2015 Packer Report Draft Review

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THE ELITE EIGHT?

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REVIEWING THE PICKS

Departments

General manager Ted Thompson’s draft philosophy was an easy one. “I was trying to have everybody focus on good football players. I hope we did that,” he said. In trying to get the “best players available,” Thompson took care of the team’s needs, as well.

Can first-round pick Damarious Randall play cornerback? “He’s played a ton of man coverage — a ton of man coverage,” his position coach at Arizona State said. “He is really, really good at it. Really good at it. He won’t have any problem playing corner. No problem at all.” We provide fresh perspectives on the eight picks.

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INSTANT REPLAY

With the 2015 draft in the books, we take a look back at the Class of 2014, which proved its worth in one of the biggest regular-season games in years. “We’re blessed with our rookie class of guys who are really gym rats, students of the game, guys who put in the time and prepare well,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said.

Letter from the Publisher Happy Hour By the Numbers Q&A: John Crockett Packers Schedule NFL Schedules

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RAY NITSCHKE HITS Y.A. TITTLE IN THE 1961 TITLE GAME.

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Letter from the Publisher BILL HUBER

It’s Not A Good-Bye ON

July 25, 1973, Packer Report debuted as Ray Nitschke’s Pro Report.

Toward the end of Ray’s opening column, he wrote, “The fans up here have been tremendously loyal ... and they’ve been demanding, but that’s the way it should be. They make you feel like somebody.”

I’ve felt the same way in my seven years trying to carry on Ray’s legacy as the voice of this magazine. To be putting out the last issue really, really sucks. It’s as if I let him down — and let down all of you. Unfortunately, it’s the way of the business. If you’re a newspaper subscriber, you’ve seen the size and content downsized considerably over the years. It costs a lot of money — people and postage, paper and ink — to deliver old news to your front door. It’s an unwinnable battle, like an airplane vs. a train. It hurts to say that, considering I’ve been putting words to paper for half of my life. But it’s true. Time marches on. It marched on for Ray and it marches on for us, too. You might’ve heard about that Internet thing. And as much as I want to believe a weekly or monthly magazine in print or electronic form would flourish, that’s probably not true. People want their news as it happens, not as it was a week ago.

This final issue isn’t going to be some long retrospective on our history.

I considered it for half-a-moment but if Ray didn’t put his own retirement on the cover, then I’m not going to treat this like a funeral. We’ll keep marching on at PackerReport.com, giving you the features and analysis that you won’t find anywhere else. After you’ve finished reading this note, almost every word in the final 40 pages of this magazine will be about the new players that hopefully will bring another Lombardi Trophy to Titletown.

With that said, I’ve got to say “thank you” to some people. After moving up here in 1997 upon being hired as a copy editor and page designer on the news side at the Shawano Leader, I would occasionally drive past the old Packer Report HQ on Lombardi Avenue. One day, I decided to stop by and introduce myself to the editor, Todd Korth. I offered my help as a writer and designer. For some reason, Todd hired me as a part-timer. That would be my foot in the door. When Todd left to take a position at Referee Magazine in 2008, I was hired to fill his shoes. With my limited football ability, it was the only way I’d ever follow in Ray’s footsteps.

Since then, I’ve written a bunch of checks out of the Huber Diaper Fund for writers, most notably Tom Andrews, Keith Roerdink and Matt Tevsh. Tom’s historical perspective was just the ticket for a magazine about a franchise so steeped in history. Tom knows all the legends and he’s got a million stories.

Keith and Matt are tremendous story-tellers. Whether it was a sidebar from a game, commentary from Keith or a story from practice by Matt, they always delivered a fresh angle and an enlightening read. They worked far too hard for what I could afford to give them – even going to Dallas for the Super Bowl on their own dime. And not once did I have to assign a story to them. They were the ones with the ideas and the perspectives I never would have thought of.

Finally, Shannon Coffey, Garth French and Jay Torrell are the ones who always made the magazines look so darned good. No matter how badly I missed a deadline because I had bitten off more than I could chew or procrastinated two days too long for this or that, they always made the content sing.

For Ray, his retirement from the game a month after his first Pro Report was published wasn’t the end. It was the start of something new. Same with us. While the print version is gone, our evolution continues with a stronger online presence than ever. Whether you’ve read this magazine for one year or four decades, thank you from the bottom of my heart — and Ray’s.

• Bill Huber is publisher for Packer Report and PackerReport.com. E-mail me at packwriter2002@yahoo.com. Follow me on Twitter @PackerReport.

Robert Riger/Getty Images

PACKERREPORT.COM • 5

THE KICKOFF

HOUR

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We’re just like you. Serve up a couple cold ones and the talk inevitably turns to the Packers. After three days of hearing about the “best player available,” we discuss the draft over some draughts.

✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩Packer Style BILL: Well, guys, another draft is in the books, and it was a memorable one.

The Packers drafted a baseball player in the first round, a basketball player in the second round and golfer Colin Montgomery in the third. Wait, that’s Stanford’s Ty Montgomery. Anyway, between that and the closing of the Elegant Moose restaurant, Keith ditching us for the Pinewood Derby and Ted Thompson telling us that he and his staff like to grade other teams’ drafts, I’m not even sure where to start.

Actually, I do. Professors Tevsh and Roerdink, if it’s OK for Ted to grade the Lions it’s OK for you guys to grade the Packers.

DAMARIOUS RANDALL

MATT: Grades for the draft at this stage are so Mel Kiper. What I did find interesting about this draft was that the Packers took some chances. And they could afford to. Understandably, cornerback was a need — so no surprise with the top two picks there other than the names. Not sure many had Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins pegged. The Packers are putting a lot of their faith in their coaching staff with those guys because of their background. You’d have to think one of those guys will see time on the field this year.

But after that, you could see Thompson trying to rebuild the special teams units. And then the Brett Hundley pick fell right into their lap. Maybe the best pick of the draft for value, even though the guy might never play with the Packers. But he may just be talented enough to give the Packers a chance if Rodgers gets hurt. Or he might get traded down the road. You never know what could happen.

KEITH: I’m sad about the Elegant Moose, just up the road from Lambeau Field. We’ll need a new draft brunch place. But on a positive note, my son Hayden did take fourth in the Rib Mountain District at the Cub Scout Pinewood Derby, so ditching you guys for Day 3 of the draft was justified! And I did make it to Chicago on Thursday night ... not that I ran into Damarious Randall, because even he didn’t think he’d get picked by Green Bay! You know, clearly Thompson and Co. liked Randall in this spot, and pretty much nobody outside of NFL GMs had him pegged for a switch to cornerback. But especially after getting Quentin Rollins in the second round — who I like a lot — I can’t help but think how much better I’d feel about their draft if Green Bay had taken inside linebacker Stephone Anthony with the 30th overall pick. Everything else could’ve played out the same with Rollins, Montgomery and even Ryan as a second inside linebacker to throw in the mix. I just would’ve liked to address their most-glaring need sooner than the fourth round.

But if there’s one thing we know it’s that Thompson knows more than us, and we should trust him by now. I guess I give it a C-plus based on impact for 2015, but the grade could go up if we re-grade in maybe 2017.

Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports

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BILL: I’d give the Packers a solid B. I love the back-to-back cornerbacks to get things rolling. At best, they’ve got themselves covered with Casey Hayward entering his final season under contract and Sam Shields’ salary soaring to north of $12 million. At worst, Thompson only needs to go 1-of-2 to bolster the secondary.

I’m a huge fan of Montgomery and Ryan — I had such a good feeling they’d take Ryan that I interviewed him before the draft. And if Hundley pans out, some team is going to give the Packers a first- or second-round pick in the 2017 or 2018 draft.

OK, changing gears: What bothers you about the state of the roster?

MATT: I’m not sure anything really bothers me about the roster besides losing Tramon Williams. Understandably, he made more than the Packers would have paid him but he was so reliable you never had to worry about him. And opposing teams could never slant their game plan to expose either Packers corner when he and Sam Shields were in the lineup. Casey Hayward and Micah Hyde, among others, will have some big shoes to fill. I think the inside linebacker position will be fine if the Packers keep Clay Matthews fluid. He should have a multiple role regardless of how good Jake Ryan, or anyone else for that matter, is next season.

KEITH: Matt makes a good point. I think Tramon will be missed until Hayward eases our minds with consistent, top-notch play. Tramon wasn’t at that Pro Bowl level last year, but he still flashed it and played at a high level throughout the year. If someone goes down, we’re going to see Randall and Rollins sooner than we thought. I’m a little more cautious on Ryan than you are, Bill, but I love the guy’s attitude. Maybe he’s like a young A.J. Hawk — but one you got in the fourth round. I mean that in the most complimentary way, as I liked Hawk more than most. But the Packers are missing the top three inside backers from the start of last season. We’re putting our faith in Ryan, Carl Bradford and Joe Thomas. And we’re assuming that Sam Barrington doesn’t have any setbacks at the other spot.

I expect Matthews to split his time again this year and make an impact from all different spots. You just hope Peppers has a year like last year and stays healthy.

BILL: Keith, something you just said made me think of something. I guess I’m not too worried about Barrington’s play taking a step back but what if he gets hurt? They have only one semi-proven player at the position in Barrington. Do they have enough quality bodies for depth? Who knows, maybe those sixthround picks become standouts. But it certainly would have made sense to draft another inside linebacker.

OK, last question, guys: For the Packers to get over the hump to topple the Seahawks and win the Super Bowl, they have to ...

MATT: Play better/coach better/have better luck in the final 5-of-so minutes of the game. I mean, in two of the last three contests in Seattle, the league’s toughest road environment, the Packers had the Seahawks beat. Getting home field would help, too, although with a healthy Rodgers at the helm, the Packers can beat anyone in a tough road environment.

KEITH: Hey, Bill, thanks for making me re-live that again. The nightmares had just recently ended. I mean, the ridiculous series of events of the NFC title game are so unbelievable, they could never be duplicated. But in addition to what Matt said, maybe the takeaway is simply to be more aggressive.

Go for it on those fourth downs. Don’t slide down in the open field after an interception with no one from the other team within 30 yards. Don’t pull up on a wounded duck two-point conversion pass, because a strong wind just might blow it to the receiver.

BILL: I’ll go outside the box and say they have to be better on offense. The Packers led the NFL in scoring but didn’t do a darned thing in losses to Seattle, Buffalo and Detroit. In the NFC Championship Game, you can point to the special-teams meltdowns and coaching decisions all you want, but the game should have been over at halftime. Rodgers wasn’t great, his receivers didn’t get open and the line couldn’t give Eddie Lacy a running lane when it counted. I wonder if Montgomery or everyone’s favorite receiver who couldn’t get on the field, Jeff Janis, might be that X-factor to get the offense — and the team — over the hump.

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PACKERREPORT.COM • 7

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DAMARIOUS RANDALL

Arizona State Athletics

THE KICKOFF

BY

THE

NUMBERS

WHERE DO YOU START WHEN EXAMINING TED THOMPSON’S DRAFT HISTORY? TOWARD THE WEST Offensive linemen selected by the Packers, a first under GM Ted Thompson, who had taken a position-high 18 during his first 10 drafts.

Player taken from Alabama-Birmingham in franchise history. And it will be the last, since UAB shuttered its football program following the 2014 season. That makes sixth-round pick Kennard Backman not just the only UAB player selected by the Packers but the last NFL draft choice in the school’s history.

Player apiece selected by the Packers from five conferences: MAC (CB Quinten Rollins, Miami-Ohio); Big Ten (LB Jake Ryan, Michigan); Big 12 (FB Aaron Ripkowski, Oklahoma); Sun Belt (DT Christian Ringo, LouisianaLafayette); Conference USA (TE Kennard Backman, Alabama-Birmingham).

8 • PACKERREPORT.COM

Players taken from the Pac-12 by the Packers: CB Damarious Randall, Arizona; WR Ty Montgomery, Stanford; QB Brett Hundley, UCLA. Players taken by the Packers on each side of the ball. In his previous 10 drafts, Thompson used 51 picks on offense, 44 on defense and one on special teams.

Of Thompson’s 11 first-round picks, five have come from the Pac12: quarterback Aaron Rodgers in 2005, outside linebacker Clay Matthews in 2009, outside linebacker Nick Perry in 2012, defensive end Datone Jones in 2013 and Randall in 2015.

Thompson’s fondness for the Pac-12 runs beyond the first round.

During his tenure, he’s taken at least three players from seven schools. Iowa and UCLA have produced four of Thompson’s picks, while Arizona State, California, Colorado, Louisville and Texas A&M have provided three of his selections. UCLA, Arizona State, Cal and Colorado are Pac-12 schools.

Players taken on defense with his 11 first-round picks. He’s gone defense in the first round in each of the past four drafts, with Randall in 2015, safety HaHa Clinton-Dix in 2014, Jones and Perry.

Since the NFL started awarding free-agent compensatory draft picks in 1994, Green Bay has been given 35 extra picks. Only Baltimore (44) has more. The Packers were awarded sixth-round picks for losing receiver James Jones and center Evan Dietrich-Smith last offseason and used those picks on Ringo and Backman.

Players taken from the SEC in the 2015 Draft, tops among conferences. The ACC was next with 47, followed by the Pac-12 with 39, Big Ten with 35 and Big 12 with 25.

THE KICKOFF

✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩

Locker Room

✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩ FROM TALENT TO LEADERSHIP TO MOTIVATION, UNDRAFTED JOHN CROCKETT HAS ‘MIND-SET OF A CHAMPION’ HOW DIFFICULT WAS IT TO GO THROUGH THE DRAFT AND NOT HEAR YOUR NAME GET CALLED? It definitely was, especially with the type of exposure that I was getting (on ESPN’s “Draft Academy”) and the type of media attention with the cameras all up in your face and you’re sitting there and you’re like, ‘I think I’m going to be coming up pretty soon everybody.’ (laughs) You keep seeing those names go by and you look up and you still don’t see yours.

I’M GUESSING YOU HAD PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITIES AFTER THE DRAFT. WHY GREEN BAY? I definitely felt like Green Bay would be the best fit in all aspects, just by the town, the organization and they didn’t take a running back. I was talking to my agent and he said they were looking forward to picking me up in the sixth round but some things happened and it was either me or the D-tackle and they ended up choosing the D-tackle (Christian Ringo). And they traded away a pick in the seventh.

I KNOW YOU’VE TOLD THIS STORY A THOUSAND TIMES BUT CAN YOU MAKE IT A THOUSAND-AND-ONE BY EXPLAINING WHEN THE “TAZ” NICKNAME STARTED?

It happened when I was in fourth grade. I was at basketball tryouts and I was just nonstop. I just kept going, kept grabbing rebounds, kept playing defense and things like that. One of the coaches was like, ‘I’m going to start calling you Taz.’ It stuck throughout my whole career. Even in high school, I would write ‘Taz’ on my face and I’d change into this alter ego. Off the football field, you get a goofy guy that just loves to be around people and loves to hang out. But that guy, he’s all about business.

DO YOU STILL WRITE IT ON YOUR FACE? Every game.

I’VE GOT TO ASK YOU ABOUT THE EAST-WEST SHRINE GAME. WHAT DID IT MEAN TO BE VOTED A TEAM CAPTAIN BY YOUR PEERS? I MEAN, ALL OF THOSE BIGSCHOOL GUYS COULD HAVE THUMBED THEIR NOSE AT THE SMALL-SCHOOL GUY. INSTEAD, THEY WANTED TO FOLLOW YOUR LEAD. It definitely was an honor, just being an FCS guy among all those great players. That was probably one of the most gratifying experiences that I’ve ever had, just because you work so hard to get to that point in time in your life and then you get there and you’re among the best of the best, and out of everybody that’s there, they think that you’re their leader and they believe that you can be their leader. A lot of people don’t get a chance to say they were the captain of an NFL all-star team, basically. It was definitely a blessing.

ARE YOU A VOCAL LEADER? A LEAD-BY-EXAMPLE GUY?

I’m definitely a vocal guy, and it shows with my play. I came from a team where we were able to win four national championships. It’s crazy, within that, you have to have a sense of resolve and a sense of leadership with every

single player on your team. Every single player is held accountable on the team. We know that if somebody messes up, the kids are going to get on him before the coaches will. It’s not about belittling or degrading. It’s more encouraging. ‘You know you’re better than that. C’mon, let’s go!’

Things of that nature.

COMING TO GREEN BAY, ARE YOU BRINGING A CHIP ON YOUR SHOULDER?

Definitely. That’s the type of player I am. I play with a lot of heart and passion and intensity. I bring a lot more to the game than a lot CROCKETT of people. I really, truly love the SCORES IN game of football. I don’t love what it THE FCS TITLE GAME. brings. I mean, yeah, it’s nice but, at the end of the day, I actually love the game. When you get a guy that’s just in it for the money, I see that.

A guy like me, I’m very, very hungry.

Tim Heitman/USA TODAY Sports I’ll do whatever I have to do to make sure that I’m successful and the team that I’m a part of is successful. That’s just the mind-set of a champion. It’s the mind-set you have to have.

IF YOU HAD TO WRITE A SCOUTING REPORT ON YOURSELF, WHAT WOULD IT SAY? If I had to scout myself, I would say a very passionate kid who loves the game. I think he has the capability of being a great teammate and has leadership qualities about him. If you’re talking about on the field, a guy that can do it all. If you need him to run through the tackles, he can do that. If you need him to run outside, he can do that. I think the biggest strong suit would be him catching the ball out of the backfield. If we had to rate him negatively, definitely everyone has to work on their pass pro.

You’re just dealing with different beasts at this level. You’re dealing with Clay Matthews and Julius Peppers. What are you going to do? You’re a 22-, 23-year-old kid and you’re going against a grown man who’s an animal and does this for a living. I’ve got to lower my pad level. It’s one of those things that I’m excited to work on.

SO YOU AND YOUR MOM AND GIRLFRIEND HAD DINNER THE NIGHT BEFORE COMING TO GREEN BAY. THAT MUST HAVE BEEN QUITE THE NIGHT.

It was definitely one of those memorable nights. Of course, those girls made me pay for everything. And they’re getting crab legs and all of this and I’m like, ‘I don’t have any money!’ They said, ‘You said you were going to wash some dishes.’ It was cool to just sit back and relax and unwind before starting the task that I’m undertaking. The biggest part about life is building a strong foundation with family. To have that and to go through this dream of mine and they’re living their dreams through me, as well. I think that’s the biggest part about life: How many people can you inspire and how many people can you help grow? That’s what type of person I am.

•

PACKERREPORT.COM • 9

PACKERS SCHEDULE

THE KICKOFF WEEK 1: AT CHICAGO BEARS Time, Date. TV: Noon, Sunday, Sept. 13. Fox 2014 record: 5-11 (last, NFC North).

2014 points/points allowed: 19.9 points (23rd); 27.6 points allowed (31st).

Noteworthy: It’s no wonder why the Bears fired Marc Trestman and replaced him with John Fox. The Packers scored 93 points in sweeping last year’s series. With a healthy Aaron Rodgers, the Packers haven’t lost to the Bears since Sept. 27, 2010. Quarterbacks are the key: Jay Cutler threw a leaguehigh 18 interceptions last season and 30 the past two seasons; Rodgers has thrown 25 the past four seasons. Cutler (or whoever is at quarterback) will have to adjust to life without Brandon Marshall, who was shipped to the Jets. Top pick Kevin White will fill that void.

WEEK 2: HOME VS. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS Time, Date. TV: 7:30 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 20. NBC. 2014 record: 12-4 (first, NFC West).

2014 points/points allowed: 24.6 points (10th); 15.9 points allowed (first).

Noteworthy: Green Bay’s 2014 season was bookended by a disappointing Week 1 loss at Seattle and then the bitter loss in the NFC Championship Game. The Seahawks, the two-time NFC champs, not only feature a dominant pass defense but ranked second in the league in yards allowed per carry. That defense suffered a blow when it lost cornerback Byron Maxwell to the Eagles but the offense took a dramatic step forward when tight end Jimmy Graham was acquired from the Saints for center Max Unger and a first-round pick.

Second-round slot receiver/returner Tyler Lockett should help, too.

WEEK 3: HOME VS. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS Time, Date. TV: 7:30 p.m., Monday, Sept. 28. ESPN. 2014 record: 9-7 (tied, second, AFC West).

2014 points/points allowed: 22.1 points (16th); 17.6 points allowed (second).

Noteworthy: Green Bay hasn’t hosted Kansas City since 2003, a 40-34 overtime victory by the Chiefs. Kansas City has won six of the last seven, with Green Bay’s lone win in that span being a 33-22 victory at Kansas City in 2007. The Chiefs are 20-12 since bringing in coach Andy Reid and quarterback Alex Smith. It’s their first back-to-back winning seasons since 2005 and 2006. An excellent defense finished fifth in sacks.

2015

By Bill Huber

WEEK 4: AT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS Time, Date. TV: 3:25 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4, Fox 2014 record: 8-8 (third, NFC West).

2014 points/points allowed: 19.1 points for (25th); 21.3 points allowed (10th).

Noteworthy: The 49ers beat the Packers in the regular season and eliminated them in the playoffs in 2012 and 2013. The 49ers parted ways with coach Jim Harbaugh and replaced him with Jim Tomsula, their defensive line coach for the previous eight seasons. In 23 starts in 2012 and 2013, Colin Kaepernick threw 31 touchdowns and 11 interceptions and was sacked 55 times. Last season, he threw 19 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and was sacked 52 times. Like the Packers, they are revamping their inside linebacker corps with the retirement of Patrick Willis and Chris Borland.

WEEK 5: HOME VS. ST. LOUIS RAMS Time, Date. TV: Noon, Sunday, Oct. 11. CBS. 2014 record: 6-10 (last, NFC West).

2014 points/points allowed: 22.1 points (16th); 22.1 points allowed (17th).

Noteworthy: The Packers have won the last four in the series, with the Rams’ last win coming at Lambeau Field in 2006. The Rams, who haven’t even been .500 since 2006, got rid of always-injured quarterback Sam Bradford.

The defense, however, might be good enough to carry the load after allowing 103 points in the final seven games, with two shutouts and a 22-7 win over the high-powered Broncos. A dominant defensive line got even stouter with the signing of defensive tackle Nick Fairley and defensive end Akeem Ayers.

First-round running back Todd Gurley, whose career at Georgia ended with a torn ACL, should be ready for this game.

WEEK 6: HOME VS. SAN DIEGO CHARGERS Time, Date. TV: 3:25 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 18. CBS. 2014 record: 9-7 (tied, second, AFC West).

2014 points/points allowed: 21.9 points (17th); 21.8 points allowed (14th).

Noteworthy: The Packers have won six in a row in the series, with the Chargers’ last win coming at Lambeau Field in 1984. San Diego has gone 9-7 in its first two seasons under coach Mike McCoy. It won five in a row early in the season and three in a row at midseason before losing to New England, Denver and Kansas City down the stretch. Philip Rivers, who was on the trade block before the draft, threw two touchdowns and five interceptions in those games. Recordsetting Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon was their first-round pick.

WEEK 8: AT DENVER BRONCOS Time, Date. TV: 7:30 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 1. NBC. 2014 record: 12-4 (first, AFC West).

2014 points/points allowed: 30.1 points for (second); 22.1 points allowed (16th).

Noteworthy: The Packers have won three straight in the series, with Denver’s last win coming at home in 1999. Under John Fox, the Broncos went 8-8 with Tim Tebow in 2011, then 13-3 in 2012, 13-3 in 2013 and 12-4 in 2014 with Peyton Manning.

In his final five games (including playoffs), Manning looked downright old with four touchdowns, six interceptions and only one game with a rating higher than 80.1.

New coach Gary Kubiak, a former Broncos quarterback, went 61-64 (plus 2-2 in the playoffs) in eight seasons with Houston and was fired after going 2-11 in 2013.

WEEK 9: AT CAROLINA PANTHERS Time, Date. TV: Noon, Sunday, Nov. 8. Fox. 2014 record: 7-8-1 (first, NFC South).

2014 points/points allowed: 21.2 points (19th); 23.4 points allowed (21st).

Noteworthy: The Packers hammered the Panthers 38-17 last season for their fourth consecutive victory. Green Bay also won at Carolina in 2011. Carolina added cornerback Charles Tillman and right tackle Michael Oher but jettisoned running back DeAngelo Williams and let troubled pass rusher Greg Hardy depart.

In four seasons, quarterback Cam Newton has started 62 of a possible 64 games.

He needs to get better than last year’s numbers: 58.5 percent, 18 touchdowns, 12 interceptions. He’ll have two huge receivers in Kelvin Benjamin (first round, 2014) and Devin Funchess (second round, 2015).

WEEK 10: HOME VS. DETROIT LIONS Time, Date. TV: Noon, Sunday, Nov. 15. Fox. 2014 record: 11-5 (second, NFC North).

2014 points/points allowed: 20.1 points (22nd); 17.6 points allowed (third).

Noteworthy: The teams have split the series the past two seasons. Green Bay, of course, won at home last year because it always wins at home. The Packers haven’t lost to the Lions at home since 1991, when Lindy Infante was the coach and Brett Favre was in Atlanta. A dominant defense, which held Green Bay to seven points and 223 yards at Ford Field in Week 3, will have to replace defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley, though the trade for Haloti Ngata will help.

WEEK 11: AT MINNESOTA VIKINGS Time, Date. TV: Noon, Sunday, Nov. 22. Fox. 2014 record: 7-9 (third, NFC North).

2014 points/points allowed: 20.3 points (20th); 21.4 points allowed (11th).

Noteworthy: Even without Adrian Peterson, first-year coach Mike Zimmer coaxed the Vikings to two more victories than in 2013. With Zimmer’s defensive pedigree, Minnesota went from allowing 480 points in 2013 to 343 in 2014. How? Good question. The Vikings’ defense finished 20th in yards per carry (4.3), 23rd in passer rating (92.8) and 25th in takeaways (19). The Vikings don’t just sign former Packers.

They sign the brothers of Packers, with Casey Matthews signed to challenge at middle linebacker. The Vikings used their first three picks on defenders, with top pick Trae Waynes potentially giving them a top cornerback tandem with Xavier Rhodes.

WEEK 12: HOME VS. CHICAGO BEARS Time, Date. TV: 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 26. NBC. 2014 record: 5-11 (last, NFC North).

2014 points/points allowed: 19.9 points (23rd); 27.6 points allowed (31st).

Noteworthy: New coach John Fox owns a career record of 119-89, including 4618 in Denver the past four seasons. Fox is bringing a 3-4 scheme to a Chicago defense that was throttled to the tune of 442 points last season and 478 in 2013. Those are the two worst marks in franchise history. To that end, the Bears signed inside linebacker Mason Foster, outside linebacker Pernell McPhee and safety Antrel Rolle, with big nose tackle Eddie Goldman drafted in the second round to anchor the middle. Jared Allen will join McPhee at outside linebacker.

WEEK 13: AT DETROIT LIONS Time, Date. TV: 7:25 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 3. CBS/NFLN. 2014 record: 11-5 (second, NFC North).

2014 points/points allowed: 20.1 (22nd); 17.6 points allowed (third).

Noteworthy: For all the big-name players on offense, the Lions simply haven’t been productive. After scoring a franchise-record 474 points in 2011, the Lions scored just 321 last season. Matthew Stafford had a passer rating of 97.2 in 2011; he’s had ratings of 79.8 in 2012, 84.2 in 2013 and 85.7 in 2014.

He’s thrown 48 interceptions the past three seasons; Aaron Rodgers has thrown 57 for his career. Reggie Bush is out after Detroit finished 28th in rushing.

Nebraska running back Ameer Abdullah (second round) will fill Bush’s role, and he’ll follow first-round guard Laken Tomlinson.

WEEK 7: BYE Noteworthy: Green Bay has won six in a row after its bye: 26-0 at home over Detroit in 2009, 31-3 at Minnesota in 2010, 45-38 at San Diego in 2011, 24-20 at 10 • PACKERREPORT.COM Detroit in 2012, 22-9 at home over Detroit in 2013 and 55-14 at home over Chicago in 2014.

2015

By Bill Huber

WEEK 14: HOME VS. DALLAS COWBOYS Time, Date. TV: 3:25 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 13. Fox. 2014 record: 12-4 (first, NFC East).

2014 points/points allowed: 29.2 points (fifth); 22.0 points allowed (15th).

Noteworthy: This is a rematch of last year’s NFC Divisional playoff game, won by the Packers 26-21. Green Bay has won the last four matchups, including wins at Lambeau in 2009, 2010 and 2014. Dallas lost some key pieces to that team, including runaway NFL rushing leader DeMarco Murray. The Cowboys didn’t draft a replacement — Raiders castoff Darren McFadden tops the depth chart — but the O-line is a juggernaut. Dallas did use the franchise tag on receiver Dez Bryant and took a chance on troubled pass rusher Greg Hardy. For the Cowboys to match their success, they’ll have to replicate last year’s second-ranked 31 takeaways.

