Flashback to the April 2007 Draft: Defensive Line Busts
by Brandon on Mar 12, 2010 7:00 AM CST
in Green Bay Packers Draft
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PrintEveryone reading this post is probably quite aware that the Green Bay Packers wasted their 2007 1st round draft choice on DE Justin Harrell. You might have even forgotten he was still on the roster as one beat writer did recently. The news that the Rams are looking to trade fellow 2007 1st round DL bust Adam Carriker made me realize how bad a year that was to draft a defensive lineman in the 1st round. Here's the complete train wreck:
No. 4 overall, DE Gaines Adams. He underachieved in Tampa, was shipped off to the Bears for a 2nd round pick last season, and tragically passed away last January.
No. 8 overall, DE Jamaal Anderson. 2.5 career sacks in 3 seasons was not what the Falcons were expecting from a Top 10 pick. It looks like the Falcons plan on using him as an undersized DT against the run in 2010.
No. 10 overall, DT Amobi Okoye. "Here is your enigma," according to Battle Red Blog. A defensive tackle who's bad against the run, and sometimes shows flashes as a pass rusher. It must be maddening to watch him.
No. 11 overall, LB Patrick Willis. Adams, Anderson, and Okoye over Willis...
No. 13 overall, DT Adam Carriker. He might be in the rotation for the Rams in 2010, if he's healthy, or he might be shipped off to Washington for a bag of peanuts.
No. 14 overall, CB Darrelle Revis. At least he was gone by the time the Packers picked.
No. 16 overall, DE Justin "Bustin" Harrell. Keep moving, nothing to see here...
No. 17 overall, DE Jarvis Moss. He's now playing LB for the Broncos, he's only recorded 3.5 sacks in his first 3 seasons, and he contemplated retirement last season. And the Broncos traded up to get him.
No. 18 overall, CB Leon Hall. The Packers didn't have the chance to pass on Revis, but they did manage to pass on another elite cornerback.
No. XX overall. I'm sure the Packers missed out on many other players they could use now.
I've got no bigger point to this post other than I was struck by how bad a draft it was for defensive lineman. I haven't kept up with all the 2007 draftees, but I didn't see an obviously good defensive lineman drafted until Seattle's DT Brandon Mebane at No. 85 overall, and he's only good if put into the right situation. There are many exceptions, but the 2007 draft class sure looks like a poor one overall.
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The one bad draft in the coarse of a number of solid TT drafts.
2010 WhiteSox Baseball: "even if it works it's still stupid"
are you kidding?
look at the 08 draft
jordy nelson, brian brohm, pat lee all in the second round. not to mention trading up to get jeremy thompson..
08 was worse then 07 imo
The thing about this is, at this point the only pick you can really call a bad one was Brohm, and even that seemed like a good pick at the time. He was projected by many to be a 1st round pick. His situation kind of reminds me of Hawk. Viewed by many as one of the best if not the best at his position in the draft, yet didn’t pan out.
Nelson has been good in his limited role, and will likely be much better if the opportunities present themselves. We can’t really judge Pat Lee yet. He played well in his 5 games but that’s only playing in 5 out of a possible 34 games. This year should be telling as to what Lee’s career with us might turn out to be. I didn’t know we traded up to get Thompson but he was/is a bit of a project. MM was freaking out this past offseason about how good Thompson was looking and all that and then he got hurt. Obviously this doesn’t mean he will be good by any means but in my eyes it makes it more likely. Of course with his neck injury late last year who knows what the rest of his career will even entail. I guess we’ll find out.
by packallday555 on Mar 12, 2010 11:34 AM CST up reply actions
Thompson
J. Thompson has had continual neck stingers in the past. Finally got diagnosed and now Dr. trying to decide if he can be allowed to play again. Thompson looked good in OTA’s, but when the pads went on, not so much…
Needs to play w/ more physicality and quit thinking and start PLAYING/reacting!!! The switch from DE to OLB probably didn’t help. Just as he was getting comfortable at DE, he was asked to play OLB. Makes it difficult to get “natural” or second nature.
Hopefully he can get the physical aspect of the game figured out. Seems like he has tremendous athletic ability. It would be nice to have he and Jones to play ROLB.
by packallday555 on Mar 14, 2010 1:38 AM CST up reply actions
those picks were not need picks except for brohm. did we really need a wr or a db at that time. those 2 positions were team strengths. would have been nice to get some " fat guys" with at least a couple of those picks, then we wouldn’t be scrambling for quality “fat guys” right now.
Not every pick will be or SHOULD be a need pick. I disagree with you that you should just grab guys at need positions…that is not how you fill a roster.
maybe
the pack SHOULD draft for need. they did last year and it worked out very well.
I think there are times where you need to draft based on need and times you need to draft the BPA. For instance, in 2009 we had GLARING holes at DL and OLB, especially because of the switch the 3-4. We needed to draft for both of those positions. I think it worked out nicely that TT did probably consider Raji and Matthews the best guys available but nonetheless both of those picks were ones we NEEDED bad, which I think is similar to this year at LT.
