McGinn on impact of this year's picks

D

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Oh, for sure. Worthy for one always seemed to have a good amount of baby fat on him and I wonder what he'd look like after a few years in an NFL weight room. Still, his big thing in college was his quick first step and his ability to guess the snap count, so I'm still waiting to see if/how that works out for him in the NFL. Considering that Thornton seems like a similar player but without the "taking plays off" bit and that Boyd is someone they really liked last year, I hope he's ready to fight for a roster spot.

I agree there's some pressure on Worthy going into camp and preseason. It's possible he doesn't even make the team in 2014.
 

easyk83

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Of those three, the one who has had the most chances and shown the least IMO is Worthy. He was on the field a lot his rookie season and didn't do anything. Perry has been injured a lot but did have some really nice games this last year when he was healthy. Jones lost snaps last year because he couldn't hold up against the run, but neither could any of the other dlineman. Of the three I think he has the best chance to be a really nice surprise this year.

Worthy did flash some pass rush ability. The trouble for him, and Jones, it's tough for rookie DLs to adapt to the pro game to begin with . Typically guys who were able to rely on strength and speed are required to take their technique to a new level. Then you have inconvenient injuries, Jones was set back on his rookie campaign and Worthy missed most of his first NFL offseason and second season recovering from an ACL. With Perry he has struggled with his transition and was starting to look like a bust until Capers started playing him on the right side. There he played with the kind of speed power and flexibility that made Packer brass think he could be a star in the league back when they drafted him. Injuries have been a problem for Perry as well but only a fool would give up on him at this point of his career. It's not just his God given physical ability that makes him an intriguing player, it's also the violence and power he shows when he gets to the quarterback.
 
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With Perry he has struggled with his transition and was starting to look like a bust until Capers started playing him on the right side. There he played with the kind of speed power and flexibility that made Packer brass think he could be a star in the league back when they drafted him. Injuries have been a problem for Perry as well but only a fool would give up on him at this point of his career. It's not just his God given physical ability that makes him an intriguing player, it's also the violence and power he shows when he gets to the quarterback.

The problem with Perry playing better on the right side is that I don´t see Capers moving Matthews back to the left.
 

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McGinn does qualify his analysis of the Packers draft by writing, "If forced to take a premature position, my guess would be…"

LOL ... that's not so much a qualifier as it is a preemptive, built-in excuse for when he is shown to be wrong, as he so often is.
 

TJV

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LOL ... that's not so much a qualifier as it is a preemptive, built-in excuse for when he is shown to be wrong, as he so often is.
No it's not. McGinn has said for years he hates evaluating drafts so early. Listen to the most recent podcast he did with Dunne; his boss makes him do the evaluation and he won a small victory by being able to do numbers rather than grades. But after reading him since he starting covering the Packers (for jsonline and its predecessor) and listening to him I can tell you this is nothing new for him. Not only that but everyone is often wrong in guessing the impact of draftees.

BTW, after listening to that podcast, I think HRE came close to what McGinn intended regarding the numbers he assigned to draftees.
 

easyk83

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The problem with Perry playing better on the right side is that I don´t see Capers moving Matthews back to the left.

True but perhaps his play on the right was simply a symptom of his confidence level with respect to his transition.
 
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True but perhaps his play on the right was simply a symptom of his confidence level with respect to his transition.

I don´t think so, he just looks way more natural on the right side. Right now Neal looks like the better option on the left side.
 

easyk83

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I don´t think so, he just looks way more natural on the right side. Right now Neal looks like the better option on the left side.

I do suspect that the transition to outside linebacker was still uncomfortable for him, playing on the right side seemed more familiar since he played there in college. I suspect that in time he'll develop the same sort of comfort playing on the strong side. The same physical attributes that made him effective attacking from the defensive right should play up on the left as well.
 
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The problem with Perry playing better on the right side is that I don´t see Capers moving Matthews back to the left.
Matthews played virtually exclusively on the left side in 2010 and 2011. He has stated in the past he doesn't care which side he plays on. I can see the switch occurring.
 
D

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I do suspect that the transition to outside linebacker was still uncomfortable for him, playing on the right side seemed more familiar since he played there in college. I suspect that in time he'll develop the same sort of comfort playing on the strong side. The same physical attributes that made him effective attacking from the defensive right should play up on the left as well.

There´s still some hope Perry could make an impact on the strong side as well, but so far he hasn´t shown being capable of it.

Matthews played virtually exclusively on the left side in 2010 and 2011. He has stated in the past he doesn't care which side he plays on. I can see the switch occurring.

I know Matthews has played primarily on the left side before, I just don´t see the Packers moving him around again.
 

easyk83

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There´s still some hope Perry could make an impact on the strong side as well, but so far he hasn´t shown being capable of it.



I know Matthews has played primarily on the left side before, I just don´t see the Packers moving him around again.

Agreed with your first point. As to Matthews I see him moving around a lot more this season, I think Capers will try to maximize Matthews' ability to make plays and try to keep him from having to take up blockers. At the start of 2010 Capers had Matthews attacking from all over the front 7, I expect to see him used like that again this season. Teams won't know when or where he's coming from. Don't be surprised if Clay has his most productive year and puts up say 15+ sacks.

Edit: of course I understand that were referring to a primary position switch.
 
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