Mocking the 2013 draft (first 2 rounds)

KManx89

Cheesehead
Joined
Sep 7, 2012
Messages
32
Reaction score
4
I know, on paper, we are (ATM) seen by many as one of the more complete teams in the league (every team has at least a couple gaping holes), but we have so many future needs...

Jeff Saturday is getting up there in age, plus we could use some O-Line help, so USC C Kalhed Holmes seems like the ideal pick/replacement. We already used a 1st round pick on an O-Lineman in 2011, however, so do we just hope Derek Sherrod can instantly come off injury and be an effective LT for us (Newhouse isn't doing so well in pass protection, though he's certainly an upgrade from Herb Taylor, who was getting Rodgers killed in the 1st preseason game)? Alabama's D.J. Fluker, Alabama's Chace Warmack or Texas A&M's Luke Jockel (who can play multiple positions) are also potential suitors.

Then we have the Jennings contract situation, in which case, Tennessee's Justin Hunter is a more than suitable replacement if we are unable to sign him to an extension.

RB Cedric Benson, who's been a fine addition for us, is also a UFA after this year, and I don't see us keeping him over Jennings. South Carolina's Marcus Lattimore would be a fine replacement, but I don't see him lasting past the mid part of the 1st round, at best (though maybe he'll take a Doug Martin or David Wilson-type dive into the end of the 1st, who knows?). Michigan State's Le'Veon Bell and Wisconsin's Montee Ball could still be available in the 2nd round (though Ball is a potential late 1st-rounder), but I don't know if both will fall far enough into the 2nd for us to snag one of them. A trade-up for one or the other is also a possibility.

Notre Dame ILB Manti Te'o, if he falls, would simply be too good to pass up, and also addresses a future need. We could let Hawk go (since we'll no longer be subject to the cap hit his deal would give us) and have a scary LB core of Perry-Te'o-Smith-Matthews. Stanford's Shayne Skov, a potential 2nd-3rd rounder, would also be an intriguing option.

TE Jermichael Finley is certainly expendable with his knack for drops and with the contract situation of our big 4 (Jennings, Rodgers, Matthews, Raji), in which case, Notre Dame's Tyler Eifert is an intriguing option. We all saw the effect that having a powerful TE like a Gronkowski or Jimmy Graham has had on the Patriots and Saints, imagine Rodgers having a big, playmaking TE to throw to :geek:. Or better yet, if we took another TE later in the draft (Michigan State's Dion Simms, Alabama's Mike Williams or UCLA's Joe Fauria) and gave us a nice 2 TE set with Finley now gone. The Falcons or Giants, though, who will likely be picking before us, might have him coveted, however, but there's still other intriguing TE options if we miss out.

DE Ryan Picket isn't much of a playmaker, anymore, and is also getting older, so we could also address that with a rich DL class (Michigan State's William Gholston catches my eye).

We could also use a S with Woodson getting up there in age, so USC's T.J. McDonald is a possibility, Oklahoma's Tony Jefferson also might be available in the 2nd if we decide to address another spot in the 1st round.

The problem you face with all of these potential 1st-2nd rounders, though, is all of them (except for Te'o, no way he falls) could potentially end up falling into the 2nd round in the draft (some maybe even into the 3rd round), which then forces us to decide who to take in the 1st round and which do we let fall and risk losing out on in the 2nd round (we faced a similar dilemma in 2011 in taking Derek Sherrod over Brooks Reed, and ultimately lost out on him)? They're all important future positions of need for us, and we'll be getting a couple of nice compensatory picks with Matt Flynn, Scott Wells and Ryan Grant, which will give us some leverage to trade up for any one of these guys. So, do we trade down into the early 2nd round to maybe snag a couple of these guys (and more picks), trade up in the 2nd or 3rd for any of these guys? What's y'all's take?
 

