Packers pick #1---Kenny Clark UCLA DL

RRyder

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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.

Maybe I'm just higher on Ha Ha than you but I see little reason he can't be a pro bowler.

If Clark shows comparable ability then you gotta put this pick in the win column
 

Vrill

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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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In my prior post, I mentioned Billings has a shoulder problem that has nagged him his whole career. Its an old weight lifting injury from High School. So basically, we as fans were wanting players with injury concerns. And injury concerns is why every single player we wanted to draft have slid completely out of the first round.

Jack (Knee) - It was mentioned yesterday that some GM's are afraid Jack wont last through his rookie deal before finishing that knee off.
Jaylon Smith (Knee)
Ragland (Aorta) - This really bothers a lot of GM's apparently, not just TT.
Billings (Shoulder)

So nobody thought these guys were worth a risk in the first round, much less the Packers. NFL scouts and GM's do their homework on these guys. Remember, drafting a player is an investment. Some investments can be damaged goods. So it comes down to risk vs reward and I guess teams didn't want to risk it in round 1.

So keep in mind, nobody drafted these guys in the first round. It wasn't just us.
 
H

HardRightEdge

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What is this guys love affair with taking guys from the Pac 10 in the first round?
Well, we know Thompson's evolution in thinking moves as fast as a glacier. He got Rodgers and Matthews out of the PAC 10 when it was 10 and not 12. He keeps going back to the well.

I used to think Thompson would go to Pro Days in the sunshine letting the warmth color his disposition. That's evidently not the case because he did not attend Clark's Pro Day.
 

XPack

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

Yeah, you are right. I was just being a bit harsh there.

Though I wish we pick a match winner once in a while. Someone to really get excited about.
 

easyk83

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

I love Demarious Randall's potential. Kid reminds me of the Woodsons with his combination of size speed strength and physicality at the position. He still played like a converted player at his position but I loved his confidence as well as the natural ability he showed throughout the season. Let's see if he takes a normal second year jump.
 

easyk83

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Well, we know Thompson's evolution in thinking moves as fast as a glacier. He got Rodgers and Matthews out of the PAC 10 when it was 10 and not 12. He keeps going back to the well.

I used to think Thompson would go to Pro Days in the sunshine letting the warmth color his disposition. That's evidently not the case because he did not attend Clark's Pro Day.

When's he going back to Bethune-Cookman?
 

GreenBaySlacker

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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.

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.
I think its a sickness tt has.... Always wanting smaller guys to do a job, based on being quicker... I assume.

It took years to figure out cullen Jenkins was a de.... And datone jones? Olb now? Lol i compared him to aldon smith when he was drafted. Took a large pile of fece ,for the comparison, since smith is a olb. ( who some times puts his hand on theground:)) but to expect jones to do what clark WILL DO, at de??? Long shot...

Guion is pass rushing nt. Pennell is run stuffer. And i bet pennell gets some competition later in the draft...
 
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RRyder

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Yeah, you are right. I was just being a bit harsh there.

Though I wish we pick a match winner once in a while. Someone to really get excited about.

I get that. I guess I think at a certain point you just gotta have faith in the people in charge and alot of times the **** picks turn out wrong
 

Patriotplayer90

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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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That was my analysis, as well. Billings looks more explosive and powerful, and gets in the backfield much more often. Clark rarely gets beyond the line of scrimmage, and often loses 1 on 1 battles. It's tough to get excited about a NT, but I honestly expected to see more.
 
H

HardRightEdge

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When's he going back to Bethune-Cookman?
When all these second and third tier schools recognize the folly of spending ungodly amounts of money on their football programs so that second and third tier recruits go back to programs that didn't.
 

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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 one of two dominant dts for bc that year. The other one jist died recently. Weeks ago.
 

mradtke66

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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.......

