Let's Grade It Out

[Jess]

I know, I know, wait 3 years and then you can grade a draft properly. But if USA TODAY is going to rate people then so am I.

I give it an A. I think we filled every need I can think of, if the kid from Georgia can play D-End that is, and I think we filled those needs with quality. I love Raji. I can't get enough of that highlight ESPN keeps showing where he pushes a Notre Dame linemen back into the running back for a tackle. I think he fills a very big need, and I think with so many great RB's in our division a run stopping DT was a very necessary first pick. I'm not going to say he's our Haynesworth, but from watching and reading about Raji, there's some nice similarities. Matthews is a very good do-it-all backer as i've said repeatedly here. He can do anything you ask him to and he can do it well. I'll defer to TT on the T.J. Lang pick. He knows how to draft from small schools so I trust he did it well here. I like the sound of the kid from South Carolina though. Sounds very versatile and i've already seen him on a couple of sleepers lists. I like taking a new fullback, Quinn Johnson or whatever, he sounds like he'll punish anybody foolish enough to take him on. And as far as the last linebacker goes, as McCarthy said in his presser, you can't have too many linebacker type guys on a team. I'd hope that the last guy we took is a solid special teams contributor.

 

[PackerFan89]

I agree i would also grade this draft an A. Raji is going to be a beast and with Aj Hawk, Clay Matthews, Nick Barnett, and Aaron Kampman Not to mention we also have Brady Poppinga at linebacker and with Bigbys great run support no one is going to run on us this year. I also think the later rounds were also really good picks, i cant wait for the season to start so we can really see how the draft went.

 

[Veretax]

The only area I'm concerned is Tackle, with the reports that we won't resign Tauscher and even if we could he won't be available till the season starts, I'm not sure what are options on there, but as far as Defense, if these guys can mesh I feel confident we can win the Division this yaer.

 

[PackersRS]

My draft "analysis":
First pick, B.J. Raji, is a tremenduos pick. Looking back, my previous choices of Brown and Orakpo couldn't be more dumb. Raji is the best DLineman available and the #2 best defensive player. Passing on Crabtree was necessary, due to our quality and quantity at receivers in our roster.
Then we move up to draft CM3. At first glympse, it's a bad move. CM3 wasn't even the best linebacker on his college team, and we lost our 2 3rd round picks, in exchange for a 5th round pick. Then day 2 came... CM3 has bloodlines to speak for him, hasn't had a character issue, and is durable, unlike his fellows Trojan Linebackers. And best of all, he had to prove himself and work hard his entire life, as he wasn't even a starter at High School, when HIS FATHER was the DC, and was a walk-on at USC and was the best ST player of their roster. Talk about blue-collar. And he's the best special teams player IN THE DRAFT, so his impact will be imediate. (p.s. And he's not just a workout warrior like anothe USC linebacker...) But there are the loss of the picks... Let's look at it: we lost the 73 and 83 picks, used to select CB Derek Cox and WR Brandon Tate. We got the 162 pick, used to select Jamon Meredith. Quite a good deal, if you ask me. In 3 years this could be viewed as the best move the Packers ever made on a draft.
Those two players alone make this a winning draft, but we also got T.J. Lang and Jamon Meredith, two prospects that were graded as high as 2nd round, and that can become starters, if not household names for our Oline. We also got the best FB on the draft in Quinn Johnson, who's gonna help at short-yardage situations, a CB who was a starter at Ohio Sate, but due to academic problems (apparently already solved) was let go, a 3-4 DE with high regards form his coaches, to compete for a role in our D, and a great ST player, who brings 3-4 experience and has a lot of athletic ability in Brad Jones.

I give this an A grade, with the possibility of becoming an A+ grade, if even one of the OL selected are able to make the starting lineup in 2-3 years, and our 1st rounders make a pro-bowl.

Every site has us graded at least B+. The Analysts at NFL.COM rated us one of the bests drafts. Pete Prisco at CBS gave us B, which is a GREAT thing, as he said in the same article that picking Heyward-Bey over Crabtree was a great move... And Mel Kiper Jr. graded ours the best draft of 2009. Don't know if that's positive, though, as he has made some huge mistakes in the past...

 

[Jess]

I don't know what grade and all that he gave us, as i'm not an ESPN Insider, but the headline to Todd McShay's grades was "Eagles, Packers shine on draft day".

If someone here is an ESPN Insider, i'd love it if they'd post that article. Hint Hint.

 

[robdog]

HAHA... I think analysts are looking at the teams that made moves to get players to fill key holes in their lineup. Jets, Packers, Eagles all made gutsy but GOOD moves. I AM PUMPED!

 

[Veretax]

Yeah definitely an A grade. McShay was doubting us so much, I wanted to smack him around.