Packers pick #1---Kenny Clark UCLA DL

AmishMafia

Cheesehead
Joined
Sep 27, 2010
Messages
7,279
Reaction score
2,395
Location
PENDING
It´s true a great defensive line makes things way easier for the inside linebackers to defend the run. It doesn´t improve their coverage ability though and that´s where the Packers are in desperate need of an upgrade.
Cutting down the time in pocket, plugging passing lanes, and removing opportunity to step up into the pocket all help the passing game. Forcing passes by limiting the run game also allows easier defending pass game as well.

I would like to upgrade ILBs as well, but with Lee fone and Ragland having some medical issues, there were no significant ILB upgrades there. Instead we got a very good player with significant upside. Clark is a good pick.
 

bigbubbatd

Cheesehead
Joined
Mar 11, 2015
Messages
1,679
Reaction score
166
Based on him probably not offering a ton rushing the passer at the pro level and therefore most likely ending up being a two down player.

Most of the other dl people wanted were not pass rushers either. Everything about billings makes him sound like a guy who is also just a bull rusher at this point.

Interesting that Thompson didn't go to Clark's pro day. He definitely trusted his scouts on this pick
 

Mondio

Cheesehead
Joined
Dec 20, 2014
Messages
15,893
Reaction score
3,795
I don't hate it. I don't watch much UCLA football, so I'm just going off a few videos again. But he's a young powerful 300+ lb'er on the DL. He holds the point well and can separate from a block and make a tackle. when he extended his arms, big guys moved backwards. He was apparently a pretty good wrestler too, which in my mind does nothing but make him better on the DLine. Looks to move very well for a big guy, will probably get a bit bigger too before all is said and done, and knows leverage and how to use it along with his hands.

I like the pick. I liked DL over ILB before this started and for everyone saying he's 2nd round talent well so are Jack and Smith and Ragland and everyone else. They can't get picked any higher.

I can't wait till tonight when Ted trades up to the top of the 2nd and picks.... an offensive tackle :)
 

AmishMafia

Cheesehead
Joined
Sep 27, 2010
Messages
7,279
Reaction score
2,395
Location
PENDING
a primary knock on all of reed, robinson, and butler are that they aren't effective pass rushers
nobody would have decided they were a reach if we'd have drafted them
I saw clark mocked around us and even ahead of us. I dont think he was a reach. This draft had the most shocking reaches I have seen. Anyone see the safety and some of those CBs going where they did? How about trade up for conklin in the top 10!?!?
 

thisisnate

Cheesehead
Joined
Nov 25, 2012
Messages
1,627
Reaction score
185
Location
Maine
I can't wait till tonight when Ted trades up to the top of the 2nd and picks.... an offensive tackle :)

There's only like 1 OT left worth trading up. I think we're safe! :D

I saw clark mocked around us and even ahead of us. I dont think he was a reach. This draft had the most shocking reaches I have seen. Anyone see the safety and some of those CBs going where they did? How about trade up for conklin in the top 10!?!?

Yeah, at some point, even the most proud of us fans have to admit, scouts and NFL front offices know a crapload more than we do. We think we're wayyyyyy too smart after looking at a handful of lists and watching a few YouTube videos.
 

GreenBaySlacker

Cheesehead
Joined
Feb 5, 2014
Messages
3,008
Reaction score
184
Adding a powerful NT will make things easier for those ILBs. Is it a coincidence that the two stud ILBs available,Jack and Ragland, had the two concensus beat run stuffers in front if them? I expected them to take DL with the first pick because it makes us a better team than a new ILB.


Huh? Do you seriously think you or anyone here have any idea what he thinks?
come on, look again. It's right there above his mouth and between his eyes.



Glad we went DL, we need help there. Alrhough I liked Reed better, clark was a good choice as well. The thing about him is he is still young and growing. Although he is near the top talent wise, he still has more room to develop than they do and may turn into a better pick.
Yea myles jack had clark in front of him taking the trenches. Leaving jack to roam free.... Great point amish.
 

Vrill

Cheesehead
Joined
Nov 1, 2011
Messages
1,803
Reaction score
137
The players we as fans want, are still on the board. Nobody wanted them in the first round, much less the Packers. That has to say something in itself.

I mean, I was surprised by the Clark pick as anyone, but Jack, Ragland and Billings are sliding on in to the 2nd round. Who knows how far Jack slides. Yesterday some people were discussing that GM's are afraid Jack wont last past his rookie contract before finishing that knee off. Then Raglands aorta issue is really bothering some GM's too.