He doesn't really have the height you covet at DE in a 3-4 though. It's also more of an interior position than edge. Even if we end up playing a lot more 3-4 base, he'll be attacking more B gaps than C gaps. He might also be great as a shaded (1-technique) NT in "heavy nickel." I saw a lot of shade in his highlights.

Compared to that, his relatively short stature is an asset at nose. He should be able to anchor better and be harder to get under. That is a huge win. I also tend to project college players to their college position when they go to the pros, unless there is a very good reason not to. Ergo, Bradford at OLB/EDGE made sense to me, because that was his college position. See how it shakes out. vs Randall being played at safety in college because that defense was built around FS and they wanted to feature their best player, so okay, move him to corner.

And finally, comparing him to Daniels is appropriate and inappropriate. He seems to have the motor and the grit, so the comparison is fair. Saying that he should thus be a DE like Daniels is not. Physically, Daniels is not an optimal 3-4 DE. He's a 3-tech 4-3 tackle all the way. He's succeeding in our scheme more because he's so damn good. Also with as much nickel as we play, he gets a lot of time as a 3-tech 4-3 tackle.
 

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Underwhelming like our recent 1st rounders Ha Ha and Randall? Damn I'll take that every year in the first round
To be realistic, the Packers first round history under Thompson isn't exactly a cornucopia of terrific-ness. Mathews and Rodgers obviously awesome but you also have Sherrod and Harrel as total busts. Rest of been m'eh....Not really what you want in first round (obviously HaHa and Randall have time to change that narrative but too early in their careers to call them great first round picks).

I've said it before, if you really like a guy and want Packers to draft him, hope he's drafted in the second because he has a much better chance of being terrific since Packers are much better in second than first.
 

RRyder

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To be realistic, the Packers first round history under Thompson isn't exactly a cornucopia of terrific-ness. Mathews and Rodgers obviously awesome but you also have Sherrod and Harrel as total busts. Rest of been m'eh....Not really what you want in first round (obviously HaHa and Randall have time to change that narrative but too early in their careers to call them great first round picks).

I've said it before, if you really like a guy and want Packers to draft him, hope he's drafted in the second because he has a much better chance of being terrific since Packers are much better in second than first.

Ehhh. TT has been about 50/50 in the 1st round. Pretty par for the course.

But yeah 2nd round has been where he's shined.
 

ThePerfectBeard

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In my prior post, I mentioned Billings has a shoulder problem that has nagged him his whole career. Its an old weight lifting injury from High School. So basically, we as fans were wanting players with injury concerns. And injury concerns is why every single player we wanted to draft have slid completely out of the first round.

Jack (Knee) - It was mentioned yesterday that some GM's are afraid Jack wont last through his rookie deal before finishing that knee off.
Jaylon Smith (Knee)
Ragland (Aorta) - This really bothers a lot of GM's apparently, not just TT.
Billings (Shoulder)

So nobody thought these guys were worth a risk in the first round, much less the Packers. NFL scouts and GM's do their homework on these guys. Remember, drafting a player is an investment. Some investments can be damaged goods. So it comes down to risk vs reward and I guess teams didn't want to risk it in round 1.

So keep in mind, nobody drafted these guys in the first round. It wasn't just us.

I did not know about the shoulder injury, but again from the tape I watched, it didn't seem to affect him.

I get what you're saying though and that's why I had no problem passing on Jack, Ragland, or Smith. Billings, Spence, Nkemdiche were the ones that made me question the pick. Granted Edge isn't a huge need like DL is.
 

ThePerfectBeard

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That was my analysis, as well. Billings looks more explosive and powerful, and gets in the backfield much more often. Clark rarely gets beyond the line of scrimmage, and often loses 1 on 1 battles. It's tough to get excited about a NT, but I honestly expected to see more.

The only thing I'm holding out for is that the comparison to Sylvester Williams is accurate. Still very young and lots of room for improvement.
 

