Chris Jones was a really mediocre player in college but is one of the most gifted defensive linemen in this draft. He has size, length and the agility numbers he posted in Indianapolis were very good. 1.715 10 yard time is an excellent number for a 300+ pound defensive lineman. 4.62 second short shuttle time was tied for 4th best among 300+ pound defensive linemen. 7.44 second 3-cone drill time was the best time among 300+ pound defensive linemen. I'm not sold on Jones but Thompson has favored athletes with upside when drafting on the defensive side of the ball. My guess for the first round pick is UCLA's Kenny Clark but Jones would be on the short list of possibilities.
My guess is Thompson won't pick Reggie Ragland. ILB is a need but I believe there is solid value in later rounds and Thompson is more likely to take that route. IMO the media kind of blew it by focusing on players like Scooby Wright and Tyler Matakevich early in the process. This ILB class would be getting a lot more respect had they focused on players like Nick Kwaitkoski, Nick Vigil and Blake Martinez early on. Back to Ragland, he's a big physical player but his quickness and agility are major concerns in my book. Ragland was credited with a 7.55 3-cone time at Alabama's pro day and that is a horrible number. I just don't know if he has the athleticism that Thompson would want out of a first round player for the defense.
After the signing of Cook I don't think there is any chance that Thompson drafts Hunter Henry. Cook, Rodgers, Perillo, Backman and Mitchell Henry...there are 3 tight ends that probably have roster spots, a fourth that Thompson spent a pick on last year and probably won't want to cut, and Henry was getting some decent enough reviews at the end of last year. They could have more players here than roster spots and could skip the position altogether in the draft. I don't think they'll use a pick on a tight end in the first four rounds but could grab one later on when most of the other need positions have been addressed.
Two best candidates for #27 are UCLA DT-Kenny Clark and Mississippi State DE-Chris Jones. Wouldn't be shocked if Thompson took Penn State DT-Austin Johnson or Oklahoma State DE-Emmanuel Ogbah (Ogbah would be moved to OLB). Total sleeper pick at #27 that I wouldn't expect to happen but it wouldn't shock me if it did: Kansas State OG-Cody Whitehair. Whitehair is the short-armed trench-battler that Thompson seems to love, super intelligent and a really, really good football player.
Round Two. Vernon Butler will be long gone and Scooby Wright isn't enough of an athlete for Thompson to draft this early. Paul Perkins could be a player Thompson likes but his lack of size makes me think that Thompson would look at him at the end of round three, not the end of round two. I'd say the number one candidate here is BYU DE-Bronson Kaufusi who has played at anywhere from 250 to 285 pounds. I'd guess if the Packers draft him they'd want him at about 260 pounds to play outside linebacker. Next best guesses would be Clemson S-T.J. Green (who I think is horribly over-rated) or Indiana RB-Jordan Howard (who Thompson would probably like a lot more if he didn't have difficulty catching the ball during workouts).
Round Three. Malcolm Mitchell is worth the pick and is probably a player that Thompson would like, but there just aren't available roster spots to take a receiver this high. Joe Schobert, he's not real big for a 3-4 OLB candidate and hasn't played inside...probably too risky this high. Nick Kwiatkoski is a pretty reasonable guess. My top candidate for #88 would be Missouri OG-Connor McGovern. Next best guesses would be Western Michigan OT-Willie Beavers or Utah State ILB-Nick Vigil.