WEEK 15: AT OAKLAND RAIDERS Time, Date. TV: 3:05 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 20. Fox. 2014 record: 3-13 (last, AFC West).

2014 points/points allowed: 15.8 points for (31st); 28.3 points allowed (32nd).

Noteworthy: The Packers have won the last six in the series, with the Raiders’ last win coming in 1987 at Lambeau Field. Other than going 8-8 in 2010 and 2011, the Raiders haven’t won more than five games since going 11-5 and reaching the Super Bowl in 2002. So, they changed coaches for the seventh time since that Super Bowl, hiring Jack Del Rio, who went 68-71 with two playoff berths in nine seasons with Jacksonville. They hope Derek Carr, a second-round pick last year, will be the answer at quarterback. He started all 16 games with a rating of 76.6 but had seven touchdowns and one pick in his final four games.

PACKERS SCHEDULE WEEK 16: AT ARIZONA CARDINALS Time, Date. TV: 3:25 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 27. Fox. 2014 record: 11-5 (second, NFC West).

2014 points/points allowed: 19.4 points (24th); 18.7 points allowed (fifth).

Noteworthy: The Packers lost their last trip to Arizona, 51-45 in the wild 2009 playoff shootout. Behind coach Bruce Arians, who worked wonders last season with a parade of bad quarterbacks following Carson Palmer’s torn ACL, the Cardinals are coming off back-to-back 10-win seasons. They had only one 10win season from 1976 through 2012. They lost cornerback Antonio Cromartie but signed guard Mike Iupati, inside linebacker Sean Weatherspoon, outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley and defensive end Corey Peters.

WEEK 17: HOME VS. MINNESOTA VIKINGS Time, Date. TV: Noon, Sunday, Jan. 3. Fox. 2014 record: 7-9 (third, NFC North).

2014 points/points allowed: 20.3 points (20th); 21.4 points allowed (11th).

Noteworthy: The Packers swept the season series 42-10 at home and 24-21 at Minnesota. In the Vikings’ last five trips to Lambeau Field, they are 0-4-1. Rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater went 6-6, including the game at Minnesota. In three of his final five games, he had a passer rating of at least 114.1. Bridgewater will have a new No. 1 receiver, with the release of Greg Jennings but the trade with Miami to acquire Mike Wallace. The defense might have six first-round starters — defensive tackle Sharriff Floyd, linebackers Anthony Barr and Chad Greenway, and defensive backs Harrison Smith, Trae Waynes and Xavier Rhodes — plus second-round middle linebacker Eric Kendricks.

PACKERREPORT.COM • 11

2015 NFL DRAFT

BY BILL HUBER

FINDING PLAYERS, THE PACKERS FILLED IN THE BLANKS, ESPECIALLY WITH THEIR FIRST FOUR PICKS

G

reen Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson has a simple draft philosophy.

“We literally said to each other as we were debating, we literally kept saying let’s make sure we try to draft football players,” Thompson said after the draft. “I know that sounds simple and we should probably always do that, but sometimes you get carried away and talk about that hand size or 40-yard dash time and things like that. I was trying to have everybody focus on good football players. I hope we did that.”

Thompson swears he abides by taking the so-called “best player available” at every turn. And maybe he did in this one, too, but he sure took care of the team’s needs.

After losing Tramon Williams and Davon House to free agency, Thompson took cornerback Damarious Randall in the first round and cornerback Quinten Rollins in the second round. In a league that grows more pass-happy by the season, you never can have enough guys who can cover.

After fielding what statistically were the worst special-teams units in the NFL last season, Thompson grabbed Stanford’s Ty Montgomery, an explosive returner-receiver, in the third round.

DAMARIOUS If he pans out on offense, he could RANDALL AT be just the ticket for a unit that led THE SENIOR the NFL in scoring but struggled to BOWL. pick up first downs, much less score touchdowns, in losses to Seattle, Detroit and Buffalo.

And about that glaring sinkhole that was inside linebacker, a position in which the Packers did some addition by subtraction by parting ways with A.J. Hawk, Brad Jones and Jamari Lattimore? It took longer than most fans wanted to answer that three-alarm need, but Thompson selected Michigan’s Jake Ryan in the fourth round.

Add in an incredibly talented quarterback (Brett Hundley) who Glenn Andrews/USA TODAY Sports could become Aaron Rodgers’ backup and reward the team with a premium draft pick in a trade in a few years, a young fullback (Aaron Ripkowski), a pass-rushing defensive lineman (Christian Ringo) and an athletic and versatile tight end (Kennard Backman), and this has the looks of a class that could pay short- and long-term dividends.

PLAYMAKERS WANTED The NFL is about big plays. It’s something coach Mike McCarthy preaches. The team that makes the most big plays usually wins. And this group produced a lot of big plays.

Randall intercepted three passes in each of his two seasons at Arizona State after picking off nine passes in his one season as a junior-college cornerback. In 2014, he added nine deflections and led the Pac-12 in solo tackles.

Rollins intercepted seven passes in his one and only season playing

12 • PACKERREPORT.COM

ELITE EIGHT?

Here are the Packers’ eight draft picks: ROUND NAME POS COLLEGE OVERALL 1 Damarious Randall DB Arizona State 30 2 Quinten Rollins DB Miami (Ohio) 62 3 Ty Montgomery WR Stanford 94 4 Jake Ryan LB Michigan 129 5 Brett Hundley QB UCLA 147 6 Aaron Ripkowski FB Oklahoma 206 6 Christian Ringo DT Louisiana-Lafayette 210 6 Kennard Backman TE Alabama-Birmingham 213 7 (To New England to move up 19 spots to get Hundley) college football at Miami (Ohio) after being a standout basketball point guard.

“You know, this is a passing league now, and interceptions, turnovers, is a way that you can really change the game, so I value it,” cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt said of the premium he puts on taking the ball away when he’s scouting the prospects. “I think we’re very good at it. Six years we’ve been here, we’re No. 1 in the league by a good margin, and I believe both of these guys have the skill-set to get the ball, add it to what Sam (Shields) and Casey (Hayward) can do, and Micah (Hyde). That’s very exciting, the ability to be able to get the ball and go score with it.”

Montgomery was a big-play machine for Stanford on kickoff returns and punt returns with five career touchdowns. As a senior, he averaged only 9.9 yards per reception but forced more missed tackles than any receiver in the class, according to ProFootballFocus.com. West Coast scout Sam Seale called him a bigger version of Randall Cobb. If that’s close to accurate, this offense could become downright unstoppable.

“I think any time you have a four-down player, it excites you,” McCarthy said. “He’s dynamic. You look at what he does with the ball after the catch, it’s so impressive, and he’s strong. People bounce off him, too.”

Ryan started 41 games for Michigan and rang up 45.5 tackles for losses and seven forced fumbles for his career – figures that rank third and 14th, respectively, among all active FBS-level defenders.

Hundley spent only three seasons at UCLA but he ranked fifth among all active FBS players (and fourth in Pac-12 history) with 105 total touchdowns and seventh among active players with 11,713 total yards.

Ripkowski didn’t get his hands on the ball too often at Oklahoma, though he did have a three-touchdown game against Oklahoma State. However, he helped power the nation’s 12th-ranked rushing attack and led the way as Samaje Perine set a national record with 427 rushing yards against Kansas.

Ringo dominated the action with 11.5 sacks and 20.5 tackles for losses — figures that ranked in the top 10 nationally.

Backman led the Blazers in receptions as a senior.

LOCKED AND LOADED With eight draft picks and 18 undrafted free agents, here’s a look at the Packers’ roster that, by and large, will be coming for training camp in late July.

QUARTERBACKS (4): Aaron Rodgers, Scott Tolzien, Brett Hundley (R), Matt Blanchard.

The Packers had three quarterbacks on their roster last season and figure to do so again, with Hundley challenging Tolzien to be the No. 2 quarterback behind two-time MVP Rodgers. Given Tolzien’s familiarity with Green Bay’s scheme and Hundley starting from scratch in learning how to play in a prostyle system, Tolzien has the advantage.

RUNNING BACKS/FULLBACKS (7): RB – Eddie Lacy, James Starks, Rajion Neal, John Crockett (R), Alonzo Harris (R). FB – John Kuhn, Aaron Ripkowski (R).

Running back is the biggest opening on the roster. Behind Lacy and Starks, none of the three have taken an NFL snap. Neal spent training camp with the team and returned to the practice squad late in the season. Crockett, from four-time defending FCS champion North Dakota State, was projected as a fifth- or sixth-round pick but slid along with a lot of other quality runners.

At fullback, can the Packers keep both or will the popular Kuhn, coming off a Pro Bowl season, be fighting for his job?

WIDE RECEIVERS (12): Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Davante Adams, Jeff Janis, Jared Abbrederis, Myles White, Ty Montgomery (R), Adrian Coxson (R), Javess Blue (R), Larry Pinkard (R), Ricky Collins (R), Jimmie Hunt (R).

The Packers are ridiculously deep and talented. Is there room on the roster for six when they’re essentially locked into three quarterbacks?

McCarthy raved about Janis a couple times during the offseason and Abbrederis is on the road to recovery after last year’s torn ACL. Montgomery could provide instant impact on special teams and can be used in the same way the Packers have used Cobb. Coxson might be the sleeper of the bunch.

TIGHT ENDS (5): Andrew Quarless, Richard Rodgers, Justin Perillo, Kennard Backman (R), Mitchell Henry (R).

With all of the receivers, moving the ball through the air won’t be a problem. Can Perillo, Backman or Henry block well enough to force their way onto the field?

OFFENSIVE LINE (15): LT David Bakhtiari, LG Josh Sitton, C Corey Linsley, RG T.J. Lang, RT Bryan Bulaga, G/T Don Barclay, C/G/T J.C. Tretter, C/G Garth Gerhart, G Lane Taylor, T Jeremy Vujnovich, G Josh Walker, G Matt Rotheram (R), G Marcus Reed (R), T Fabbians Ebbele (R), C Andy Phillips (R).

For the first time during his 11 drafts with the Packers, Thompson didn’t draft a lineman. For all of the hype that surrounds Dallas’ front wall, Green Bay’s line might be the best in the NFL. With that said, an injury to Bakhtiari would cause chaos since there’s not another left tackle on the roster. A healthy Barclay will battle Tretter to be the utilityman. Rotheram was coveted by more than half of the league after going undrafted.

DEFENSIVE LINE (10): Mike Daniels, B.J. Raji, Datone Jones, Letroy Guion, Josh Boyd, Mike Pennel, Khyri Thornton, Bruce Gaston, Christian Ringo (R), Lavon Hooks (R).

While this unit is short on playmakers, there is no shortage of depth. The defensive line was OK last year, and should be better if a healthy Raji returns to form, Jones finds something resembling consistency and Thornton emerges after being stashed on injured reserve following a disappointing training camp.

The addition of Ringo will heighten the competition. They can’t keep them all.

One or two good players are going to be playing for another team this season.

OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS (10): Clay Matthews, Julius Peppers, Mike Neal, Nick Perry, Jayrone Elliott, Adrian Hubbard, Nate Palmer, Andy Mulumba, James Vaughters (R), Jermauria Rasco (R).

One of the biggest surprises in the draft is the Packers didn’t draft an outside linebacker, given Peppers’ age and the expiring contracts of Neal and Perry. It will be undrafted free agents to the rescue, with Mulumba (2013), Elliott (2014) and Hubbard (2014) battling Vaughters and Rasco. The Packers have had plenty of undrafted success at this position, and Elliott might be the best of the bunch. Rasco was a man in demand after going undrafted.

TY MONTGOMERY JOINS A CROWDED RECEIVER CORPS.

Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports

INSIDE LINEBACKERS (6): Sam Barrington, Carl Bradford, Joe Thomas, Jake Ryan (R), Josh Francis, Tavarus Dantzler (R).

There are plenty of questions but few answers. Is Barrington for real after helping set the tone during the second half of last season? Can Ryan play well enough as a rookie so the Packers can pick and choose when to move Matthews rather than being forced to move him by necessity? Can Bradford, a fourth-round pick last year, emerge after bombing as an outside linebacker at training camp as a rookie? Can any of the other guys force their way into the lineup? Dantzler, an athletic defender the Packers coveted after the draft, might be a guy worth watching.

CORNERBACKS (11): Sam Shields, Casey Hayward, Micah Hyde, Demetri Goodson, Damarious Randall (R), Quinten Rollins (R), Tay Glover-Wright, Kyle Sebetic, LaDarius Gunter (R), Bernard Blake (R), Travis Manning (R).

Without Williams and House, who plays on the outside? Hayward and Hyde have played mostly in the slot, and Randall spent a lot of time in the slot at Arizona State when not patrolling center field. Rollins’ deep speed is a concern.

So, Green Bay has a lot of options for the slot positions but nothing but questions on whether they have someone to pair with Shields on the outside. Off-target throws are bound to be intercepted as Shields, Hayward, Hyde, Randall and Rollins are playmakers. The team’s tallest corners are Glover-Wright and Gunter.

SAFETIES (5): Morgan Burnett, HaHa Clinton-Dix, Sean Richardson, Chris Banjo, Jean Fanor.

The Packers can only hope the NFC Championship Game, when ClintonDix (two) and Burnett (one) combined for three interceptions, is a sign of things to come. Green Bay didn’t add anyone through the draft or college free agency. They did re-sign Richardson for about $2.5 million. Don’t be surprised if he’s the inside linebacker in the dime package, which would put seven defensive backs on the field on passing downs.

SPECIALISTS (4): K Mason Crosby, P Tim Masthay, LS Brett Goode, P Cody Mandell.

Mandell, a former standout at Alabama who was signed following the season, will challenge Masthay. Masthay had the worst season of his career but that was probably a blip on the radar.

•

PACKERREPORT.COM • 13

NFL DRAFT: FIRST ROUND

BY BILL HUBER

ROLLING THE DICE DAMARIOUS RANDALL WILL BE MEASURED AGAINST OTHER DEFENSIVE PROSPECTS AVAILABLE WITH THE 30TH SELECTION

DAMARIOUS RANDALL POSITION: Cornerback • SCHOOL: Arizona State • ROUND (PICK): First (30) CAREER NOTES: At Arizona State, Randall started 24-of-25 games — 11 at free safety and 13 at the boundary position…Recorded 177 tackles (133 solos) with one sack and 15 stops for losses, adding four forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and 12 pass deflections. He returned two of his six interceptions for touchdowns. In one season at Mesa (Ariz.) College, he intercepted nine passes, added 152 yards and two scores on eight receptions (19.0 ypc), 536 yards on 19 kickoff returns (28.21 avg) and 260 yards with two touchdowns on 21 punt returns (12.38 avg).

As a senior, Randall earned third-team All-American honors from The NFL Draft Report, as the all-Pac 12 Conference first-team selection became the first Sun Devils defensive back to lead the team in tackles since 2006 (82 by Josh Barnett) and the first to reach 100 tackles since Jason Shivers in 2003 (104), as he paced ASU with a career-high 106 tackles...He added 9.5 TFLs, two forced fumbles, one recovery, three interceptions and nine more deflections...Led the league with an average of 6.54 solo tackles per game.

HE SAID IT: “Randall, he’s very quick. He played the safety, so he was really in the slot a lot of the time. Quick burst, close. He was aggressive on coverage. He’s a guy that’s going to have the opportunity to play in a couple different packages.” — cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports

14 • PACKERREPORT.COM

L

et the comparisons begin.

The Packers used their first-round pick on safety Damarious Randall with an eye on moving him to cornerback.

By taking Randall at No. 30, they bypassed the best inside linebacker in the draft, Clemson’s Stephone Anthony, who went No. 31 to New Orleans, and one of the best three-down defensive tackles in the draft, Texas’ Malcom Brown, who went No. 32 to New England.

Anthony and Brown would have provided an immediate impact to a defense that needs some immediate impact. Anthony, with his rare combination of size and athletic ability, almost automatically would have become Green Bay’s everydown inside linebacker at some point in his first year or two. Brown, a first-team All-American following a season of 6.5 sacks and 14 tackles for losses, was a potential upgrade on a defensive line depth chart that’s long on depth but short on difference-makers.

But let’s just limit the Monday morning quarterbacking to the cornerbacks. General manager Ted Thompson bypassed two bigger — but also flawed — options in Utah’s Eric Rowe (a two-year starting safety who moved to corner in 2014) and LSU’s Jalen Collins (10 career starts and positive drug tests in college) to get Randall.

To be sure, the court of public opinion might have been speaking differently had the media draft pundits — this one included — listed Randall as a safety/cornerback rather than just a safety during their predraft work. Seemingly, nobody considered Randall a cornerback.

Other than the teams — and those, of course, are the opinions that mattered. Randall said more teams viewed him as a cornerback than as a safety, so it’s not like Thompson was a lone wolf in seeing Randall as capable of making the transition.

“He was the starting safety for them and a good one,” Thompson said. “He would’ve been their best corner, which was what was told to me, but in their defense, the safety play is so important and crucial to the production of the defense that they had to play him on the inside, but he ends up in the slot and that sort of thing.”

The big story is really a short story. Randall measured in at 5-foot10 7/8 at the Scouting Combine. In his previous 10 drafts, Thompson had drafted eight cornerbacks.

Five stood at least 6-foot (without rounding up), with Demetri Goodson

(5-foot-11) being the shortest.

Green Bay’s top three cornerbacks for 2015 are projected to be Micah Hyde (5-foot-11 3/4), Casey Hayward (5-foot-11 3/8) and Sam Shields (5-foot-10 3/4).

Moreover, compare Randall to Collins, who is 6-foot-1 1/2, and Rowe, who is 6-foot 3/4. Bigger isn’t always better, of course. Still would a different look have given defensive coordinator Dom Capers the opportunity to match up his corners based on the opponent’s skillsets? Wouldn’t Rowe, for instance, have been a better option against Detroit’s Calvin Johnson (6-foot-5) and Chicago’s Alshon Jeffery and first-round pick Kevin White (both 6-foot-3) in the NFC North?

Thompson, however, shrugged off a question about height.

“We’re tall enough,” he said matter-of-factly.

“They can jump,” added coach Mike McCarthy a couple of days later.

Not only is Randall not tall, but his arms were among the shortest and his hands among the smallest in the cornerback class at the Combine. He is fast (4.46 in the 40), he can jump (38-inch vertical), he’s a willing tackler (106 tackles, including 85 solos and 9.5 for losses in 2014) and he can cover (six interceptions in two seasons at ASU). That’s why a scout told Packer Report two weeks before the draft that Randall would be selected in the first round.

The potential is intriguing, and in a pass-happy league, you can never have enough guys who can cover. However, Anthony and Brown almost certainly would have started for the Packers from Day 1. Perhaps one of the other corners would have been better equipped to contribute immediately. Or perhaps not. Can Randall learn the position quickly enough to even be more than a modest contributor as a rookie?

That’s the big question.

“We felt fortunate that we were able to draft Damarious Randall that late,” Thompson said. “A lot of names have to come off and that’s a hard thing to go through, but we’re glad to be where we are.”

Randall took a winding road to the first round. He tried following in his brothers’ baseball footsteps.

“I had a brother that was drafted back in ’06 to the Royals, a brother back in ’99 played for the Cincinnati Reds, and my dad is actually still playing in an adult men’s league now,” Randall said.

“So, it was just kind of like a baseball-type family.”

RANDALL TO CORNER? ‘NO PROBLEM AT ALL’

AT

Arizona State, Damarious Randall was listed as safety.

For the Packers, Randall will line up at cornerback.

While that dichotomy was a source of consternation for fans after the pick was made, the reality is the first-round pick is not just well-suited for his new role. He’s well-trained for it, too.

“The three years since we’ve been here, we’ve been 78 percent straight man defensively,” said Chris Ball, Arizona State’s co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach. “He’s played a ton of man coverage — a ton of man coverage. He is really, really good at it. Really good at it. He won’t have any problem playing corner. No problem at all.”

Ball knows defensive backs. He’s produced seven top-100 picks during his career, with Randall joining Marcus Trufant and Deone Bucannon as first-rounders.

As Packers general manager Ted Thompson said at the draft, Randall lined up at safety for the good of the defense. With his experience and athleticism as a senior, Randall could make a bigger contribution in the middle of the field than on an island at corner.

“We would’ve moved him to corner but we only had two starters coming back on defense last year and he was one of them,” Ball said. “We felt like we didn’t want to move him out of our safety position and then have to replace another guy. We just left him there just because he was so good at it. It kept him in the middle of the field and kept him close to the ball. He would’ve been our best corner but we needed him more at safety.”

In the Sun Devils’ blitz-heavy scheme, Randall frequently lined up in man coverage. Often, it was in the slot, though he saw considerable action on the outside, as well. According to STATS, Randall gave up a 46.3 percent completion rate. In ProFootballFocus.com’s first foray into the college game, it had Randall giving up 53.2 percent completions.

That, PFF noted, was the best of the six safeties who saw at least 60 targeted passes in this draft class.

That’s quality play for a defensive back with so much room for growth. Randall dreamed of following his brothers into professional baseball. A shoulder injury forced Randall to change career paths. He played cornerback at Mesa (Ariz.) Community College in 2012 and safety for the Sun Devils in 2013 and 2014.

“Yeah, his best football’s ahead of him,” Ball said. “What’s great about being drafted by the Green Bay Packers is he’s going to one of the best franchises in the NFL. They’re great at developing guys. They’re well-coached and they’re going to get a lot more football from him because he’s got a lot more football left in him. He’s going to be a great, great player if he continues to work and develop.”

While inexperience might hold him back a bit, intelligence isn’t an issue. He was the quarterback of Arizona State’s defense. The more scouts got to know him at the Senior Bowl (where he played corner, nickel and safety) and the Scouting Combine, the more they liked him.

The Packers were among the teams to have a formal interview with him at the Combine.

“Don’t let the Southern accept fool you. He’s really smart,” Ball said. “That’s one of the reasons he rose so quickly is because when they came in to talk to him and put him on the board, he went through our defense and explained things. I think that’s what really, really impressed a lot of people. He’s very smart.”

One knock on Randall has been his tackling. PFF had him for 12 missed tackles in 13 games. Some of that is a byproduct of inexperience, as an occasional misstep put him in a trailing position.

Some of that is a byproduct of a scheme that offers little help downfield.

However, he had 15.5 tackles for losses during his two seasons — including 9.5 among his 106 stops as a senior.

“They’re getting a great player,” Ball said. “He’s a great football player. Not only just a great player but character-wise, work ethic-wise.

He’s smart, he’s tough and he’s talented. He’s got all the characteristics that we preach in our program. He was one of our leaders last year. Just very, very athletic. He can play safety or corner. He is a quality, quality • football player.”

PACKERREPORT.COM • 15

To get his baseball career rolling, Randall enrolled at Butler Community College, a junior college powerhouse located in El Dorado, Kan., to play shortstop. An injured shoulder, however, robbed him of his throwing strength and forced Randall to reconsider his options. In fact, he almost joined the Army.

“It kind of tells me that God has a plan for me,” Randall said.

“It was kind of like a reason why a voice up in my head was telling me to stop.”

Instead of the military, Randall decided to give football a shot.

He transferred to Mesa (Ariz.)

Community College, where he was an All-American cornerback with nine interceptions, a 28.2-yard average on kickoff returns, an 18.4-yard average on punt returns and five total touchdowns (two receiving, two punt returns, one interception return). That got him to Arizona State, where he was a twoyear starter at safety. He had three interceptions in each of the seasons.

As a senior, he earned third-team All-American honors from the NFL Draft Report, which is headed by the NFL’s head scout, Packer Report contributor Dave-Te’ Thomas. He became the first ASU safety in more

RANDALL IMPRESSED AT THE SCOUTING COMBINE

SCOUTING ANALYSIS: RANDALL

Brian Spurlock/USA TODAY Sports

D

amarious Randall spent more than two years out of football before moving to the Valley with a family member, where he quickly found a home on the gridiron at Mesa Community College. In 2012, his only year of JUCO football, he tallied 69 tackles, nine interceptions and averaged over 18 yards per punt return. He was named an NJCAA first-team All-American and the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

After just one season at MCC, he had more than a dozen major college scholarship offers, including Louisville, Oklahoma, Nebraska and TCU. In the end, Randall elected to stay in Arizona and wear Maroon and Gold for the Sun Devils.

Randall is undersized but has shown very good durability and stamina throughout his career. Despite just three seasons on the gridiron, he’s the “quarterback” of the secondary, doing a fine job of lining everyone up. He shows very good recognition skills in the passing game, timing his leaps to produce 15 interceptions and 20 pass deflections in 36 games.

He generally gets a quick jump on the ball, but due to his inexperience, there are times when he does take some false steps when filling vs. the run. He is willing to help in run support, and even though he certainly isn’t the type you would expect to be looking for contact unless it’s necessary, he has recorded 15.0 stops-for-loss in two seasons at Arizona State.

Randall has the closing burst you look for in a speedy free safety. He plants and drives quickly and is at his best closing on the ball in front of him. He makes up ground when the ball is in the air and displays very quick feet. I would not consider him ideally fluid as a cornerback, but his coverage skills are better than average for the safety position.

He can match up one-on-one vs. many slot receivers and covers a lot of ground in deep-zone. The Sun Devil has excellent ball skills in coverage.

He finds the ball quickly over his shoulder and is aggressive when the ball is in the air, timing his jumps well. He also does a good job of snatching it at the highest possible point.

The thing you notice from Randall at the “boundary” safety

16 • PACKERREPORT.COM

position is that he appears to really enjoy being the “quarterback of the defense” and despite minimal experience, he can often be seen getting his teammates in proper alignment before the snap. He is quick to decide what to do after reading the quarterback’s eyes and flashes above-average route recognition, evident by his 35 passes defended in three seasons.

Yes, like most players lacking a lot of experience, Randall can be overzealous and caught peeking in the backfield. Still, he plays with more passion that most on the field and as a former shortstop, you can see that he possesses above-average movement skills. He just has those loose hips to close on the ball in a hurry, along with adequate strength to hold his ground as both a half-field defender and at the point of attack.

His closing burst is very good and he has the ability to make up ground when the ball is the air. He also flashes the ability to recover when caught out of position.

Do not be fooled by his adequate size and weight room numbers (14 reps in the 225-pound bench press), as Randall can hold up in man coverage vs. most tight ends and definitely has the mirror skills and foot speed to match up vs. quicker slot receivers. He turns and locates the ball and can extend his arms and snatch the ball out of the air.

Randall is making steady progress in attempts to understand when to play the ball or body. He elevates and can high-point the ball, but again, thanks to his shortstop experience, he’s had a few thefts by using just one hand in jump-ball situations. In 2014, the game started to slow down for him and he showed valid instincts when asked to step up and deliver the big hit in the box.

Randall generally does a nice job of breaking down and wrapping up ball carriers in the open field. While his size and adequate strength say he might not be an in-the-box safety, as some teams fear he lacks the elite size and takes too long to get off blocks, he does show consistent pursuit angles and you are not going to see him caught out of position too often.

— Dave-Te’ Thomas

than a decade to top 100 tackles (106), with his 87 solo tackles ranking fourth in school history.

“If I didn’t hurt my shoulder, where am I today? I really couldn’t tell you. I really don’t even know,”

RANDALL INTERCEPTS A PASS VS. WASHINGTON STATE.

Randall said.

Where it will get him in Green Bay is a move to cornerback. He had a formal interview with the Packers at the Scouting Combine, he said at the time, but thought he had fallen off the team’s radar after that.

“We think he’s a very versatile player,” Thompson said. “We’ll probably line him up as a corner.

But in Dom’s system, those defensive backs are all over the place. It’s hard to keep up with who’s playing what.”

According to Randall, “probably 12 teams” considered him a cornerback while “seven or eight” liked him better at safety. Even at safety, he played plenty of man coverage in the Sun Devils’ blitzheavy scheme. ProFootballFocus. com’s film review found Randall allowed 33 completions in 62 attempts (53.2 percent) for 455 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions.

“I was coming in as a corner,” Randall said. “Me, coach (Todd) Graham and the coaching staff sat down and was like, ‘We need you at safety because we have some corners that could hold their own out there

and we just do not have a safety.’ So they just asked me to play that role and I would do whatever I can to help the team win.”

When training camp opens, Randall and second-rounder Quinten Rollins will work behind Shields, Hayward and Hyde while challenging Goodson for the fourth cornerback.

“For some time now, we’ve had him pretty high up on our board,” Thompson said. “The more you go back and look, he’s a good football player. We were talking about it amongst our scouts today.