GreenBaySlacker

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He doesn't really have the height you covet at DE in a 3-4 though. It's also more of an interior position than edge. Even if we end up playing a lot more 3-4 base, he'll be attacking more B gaps than C gaps. He might also be great as a shaded (1-technique) NT in "heavy nickel." I saw a lot of shade in his highlights.

Compared to that, his relatively short stature is an asset at nose. He should be able to anchor better and be harder to get under. That is a huge win. I also tend to project college players to their college position when they go to the pros, unless there is a very good reason not to. Ergo, Bradford at OLB/EDGE made sense to me, because that was his college position. See how it shakes out. vs Randall being played at safety in college because that defense was built around FS and they wanted to feature their best player, so okay, move him to corner.

And finally, comparing him to Daniels is appropriate and inappropriate. He seems to have the motor and the grit, so the comparison is fair. Saying that he should thus be a DE like Daniels is not. Physically, Daniels is not an optimal 3-4 DE. He's a 3-tech 4-3 tackle all the way. He's succeeding in our scheme more because he's so damn good. Also with as much nickel as we play, he gets a lot of time as a 3-tech 4-3 tackle.
Well i think daniels is a perfect 3-4 de. I call them the bowling ball types. Shorter and over 300 pounds. The ones with burst are very destructive. They get push. They are burners who get a decent rush from the position... Solid against the run. Just like a 4-3 dt??? Yep. :)

Clark is a slightly bigger daniels who has great leverage... Boom. Done deal.

The wrestling thing. I see the leverage comparison thing. Its good technical stuff... But i see a guy who beat every other guys his size in his state. 1 on 1.... That means lts wont be able to handle him 1 on 1. He will make plays until they give the tackle help. And thats huge!!## opens up everyone else...big time...

Add that to daniels and our hall of fame olbs... Its going to be dominating.
 

Pokerbrat2000

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It would seem picking late in the 1st is a tough spot.
"Gut wrenching", even.

In most drafts, it seems like you are kind of poking around, looking for the best scraps available in that spot. But last night, I don't know......those first 26 picks couldn't have fallen much better for the Packers. Denver trading to the #26 to obviously grab Lynch was the topper. I couldn't have been any happier with who was still on the board at that point.
 

Vrill

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Honestly, everything else aside, I wish we would have traded back and picked up an extra pick or two. I bet TT fielded some calls (most likely from Dallas) and its possible Clark could have been there at the top of the 2nd round. Even though Seattle loves those Pac12 players, so who knows if Carroll and company liked Clark. But something told TT to stay put and select Clark now, not later. Time will tell how this pans out. One thing is for sure, there will be some really good players on the board still when we draft in the 2nd.
 

Vrill

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In most drafts, it seems like you are kind of poking around, looking for the best scraps available in that spot. But last night, I don't know......those first 26 picks couldn't have fallen much better for the Packers. Denver trading to the #26 to obviously grab Lynch was the topper. I couldn't have been any happier with who was still on the board at that point.

By pick 20, I knew that either Ragland or Jack would be there when we picked. But both were, LOL. But then again, it just goes to show that what fans want and what teams/GM's want are two different things most times. But in this case, it was every team in the entire league because nobody wanted them in round 1. I bet our fanbase isn't the only one bothered by passing on Jack and Ragland :)
 

Pokerbrat2000

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By pick 20, I knew that either Ragland or Jack would be there when we picked. But both were, LOL. But then again, it just goes to show that what fans want and what teams/GM's want are two different things most times. But in this case, it was every team in the entire league because nobody wanted them in round 1. I bet our fanbase isn't the only one bothered by passing on Jack and Ragland :)

Reminded me of the Hail Rodgers moment against Detroit. I was standing up.....tense, hands on thighs, straining to hear Goodell say the name "Reggie or Myles"......when I heard the name "Kenny" come out, it was if Richard Rodgers had just dropped the damn ball! Oh well, I like Clark and have to trust TT.......but damn I wanted that completion!
 

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