Packers pick #1---Kenny Clark UCLA DL

[thisisnate]

From what I read......

"Myles Jack's loss of value insurance policy kicks in at the 45th pick. Gets paid about $60,000 per pick from then on, collects up to $5M."

I know that Jaylon Smith had a policy, but if I remember that one correctly, it has already kicked in.

"Jaylon Smith's insurance will pay him $700K tax free if he falls out of 1st round, gets $100K w/each missed pick after. Policy from ISI."

Good info, thanks. Goes to show, don't listen to dudes on the radio.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Good info, thanks. Goes to show, don't listen to dudes on the radio.

Or maybe the sites I grabbed those quotes from? LOL

Bottom line is they both have an insurance policy, wise move on their parts. I imagine the insurance industry is smiling today, things like this will help them to sell a ton of insurance in the future.

 

[thisisnate]

Or maybe the sites I grabbed those quotes from? LOL

Bottom line is they both have an insurance policy, wise move on their parts. I imagine the insurance industry is smiling today, things like this will help them to sell a ton of insurance in the future.

Nah, you used italics. Your info has to be good.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

I like my nose to be unmovable. If they only have one job, to force the double and hold the line. He better do it well! 313 will get moved...

And making him gain 20 pounds will slow him up. I say lose 5 pounds, and be a above average de day 1...

Are you talking about the nose on your face? Read what you wrote slowly, with that in mind. Sounds like an application response for a **** shoot! LOL

 

[tynimiller]

Okay I will admit I was frustrated not seeing an ILB picked...especially with Jack and Ragland there....

...however I will trust our medical staff and ALL other teams as well passing on them both in the 1st. Jack could plummet exactly as Lacy did honestly....if not more.

As for Clark I liked him in the 2nd...but don't hate the pick where we were. I have no doubt we tried to find a trade suitor but didn't happen.

Clark is a beast with agility he shouldn't have, hands far beyond his age (thanks to his wrestling background) and his ability to burst a few yards to catch a RB that burst through a hole beside him is impressive.

Raw...somewhat....ready....somewhat....but man his skill for a 20 year old is amazing.

2nd round move either direction is possible I think....time will tell.

 

[AmishMafia]

If myles jacks knee is that bad. Micro fracture surgery so early is bad... Jaylon smiths knee doesnt look so bad anymore.

Raglands heart doesnt bother me as much...

Star Lutelai had the same issue and dropped a bit to Carolina. Every medical condition is different, but you never know. As far as micro fracture - I would imagine it depends on exactly where it is.

I like my nose to be unmovable. If they only have one job, to force the double and hold the line. He better do it well! 313 will get moved...

And making him gain 20 pounds will slow him up. I say lose 5 pounds, and be a above average de day 1...

One thing to remember is that he was a wrestler and should know a thing or two about leverage and balance. 313 isnt 340, but you can expect him to be able to add another 10 lbs at least as he is only 20 and still growing and developing.

 

[Sunshinepacker]

I'm not understanding the undersized issue with Clark. Hes listed as 6'3 314 pounds and don't forget, hes only 20 too. He'll probably grow more in the next year.

Hes not Raji or Gilbert Brown big.

I don't think he's undersized at all. Guys can play NT at 314; I mean, if size was a huge part of playing NT then Raji would have been good. His issue isn't so much size it's that he's really good at shedding blocks and moving laterally along the line, which is great for an end but not really necessary at NT when teams are running right at you. Clark isn't very good at handling teams running straight at him, he tends to get up high and lose gaps. He's young so there's room for growth but Clark's biggest positive seems to be versatility and effort, not necessarily demonstrated skill at rushing the passer (really important for a first round pick).

 

[HardRightEdge]

Couldn't fight off an OL block if his life depended on it, check.

You mean Lee. Check. He's a space player. His strength outside pass rush and slashing to the play unblocked. He not only gets engulfed by OTs, he gets stopped in his tracks by having an O-lineman just coming at him squared up at the second level. He's a 4-3 OLB with his strength in the blitz. He's certainly fast, but you're guessing whether he can cover.

I've watched him play at Bama, he's a good player but not someone I like as a Mack. I will say this much HRE, Hawk was a far and away better prospect coming out of college. I like Ragland, but he's not what we need. Besides he played behind one of the best DLs in college ball, I haven't seen any evidence that he can play with substandard DL play ahead of him.

