Railbird Central : draft

Future Packer O'Brien Schofield?

Brian Carriveau — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 15:00:56 GMT

Saturday was made for college football. In an attempt to tie the college game to the Green Bay Packers, we present our weekly "Future Packers" series.

Will the players featured in this weekly column actually become Packers? It's a long shot. Consider it a bit of a draft preview and a look at the needs of the Packers heading into next offseason.

This week's future Packer: Wisconsin defensive end O'Brien Schofield

Packers fans in Wisconsin should be familiar with Schofield who is the Badgers' best defensive player and part of the reason Wisconsin has gotten off to a 5-0 start this season.

Even though he's a defensive end at Wisconsin, at 6-2 and 248 pounds he projects to be a 3-4 outside linebacker at the next level.

Schofield is a fifth year senior and a two-year starter, but never has he made an impact like he's doing this season. He tied for the team lead in sacks a year ago, but he's really picked it up a notch in 2009.

The senior defensive end currently leads the Big Ten in sacks with 4.5 and tackles for a loss with 11. Just last week he was named the Big Ten's defensive player of the week for his performance at Minnesota that included two sacks, 3.5 tackles for a loss and six total tackles.

If the Badgers are going to go into Columbus and beat the No. 9 rated Buckeyes, they're going to need a big performance from Schofield. Defense is the Badgers' Achilles heel, and they're going to need to step up and stop the Buckeyes offense to win in the Horseshoe.

Schofield's job today will be two-fold. First, he'll need to put a good pass rush to rush Ohio State quarterback Terelle Pryor into quick decisions and also to contain Pryor from getting big gains in the running game.

The Packers don't have huge needs at outside linebacker given their depth, but they'll always be in the market for more depth. Clay Matthews figures to be a fixture for years to come, but the future is uncertain for players like Aaron Kampman, Brady Poppinga and Jeremy Thompson.

Although there's a lot of season left to raise his stock, Schofield currently isn't considered the type of player that's going to be drafted in the first couple rounds. But that could play right into the needs of the Packers. They have more pressing needs to address early in the draft, but could add some depth later.

The trading down dilemma

Brian Carriveau — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 13:17:13 GMT

The Green Bay Packers are looking to trade down in the draft. Apparently every team with a pick in the top 10 is, according to NFL Draft guru Mike Mayock.

A couple of days ago, Tom Pelissero of the Green Bay Press-Gazette sat in on a conference call with Mayock and shared some of his findings.

"Every team in the top 10 is looking to trade out," said Mayock. "Never seen it, never seen the situation quite this heavy. And the theory is, everybody knows we’re upside-down right now with this draft. The rookies are getting paid way too much money proportionate to their value. So, teams are scared to death of missing (in) the top-10."

The biggest problem in the NFL might be how rookies are paid, especially those in the taken in the top 10 of the draft and, to a lesser extent, those taken in the first round.

Rookies are getting paid too much guaranteed money. And when they don't perform, it's a double edged sword for teams. The money spent on under-performing rookies is crippling the team's salary cap, and the image of NFL general manager is tied to the performance of the first rounder they take. The first rounder you drafted isn't producing? You're fired.

It's not the teams' fault either. It's just the way things are structured. Rookie contracts are going to be one of the biggest sticking points in the next NFL collective bargaining agreement.

An example everyone around Wisconsin can relate with is Justin Harrell and Ted Thompson. Harrell hasn't produced in two years in the NFL. Yet he's making millions of dollars. Sure, are other factors influencing the performance of Thompson. But one of the biggest ones is Thompson's gaffe in drafting Harrell. That decision alone is costing the team millions and affecting the team's ability to spend those millions in other places such as free agency or extending the contracts of deserving players.

That's why the Packers and everyone else wants to trade down. They don't want to bust on high draft pick, especially when they can get players nearly as good at a fractions of the price later in the draft.

As a result, teams trading down in the draft aren't getting as good a deal as they used to. Draft gurus have likely heard of the chart that assigns point values to draft choices, to help insure that both teams making a trade are getting roughly the same value for their picks.

"I think any team in the top 10 that is looking to get out will listen to any reasonable offer, and more than ever, teams are looking to get down (to picks) 15 to 25, because you can get the same kind of player at (No.) 20 as you can at (No.) 7, and you pay one-third the money," said Mayock.

