have starting at DE, weight IS a factor, and Worthy can't play NT.

Those of you who say Neal and Daniels had a better year than Pickett only care about pass rush, which is not what our base defense is about. It really makes me sad.

 

[profile_removed]

Neal to me was crap this year. Daniels did well for being a rookie and has a good upside. I'm also wondering why you say Worthy can't play nose when he was lined up inside most of the year.

 

[mradtke66]

Neal to me was crap this year. Daniels did well for being a rookie and has a good upside. I'm also wondering why you say Worthy can't play nose when he was lined up inside most of the year.

What? Worthy was not lined up at Nose this year. He was an end in our 3-4 base (and again--KEEP REPEATING--3-4 'ends' have much more in common with 4-3 tackles than anything else!) and a 3-technique tackle when we played nickel.

 

[HyponGrey]

Neal to me was crap this year. Daniels did well for being a rookie and has a good upside. I'm also wondering why you say Worthy can't play nose when he was lined up inside most of the year.

Done. I give up. The troll cannot be converted. Don't feed it.

 

[TJV]

Neal to me was crap this year. Daniels did well for being a rookie and has a good upside. I'm also wondering why you say Worthy can't play nose when he was lined up inside most of the year.

You continue to show a misunderstanding of the defense and particularly of DL play. Worthy lined up inside when Capers went to a two man DL (in nickel or dime). He is NOT a NT. Your evaluation of Neal is way off and supporting the notion that even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and then, I agree Daniels did well and has a good upside.

HyponGrey, don't be sad, what is posted here has zero affect on the Packers.

 

[adambr2]

Wow, I really disagree with a lot of these. First Starks, I agree his health has really held him back but he's on the hook for $575,000 next year. He's still talented enough and cheap enough that I don't see a reason to cut him loose a year early. Especially assuming Benson and Grant won't return. I think it'll be Harris, Green, and Starks. Saine looks like the casualty of the emergence of Harris, to me.

I don't disagree on the receivers. I can't see either of Driver or Jennings being back.

Finley is a strong possibility, though I don't think it's a slam dunk by any means yet.

EDS, really? Rodgers has already endorsed him for the starting role, he's replaced Saturday, and we have no other depth at center. The only thing I can put in your corner for this argument is that he IS a UFA. So it's not out of the question, but I think they'll bring him back.

I'm baffled why you think Neal will be gone. He FINALLY starts to show some life, we need depth on the D-line, and his contract is for $575,000 next year. There is no reason, none, for Neal to not be a Packer next year.

Hawk may have had his best season this year. We are too thin at ILB as it is, not knowing how Bishop and Smith will look next year. We gain very little cap-wise by cutting Hawk.

Woodson "we know is probably retiring"? Any source on that at all? I have yet to hear any talk, rumor, or confirmation on Charles Woodson retiring after this season. He may very well play safety for another 2-3 years after this one. I could see a possible retirement if we won the Super Bowl, but wouldn't consider it likely. I could also see us possible asking to restructure his contract, but not a retirement.

I can also almost guarantee that you are wrong on Bush. He's still our best special teams player, they do value special teams highly, and he's been very quiet this year in terms of whipping boy-like mistakes. They just re-signed him for a 3 year deal in March. He had a nice year on ST and now you think he'll be cut?

 

[adambr2]

I'd like to see them get rid of or trade Morgan Burnett, and put Heyward at safety with Jennings.

Let me know where you get your doob.

 

[Poppa San]

Flipping the thread from who is out to who is here, this is my first guess at the 53 man roster next fall. I have changed my opinion from earlier posts in this and other threads. NOTE: I have two players starting on PUP (there are always some) so I have 55 players / spots listed. I might be a little heavy on both lines and can see the OL backups being cut by one position for another TE and maybe the DL losing a spot for another DB. Ross gets to be a WR only if he is also a KR. Otherwise put NOR in that spot.
NOR= not on roster yet or wasn't contributing enough to be memorable this year.

QB Rodgers Coleman
HB Green Harris Saine NOR
FB NOR
TE Quarless DJ Williams Taylor NOR
WR1 Nelson Ross
WR2 Jones Boykin
FL Cobb
LT Newhouse Datko
LG Lang Sherrod
C EDS NOR
RG Sitton Van Roten
RT Bulaga Barclay
LE Neal Daniels
NT Raji Pickett NOR
RE Wilson NOR Worthy (PUP)
LOLB Perry NOR
ILB Bishop Hawk Manning Smith (PUP)
ROLB Mathews Moses NOR
CB Shields Heyword House
S Burnett Jennings McMillian
nickle Williams Woodson NOR
ST Goode Masthay NOR