I suggest you look at the youtube tape of Ragland's Michigan St. game. You can't tell if this is intended to be a highlight tape or if it's every snap. His instincts are off the charts. Look at his initial move off the snap. It's nearly never wrong. That's why they don't get outside him.

Maybe he'll fall to the bottom of the second round over these aorta concerns. I doubt it.

 

[lambeaulambo]

Who will be the first angry poster when TT gets no ILB help later today?....It may very well happen.

 

[AmishMafia]

Okay I will admit I was frustrated not seeing an ILB picked...especially with Jack and Ragland there....

we could have traded back into the 2nd and gotten both Jack and Smith and had the ultimate ILB duo . . . . in the training room. Who would have thought that was a possibility 5 months ago? They are both huge gambles at this point. Hate to say where or when they should go unless I had a couple of hour discussion with the players orthopedic surgeon and some other experts.

 

[easyk83]

Jay Ratliff was an effective nose for the 'Boys for years playing at 300. Clark in't big for an NT but he's strong and he has plenty of space on his frame for soft leverage weight. Send him for some buffet training and have him pick up 10 pounds and I think he'll be fine. Honestly look at Clark's body and then look at the average NFL NT, Clark is slimmer in the midsection.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Anyone remember if Raji played in a 3-4 at BC? Clark lined up inside in a 4-3 at UCLA. He definitely has the physical make-up to be a NT, but just wondering how much transition there is for a player like this? Seems like a large % of college teams line up in a 4-3, so finding a guy who has played NT doesn't seem to be that simple and teams have to rely on projecting a guy like Clark as the perfect fit?

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Who will be the first angry poster when TT gets no ILB help later today?....It may very well happen.

I will volunteer!

Even if TT and the Packers staff have full confidence in Ryan and Barrington as their starters, we are desperately thin at ILB. So unless they want to keep up this crap of moving Matthews, I would be sick and shocked if ILB is not addressed today.

 

[HardRightEdge]

One thing to remember is that he was a wrestler and should know a thing or two about leverage and balance. 313 isnt 340, but you can expect him to be able to add another 10 lbs at least as he is only 20 and still growing and developing.

What I see is that he sets low, weight toward the back, then fires up under the pads. So the pad level is good, but he doesn't apply much forward force...not penetrating explosiveness. Should be decent clogging the middle for the 20% of snaps in base. Solid but won't make many impact plays.

Basically what we have here is the 2015 version of Raji, with better second effort to make a few more tackles 3, 4, 5 yards beyond the LOS. Pass rush? Not in 2016; he has no technique. Maybe they can work with him to get to adequate down the road.

 

[easyk83]

You mean Lee. Check. He's a space player. His strength outside pass rush and slashing to the play unblocked. He not only gets engulfed by OTs, he gets stopped in his tracks by having an O-lineman just coming at him squared up at the second level. He's a 4-3 OLB with his strength in the blitz. He's certainly fast, but you're guessing whether he can cover.

I suggest you look at the youtube tape of Ragland's Michigan St. game. You can't tell if this is intended to be a highlight tape or if it's every snap. His instincts are off the charts. Look at his initial move off the snap. It's nearly never wrong. That's why they don't get outside him.

Maybe he'll fall to the bottom of the second round over these aorta concerns. I doubt it.

To play in space is precisely what a Mack Backer is supposed to be able to do in a modern 34. They're supposed to be comparable to a 43 Will and some are even calling for players who look like old school strong safeties.

Again I like Ragland, but I expect him to be a liability in coverage and it's not just me. That's the knock on him by NFL personnel guys, that he's more of an old school player.

 

[Sunshinepacker]

Here are some fairly interesting pass rush numbers from PFF on Clark's last season in college. And yes, I'm aware that some people don't like PFF but until someone else points me to pro NFL scouts that are more accessible and open than PFF I'll take what info I can. Anyway, Clark was second in the nation in pressuring the QB via bullrush but he was 99th at using an outside move to get pressure and 91st at using an inside move to get pressure (so lots of work needed on those two). Overall he was 32nd in the nation at pass rush productivity (not terrible but not great either). Slightly concerning is that he was ranked 43rd in run stop percent. He's also much better at rushing the passer from the right side (20th ranked rusher from the right and 88th from the left). Link below will take you to the tweet from PFF with the overall table.

https://twitter.com/PFF_Steve/status/723325003148746752

 

[XPack]

Very underwhelming...in line with our recent R1 picks.