I think when you draft BPA is when your team is relatively strong already. A good example of this is the Colts or Patriots. I think when teams try drafting the BPA when they have a glaring need else where it can come back to bite them in the ass. For example, the Lions taking a WR 3 years in a row. But on the flip side, the Vikings taking Peterson was BPA which has worked out tremendousely for them.
It really just all depends on your team and your GM, and whether or not he also addresses the team through FA.
by packallday555 on Mar 14, 2010 1:45 AM CST up reply actions
Maybe Thompson wasn’t a need pick but I certainly think you could consider the other 3 need picks. The Brohm pick was obvious, we needed a Qb for depth.
Pat Lee was a need pick. We had Woodson, Harris, Williams, Bush, and Blackmon on the roster. Woodson and Harris were both 32-34, and while Williams showed some potential, Bush and Blackmon had not. I’m sure TT picked Lee in hopes that he could be ready to come in and be a starter along side Williams after Woodson and Harris were gone in 2-3 years.
With Nelson it was kind of the same thing. We had Driver, Jennings, Jones, and Martin. Obviously Driver is older, and while TT probably viewed Jennings and Jones as starters for the future, he certainly didn’t think the same about Martin. So he picked Nelson with the idea that he could develop for a couple years, while getting some experience as a 3rd-4th WR. So he, or Jones could come in and be ready when Driver is gone.
Picking a DT or OL would have been good I guess but the 2008 draft was really, really weak in both of those positions. I think all the picks in he made in the 2nd round were definitely need picks.
by packallday555 on Mar 14, 2010 1:37 AM CST up reply actions
Random question for anyone who can answer:
I’m looking at the available RB free agents and I stumbled upon Justin Fargas. Is he white? It’s too close for me to call when looking at his profile pic.
2010 WhiteSox Baseball: "even if it works it's still stupid"
He is mixed I believe. He is the son of “Huggy Bear” from the old Starsky and Hutch TV show.
"I agree but dont agree"
by juggernaut400 on Mar 12, 2010 1:28 PM CST up reply actions
NO WAY!
Let me channel my Huggy Bear right now… “Word on teh street is Fargas might be a Brown.”
Talk about teams making landslide changes. I don’t know i the Cleveland Browns will be any better, but they sure will be different.
"Show me a good loser, and I'll show you a loser." - Vince Lombardi
Google tells me:
Justin Fargas “is the son of actor Antonio Fargas and is of Puerto Rican and Trinidadian descent.”
"stay (green and) gold"
Leon Hall...
I remember the argument for him was that if he couldn’t handle Dwayne Jarrett, he couldn’t handle NFL receivers. We should have drafted Micheal Griffin.
They want power. We want respect...
Kind of like how CB Aqib Talib couldn't cover WR Jordy Nelson
"No player is greater than a team."
-Vince Lombardi
Who in college COULD handle Dwayne Jarrett?
Note the use of the word: College. OSU did a good job against him in the 1st half…and then Dwayne Jarrett was drafted by the Panthers and has never been seen again.
by OBrienSchofieldismyHero on Mar 12, 2010 11:20 PM CST up reply actions
That goes to prove the Draft is a hit or miss
You never know how these players are going to turn out. It’s amazing how so many defensive linemen didn’t pan out in the 07’ draft though. Sometimes teams and fans get caught up so much into their needs that they draft a player because of his position that year, even though it would be better to wait another year. Maybe that’s why I prefer the philosophy of drafting the best player available as opposed to drafting on needs.
On a side note, it would have been pretty sweet to move up a couple spots that year to draft Darrelle Revis. Revis + Collins + Woodson would have made Green Bay’s secondary the best in the NFL. sigh…. hit or miss. At least TT recognized Clay Matthews talent and traded up for him. It’s not too often I’d prefer to trade up, but TT clearly made the right call on Clay. Props to him and the coaching staff for recognizing what he can bring to our defense.
"No player is greater than a team."
-Vince Lombardi
Revis
I am absolutely convinced that Revis would have been the pick had he been on the board!!! Imagine Revis, Woodson, Harris, T. Williams, and Collins in the secondary?!!
@ Stroh: Wicked!
Hey… I couldn’t log in to B/R… and now that I’m logged in… The comments won’t load… Are you having trouble with that too?? Just curious if I’m alone here! Have a great day Stroh… and all the other Packer Faithful out there!!
Go Pack!!
by Bird Dog Uni on Mar 12, 2010 11:36 AM CST up reply actions
Broncos and Justin Harrell
One item you didn’t mentin is that Denver is on record saying they were going to take Justin Harrell with the 17th pick in that draft had the Packers not taken him. Just pointing out that he was a coveted pick by another franchise. He was high on other ‘draft boards’ as well.