You have so long to sit around in angst about everything, you have a tendency if you’re not careful you start worrying about things, and I’m adamant that’s the wrong thing to do. Never worry about stuff. So, we looked back at it and said at the end of the day, if we get just a good football player, it doesn’t matter where we have to take him. If we have to take a guy higher than you want to take him, it doesn’t matter.

We just wanted a football player. In this case, we took a good football player in our opinion and we took him at a place where it was very reasonable in terms of cost.”

•

Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports

PACKERREPORT.COM • 17

NFL DRAFT: SECOND ROUND

BY W. KEITH ROERDINK

FAST BREAK QUINTEN ROLLINS WAS A STAR IN BASKETBALL BUT EVEN BETTER IN FOOTBALL

ROLLINS AT THE SENIOR BOWL.

QUINTEN ROLLINS POSITION: Cornerback • SCHOOL: Miami (Ohio) • ROUND (PICK): Second (62) CAREER NOTES: Rollins was named All-American first-team by The NFL Draft Report, as the consensus All-Mid American Conference first-team choice was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year, despite having never played a down of football since his 2009 high school campaign…He is just the third Redhawks player to receive national first-team honors, joining center Paul Dietzel (AFCA in 1947) and linebacker Bob Babich (AFCA, Playboy, Sporting News and Time magazine in 1968)…Joined the football team in April after he completed a four-year basketball career at Miami…Started every game at right cornerback, ranking third in the nation with a school-record seven interceptions. He added nine deflections...As a basketball player, Rollins finished his career ranked second at Miami and 12th among Mid-American Conference career leaders in steals (214) and fourth in school history in assists (391).

HE SAID IT: “We obviously don’t have two years of film to go back on like we would most prospects. He got hot late in the fall. Our scouts saw him and really liked him. So I went in there in November I think and he was really, really impressive. Great-looking kid, great body, good length, great ball skills. I think he really improved as the season went along, but he played good the entire time he was there.” — college scouting director Brian Gutekunst Glenn Andrews/USA TODAY Sports

18 • PACKERREPORT.COM

H

is career totals were impressive: 106 starts. 391 assists. 214 steals.

But those were Quinten Rollins’ basketball stats from a standout career at Miami (Ohio) University. And while they speak to his tremendous athletic ability, they’re not why he was the 62nd player taken in the draft by the Packers.

These are the numbers that will have the 5-foot-11, 203-pounder competing for playing time in the Packers’ secondary: 72 tackles, seven interceptions, four tackles for loss, one forced fumble and 16 passes defensed. They were impressive enough to earn Rollins’ MAC Defensive Player of the Year honors.

They’re also career totals.

Because 2014 was the one and only season Rollins played college football — after his hoops eligibility with the Redhawks was used up.

And it was his first year playing defensive back full-time after a prep career at Wilmington (Ohio) High School, where he played mostly running back.

“There’s a lot of things that kind of translate, especially on the defensive end,” Rollins said.

“Me being a ‘1’ (point guard) and having to guard relatively quick point guards, my lateral quickness and keeping guys in front like you do in man coverage, and then being a point guard and having to see the whole floor kind of allows me to have natural instincts in zone coverage. If you can do that as a point guard, you can kind of do that in football and see what’s going to happen before it happens just by what formation they come out in. So, I’d say a bunch of things correlate, but I’d say there are some differences, too.”

Cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt was quick to bring all the hoops hype into perspective.

“I know everybody wants to focus on the basketball aspect and I understand how exciting that is for the fans, but I really didn’t watch him play basketball,” Whitt said. “I watched what he did on the football field, and that’s the only thing that I care about.

“He has rare ball skills. That is something special. The ability to go get it. But this is a hard game and he’s going to have some challenges when he gets on this level, which all guys do. You know, corner is a hard position to come in and play as a rookie. I think there’s one in the past 10 years — one rookie cornerback that made the Pro Bowl. I think that zero have been

‘PERFECTIONIST’ ROLLINS WAS IMMEDIATE HIT

B

efore Quinten Rollins grabbed his first interception or end-of-season award, the basketball star-turnedcornerback had to get through his first practice at Miami (Ohio).

Actually, he had to get to practice, period.

“Nobody’s really said this but Q actually missed the first day of (spring) practice,” Redhawks defensive backs coach John Hauser said. “He had just gotten done with basketball and we were a new staff trying to get spring rolling and nobody had called him and said, ‘Hey, we’re starting football today.’ I remember talking to Chuck (Martin, the new head coach) after practice and saying, ‘Hey, is Quinten going to come out?’ And he said, ‘Yeah, we’ve got to call him.’ It was pretty close to the end of basketball so he probably needed a little break, anyway.”

When Rollins showed up the next day, the results were underwhelming.

At least in his mind.

“The first day of practice, I thought I was going to be done,” Rollins said. “I’m just a competitor and I expected to go out there and do the same things I was doing in high school. And when it wasn’t happening the first day, it was ‘Oh, what am I doing here?’”

It was Hauser to the rescue.

“He’s a perfectionist guy so he said that he thought that he was going to come out and kind of dominate right away,” Hauser recalled. “You could see the frustration on his face. He’d be frustrated about everything.

Imagine getting in that situation and you’re not a young kid — you’re a senior in college — and all of a sudden you’re trying to learn a brand-new skill-set. Yeah, he was frustrated but the first day you just had to tell Q to relax and it’s going to take a little time and just assure him that his skill-set was there to do this stuff. He just got better and better every day. We knew from Day 1 that his movement and things were better than just about everyone on our team. Then you put how he can catch the ball and track the ball, as we later found out. Q made plays in practice every day. I’ve had some other guys that are really good players and never make as many plays in practice as he did. It was just every single day he’d make play after play after play on the ball.”

Rollins called that first day a “building block.” By the time the season had ended, all of those building blocks looked like a tower.

Rollins, who gave football a shot on the advice of Ravens scout Mark Azevedo, who had seen Rollins play basketball, intercepted seven passes. He was named the MAC’s Defensive Player of the Year and was invited to the Senior Bowl.

He wasn’t just a basketball player giving football a shot. He was a football player. Period.

“For me, it was right away,” Hauser said. “I didn’t really ever see him as a basketball guy. I’d say maybe when we put the pads on he looked like a football guy but he never really was out of place. He kind of would wander in coverage some and his eyes were poor at times, just because he wanted to make so many plays on the ball. But his physicality from Day 1, he was never a lanky basketball guy. The transition he made from spring to fall camp, I mean, he put on about 18 pounds. There definitely was a difference in his body when he came back.

But as far as just being a football guy and being physical, he always had a presence to him from Day 1.”

What Rollins accomplished in such a short time really is remarkable. When Rollins showed up for his first practice, he basically had to start with the basics. In comparison to his teammates, who had been playing defensive back for years, it was like Rollins was learning his multiplication tables while everyone else was in calculus.

Perhaps more impressive than his ball skills is Rollins’ desire to tackle. There are plenty of defensive backs who have no interest in tackling. Rollins, however, proved to be an immediate hit.

“That was probably the biggest shock to me and our staff was his physicality,” Hauser said. “We were in a unique situation in that we were a first-year staff and didn’t have any numbers (on the roster) really, so we didn’t go live until we played Marshall (in the first game). I’d do drills and could tell that he’s physical — his hands are really heavy in his press — and you could see him shedding blocks. But we hadn’t really gone all-out live so it was just a bunch of tag. Didn’t really know his physicality level until that first game and he had 10-or-so tackles.

He’s a kid that has a knack. To me, tackling is one of the hardest things to coach — we try to recruit it — and he had a knack for when to shoot on a guy. Before that guy would even make a move, Q would have him on the ground. Just his aggressiveness in how he played was a huge shock.”

With first-round pick Damarious Randall joining the likes of Sam Shields, Casey Hayward and Micah Hyde, the Packers appear to have a deep group of corners. But considering how quickly Rollins burst on the scene, who knows how good he can become with more seasoning. Not only does he have ball skills and toughness, but Hauser pointed to his study habits and “fierce” competitiveness as reasons why Rollins will have an excellent career.

“Man, I think he can be an All-Pro guy, I really do,” Hauser said. “I think Quinten has a unique skill-set that not many people in the world have, which is going to separate him from a lot of the guys he’s going against. To me, his preparation and how he handles himself, how professional he’s going to be from Day 1 can give him an advantage on a ton of guys. I think he’s a steal. I thought after some of these workouts that somebody may even take him at the end of the first round because everybody that worked him out thought he was a huge talent and talked about how smart he was after a year. I do, I think the sky’s the limit for him in the NFL.” • — By Bill Huber

PACKERREPORT.COM • 19

ROLLINS HAS TREMENDOUS BALL SKILLS.

SCOUTING ANALYSIS: ROLLINS

John David Mercer/USA TODAY Sports

N

obody on the coaching staff knew what they would get when Quinten Rollins first walked into the football office prior to the start of 2014 spring camp. He would go on to lead the league and rank third in the nation with seven interceptions, also breaking up nine passes.

He finished fourth on the team with 72 tackles, making four stops-for-loss while also causing one fumble.

For that performance, he received MAC Defensive Player of the Year honors and garnered first-team All-American accolades from The NFL Draft Report. Do not let this football neophyte’s lack of experience fool you. He was rated among the draft’s elite cornerback prospects for a reason.

Considering that Rollins played just one season of college football and was a high school running back, he showed that he could be a physical tackler who shows aggression taking on contact and, even though he played in the second/third level, he showed urgency moving down the line and tackle. He’s also physical in coverage, doing a nice job of reading the receiver’s eyes. That ability allowed him to gain the success he had going up and knocking the ball away with his back to the play.

Rollins demonstrated good confidence in jump-ball situations (attained four of his pass thefts from jump-ball battles) and can hold up physically one-on-one on the outside. His basketball skills and overall flexibility show that he has the natural balance and footwork in coverage, along with demonstrating the ability to quickly get his feet under him and then click and close on the ball.

Rollins has good closing speed, along with generating functional power as a tackler when asked to drive on a receiver after the catch. He wraps up and finishes well, along with doing a nice job of turning and running with receivers downfield. He possesses good (not great) straight-line speed and uses his length and explosive leaping ability to high-point the ball.

Rollins still needs some technique work, as he is not yet technically sound when it comes to his drop. He has a tendency to open up his hips too early in his backpedal and, due to inexperience, he had to rely more on his athleticism to run with receivers from the trail technique. He appeared to be more comfortable when playing with inside leverage and take a side to ride the receiver on his way down field. He does have a crisp and quick closing burst, but will need to work on his footwork, as he is not yet sharpness in his attempts to get out of his breaks and undercut routes.

There are times when Rollins will round off his breaks or gather

20 • PACKERREPORT.COM

himself, but he’s a valid, physical player who can tackle in the secondary, close on the ball and run with most of the speedy receivers downfield. He has the upside to develop into a good starting cornerback, reminding me of a “young puppy” at Louisiana-Lafayette more than a decade ago with just one year of defensive back experience – Pittsburgh’s Ike Taylor.

Rollins is the first to admit that he is developing the quick thinking process to recognize routes and diagnose whether the receiver is the primary read by anticipating the opponent’s body language. Still, his interception success came from being alert to swing passes in the flat in zone coverage.

He improved throughout the season and, during 2015 Senior Bowl practices, Rollins was quick to read receiver screens, avoid the block and close to make the play near or behind the line. There were times he was a step slow attacking in his zone or to chase plays, but that can be easily corrected once he feels more comfortable taking proper angles to the ball.

Playing one-on-one with the receiver, Rollins has the size and hand skills to be a physical press coverage defender. His basketball skills are evident with his smooth hip transition from his backpedal, but he is best in press coverage, as he became comfortable in using his length and size to neutralize the receiver. He just needs to be more consistent getting his hands on his opponent before the receiver can get a release off the line.

Rollins does a nice job for keeping contact with the receiver downfield to prevent any sort of separation. He has the length and leaping ability to win jump ball battles and as his interception rate increased, he forced quarterbacks to look in other directions. His lone issue in man coverage is footwork, as he can lose his balance and footing on double moves. While he has the ability to be physical, he needs to be more disciplined in this area to prevent costly penalties.

With 16 passes defended, it is safe to say that Rollins has excellent hands. He’s a ball-hawk in coverage and along with his snatching ability, he is quick to find the ball thrown over his shoulder, especially when covering on vertical and fade routes. He won’t intercept every pass that hits his hands (four of his breakups appeared to be easy thefts), but he gets good hand placement defending the ball. He’s also became very aggressive at challenging for the sphere at its high point. It will be interesting to see if some NFL team tries to capitalize on his hands by using him on punt and kickoff returns.

— Dave-Te’ Thomas

voted Rookie of the Year — Casey (Hayward of Green Bay) and the kid from St. Louis (Janoris Jenkins) and one other kid were the only ones to get votes for Defensive Rookie of the Year in the past 10 years.”

It was a Baltimore Ravens scout

who saw Rollins on the hardwood and encouraged him to return to the gridiron. After four years away from the game, the adjustment wasn’t as easy as Rollins thought it would be.

But it didn’t take him long to shake off the rust.

“The first day was definitely rough,” Rollins said. “Me being the competitor I am, I expected to walk out there and still do the same things I was doing on the high school football field. And that didn’t happen. The offense gets away with a bunch of crap and I’m sitting there saying to the coaches, ‘That has to be pass interference.’

They were throwing me to try to get open. It wasn’t called, and that’s when I had to learn it’s an offensive game.

“But then, I got my feet under me, and then it was just a matter of getting better from there. As far as the team, I knew some of the guys from around campus, so it wasn’t that big of an adjustment. A coach and maybe a couple of the guys were like, ‘What’s this basketball guy doing here?’ But I ended up winning their respect with my work ethic. I came in and I’m not a boastful guy. I wasn’t all full of myself. I was just trying to be a part of the team and get better and work hard with the guys.”

Improvement will be expected from Rollins, who director of college scouting Brian Gutekunst said has the ability to play cornerback or safety. But the opportunity will be there in a secondary that lost

starting cornerback Tramon Williams and reserve Davon House.

“He got hot late in the fall,” Gutekunst said of Rollins’ meteoric rise from obscurity to second-round selection. “Our scouts saw him and really liked him. So, I went in there in November, I think, and he was really, really impressive. Greatlooking kid, great body, good length, great ball skills.

“He’s a very natural athlete.

Things come fairly easy to him in that sense. (He’s got good) spatial awareness, the ability to bend, he’s a very, very fluid athlete. Certainly it’s not the same as having four, five years of football, but maybe there’s some advantages to that, too, because we’re going to get him and train him the way we want to train him.”

Rollins is looking forward to it.

And if he could be this good after just one year of college football, there’s no telling what his ceiling can be in the NFL. “I’m not coming in thinking I’m polished or anything,” Rollins said. “I need to work on everything, including my ball skills. Even though that’s I think one of the solid points of my game. I need to work on everything from A to Z and I can’t wait to get to work.”

•

Courtesy Miami (Ohio) Athletics

PACKERREPORT.COM • 21

NFL DRAFT: THIRD ROUND

BY MATT TEVSH

A SHINY NEW TOY

TY MONTGOMERY IS ANOTHER WEAPON FOR A TEAM THAT LED THE NFL IN SCORING

MONTGOMERY IS A DYNAMIC OPEN-FIELD RUNNER.

TY MONTGOMERY POSITION: Receiver • SCHOOL: Stanford • ROUND (PICK): Third (94) CAREER NOTES: Montgomery started 26-of-49 games at Stanford…Caught 172 passes for 2,125 yards (12.35 ypc) with 15 touchdowns…During his last three seasons, he successfully pulled down 148-of-238 passes targeted to him (62.18 percent)…Added 334 yards and four touchdowns on 39 carries (8.56 ypc)…Returned 91 kickoffs for 2,493 yards (27.4 avg) and three touchdowns, adding 238 yards and a pair of scores on 12 punt returns (19.8 avg)…

Amassed 5,226 all-purpose yards, an average of 106.65 yards per game.

Among NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision performers, Montgomery ranks third for kickoff return yardage, sixth for all-purpose yards and kickoff return touchdowns, seventh for punt return touchdowns and 24th for receptions.

As a senior, despite missing the final two games with a shoulder injury, failing to average at least 10.0 yards per reception and struggling to match his 2013 performance, Montgomery managed to earn CBS Sports All-American second-team honors as an all-purpose back, adding honorable mention in that category from Sports Illustrated…The Hornung Award finalist received all-Pac-12 Conference second-team accolades as a return specialist and honorable mention as a wide receiver…Led the team as he caught 61-of-95 passes targeted to him (64.21%), but the opposition managed to deflected 14 passes out of his hands, causing five drops, as he was also tackled for losses on six grabs and failed to gain yardage on four other catches.

HE SAID IT: “I think he’s a very dynamic player. Certainly, he’s got strong hands. Good, quick hands. He’s very versatile.

He does have a lot of return cred from returns in his career. So a guy like that is a pretty good fit for what we’re trying to do.” — GM Ted Thompson

22 • PACKERREPORT.COM

THE COBB EFFECT?

IN

2010, the Packers finished 29th in Rick Gosselin’s annual special-teams rankings for the Dallas Morning News.

In the 2011 draft, general manager Ted Thompson used his pick at the end of the second round on Kentucky’s do-it-all star, Randall Cobb. With Cobb averaging 27.7 yards per kickoff return and 11.3 yards per punt return, with one touchdown in each phase, the Packers soared to a tie for 13th in the annual rankings.

After finishing 32nd in Gosselin’s 2014 rankings, the makeover has been extreme. Shawn Slocum, the coordinator for the past six seasons, was fired. DuJuan Harris, who handled kickoff returns, and six of the top 10 players in terms of total special-teams snaps were either released or not retained in free agency. (That list includes playoff captain Jarrett Bush, who remains unsigned.) Ron Zook will run the show after assisting Slocum last year, but coach Mike McCarthy will spend more time on special teams after giving up play-calling duties.

The makeover continued during the third round of this year’s draft with the selection of Stanford receiver Ty Montgomery.

For his career, Montgomery averaged 27.4 yards per kickoff return with three touchdowns. As a junior, his 30.3 average and two touchdowns ranked second in the nation. Montgomery handled punt returns for the first time as a senior. All he did was average 19.8 yards per return with two touchdowns. He would have led the nation in average had he had enough opportunities, and he tied for third in the nation in touchdowns.

“When you look at him, he’s much bigger (and) I think he’s faster than the guy we had last year returning kicks,” West Coast scout Sam Seale said in reference to Harris. “I think he’s more explosive.

When he touches the ball, he hits the hole. He’s explosive, he’s big. And I think it would give Randall a break. For me, personally, I think he’s a bigger Randall.”

With Micah Hyde and Cobb, the Packers’ punt return has been excellent the past four seasons.

In fact, only Green Bay and New England have boasted 10-yard averages in each of the past four seasons. The kickoff-return unit, however, has put the team in a field-position black hole. Last year, of the 21 returners who averaged 1.25 runbacks per game, Harris ranked 20th with a 20.7-yard average.

As a team, Green Bay ranked 31st in 2014 and 30th in 2013.

“Kickoff return is an opportunity for a big play,” McCarthy said. “Big plays is what you need to win in the National Football League, so it’s definitely a variable — one of the top variables — for winning championships. We will be better on kickoff return, and Ty will definitely have the opportunity to help us improve.”

On the surface, bolstering the kickoff-return unit is something of a chicken-or-egg proposition. Is the returner successful because of his blockers, or are the blockers successful because of the returner?

When Cobb was making a major impact as a rookie, Slocum said a returner is more important than the blockers. A great returner can clean up the sins of his blockers by making a defender or two miss, which could mean anything from six extra yards to six points. An elite returner puts the coverage unit on its heels and playing tentatively. On the other hand, even in a well-blocked return, one member of the coverage unit is bound to have a chance to make the tackle. A below-average returner probably will get tackled. A great returner will make that man miss and then turn on the jets.

“You can see with Randall, like in a punt return, you make the first guy miss, you make the second guy miss, you can get up the field,” Seale said. “And watching Devin Hester, you kick him the ball, he makes one guy miss and get people out of their lanes — he can take it all the way. I think it will really help us starting on the other side of the 40-yard line instead of starting on the 25.”

Montgomery brings an interesting skill-set to returns, with the speed and elusiveness of a receiver and the power of a running back. He was a too-muscular 221 pounds at the Scouting Combine, where he was timed in 4.55 in the 40-yard dash. A scout said he told Montgomery to “just be fast” for his pro day, so Montgomery dropped 10 pounds and ran in 4.38. He checked in with the Packers at 212 pounds.

“I think a good return man has speed, quickness, a will to break tackles and find the end zone,” Montgomery said. “There’s no second down on special teams, so you can’t be complacent. As a return man, you have to be willing to fight. ... Thinking about it, you don’t really hear too many people talking about the returner being able to run over guys — but it is a good quality because you do have to run through some arm tackles, even run through guys.”

Montgomery is ready to help in any role. Considering he’s likely to be no better than No. 4 on the receiver depth chart when the regular season begins, he’s going to have to play a role on all of the special teams. With his size, speed and strength, he hopes to be a weapon in all four phases.

“Not just a return man — any special teams,” he said. “If I’m covering punts, I’ll cover kickoffs, I’ll play gunner — it really doesn’t matter. I’ll even (block) and not be a return man. I don’t care. Any kind of special teams is the fastest way to get on the field.”

— Bill Huber Robert Stanton/USA TODAY Sports

PACKERREPORT.COM • 23

F

SCOUTING ANALYSIS: MONTGOMERY

rom a coaching change to letting familiar personnel go, the Packers are making special teams a major focal point this offseason. During the third round of this year’s draft, they made a potential big splash to help that cause.

Passing up on more immediate needs — most notably at inside linebacker — the Packers used the No. 94 overall pick to select Ty Montgomery, a dynamic player who might look a little like a guy the Packers just re-signed this offseason for $40 million.

“To me, personally,” began Packers West Coast scout Sam Seale,

T

“I think he’s a bigger Randall (Cobb).”

Packers fans might remember the short but stout Cobb (5-10, 192 pounds) making a huge impact on special teams as a rookie in 2011 before blossoming into one of the NFL’s top slot receivers and a threat out of the backfield, too.

Montgomery (6-0, 221) has a fouryear career at Stanford that suggests he could project to that type of player, as well.

Among winning numerous awards as an all-purpose performer, Montgomery was one of the Cardinal’s best-ever kick returners.

On offense, all he did was line up as

he 2014 campaign was not the All-World type of season that many predicted the big Cardinal receiver would have before the year began.

One of the more electrifying receivers in this draft class entering his senior year, he’s had a few bumps and bruises that seem to linger more than most, leaving some scouts to wonder if he has the “thick skin” needed to toughen up and play through minor dings.

Called a Dez Bryant type, the Cardinal receiver did not show that aggressive nature combating for jump balls in 2014 that he did in the past.

He is a physical blocker with nimble footwork and explosive acceleration, but is not as well-versed as a route runner as advertised. Still, he has the leg drive to break arm tackles, but for a player of his size and speed, using him on underneath routes this year wasted his talent level.

The 2013 consensus All-American became only the third player in school history to gain over 2,000 all-purpose yards (2,208 last year) and just the second Cardinal to amass over 1,000 yards via kickoff returns (second in the nation with 1,091 yards and a 30.3-yard average). He scored fourteen times, twice on reverses, two more times on returns and hauled in over one-third of the team’s receptions (61) that produced ten more touchdowns.

This season, he failed to reach 100 yards receiving in any game, yet, he led the team with 61 receptions, but for only a 9.9-yard average. He gained 144 yards on 23 carries, averaged 25.2 yards on 17 kickoff returns and 19.8 yards on 12 punt runbacks. He is a physical blocker with nimble footwork and explosive acceleration. He’s well-versed as a route runner, but has had his most success on vertical routes. He has the leg drive to break arm tackles, but for a player of his size and speed, using him on underneath routes this year wasted his talent level.

That adequate season, coupled with whispers regarding his penchant for lingering with minor bruises could see him slip all the way into the fourth or fifth round picture, a far fall for a player once touted as the best senior receiver in this draft prior to the 2014 season and was called a certain first round pick then.

Montgomery has a well developed frame with good quickness and balance, but his rock-solid frame makes him appear much more suited for running chores than pass catching duties. He has the arm length, upper body strength and solid muscle development to defeat the press and a tight midsection and hips. He has a good bubble, tapered thighs and even has some room left on his frame for additional growth.

Montgomery shows good quickness and a burst of speed in his play. He is a quick-handed receiver with good body control, change-ofdirection agility and explosion in his RAC, but must be more alert to situations on the field, as he tends to run right into spots, resulting in him being tackled for losses six times and had four other catches where he was stopped for no gain.

The Cardinal displays very good athletic ability on the field, especially on special teams, but must do a better job of protecting the ball, as all three of his fumbles last season led to the opponent eventually scoring from those turnovers. A well-built athlete, he has lacks blazing speed, but accelerates nicely with his compact stride, which allows him to generate burst on the move, evident by his success returning kicks for touchdowns.

He shows very good balance, hip snap and torso flexibility.

Even with his running back-sized frame, Montgomery shows good

24 • PACKERREPORT.COM

an outside receiver, a slot receiver, a tailback and as a wildcat quarterback at times. Even with a running backsized frame, league scouts believe he can be a Pro Bowl return specialist.

“I really do believe he can come in here with special teams and really help us, really elevate our special teams his first year and press the people that’s in front of him,” said Seale.

Montgomery may have been a higher pick had he come out after his junior season in 2013. That was his best all-around statistically with 61 catches, 958 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns in 14 games (12

starts). He also averaged 30.3 yards per kickoff return on 36 returns (two touchdowns) and rushed 13 times for 159 yards. His 2,208 all-purpose yards were third-best in school history.

He entered his senior season as the top-rated senior receiving prospect, according to the NFL’s head scout, Dave-Te’ Thomas.

However, his final season failed to measure up. Montgomery had just three receiving touchdowns. His kickoff-return average dipped to 25.2. And his yards per catch went from 15.7 to 9.9.

“I don’t think there’s a clear answer to that,” said Montgomery

quickness, strength and hand usage to get off the snap and into his patterns. He might lack blazing speed, but compensates with good hip snap, balance and foot work in his route (still needs to execute crisper breaks, though). He has a smooth and fluid release off the line of scrimmage and is able to beat press coverage. He has the power to push through the jam with no hold-ups. He also shows the ability to be elusive at the line and consistently escapes to get into his routes.

Montgomery has displayed very good vertical acceleration on deep routes. He has enough body control to get open and adjust quickly to the short throws and uncover. He does not have great timed speed, but does show the extra gear needed to get to the ball and run away from the slower defenders. He gets a good push working up field and while he does rely more on his athletic ability, he is working on running more precise routes.

The Cardinal receiver needs to generate sharper cuts on intermediate routes and run with little gather in and out of his breaks, but is showing improvement. He has the ability to use his frame when shielding defenders and is becoming a nice threat with his aggressive running style, as he has the balance to take the quick slants and turn up field without breaking stride.

Montgomery has a decent short area burst to gain separation after pulling in the slants or screens. He is starting to develop the eyes needed to locate the soft spots in the zone. He sees the ball in flight and shows the body flexibility and vision to look the ball in. He is able to generate better acceleration working in the short-to-intermediate areas.

The senior he has the ability to separate from defenders with his burst.

He seems quicker into his cuts rather than out, but is effective either way.

He needs to do a better job with his hand placement, as his arms drop some just before his break point, but that hitch is easily correctable.

Montgomery has great torso flexibility. He can adjust to off-target throws or settling down in the zone. He extends and plucks the pass at the high point with good effectiveness, but mysteriously lost more jump ball battles than he won last year (defenders batted away 14 targeted throws). He has shown flashes of being able to adjust to high and low balls well, displaying that superb leaping ability that made him one of the top returners in the country before his recent injury issues. He has to do a better job of controlling his body to catch, as he only has adequate drift.

Montgomery displays good hands, as he is not really a body catcher, but will use his frame at times to absorb the ball (leads to more than a few drops of easy throws). He has the ability to extend with his hands, but will still trap the ball some. On returns, he shows very good hand/eye coordination with placement, but must protect the sphere better as he had fumble issues last season.

He likes to compete for jump balls, especially when he knows he will have to attack it with defenders draped all over him, but his timing was off last season, leading to a high amount of tosses batted away from him (14).

He has the scoop-&-reach ability to make the shoestring grab and has only fumbled once on 188 returns, proving he has valid ball security skills.

Montgomery’s experience on the special teams came in handy when generating blocking skills as a receiver. He is aggressive stalking second level defenders and works hard to impact the opponent along the edge to spring the ball carrier for positive yardage.

— Dave-Te’ Thomas

MONTGOMERY GOES THROUGH DRILLS AT THE SENIOR BOWL.

