Open Letter to Draft Eligible Underclassman

Dear College Underclassman,
Are you sure you want to declare for the draft? If you have the talent and are certain to go in round 1 or 2, go ahead. If you're a borderline talent, please see P.J. Hill. He had no business declaring for the draft and he paid for it by not being drafted. Do you think he'll regret it on Saturdays when John Clay is running wild? Stay in school and enjoy the campus experience. Score a couple of hot sorority sisters and relish being the big man on campus. Savor your time in college! It'll be gone before you know it.

Sincerely,
All Pro and College Football Fans

2009 NFL Draft Recap - Day 2

Day 2 is in the books and the Packers took a myriad of players. Both Mel Kiper and Todd McShay said the Packers' draft was the best. I'd have to agree. Another home run for TT!

Here are the Packs' picks in rounds 4 through 7:

Round 4 - T.J. Lang - OT, Eastern Michigan. Need pick. With Clifton getting old and Tauscher injured and not yet signed, TT needed to pick up a few tackles. I think only 1 of the tackles drafted today will make the team unless Barbre, Moll or Giacomini take a step back. There is a good chance of one of those 3 backpedaling.

Round 5 - Quinn Johnson - FB, LSU. Interesting pick. We already have Hall and Kuhn. However, Hall cannot stay healthy and Kuhn is not a great talent. Johnson is a real roadgrader and a special teams maven. I think he's got a good chance to make the team.

Round 5 - Jamon Meredith - OT, South Carolina. Not as good at run blocking as Lang, but is better in pass protection. Played in the SEC so he is used to blocking talented college players. Solid chance to make the team.

Round 6 - Jarius Wynn - DE, Georgia. This is my favorite pick on day 2. I think he has the ability to not only make the team, but get some snaps. If he can show pass rush moves in preseason, he could be a lock.

Round 6 - Brandon Underwood - CB, Cincinnati. Played a lot of safety. Could make the team if Rouse does not improve and Bigby cannot stay healthy. Was named team special teams MVP so you know he is not afraid to mix it up.

Round 7 - Brad Jones - OLB, Colorado. Solid run stopper, but has trouble in coverage. With Matthews drafted in the 1st round and all the backers already on the team, Jones will have trouble making the roster. He better show A LOT on special teams.

Day 2 Notes -

There were only 4 Wisconsin Badgers selected. I was surprised that only one Badger offensive lineman was drafted. I thought Andy Kemp would have gotten picked. The bigger surprise was that Jonathan Casillas was not drafted. If you want to see his talent on display, check out the 2007 Capital One Bowl when he chased down Darren McFadden. Enough said. He should have been drafted. Congratulations, Kraig Urbik. You were drafted by the perfect team. Enjoy Pittsburgh. Message to anyone in the same town as P.J. Hill - stay off the roads tonight because P.J. Hill did not get drafted so he's probably out drinking. What a waste.

The Saints moved up to select a punter. I laugh when that happens. Then I cry. Fuck you, Mike Sherman. And fuck you, B.J. Sander.

Who was ESPN's highest rated player that did not get drafted? Gerald Cadogan - OT, Penn State. He was rated 97th overall. 256 players were drafted. I thought that everyone in the top 100 would have been drafted. He was not alone though. Michael Bennett - DE, Texas A&M was rated 99 and also did not get drafted. They should get together and have a pity party.

I feel bad for Brian Hoyer and Quan Cosby. They allowed ESPN into their living rooms only to not be drafted. Plus, Cosby had the misfortune of having Bill Cosby with him. It's worse than Aaron Rodgers and Brady Quinn slipping in round 1. At least those 2 were drafted.

Congratulations, Ryan Succop - K, South Carolina. You're Mr. Irrelevent 2009! Good luck trying to make the Chiefs.

2009 NFL Draft Recap - Day 1

So the 2009 NFL draft has begun and Day 1 is in the books. Here's my recap from a Packer fan's perspective.

1st Round -

Packers Pick: B.J. Raji - DT, Boston College. I like it. It's growing on me. It's not sexy, but it helps the team. It will give us someone stout up front against the great runners in our division. I'm positive Adrian Peterson cannot run over Raji. Plus, in 2009, Ryan Pickett can start and Raji can spell him. Then next year when Pickett's contract is up, Raji can step in and start. I remember how much Gilbert Brown controlled the line of scrimmage during the Super Bowl years. I'm expecting Raji to do the same. I'd be remiss without mentioning that Michael Crabtree was sitting there for us. That would have been amazing. We might not have stopped anyone on defense, but with Rodgers slinging it and Crabtree added to the best receiving corps in the NFL, the Pack would have scored 40 every game. It'll be interesting when Crabtree and the 49ers come to Lambeau Field on November 22nd.

Packers Pick: Clay Matthews, Jr. - OLB, USC. This was a shock. A good shock, though. TT never trades up. He gave up a lot, but drafted a talented 3-4 OLB with a great pedigree. TT has instantly improved a lackluster defense. I think we can plug Matthews in for the next 10 years. He'll be a starter by week one. He walked on at USC only to dedicate himself to becoming a great player through hard work. Matthews could be our DeMarcus Ware or Shawn Merriman. I am really impressed with this pick.

Best Pick: Michael Crabtree going to the 49ers with the 10th pick. It gives them their first stud wide receiver since that cancer T.O. left town. Crabtree was high on everyone's board. Hell, the Packers had Crabtree as #1 on their board. Now only if the 49ers could get a quarterback to throw him the ball. Once a QB gets to San Fran, Crabtree will be a perennial Pro Bowler. Do you think the Niners are still kicking themselves for taking Alex Smith over Aaron Rodgers? I think that turned out pretty good...for the Packers.

