2012 Packers Draft Review

So let’s take some time to review the entire draft and see what we think of the job Theodore and his band of scouting warriors and personnel folks did over the long 3 day darft.
Round 1
27 - Nick Perry OLB/DE USC – A need selection as far as putting pressure on the passer goes. In preparation for the draft Perry is said to have bulked up from 250 to 271 on his 6’ 3” + frame believing his best assets to be as an end in a 4-3 rather than as an OLB in a 3-4. His physical skills are near an elite level, but he was rarely asked to drop into coverage as USC. Do the Packers want him to add more bulk to play DE in their scheme or drop weight and get back to playing OLB for them? I guess we will see as camp comes round.

I do not have a problem with the pick, but as I have been saying I preferred Courtney Upshaw so we will see how it works out, but I do trust the personnel team the Packers have so benefit of the doubt is given as it has been earned. Other guys who could have been considered at that spot were Harrison Smith, Devon Still, Doug Martin or Andre Branch all filling positions of need and with first round talent and grades.

Round 2
51 - Jerel Worthy DT Michigan State – This guy is a massive body with great get off of the snap, he can be disruptive and physical as anyone in the middle. IMHO he also has the ability to play outside should the team desire him to do so though his primary position will be in the middle. A first round talent for sure, who only slid into the second round due to the overabundance of players on the D-Line available in this season’s draft. I watched Michigan State play several times over the past couple of seasons and Worthy consistently made plays though at times seemed content to just occupy space rather than be a force.
Loving when Theodore gets aggressive and does after players who he likes and fit needs, I loved the move with Philly to get Worthy. When I first heard the trade I thought it was for Konz who was available at the 51st selection along with Zach Brown a guy I love for his edge speed and pass rush capabilities, Lavonte David or DE Vinny Curry. Giving up their 2nd (59) and 4th (123) is about right to move into this spot. Good value.

62 - Casey Hayward CB Vanderbilt – Two Time All-SEC Cornerback with good size and decent, but not great speed Hayward was graded out by some experts as the #3 CB in the entire draft and was the 5th one taken. He has great ball skills and by all accounts works his tail off to be as good as he can be. He fits the mold of the Packers corners as well, is a good tackler who plays physically just the way we like ‘em.

Again Theodore went the aggressive route, God I love him for it too! Dealing a 3rd (90) and a 5th (163) to the Patriots, again, was the appropriate value, and maybe a little in the Packs favor as far as the “value charts” go. Fills another need on the defensive side and was one hell of a nice way to end day two of the draft. Obviously Theodore moved up specifically for Hayward, but other possibilities there were two other CB’s Josh Robinson or Trumaine Johnson who may project as a Safety in the NFL along with Ronnie Hillman or Bernard Pierce at RB.

Round 3 – No selections due to the trades to acquire Worthy and Hayward.

Round 4
132 (Compensatory Pick) Mike Daniels DT Iowa is a little smaller DT than you usually see on a 3-4 team so I suspect they may be playing him more at DE where he is shorter than most DE’s that play in this scheme. He was a disruptive player inside in college that used his quickness off the ball to make plays in side and disrupt the QB. Saw him play several times as well and he always showed up with his hustle and heart. Very interesting pick who should be a nice addition to the D-Line rotation. Other players who could have been considered at this spot were CB Josh Norman, the small college prospect from Coastal Carolina or Tank Carder from TCU and guys I obviously over rated Markelle Martin or Antonio Allen at safety.

133 (Compensatory Pick) Jerron McMillian Safety Maine is a guy I had lower on my grades, but frankly the more I read and see about him the more I like the pick. I had other Safeties higher on my board and so did just about every other expert amateur or otherwise. That does not make it a poor selection however, maybe a reach and Ted does this to me every single draft, but the guy has the measureables, ball skills and tackling ability you want out of a Safety in today’s NFL. Perhaps had he played somewhere other than the Football Factory at Maine he might have been considered a higher level prospect.

Defense, defense and more defense here and I don’t think anyone should have any problem with it, I sure didn’t and do not. As I say above Theodore does this to me every draft, but I guess that is why he is there and I am here. The draft to this point sends a very strong message to the Packers players on the D-Line and in the Secondary that their performance last season was not up to par and guys are coming after them. I love it. The competition is going to make them better and if there had been any complacency it had better be thrown away.

Round 5
163 Terrell Manning LB NC State who at the time was one of the top rated players on Mel’s board when the Packers aggressively traded up to make him their selection. Solid performer at NC State with some pass rush ability who will immediately help out on Special Teams as he learns the NFL game. Good size speed ratio too.

Aggressive Ted comes to the forefront again as he deals the last 3 remaining non-compensatory picks 6th round (193), 7th round (224 and 235) to move into the back of the 5th round to select a player that some experts had as a solid mid-third round prospect ending the tradeable picks in the Packers possession. Other possibilities at this spot were the previous mentioned Safeties and another one too, George Iloka from Boise, Ryan Lindley or small school CB/S prospect Justin Bethel.

Round 6 – No selections due to Aggressive Ted’s maneuvering.

Round 7
241 – Andrew Datko OT Florida State, good size 6’ 6” 325, average feet, probably RT prospect or perhaps inside at guard. Going to take some coaching up, had some injury issues at Florida State. Some experts believe he is a better prospect than teammate Zebrie Sanders who was picked much earlier.

Datko is the player and spot that ole WSS had the Packers projected to make in his pre-draft Packers mock.