Glenn Andrews/USA TODAY Sports

about his drastic drop in yards per catch. “I don’t think that there’s anything that I did wrong. I caught a lot more balls behind the line of scrimmage and near the line of scrimmage and had to get yards after the catch, make more guys miss, not make as many plays down field. That’s one thing I think about — not as many opportunities down the field.”

Montgomery added that he was used differently in the offense than the season before. Seale, who followed Montgomery since his freshman season since his son, Ricky, also played for Stanford, saw some other challenges for Montgomery in 2014.

“I felt like their quarterback (Kevin Hogan) didn’t have a good year,” said Seale. “I thought that was the problem. And then he missed the last two games of the season (with a shoulder injury). But other than that, they were going through a lot of changes and they didn’t really run the ball like they usually do.”

Strangely, Montgomery’s inflated height while at Stanford (listed at 6-2) may have changed the way prospective pro teams looked at him. Several told him in the evaluation process that they had him pegged as a running back. At the Scouting Combine, he measured in at just under 6 feet.

But like Cobb, that hardly

seemed to matter for the Packers, who jumped on Montgomery in the third round even with their top three receivers returning and two 2014 draft picks set to launch.

“We’ve got an offensive head coach,” said Packers general manager Ted Thompson. “Seriously, the game is that sort of game. Since I’ve been here, Brett Favre’s been the quarterback or Aaron Rodgers.

So, you’d like to get them as many people to throw to as you can. “(Montgomery’s) a very strong runner, very instinctive, has good quickness — all the things you look for. I think the key thing is his strength level is better than most.”

Though Montgomery’s body type would suggest he fit naturally as a slot receiver, Seale would not necessarily peg him as such, noting that at Stanford “he lined up all over the field.”

Sounds kind of like No. 18 in green and gold.

“Wow, that is very flattering,” responded Montgomery when told Seale called him a bigger Cobb. “(But) I haven’t played a down in the NFL. I’m just going to try to live up to being the best Ty Montgomery I can be for the Green Bay Packers. I’m still just kind of speechless about it. But it’s very flattering and that makes me happy to hear but I just need to be the best Ty Montgomery I can be.” •

PACKERREPORT.COM • 25

NFL DRAFT: FOURTH ROUND

BY BILL HUBER

THE

MVP

RYAN WAS ONE OF THE NATION’S CAREER LEADERS IN TFLS.

WILL INSIDE LINEBACKER JAKE RYAN BE THE TEAM’S MOST VALUABLE PICK?

JAKE RYAN POSITION: Inside linebacker • SCHOOL: Michigan • ROUND (PICK): Fourth (129) CAREER NOTES: Ryan started 41-of-46 games at Michigan — 29 at strong-side outside linebacker and his final 12 appearances at middle linebacker…Recorded 267 tackles (166 solos), 9.5 sacks, 45.5 stops for losses and intercepted one pass. ... Among active NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision players, Ryan ranks 48th in total tackles and 36th in solo hits. His TFL count ranks third in that group and he tied for 14th with seven forced fumbles...Ryan ranks sixth in school history in tackles for losses and second with seven forced fumbles.

Ryan moved to middle linebacker as a senior. He was an All-American Super Sleeper Team selection by The NFL Draft Report added all-Big Ten Conference first-team honors from the league’s coaches and media…Led the team with a career-high 112 tackles (67 solos), posting two sacks and 14 stops for losses.

HE SAID IT: “His instincts. I think he tested a little better than what people expected. He ran a 4.61 40. The instincts are something that really stands out. He can get through traffic, he can make plays on the outside, he can penetrate and make plays on the inside run. Pretty good in coverage, kind of an all-around guy that we felt adds really good value to our team.” — director of pro personnel Eliot Wolf Matthew O’Haren/USA TODAY Sports

26 • PACKERREPORT.COM

S

ince the first NFL Player Selection Meeting in 1936, has any team emerged from the immediate aftermath of the draft having its fourth-round selection being its most important pick?

Such is the case for the Packers, however, with Michigan inside linebacker Jake Ryan.

Does first-round safety-turnedcornerback Damarious Randall have to be anything more than a role player as a rookie? No, not as long as Sam Shields, Micah Hyde and Casey Hayward stay healthy.

Does second-round point guardturned-cornerback Quinten Rollins have to contribute right away? No, same deal.

Does third-round receiver Ty Montgomery have to emerge as a contributor on offense? No, considering the Packers led the league in scoring and that unit returns intact.

So what about Ryan?

As the only inside linebacker selected, his importance is obvious at a position group that wasn’t good enough when A.J. Hawk, Brad Jones and Jamari Lattimore were on the roster. Those three, who topped the depth chart to open last season, are gone, turning a position group that was short on talent into a group

short on numbers — and making inside linebacker the No. 1 need for the Packers entering the draft.

That’s why fans grew antsy after the Packers bypassed Clemson’s Stephone Anthony in favor of Randall in the first round. And that’s why fans grew impatient after watching Benardrick McKinney, Eric Kendricks and Denzel Perryman go before Green Bay was up in the second. And that’s why fans became exasperated when they skipped over Paul Dawson in the second and third rounds.

Finally, in the fourth round, general manager Ted Thompson grabbed Ryan. “(Thompson) kind of just said, ‘Maybe they’ll get off my back now, you know,’” Packers director of player personnel Eliot Wolf said.

Ryan started 41 games in his career. He was productive. Ryan recorded 267 tackles, including 45.5 for losses and 9.5 sacks, and forced seven fumbles. He was tough. Ryan tore his ACL during spring practice in March 2013.

On Oct. 12 — just six-and-a-half months later — he was back on the field against Penn State. And he’s athletic. At 6-foot-2 3/8 and 240 pounds at the Scouting Combine, Ryan ran his 40-yard dash in

RYAN LED THE WOLVERINES IN TACKLES.

SCOUTING ANALYSIS: RYAN

Rick Osentoski/USA TODAY Sports

T

he way Ryan attacks ball-carriers, you would think he has a personal vendetta toward them, as he plays with a true “search and destroy” attitude. His instincts, field vision and ability to call assignments had the staff shifting the strong-side ‘backer to the “Mike” position as a senior.

Ryan is more quick than fast, but shows good closing speed vs. plays in front of him. He builds his acceleration steadily and stays low in his pads to slip under blocks and make plays in pursuit. He is much more active with his hands as a senior than in the past. He has a good array of counter moves and can surprise a lethargic blocker with his rip-andswim maneuvers. He demonstrates very good ability and strength taking on blocks, as he refined his hand placement and improved his hand technique to prevent the lineman from gaining leverage.

The Wolverine won’t explode behind his hits, but when he keeps his pad level down, he is effective at driving into and pushing back the ball carrier by consistently attacking the opposing runner’s legs to impede their forward progress. He gets a little out of control trying to make plays in long pursuit and when he fails to redirect fluidly, he struggles to recover. He is a better tackler on the move, as he knows how to avoid the bigger blockers when making plays at the point of attack. He has good body control in space, showing the ability to break down and hit with functional pop.

With his move inside, Ryan showed that he has a strong grasp of blocking schemes and the ability to beat offensive linemen to the point of attack. He does a nice job of keeping his head up to locate the ball quickly. He’s quite effective at reading the quarterback’s eyes when he drops into zone coverage and does an above-average job of timing his breaks on the ball for an inside linebacker with just one year’s experience at the “Mike” position.

Perhaps his inexperience in the middle led to some overaggressiveness at times last year and that left him vulnerable to playaction, but he had the foot work to generate adequate depth in his pass drops, along with demonstrating a good burst coming out of his backpedal to mirror receivers in the intermediate area.

Ryan also did a solid job covering a lot of ground in zone coverage.

He has the ability to open his hips and is fast enough to run with most backs and tight ends in man coverage. He also shows good ball skills to make plays in coverage, as his three tipped passes and interception came at during opportune times (all on third-down snaps). His footwork is a bit inconsistent when he has to get back into the deeper areas, as he has some problems recovering when takes extra steps.

While Ryan needs some work on reading routes and isn’t as aggressive in coverage as is defending the run, he shows the lateral mobility when scraping down the line of scrimmage, as he has the quick feet to avoid blockers while on the move and gets through traffic quickly. While he can be relentless and shows good sideline-to-sideline range, there are times he does not take sound pursuit angles and could have some problems trying to prevent NFL running backs from turning the corner until improves in this area.

With 45.5 stops-for-loss, Ryan shows that he is aggressive and quick enough to disrupt running plays in the backfield. He gets under the blockers’ pads and shows active hands when teams run at him, and last season, he demonstrated a violent punch and kept his hands active and inside his framework to prevent from being reached by interior offensive linemen.

Ryan loves to tackle, but he will occasionally try to deliver the big hit rather than wrapping up and when he gets too high in his tackle form, bigger ball carriers can bounce off his side tackles. He is more explosive attacking between the tackles, but is also effective in the open field when he squares up to the ball carrier and drives legs after making contact.

Even with 9.5 sacks, Ryan might show the ability to slip blockers in the backfield, but he has not developed an arsenal of pass rush moves and struggles to get to the quarterback when his initial momentum is stopped by the protection. He is not the type that will jump the gun, as he times the snap well and shows good closing speed to flush the quarterback out of the pocket.

— Dave-Te’ Thomas

PACKERREPORT.COM • 27

ENTERING THE FAMILY BUSINESS

M

ike McCarthy and Eliot Wolf went out of their way to say there wasn’t a dire need for Jake Ryan to play right away.

If they were trying to take the pressure off of their fourth-round inside linebacker, that probably wasn’t necessary.

Ryan knows pressure. Replacing longtime starter A.J. Hawk should be child’s play from a pressure perspective.

His grandfather, Francis Sweeney, played collegiately at Xavier and had a brief career in the CFL. Following football, he worked his way through law school and eventually served 12 years on the Ohio Supreme Court.

His father, Tim Ryan, played receiver for four seasons at Wake Forest. He caught 111 passes for 1,591 yards and 10 touchdowns in his career — good for 11th in school history in touchdowns and 12th in yards.

Those are some accomplished footsteps to be following, and it “absolutely” helped shape Ryan, he said in an interview before the draft.

“You know, just playing the game of football is the Ryan Way,” Ryan said. “Everyone does it. Everyone’s been successful with it. I didn’t really feel any pressure going to the next level but I always wanted to get there and that was my goal.”

The “Ryan Way” started early for Ryan and his three brothers.

“I put the boys in soccer for about 5 minutes,” Tim Ryan said after the draft. “I knew they didn’t want anything to do with soccer. That was when they were like 7 and 8 and tackling kids on the soccer field. I said, ‘Guys, you can’t do that here.’ That lasted for about half a season and I knew what they wanted to do. It was kind of a foregone conclusion they were going to play football. I didn’t force them into it.”

The brothers — Jake is the second-oldest — pushed each other to greatness. Two brothers played for Ball State. Older brother Connor, a receiver, was a two-year captain who caught 78 passes in his career. Younger brother Zack, a linebacker, has gone from walk-on to potential four-year starter. He had 92 tackles as a freshman in 2013 and 91 as a sophomore in 2014. The youngest of the boys, Ian, was a high school senior in 2014.

“It was a lot of sports, a lot of being outside, being with my brothers, being with my family. All three of my brothers, we were all brothers,” Ryan said with a laugh. “We got in trouble, we got into everything. We played backyard football, baseball. You name it, we were doing it. Just being around them and having three brothers to do all of those things with was awesome. ... There were times when we were best friends and there were times we were always fighting. That’s how four brothers are going to be. That’s what it’s going to be like.”

Tim said the boys are “extremely close.” During the draft, all four of them were huddled on the couch, waiting for Jake’s name to be called.

There wasn’t always so much harmony, though.

“They were normal boys when they were growing up — backyard baseball, fights, laughing. Just a great group of boys,” Tim said. “My wife has done a wonderful job. I’m not going to take any credit. She’s the one that had to harness them during the day. …

“I grew up in a family of eight and I was the fifth boy in a row and there was a pecking order,” he continued. “I got the smallest room and that’s just how it is. Well, Connor was the king, then Jake, then Zack, then Ian. There’s always an order. That fighting will turn into the best bond you’ll ever see.

They couldn’t walk by each other without slapping or punching each other — more punching than slapping. At the end of the day, they’re out in the backyard playing football and hanging out with each other.”

All of that molded Ryan into the player and man he’d become.

On the field, Ryan was a four-year starter for Michigan. As a senior, he was a finalist for the Butkus Award, which goes to the nation’s top linebacker.

His 45.5 career tackles for losses ranked third among all active players

28 • PACKERREPORT.COM

following the 2014 season.

Off the field, he was just as impressive. As just a sophomore, he was given jersey No. 47, which was worn by Michigan legend Benny Oosterbaan, a three-year All-American in football who earned nine letters in football, basketball and baseball during the late 1920s.

Coming off second-team all-Big Ten accolades, even bigger things were expected as a junior. However, during spring practice in late March 2013, he tore his ACL. For a player with obvious pro aspirations, it would have been easy — and perhaps even logical — for Ryan to sit out the season for his own personal welfare.

“When Jake puts his mind to things — just like my other boys — they get it done,” Tim said. “He was not able to get a medical redshirt. He was either going to play or not play at all and just come back for his senior year.”

After the Oct. 5 game against Minnesota — barely six months since the injury — then-Michigan coach Brady Hoke brought Tim and his wife and mother-in-law down to the field to talk about Jake’s comeback.

“Jake was going around practice and knocking people around a little bit and they were trying to taper him back, ‘Slow it down. Slow it down,’” Tim recalled. “But I was getting phone calls; he was itching to get back.

I said, ‘It’s their timetable, not yours.’ He said, ‘I’m old enough to make this decision.’”

Hoke listened, but sought input from the rest of the family before giving Ryan the green light.

“My mother-in-law says, ‘Don’t you think it’s too early?’ The room erupted and we just started laughing,” Tim said. “Long story short, we ended up saying, ‘If Jake feels it’s ready, then he’s back.’ He wanted to play badly.

Those are his best friends. These are the guys that he came through with that were going to graduate and he wanted to be part of that.”

On Oct. 12, Ryan was back in action against Penn State.

“It’s tough watching the game that you love from the sideline,” Ryan said. “It’s hard watching guys do what you love to do. I just wanted to get through it as fast as I could and come out as strong as I was before. I just wanted to get back out there for my teammates.”

His teammates noticed. Before the season, Ryan was voted a team captain. That’s impressive for a junior — and even more impressive since he was rehabbing the injury rather than practicing and playing.

“You’ve got to be tough, hard-nosed and you’ve got to know the game and you’ve got to tell people what they’re doing wrong, especially if you’re a leader on the team and you’re an older guy,” Ryan said. “Just taking everything that I did over the past years and what I’ve learned from so many guys on the team has been tremendous and is definitely going to help me throughout my whole life.”

As a senior, a healthy Ryan moved to middle linebacker and had the best season of his career. At the Scouting Combine, he impressed scouts with his athleticism — especially for one of the bigger inside linebackers in the class.

That set the stage for a memorable Saturday as the Ryans and agent Justin Schulman watched the draft on ESPN. The Browns — Tim’s favorite team — were on the clock. And that’s when Jake’s phone rang.

“Jake didn’t know the area code, so he flashes his phone over to Justin and Justin says, ‘That’s Green Bay’ and gives him a thumbs-up,” Tim said.

Schulman’s phone rang a moment later and he stepped out of the house to talk. As Ryan talked on the phone, the family watched in silence since Ryan’s name hadn’t popped up on ESPN. “I think it was Coach McCarthy who said, ‘Are you alone?’ because there was no noise,” Tim said. “At that moment, Jake’s name popped up on the bottom of the screen and we erupted. It was just absolute chaos.”

— Bill Huber

4.65 seconds. Our top 10 inside linebacker prospects averaged 4.68.

With that package, he ranked sixth in our charts comparing the top 15 inside linebackers based on 14 categories of athleticism and production — ahead of Perryman and McKinney.

“Instincts,” are what stood out to Wolf and the scouting department.

“I think he tested a little better than what people expected. The instincts are something that really stands out.

He can get through traffic, he can

a transition year that saw him inactive for all 18 games as a rookie. Bradford was a sensational defensive end at Arizona State, so it’s not as if he’s lacking in talent.

But so much about playing middle linebacker is about instincts.

And those instincts are what stand out about Ryan — and are unknown about Bradford. Ryan moved into the middle of Michigan’s defense as a senior and turned in an all-conference season that included 14 tackles for losses among his 112 stops.

RYAN PLAYED WITH A KNEE BRACE LAST SEASON.

to be an immediate contributor, it would enable defensive coordinator Dom Capers to pick and choose the times to move Matthews around.

“No. 1, Clay is an outside linebacker. He’s a pass-rusher.

That’s his premium position,” McCarthy said. “I think it’s very evident after the bye week that moving Clay around, his productivity definitely went up. I’ve had people tell me in studies and so forth that his production is probably ranked as one of the highest, or the highest, of inside linebackers. Just the way he played the position, that’s a big credit to Clay. Clay is going to both meetings. He’s getting ready to play wherever he needs to play. The most important thing is creating opportunities for your big-time players to make plays, and that’s what we’ll do with Clay.”

Ultimately, the final grade on this draft will be written based on the play of all eight picks. Can Randall move to cornerback as easily as his

college coach says he will? Is Rollins fast enough? Can Montgomery be a four-down playmaker? Can Brett Hundley, if necessary, win a game or two and, ultimately, fetch the Packers a first-round pick in a trade in two or three years? Will any of the sixth-round picks be steals?

But for 2015 and the Packers’ championship hopes, there isn’t a more important draft pick than Ryan. The pressure to contribute immediately shouldn’t weigh too heavily on his shoulders because Ryan is a no-nonsense, no-drama kind of player. Was he disappointed to fall to the end of the fourth round? Nope. Will he keep tabs on the eight inside linebackers taken ahead of him? Nope.

“You can’t look at it like that,” Ryan said. “You can’t put it out there. It just all depends on how the scouts and all depends on how the coaches approach it and look at it. But I’m happy. I’m happy to be a Packer.”

•

Joe Maiorana/USA TODAY Sports

make plays on the outside, he can penetrate and make plays on the inside run. Pretty good in coverage, kind of an all-around guy that we felt adds really good value to our team.”

Due to the state of the depth chart and his physical tools, Ryan has a chance to start immediately.

Wolf and coach Mike McCarthy, however, wouldn’t put any pressure on him to become a Day 1 starter.

“There’s been no starting positions assigned today and there won’t be tomorrow,” McCarthy said.

That’s true but Ryan, the 129th overall selection, arrives as the most accomplished inside linebacker on the team not named Sam Barrington. Of the six inside linebackers on the roster, only Barrington has even played in a game. Maybe Carl Bradford, the 121st selection last year, made leaps-and-bounds gains during

“I think he has the ability to play on all four downs,” McCarthy said. “I think that’s the highest compliment you can give to a player.”

Whether it’s Ryan or Bradford, the Packers need someone to take charge at the position. Clay Matthews was excellent while moving between inside and outside linebacker last season, with his play being one of the biggest factors in Green Bay reaching the NFC Championship Game.

However, the more Matthews plays inside, the more Julius Peppers has to play outside. Between forced fumbles, fumble recoveries and interceptions, only J.J. Watt had more big plays than Peppers last season. However, at age 35, the Packers need to be judicious with his snaps to keep him fresh for the critical games of December and beyond. If Ryan can prove he’s ready

PACKERREPORT.COM • 29

NFL DRAFT: FIFTH ROUND

BY MATT TEVSH

CAN’T PASS HIM UP

HUNDLEY IS A STRONG-ARMED, ATHLETIC PLAYMAKER.

A DECADE AFTER AARON RODGERS FELL INTO THE PACKERS’ LAPS IN THE FIRST ROUND, THEY POUNCED ON BRETT HUNDLEY’S SHOCKING FALL

BRETT HUNDLEY POSITION: Quarterback • SCHOOL: UCLA • ROUND (PICK): Fifth (147) CAREER NOTES: Hundley started all 40 games that he appeared in for UCLA, gaining 9,966 yards with 75 touchdowns and 25 interceptions on 837-of-1,241 passes (67.45%), compiling a 151.06 pass efficiency rating…Added 1,747 yards with 30 touchdowns on 479 carries (3.65 ypc) and also caught two passes for 16 yards, including a 7-yard a score vs. Utah in 2013...Amassed 11,713 yards in total offense, an average of 292.83 yards per game…Was responsible for 105 touchdowns…Turned the ball over 10 times on 29 fumbles and was sacked a total of 122 times.

Among active Football Bowl Subdivision performers, Hundley ranks fourth in career accuracy...One of only three Pac12 Conference players to be responsible for at least 100 touchdowns, as his total of 105 is fifth-best among active FBS players. Among Pac-12 passers, he ranks second all-time in accuracy and fourth for total yards and total touchdowns.

As a senior, Hundley received All-American honorable mention and all-Pac 1 second-team honors, as the first quarterback in school history to produce at least nine victories in three consecutive seasons was a finalist for the Manning Award and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award...He completed 271-of-392 passes (69.13%) for 3,155 yards, 22 touchdowns and only five interceptions, adding 644 yards and 10 scores on 159 carries (4.05 ypc)…He had five 300-yard passing games and two 100-yard rushing games but fumbled 11 times.

HE SAID IT: “He’s got rare athletic ability. He’s a big guy, he’s got big hands. Strong arm. He was pretty productive at a big-time place. And he’s really smart. He was good at our interview at the Combine. And he’s all football.” — director of pro personnel Eliot Wolf Richard Mackson/USA TODAY Sports

30 • PACKERREPORT.COM

T

ed Thompson loves big-time college quarterbacks that free fall in the NFL Draft.

Ten years ago, in his first draft as Green Bay Packers general manager, he famously plucked California’s Aaron Rodgers in the first round when the Packers still had 35-year-old Brett Favre on the roster.

Then, in 2008, he took Louisville’s Brian Brohm in the second round after Rodgers earlier that spring had been named the starter following Favre’s initial retirement.

And on the final day of the 2015 draft, seizing the opportunity, Thompson nabbed a 2014 preseason Heisman Trophy candidate with the pedigree of a first-rounder at No. 147 overall.

Said Packers director of pro personnel Eliot Wolf when asked if he thought UCLA’s Brett Hundley would be available in the fifth round, “No. I was shocked.”

So was Hundley.

“I wanted to be the No. 1

pick,” said Hundley. “Obviously, that’s always everybody’s expectations. But I had a hope or at least an expectation to maybe go the first day. Obviously, that didn’t come true. Or the second day. But like I said, I’m here, I got my opportunity and that’s all I ask for.”

That Hundley arrives in Green Bay to battle for the backup spot behind the 31-year-old Rodgers, the reigning NFL MVP, might just be good fortune. Looking to acquire additional picks, the New England Patriots called the Packers looking for a trade. To acquire an additional seventh-rounder (the Packers’ No. 247 overall) they gave the Packers the No. 147 overall selection and took the Packers’ No. 166 pick overall. The unexpected move up in the fifth round gave the Packers the opportunity to take Hundley.

“There wasn’t any plan. It’s just something that happened,” said Thompson. “We felt like there was an opportunity there to do

HUNDLEY RUSHED FOR 30 TOUCHDOWNS IN HIS CAREER.

SCOUTING ANALYSIS: HUNDLEY

Soobum Im/USA TODAY Sports

D

espite back-to-back record-setting years as a redshirt freshman and sophomore, Hundley heard what scouts were saying about him — at the first sign of pocket pressure and he bolts. Trying to make a concerted effort to stand tall in the pocket this year led to inconsistent results early in the 2014 season, including seeing the QB get sacked five times by Virginia’s pressure defense and 10 more times during the Utah clash.

After he was harassed throughout by Utah, the junior went back to making things happen with his feet – gaining at least 89 yards on the ground in each of his next four contests. Hundley is a smooth, athletic mover who sets up quickly and is ready to throw, but because of his long limbs and stride, he must be conscious of setting his feet and stepping into his pass attempts (will throw off balance or off his back foot, at times).

Hundley has continued to improve his overall accuracy as a passer, and, even though he might bolt from the pocket too often and is horrible, at protecting the ball (29 fumbles in three seasons), he is a good playmaker when he remains cool under pressure.

Hundley has a well-built frame with broad shoulders, solid overall muscle development and room to add more bulk. He looks the part of a pocket passer, with good arm length, big hands (10 1/8-inches), good chest thickness, and tapered quadriceps, thighs and calves. He has a strong arm that allows him to deliver the long ball with touch and accuracy. He has the ability to put the ball where the receiver can catch it and shows good balance throwing on the move. He has the avoidance quickness stepping up in the pocket and the strength to pull away from pass rushers when pressured.

The Bruins passer shows good elusiveness on the run with impressive mobility when challenging second-level defenders. He’s a pretty good tackle breaker, but does not have that Robert Griffin III-like second gear.

He just needs to be more conscious of protecting the sphere when he bolts out of the pocket.

Hundley has functional change-of-direction agility and shows nice quickness to slide and move around the pocket. He can reach his throwing point with a normal stride and has the body control and agility needed to drive back from center quickly. When he steps into his throws, he is ready to unleash in an instant, doing a nice job sliding in and out of the pocket.

During his last two seasons, Hundley was much more effective pushing away from the line of scrimmage in his drops than he did in the past and the result was a good decrease in the amount of interceptions he threw (from 11 as a freshman, to nine in 2013 and just five thefts in 2014).

With his active feet, he will not have any problems stepping up in the pocket at the next level. With the way he scans the field, he is simply an athletic mover who is ready to throw in an instant. He could be highly effective in a no-huddle offense, as his style of play reminds some of Donovan McNabb.

Hundley can generate very good zip on all of his throws. This is especially noticed when throwing in the intermediate area or when going long. He can throw in the seam with consistency and you now see a more accurate long ball and a lively short pass the last two years, as the staff has complete confidence in his arm strength. He will still revert to a long arc on his deep outs, at times, but continues to improve in that area.

The quarterback has become much more conscious of setting his feet better in order to put more power behind his tosses and, as a sophomore and junior, he was throwing the long ball with good ease (completed 31 passes for at least 20 yards in 2014).

When going long. Hundley gets good velocity and timing behind his throws. He appears to have the valid arm power needed to lead the receivers going deep, as he can put good touch on those throws. When airing the ball out the last two years, Hundley showed good improvement with his trajectory (in the past, when going long on the move, he did make his receivers adjust a bit).

Hundley demonstrates classic touch on screen, along with zip on slants and hitches. He knows he has the arm power to lay it over the top deep down the seam and along the boundaries. In the short passing game, he puts the ball where the receiver can catch it. He throws a catchable ball with zip or touch and does a nice job of keeping the receiver in the route. He will still sometimes force the receiver to adjust a bit on crossing patterns and needs to take something off his passes when dumping off, but can drop the ball over the top.

Hundley has developed a nice feel and awareness to anticipate when the receivers are coming out of their cuts. He makes good adjustments at the line of scrimmage. He was groomed on the short-to-intermediate passing game earlier in his career and that helped him develop a nice feel for fitting the ball into tight spaces. His deep throws do not hang in the air long, and he is becoming much more precise when leading the receiver on crossing routes.

Hundley can do a decent job of avoiding the pass rush, but he leaves the ball too exposed when on the move. He can throw on the run, as his slight mechanical refinement has seen him do a much better job of squaring his shoulders when delivering the ball during his last two seasons.

— Dave-Te’ Thomas

PACKERREPORT.COM • 31

LONGTIME COACH KEEPS HUNDLEY CENTERED

Q

uarterback Brett Hundley’s introduction to the NFL has come fast and furious.

“My flight left L.A. at 6 o’clock in the morning (on Thursday), I got here at 2, came in, got to see the stadium,” Hundley said after the first day of the Packers’ rookie orientation camp on May 8. “There was no, ‘Hey, welcome.’ It was all like, ‘Let’s jump into it and let’s roll.’ That’s what you want, just to start playing football again. So it’s been nonstop and I’m enjoying it.”

Hundley has a lot to learn. During a record-setting career at UCLA, he didn’t call plays in the huddle. He didn’t take a snap from center. Those are just two of the things that challenge quarterbacks who operated spread offenses in college.

“So many times, you’re evaluating a quarterback who has never called a play in the huddle, never used a snap count,” Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said at the Scouting Combine. “They hold up a card on the sideline, he kicks his foot and throws the ball. That ain’t playing quarterback. There’s no leadership involved there. There might be leadership on the bench, but when you get them and they have to use verbiage and they have to spit the verbiage out and change the snap count, they are light-years behind.”

Added Seahawks general manager John Schneider, who hit a home run with pro-style passer Russell Wilson in 2012: “It’s really about figuring out how the guy processes. Can he get the information? Can he express it to his teammates? Can he read a defense? It’s hard to evaluate those players at the college level when you look over at the sidelines when you are at a game and watching them play live and, you know, they are looking at cards with colors and turtles and stuff (to get the play). You have no idea what they are doing, as opposed to watching guys line up under center, read a defense, check out of a play...”