Worst Pick: Darrius Heyward-Bay going to the Raiders 7th overall. Are you kidding me? Maybe if Crabtree, Maclin, AND Harvin were off the board, then it would have been an okay pick. This will go down as one the worst picks EVER! Maybe Robert Gallery can give Heyward-Bay advice on how to be bust. Mel Kiper gave this pick a F. I would say that is too high. I'll call it was it was - STUPID! This is why the Raiders are the Raiders. Al Davis needs to step back into oblivion. The only thing that was good about the pick is that it increased the options that were available to the Packers.

Most Surprising: See Worst Pick. If you have forgot already, the Raiders are FUCKING MORONS! Ha-Ha!

2nd Round -

Packers Pick: No picks since TT moved up into the first. Did I mention I am amazed by that? I was sitting there watching the draft with my dad. At around pick 22, I said wouldn't it be great to get Matthews. Then I was like, "Never mind. TT won't go up to get him." As the 26th pick came up, my dad said "It's the Packers!" He was shocked...as was damn near every Packer fan. Great first day, TT!

Best Pick: Hands down it's Rey Maualuga going 38th to the Cincinnati Bengals. This guy is a beast. He's mean. He's a leader. He's just plain nasty. Some mocks had him going in the low teens, but he drops to early in the second. That's what I call a good value pick. I hope Maualuga plays with a chip on his shoulder. He should, too. I'm just glad he's in the AFC.

Worst Pick: I have nothing against Alphonso Smith or Everette Brown. Although, I do not think Brown will be special. (It's my Jamal Reynolds phobia.) However, I've never been a fan of trading next year's first round pick for a 2nd in the current year. Denver and Carolina must be really sold on those guys because they came at a high price. What happens if Denver or Carolina get a top 10 pick next year? Neither one of those guys is worth it. If I was a Bronco or Panther fan, I'd be pissed. Actually, if I was a Bronco fan, I'd find the tallest building with the skinniest ledges, but that's because of other things. (Fucking Super Bowl XXXII!)

Most Surprising: It's not surprising that the Bengals picked Maualuga. It IS surprising he was still there at 38. The Bengals got a steal on this kid. I listened to Ken Norton Jr. talk about him. Wow. Norton, himself a great LB, says Maualuga is a great LB and will be a perennial Pro Bowler. I believe him. He's a beast. Both of them.

Day 1 Notes -

No Wisconsin players drafted. Not surprising though. If Beckum would have came out last year, I think he would have gone late 1st or early 2nd round. What a difference a year makes. On the same subject, P.J. Hill will probably not be drafted. He should have came back. It would have at least gave him a better chance at getting drafted. Maybe the Packers can pick him up as an undrafted free agent. I also love the shorter clocks. 10 minutes is just the right amount of time. I wonder what the GMs think about it. There are a few things I miss though. I miss the 3rd round picked on day 1. I also miss live look-ins into war rooms. It was interesting to see the setups and the interactions. Note to ESPN: Please bring the war room cameras back!

2009 NFL Draft

With the ninth pick in the 2009 NFL draft, the Green Bay Packers select...who knows. With Ted Thompson running the draft, I have no idea. I still have 100% faith in him. However, another .500 or worse season and I will officially put him on the hot seat. I do not think he will get fired until after the 2010 season at the earliest. That of course is barring a disastrous 4-12 season. (Which will not happen with the talent on the team. And oh yeah, we still play the Lions twice a year. I want to see how good of an arm Matthew Stafford actually has when he is running for his life behind that high school offensive line. In a small way, I feel bad for him. Congratulations, you are the number 1 pick in the draft - here's a Lions jersey. That's got to be depressing. Then again, after an 0-16 season, can the team get any worse?)

Since the NFL draft starts tomorrow, I'm like a kid on Christmas. Who will the Packers draft? Will they trade down? Or up? Will McCarthy ever smile? How many times will they bring up Tony Fucking Mandarich?

Although the pundits say this is a talent-thin draft, there are a few players I would love to have on the team. I would be happy with Malcolm Jenkins, Brian Orakpo, B.J. Raji, or Tyson Jackson. I would be ecstatic with Andre Smith, Eugene Monroe, or Jason Smith - none of whom would be available at 9. My ideal 2009 Packers draft would go something like this...

1st Round - Malcolm Jenkins - CB, Ohio State (After TT trades back a few slots and picks up an extra 2nd round pick.)
2nd Round - Larry English - DE/OLB, Northern Illinois
2nd Round - Phil Loadholt - OT, Oklahoma
3rd Round - Travis Beckham - TE, Wisconsin
3rd Round - Jason Watkins - OT, Florida
4th Round - Roy Miller - DT, Texas
5th Round - Zach Potter - DE, Nebraska
6th Round - Kevin Huber - P, Cincinnati
6th Round - Greg Carr - WR, Florida State
7th Round - P.J. Hill - RB, Wisconsin (Do you think this guy is pissed he did not stay in school? If he had a great senior season, P.J. could have been in the 3rd or 4th round next year. This year he might not even be drafted.)

Of course, it's not going to go down that way. TT will probably execute a few later round trades. Plus, he's bound to draft someone that nobody is talking about.

After each round is complete, I will have my favorite pick of the round, the most surprising pick, and my thoughts about who the Packers drafted from a fan's perspective.