AJ Hawk and the 2006 Draft

Jess

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Has anyone looked back 3 years and seen who we could have had instead at pick 5?

Haloti Ngata
Santonio Holmes
DeAngelo Williams
Nick Mangold
Mathias Kiwanuka
DeMeco Ryans (How was he a second rounder?)
Maurice Jones-Drew
Tarvaris Jackson (Just kidding!)
Owen Daniels
Antoine Bethea

All of them are better than Hawk. Grant you, Bethea was a late round pick that Indy just happened to hit on and so was Owen Daniels, but there's quite a few truly great players that were there for the taking and yet we're stuck with Captain Average, AJ Hawk.

For the record, Devin Hester was also in that draft, but it would've meant taking him in round 2, a pick used on Greg Jennings, so I left him off the list.
 

ThinkICare

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C'mon Jess, A.J. Hawk looked so great coming out of college. How were people suppose to know he was going to be an average player. If I had a time machine though, I would've gone back to talk to TT to draft Jones-Drew. Who would've thought that little guy would've been so good.
 
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Jess

Jess

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C'mon Jess, A.J. Hawk looked so great coming out of college. How were people suppose to know he was going to be an average player. If I had a time machine though, I would've gone back to talk to TT to draft Jones-Drew. Who would've thought that little guy would've been so good.
Hindsight's 20/20. I realize that.

I was going to say that in the original post, but I forgot. :(

And were I to do it all over again, I agree with you. MJD would be the pick. Or DeMeco Ryans.
 

Hauschild

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It just goes to show that even GM's are guilty of buying into "hype".

But, Hawk is ok. At least he has been productive from day 1, which is something no other 1st round draft pick of Thompson's can lay claim to.
 

DILLIGAFF

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I have been on other posts and AJ Hawk has his believers and they feel he is a great player. I feel he is average at best and seems to be slower every year. I honestly believe if he sat out a game the defense would not miss a beat. Even though he seems to put up stats, most of his tackles come after the running back as already gained 4-5 yards and he is well below average in pass protection

Not only did we pick him at #5, we have been paying him close to 7 million a year. Next year with all our young players contacts coming due I feel Hawk will be cut due to money issues to pay some of our proven players. We would like to trade him but no will pay that kind of money and he is still under contract. So we lose a 1st round high pick and don't even get a 3rd or 4th round pick back for a 5th overall pick.

Even though he has played from the start and done some good things, the Pack has paid a big price and will get nothing in return.
 

PackersRS

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Hawk is definitely a bust, for a 5th pick who was considered to be the surest thing in the draft. But as a player he is solid. I've said it before, that with the proper St&C coahc Hawk would be a very good player. And aside from the Bengals game, that NOONE EXCEPT WOODSON played well, he's been fine. 10 tackles last game (packers leader).

Jennings at #5 and Hawk in the 2nd round and noone would be saying a word. It's like I said in another thread, evaluating College players is one mfcker though job. Saying that we could've picked x or y player after they have panned out in the NFL isn't a valid argument, unless at the time you had projected those players to be better than the ones we picked (Harrell anyone?).
 

Hauschild

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Saying that we could've picked x or y player after they have panned out in the NFL isn't a valid argument, unless at the time you had projected those players to be better than the ones we picked (Harrell anyone?).

True, but let's remember the guys in charge of drafting NFL-caliber talent are getting paid handsomely to do so, so it is fair to have some expectations.
 

nelanator

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Greenway and Sims are both better than Hawk, too. Two guys at the same position and playing in the the NFC North who were taken after him in the same draft. How did you leave them off your list? Even Packer fans are calling Hawk average while Greenway and Sims could easily be Pro Bowlers in the next two or three years, if not this year.
 

longtimefan

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Hawk is average, I think he is to slow..He never seems to make a big play EVER..He took wrong angles vs Jackson this weekend more than once and had to chase him form behind

Maybe the coaches are okay with his play?
 

gute

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I would say Ngata because of the 3-4, but Hawk seemed like a sure thing - can not blame TT for the pick.
 

Murgen

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At least he isn't a Bobby Carpenter bust in the sense he contributes. I agree he never seems to make any great plays. When was the last time he stuffed a RB for a loss or got a pick. I can't remember any. Granted it's 2am in the morning here.
 

ThinkICare

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I think it's pretty much a proven fact that Ohio State linebackers are historically not that good in the NFL and have the tendency to be soft.
 

bad93ex

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His production has gone down every since we drafted him and I think Clay Matthews is outplaying right now as a rookie. I am biased though because I can't stand Ohio State.
 

doughsellz

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His production has gone down every since we drafted him and I think Clay Matthews is outplaying right now as a rookie. I am biased though because I can't stand Ohio State.

Funny that you mentioned Matthews because it appeared to me that when TT drfated him he had just acquired a Hawk look-alike, possibly a replacement for Hawk.

Hawk played his best college ball at the Mike. He was a Will for 3 years & now he's been shoved back inside in the 3-4. Don't blame the player for coaching snafus.
 

PackersRS

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Funny that you mentioned Matthews because it appeared to me that when TT drfated him he had just acquired a Hawk look-alike, possibly a replacement for Hawk.

Hawk played his best college ball at the Mike. He was a Will for 3 years & now he's been shoved back inside in the 3-4. Don't blame the player for coaching snafus.
Matthews played most of the time as a stand up DE in USC's scheme. Not as a LB. Very different from Hawk. His only ressemblance is his blond long hair...
 

bad93ex

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The big difference is that Clay can actually play but we will see if his performance wanes in his second and third year like Hawk though.
 

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