This year's draft was pretty solid for receivers. Alot of them went in the draft and there was a pretty good variety to choose from. I want to talk about some of the receivers in this years draft and my opinions on them.
Justin Blackmon
This guy is the best receiver in this year's draft as far as I'm concerned. He played for Oklahoma State and was a beast at the position. He isn't a terribly big guy at 6' 1" 207 pounds, but he has excellent speed and acceleration out of his cuts. The route running ability of this receiver is almost perfect because of his knowledge of the defenses, and his ability to recognize coverages. He can work to get inside position if he needs it, or drive his defender off the line to get the position on them he needs. He recorded a 4.4 in the 40 on his pro day and is a great possesion receiver. It really doesn't matter where the quarterback puts the ball, if it is in reach, Blackmon will come down with it. His arms will stretch out to get the ball in high or low places, and he works pretty well in traffic. A great receiver for the league and probably a successful one.
Michael Floyd
Floyd has that playmaking ability that every scout looks for. His ability to break long runs after the catch make him a great prospect in this year's draft. He is a little taller than Blackmon with a little more weight on him as well. Look for this guy to be making plays early on in his career for his team. Jamming him didn't work great as a defensive strategy against him in college, and we'll have to see how he does against it in the pros. Floyd is an exceptional route runner and good knowledge of coverages. He can make defenders miss in the open field as well as flat out pick a side and run through them. This guy is one of my favorite receivers in the draft and should be successful for his team.
Stephen Hill
Hill is this year's track star with a recorded 40 yard dash time of 4.3. His great straight line speed will definitely prove himself a tough receiver to cover for defensive backs all around the league. Also, he can make the big fingertip catch to give his team that much needed first down or touchdown. His quickness throughout his route makes him potentially the toughest receiver to cover one on one in this year's draft. He'll be burning corners deep in the NFL just like he did in college. Also, he can be used as a returner for his team right away. The guy is tough and can take a beating on returns if that is how it turns out. There's no doubt in my mind he will be able to produce early on as a returner, we'll just have to see if his ability as an every down receiver can hold up well enough to earn him a starting position at receiver for his team.
Kendall Wright
Kendall Wright is a little undersized at receiver in the NFL, but I am not worried about his way of making plays out of nothing. Wright makes his size a non issue on the field. He stands at 5' 10" just a little under 200 pounds. He may be a little slower in his 40 yard dash than other prospects, but what he lacks in size and speed, he makes up for with a good motor and determination to make plays on the field. His game speed is right up there with the best of the draft even if his 40 time is not quite down to expectations.
A.J. Jenkins
Another guy I like alot in this year's draft is A.J. Jenkins from Illinois. I'm a Big Ten football fan ofcourse, but i really think Jenkins has what it takes to be a productive player for his team. He should go in the later rounds, but the guy has great athleticism. The ability to get around defenders and burst into speed is rare. I see him being a later round returner type pick. He has great straight line speed with just uner a 4.0 time in the 40. What sets him apart is his speed laterally. He can juke and cut with the best of them. His success as a returner is a for sure thing.
The Wisconsin Badgers have been known to produce solid offensive lineman for the NFL. They usually have a few players from other positions drafted though too however. This is the analysis for the Wisconsin Badger players that were drafted here in 2012. Being a big Badger fan, i had to do this kind of post.
Kevin Zeitler
The first Badger to go off the board was Kevin Zeitler at offensive guard. Ofcourse it is a lineman that is the first badger that goes first off the board for the school. Anyway, Zeitler had a fantastic senior season opening up holes all year for his start running back Ball. Ball led the NCAA in rushing touchdowns for a single season and it is largely due to Zeitler's play. Already being solid NFL offensive lineman size was a big help for him being picked in the first round of the draft. He is a technically sound lineman with great strength and quick first step to punish defenders. He excels and doubling down on defensive lineman to the linebackers where he can make huge touchdown-springing blocks. He is just another productive player from the well-coached Badgers offensive line. The Cincinnatti Bengals picked Zeitler at the number 27th overall pick. In my opinion, he is ready for the NFL right now. He should be able to start right away and continue his productivity and success with his team.
Peter Konz
The Atlanta Falcons took our next Wisconsin offensive lineman, Center Peter Konz with the overall 55th pick in the draft. Being a Wisconsin fan, it is great to see two offensive lineman go on and do well in the draft like this, and eventually the NFL. Konz was fantastic for the Badgers in his time there. Konz had the rare ability to pull out and block on certain plays as a center. The ability to be quick off the ball and pull around to make his blocks is a special talent that NFL scouts notice. Zeitler stands at 6 foot 5 inches and 314 pounds, which is a good size for an NFL center. He won't be the strongest lineman on the field, but his quickness and great feet should give him a huge edge over his competition in the NFL. I believe Konz is also an NFL ready player and will hopefully be able to slip into the Falcons lineup in his rookie season if he is not starting in the first game already.
Russell Wilson
The next Wisconsin player to go was quarterback Russell Wilson. Wilson was a playmaker for the Badger's in his 5th year season as a quarterback in the NCAA. He played four years at North Carolina State and transferred to Wisconsin for his fifth year. Wilson runs a 4.5 40-yard dash time, which is pretty rare speed for a quarterback. He is a mobile type quarterback who creates plays with his legs along with his ability to see plays down field once he buys himself time. His big downside is his size. Wilson stands at under 6 feet tall, and that is very short for the position. When he is in the pocket he sometimes has problems seeing over his lineman. I don't really know what he'll be able to do in the NFL but if he stays at quarterback, I'm looking for the same playmaker I saw playing for the Badgers last year. Hopefully Russell gets his chance under Pete Carroll at the Seahawks.