Excellent Call
Draft reports were virtually identical in comparing Albert Haynesworth and Justin Harrell. One has feasted, the other floundered. Such is the draft, Dline depth was meager in ‘07. Harrell was a potential pick that didn’t pan out. Marquand Manuel on the other hand…
Shanahan was known for wacky draft picks
It’s what got him canned. It is hardly an endorsement of Harrell or Thompson that Shanahan was considering him. I’d expect more from a draft wiz.
by uglyfatpimplynerd on Mar 13, 2010 3:25 PM CST up reply actions
Defensive Tackles
I was watching ESPN the other day and they were talking about Suh and McCoy and drafting defensive linemen, especially tackles. From what was being said, it seems that DT might be one of the more difficult positions to evaluate coming from college to pro football. Lots of DTs drafted early have become flops. Of course, this happens with every position.
DL
THe DL in general is one of the most difficult positions to evaluate. Both DT and DE have a really high bust rate. Not quite sure why that is… But it is the case.
Sometimes guys just take years to develop too. Especially DL and OL it sometimes takes them 3 or 4 yrs to turn into good players! Why I am practicing patience when it comes to Harrell and the OL.
An article I read the other day MM quoted as saying that Harrell is almost back at 100% and in the best physical shape he’s been in since he came to GB. This kind of excites me but at the same time I don’t think I can move myself to really think Harrell will play for us and have an effect. I sure hope he does though!
by packallday555 on Mar 12, 2010 11:43 AM CST up reply actions
i remember that article
I was also kind of excited. Then I remembered, McCarthy said the same thing about him last year.
"No player is greater than a team."
-Vince Lombardi
Haha ya..I mean I’m still hopeful he pans out because I’m sure if he could just get out on the field he could have an impact but at this point it doesn’t seem likely.
by packallday555 on Mar 14, 2010 1:46 AM CST up reply actions
the # of DEs
might lead one to think that the execs thought it was a “deep” draft on the defensive line…in hindsight, it clearly wasn’t though!
I do wonder what people would say about Harrell if he was “Johnny Jolly” productive?
Would we just talk about him like we talk about AJ Hawk?
Hell, the Harrell thing is more just a huge question mark – has the guy ever been on the field? As far as I can remember he’s just been one big walking injury since we got him. Maybe he’s fucking brilliant when he’s actually playing football.
by Archibaldcrane on Mar 12, 2010 7:03 PM CST up reply actions
I think we'd be pretty satisfied with him
He doesn’t ever get exposed asnot being good at certain things like Hawk often is. Actually I just think he’s better than Hawk in general and plays a less important position
by Donald Driver on Mar 13, 2010 3:38 PM CST up reply actions
When I see this draft all I can think of is the 7th Floor Crew. These guys are all there in the first round. Beason, Merriweather and Greg Olson. Ironic
Not a good draft overall
I was hoping to draft Greg Olsen that year, but am glad we didn’t because we ended up with Jermicheal Finley the next year. Finley is a lot better than Olsen. I doubt we would have drafted Finley if we got Olsen the year before. So, it all worked out in the end for us in that regard.
"No player is greater than a team."
-Vince Lombardi
by Jabooty on Mar 13, 2010 7:50 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs
+1
I don’t know how tough Olsen is, but he certainly appears skinny. He looks more like a kick returner or cornerback with his build.
Jermichael is a beast. And he will only continue to get better. One thing he’s got going for him is matchups. Who are you going to put on Finley? A LB? A Safety? He will continue to torch the bad matchups. He adds so much to this offense. I guess I cannot say enough good things about Finley. Obviously, the supporting cast helps him and he helps them. But he truly is becoming a very special player.
Definately
Both Olsen and Finley are very similar and play similar roles. They both have the same build and mentality. However, Finley is a little faster and like you mentioned, he has a better supporting cast around him. Defenses have to focus on our WR’s just as much as Finley himself. You can never have too many weapons.
"No player is greater than a team."
-Vince Lombardi
+2
Finley was a steal. It is a little early to declare him the best TE in football, but if he simply stays the same as he ended last year in terms of receiving and improves his blocking some – he’ll be certainly among the best in the NFL right now. With a little more improvement all around, he could become a hall of fame TE.
There is no real comparison between him and Olsen. Olsen is good, but Finley has the potential for greatness – and he’s begun to show it. Now it is simply up to him to continue working hard toward that goal.
So could Finley put up Tony Gonzalez like stats?
That would be awesome. I’d take 1,000+ receiving yards from Jermichael Finley any day.
by OBrienSchofieldismyHero on Mar 13, 2010 12:19 PM CST up reply actions
I really think this year he’ll become a 1000 yr reciever. Given the way he finished last season… I can see a string of Gonzo type seasons!
Finley could definitely put up 1,000 yards this season as long as he plays like he did last year. The guy is a match-up nightmare. When he was healthy this year there was NO one that could cover him. I remember many thinking Adrian Wilson/Antrel Rolle would shut him down and then he went for 150 yards..He is a beast.
by packallday555 on Mar 14, 2010 1:49 AM CST up reply actions
a little early?
Its a LOT early. He’s got to put up two stellar seasons before you can talk like that. He’s not there yet…not at all, the potential shows it could happen though.
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