Dennis Gile doesn’t think Hundley will be overwhelmed by those issues.

Gile should know. Gile is a coach at The Quarterback Academy. A former professional quarterback who has worked alongside Tom Brady, Gile has coached Hundley since his sophomore year of high school in Chandler, Ariz.

“I think Brett’s a very intelligent kid that understands the game in a high regard,” Gile said. “He gets defenses, he gets blocking schemes. He gets the whole picture. Is he going to go in there and understand the Packers’ offense now? Not 100 percent. But I think he’s such a highly intelligent kid that I think he’s going to pick it up pretty fast.”

One major knock on spread-offense quarterbacks is they line up in the shotgun almost 100 percent of the time. So, they have almost no experience in taking a snap, taking a three-, five- or seven-step drop, and going through progressions.

Gile has had Hundley working under center for years in preparation for his arrival in the NFL. “A lot of things that I do with my kids is under center,” Gile said. “I don’t do a whole lot of shotgun stuff. Ninety percent of the stuff is from behind center because I know their (college) coaches are going to do shotgun stuff anyway, so I always feel like getting the proper drops and footwork and base is highly important. He knows how to take the drops. He understands the proper footwork, he understands how to use his lower body.”

One of the big unknowns about Hundley and the rest of the spread quarterbacks is their ability to read a defense and simply play the position at the professional level. Among the things that makes Aaron Rodgers lethal is his ability to extend plays and then, because of his superior footwork, deliver a strike whether he’s moving forward, left or right. Spread quarterbacks typically get the shotgun snap and throw to a predetermined read.

How will the quarterback do when his first read is taken away and pressure is coming? Will they panic and throw the ball up for grabs? Will their eyes focus on the pressure rather than what’s developing downfield? Will they lose their fundamentals and fumble when sacked?

“Here’s the thing,” NFL Network’s Mike Mayock said at the Combine, “I talked to Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Matt Ryan, (Drew) Brees (and) I asked them, ‘How much of pocket awareness is innate and how much can be learned?’ I think it’s critical. The answer all of those guys gave me was you can learn some things about protecting the football, feeling that rush,

32 • PACKERREPORT.COM

dropping that shoulder, protecting the football with two hands.

“When it comes to pure pocket awareness ... Kurt Warner defined it as an ability to keep your eyes up as you’re subtly moving in the pocket. Kurt Warner was one of the best of all-time. I asked Kurt, ‘Can you learn or were you born with that?’ He said, ‘Mike, 95 percent of it I was born with.’ If that’s the case and you’re looking at the spread quarterbacks and I can’t watch them do any of that and I have no idea how much pocket awareness they have or don’t have, all I can do is judge the individual components of feet, legs, arm strength and athletic ability. That’s why in the old days, we were saying first-round quarterbacks were kind of 50-50. I think it’s even tougher now because of the spread.”

By one measure, Hundley was excellent in the pocket. As a redshirt junior in 2014, he tossed only five interceptions. However, he fumbled 29 times in three seasons, including 11 times this past season. That’s far too many for a player of his talent, especially considering he tied for the biggest hands among the quarterbacks at the Combine.

That shows a dangerous lack of pocket awareness and, ultimately, played a big role in why Hundley went from a potential pick at the end of the first round to falling into the fifth.

It’s interesting that Mayock brought up Warner. After the 2014 season, Hundley worked with Warner and another quarterbacks guru, Bill Cunerty, who has worked alongside Mike Holmgren, among others. San Francisco’s Colin Kaepernick took part in those workouts.

It’s all a part of being a “football nerd,” as director of pro personnel Eliot Wolf called him after the Packers moved up to take Hundley in the fifth round.

“I love school but, at the same time, I love football,” Hundley said. “I just like learning. It’s so interesting to me. I’ll read books. I’ll do anything I can. I’ll watch film. I’ll just sit in the film room for Lord knows how long. I’ll just sit there and watch film because it’s interesting to me to see different techniques and reads. But it’s even more fun to me now because you get so much more knowledge. You don’t know what you don’t know, so at the same time when you get to this level you have so much more coming at you and you can learn that much more now.”

Hundley’s schooling will continue in Green Bay. Rodgers, the two-time MVP, is under contract through 2019, meaning he’s tied to the Packers longer than Hundley (his rookie deal is through 2018). Even knocking off Scott Tolzien to be the No. 2 this season will be an uphill battle, considering Tolzien’s extensive knowledge of the offense and his familiarity with the techniques taught by McCarthy.

Hundley, with his perpetually glass-half-full outlook, is looking forward to learning behind Rodgers rather than pouting about his predicament.

“All I can do is compete every day and learn as much as possible because it’s the best place to do it at, and that’s really my mind-set,” Hundley said.

That’s Gile’s belief, too.

“The thing that I told him, it’s kind of crazy, to me, that he fell as far as he did,” Gile said. “But what a great situation to learn from if not the best quarterback than the second-best quarterback in the game. Between Aaron and Tom (Brady), I don’t see how you could learn from somebody better. I told Brett, ‘You might not go in and be a starter right away because you’re behind the best guy in the league, but, hey, that’s actually a great thing.’ I don’t really think any guy coming into the NFL is ready for that.

“It’s such a great thing for him. For him, it’s such an amazing opportunity to learn from a guy that’s going to be able to coach him at such a high level and take him under his wing. Brett is such a cool kid that he’ll get along with him and soak up everything he can.

“I don’t think the transition (from spread to pro-style offense) is going to be hard at all, and he’s not going to be put into a situation where he has to be the starter. He’s going to learn from one of the greatest of all-time. It gives Brett a sense of relief of, ‘Hey, I don’t have to go in there and do anything special and I can show what I can do physically but I can learn from a guy mentally and not have to worry about making mistakes.’ When I saw the Packers drafted him, I said, ‘Holy smokes, what an unbelievable opportunity.’”

• — Bill Huber

something that, quite frankly, we always would like to do but sometimes we don’t have the ability to do it. But we like taking quarterbacks and felt like that was a good value pick there.”

Hundley started 40 games in three seasons with the Bruins and finished first in school history in total offense (11,713 yards), completions (837) and touchdown passes (75) over his career. He also was second in six other categories. But the Packers’ focus, according to Wolf, was on his final season at UCLA, when he was the most polished. And according to Hundley, he only met with the Packers once during the predraft process — for an interview at the Scouting Combine.

“I kind of thought he was a football nerd. He was really engaging,” said Wolf. “I thought he knew his offense front and back. He was eager to please. He didn’t want to talk about anything other than football. It was pretty impressive.”

Said Hundley: “I love football. It’s just who I am and what’s bred inside of me. I love being a quarterback. I love knowing everything about the game. I could sit here and watch film all day with you and just learn. I like knowledge, to put it like that. If I don’t know something, I want to know it, and I think that’s the way I approach things. That’s the way I approach football. I think Green Bay is the perfect organization to learn as much as possible, and they have the best coaches to help me do that, and Aaron Rodgers.”

Hundley played in a spread offense under Bruins coach Jim Mora but his rare athletic ability was attractive to the Packers. At 6-foot-3 and 226 pounds, he has the ability to get out of the pocket and throw on the run.

Additionally, he ran for 30 touchdowns in his career and had runs of 86 and 72 yards.

“The ability to play beyond the designed play, the 2.3 seconds that everything is designed to go a certain way and getting into extended plays and things like that, I mean, he has a ton of that,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said.

Despite fumbling 29 times over the last three seasons, Hundley’s interception totals went from 11 to nine to five (in 392 attempts). In 2014, he completed a personal-best 69.1 percent of his passes at 8.1 yards per attempt.

Hundley is the first quarterback taken by the Packers in the draft since 2012. Thompson had taken just five in 10 previous drafts. Three of those quarterbacks — B.J. Coleman (2012, seventh round), Matt Flynn (2008, seventh round) and Ingle Martin (2006, fifth round) — were considered developmental prospects. Hundley would not seem to fit that category, even though his chances of playing in Green Bay are slim if Rodgers stays healthy.

Could he be a long-term pick to give the Packers future bargaining power?

“That wasn’t talked about a whole lot,” said Wolf. “I mean, we like the player, we like the prospect. It felt like he would have a chance to come in and compete to be Aaron’s backup. And the value is there, I think we got good value in the trade with New England.”

For now, Hundley joins Rodgers, Scott Tolzien and second-year pro Matt Blanchard, an offseason addition who has spent preseasons with Chicago and Carolina, in the Packers’ quarterback room. Though he could have had the chance to start elsewhere in the league for a quarterback-starved team, Hundley will start similarly to Rodgers 10 years ago.

“It’s a blessing in disguise and you know I have a chip on my shoulder and I’m coming in to work and that’s what I’ve come down to,” said Hundley. “I’m just coming in, I’ve got my opportunity, that’s the way I look at it. It’s a blessing in disguise, I’m where I’m supposed to be and I know when I get there I’m going to continue to work and do what I’ve always done.”

•

HUNDLEY HOPED TO BE TAKEN IN THE FIRST ROUND.

Richard Mackson/USA TODAY Sports

PACKERREPORT.COM • 33

NFL DRAFT: SIXTH ROUND

BY BILL HUBER

SIXTH SENSE THE PACKERS ADDED THREE INTRIGUING TALENTS WITH THEIR FINAL PICKS

T

he Green Bay Packers re-signed popular fullback John Kuhn during free agency.

However, there’s no guarantee Kuhn will be on the roster come September.

Among the Packers’ three sixthround picks was Oklahoma fullback Aaron Ripkowski at No. 206 overall.

Considering Kuhn did not receive a signing bonus, they could be battling for one spot on the roster.

Ripkowski was the first of three picks in the sixth round, followed

by Louisiana-Lafayette defensive tackle Christian Ringo at No. 210 and Alabama-Birmingham tight end Kennard Backman at No. 213.

Their final selection of the draft, a seventh-rounder, was sent to New England in order to move up in the fifth for UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley.

RIPKOWSKI: ‘AN EXCELLENT FIT’ Ripkowski, who had a predraft visit with Green Bay, started 17 games during his Sooners career — including nine as a senior, when he won all-Big 12 accolades. He was an excellent lead blocker on one of the top rushing offenses in the nation. All six career receptions came as a senior.

“We like what we saw on tape,” general manager Ted Thompson said. “He had a good pro day, so that was encouraging. We brought him in for a visit. A very sharp young man. He played on special teams there and everything.”

At 6-foot-1 and 238 pounds, Ripkowski ran in 4.70 at the Sooners’ pro day. Thompson thought

34 • PACKERREPORT.COM

he could be an effective blocker at that weight.

“I think Aaron is an excellent fit,” coach Mike McCarthy said.

“A fullback, a four-core player on special teams. He pulls it up in there. And I think having him and having John Kuhn and especially with John’s experience and (position coach) Sam Gash, I think he’s an excellent addition.”

Ripkowski earned every snap, every start and every accolade that came his way at Oklahoma.

At Dayton (Texas) High School, he started at guard as a junior and linebacker as a senior. During the summer before his senior season, he attended an Oklahoma camp as a linebacker.

“I did some linebacker drills, because that’s what I played (in high school) was linebacker and defensive end, and they liked my footwork so they took us over to another field and had a few guys going head to head (as fullbacks) seeing who could push who around,” Ripkowski recalled.

“That was a lot of fun and I guess I impressed them.”

Ripkowski impressed enough to be offered a spot as a walk-on. At that point, his only scholarship offer was to the Naval Academy. After talking it over with his parents, he decided to test his mettle against the elite competition at Oklahoma.

Ripkowski became the No. 1 fullback for his final two seasons, playing in 26 games and making 16 starts. Behind Ripkowski’s lead blocking in 2014, the Sooners ranked 12th in the nation with

3,395 rushing yards and fifth with 6.1 yards per carry.

That’s when Ripkowski started thinking the NFL might be more than a dream.

“I heard some things early on (in my career),” Ripkowski said, “with guys saying, ‘You’re the right size and the stereotypical fullback at the next level’ and all of that, but I never really paid any attention to it because it’s something that you don’t really control and what you say and what you think about all of that next-level stuff doesn’t really help you. I really just approached every week like it was the same and didn’t allow the dream to affect what I was doing. I was more of a focus guy and liked to focus on the here and now.”

Ripkowski mostly did the dirty work for the Sooners. As a junior, he touched the ball only once — a 3-yard touchdown catch. As a senior, he rushed six times for 13 yards and three touchdowns and caught seven passes for 38 yards and one more score.

The so-called demise of the fullback position in the NFL has been exaggerated. What’s gone extinct is the old-school 250-pound fullback. In today’s NFL, a fullback has to be able to keep a defense honest by catching the ball out of the backfield. His eight career catches notwithstanding, Ripkowski said he’s got good hands.

“I didn’t get to show them off too much but I believe I didn’t have any drops when I did get it thrown to me in the games,” Ripkowski said. “I have huge confidence in my

hands. That’s something I didn’t get to showcase because I didn’t get the ball thrown to me too much but it’s something I will surprise guys with at the next level.”

He put his pass-catching skills on display at Oklahoma’s pro day. Thompson was impressed by what he saw, which no doubt played a role in his visit to Green Bay. The Packers re-signed Kuhn but he’ll turn 33 in September and his one-year contract didn’t include a signing bonus. The Packers either have to consider grooming a replacement or potentially wage an all-out battle for the position.

“It went well. It went really well,” Ripkowski said of the visit.

“Sam Gash, the running backs coach, he was a fullback in the league for something like 15 years. He’s a hardnosed, old-school guy. We watched some film and he really liked what he saw. He’s a great coach.”

The thought of learning from a two-time All-Pro like Gash was so appealing that Ripkowski said he probably would have signed with Green Bay had he gone undrafted.

“A lot of guys, not trying to say that a running backs coach who played running back doesn’t know the difference in a fullback, but it always helps to have someone who played the position and he knows what he’s looking for on film. He knows how the game’s played at that spot.”

RINGO: ANOTHER DANIELS? As a senior, Ringo finished 12th in the nation with 11.5 sacks

RINGO WAS A BIG-PLAY MACHINE ON THE DEFENSIVE LINE.

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

SCOUTING ANALYSIS: RINGO

and seventh in the nation with 20.5 tackles for losses. Those numbers are first and tied for first in school history, respectively. That’s impressive stuff, considering most players with big sack numbers are rushing off the edge.

“The thing that jumps out at you with Christian Ringo is 11

sacks,” McCarthy said. “I don’t like to compare people because I think it’s unfair, but Mike Daniels’ name was thrown around and that’s obviously a comparison that you definitely would love to have as a young player.”

Relayed that comment, Ringo said, “I’ve never seen him in action.

But I will be Googling him.”

It’s a fitting comparison.

Daniels was 6-foot-1 and 291 pounds at the 2012 Scouting Combine. Ringo was 6-foot-1 and 293 pounds at his pro day. With the Packers, Daniels has become one of the better pass-rushing defensive linemen in the league. Can Ringo’s production against lower-level competition translate to the NFL? “Yeah, that grabs your attention, sure. It’s splash stuff,” Thompson said. “But you have to do the nuts and bolts, too. We like him.

We think he’s a pretty good player.”

One player Ringo didn’t have to do an online search for was Reggie White.

“I seen ‘A Football Life’ on YouTube,” Ringo said. “I was watching the kind of person he was, not just on the field. He was amazing on the field but if you

look at him off the field, like his relationship with the Lord, he took that to another level. That’s something I respect. ...

“I definitely looked at his film.

He was a lot taller than me so I can’t do what he did. I tried the one (move) where he was on the edge and he’d go up and he would come with the big club and just knock the man off his feet. That was so amazing. Me, I don’t know, I’ve just got to rep that one out.”

With a seven-game span in which he piled up 10.5 sacks and a five-game stretch in which he had four games of at least three tackles for losses, there were stretches when Ringo was simply unblockable.

Against Louisiana-Monroe, he had a school-record five tackles for losses, including 2.5 sacks. He contributed two sacks, five pressures and a 41-yard touchdown on a fumble recovery against Texas State. Not all of this numbers came against bad competition. Ringo had one sack and three tackles for losses against Boise State and one sack in a bowl victory over Nevada.

“He’s hard to stop one-onone,” coach Mark Hudspeth said in November. “He’s got a relentless

motor, plays really hard, really strong. I’m glad I don’t have to block that guy. He’s a special kid, too. He’s a great kid, and is gonna be a great ambassador for our university later on in life, and a great husband, great dad. He’s a good person.”

Despite all of that production, Ringo wasn’t invited to the Scouting Combine or any of the marquee allstar games. That made pro day a big deal, and he delivered with a 4.97 clocking in the 40-yard dash and 28 reps on the bench. He played in 3-4 and 4-3 schemes. During the Packers’ rookie camp, he lined up at defensive end in the base defense. If he makes it, his best spot will be as one of the interior defenders in the team’s nickel and dime packages.

“Oh, man, I’m here,” a smiling Ringo said of being in the Packers’ locker room for the first time. “It’s always been a dream come true. This facility, you always see on TV. Now I’m walking in here and seeing my name on the locker. It’s an honor.”

BACKMAN: VERSATILE AND ATHLETIC Backman led the Blazers with 39 receptions and finished second with 399 yards and three

S

imply put, Ringo is a one-gap defensive tackle prospect with great energy and toughness. He continues to improve his technique and had his best season as a senior. He shows good initial quickness and fires out of his stance low. He is at his best when shaded and allowed to stay on the move. He is adept as a three-technique defensive tackle and does a good job on stunts, as well.

His motor is always running, as Ringo pursues hard, chases ball-carriers from behind and is relentless in his pursuit as a pass rusher. He is tough and physical and has good upper-body strength, along with being very active with his arms and hands. He is the type of player that maximizes his physical tools. He has shown good toughness and the ability to play through injury (suffered a nagging high ankle sprain in 2013), but has otherwise been durable and reliable.

Ringo is a hard worker and mature young man with very good intangibles. The unquestioned foundation of the Cajuns’ nationally ranked defense, it is Ringo’s field vision, intelligence, aggressiveness and sheer determination that allowed him to shine bright.

Upon first view of Ringo, you see a short, squatty frame with short arms, but good lower-body muscle development and impressive quickness. He has quick change-of-direction agility, good explosion coming off the snap and the flexibility to make plays down the line. He is a physical “barroom brawler” who plays with excellent aggression and is hard to move off the line due to his low center of gravity.

Ringo comes out of his stance so low that he quickly takes out the feet of the offensive lineman. He is more suited to operate in a one-gap system, as he has the straight-line charge to consistently push the pocket. He has the intelligence to quickly diagnose blocking schemes at has a good feel to fight pressure. When stationed at the line of scrimmage, he can forcefully plug the rush lanes.

He has excelled when the coaches try to shade him or put him in motion, as he has the balance and feet to make plays when having to pursue long distances. He has the ability to split double teams, but when he gets erect in his stance, he will lose leverage. He is too strong to be overwhelmed by combo blocks working down the line and does not have trouble getting off blocks when he keeps his arms active to prevent blockers from getting into his body.

Ringo is a determined pass rusher who can hit the target in front of him, and he has the burst to chase down the passer. He rips, spins and swims well to gain penetration and is relentless once he has his target in sight.

He needs to stop using his body (shoulder, chest) to lean into his blocker when trying to get a punch off the ball, though. Too often, the offensive lineman just sidesteps and lets Ringo fall to the ground.

He gets his legs taken out from under him when he fails to use his hands to protect his lower body. In 2014, he showed better wrap-up technique, but will still revert to pushing and arm tackling. If he can learn how to maintain hand position when working inside, he would be able to generate better natural leverage. Teams looking for a fireplug to clog the middle will eye Ringo during the draft’s third day. If kept inside the box, he will produce decent numbers, but when left to roam the field, he becomes a better producer, as he has a way of slipping under blocks to impact the backfield.

— Dave-Te’ Thomas

CHRISTIAN RINGO POSITION: Defensive end SCHOOL: Louisiana-Lafayette ROUND (PICK): Sixth (210) CAREER NOTES: Ringo started 31of-45 games, setting the school record with 21.0 career sacks and tying for second with 35.0 stops for losses. As a senior, his 11.5 sacks established a school record and his 20.5 tackles for losses were one shy of the school mark to earn first-team allConference USA accolades.

HE SAID IT: “Yeah, that grabs your attention, sure. It’s splash stuff.

But you have to do the nuts and bolts, too. We like him. We think he’s a pretty good player.”

— GM Ted Thompson

PACKERREPORT.COM • 35

touchdowns. He was the team’s primary tight end all four seasons and finished with 96 catches for 979 yards and nine scores.

“I have traces of Vernon Davis,” Backman said. “A lot of people don’t know that I do block and I know a lot of people question that. I’ve blocked plenty. I have no trouble with that. I’m just ready to get in and get going.”

Backman (6-3, 243) ran in 4.66 with a 35.5-inch vertical at UAB’s pro day and took a predraft visit to Green Bay. He played as a traditional tight end, split out and as an H-back, so that versatility fits what the Packers like to do with their tight ends.

“Athletic. I liked the fact that he sticks his face in there, too. So I think he definitely has the ability to play both displaced and in on the line,” McCarthy said.

Not only is Backman athletic and versatile, but he’s been trained by a man who knows what it takes to be an NFL tight end.

His position coach at UAB,

Richard Owens, spent five seasons with the Rams, Vikings and Jets.

As a coach, he helped send D.J. Williams and Chris Gragg to the NFL. Williams won the Mackey Award as the nation’s top tight end before being drafted by Green Bay in the fifth round in 2011.

“No doubt (in my mind) at all,” Owens said when asked if Backman has the goods to make it in the NFL. “I’ve talked to numerous coaches over this whole (draft) process with Kennard. Every one of them said, ‘He’s going to get drafted.’

He’s going to play. The thing with him, he’s going to be able to fit the roster. You know as well as I do the value that you bring to the team plays a big role in it. He’s able to be that multifaceted athlete, so he can be a guy at the point of attack, be a guy that can detach and play in space. Plus, he started in a prostyle punt team and he was also on kickoff return. He already has experience doing all of that. It’s just at a different level now.”

For the Packers, the term

“tight end” is a bit generic. Look at how they used Andrew Quarless and, before him, Jermichael Finley.

On one play, he might be lined up as a traditional, on-the-line tight end. On the next, he might be lined as a fullback/H-back to serve as a lead blocker or extra blocker in pass protection. On the next, he might be lined up in the slot or as a wide receiver.

Backman did the same with the Blazers, especially during his first three seasons.

“He played in two different systems,” Owens said. “I spent three years with Kennard. With the older head coach, we were a pro-style system very similar to what you guys run now. We were motioning him. We’d run ‘iso’ and he’d be the lead blocker and was probably the best lead blocker we had by far. He could move guys out of the hole or cover up guys in space. He’s very agile on his feet. He brings some punch to him when he makes contact. At the line of scrimmage, he was able to

BACKMAN SHOWED ALLAROUND SKILLS AT UAB.

SCOUTING ANALYSIS: BACKMAN

Marvin Gentry/USA TODAY Sports

B

ackman has an adequate frame that is probably at maximum growth potential. He is a quick-twitch type with good body control and hand/eye coordination. His flexibility is evident in his change-of-direction agility and his basketball experience helped him develop good leaping ability.

Backman lacks ideal strength and size to be a classic tight end and is limited as a blocker because of this. He is more effective as a cut blocker than when working in-line. He works hard to sustain, but can be overpowered by a strong bull rush. His ability to redirect linebackers when working in space could see him move to fullback at the next level.

He is a focused individual who has a good burst off the snap, but it is not considered sudden. He glides into his routes and shows good acceleration into the second level when defenders do not line up over him at the line of scrimmage. He needs to develop better hand placement, as he will struggle to defeat the jam and can be rerouted and knocked off balance by the nine-tech defenders.

When getting into his routes, Backman has enough hip snap and wiggle to separate in the short area, but the defender is quick to recover when going long distances. He needs to refine his cutting ability, as he tends to take soft angles coming out of his breaks rather than transition with precision. At times, he just runs right into coverage and then gets tied up, preventing him from progressing in his route. He can get away from most linebackers when working underneath, but needs to get his head around quicker and maintain focus on the ball to prevent costly drops.

Backman is not really considered a natural hands catcher. He can extend and pluck the ball when the occasion arises, but generally lets the ball come into his body or he just cradles it. However, he shows very good ball security after the catch and it is rare to see him put the pigskin on the ground. He attacks the middle of the field with good urgency, showing no concern for his safety as he attempts to go vertical to make the tough catch with defenders closing on him.

Backman has good body adjustment skills to work back for the offtarget throws. He can escape second-level defenders and shows enough shake-and-bake moves to make the initial tackler miss. When he gets a head of steam going, he is tough to bring down one-on-one, as he will shuffle his feet, twist and turn, doing anything he can to break free and bleed extra yardage out of the catch. With some patient coaching working on refining his route running skills and improving his hand extension to catch away from his frame, some team could unearth a late round find here, but he might be better suited as an H-Back or as a motion tight end than at the classic position.

— Dave-Te’ Thomas

Courtesy UAB Athletics

36 • PACKERREPORT.COM

KENNARD BACKMAN POSITION: Tight end SCHOOL: Alabama-Birmingham ROUND (PICK): Sixth (213) CAREER NOTES: Backman started 37-of-48 games for the Blazers, closing out his career with 96 receptions for 979 yards (10.20 ypc) that included 10 touchdowns.

As a senior, Backman led the team in receptions with 39 and touchdown catches with three as he was tabbed a second-team allConference USA. HE SAID IT: “We like his speed.

He’s an athletic-type, basketballlooking guy that we think is a pretty good football player. They had some bad luck. Their team was dissolved sometime before the end of the season or right at the end of the season they dropped football there. It’s too bad. They were a pretty good team.” — GM Ted Thompson

hold the point. He was great in the run game. Even in a play-action pass game, he was able to pass pro the end one-on-one. In that system, how we utilized him was a pro-style system.”

A coaching change following Backman’s junior season meant changes for Backman, as well. He responded by earning second-team all-Conference USA honors.

“This season — and this is a real testament to how hard of a worker he is — Coach (Bill) Clark came in and we went to more of a spread system,” Owens said.

“We’d split him out a lot, detach him from the line of scrimmage and we’d make him block in space like a receiver. He basically took the offseason and transformed his body.

‘Coach, I’ve got to lose 20 pounds so I can move and I can do some other things,’ and he did. Hat’s off to him and what kind of work ethic he has. He was able to run routes and was our leading receiver. He did all of the things that we asked him to do — and beyond.”

As long as Rodgers is slinging the passes, the tight ends are going to have to be viable options in the passing game. It’s why the Packers

selected Richard Rodgers in the third round last year, even though he has below-average speed and was a liability as a blocker.

“Kennard’s got very strong hands,” Owens said. “When he gets his hands on the ball, he’s going to squeeze it and he’s going to catch it. He’s not going to struggle with it at all. I think he’s developed that over the years of really taking pride in catching a lot of balls. Kind of a funny story, Kennard’s background is he was that basketball guy growing up in high school and junior high. I think he’s just now starting to come into his own and I think the best years of football are ahead of him.”

Backman will be a footnote in history as the last player from UAB to be drafted. The school announced during the season that it was dropping the football program.

“It was crazy,” he said. “I’ve never seen so many grown men cry in one room. It was a lot of emotions flying around. From our older cats and from our younger guys. Coaches.

It was all kinds of depression but I’ve just been trying to think of it as a blessing in disguise. I’ve just been trying to think positive about it.” •

RIPKOWSKI SCORES AGAINST IOWA STATE.

SCOUTING ANALYSIS: RIPKOWSKI

Mark D. Smith/USA TODAY Sports

R

ipkowski is an intelligent athlete who has excellent size and athletic ability for his position. He possesses good body thickness and while his frame may have reached maximum growth level, he does show improving strength. He has a thick, defined chest and big guns with a good bubble and surprisingly low body fat for a player of his frame.

Ripkowski will not win many foot races, but does show good quickness and feet. He has outstanding agility and balance through the holes and the change-of-direction flexibility to cut back and bounce outside when the inside rushing lanes are clogged. He plays and practices hard, easily retaining plays and is a low-rep type. He shows true aggression as a blocker and relishes his role as a lead blocker. He shows good field vision and footwork at the hole.

Coming out of his stance, he generates a good burst and bounce, but lacks top-end speed to elude in the second level on those rare chances he has to tote the pigskin.

He’s a devastating run blocker, especially when cutting, where he shows excellent knee bend and explosion to wipe out his man and clear the rush lane. He does a nice job fitting up in the hole, delivering more than enough strength to face up and drive defenders off the line. Still, there are times where you will see him ducking his head, resulting in him missing his target or being on the ground when coming through as the lead blocker.