Nick Toon
Nick Toon was taken at the 122nd overall pick in the draft by the New Orleans Saints. This could be a great fit for Toon. Toon, in my opinion, was definitely a top 5 receiver in this year's draft. He had a great game in the Rose Bowl and that really helped his exposure. Toon is really an all around great receiver. He is big, strong, fast, and has no problem being physical on the edges with the corners. He has very good, but not great hands however. That is about as negative as this analyisis is going to get for him. He is at his best when he is one on one with a defender. He's also great down the sideline because his strength allows him to go up and take the ball from defenders. He uses his body to shed tacklers once the ball is secured and seems to always be making forward progress. Such a solid all around reciever is hard to find these days. I think he will fit greatly at the Saints right away. Toon may have been a great 4th round steal.
The other two Wisconsin Badgers that went off the board later in this year's draft were fullback Bradie Ewing, and punter Brad Nortman. Ewing was personally my favorite Badger to watch on the whole football team. He played with such intensity and power for his size. I don't mean to say he is an undersized fullback, but sometimes he was a little outmatched against the linebackers he blocked. However, he always found a way to take it to them and make the initial hit with a good driving force behind it. He was the type of player that didn't seem to quit, and he consistently came with a whole lot of power. Nortman was a consistent punter all year with pretty rare accuracy. He had the ability to pin teams deep in the right times.
I wish all of the Wisonsin Badgers luck in their 2012 rookie seasons. It will be great to watch their progress as professional athletes.
So as you may know from previous posts, I am a die hard Packers fan. So I found it fitting to analyze their draft on my blog. Here it goes:
First Pick
The Packers selected Nick Perry with the 28th pick in the NFL draft. I found this surprising. Perry went to USC and is a defensive end. That is the surprising part. Do the Packers need defensive ends so badly that they need to use a first round pick on one? I think not. I think the idea when drafting him was that he would be great to play on the opposite side of Matthews. Well, who says he is going to be good enough to start? He's used to a 4-3 system and the Packers run the 3-4 on defense. He isn't a Matthews type player. They went to the same college, but that doesn't mean he is the best pick possible for the Packers. The fact that they selected a defensive end in the first round is not productive. He's a great player sure, but the team has enough defensive ends already. In fact, it seems like the Packers already have too many. Being a Packer fan, I hope he comes through and is everything management dreamed of don't get me wrong, but why select a defensive end this early when the team doesn't really need one immediately in the first place. I personally was hoping for the Pack to pick a running back. Starks is not an every down back, neither is his back up. Also, I don't think either of them are good enough to gain the kind of yardage on the ground that the Packers need to go with their passing attack. To me this pick is a definite stretch and their should've been a running back or offensive lineman picked here. Hopefully we see those positions addressed in the upcoming picks.
Second Pick
The second pick for the Packers was used on Jerel Worthy from Michigan State. I liked watching this guy play in college. He really was a good all around defensive tackle. The problem is that the Packers are continuing to not address the positions they need to be addressing in the draft. The team has defensive lineman and can apply pressure. It's well known. With that said, I like the player alot and I hope the Packers find a good use for him. I think he would be a great guy to put in when Raji gets winded. He's 6 foot 3 inches and 310 pounds. He's a good size for the position but the Pack may decide to use him as a defensive end instead. We will just have to see
Third Pick
I was really hoping to see a running back or offensive lineman at this next pick, but I didn't. Instead I saw corner back Casey Hayward from Vanderbilt go off the board. Again, this doesn't address the right position necessarily, but i understand the thought process with this pick. The Pack will need someone to replace Woodson. Hayward is very experienced in his position at the college level. He's also a ball hawk. He's been able to rack up interceptions consistently for his team. Another thing i like about him is his ability to play the run. He plays like he's a linebacker and times and even recorded 7.5 tackles for loss in his senior season at Vandy. His kind of athleticism may also be useful as a returner right off the bat. He's a well rounded player who may have a future in Green Bay.
Fourth Pick
This pick came in the fourth round and is the Packers' worst pick in this year's draft. That's right, they did it again. They made the same mistake they made with the first three picks. For god's sake DRAFT A RUNNING BACK. The Packer's decided to go with another defensive tackle to add to the team. Fantastic. He is Mike Daniels from Iowa. Yeah, he was solid in college, but he is undersized for his position and will have to try to get reps in rotation at the defensive end position. He's fast and has a good motor, but I can't make much sense of this pick. Hopefully he can turn into something in the future.
Fifth Pick
Jerron McMillian was the Packers' fifth pick in the draft. Jerron is a strong safety from Maine. He provides some good size at his position with is 5' 11" 215 pound frame, and i can see him being a Collins type player after a few years with the Packers. He is a hard hitter with a good knack for breaking up passes in the right situations. He isn't the position that i wanted to see go off the board to the Pack, but he can be useful for them down the road.
The Packers finished out the draft with three more picks. They picked an outside linebacker, a quarterback, and an offensive lineman. No running backs were picked by the Packers but their offensive lineman from Florida State is good sized and has a chance to turn into something. Hopefully this is the case. Overall, I give the Packers a C- for their picks in this years draft. Hopefully the team improves and their picks prove me wrong.
