Reporter from USA Today-gives Pack rank 28 for draft

[Deleted member 6794]

Montgomery was a pre-season 1st round pick and dropped mostly due to bad QB play at Stanford I believe.

Montgomery had the same QB (Kevin Hogan) playing most of time in 2014 than during the previous two seasons. Ty would have been ranked #14 at WR would he have entered the draft a year early, which would have resulted in him being picked late in the third round as well.

How can you be so sure of this? You don't know how they plan to use them. There is a thing called injuries too.

IMO Montgomery is a special kickoff and punt returner. He´s not a polished route runner and has terrible hands which will make it extremely unlikely he will play a lot on offense.

 

[brandon2348]

Montgomery had the same QB (Kevin Hogan) playing most of time in 2014 than during the previous two seasons. Ty would have been ranked #14 at WR would he have entered the draft a year early, which would have resulted in him being picked late in the third round as well.



IMO Montgomery is a special kickoff and punt return. He´s not a polished route runner and has terrible hands which will make it extremely unlikely he will play a lot on offense.

Well I don't know if Edgar Bennett see's it quit like you do and he is running the offense. Hogan sucks and Stanford couldn't run the ball like they have in the past last year. Well see how it shakes out.

We have had raw receivers in the past that had similar question marks that you are pointing out and they turned out to be pretty darn good players.

 

[OldSchool101]

That's the very reason I don't read the papers anymore. I often wonder tho.. If we would've picked up an ILB 1st round, would they have reported that we were now seriously "the middle of the pack"

 

[Sunshinepacker]

As I posted in another thread the improvement in run defense over the second half of the season had mostly to do with mostly playing against terrible rushing offenses (five of the eight teams ranked 24th or worse). Once again, I expect Ryan to turn into a decent run stopper but as of right now there´s no reason to compare him to Matthews.



The Packers ranked 24th in receiving yards allowed to RBs and TEs last season, a ranking they should intend on improving. The 26-yard reception Barrington allowed to Lynch in the NFCCG was actually a pretty important one in the Seahawks comeback.

Especially taking a look at the Seahawks the Packers won´t for sure not be able to cover both Graham and Lynch with a safety each.



Well, first of all Starks is still on the roster and with Lacy turning into a reliable third down back last season I´d rather have Eddie on the field than Montgomery.

Yeah, the 26 yard catch was an important play. But it was probably the tenth most important play, maybe? If the strongest argument for a coverage linebacker is that the Packers ranked 24th in a small subset of defensive measures, then it's really not that important. I mean, what's the difference in yardage between 24th and 10th? I'm going to guess it's not much.

I also think you missed the part where I said third down back AFTER Starks leaves, so Starks being here doesn't matter unless you think a rookie should get 600 snaps?

 

[Sunshinepacker]

I disagree about Harvin having good hands. I have followed Harvin closely and he is mostly a "body catcher" and sometimes looks unorthodox making catches. Montgomery was a pre-season 1st round pick and dropped mostly due to bad QB play at Stanford I believe. IMO TT saw him sitting there at the bottom of the 3rd and couldn't resist scooping him up.

The bottom line is Montgomery is a "home run threat" from anywhere on the field with an "NFL body". IMO it is a welcomed addition to have a guy like that to compliment what is already there. I am excited to see how it plays out.

Lastly, I'd say TT knows a thing or two when drafting receivers.

Harvin may be a "body" catcher but his drop rate in the NFL would indicate that he's good at catching the ball. Montgomery at times literally tries to catch the ball with his body because his hands are off doing their own thing.

Thompson has drafted good receivers, no doubt about it. All of those receivers were very good in college too. This guy is completely different from Nelson/Cobb/Adams/etc. I've said before I think he was a good pick. But my money is on him being a good running back, not receiver.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Yeah, the 26 yard catch was an important play. But it was probably the tenth most important play, maybe? If the strongest argument for a coverage linebacker is that the Packers ranked 24th in a small subset of defensive measures, then it's really not that important. I mean, what's the difference in yardage between 24th and 10th? I'm going to guess it's not much.

I also think you missed the part where I said third down back AFTER Starks leaves, so Starks being here doesn't matter unless you think a rookie should get 600 snaps?

The Packers allowed a combined 99.4 receiving yards to RBs and TEs last season which is 8.9 yards above the league average.

There's no guarantee Starks will be gone after the 2015 season. Adams played 756 snaps last season while third-round pick Richard Rodgers played 491. I don't think it's too much to expect an early pick like Montgomery to have an impact, especially on a draft abd develop team like the Packers.

 

[rodell330]

I read this and that's more than fair as I would've given them 30 out of the 32 teams in the league. This IMO wasn't a great draft...I'll stand by that.

 

[brandon2348]

Harvin may be a "body" catcher but his drop rate in the NFL would indicate that he's good at catching the ball. Montgomery at times literally tries to catch the ball with his body because his hands are off doing their own thing.

Thompson has drafted good receivers, no doubt about it. All of those receivers were very good in college too. This guy is completely different from Nelson/Cobb/Adams/etc. I've said before I think he was a good pick. But my money is on him being a good running back, not receiver.