I find it really sad and a bit weird how the one position we need (ILB) is cloaked in uncertainly in this draft with injuries.

Myles Jack knee concern (hes sliding)
Ditto Jaylon Smith (we all know his problem)
Ragland's aorta issue (hes sliding)

I've also been hearing that Andrew Billings has a shoulder issue he has been having his entire Football career that some teams are worried about. Its an old weight lifting injury from high school apparently. So.....ugghh.
 

easyk83

Cheesehead
Joined
Apr 20, 2013
Messages
2,783
Reaction score
280
Andrew Billings might be a better prospect, with some familiar concerns over motor, but he doesn't project at 34 NT. At 311 he has a lot of soft weight. In comparison Clark looks like he could add 5-10 pounds of leverage weight before the start of the season and play at a solid and respectable 325 pounds. Billings on the hand looks maxed out at 311. I like Billings more as a 34 end or as a 43 dt but not at 34 NT. Billings doesn't play with the same leverage and doesn't project as well as an anchor.

IMHO they picked Clarke because;

1) He does have plus athleticism.
2) Plays with great leverage.
3) Has great balance and even manages to stay on his feet and relevant even when he should be heading to the turf.
4) Plays with a constant motor.
5) He does a lot of the stuff we like in DL. He played a lot of 34 NT in his 3 seasons and he looks good playing out of the two point stance.
6) He has room for growth body wise and technique wise.

Bottom line, I think Clark is good pick and a good fit. He's not the sexiest pick but someone who should not only fill an urgent need but actually grow into a quality player there. Like I said before he makes me think of Clinton Dix, ready and able but doesn't have a Clay Matthews/Nick Collins type upside. He's never going to be a physical freak.
 

PackerDNA

Cheesehead
Joined
Jun 8, 2014
Messages
6,428
Reaction score
1,499
I don't hate it. I don't watch much UCLA football, so I'm just going off a few videos again. But he's a young powerful 300+ lb'er on the DL. He holds the point well and can separate from a block and make a tackle. when he extended his arms, big guys moved backwards. He was apparently a pretty good wrestler too, which in my mind does nothing but make him better on the DLine. Looks to move very well for a big guy, will probably get a bit bigger too before all is said and done, and knows leverage and how to use it along with his hands.

I like the pick. I liked DL over ILB before this started and for everyone saying he's 2nd round talent well so are Jack and Smith and Ragland and everyone else. They can't get picked any higher.

I can't wait till tonight when Ted trades up to the top of the 2nd and picks.... an offensive tackle :)

All good points, Mondio.
The draft guide I most respect over the years- even after the death of Joel Buschbaum- is Pro Football Weekly. They were very high on Clark. I had him rated as the #1 Dlineman.
In contrast, many here- and a lot of mocks- had Billings for us. PFW didn't have much good to say about him.
An OT in the 2nd is a solid guess. Don't sleep on Murphy of Stanford. (Again, from PFW) can play both T's and G. Only knock on him is he needs to get bigger and stronger, which an NFL training table and weight room coaching should take care of.
Correa' the Boise St. LB, is another guy I'm high on. Move him inside, bounce him outside to blitz occasionally, we could have something.
 

DarkHelmet

Cheesehead
Joined
Oct 10, 2013
Messages
260
Reaction score
81
Looks like a solid pick to me. Biggest needs coming into the season were TE and ILB. With Raji stepping away Pennel's suspension and the signing of Cook the areas of need became ILB and DT. Correct me if I'm wrong but I didn't see a single ILB or DT taken ahead of the Packers, only DEs and OLBs. That means they had their first choice at either position and Clark was obviously their man. He looks well equipped for the role. Big bodies are rarer than smaller bodies. It made sense to go NT where they did. I expect an ILB today unless the cupboard empties early.
 

easyk83

Cheesehead
Joined
Apr 20, 2013
Messages
2,783
Reaction score
280
You're either trying to be funny or don't have a clue what you're talking about....except for the enlarged aorta issue.

If it's true, that would be a concern. But as a football player, you have no idea what you're looking at.

Looks game slow at times, check. Same body type check. Short arms, check. Couldn't fight off an OL block if his life depended on it, check. 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.
 

RRyder

Cheesehead
Joined
Nov 17, 2014
Messages
1,775
Reaction score
183
I saw clark mocked around us and even ahead of us. I dont think he was a reach. This draft had the most shocking reaches I have seen. Anyone see the safety and some of those CBs going where they did? How about trade up for conklin in the top 10!?!?