Einstein McFly

Cheesehead
Joined
Jun 15, 2012
Messages
441
Reaction score
31
I agree that we need a center pronto. It would have been nice if we'd have gotten one this year so they could develop with Saturday (maybe that's what Van Roten is doing?) but if we can get a good one next year then we should. It seems weird thought to pick a center in the high rounds considering how many guys turn out to be all-pros who were picked late or were undrafted. I think our high pick should be spent on an ILB, but not just the biggest hitter we can find. It has to be someone who can run with big tight ends down the middle of the field. That's our main weakness on the inside how, as Smith, Bishop and Hawk (who should be gone next year considering his cost) can play the run but none of them can cover that well. I haven't seen enough of ND to know if Teo is one of those guys.

The rest depends so much on how Worthy and Daniels and M.D. Jennings and McMillan and Hayward and the rest develop and how injuries play out.
 
OP
OP
KManx89

KManx89

Cheesehead
Joined
Sep 7, 2012
Messages
32
Reaction score
4
I was thinking DL for Picket's eventual replacement, but who knows? We may already have that with Daniels, our 4th rounder (Worthy is our answer to losing Cullen Jenkins in FA last year), sort of like the Ravens getting a steal in McPhee in the 5th round.

And Tyler Eifert is another guy I'd love to have because the guy can flat out ball (I hear he's on the verge of setting a ND record for TE receptions or something of that magnitude) and because I don't think we can keep all of Finley, Jennings, Raji, Rodgers and Matthews. Finley is definitely the most expendable/replaceable of the 5, and Raji, Rodgers and Matthews we can't afford to lose no matter what. Losing Jennings would also hurt big, but I could settle for replacing him with Justin Hunter if we absolutely had to get rid of him to clear up cap space for the rest of our impending FAs.
 

Einstein McFly

Cheesehead
Joined
Jun 15, 2012
Messages
441
Reaction score
31
Daniels is a very small guy that will only ever be an inside rusher on passing downs. He's nothing like Pickett and can't replace him. Getting another big guy to eventually replace him and/or Raji would be a good idea. Raji, honestly, isn't nearly as important as Rodgers or Mathews. Given the team's depth, he's more important than Jennings, but it's not like he's some huge playmaker like Ngata is now or how Haynesworth and Wilfork used to be.
 

HyponGrey

Caseus Locutus Est
Joined
Mar 18, 2012
Messages
3,758
Reaction score
221
Location
South Jersey
Notre Dame ILB Manti Te'o, if he falls, would simply be too good to pass up, and also addresses a future need. We could let Hawk go (since we'll no longer be subject to the cap hit his deal would give us) and have a scary LB core of Perry-Te'o-Smith-Matthews. Stanford's Shayne Skov, a potential 2nd-3rd rounder, would also be an intriguing option.
I like Matthews-Bishop-Smith-Perry better.
 

Shawnsta3

Cheesehead
Joined
Aug 19, 2011
Messages
1,273
Reaction score
137
Location
Manawa & Shawano, WI
Daniels is a very small guy that will only ever be an inside rusher on passing downs. He's nothing like Pickett and can't replace him. Getting another big guy to eventually replace him and/or Raji would be a good idea. Raji, honestly, isn't nearly as important as Rodgers or Mathews. Given the team's depth, he's more important than Jennings, but it's not like he's some huge playmaker like Ngata is now or how Haynesworth and Wilfork used to be.
Umm. I'd like to see you tell Wilfork he isn't a playmaker anymore.
 

PFanCan

That's MISTER Cheesehead, to you.
Joined
Dec 18, 2009
Messages
2,067
Reaction score
491
Location
Houston, TX
We might be getting higher draft picks than most of us were thinking a few weeks ago!
 
OP
OP
KManx89

KManx89

Cheesehead
Joined
Sep 7, 2012
Messages
32
Reaction score
4
I like Matthews-Bishop-Smith-Perry better.

Oh yeah, that's right, forgot all about Bishop cause he was injured...

And PFanCan, I think you might be right, that performance last Sunday was absolutely pathetic.
 

Members online

Latest posts

Top