Oh yeah, that's what I think is so intriguing about his skill set. He can be used in the return game which is badly needed. He can be used in the backfield and the screen game. He can go to the slot and stretch the defense opening up things for other guys. You can implement the jet sweep. He can also go out wide and be used on bubble screens.

He has to be accounted for as he can take it too the house from any position on the field. He is a legitimate "home run threat."

I can't wait till he takes one 70 yards to the house and is "Lambeau leaping" and everyone is saying OMG TT is a genius.

 

[XPack]

All this rating makes no sense. It's a mediocre pool at best for positions we need. We can either pick the best of the average ones or bide time and wait for better prospects next year. Think, that's why we went developmental. I still think we still have primary players to go the distance. Barring injuries, we will be in SB contention this year too.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

On the same subject, I've seen some here assume Hundley will end up on PS. Unless the Packers conclude this pick was a bad mistake and don't care much if he goes, an unlikely scenario, they'll need to keep him on the 53. Hundley has no chance of competing for a starting job in Green Bay for many years to come; he'd have an incentive to jump somewhere where the QB situation is dicey and chances are somebody would take a shot at him for their 53 as a #3 developmental guy.

I questioned the ability of being able to stash this guy on the PS when he was drafted. I don't think he is going to be far enough along to warrant carrying on the Roster, but is he safe from Vultures on the PS? Only time and the way he plays in Exhibition games will tell.

I like him, but a tricky player to develop and carry in year one and then keep on the team at the end of his Rookie contract if Rodgers is still playing. Tolzien has to be looking at this as potentially his last year in GB

 

[Sunshinepacker]

The Packers allowed a combined 99.4 receiving yards to RBs and TEs last season which is 8.9 yards above the league average.

There's no guarantee Starks will be gone after the 2015 season. Adams played 756 snaps last season while third-round pick Richard Rodgers played 491. I don't think it's too much to expect an early pick like Montgomery to have an impact, especially on a draft abd develop team like the Packers.

Nine yards a game isn't a big deal. Run defense is what the Packers lack and this season Raji is the key to fixing the Packers biggest weakness....I need a drink.

 

[brandon2348]

Look, the team averaged 30 points a game and should of had a Super Bowl appearance if not for bad special teams. This is with a QB playing literally with one leg in the playoffs. The whole offense is coming back with the addition of a new toy (Montgomery). I think it's pretty clear the mindset is to get better on special teams giving our offense better field position to score more and building a defense that creates some turnovers to give our offense a few more cracks at scoring.

All of these db's there bringing in are "ball hawks." We don't really need a 3 down ILB. I see us playing a lot of "Big Dime" three safety look and trying to create turnovers. As long as Guion and Raji stay healthy I think it will work. Teams are gonna be able to get some yards on us but I don't see many that will be able to keep up with us. There isn't a dominant defense in the NFL like the Seahawks of a couple years ago in the league. Can't wait to get those bastards at Lambeau.

 

[Mondio]

Though, I'd like to have more confidence at ILB, I do agree. This defense isn't built to suffocate running teams, but rather trade some poor yardage stats for turnovers. Getting the ball back to this offense with TO's has always been their plan and design even going back to our Super Bowl win. There was a time in there where injuries prevented much of any defense from taking the field, but overall, it is based on getting turnovers.

 

[DaveRoller]

Just take a look at the athleticism and agility of all the ILBs currently on the Packers roster and name just one of them capable of playing WLB covering RBs and TEs. I don´t see a single one.

Could not agree with you more.

I certainly hope that a reluctant Clay is playing a bunch of ILBer, because Ryan is at best a finesse run stopper just like Hawk was before him. Furthermore, Bradford and Palmer have never played the position and Thomas is an UDFA who, like the other 3, has never played ILB in the NFL.

Clay, or a player with his type of athleticism, in the middle of the field makes this an entirely better defense.

 

[Dr. Kenneth Noisewater]

The Packers allowed a combined 99.4 receiving yards to RBs and TEs last season which is 8.9 yards above the league average.

8.9 yards above the league average while playing against Jimmy Graham, Rob Gronkowski and Greg Olsen doesn't actually sound all that bad to me.

My primary concern is for the defense to stop the run, and it sounds like Jake Ryan can help us do that.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

I wonder if the USA Today and all other Graders of NFL Drafts have a comparison available to how they grade each years draft and how it "actually" grades out 3 years later? Too many intangibles to put much stock in grades like this.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Oh yeah, that's what I think is so intriguing about his skill set. He can be used in the return game which is badly needed. He can be used in the backfield and the screen game. He can go to the slot and stretch the defense opening up things for other guys. You can implement the jet sweep. He can also go out wide and be used on bubble screens.

He has to be accounted for as he can take it too the house from any position on the field. He is a legitimate "home run threat."

I can't wait till he takes one 70 yards to the house and is "Lambeau leaping" and everyone is saying OMG TT is a genius.

Isn't that exactly what a lot of you were saying last year about Janis as well???

Nine yards a game isn't a big deal. Run defense is what the Packers lack and this season Raji is the key to fixing the Packers biggest weakness....I need a drink.