The only reason people are calling him a reach is because other players fell. He was pretty much mocked in our area for the most part. Players fell so now others go with the idea he wasn't worth his draft slot. He was.

Now whether one thinks the guys who fell are worth more than that's a different discussion but I'd like to point out all those guys are still on the board so it stands to reason NFL GMs have more information than the Kipers and message boards of the world.

Every year I'm shocked at how many people are suprised that GMs draft boards rarely lineup with the draft magazines.

This is a really good pick. 24 hours ago I would've been extremely happy to know this is who we got round one. Personally I would've rolled the dice on either Jack or Ragland or even Robinson but I'm not going to lament taking a player I would've been happy to have just a day prior when it's becoming obvious, at least for the 2 LBs, are falling for a very specific and good reason
 

Patriotplayer90

Cheesehead
Joined
Nov 2, 2015
Messages
1,874
Reaction score
130
I saw clark mocked around us and even ahead of us. I dont think he was a reach. This draft had the most shocking reaches I have seen. Anyone see the safety and some of those CBs going where they did? How about trade up for conklin in the top 10!?!?
The Titans have to protect that QB. With the Tunsil incident, Conklin was going to get picked before him, and he was not lasting until 15. The next two picks were bigger reaches, IMO.
 

GreenBaySlacker

Cheesehead
Joined
Feb 5, 2014
Messages
3,008
Reaction score
184
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...
 

AmishMafia

Cheesehead
Joined
Sep 27, 2010
Messages
7,279
Reaction score
2,395
Location
PENDING
The only reason people are calling him a reach is because other players fell. He was pretty much mocked in our area for the most part. Players fell so now others go with the idea he wasn't worth his draft slot. He was.

Now whether think the guys who fell are worth more than that's a different discussion but I'd like to point out all those guys are still on the board so it stands to reason NFL GMs have more information than the Kipers and message boards of the world.

Every year I'm shocked at how many people are suprised that GMs draft boards rarely lineup with the draft magazines.

This is a really good pick. 24 hours ago I would've been extremely happy to know this is who we got round one. Personally I would've rolled the dice on either Jack or Ragland or even Robinson but I'm not going to lament taking a player I would've been happy to have just a day prior when it's becoming obvious, at least for the 2 LBs, are falling for a very specific and good reason
I would maybe have taken Jack but no telling what we dont know. Clearly the medical is worse on him than the talking heads know. Tells me that the insiders dont get all the inside info.
 

easyk83

Cheesehead
Joined
Apr 20, 2013
Messages
2,783
Reaction score
280
The only reason people are calling him a reach is because other players fell. He was pretty much mocked in our area for the most part. Players fell so now others go with the idea he wasn't worth the draft slot he. He was.

Now whether think the guys who fell are worth more than that's a different discussion but I'd like to point out all those guys are still on the board so it stands to reason NFL GMs have more information than the Kipers and message boards of the world.

Every year I'm shocked at how many people are suprised that GMs draft boards rarely lineup with the draft magazines.

This is a really good pick. 24 hours ago I would've been extremely happy to know this is who we got round one. Personally I would've rolled the dice on either Jack or Ragland or even Robinson but I'm not going to lament taking a player I would've been happy to have just a day prior when it's becoming obvious, at least for the 2 LBs, are falling for a very specific and good reason

Exactly, the draftsperts put together a very cursory analysis compared to what the teams and actual working professionals in the business do. There's no comparison between the manner in which Kiper and his support staff look at a team like the Packers and projected talent and how the Packers FO analyses team needs and the draft's talent.

I wouldn't have touched Jack, microfracture in a first round prospect is Freddy Krueger scary.
 

Sunshinepacker

Cheesehead
Joined
Jul 29, 2013
Messages
5,766
Reaction score
896
Andrew Billings might be a better prospect, with some familiar concerns over motor, but he doesn't project at 34 NT. At 311 he has a lot of soft weight. In comparison Clark looks like he could add 5-10 pounds of leverage weight before the start of the season and play at a solid and respectable 325 pounds. Billings on the hand looks maxed out at 311. I like Billings more as a 34 end or as a 43 dt but not at 34 NT. Billings doesn't play with the same leverage and doesn't project as well as an anchor.