He sets and mirrors well in pass protection, using his strong hand jolt and proper placement to lock on and sustain. He can easily execute the lead block and the thing you notice on film is Ripkowski’s ability to adjust and block moving targets in space. He strikes with consistent force and will generally sustain his blocks. In pass protection, he is alert, keeping his head on a swivel to pick up secondary targets, blitzes and games.

While he is not used much as a receiver, he runs solid routes, shows good hands and some running skills after the catch. He has enough quickness out of his break point and on the cut. He runs good routes for a big back and his best attribute as a receiver is his run after the catch ability. He has soft hands to catch the ball away from the body’s framework.

Given the chance to finally carry the ball some in 2014, he displayed the ability to move the pile for extra yardage, getting the bulk of his yards after initial contact. He is mainly a one-cut type, but has the balance and lateral agility to cut back in the open. There is not much shake in his running style, but he has more than enough power to run over defenders when he can’t avoid them. He does show a good burst to pick his way through the line of scrimmage and has never put the ball on the ground as a runner.

He possesses great physical measurables and if placed in the right system that relies more on their fullback than just as a blocker, he could develop the best combination of blocking, receiving and running skills of any fullback in the 2015 draft class not named Jalston Fowler.

— Dave-Te’ Thomas

AARON RIPKOWSKI POSITION: Fullback SCHOOL: Oklahoma ROUND (PICK): Sixth (206) CAREER NOTES: Through 46 games, Ripkowski started 17 times, as the fullback scored three times on six carries (2.17 ypc) and two more times on eight receptions for 41 yards (5.13 ypc). As a senior, he was named All-Big 12 second team by the league’s coaches. He started nine times and had a three-touchdown game against Oklahoma.

HE SAID IT: “We thought he was a pretty functional blocker, a square guy that stays on his feet. We think he can be an effective player in the role we’re going to try to use him.”

— GM Ted Thompson

PACKERREPORT.COM • 37

2014 NFL DRAFT REWIND

BY MATT TEVSH

INSTANTIMPACT

WITH THE 2015 DRAFT IN THE BOOKS, WE TAKE A LOOK BACK AT THE 2014 CLASS, WHICH MADE QUITE AN IMPRESSION

“T

hey act like they belong.”

Those were the words coach Mike McCarthy used to describe his group of newcomers last May during the Green Bay Packers’ rookie orientation camp.

Turns out that McCarthy could not have been more spot on.

Though the Packers under general manager Ted Thompson employ the “best available player” mantra when it comes to selecting players in the NFL Draft, the 2014 class filled needs at many of the Packers’ weakest spots, at least on paper.

At the safety and center position, the Packers not only got quality players but also significant upgrades from the previous season.

At tight end and wide receiver, in an effort to improve depth with the losses of Jermichael Finely and James Jones, the Packers got uncommon rookie production behind offensive leaders Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb.

By the end of the 2014 regular season, eight-year Packers veteran John Kuhn was praising the rookie group as one of the most mature and professional the Packers have had during his time in Green Bay. The team’s best player gave a similarly glowing assessment: “We’re blessed with our rookie class of guys who are really gym rats, students of the game, guys who put in the time and prepare well. You need to see it in practice,” said quarterback Aaron Rodgers near the end of last season. “I’m obviously very proud of Davante (Adams) with the way he’s played. Corey (Linsley) and HaHa (Clinton-Dix), (and Richard Rodgers), just four of our young guys who’ve really made a big impact for us.”

How big of an impact? Well, consider this — not since 2006 have the Packers gotten more starts out of a rookie draft class. Center Corey Linsley was the only draft pick to start all 16 games but with Davante Adams making 11 starts as the third wide receiver, safety HaHa

38 • PACKERREPORT.COM

CLINTON-DIX WAS AN IMMEDIATE HIT.

Chris Humphreys/USA TODAY Sports

Clinton-Dix making 10 starts, and tight end Richard Rodgers chipping in five, that combines for 42 starts.

In 2006, going through a transition phase in head coaches from Mike Sherman to McCarthy, the draft class contributed 66 total starts with A.J. Hawk (16 starts), Daryn Colledge (15), Jason Spitz (13), Greg Jennings (11) and Tony Moll (10) leading the way.

By comparison, the 2013 draft class totaled 36 starts. The 2005 class had 32 and the 2007 class 31. Next up was the 2009 class with 24, then 2010 with 21, 2012 with 16, 2008 with eight, and 2011 with just three.

The general rule is that it takes four years to really judge a draft class so time will tell how the 2014 group ultimately pans out. But if the highest-profile regular season game — one billed as a Super Bowl preview — was any indication, the Packers should feel pretty good.

BIG STAGES, BIG PLAYS

As “Welcome to the NFL” moments go, it would be difficult to imagine any bigger or more intimidating one than this.

With the Packers clinging to a five-point lead over the New England Patriots late in the fourth quarter, Tom Brady was set up for another one of his classic fourth-quarter comebacks. The Patriots were driving, and on a second-and-9 from the Packers’ 20 with five receivers split out, first-round pick Clinton-Dix found himself one-on-one against 6-foot-6, 265-pound All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski. There was no doubt Brady was going to test the rookie safety.

After getting an initial bump off the line of scrimmage on Gronkowski, Clinton-Dix went stride-for-stride down the left sideline. As both dove in the end zone for Brady’s long pass, the rookie stayed with the play just long enough to break up what could have been another spectacular touchdown grab for the NFL’s ultimate red zone target. Two plays later, the Patriots missed a field goal attempt and the Packers would hang on for the biggest win of the season to that point.

“That was a very big play,” said safety Morgan Burnett. “The guy wasn’t afraid to compete. The guy stepped up. We preach finish and he finished through the play and made a big play for us. ... Just seeing him play and going against (Gronkowski) you see why he’s so good at what he does.”

Gronkowski caught just one of four passes going up against Clinton-Dix that day. Earlier in the game, Clinton-Dix bounced off Gronkowski on a tackle attempt at the 5-yard line and later tweeted, “I will never try and hit @RobGronkowski up high again. #RESPECT#sore.”

Along with adjusting to the responsibilities of playing safety in the Packers’ defensive schemes, Clinton-Dix had a team-high 15 missed tackles. Tacking seemed to be more of a concern early in the season but consider that Clinton-Dix finished second on the team in total tackles (95 in the regular season,

based on coaches’ film review) and played the third-most snaps on defense (1,088 in 18 games, according to Pro Football Focus), and the missed tackles total seems a little less alarming.

“If (safeties) coach (Darren Perry) sees us out there giving effort, 100 percent effort, whether we miss a tackle or make it, he can live with that,” said Clinton-Dix. “Once he sees us coming up short or kind of hesitating on making the tackle, then he has a problem. He doesn’t like that at all.”

After going through four different starting safeties in 2013 (two are no longer with the team), Clinton-Dix solidified a spot that desperately needed help. By the second month of the season, he was taking the majority of the snaps over cornerback-turnedsafety Micah Hyde.

Only six rookie safeties played at least 25 percent of their team’s snaps by Pro Football Focus’ count, including fellow first-rounders Calvin Pryor of the New York Jets and Deone Bucannon of the Arizona Cardinals. Clinton-Dix played more than any of them, however, and was the only one to record an interception, sack and fumble recovery during the regular season.

In the postseason, he added two more interceptions at Seattle and dropped a third in the NFC Championship Game.

“He’s a very smart player, athletic player,” said Burnett.

“Coming in, he really picked up the system right away and then just the more he got comfortable with the system, you could tell. He’s not a rookie anymore. He’s a guy that you really lean towards to contribute and make plays for us.”

So, too, was Rodgers, the rookie tight end selected in the third round. His 1-yard touchdown catch at Minnesota was one of the plays of the year for the Packers, coming when the quarterback Rodgers threw almost 40 yards across the field to find his target in the opposite corner

of the end zone.

Before that, Rodgers became the first Packers rookie tight end to start a season opener in 24 years, when the offense opened in a two tight-end set at Seattle. A blocking blunder that day by Rodgers, when he inadvertently bumped into Bryan Bulaga, forced the right tackle to the sideline for that game and one more with a sprained MCL. But since the opener, Rodgers’ play kept him ahead of veterans Brandon Bostick (released Feb. 17) and Ryan Taylor (released Oct. 6). And down the stretch, the Packers used more two-tight end sets with Rodgers and Andrew Quarless.

“It’s not surprising,” said the quarterback Rodgers of the play of his fellow California Golden Bear. “He’s got great hands, but his attention to detail and the preparation are things that separate themselves when you’re a young player, and I’m proud of him.”

Quarless had 21 catches as a rookie in 2010 and Rodgers had 20 this past season (plus five more in the postseason) in a system under McCarthy that tends to shelter rookie tight ends as receiving targets. Only three rookie tight ends around the league — the Jets’ Jace Amaro, the Detroit Lions’ Eric Ebron and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Austin Seferian-Jenkins — had more catches than Rodgers. But on passes of 20 yards or longer, Rodgers beat them all with three catches in three targets for 97 yards including a 32-yard touchdown against the Patriots.

The chess match game against the Patriots gave Adams, a secondround pick, more opportunities than in any regular season game all season. He caught six passes for a career-high 121 yards, and although a critical drop at the goal line near the end of that game and a quiet December slowed his rookie season, he had a better first year statistically than either of the top two Packers receivers.

Adams’ 38 catches for 446 yards and three touchdowns bested Nelson in 2008 (33-366-2) and Cobb in 2011 (25-375-1). Only Jones in 2007 (47-676-2) and Jennings in 2006 (45-632-3) had more productive rookie seasons among the 11 other wide receivers selected during the Thompson era.

“I think we’ve always known, Aaron’s always known, that (Adams) has the ability and talent to do it, it’s just him getting the ball and then continuing to build that chemistry,” said Nelson. “With

rookies, it’s up and down because they don’t have the week-in, weekout chemistry, but it’s big for us and hopefully he can continue to build off that and move forward.”

Having turned just 22 on Dec. 24, Adams was the Packers’ youngest player in 2014. As a part of a deep and talented rookie class around the league at wide receiver, he had to adjust as a role player after leading the nation in receptions (131) and touchdown catches (24) in 2013 as a sophomore at Fresno State.

Nonetheless, Adams showed poise through the ups and downs like Jennings did as a rookie and never really gave veteran Jarrett Boykin a big enough opening to regain the No. 3 receiver spot.

“Everybody’s excited about his potential as this is just the beginning,” said the quarterback Rodgers just after the Patriots game.

“He’s laying the foundation for his career this season and he’s going to be a big-time player for us.

“He does some really great body movements out there. He’s able to get himself in good positions to catch the football and shield the defender and, at the same time, he did a great job of adjusting to some of the checks and different coverages that we saw.”

Adams’ postseason was a microcosm of his regular season.

He was nearly invisible in the NFC Championship Game going up against the Seahawks’ Legion of Boom secondary, but the week prior had an impactful performance.

Targeted a team-high 11 times against the Dallas Cowboys, he responded with seven catches for a rookie playoff-record 117 yards. He forced a missed tackle on a brilliant 46-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter and broke a tackle along the sideline on a third down conversion late in the game that went for 26 yards.

“He’s a great player, prepares every week the exact same,” said Rodgers after the Cowboys game.

“You don’t see a difference in his attitude, and that says a lot about the kind of guy he is and the kind of player he’s going to be for us.”

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

The Packers’ offensive line would have been in trouble last season without the unexpected contributions of Linsley, the first of the team’s fifth-round selections in 2014. By the end of the regular season, Linsley was a rock for the Packers and the headliner of

the rookie class considering what happened in the preseason.

When Evan Dietrich-Smith, a 16-game starter for the Packers in 2013, departed via free agency, the plan was to anoint secondyear player J.C. Tretter into the starting center spot. But when Tretter injured his knee in the third preseason game and was placed on temporary injured reserve, Linsley took hold of the starting role and never looked back.

Working with his fourth starting center in four years, Rodgers knew he would be OK with a rookie snapping him the ball pretty quickly into the season. “After Week 1,” said Rodgers.

“Corey played really well in the first game (at Seattle). There was chatter that week about (the Seahawks) trying to get into his head and him and I hadn’t taken a snap in a live game up to that point. After that game, I was pretty convinced that he was going to be OK. And then after (Week) 2 or 3, I think we all realized that we had something special.”

By the middle of the season, there was even some talk of Linsley as a Pro Bowl candidate.

Though he fell short of that ultimate honor, he did grade out as the fourth-best at his position in the league by Pro Football Focus among the 29 centers (including six rookies) who played at least 50 percent of their team’s snaps. Ex-Packers Dietrich-Smith (Buccaneers) and Scott Wells (St. Louis Rams) were 13th and 29th, respectively. Linsley was by far the best rookie.

Outside of the past four seasons, center has long been an unchanging position for the Packers going back to the early 1970s. Wells manned the starting spot for seven years. Mike Flanagan for four years.

Frank Winters for roughly 10 years.

Larry McCarren for 11 years. Linsley would seem to fall right in line.

“He doesn’t make the same mistake twice,” said Rodgers of the first rookie center for the Packers to start every game since the league went to a 16-game schedule in

1978. “You might think that’s an elementary fact there, but it’s pretty impressive for a rookie to be able to pick up the offense the way he has. He’s got two great guys to play next to (guards Josh Sitton and T.J. Lang) as far as getting his checks and his calls down, but Corey is a very bright guy. I’m sure he’s a great note-taker because he doesn’t make the same mistake twice and

LINSLEY WAS A SAVIOR AT CENTER. Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports

he’s always making the correct call and adjusting. If he makes a mistake, he goes and fixes it right away. The physical part, he has all the physical tools you want with his body flexibility, his strength, his hand placement and those types of things. But the mental part is where a center can really excel, and he’s been excellent at that.”

In the regular season, nobody on the Packers played more snaps than Linsley’s 1,072 (according to Pro Football Focus). He gave up just one sack and two quarterback hits.

And on running plays up the middle, the Packers averaged 4.9 yards per carry as opposed to 3.9 to the left and 4.4 to the right.

“He’s one of those guys as a rookie that came in here and you knew right away he belonged,” said McCarthy. “First day of pads, it was like, ‘Hey man, this guy, he’s a powerful young man.’ So, he fit right in. That’s why I was never worried about him.”

•

PACKERREPORT.COM • 39

By Jamie Newberg, Scout.com

NFC EAST

NFC NORTH

Dallas Cowboys

Chicago Bears

(CB) Byron Jones (UConn) Round 1 (27) (DE) Randy Gregory (Nebraska) Round 2 (60) (OT) Chaz Green (Florida) Round 3 (91) (ILB) Damien Wilson (Minnesota) Round 4 (127) (DE) Ryan Russell (Purdue) Round 5 (163) (OLB) Mark Nzeocha (Wyoming) Round 7 (236) (OT) Laurence Gibson (Virginia Tech) Round 7 (243) (TE) Geoff Swain (Texas) Round 7 (246) The Cowboys opted to address their defense with the additions of the versatile cornerback in Jones and the free-falling pass rusher in Gregory.

Green should bolster their offensive front at right tackle. Dallas failed to draft a running back. It’s a solid group, with Dallas really taking a chance with Gregory. He has boom or bust written all over him.

New York Giants

(WR) Kevin White (West Virginia) Round 1 (7) (DT) Eddie Goldman (FSU) Round 2 (39) (C) Hronnis Grasu (Oregon) Round 3 (71) (RB) Jeremy Langford (Michigan State) Round 4 (106) (S) Adrian Amos (Penn State) Round 5 (142) (OT) Tayo Fabuluje (TCU) Round 6 (183) White should develop into a huge home run threat in Chicago while Goldman will bring some versatility to the Bears’ new defensive front. Grasu will be a nice upgrade on the other side of the ball and play alongside his college teammate Long. Langford could be a steal and a potential every-down back because of his ability to catch the football. Amos is a nice find at safety in Round 5. I like this group by the Bears.

Detroit Lions

(OT) Ereck Flowers (Miami) Round 1 (9) (S) Landon Collins (Alabama) Round 2 (33) (DE) Owamagbe Odighizuwa (UCLA) Round 3 (74) (S) Mykkele Thompson (Texas) Round 5 (144) (WR) Geremy Davis (UConn) Round 6 (186) (OG) Bobby Hart (FSU) Round 7 (226) We could look back on this Giants draft and say, ‘Wow.’ New York scored three first-round talents in Flowers, Landon Collins and Odighizuwa. Flowers has enormous potential on the offensive front while Collins was this class’s top-rated safety. The question on Odighizuwa is the health of his surgically repaired hips.

(OG) Laken Tomlinson (Duke) Round 1 (28) (RB) Ameer Abdullah (Nebraska) Round 2 (54) (CB) Alex Carter (Stanford) Round 3 (80) (DT) Gabe Wright (Auburn) Round 4 (113) (FB) Michael Burton (Rutgers) Round 5 (168) (CB) Quandre Diggs (Texas) Round 6 (200) (OT) Corey Robinson (South Carolina) Round 7 (240) The Lions surprised many, first drafting a guard in Tomlinson. Abdullah is an outstanding fit into the Detroit offense while Carter will bolster their secondary at cornerback. Wright will be expected to make early contributions in the D-tackle rotation. I like Diggs at slot cornerback and Robinson could be a find with their final pick in the seventh round.

Philadelphia Eagles

Green Bay Packers

(WR) Nelson Agholor (USC) Round 1 (20) (CB) Eric Rowe (Utah) Round 2 (47) (LB) Jordan Hicks (Texas) Round 3 (84) (CB) JaCorey Shepherd (Kansas) Round 6 (191) (CB) Randall Evans (Kansas State) Round 6 (196) (DE) Brian Mihalik (Boston College) Round 7 (237) I love the first two Eagles picks in Agholor and Rowe. They fit their scheme and fill two big needs. Hicks is a good player that needs to stay healthy. Aside from Agholor, the rest of the draft was spent on defense. Hicks seems like a nice piece to their linebacker corps. If he can stay healthy, that’s a good pick.

Washington Redskins

(OL) Brandon Scherff (Iowa) Round 1 (5) (DE) Preston Smith (Mississippi State) Round 2 (38) (RB) Matt Jones (Florida) Round 3 (95) (WR) Jamison Crowder (Duke) Round 4 (105) (OG) Arie Kouandijo (Alabama) Round 4 (112) (OLB) Martrell Spaight (Arkansas) Round 5 (141) (S) Kyshoen Jarrett (Virginia Tech) Round 6 (181) (CB) Tevin Mitchell (Arkansas) Round 6 (182) (WR) Evan Spencer (Ohio State) Round 6 (187) (C) Austin Reiter (USF) Round 7 (222) Interesting draft in Washington. Offensive lineman Scherff appears to be one of the safer picks. I wonder if Preston Smith is the ideal piece for their defense standing up as an outside ’backer. Jones is a big, tough runner who’s had some durability issues in college. Crowder and Kouandijo should impact the Washington offense.

40 • PACKERREPORT.COM

(S) Damarious Randall (Arizona State) Round 1 (30) (CB) Quinten Rollins (Miami-OH) Round 2 (62) (WR) Ty Montgomery (Stanford) Round 3 (94) (OLB) Jake Ryan (Michigan) Round 4 (129) (QB) Brett Hundley (UCLA) Round 5 (147) (FB) Aaron Ripkowski (Oklahoma) Round 6 (206) (DE) Christian Ringo (Louisiana-Lafayette) Round 6 (210) (TE) Kennard Backman (UAB) Round 6 (213) The first two picks are all about the secondary, as the Packers find a safety and cornerback. Obviously Green Bay wants and needs to get better on the back end. Montgomery has size and length at wide receiver, but his stock dropped off, as he showed inconsistent hands at receiver. Ryan could be a nice find in the middle rounds and I liked the drafting of QB Hundley.

Minnesota Vikings

(CB) Trae Waynes (Michigan State) Round 1 (11) (ILB) Eric Kendricks (UCLA) Round 2 (45) (DE) Danielle Hunter (LSU) Round 3 (88) (OT) T.J. Clemmings (Pitt) Round 4 (110) (TE) MyCole Pruitt (Southern Illinois) Round 5 (143) (WR) Stefon Diggs (Maryland) Round 5 (146) (OT) Tyrus Thompson (Oklahoma) Round 6 (185) (DE) B.J. Dubose (Louisville) Round 6 (193) (OT) Austin Shepherd (Alabama) Round 7 (228) (OLB) Edmond Robinson (Newberry) Round 7 (232) The Vikings bolstered every level of their defense with the additions of this draft’s top cornerback in Waynes, inside ’backer in Kendricks and then grabbing an athletic edge talent in Hunter from LSU. Clemmings could be a steal at tackle. The same can be said of Diggs, an explosive talent from Maryland. Pruitt, Shepherd and Thompson should have a great chance of making the team. I like this haul a lot by Minnesota, as they filled needs, grabbed some really good athletes and picked players with a lot of upside.

Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

Here are the 2015 NFL Draft reports cards for the NFC and AFC teams. The Vikings and Jets led their respective conferences.

NFC SOUTH

NFC WEST

Atlanta Falcons

Arizona Cardinals

(OLB) Vic Beasley (Clemson) Round 1 (8) (CB) Jalen Collins (LSU) Round 2 (42) (RB) Tevin Coleman (Indiana) Round 3 (73) (WR) Justin Hardy (East Carolina) Round 4 (108) (NT) Grady Jarrett (Clemson) Round 5 (137) (OT) Jake Rodgers (Eastern Washington) Round 7 (225) (S) Akeem King (San Jose State) Round 7 (249) This is a draft well done by the Falcons, especially their first five picks. First it’s a pass rusher in Beasley. Then Atlanta goes and gets a first-round talent in the second in the big cornerback from LSU, Jalen Collins. Coleman was a highly productive running back from Indiana with some explosiveness. Hardy was as productive as any college player over the past four years while Jarrett is a nice find late who should be able to jump right in the defensive front rotation.

Carolina Panthers

(WLB) Shaq Thompson (Washington) Round 1 (25) (WR/TE) Devin Funchess (Michigan) Round 2 (41) (OT) Daryl Williams (Oklahoma) Round 4 (102) (LB) David Mayo (Texas State) Round 5 (169) (RB) Cameron Artis-Payne (Auburn) Round 5 (174) The Panthers found a great fit for their defense in Thompson and clearly went with who they feel was the best player on the board. They are going to love him. Then you have another big wide receiver target in Funchess. Offensive tackle Williams will be expected to come in and play yesterday, as he could be the key for making or breaking this small Panthers draft class.

New Orleans Saints

(OT) Andrus Peat (Stanford) Round 1 (13) (ILB) Stephone Anthony (Clemson) Round 1 (31) (OLB) Hau’oli Kikaha (Washington) Round 2 (44) (QB) Garrett Grayson (Colorado State) Round 3 (75) (CB) P.J. Williams (FSU) Round 3 (78) (OLB) Davis Tull (UTC) Round 5 (148) (DT) Tyler Davison (Fresno State) Round 5 (158) (CB) Damian Swann (Georgia) Round 5 (167) (RB) Marcus Murphy (Missouri) Round 7 (230) The only piece missing from this draft class is a wide receiver. The Saints bypassed that position altogether and went for immediate help for their defense with linebackers Anthony and Kikaha and cornerback P.J. Williams. Davison could be a fifth-round steal. First-round pick Peat has an incredibly bright future in the NFL. The Saints may have their QB of the future in Grayson.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

(QB) Jameis Winston (FSU) Round 1 (1) (OT) Donovan Smith (Penn State) Round 2 (34) (OG) Ali Marpet (Hobart) Round 2 (61) (OLB) Kwon Alexander (LSU) Round 4 (124) (WR) Kenny Bell (Nebraska) Round 5 (162) (WR) Kaelin Clay (Utah) Round 6 (184) (FB) Joey Iosefa (Hawaii) Round 7 (231) I have to give it to Tampa Bay, they have stuck to filling needs on the offensive side of the ball once again. The Bucs scored huge drafting Winston, a player from FSU that they hope is their future and franchise quarterback.

But Winston will do nothing if they first can’t protect him and can’t develop a run game. Their OL was putrid in 2014 and the Bucs got a tackle and guard/ center in round two. Alexander will add depth to their linebacker corps while the speedy Bell will do the same to Tampa’s wide receivers. Clay will have a chance to be the Bucs’ return specialists.

(OT) D.J. Humphries (Florida) Round 1 (24) (OLB) Markus Golden (Missouri) Round 2 (58) (RB) David Johnson (Northern Iowa) Round 3 (86) (DT) Rodney Gunter (Delaware State) Round 4 (116) (DE) Shaquille Riddick (West Virginia) Round 5 (158) (TE) Gerald Christian (Louisville) Round 7 (256) The Cardinals added some nice pieces to both sides of the ball in a tackle (Humphries), running back (Johnson) and pass rusher (Golden) with their first three picks. Humphries has all the tools and just needs time to develop. Running back David Johnson could be one of the steals of the draft. He’s an under-theradar talent who has a chance to be the ideal complement to Andre Ellington.

San Francisco 49ers

(DE) Arik Armstead (Oregon) Round 1 (17) (S) Jaquiski Tartt (Samford) Round 2 (46) (OLB) Eli Harold (Virginia) Round 3 (79) (TE) Blake Bell (Oklahoma) Round 4 (117) (RB) Mike Davis (South Carolina) Round 4 (126) (WR) DeAndre Smelter (Georgia Tech) Round 4 (132) (P) Bradley Pinion (Clemson) Round 5 (165) (OT) Ian Silberman (Boston College) Round 6 (190) (OG) Trenton Brown (Florida) Round 7 (244) (TE) Rory Anderson (South Carolina) Round 7 (254) The 49ers addressed their defense early, getting help up front, finding a pass rusher in Armstead and a center fielder in Tartt, although they could have snagged him a little later. Harold is a third-round steal. So, too, is Smelter from Georgia Tech and Brown from Florida. Running back Davis is a good, tough runner.

St. Louis Rams

(RB) Todd Gurley (Georgia) Round 1 (10) (OT) Robert Havenstein (Wisconsin) Round 2 (57) (OT) Jamon Brown (Louisville) Round 3 (72) (QB) Sean Mannion (Oregon State) Round 3 (89) (OT) Andrew Donnal (Iowa) Round 4 (119) (WR) Bud Sasser (Missouri) Round 6 (201) (OG) Cody Wichmann (Freson State) Round 6 (215) (ILB) Bryce Hager (Baylor) Round 7 (224) (DE) Martin Ifedi (Memphis) Round 7 (227) Gurley was a first-round surprise, but the Rams scored a difference-maker at running back. The OL is a mess, but St. Louis spent two picks on a right tackle in Havenstein and an interior guy in Brown. They can both move people off the line of scrimmage. The Rams drafted four OL in all. The only thing missing from this draft class was a dangerous wide receiver threat.

Seattle Seahawks

(DE) Frank Clark (Michigan) Round 2 (63) (WR) Tyler Lockett (Kansas State) Round 3 (69) (OG) Tyler Poole (San Diego State) Round 4 (130) (OG) Mark Glowinski (West Virginia) Round 4 (134) (CB) Tye Smith (Townson) Round 5 (170) (DE) Obum Gwacham (Oregon State) Round 6 (209) (DE) Kristjan Sokoli (Buffalo) Round 6 (214) (S) Ryan Murphy (Oregon State) Round 7 (248) This looks like a Seahawks draft, rolling the dice on a former Wolverine with some upside who was thrown off the Michigan team for domestic violence and then trading up for a highly productive and versatile football player in wide receiver Lockett. Of course, Seattle didn’t have a first-round pick after trading for super tight end Jimmy Graham. Pete Carroll and company were looking to create DL depth with this group.

PACKERREPORT.COM • 41

By Jamie Newberg, Scout.com

AFC NORTH Baltimore Ravens

AFC EAST Buffalo Bills

(CB) Ronald Darby (FSU) Round 2 (50) (OG) John Miller (Louisville) Round 3 (81) (RB) Karlos Williams (FSU) Round 5 (155) (OLB) Tony Steward (Clemson) Round 6 (188) (TE) Nick O’Leary (FSU) Round 6 (194) (WR) Dezmin Lewis (Central Arkansas) Round 7 (234) The Bills surprised with their first pick in drafting a speedy corner from Tallahassee in Darby. Miller should help bolster the Buffalo run game from the guard position. Williams has a chance to be a good role player in the running back rotation. O’Leary lacks ideal size and speed but he just makes plays and is a good football player. I think he’s the steal of this lackluster group for the Bills. Buffalo traded away their first-round pick a year ago to move up and select wide receiver Sammy Watkins.