The wild card this year is USC quarterback Mark Sanchez. He's the one player that a team needing a quarterback might want to trade up for such as the Denver Broncos or the New York Jets.

It'll be interesting to see whether the Packers trade down, and who they might target later in the draft. It's tough to predict the future, but Northern Illinois outside linebacker Larry English could be the type of guy the Packers could get later in the first round for a lot less money than they'd spend at No. 10.

Packers Daily Links 4.14.09

Brian Carriveau — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 17:00:41 GMT

Fans felt their hearts flutter when they heard the Packers made a trade with the Carolina Panthers. No, a blockbuster for Julius Peppers didn't go down. Rather, the Pack traded long snapper J.J. Jansen to the Panthers for a conditional draft pick, what is appearing to be a seventh round draft choice in 2011. This means that Jansen will have to meet crtain conditions in order for the Packers to receive the draft choice, for example making the roster or spending the entire season on the Panthers' roster. While not much, it's amazing that the Packers got anything. Bart Winkler of the Bucky Channel wonders if it's the first trade of a long snapper in NFL history. To my knowledge, I don't think a full-time long snapper has ever been drafted either. So receiving a draft choice, even a seventh rounder, is amazing. Brett Goode performed fine last year, and the Packers weren't about to keep two long snappers on their 80-man roster. In effect, the received something for nothing.

The Packers attended the workout of a guard from Duke University, and it's not the kind of guard that lines up next to the center. The workout was for Duke point guard Greg Paulus, who doesn't figure to have a career in professional basketball. Paulus was a high school All-American in football and has some talent. "A four-time all-state selection during his high-school career, the 6-foot-1, 185-pound Paulus set six New York state passing records at Christian Brothers, including the record for passing yards (11,763)," writes Jason Wilde of the Wisconsin State Journal. "Christian Brothers was 42-3 with him at quarterback, and he started the U.S. Army All-American game. He finished his career with 152 career touchdown passes in 45 games and led his school to the NYSPHAA Class AA championship as a senior." There's nothing wrong with taking a peek even if he is a long shot.

I disagree with Packergeeks when they say, "My concern lies in the fact that we have time to have Greg Paulus tryout but apparently little time to give a tryout to a legit veteran defensive player like Vonnie Holliday." First off, the Packers probably don't want Holliday. And even if that wasn't the case, he's older and will command more money than Paulus. There are legitimate reasons the Packers didn't work out Holliday.

Today is the release of the NFL schedule supposedly at 6 p.m. CST on the NFL Network. But no matter how things shake out, the Packers have the third easiest schedule in the entire league. The Bears and the Vikings have the easiest and second easiest schedule. So how did the NFC North get so lucky? They all have two games against last year's 0-16 Lions team. This is also your obligatory reminder to make hotel reservations NOW.

Mike Vandermause of the Green Bay Press-Gazette investigates whether first round draft picks are all that they're cracked up to be.

F. Gordon Union thinks the Packers will draft B.J. Raji.

Cheesehead TV think Aaron Rodgers has to improve the two minute drill portion of his game.

In their draft preview series, JSOnline looks at Knowshon Moreno while PackersNews.com looks at Michael Johnson. I think the odds of either one of them ending up in a Packers' uniform is slim to none.

Just an idea floating around my head: I'm liking the idea of trading down in the first round and taking a player like Mississippi's Peria Jerry to man one of the defensive end spots.

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Enjoy "Happy Hour Hero" by moe.

Pierre on Packers' radar

Brian Carriveau — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 23:54:20 GMT

Former Florida Atlantic running back Charles Pierre is busy getting in shape for what he hopes is a career in the NFL.

But not too busy to make sure he got noticed by the Green Bay Packers.

“I spoke to a couple scouts, and I remember saying hello to the guy with the Packers,” said Pierre in reference to Florida Atlantic’s pro timing day when he and several of his teammates performed in front of professional scouts.

Though he projects to be a late round prospect or priority free agent at best, Pierre is doing his best to garner all the attention he can before the NFL Draft, now less than two weeks away.

Despite being perhaps the smallest player on display, Pierre had the most repetitions on the 225-pound bench press out of anyone at FAU’s pro day with 26. Although, that number doesn’t come without skepticism.