IMHO they picked Clarke because;

1) He does have plus athleticism.
2) Plays with great leverage.
3) Has great balance and even manages to stay on his feet and relevant even when he should be heading to the turf.
4) Plays with a constant motor.
5) He does a lot of the stuff we like in DL. He played a lot of 34 NT in his 3 seasons and he looks good playing out of the two point stance.
6) He has room for growth body wise and technique wise.

Bottom line, I think Clark is good pick and a good fit. He's not the sexiest pick but someone who should not only fill an urgent need but actually grow into a quality player there. Like I said before he makes me think of Clinton Dix, ready and able but doesn't have a Clay Matthews/Nick Collins type upside. He's never going to be a physical freak.


Clark doesn't really project as a 3-4 NT either though. He's good against the run but mainly because he moves laterally really well (good for an end) and sheds blocks but he's not real strong when guys run straight at him (kind of a problem for the NT). Not to say he can't grow into that role (he IS really young) but it's obvious that the Ted is projecting quite a bit of growth in his pass rush when he made him the pick.

I'm ok with Clark, I don't hate the guy or think he'll be a failure, I just think there were better options for the Packers (like Butler). I also would have preferred move down into the second while picking up a third rounder over picking Clark since it appears as though there are still quite a few good dlinemen available.
 

easyk83

Cheesehead
Joined
Apr 20, 2013
Messages
2,783
Reaction score
280
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...

Remember Sergio Kindle? Guy was an absolute man beast, but his chronically injured knee needed microfracture surgery. Three seasons and out of the league. I honestly believe that this will be a recoverable injury ten years from now. But at this point, hell no.
 

PackerDNA

Cheesehead
Joined
Jun 8, 2014
Messages
6,428
Reaction score
1,499
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...

It would bother the Hell out of me if he folded up and died on the field.
 

Pokerbrat2000

Opinions are like A-holes, we all have one.
Joined
Oct 30, 2012
Messages
32,073
Reaction score
7,891
Location
Madison, WI
I would maybe have taken Jack but no telling what we dont know. Clearly the medical is worse on him than the talking heads know. Tells me that the insiders dont get all the inside info.

Reports of Jack's knee have been brewing for awhile now. Then his openness yesterday about possibly needing future surgery, while the honorable thing to do, probably sealed his fate. I applaud him for being a man and not trying to dupe a team out of money, that he may not have earned as a top 5 pick.

I'm no medical expert, but I think him not being picked in Rd. 1 tells you what all of the teams experts think.
 

thisisnate

Cheesehead
Joined
Nov 25, 2012
Messages
1,627
Reaction score
185
Location
Maine
huge bummer for myles, but on the upside, i think he made like $5 million off his injury policy by not being drafted in the 1st

silver linings and such...
well, that's a reallllllllly big platinum lining actually
 

GreenBaySlacker

Cheesehead
Joined
Feb 5, 2014
Messages
3,008
Reaction score
184
Clark doesn't really project as a 3-4 NT either though. He's good against the run but mainly because he moves laterally really well (good for an end) and sheds blocks but he's not real strong when guys run straight at him (kind of a problem for the NT). Not to say he can't grow into that role (he IS really young) but it's obvious that the Ted is projecting quite a bit of growth in his pass rush when he made him the pick.

I'm ok with Clark, I don't hate the guy or think he'll be a failure, I just think there were better options for the Packers (like Butler). I also would have preferred move down into the second while picking up a third rounder over picking Clark since it appears as though there are still quite a few good dlinemen available.
Totally agree. Could je play nose? Yes, and probabally do well. But he is a bit under sized, and his pass rush abilities (which seem to be under valued) would ne largely wasted...

On the other hand, he could be an all-pro de imo (some day). 313, 6'3". He will be beating opposing left tackles consistantly, 1 on 1. Forcing double teams from the de posituon is a huge win, when you consider who is behind him... And opposite him... And behind the guy opposite him.......

De....... For sure.......
 

Vrill

Cheesehead
Joined
Nov 1, 2011
Messages
1,803
Reaction score
137
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.
 

Pokerbrat2000

Opinions are like A-holes, we all have one.
Joined
Oct 30, 2012
Messages
32,073
Reaction score
7,891
Location
Madison, WI
huge bummer for myles, but on the upside, i think he made like $5 million off his injury policy by not being drafted in the 1st

silver linings and such...
well, that's a reallllllllly big platinum lining actually

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."
 

GreenBaySlacker

Cheesehead
Joined
Feb 5, 2014
Messages
3,008
Reaction score
184
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 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...
 

Staff online

Members online

Latest posts

Top