Miami Dolphins

(WR) DeVante Parker (Louisville) Round 1 (14) (DT) Jordan Phillips (Oklahoma) Round 2 (52) (OG) Jamil Douglas (Arizona State) Round 4 (114) (CB) Bobby McCain (Memphis) Round 5 (145) (RB) Jay Ajayi (Boise State) Round 5 (149) (FS) Cedric Thompson (Minnesota) Round 5 (150) (WR) Tony Lippett (Michigan State) Round 5 (156) Parker is a super pick with a chance to shine in South Beach with Ryan Tannehill throwing him the ball. Phillips has to realize his superior talent and play with consistency. Their next three picks—guard Jamil Douglas, cornerback Bobby McCain and running back Jay Ajayi—are good players that fill needs.

New England Patriots

(DT) Malcom Brown (Texas) Round 1 (32) (S) Jordan Richards (Stanford) Round 2 (64) (DE) Geneo Grissom (Oklahoma) Round 3 (97) (DE) Trey Flowers (Arkansas) Round 4 (101) (OG) Tre Jackson (FSU) Round 4 (111) (C) Shaq Mason (Georgia Tech) Round 4 (131) (LS) Joe Cardona (Navy) Round 5 (166) (LB) Matthew Wells (Mississippi State) Round 6 (178) (TE) A.J. Derby (Arkansas) Round 6 (202) (CB) Darryl Roberts (Marshall) Round 7 (247) (DE) Xzavier Dickson (Alabama) Round 7 (253) For New England, I love the addition of defensive tackle Malcom Brown. He’s a steal and fills a major need. Grissom and Flowers will also help bolster the defensive front. Jackson and Mason are two dominant run blockers.

New York Jets

(DT) Leonard Williams (USC) Round 1 (6) (WR) Devin Smith (Ohio State) Round 2 (37) (OLB) Lorenzo Mauldin (Louisville) Round 3 (82) (QB) Bryce Petty (Baylor) Round 4 (103) (OG) Jarvis Harrison (Texas A&M) Round 5 (152) (NT) Deon Simon (NW State) Round 7 (223) I absolutely love what the Jets did with their first three picks. The draft’s top prospect in Leonard Williams falls to them at No. 6, adding his talents to an already deep rotation. Smith was one of college football’s most productive players while outside linebacker Mauldin is a supreme talent on the edge. It’s the only team I gave an A in the AFC.

42 • PACKERREPORT.COM

(WR) Breshad Perriman (UCF) Round 1 (26) (TE) Maxx Williams (Minnesota) Round 2 (55) (DT) Carl Davis (Iowa) Round 3 (90) (DE) Za’Darius Smith (Kentucky) Round 4 (122) (RB) Javorius Allen (USC) Round 5 (125) (CB) Tray Walker (Texas Southern) Round 4 (136) (TE) Nick Boyle (Delaware) Round 5 (171) (OG) Robert Myers (Tennessee State) Round 5 (176) (WR) Darren Waller (Georgia Tech) Round 6 (204) I think Perrimann will be a feast or famine wide receiver. He has outstanding size and speed but has dropped too many balls and needs to become more consistent. I didn’t think there was a tight end in the draft that warranted Round 2 status, though Williams was the best of an adequate crop. I love what Baltimore did with their next three picks in defensive end Smith, defensive tackle Davis and running back Allen.

Cincinnati Bengals

(OT) Cedric Ogbuehi (Texas A&M) Round 1 (21) (OT) Jake Fisher (Oregon) Round 2 (53) (TE) Tyler Croft (Rutgers) Round 3 (85) (LB) Paul Dawson (TCU) Round 3 (99) (CB) Josh Shaw (USC) Round 4 (120) (DE) Marcus Hardison (Arizona State) Round 4 (135) (TE) C.J. Uzomah (Auburn) Round 5 (157) (S) Derron Smith (Fresno State) Round 6 (197) (WR) Mario Alford (West Virginia) Round 7 (238) The Bengals reached a bit to grab their first pick in Ogbuehi because of his injury, and then grabbed another very talented tackle in Fisher. Croft is an underrated tight end while Dawson is as productive as any linebacker in this draft. Safety Smith, defensive end Hardison, cornerback Shaw and wide receiver Alford are nice mid- to late-round finds. This is as deep of a draft class as you will find. If those two O-tackles work out, then WOW!

Cleveland Browns

(NT) Danny Shelton (Washington) Round 1 (12) (OL) Cameron Erving (FSU) Round 1 (19) (OLB) Nate Orchard (Utah) Round 2 (51) (RB) Duke Johnson (Miami) Round 3 (77) (DT) Xavier Cooper (Washington State) Round 3 (96) (SS) Ibraheim Campbell (Northwestern) Round 4 (115) (WR) Vince Mayle (Washington State) Round 4 (123) (CB) Charles Gaines (Louisville) Round 6 (189) (TE) Malcolm Johnson (Mississippi State) Round 6 (195) (TE) Randall Telfer (USC) Round 6 (198) (ILB) Hayes Pullard (USC) Round 7 (219) (CB) Ifo Ekpre-Olomu (Oregon) Round 7 (241) The Browns had a strong first two days. It’s not sexy, but Cleveland drafted guys working from the inside-out. Shelton will be an immediate anchor in the middle of the defense, joined by two other pieces for their defense in end Cooper and pass rusher Orchard. Then you add an offensive line piece in Erving, who can play anywhere on the line, and one of the draft’s most explosive players in running back Duke Johnson. Linebacker Pullard and cornerback Ekpre-Olomu are two good rolls of the dice in round seven.

Pittsburgh Steelers

OLB) Alvin Dupree (Kentucky) Round 1 (22) (CB) Sequez Golson (Ole Miss) Round 2 (56) (WR) Sammie Coates (Auburn) Round 3 (87) (CB) Doran Grant (Ohio State) Round 4 (121) (TE) Jesse James (Penn State) Round 5 (160) (DT) Leterrius Walton (Central Michigan) Round 6 (199) (DE) Anthony Chickillo (Miami) Round 6 (212) (S) Gerod Holliman (Louisville) Round 7 (239) Dupree is a freak and could develop into a big-time talent as a pass rusher in the Pitt defense. Golson lacks ideal size, but the kid from Ole Miss makes plays. Coates has size and speed but needs to develop better consistency.

Cornerback Grant is a great pick in Round 5 while defensive end Chickillo has the playing mentality of a Steeler. Don’t sleep on safety Holliman.

Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

AFC SOUTH

AFC WEST

Houston Texans

Denver Broncos

(CB) Kevin Johnson (Wake Forest) Round 1 (16) (LB) Benardrick McKinney (Mississippi State) Round 2 (43) (WR) Jaelen Strong (Arizona State) Round 3 (70) (WR) Keith Mumphrey (Michigan State) Round 5 (175) (OLB) Reshard Cliett (USF) Round 6 (211) (DT) Christian Covington (Rice) Round 6 (216) (RB) Kenny Hilliard (LSU) Round 7 (235) The Texans did a nice job of showing patience and being aggressive within each round. All the while they filled needs with some outstanding players, especially with their first three picks. Strong was a third-round steal.

McKinney is just the linebacker that they covet because he’s big and athletic.

Johnson should be plug-and-play at cornerback.

Indianapolis Colts

(WR) Phillip Dorsett (Miami) Round 1 (29) (CB) D’Joun Smith (FAU) Round 3 (65) (DE) Henry Anderson (Stanford) Round 3 (93) (S) Clayton Geathers (UCF) Round 4 (109) (NT) David Parry (Stanford) Round 5 (151) (RB) Josh Robinson (Mississippi State) Round 6 (205) (ILB) Amarlo Herrera (Georgia) Round 6 (207) (OT) Denzell Goode (Mars Hill) Round 7 (255) I like this draft by the Colts—first adding the speedy Dorsett and then getting two pieces that really fit their defense well in Smith and Anderson. These two will turn into steals. Geathers is a nice-looking safety while Robinson is a bowling ball of a running back. Herrera is a good round-six find. This class would have graded out higher if Indy would have drafted a true pass rusher.

Jacksonville Jaguars

(OLB) Dante Fowler (Florida) Round 1 (3) (RB) T.J. Yeldon (Alabama) Round 2 (36) (OG) A.J. Cann (South Carolina) Round 3 (67) (S) James Sample (Louisville) Round 4 (104) (WR) Rashad Greene (FSU) Round 5 (139) (DT) Michael Bennett (Ohio State) Round 6 (180) (WR) Neal Sterling (Monmouth-NJ) Round 7 (220) (TE) Ben Koyack (Notre Dame) Round 7 (229) The Jags helped both sides of the ball with their first three picks. Fowler is the best pass rusher in this draft while Cann should develop into a quality guard/ center. Yeldon is a potential every-down back for Jacksonville, taking the load off Denard Robinson. I love the two mid-round picks of wide receiver Rashad Greene and defensive tackle Michael Bennett. It’s just a shame Fowler tore his ACL at rookie minicamp and won’t have a chance to showcase his talents in 2015.

Tennessee Titans

(QB) Marcus Mariota (Oregon) Round 1 (2) (WR) Dorial Green-Beckham (Oklahoma) Round 2 (40) (OT) Jeremiah Poutasi (Utah) Round 3 (66) (DT) Angelo Blackson (Auburn) Round 4 (100) (FB) Jalston Fowler (Alabama) Round 4 (108) (RB) David Cobb (Minnesota) Round 4 (138) (OLB) Deontrez Mount (Louisville) Round 6 (177) (C) Andy Galik (Boston College) Round 6 (208) (WR) Tre McBride (William & Mary) Round 7 (245) There’s no way Tennessee could have walked away from a franchise signal caller even if Mariota is truly not the right fit in Nashville. It’s Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt’s job to cater his system and style around the talents of his new quarterback. I love trading down in the second and still securing an outside weapon in wide receiver Green-Beckham and then drafting an OL in Poutasi. Fullback Fowler and slot receiver McBride could make impacts on the Titans offense as well.

(DE) Shane Ray (Missouri) Round 1 (23) (OT) Ty Sambrailo (Colorado State) Round 2 (59) (TE) Jeff Heuerman (Ohio State) Round 3 (92) (C) Max Garcia (Florida) Round 4 (133) (CB) Lorenzo Doss (Tulane) Round 5 (164) (NT) Darius Kilgo (Maryland) Round 6 (203) (QB) Trevor Siemian (Northwestern) Round 7 (250) (DB) Taurean Nixon (Tulane) Round 7 (251) (S) Josh Furman (Oklahoma State) Round 7 (252) Good picks here for Denver that fill needs. Ray is one of the top pass rushers in this draft, as Denver made an aggressive move to go up to get him.

Sambrailo has upside as a tackle and Heuerman should bring the Broncos offense versatility. Quarterback Siemian could be a sneaky good player that can sit and develop in the Mile High city.

Kansas City Chiefs

(CB) Marcus Peters (Washington) Round 1 (18) (C) Mitch Morse (Missouri) Round 2 (49) (WR) Chris Conley (Georgia) Round 3 (76) (CB) Steven Nelson (Oregon State) Round 3 (98) (ILB) Ramik Wilson (Georgia) Round 4 (118) (OLB) D.J. Alexander (Oregon State) Round 5 (172) (TE) James O’Shaughnessy (Illinois State) Round 5 (173) (DT) Rakeem Nunez-Roches (Southern Miss) Round 6 (217) (WR) Da’Ron Brown (Northern Illinois) Round 7 (233) Peters could be a secondary steal for KC with that first pick while Morse will need to transition to the inside as a center. Conley is a terrific athlete that needs to show he can make more plays. Nelson is a versatile defensive back and Wilson could be a great get in Round 4 at linebacker. The one thing missing is a ready-to-go wide receiver in this class.

Oakland Raiders

(WR) Amari Cooper (Alabama) Round 1 (4) (DE) Mario Edwards, Jr. (FSU) Round 2 (35) (TE) Clive Walford (Miami) Round 3 (68) (OG) John Feliciano (Miami) Round 4 (128) (ILB) Ben Heeney (Kansas) Round 5 (140) (OLB) Neiron Ball (Florida) Round 5 (161) (OLB) Max Valles (Virginia) Round 6 (179) (OL) Anthony Morris (Tennessee State) Round 7 (218) (WR) Andre Debose (Florida) Round 7 (221) (CB) Dexter McDonald (Kansas) Round 7 (242) The Raiders got some immediate offensive help for their young and promising quarterback in wide receiver Amari Cooper and tight end Clive Walford.

Defensive end Mario Edwards was taken a tad high, but if he can keep his weight down he can be a very productive player on the edge. Ball and Valles are two good outside ’backers with some talent.

San Diego Chargers

(RB) Melvin Gordon (Wisconsin) Round 1 (15) (ILB) Denzel Perryman (Miami) Round 2 (48) (CB) Craig Mager (Texas State) Round 3 (83) (OLB) Kyle Emanuel (North Dakota State) Round 5 (153) (DT) Darius Philon (Arkansas) Round 6 (192) The Chargers landed three playmakers. San Diego moved up in the first to make sure they secured running back Melvin Gordon. Perryman is a physical player who excels versus the run while Mager is a small-school corner with promise. I love the additions of their first two selections. Philon will have a really good chance to make the team. He’s a good player.

PACKERREPORT.COM • 43

2015 NFL DRAFT

THE GRADES ARE IN ...

IF IT’S OK FOR THOMPSON TO GRADE THEM, IT’S OK FOR YOU TO READ THEM

D

raft grades, of course, are stupid.

But ...

“We usually all go and gather in front of the draft board where they have taken them off (as players have been selected) and put them up and it shows all of Tennessee’s picks and all of my picks,” Thompson said on Saturday.

“So, we’ll sit there and, ‘Let’s grade Tennessee’s.’ And we’ll grade their draft class. Or Tampa Bay’s or Detroit’s. We will go through that and we won’t know any more than they do. You just never know. But we usually grade ours higher than everybody else’s.”

Here are some postdraft grades for your amusement.

ROTOWORLD GAVE THE PACKERS A C+.

“I’m used to giving Ted Thompson high ‘grades.’ I think I’ve done it every year. This draft seemed a little more needs-focused than usual, which is a fine approach in general but may have left some ‘value’ on the board,” wrote Evan Silva.

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED GAVE THE PACKERS A B+.

Then again, Ted Thompson usually knows what he’s doing,” wrote Pete Prisco.

FOXSPORTS.COM GAVE THE PACKERS A C+.

“Ted Thompson is known for sticking to his board and did so by drafting two athletic, versatile defensive backs in Arizona State’s Damarious Randall and MiamiOhio’s Quinten Rollins.”

THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE GAVE THE PACKERS A B+.

“GM Ted Thompson bolstered the secondary with safety Damarious Randall, the highest-rated player at his position, as well as Quinten Rollins, who could play the nickel as a rookie,” wrote esteemed NFL writer John McClain.

THE WASHINGTON POST GAVE THE PACKERS A B-.

“Using the 30th choice on S Damarious Randall might have been just a slight reach. Talent evaluators have praised his pass coverage skills but some have questioned his tackling,” Mark Maske wrote.

“Third-round receiver Ty Montgomery of Stanford can line up all over the formation, a great fit for Mike McCarthy’s multiple offensive schemes,” wrote Doug Farrar.

SPORTING NEWS GAVE THE PACKERS A B.

NFL.COM GAVE THE PACKERS A B.

WALTERFOOTBALL.COM GAVE THE PACKERS A B.

“Add in Randall’s ability to play some corner if needed, and the Packers might have landed a gem in addition to shoring up their secondary,” wrote Bryan Fischer.

CBSSPORTS.COM GAVE THE PACKERS A C+.

“They need corners with the loss of two in free agency, but Randall looked more like a safety to me.

“Ryan can be pretty good, but they could have looked at a 3-4 inside linebacker earlier,” Vinnie Iyer wrote.

“The ‘biggest’ name Green Bay took (was) Brett Hundley. I loved the pick; Hundley doesn’t know how to play quarterback yet, but has firstround physical talent. The Packers could develop him and flip him for a second-round choice in the future.

In the meantime, Hundley won’t be a terrible option if Aaron Rodgers gets hurt again.”

•

CAN RANDALL MAKE AN IMMEDIATE IMPACT?

Matt Kartozian/USA TODAY Sports

44 • PACKERREPORT.COM

NFL WEEKLY

SCHEDULES REGULAR SEASON (X-SUBJECT TO CHANGE) WEEK ONE

Thursday, Sept. 10 Pittsburgh at New England, 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 13 Indianapolis at Buffalo, noon Green Bay at Chicago, noon Kansas City at Houston, noon Carolina at Jacksonville, noon Cleveland at N.Y. Jets, noon Seattle at St. Louis, noon Miami at Washington, noon New Orleans at Arizona, 3:05 p.m.

Detroit at San Diego, 3:05 p.m.

Baltimore at Denver, 3:25 p.m.

Cincinnati at Oakland, 3:25 p.m.

Tennessee at Tampa Bay, 3:25 p.m.

N.Y. Giants at Dallas, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, Sept. 14 Philadelphia at Atlanta, 6:10 p.m.

Minnesota at San Francisco, 9:20 p.m.

WEEK TWO

Thursday, Sept. 17 Denver at Kansas City, 7:25 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 20 New England at Buffalo, noon Houston at Carolina, noon Arizona at Chicago, noon San Diego at Cincinnati, noon Tennessee at Cleveland, noon Detroit at Minnesota, noon Tampa Bay at New Orleans, noon Atlanta at N.Y. Giants, noon San Francisco at Pittsburgh, noon St. Louis at Washington, noon Miami at Jacksonville, 3:05 p.m.

Baltimore at Oakland, 3:05 p.m.

Dallas at Philadelphia, 3:25 p.m.

Seattle at Green Bay, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, Sept. 21 N.Y. Jets at Indianapolis, 7:30 p.m.

WEEK THREE

Thursday, Sept. 24 Washington at N.Y. Giants, 7:25 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 27 Cincinnati at Baltimore, noon New Orleans at Carolina, noon Oakland at Cleveland, noon Atlanta at Dallas, noon Tampa Bay at Houston, noon San Diego at Minnesota, noon Jacksonville at New England, noon Philadelphia at N.Y. Jets, noon Pittsburgh at St. Louis, noon Indianapolis at Tennessee, noon San Francisco at Arizona, 3:05 p.m.

Buffalo at Miami, 3:25 p.m.

Chicago at Seattle, 3:25 p.m.

Denver at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, Sept. 28 Kansas City at Green Bay, 7:30 p.m.

WEEK FOUR

(Byes: Tennessee, New England) Thursday, Oct. 1 Baltimore at Pittsburgh, 7:25 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 4 N.Y. Jets vs. Miami at London, 8:30 a.m.

Houston at Atlanta, noon N.Y. Giants at Buffalo, noon Oakland at Chicago, noon Kansas City at Cincinnati, noon Jacksonville at Indianapolis, noon Carolina at Tampa Bay, noon Philadelphia at Washington, noon Cleveland at San Diego, 3:05 p.m.

St. Louis at Arizona, 3:25 p.m.

Minnesota at Denver, 3:25 p.m.

Green Bay at San Francisco, 3:25 p.m.

Dallas at New Orleans, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, Oct. 5 Detroit at Seattle, 7:30 p.m.

WEEK FIVE

(Byes: Carolina, Miami, Minnesota, N.Y. Jets) Thursday, Oct. 8 Indianapolis at Houston, 7:25 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 11 Washington at Atlanta, noon Cleveland at Baltimore, noon Seattle at Cincinnati, noon St. Louis at Green Bay, noon Chicago at Kansas City, noon New Orleans at Philadelphia, noon Jacksonville at Tampa Bay, noon Buffalo at Tennessee, noon Arizona at Detroit, 3:05 p.m.

New England at Dallas, 3:25 p.m.

Denver at Oakland, 3:25 p.m.

San Francisco at N.Y. Giants-x, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, Oct. 12 Pittsburgh at San Diego , 7:30 p.m.

WEEK SIX

(Byes: Dallas, Oakland, St. Louis, Tampa Bay) Thursday, Oct. 15 Atlanta at New Orleans , 7:25 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 18 Cincinnati at Buffalo, noon Denver at Cleveland, noon Chicago at Detroit, noon Houston at Jacksonville, noon Kansas City at Minnesota, noon Washington at N.Y. Jets, noon Arizona at Pittsburgh, noon Miami at Tennessee, noon Carolina at Seattle, 3:05 p.m.

San Diego at Green Bay, 3:25 p.m.

Baltimore San Francisco, 3:25 p.m.

New England at Indianapolis-x, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, Oct. 19 N.Y. Giants at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.

WEEK SEVEN

(Byes: Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver, Green Bay) Thursday, Oct. 22 Seattle at San Francisco , 7:25 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 25 Buffalo vs. Jacksonville at London, 8:30 a.m.

Minnesota at Detroit, noon New Orleans at Indianapolis, noon Pittsburgh at Kansas City, noon Houston at Miami, noon N.Y. Jets at New England, noon Cleveland at St. Louis, noon Atlanta at Tennessee, noon Tampa Bay at Washington, noon Oakland at San Diego, 3:05 p.m.

Dallas at N.Y. Giants, 3:25 p.m.

Philadelphia at Carolina-x, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, Oct. 26 Baltimore at Arizona , 7:30 p.m.

WEEK EIGHT

(Byes: Buffalo, Jacksonville, Philadelphia, Washington) Thursday, Oct. 29 Miami at New England , 7:25 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 1 Detroit vs Kansas City at London, 8:30 a.m.

Tampa Bay at Atlanta, noon San Diego at Baltimore, noon Minnesota at Chicago, noon Arizona at Cleveland, noon Tennessee at Houston, noon N.Y. Giants at New Orleans, noon Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, noon San Francisco at St. Louis, noon N.Y. Jets at Oakland, 3:05 p.m.

Seattle at Dallas, 3:25 p.m.

Green Bay at Denver-x, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, Nov. 2 Indianapolis at Carolina, 7:30 p.m.

WEEK NINE

(Byes: Arizona, Baltimore, Detroit, Houston, Kansas City, Seattle) Thursday, Nov. 5 Cleveland at Cincinnati, 7:25 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 8 Miami at Buffalo, noon Green Bay at Carolina, noon St. Louis at Minnesota, noon Washington at New England, noon Tennessee at New Orleans, noon Jacksonville at N.Y. Jets, noon Oakland at Pittsburgh, noon Atlanta at San Francisco, 3:05 p.m.

N.Y. Giants at Tampa Bay, 3:05 p.m.

Denver at Indianapolis, 3:25 p.m.

Philadelphia at Dallas-x, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, Nov. 9 Chicago at San Diego, 7:30 p.m.

WEEK 10

(Byes: Atlanta, Indianapolis, San Diego, San Francisco) Thursday, Nov. 12 Buffalo at N.Y. Jets, 7:25 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 15 Jacksonville at Baltimore, noon Detroit at Green Bay, noon Miami at Philadelphia, noon Cleveland at Pittsburgh, noon Chicago at St. Louis, noon Dallas at Tampa Bay, noon Carolina at Tennessee, noon New Orleans at Washington, noon Minnesota at Oakland, 3:05 p.m.

Kansas City at Denver, 3:25 p.m.

New England at N.Y. Giants, 3:25 p.m.

Arizona at Seattle-x, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, Nov. 16 Houston at Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m.

WEEK 11

(Byes: Cleveland, New Orleans, NY Giants, Pittsburgh) Thursday, Nov. 19 Tennessee at Jacksonville, 7:25 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 22 Indianapolis at Atlanta, noon St. Louis at Baltimore, noon Washington at Carolina, noon Denver at Chicago, noon Oakland at Detroit, noon N.Y. Jets at Houston, noon Dallas at Miami, noon Green Bay at Minnesota, noon Tampa Bay at Philadelphia, noon Cincinnati at Arizona, 3:05 p.m.

San Francisco at Seattle, 3:25 p.m.

Kansas City at San Diego-x, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, Nov. 23 Buffalo at New England, 7:30 p.m.

WEEK 12

Thursday, Nov. 26 Philadelphia at Detroit, 11:30 a.m.

Carolina at Dallas, 3:30 p.m.

Chicago at Green Bay , 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 23 Minnesota at Atlanta, noon St. Louis at Cincinnati, noon New Orleans at Houston, noon Tampa Bay at Indianapolis, noon San Diego at Jacksonville, noon Buffalo at Kansas City, noon Miami at N.Y. Jets, noon Oakland at Tennessee, noon N.Y. Giants at Washington, noon Arizona at San Francisco, 3:05 p.m.

Pittsburgh at Seattle, 3:25 p.m.

New England at Denver-x, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, Nov. 24 Baltimore at Cleveland, 7:30 p.m.

WEEK 13

Thursday, Dec. 3 Green Bay at Detroit, 7:25 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 6 Houston at Buffalo, noon San Francisco at Chicago, noon Cincinnati at Cleveland, noon Baltimore at Miami, noon Seattle at Minnesota, noon Carolina at New Orleans, noon N.Y. Jets at N.Y. Giants, noon Arizona at St. Louis, noon Atlanta at Tampa Bay, noon Jacksonville at Tennessee, noon Kansas City at Oakland, 3:05 p.m.

Denver at San Diego, 3:05 p.m.

Philadelphia at New England, 3:25 p.m.

Indianapolis at Pittsburgh-x, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 7 Dallas at Washington, 7:30 p.m.

WEEK 14

Thursday, Dec. 10 Minnesota at Arizona, 7:25 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 13 Atlanta at Carolina, noon Washington at Chicago, noon Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, noon San Francisco at Cleveland, noon New England at Houston, noon

Indianapolis at Jacksonville, noon San Diego at Kansas City, noon Tennessee at N.Y. Jets, noon Buffalo at Philadelphia, noon Detroit at St. Louis, noon New Orleans at Tampa Bay, noon Oakland at Denver, 3:05 p.m.

Dallas at Green Bay, 3:25 p.m.

Seattle at Baltimore-x, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 14 N.Y. Giants at Miami, 7:30 p.m.

WEEK 15

Thursday, Dec. 17 Tampa Bay at St. Louis, 7:25 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 19 N.Y. Jets at Dallas, 7:25 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 20 Kansas City at Baltimore, noon Houston at Indianapolis, noon Atlanta at Jacksonville, noon Chicago at Minnesota, noon Tennessee at New England, noon Carolina at N.Y. Giants, noon Arizona at Philadelphia, noon Buffalo at Washington, noon Green Bay at Oakland, 3:05 p.m.

Cleveland at Seattle, 3:05 p.m.

Denver at Pittsburgh, 3:25 p.m.

Miami at San Diego, 3:25 p.m.

Cincinnati at San Francisco-x, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 21 Detroit at New Orleans, 7:30 p.m.

WEEK 16

Thursday, Dec. 24 San Diego at Oakland, 7:25 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 26 Washington at Philadelphia, 7:25 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 27 Carolina at Atlanta, noon Dallas at Buffalo, noon San Francisco at Detroit, noon Cleveland at Kansas City, noon Indianapolis at Miami, noon N.Y. Giants at Minnesota, noon Jacksonville at New Orleans, noon New England at N.Y. Jets, noon Chicago at Tampa Bay, noon Houston at Tennessee, noon Green Bay at Arizona, 3:25 p.m.

St. Louis at Seattle, 3:25 p.m.

Pittsburgh at Baltimore-x, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 28 Cincinnati at Denver, 7:30 p.m.

WEEK 17

Sunday, Jan. 3 New Orleans at Atlanta, noon N.Y. Jets at Buffalo, noon Tampa Bay at Carolina, noon Detroit at Chicago, noon Baltimore at Cincinnati, noon Pittsburgh at Cleveland, noon Washington at Dallas, noon Minnesota at Green Bay, noon Jacksonville at Houston, noon Tennessee at Indianapolis, noon Oakland at Kansas City, noon New England at Miami, noon Philadelphia at N.Y. Giants, noon Seattle at Arizona, 3:25 p.m.

San Diego at Denver, 3:25 p.m.

St. Louis at San Francisco, 3:25 p.m.

Note: Night game TBD

POSTSEASON

Saturday, Jan. 9 AFC and NFC Wild Card Playoff Sunday, Jan. 10 AFC and NFC Wild Card Playoff Saturday, Jan. 16 AFC and NFC Divisional Playoff Sunday, Jan. 17 AFC and NFC Divisional Playoff Sunday, Jan. 24 AFC and NFC Championship Games Sunday, Jan. 31 Pro Bowl (ESPN) Sunday, Feb. 7 Super Bowl (CBS)

PACKERREPORT.COM • 45

NFL TEAM

SCHEDULES X-SUBJECT TO CHANGE ALL TIMES CENTRAL AMERICAN CONFERENCE BALTIMORE RAVENS Sept. 13 at Denver, 3:25 p.m.

Sept. 20 at Oakland, 3:05 p.m.

Sept. 27 Cincinnati, noon Oct. 1 at Pittsburgh, 7:25 p.m.

Oct. 11 Cleveland, noon Oct. 18 at San Francisco, 3:25 p.m.