As many critics would say of the measurables taken from pro days across the nation, wins and losses in the NFL aren’t determined by bench press repetitions, 40-yard dashes or vertical jumps.

But Pierre insists there’s a correlation between the work he’s putting in behind the scenes and the strength it will take to compete on Sundays.

“It translates a lot, because with these guys you’ve got to be physical, especially in the blocking game,” said Pierre. “It allows me to get into a defensive end’s body and really drive them, give them a good push. So it definitely helps with that. And it helps you with your physical conditioning, being able to take the pounding and the endurance.”

In that regard, Pierre has faced some of the best defensive ends the college game had to offer over the past couple years. He’s better prepared than most Sun Belt Conference players because Florida Atlantic consistently schedules some of the largest schools in the nation for the non-conference portion of their schedule.

Since Pierre has enrolled at FAU, the Owls have played the likes of Florida, Texas, Minnesota, Michigan State, South Florida, Louisville and Kentucky. And Pierre has reaped the benefits of such top notch competition.

“I had some pretty good challenges blocking wise,” explains Pierre. “Derrick Harvey, the D-end for the Florida Gators and the D-end from Texas that’s also in the draft right now, Brian Orakpo. I had a good time going against those guys.”

For his part, Pierre has helped Florida Atlantic see some success at the FBS level. The Owls have won two straight bowl games, the New Orleans Bowl in 2007 and the Motor City Bowl in 2008.

One of his best performances ever even came against a BCS conference team in a hostile environment.

When asked about his best performance as a collegian, Pierre responded, “I would say… the Michigan State game. The Michigan State game I broke free for a 76-yard touchdown my first touch of the game.”

There’s a lot to like about Pierre. He improved every season at FAU going from rushing for 756 yards and five touchdowns as a sophomore to 782 yards and seven touchdowns as a junior earning honorable mention All-Sun Belt Conference. His senior year he had 1040 yards and eight touchdowns and became second team All-Sun Belt.

But there’s reason for caution as well. While well-built, Pierre is on the short side checking in at a shade under 5-8 at FAU’s pro day. As a result, Pierre has had to battle the perception that he could be used as a third down back at the next level.

“The point of the matter is,” explains Pierre, “if you want to be a running back in the NFL, you’ve got to be able to be an every down back.

“As far as I’m concerned, I consider myself an every down back.”

Packers draft odds

Brian Carriveau — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 11:19:06 GMT

What are the chances the Green Bay Packers draft such and such a player? I'll tell you...

Florida State linebacker Everette Brown - 30% - Right now Brown is the odds on favorite to be drafted by the Packers. He's a good fit for the 3-4 defense, he fills a need, and he's most likely going to be available.
Texas linebacker Brian Orakpo - 25% - Orakpo is slightly behind Brown in overall athleticism and upside. He can certainly rush the quarterback, but can he do other things required of a 3-4 linebacker?
Boston College defensive tackle B.J. Raji - 15% - I think the Packers will take Raji if he's available. The problem is, I don't think he'll be available. Fans can only hope he slips to the Pack at number nine.
Mississippi tackle Michael Oher - 10% - If Oher's life wasn't scrutinized in a book, he'd be going a lot higher in some mock drafts. The Packers could be one team willing to look past the scrutiny, and draft a cornerstone at tackle for years to come.
Southern California inside linebacker Rey Maualuga - 7% - I know that most places have Maualuga going much lower in most mock drafts. But I just can't deny his big play ability and production level.
Alabama tackle Andre Smith - 5% - Smith is kind of in the same boat as Oher. If a team can overlook his flaws, they could have a good tackle. But there's much more risk involved with Smith.
The field - 5% - Don't laugh. I probably would have had Justin Harrell as part of the field two years ago.
LSU defensive end Tyson Jackson - 1 % - Going for Jackson this high is a stretch, but he's probably the top rated 3-4 defensive end in this year's draft class.
Texas Tech wide receiver Michael Crabtree - 1% - I also believe Crabtree will be gone by number nine, but if somehow teams are scared off by his injury, he'll be hard to pass up.
Ohio State cornerback Malcolm Jenkins - 1% - I just don't believe the Packers are in the market for a cornerback. I'm also concerned he'll be a bust.