Is the downside to the next best DT that great we need to take him R1? Trading down might not have been a bad option at all.

 

[Sunshinepacker]

Who will be the first angry poster when TT gets no ILB help later today?....It may very well happen.

I would actually say it's very likely that no ILBs are drafted. One, Thompson doesn't value ILBs that highly (similar to the rest of the NFL). Two, there really aren't any ILBs that would fill an immediate need for the Packers; I like Ragland and think he'd be an improvement but I seriously doubt he lasts until the Packer's pick. Outside of Ragland you're just looking at a bunch of projects and coaching staff probably thinks guys currently on roster will develop and be better than anyone else available (at least in the next year).

 

[easyk83]

Anyone remember if Raji played in a 3-4 at BC? Clark lined up inside in a 4-3 at UCLA. He definitely has the physical make-up to be a NT, but just wondering how much transition there is for a player like this? Seems like a large % of college teams line up in a 4-3, so finding a guy who has played NT doesn't seem to be that simple and teams have to rely on projecting a guy like Clark as the perfect fit?

Raji was a 43 NT. UCLA played a lot of hybrid sets with 43 and 34 concepts. So Clark has manned the 34 nose quite a bit over his career. Ive defended the pick a lot but I see this more as a hole filler than a **** kick... hinder(caught myself longtime) kind of pick.

 

[easyk83]

Uhmmmm woot then. If he has the impact Dix did for us his rookie year damn we got a keeper.

For all those complaining about not drafting Jack or Ragland good lord. They BOTH have medical issues and BOTH were passed up by every single team in the first round. There is a reason for it.

Problem is people get tunnel vision going into the draft with prospects they like and it only gets worse the closer to the selection it gets when guys start to fall. Simply realise your board isn't TTs or like other GMs because everybody passed on the guys people are complaining we didn't take.

There's even a post saying NOBODY saw this comming. Really? It was in fact called 100% directly by the people who follow the Packers the closest

I see him in the Dix vein as a guy who's likely to be solid for us and maybe even above average. But not someone who projects to have all-pro talent at his position.

 

[HardRightEdge]

To play in space is precisely what a Mack Backer is supposed to be able to do in a modern 34. They're supposed to be comparable to a 43 Will and some are even calling for players who look like old school strong safeties.

Again I like Ragland, but expect him to be a liability in coverage and it's not just me. That's the knock on him NFL personnel guys, that he's more of an old school player.

Like I told you before, look at that Arkansas play. If you can show me Lee technique that matches that I'd like to see it.

What I like about Ragland is he can stand up a runner in the hole or with his instincts and anticipation he gets to the sidelines faster than guys with better 40 times.

Lee will probably make more spash plays; down-in-down-out Ragland is the better football player.

I know all about the tweener SS/ILB story. What you will notice is that the guys in the NFL who are doing it are ex-safties. Why? Because they have played in a position that calls for full-field awareness besides having experience covering downfield. These small college ILBs are called upon to be 180 degree players...they play what's in front of them defending the spread / option. Coverage duty is limited to short zone drops.

 

[bigbubbatd]

I see him in the Dix vein as a guy who's likely to be solid for us and maybe even above average. But not someone who projects to have all-pro talent at his position.

If we can get an ILB who gives us did level of play (which is underrated by many) we need to go get that player. That is so much better than what we have had outside Clay at the position

 

[Vrill]

Clark is also a Wrestler. So he knows leverage.

 

[ThePerfectBeard]

After letting it sink in, I'm still a little disappointed. I guess I'm ok with it because he was a popular pick if half the guys that slid were picked where they were supposed to be. However, I've watched a lot of tape on DTs this year and I just don't know how they ranked him over Billings.

I mean take a look at the highlights. One thing that really stands out is Clark's highlights have him constantly making plays beyond the line of scrimmage, not behind it. Billings is a highlight reel of disruptiveness behind the line. (Yes, I know it's highlights, but the other tape that I've watched shows similar things).

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Now compare Clark.

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[RRyder]

Very underwhelming...in line with our recent R1 picks.

Is the downside to the next best DT that great we need to take him R1? Trading down might not have been a bad option at all.

Underwhelming like our recent 1st rounders Ha Ha and Randall? Damn I'll take that every year in the first round