Well, the Packers allowed 119.9 yards rushing per game last season with the league average at 111.1. But I guess in this case 8.8 yards per game is suddenly a big deal.

All of these db's there bringing in are "ball hawks." We don't really need a 3 down ILB. I see us playing a lot of "Big Dime" three safety look and trying to create turnovers. As long as Guion and Raji stay healthy I think it will work.

That's an interesting idea, maybe you're on to something there.

 

[brandon2348]

Isn't that exactly what a lot of you were saying last year about Janis as well???



Well, the Packers allowed 119.9 yards rushing per game last season with the league average at 111.1. But I guess in this case 8.8 yards per game is suddenly a big deal.



That's an interesting idea, maybe you're on to something there.

Well I don't think they matched Oakland's offer sheet on Richardson just so he could play just "special teams." Then you throw in the type of guys there bringing in and I am just connecting the dots.

As far as Jannis I am sure he will be in the mix but were comparing a guy that came in from Saginaw Valley last year to a guy that is coming out of the Pac-12. Montgomery has shown he can do it already against better competition, I wasn't one of those who expected big things last year out of Jannis or Abbrederis. I mean they didn't draft Montgomery in the 3rd round to not contribute at some level now IMO.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

As far as Jannis I am sure he will be in the mix but were comparing a guy that came in from Saginaw Valley last year to a guy that is coming out of the Pac-12. Montgomery has shown he can do it already against better competition, I wasn't one of those who expected big things last year out of Jannis or Abbrederis. I mean they didn't draft Montgomery in the 3rd round to not contribute at some level now IMO.

He will for sure be the front runner to be the primary kickoff and maybe even punt returner. It's possible the Packers will use him as a RB or on screens as he's dangerous with the ball in his hands but I really don't see him having any success as a traditional receiver.

 

[brandon2348]

He will for sure be the front runner to be the primary kickoff and maybe even punt returner. It's possible the Packers will use him as a RB or on screens as he's dangerous with the ball in his hands but I really don't see him having any success as a traditional receiver.

I've never said he would be a great traditional receiver and we have other guys to do that. All I have said basically is I see potential and he can compliment what we already have if used correctly. The team was horrible at kickoff returns last season. And yes, that's what I meant is finding ways to get the ball in his hands as he is dangerous in the open field.

I really like Montgomery as if you listen to him he has the right attitude and the people at Stanford says he is hard worker and high character guy. The guy even takes pride in blocking which is rare from a top shelf receiver coming out of college.

 

[Sunshinepacker]

Isn't that exactly what a lot of you were saying last year about Janis as well???



Well, the Packers allowed 119.9 yards rushing per game last season with the league average at 111.1. But I guess in this case 8.8 yards per game is suddenly a big deal.



That's an interesting idea, maybe you're on to something there.

Difference between the two is that games the packers lost featured running backs going wild. Can you remind me, which game did the Packers lose because the RB or TE went crazy?

 

[AmishMafia]

Well, seeing the Packers picked 30th, 28th is 2 slots above where we should have expected. Good job by TT!

I like the draft. I think the first 4 picks will contribute the first year at least on special teams. I like when picks dont seem to fall in line with what the kipers of the world think. TT trusts in his scouting staff and they do a great job overall. You cant hit every pick, and TT does better than most each year.

Some will always complain that he didnt address this or that, but he is patient and never wastes a pick for the mere perception purposes. He waits till there is a good player available who is worth the pick.

There is a lot of talent in this class. A ton of raw talent. It is going to be fun to see who develops and what they become.

 

[PFanCan]

Look, the team averaged 30 points a game and should of had a Super Bowl appearance if not for bad special teams. This is with a QB playing literally with one leg in the playoffs. The whole offense is coming back with the addition of a new toy (Montgomery). I think it's pretty clear the mindset is to get better on special teams giving our offense better field position to score more and building a defense that creates some turnovers to give our offense a few more cracks at scoring.

All of these db's there bringing in are "ball hawks." We don't really need a 3 down ILB. I see us playing a lot of "Big Dime" three safety look and trying to create turnovers. As long as Guion and Raji stay healthy I think it will work. Teams are gonna be able to get some yards on us but I don't see many that will be able to keep up with us. There isn't a dominant defense in the NFL like the Seahawks of a couple years ago in the league. Can't wait to get those bastards at Lambeau.

If I could have double-liked this post, I would have. Especially the last sentence!

 

[Jdeed]

This all sounds like most teams that didn't have a great draft for talent....just trying to justify the picks.
Most of the guys 5th round and later never see the field on a team so if you can get 1 starter or even a decent back up from the latter picks you did ok. The real deal is those first 4 picks and whether or not you get a couple good players from those.

 

[brandon2348]

This all sounds like most teams that didn't have a great draft for talent....just trying to justify the picks.
Most of the guys 5th round and later never see the field on a team so if you can get 1 starter or even a decent back up from the latter picks you did ok. The real deal is those first 4 picks and whether or not you get a couple good players from those.

Let me ask you this. What does a team that lost Suh and Fairley sound like?