Is a 49er. Goodnight, sweet Prince. May you enjoy your destiny as the Second Coming of Ronnie Lott...
I am now terrified of the Willis/Mays Combo. Look at this guy. LOOK at him:
That's a baaaaaad man. 3 years in the league. Here are his finishes in total tackes: #1, #3, #1. And he hurts people when he tackles. That's going to be quite the team. Don't sleep on the Niners this year...
When I look back at The Teddy Drafts, one thing is easy to deduce: Mr. Thompson is an all-or-nothing kind of guy in the First Round. Let's take a look, shall we:
2005: Aaron Rodgers. Completely useless for three years (why doesn't anyone else cry havoc on this point?) but irreplaceable now. No one is upset we have him - just that there was a void for 3 years... and we completely cut ties with the face of the franchise because he was waiting in the wings.
2006: A.J. Hawk. Gah! Total bomb. Your argument is invalid if you argue otherwise. Linebackers picked in the top five need to be Junior Seau or Derrick Thomas. They cannot be Mike Walter.
2009: B.J. Raji and Clay Matthews. Well, I gotta say, those two talked me off a ledge. Raji looks like he will be an above-average NT for a long, long time. And as the banner indicates, I'm in love with Matthews.
So what's the final tally? 2 perrenial Pro Bowlers (Rodgers and Matthews), one above-average NT (Raji), and 2 completely worthless bodies (Hawk, Harrell). Feels like I should give Mr. Thompson the benefit of the doubt.
The newest Packer, Bryan Bulaga, fit a need. He may also have the chops to be our LT for 10 years. We needed a LT of the future (TJ Lang wasn't the answer). But this pick might be a little too much like the Rodgers pick in 05: we've got someone at the position who is more than adequate now, and could be for another 2-3 years. WHICH MEANS! Mr. Bulaga might not give this team anything for awhile. That's the part I don't like. And that's why I didn't want Charlie Brown, either.
On the other hand, no less than the Great Peter King of Sports Illustrated thought Mr. Bulaga would be the 5th overall pick. As Kiper would say, "Great Value There!" The jury is out, but after last year, I don't have any basis to get all worked up over what a horrible pick this is. Let's leave it at that...
The best news of the night? The Vikings traded out of the first round, passing up Sergio Kindle and Taylor Mays (I don't want to live in a world where we'd have to face Purple Jesus AND Purple Mays... /cues Jimmy Hendrix). They've got the 2nd pick in the 2nd round, probably choosing the slight trade-down to ask God what he wants them to do.
In other good news: the Bears still haven't taken anyone (no pick until round 3) and the Lions took Suh and Best. Packers fans, bare with me here: yes, Suh and Best will be good. And they'll be fun to watch. But they went to the best possible team: THE LIONS... We aren't losing to the Lions anytime soon - so at no risk of getting an "L", we get to see two of the top 5 most exciting prospects in this years' draft, twice a year for the foreseeable future. Not too shabby...
One last note: Mays, as stated above, is still on the board. Please Mr. Thompson, give up a 3 and do what you need to do to acquire this fine young man. Packers fans need us some stealth mode...
The gentlemen over at the National Football Post are doing the Lord’s Work. And, just like every sport’s website in America, they have a Mock Draft up. In fact, this is Mock Draft 5.0 (the 5th version, I presume). While no mock draft will ever be close to being correct, they are great at sparking a conversation.
So, who does Wes Bunting have going to the Greatest Professional Sports Team In The World? Drumroll:
23. Green Bay Packers: Charles Brown, OT, USC
Maybe a bit of a surprise here with Maryland product Bruce Campbell still on the board, but I just think Brown is a better fit for what the Packers want to do in the run game.
Charlie Fucking Brown? You have GOT to be kidding me. (Shouldn’t he go to Cleveland?)
With all due respect to Mr. Bunting, Old Teddy ain’t drafting no 3’5” offensive lineman. He’s going to draft a MAN. And that man is Taylor Mays. A 6’3”, 235 pound wrecking machine of a man. When he arrived at USC 4 years ago, everyone said he would be Ronnie Lott. Well, he isn’t Ronnie Lott. He’s Ronnie Lott 2.0. Some fans may remember he was the Bad Mother Fucker who knocked out two players on one play (though one was his teammate) during the 2009 Rose Bowl.
You may also know that Mays ran a 4.3 40 yard dash at the combine this year. It was the fastest time for any defensive back. Remember, he weighs 235 pounds. Mike Singletary played at 230. Mays is an absolute beast, with plus cover skills and the ability to run down everyone.
Last fall, Badgerstyle and I got into it over Eric Berry v. Mays. Even after a remarkable year by Berry, there remains no question in my mind that Mays is the superior pro prospect (Mr. Bunting has Mr. Berry going to Kansas City at pick 5). The Packers have a gaping hole at safety. Paired with Mr. Collins, the base defense would appear as if we had 3 lineman, 6 linebackers, and 2 cornerbacks. That unit could become the most physical unit in the League, but Mays is the key. Every great defense had a player opposing teams truly feared (not because of their skill, necessarily, but because they would hammer you). Easy examples include Lewis, Lynch, Atwater, Lott, Butkus, and, of course, Nitschke. A.J. Hawk was supposed to be that guy. He isn’t. He really, really, isn’t.
So I think Teddy will do the right thing, again, this year. (Despite my many concerns, getting Raji and Matthews earned his a lot of respect in my book). He’ll take another USC product (no, NOT Charlie Brown), grab a glass of Alambic Brandy, and call it a draft. So, without further ado, let's meet our next Packer:
I am now terrified of the Willis/Mays Combo. Look at this guy. LOOK at him:
That's a baaaaaad man. 3 years in the league. Here are his finishes in total tackes: #1, #3, #1. And he hurts people when he tackles. That's going to be quite the team. Don't sleep on the Niners this year...