243 – BJ Coleman QB Tennessee-Chatanooga good size QB at 6’ 4” 220 who started his career at Tennessee and transferred to Chatanooga to get more playing time in the wake of the whole Lane Kiffin saga. Needs a lot of work on his feet and mechanics, but he has the arm to make the throws. Looking forward to see what QB School is going to do with this guy, he is raw, but has talent.
Other players that could have been taken in this round were Kellen Moore, Edwin Baker, Chris Polk, Vontaze Burfict, or Chandler Harnish.

This draft, as all drafts are, was imperfect in terms of filing all of the potential needs on the team, but it it was a very good draft in terms of prospects and filling of needs. The current Defensive linemen on this team have been put on official notice that their performances have been sub-par to this point and they need to get a lot better and fast or they will be looking for work. The same goes with the secondary and well the LB corps too. There are going to be some wonderful battles in camp this year on the defensive side of the ball.

Still need to find a RB assuming Grant is not back, who knows about the health of the rest of the guys in camp. No WR’s has to make Double D feel a little better, but I am not sure that situation ends the way we’d all like to see it with Driver rockin’ that #80 jersey he has worn so well all these years.

Love when Aggressive Ted comes out and he was as aggressive or more so than I ever remember him being. No trade downs for extra pick, all trade ups for players in positions of need. This may be, no, this WAS my favorite draft of the Thompson Era, now comes the time to see if the picks were good picks that help the team both short term and long term. Gotta give this draft a B+ with A potential.

Well Done Boys!

Great post, Serious.
I wanted D and I got it...never would have imagined the first 6 picks all being on that side of the ball. Also, 3 trade-ups which I'm pretty sure equals the total of TT's previous trade-ups.
I was big on Worthy most all along so here's hoping that pick works out especially. Leery of Perry, but cannot complain that TT finally took an OLB high when the need seemed to be pretty obvious for several years.
And I knew little to nothing of both 4th Rd'ers so that will make me even more curious to see how they do come training camp.
Finally, Coleman was a name I had thrown out there several times as a late Packer pick at QB. Well, he's a Packer now so I will be watching him very closely. Here's hoping he can make the PS at the very least.

Thanks denver, much appreciated.

Like I always say I love an Aggressive Ted. He does great work most of the time, but seems to do his best work when he goes into aggressive mode.

Lots of intrigue as there always is with the draft which is what makes it fun. I for one will be watching McMillian the hardest since in my opionion he is the most questionable of the selections made by Theodire and his crew.

Can't wait to see them strap it on.

Great recap!

I know what at least one Packer front office guy thought of how the draft was going. Eliot Wolf tweeted just after the trade-up for Hayward that Ted was "just killing this thing". MM mentioned the same thing in his presser the feeling in the room when you are moving up to grab the guys you really want. Thanks to Cullen Jenkins and Daryn Colledge and the rest of the departed for the comp picks, just as we may be thanking matt Flynn, Scott Wells and others next year.

Thanks Ted.

If that is the case next year and I have no reason to think it won't be, I just hope Ted stays as aggressive as he was this year. I swear I almost came in my pants watching him move, shake, bake and earthquake.

Good post WSS, it was very informative for yours truly who does not follow the draft prospects as closely as you and a few others in this forum.

As long as the Packers are this close to winning the whole ball of wax again, I think that we will be seeing the aggressive Ted again if the roster is deep and only a few holes need fixing. I was very pleased at his aggressive approach as well.


Denver, when I saw the first six draft picks all defense, I immediately thought of you stating in previous posts of EVERY draft pick in this draft should be defense and it pretty much was. The Draft of 2012 was a Denver Draft!

I expect a hungry and aggressive defense this coming season that should complement our prolific offense for a very successful 2012 season.

The Denver Draft, I like it Ed!

Ah, The Denver Draft...it does have a nice ring to it. Now just wait, I predict by the second week of training camp Datko will be switched to DE.
Coleman will stay at QB...for now.....

The BPA-just-happening-to-be-a-D-player-for-6-rounds-including-3-trade-ups approach sure worked out well for TT this year.

That is as good an analysis as I've seen anywhere WSS. I still would have liked to have seen Still picked over Worthy. Mainly because I saw Still play and not much of Worthy. I know denver disagrees with me and apparently he has more pull with Ted than I do. At any rate, BJ should play less snaps and hopefully return to his 2010 form.

We'll probably never know, but I wonder if TT would have picked McClellin in the first if he was available.

Thanks HB, much appreciated.

Not sure if I had a preference one of the other, but Still is taller at near 6' 5" vs. 6' 2 1/2" for Worthy for whatever it's worth.

I have to think Ted would have gone McLellin over Perry, but as you said we will never know. Now, since he is a Bear I hope he is a bust.

Can't wait for Training Camp!

HB, yep, TT and I go way back. I actually remember having his Houston Oilers' card as a kid.
You and I will have fun over the next couple of years watching to see whether Worthy or Still turns out better.

I tyhink I had a bunch Ted Thompsons too back in the day, but I am damned glad we have the ONE runnin' the chise.

ALL draft picks signed? Check. TT is still the man!

You just have to love how the new CBA makes signing your draft picks so easy. Theodore and the boys have always done an excellent job, but this new stuff makes it a fraickin' cakewalk.

I always enjoy looking back on early posts to see how the draft picks panned out. Perry I would give an Incomplete rating since he got hurt early and never really got to show what he could do. Worthy was decent but still needs another year of experience. Hayward was the diamond in the rough -- he has exceptional ball hawking skills (as WSS pointed out in his post) and was part of a young secondary who are much improved over last years DB's. I also liked Daniels who may be short but has a lot of fight in him on the D line. Most of the other picks I can't really rate.

It is very preliminary to make a judgment on the majority of these players but I'm looking forward to see how these guys look when they make the big jump in their 2nd and 3rd years. By that time we will see if the heavy draft on defense pans out.