Oct. 26 at Arizona, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 1 San Diego, noon Nov. 8 BYE Nov. 15 Jacksonville, noon Nov. 22 St. Louis, noon Nov. 30 at Cleveland, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 6 at Miami, noon Dec. 13 Seattle-x, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 20 Kansas City, noon Dec. 27 Pittsburgh-x, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 3 at Cincinnati, noon BUFFALO BILLS Sept. 13 Indianapolis, noon Sept. 20 New England, noon Sept. 27 at Miami, 3:25 p.m.

Oct. 4 N.Y. Giants, noon Oct. 11 at Tennessee, noon Oct. 18 Cincinnati, noon Oct. 25 vs Jacksonville at London, 8:30 a.m.

Nov. 1 BYE Nov. 8 Miami, noon Nov. 12 at N.Y. Jets, 7:25 p.m.

Nov. 23 at New England, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 29 at Kansas City, noon Dec. 6 Houston, noon Dec. 13 at Philadelphia, noon Dec. 20 at Washington, noon Dec. 27 Dallas, noon Jan. 3 N.Y. Jets, noon CINCINNATI BENGALS Sept. 13 at Oakland, 3:25 p.m.

Sept. 20 San Diego, noon Sept. 27 at Baltimore, noon Oct. 4 Kansas City, noon Oct. 11 Seattle, noon Oct. 18 at Buffalo, noon Oct. 25 BYE Nov. 1 at Pittsburgh, noon Nov. 5 Cleveland, 7:25 p.m.

Nov. 16 Houston, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 22 at Arizona, 3:05 p.m.

Nov. 29 St. Louis, noon Dec. 6 at Cleveland, noon Dec. 13 Pittsburgh, noon Dec. 20 at San Francisco-x, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 28 at Denver, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 3 Baltimore, noon CLEVELAND BROWNS Sept. 13 at N.Y. Jets, noon Sept. 20 Tennessee, noon Sept. 27 Oakland, noon Oct. 4 at San Diego, 3:05 p.m.

Oct. 11 at Baltimore, noon

46 • PACKERREPORT.COM

Oct. 18 Denver, noon Oct. 25 at St. Louis, noon Nov. 1 Arizona, noon Nov. 5 at Cincinnati, 7:25 p.m.

Nov. 15 at Pittsburgh, noon Nov. 22 BYE Nov. 30 Baltimore, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 6 Cincinnati, noon Dec. 13 San Francisco, noon Dec. 20 at Seattle, 3:05 p.m.

Dec. 27 at Kansas City, noon Jan. 3 Pittsburgh, noon DENVER BRONCOS Sept. 13 Baltimore, 3:25 p.m.

Sept. 17 at Kansas City, 7:25 p.m.

Sept. 27 at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 4 Minnesota, 3:25 p.m.

Oct. 11 at Oakland, 3:25 p.m.

Oct. 18 at Cleveland, noon Oct. 25 BYE Nov. 1 Green Bay-x, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 8 at Indianapolis, 3:25 p.m.

Nov. 15 Kansas City, 3:25 p.m.

Nov. 22 at Chicago, noon Nov. 29 New England-x, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 6 at San Diego, 3:05 p.m.

Dec. 13 Oakland, 3:05 p.m.

Dec. 20 at Pittsburgh, 3:25 p.m.

Dec. 28 Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 3 San Diego, 3:25 p.m.

HOUSTON TEXANS Sept. 13 Kansas City, noon Sept. 20 at Carolina, noon Sept. 27 Tampa Bay, noon Oct. 4 at Atlanta, noon Oct. 8 Indianapolis, 7:25 p.m.

Oct. 18 at Jacksonville, noon Oct. 25 at Miami, noon Nov. 1 Tennessee, noon Nov. 8 BYE Nov. 16 at Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 22 N.Y. Jets, noon Nov. 29 New Orleans, noon Dec. 6 at Buffalo, noon Dec. 13 New England, noon Dec. 20 at Indianapolis, noon Dec. 27 at Tennessee, noon Jan. 3 Jacksonville, noon INDIANAPOLIS COLTS Sept. 13 at Buffalo, noon Sept. 21 N.Y. Jets, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 27 at Tennessee, noon Oct. 4 Jacksonville, noon Oct. 8 at Houston, 7:25 p.m.

Oct. 18 New England-x, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 25 New Orleans, noon Nov. 2 at Carolina, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 8 Denver, 3:25 p.m.

Nov. 15 BYE Nov. 22 at Atlanta, noon Nov. 29 Tampa Bay, noon Dec. 6 at Pittsburgh-x, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 13 at Jacksonville, noon Dec. 20 Houston, noon Dec. 27 at Miami, noon Jan. 3 Tennessee, noon JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS Sept. 13 Carolina, noon Sept. 20 Miami, 3:05 p.m.

Sept. 27 at New England, noon Oct. 4 at Indianapolis, noon Oct. 11 at Tampa Bay, noon Oct. 18 Houston, noon Oct. 25 vs Buffalo at London, 8:30 a.m.

Nov. 1 BYE Nov. 8 at N.Y. Jets, noon Nov. 15 at Baltimore, noon Nov. 19 Tennessee, 7:25 p.m.

Nov. 29 San Diego, noon Dec. 6 at Tennessee, noon Dec. 13 Indianapolis, noon Dec. 20 Atlanta, noon Dec. 27 at New Orleans, noon Jan. 3 at Houston, noon KANSAS CITY CHIEFS Sept. 13 at Houston, noon Sept. 17 Denver, 7:25 p.m.

Sept. 28 at Green Bay, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 4 at Cincinnati, noon Oct. 11 Chicago, noon Oct. 18 at Minnesota, noon Oct. 25 Pittsburgh, noon Nov. 1 vs. Detroit at London, 8:30 a.m.

Nov. 8 BYE Nov. 15 at Denver, 3:25 p.m.

Nov. 22 at San Diego-x, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 29 Buffalo, noon Dec. 6 at Oakland, 3:05 p.m.

Dec. 13 San Diego, noon Dec. 20 at Baltimore, noon Dec. 27 Cleveland, noon Jan. 3 Oakland, noon MIAMI DOLPHINS Sept. 13 at Washington, noon Sept. 20 at Jacksonville, 3:05 p.m.

Sept. 27 Buffalo, 3:25 p.m.

Oct. 4 vs. N.Y. Jets at London, 8:30 a.m.

Oct. 11 BYE Oct. 18 at Tennessee, noon Oct. 25 Houston, noon Oct. 29 at New England, 7:25 p.m.

Nov. 8 at Buffalo, noon Nov. 15 at Philadelphia, noon Nov. 22 Dallas, noon Nov. 29 at N.Y. Jets, noon Dec. 6 Baltimore, noon Dec. 14 N.Y. Giants, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 20 at San Diego, 3:25 p.m.

Dec. 27 Indianapolis, noon Jan. 3 New England, noon NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS Sept. 10 Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 20 at Buffalo, noon Sept. 27 Jacksonville, noon Oct. 4 BYE Oct. 11 at Dallas, 3:25 p.m.

Oct. 18 at Indianapolis-x, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 25 N.Y. Jets, noon Oct. 29 Miami, 7:25 p.m.

Nov. 8 Washington, noon Nov. 15 at N.Y. Giants, 3:25 p.m.

Nov. 23 Buffalo, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 29 at Denver-x, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 6 Philadelphia, 3:25 p.m.

Dec. 13 at Houston, noon Dec. 20 Tennessee, noon Dec. 27 at N.Y. Jets, noon Jan. 3 at Miami, noon N.Y. JETS Sept. 13 Cleveland, noon Sept. 21 at Indianapolis, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 27 Philadelphia, noon Oct. 4 vs. Miami at London, 8:30 a.m.

Oct. 11 BYE Oct. 18 Washington, noon Oct. 25 at New England, noon Nov. 1 at Oakland, 3:05 p.m.

Nov. 8 Jacksonville, noon

Nov. 12 Buffalo, 7:25 p.m.

Nov. 22 at Houston, noon Nov. 29 Miami, noon Dec. 6 at N.Y. Giants, noon Dec. 13 Tennessee, noon Dec. 19 at Dallas, 7:25 p.m.

Dec. 27 New England, noon Jan. 3 at Buffalo, noon OAKLAND RAIDERS Sept. 13 Cincinnati, 3:25 p.m.

Sept. 20 Baltimore, 3:05 p.m.

Sept. 27 at Cleveland, noon Oct. 4 at Chicago, noon Oct. 11 Denver, 3:25 p.m.

Oct. 18 BYE Oct. 25 at San Diego, 3:05 p.m.

Nov. 1 N.Y. Jets, 3:05 p.m.

Nov. 8 at Pittsburgh, noon Nov. 15 Minnesota, 3:05 p.m.

Nov. 22 at Detroit, noon Nov. 29 at Tennessee, noon Dec. 6 Kansas City, 3:05 p.m.

Dec. 13 at Denver, 3:05 p.m.

Dec. 20 Green Bay, 3:05 p.m.

Dec. 24 San Diego, 7:25 p.m.

Jan. 3 at Kansas City, noon PITTSBURGH STEELERS Sept. 10 at New England, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 20 San Francisco, noon Sept. 27 at St. Louis, noon Oct. 1 Baltimore, 7:25 p.m.

Oct. 12 at San Diego, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 18 Arizona, noon Oct. 25 at Kansas City, noon Nov. 1 Cincinnati, noon Nov. 8 Oakland, noon Nov. 15 Cleveland, noon Nov. 22 BYE Nov. 29 at Seattle, 3:25 p.m.

Dec. 6 Indianapolis-x, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 13 at Cincinnati, noon Dec. 20 Denver, 3:25 p.m.

Dec. 27 at Baltimore-x, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 3 at Cleveland, noon SAN DIEGO CHARGERS Sept. 13 Detroit, 3:05 p.m.

Sept. 20 at Cincinnati, noon Sept. 27 at Minnesota, noon Oct. 4 Cleveland, 3:05 p.m.

Oct. 12 Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 18 at Green Bay, 3:25 p.m.

Oct. 25 Oakland, 3:05 p.m.

Nov. 1 at Baltimore, noon Nov. 9 Chicago, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 15 BYE Nov. 22 Kansas City-x, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 29 at Jacksonville, noon Dec. 6 Denver, 3:05 p.m.

Dec. 13 at Kansas City, noon Dec. 20 Miami, 3:25 p.m.

Dec. 24 at Oakland, 7:25 p.m.

Jan. 3 at Denver, 3:25 p.m.

TENNESSEE TITANS Sept. 13 at Tampa Bay, 3:25 p.m.

Sept. 20 at Cleveland, noon Sept. 27 Indianapolis, noon Oct. 4 BYE Oct. 11 Buffalo, noon Oct. 18 Miami, noon Oct. 25 Atlanta, noon Nov. 1 at Houston, noon Nov. 8 at New Orleans, noon Nov. 15 Carolina, noon Nov. 19 at Jacksonville, 7:25 p.m.

Nov. 29 Oakland, noon Dec. 6 Jacksonville, noon Dec. 13 at N.Y. Jets, noon Dec. 20 at New England, noon Dec. 27 Houston, noon Jan. 3 at Indianapolis, noon

Nov. 26 at Green Bay, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 6 San Francisco, noon Dec. 13 Washington, noon Dec. 20 at Minnesota, noon Dec. 27 at Tampa Bay, noon Jan. 3 Detroit, noon

NATIONAL CONFERENCE

DALLAS COWBOYS Sept. 13 N.Y. Giants, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 20 at Philadelphia, 3:25 p.m.

Sept. 27 Atlanta, noon Oct. 4 at New Orleans, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 11 New England, 3:25 p.m.

Oct. 18 BYE Oct. 25 at N.Y. Giants, 3:25 p.m.

Nov. 1 Seattle, 3:25 p.m.

Nov. 8 Philadelphia-x, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 15 at Tampa Bay, noon Nov. 22 at Miami, noon Nov. 26 Carolina, 3:30p Dec. 7 at Washington, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 13 at Green Bay, 3:25 p.m.

Dec. 19 N.Y. Jets, 7:25 p.m.

Dec. 27 at Buffalo, noon Jan. 3 Washington, noon

ARIZONA CARDINALS Sept. 13 New Orleans, 3:05 p.m.

Sept. 20 at Chicago, noon Sept. 27 San Francisco, 3:05 p.m.

Oct. 4 St. Louis, 3:25 p.m.

Oct. 11 at Detroit, 3:05 p.m.

Oct. 18 at Pittsburgh, noon Oct. 26 Baltimore, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 1 at Cleveland, noon Nov. 8 BYE Nov. 15 at Seattle-x, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 22 Cincinnati, 3:05 p.m.

Nov. 29 at San Francisco, 3:05 p.m.

Dec. 6 at St. Louis, noon Dec. 10 Minnesota, 7:25 p.m.

Dec. 20 at Philadelphia, noon Dec. 27 Green Bay, 3:25 p.m.

Jan. 3 Seattle, 3:25 p.m.

ATLANTA FALCONS Sept. 14 Philadelphia, 6:10 p.m.

Sept. 20 at N.Y. Giants, noon Sept. 27 at Dallas, noon Oct. 4 Houston, noon Oct. 11 Washington, noon Oct. 15 at New Orleans, 7:25 p.m.

Oct. 25 at Tennessee, noon Nov. 1 Tampa Bay, noon Nov. 8 at San Francisco, 3:05 p.m.

Nov. 15 BYE Nov. 22 Indianapolis, noon Nov. 29 Minnesota, noon Dec. 6 at Tampa Bay, noon Dec. 13 at Carolina, noon Dec. 20 at Jacksonville, noon Dec. 27 Carolina, noon Jan. 3 New Orleans, noon CAROLINA PANTHERS Sept. 13 at Jacksonville, noon Sept. 20 Houston, noon Sept. 27 New Orleans, noon Oct. 4 at Tampa Bay, noon Oct. 11 BYE Oct. 18 at Seattle, 3:05 p.m.

Oct. 25 Philadelphia-x, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 2 Indianapolis, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 8 Green Bay, noon Nov. 15 at Tennessee, noon Nov. 22 Washington, noon Nov. 26 at Dallas, 3:30p Dec. 6 at New Orleans, noon Dec. 13 Atlanta, noon Dec. 20 at N.Y. Giants, noon Dec. 27 at Atlanta, noon Jan. 3 Tampa Bay, noon CHICAGO BEARS Sept. 13 Green Bay, noon Sept. 20 Arizona, noon Sept. 27 at Seattle, 3:25 p.m.

Oct. 4 Oakland, noon Oct. 11 at Kansas City, noon Oct. 18 at Detroit, noon Oct. 25 BYE Nov. 1 Minnesota, noon Nov. 9 at San Diego, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 15 at St. Louis, noon Nov. 22 Denver, noon

DETROIT LIONS Sept. 13 at San Diego, 3:05 p.m.

Sept. 20 at Minnesota, noon Sept. 27 Denver, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 5 at Seattle, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 11 Arizona, 3:05 p.m.

Oct. 18 Chicago, noon Oct. 25 Minnesota, noon Nov. 1 vs. Kansas City at London, 8:30 a.m.

Nov. 8 BYE Nov. 15 at Green Bay, noon Nov. 22 Oakland, noon Nov. 26 Philadelphia, 11:30a.m.

Dec. 3 Green Bay, 7:25 p.m.

Dec. 13 at St. Louis, noon Dec. 21 at New Orleans, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 27 San Francisco, noon Jan. 3 at Chicago, noon GREEN BAY PACKERS Sept. 13 at Chicago, noon Sept. 20 Seattle, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 28 Kansas City, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 4 at San Francisco, 3:25 p.m.

Oct. 11 St. Louis, noon Oct. 18 San Diego, 3:25 p.m.

Oct. 25 BYE Nov. 1 at Denver-x, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 8 at Carolina, noon Nov. 15 Detroit, noon Nov. 22 at Minnesota, noon Nov. 26 Chicago, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 3 at Detroit, 7:25 p.m.

Dec. 13 Dallas, 3:25 p.m.

Dec. 20 at Oakland, 3:05 p.m.

Dec. 27 at Arizona, 3:25 p.m.

Jan. 3 Minnesota, noon MINNESOTA VIKINGS Sept. 14 at San Francisco, 9:20 p.m.

Sept. 20 Detroit, noon Sept. 27 San Diego, noon Oct. 4 at Denver, 3:25 p.m.

Oct. 11 BYE Oct. 18 Kansas City, noon Oct. 25 at Detroit, noon Nov. 1 at Chicago, noon Nov. 8 St. Louis, noon Nov. 15 at Oakland, 3:05 p.m.

Nov. 22 Green Bay, noon Nov. 29 at Atlanta, noon Dec. 6 Seattle, noon

Dec. 10 at Arizona, 7:25 p.m.

Dec. 20 Chicago, noon Dec. 27 N.Y. Giants, noon Jan. 3 at Green Bay, noon NEW ORLEANS SAINTS Sept. 13 at Arizona, 3:05 p.m.

Sept. 20 Tampa Bay, noon Sept. 27 at Carolina, noon Oct. 4 Dallas, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 11 at Philadelphia, noon Oct. 15 Atlanta, 7:25 p.m.

Oct. 25 at Indianapolis, noon Nov. 1 N.Y. Giants, noon Nov. 8 Tennessee, noon Nov. 15 at Washington, noon Nov. 22 BYE Nov. 29 at Houston, noon Dec. 6 Carolina, noon Dec. 13 at Tampa Bay, noon Dec. 21 Detroit, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 27 Jacksonville, noon Jan. 3 at Atlanta, noon N.Y. GIANTS Sept. 13 at Dallas, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 20 Atlanta, noon Sept. 24 Washington, 7:25 p.m.

Oct. 4 at Buffalo, noon Oct. 11 San Francisco-x, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 19 at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 25 Dallas, 3:25 p.m.

Nov. 1 at New Orleans, noon Nov. 8 at Tampa Bay, 3:05 p.m.

Nov. 15 New England, 3:25 p.m.

Nov. 22 BYE Nov. 29 at Washington, noon Dec. 6 N.Y. Jets, noon Dec. 14 at Miami, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 20 Carolina, noon Dec. 27 at Minnesota, noon Jan. 3 Philadelphia, noon PHILADELPHIA EAGLES Sept. 14 at Atlanta, 6:10p Sept. 20 Dallas, 3:25 p.m.

Sept. 27 at N.Y. Jets, noon Oct. 4 at Washington, noon Oct. 11 New Orleans, noon Oct. 19 N.Y. Giants, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 25 at Carolina-x, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 1 BYE Nov. 8 at Dallas-x, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 15 Miami, noon Nov. 22 Tampa Bay, noon Nov. 26 at Detroit, 11:30a.m.

Dec. 6 at New England, 3:25 p.m.

Dec. 13 Buffalo, noon Dec. 20 Arizona, noon Dec. 26 Washington, 7:25 p.m.

Jan. 3 at N.Y. Giants, noon ST. LOUIS RAMS Sept. 13 Seattle, noon Sept. 20 at Washington, noon Sept. 27 Pittsburgh, noon Oct. 4 at Arizona, 3:25 p.m.

Oct. 11 at Green Bay, noon Oct. 18 BYE Oct. 25 Cleveland, noon Nov. 1 San Francisco, noon Nov. 8 at Minnesota, noon Nov. 15 Chicago, noon Nov. 22 at Baltimore, noon Nov. 29 at Cincinnati, noon Dec. 6 Arizona, noon Dec. 13 Detroit, noon Dec. 17 Tampa Bay, 7:25 p.m.

Dec. 27 at Seattle, 3:25 p.m.

Jan. 3 at San Francisco, 3:25 p.m.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS Sept. 14 Minnesota, 9:20 p.m.

Sept. 20 at Pittsburgh, noon Sept. 27 at Arizona, 3:05 p.m.

Oct. 4 Green Bay, 3:25 p.m.

Oct. 11 at N.Y. Giants-x, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 18 Baltimore, 3:25 p.m.

Oct. 22 Seattle, 7:25 p.m.

Nov. 1 at St. Louis, noon Nov. 8 Atlanta, 3:05 p.m.

Nov. 15 BYE Nov. 22 at Seattle, 3:25 p.m.

Nov. 29 Arizona, 3:05 p.m.

Dec. 6 at Chicago, noon Dec. 13 at Cleveland, noon Dec. 20 Cincinnati-x, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 27 at Detroit, noon Jan. 3 St. Louis, 3:25 p.m.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS Sept. 13 at St. Louis, noon Sept. 20 at Green Bay, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 27 Chicago, 3:25 p.m.

Oct. 5 Detroit, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 11 at Cincinnati, noon Oct. 18 Carolina, 3:05 p.m.

Oct. 22 at San Francisco, 7:25 p.m.

Nov. 1 at Dallas, 3:25 p.m.

Nov. 8 BYE Nov. 15 Arizona-x, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 22 San Francisco, 3:25 p.m.

Nov. 29 Pittsburgh, 3:25 p.m.

Dec. 6 at Minnesota, noon Dec. 13 at Baltimore-x, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 20 Cleveland, 3:05 p.m.

Dec. 27 St. Louis, 3:25 p.m.

Jan. 3 at Arizona, 3:25 p.m.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS Sept. 13 Tennessee, 3:25 p.m.

Sept. 20 at New Orleans, noon Sept. 27 at Houston, noon Oct. 4 Carolina, noon Oct. 11 Jacksonville, noon Oct. 18 BYE Oct. 25 at Washington, noon Nov. 1 at Atlanta, noon Nov. 8 N.Y. Giants, 3:05 p.m.

Nov. 15 Dallas, noon Nov. 22 at Philadelphia, noon Nov. 29 at Indianapolis, noon Dec. 6 Atlanta, noon Dec. 13 New Orleans, noon Dec. 17 at St. Louis, 7:25 p.m.

Dec. 27 Chicago, noon Jan. 3 at Carolina, noon WASHINGTON REDSKINS Sept. 13 Miami, noon Sept. 20 St. Louis, noon Sept. 24 at N.Y. Giants, 7:25 p.m.

Oct. 4 Philadelphia, noon Oct. 11 at Atlanta, noon Oct. 18 at N.Y. Jets, noon Oct. 25 Tampa Bay, noon Nov. 1 BYE Nov. 8 at New England, noon Nov. 15 New Orleans, noon Nov. 22 at Carolina, noon Nov. 29 N.Y. Giants, noon Dec. 7 Dallas, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 13 at Chicago, noon Dec. 20 Buffalo, noon Dec. 26 at Philadelphia, 7:25 p.m.

Jan. 3 at Dallas, noon

PACKERREPORT.COM • 47

OFFSEASON ROSTER NO. 6 7 12 16

NAME Blanchard, Matt Hundley, Brett Rodgers, Aaron Tolzien, Scott

POS. QB QB QB QB

HT. 6-3 6-3 6-2 6-2

WT. 223 226 225 213

AGE 26 21 31 27

EXP. COLLEGE 2 Wisconsin-Whitewater R UCLA 11 California 5 Wisconsin

38 27 46 34 44 30 22

Crockett, John Lacy, Eddie Harris, Alonzo Neal, Rajion Starks, James Kuhn, John Ripkowski, Aaron

RB RB RB RB RB FB FB

6-0 5-11 6-1 5-11 6-2 6-0 6-1

217 230 237 220 218 250 246

23 24 22 23 29 32 22

R 3 R 1 6 10 R

North Dakota State Alabama Louisiana-Lafayette Tennessee Buffalo Shippensburg Oklahoma

84 17 10 18 13 1 82 83 88 87 11 19

Abbrederis, Jared Adams, Davante Blue, Javess Cobb, Randall Collins, Ricky Coxson, Adrian Hunt, Jimmie Janis, Jeff Montgomery, Ty Nelson, Jordy Pinkard, Larry White, Myles

WR WR WR WR WR WR WR WR WR WR WR WR

6-1 6-1 6-0 5-10 6-0 6-1 6-0 6-3 6-0 6-3 6-0 6-0

195 215 188 192 198 209 208 219 216 217 196 190

24 22 22 24 23 22 24 23 22 29 23 25

2 2 R 5 R R R 2 R 8 R 2

Wisconsin Fresno State Kentucky Kentucky Texas A&M-Commerce Stony Brook Missouri Saginaw Valley State Stanford Kansas State Old Dominion Louisiana Tech

86 85 80 81 89

Backman, Kennard Henry, Mitchell Perillo, Justin Quarless, Andrew Rodgers, Richard

TE TE TE TE TE

6-3 6-4 6-3 6-4 6-4

245 252 250 252 257

22 22 24 26 23

R R 2 6 2

Alabama-Birmingham Western Kentucky Maine Penn State California

63 72 70 77 73 62 74 71 65 79 67 69 75 68 60

Linsley, Corey Gerhart, Garth Lang, T.J. Phillips, Andy Tretter, JC Reed, Marcus Rotheram, Matt Sitton, Josh Taylor, Lane Walker, Josh Barclay, Don Bakhtiari, David Bulaga, Bryan Ebbele, Fabbians Vujnovich, Jeremy

C C G C/G C/G G G G G G T/G T T T T

6-3 6-1 6-4 6-2 6-4 6-3 6-5 6-3 6-3 6-5 6-4 6-4 6-5 6-8 6-5

301 310 318 303 307 345 325 318 324 328 305 310 314 315 300

23 26 27 23 24 22 22 28 25 23 26 23 26 23 24

2 2 7 R 3 R R 8 3 1 4 3 6 R 1

Ohio State Arizona State Eastern Michigan Central Michigan Cornell Fayetteville State Pittsburgh Central Florida Oklahoma State Middle Tennessee State West Virginia Colorado Iowa Arizona Louisiana College

95 93

Jones, Datone Boyd, Josh

DE DT

6-4 6-3

285 310

24 25

3 3

UCLA Mississippi State

48 • PACKERREPORT.COM

NO. 76 99 98 78 64 90 97 94

NAME Daniels, Mike Gaston, Bruce Guion, Letroy Hooks, Lavon Pennel, Mike Raji, B.J. Ringo, Christian Thornton, Khyri

POS. DT DT DT DT DT DT DT DT

HT. 6-0 6-2 6-4 6-3 6-4 6-2 6-1 6-3

WT. 305 310 315 312 332 337 298 304

AGE 26 23 27 23 24 28 23 25

EXP. COLLEGE 4 Iowa 1 Purdue 8 Florida State R Mississippi 2 Colorado State-Pueblo 7 Boston College R Louisiana-Lafayette 2 Southern Mississippi

58 54 57 45 48 47

Barrington, Sam Bradford, Carl Dantzler, Tavarus Francis, Josh Thomas, Joe Ryan, Jake

ILB ILB ILB ILB ILB ILB

6-1 6-1 6-2 6-0 6-1 6-2

240 252 240 238 227 240

24 22 23 24 24 23

3 2 R 1 1 R

South Florida Arizona State Bethune-Cookman West Virginia South Carolina State Michigan

91 49 52 55 96 51 56 53 59 43

Elliott, Jayrone Hubbard, Adrian Matthews, Clay Mulumba, Andy Neal, Mike Palmer, Nate Peppers, Julius Perry, Nick Rasco, Jermauria Vaughters, James

OLB 6-3 OLB 6-6 OLB 6-3 OLB 6-3 OLB/DE 6-3 OLB 6-2 OLB 6-7 OLB 6-3 OLB 6-3 OLB 6-2

255 257 255 260 285 248 287 265 252 254

23 23 29 25 27 25 35 25 22 21

2 1 7 3 6 3 14 4 R R

Toledo Alabama Southern California Eastern Michigan Purdue Illinois State North Carolina Southern California Louisiana State Stanford

35 25 39 36 29 33 31 23 24 41 37

Blake, Bernard Glover-Wright, Tay Goodson, Demetri Gunter, LaDarius Hayward, Casey Hyde, Micah Manning, Travis Randall, Damarious Rollins, Quinten Sebetic, Kyle Shields, Sam

CB CB CB CB CB DB CB CB CB DB CB

5-11 6-0 5-11 6-2 5-11 6-0 5-11 5-11 5-11 6-0 5-11

178 175 197 201 192 197 196 196 195 197 184

23 22 25 23 25 24 24 22 22 23 27

R 1 2 R 4 3 R R R 1 6

Colorado State Utah State Baylor Miami Vanderbilt Iowa Northwest Missouri State Arizona State Miami (Ohio) Dayton Miami (Fla.)

32 42 21 20 28

Banjo, Chris Burnett, Morgan Clinton-Dix, Ha Ha Fanor, Jean Richardson, Sean

S S S S S

5-10 6-1 6-1 6-0 6-2

207 209 208 205 216

25 26 22 25 25

2 6 2 1 4

SMU Georgia Tech Alabama Bethune-Cookman Vanderbilt

2 61 9 8

Crosby, Mason Goode, Brett Mandell, Cody Masthay, Tim

K LS P P

6-1 6-1 6-2 6-1

207 255 217 200

30 30 23 28

9 8 1 6

Colorado Arkansas Alabama Kentucky