Packers 2010 3rd Round Draft Choice, Georgia Tech S Morgan Burnett
by Brandon on Apr 23, 2010 9:01 PM CDT
in Green Bay Packers Draft
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PrintThe Green Bay Packers really needed depth in the secondary and they found a talented player in the 3rd round of the 2010 NFL draft, Georgia Tech S Morgan Burnett.
I hadn't liked that many of the top cornerbacks were smaller, in the 5'10", 195 lbs. range. And that few college safeties had a 2nd round grade. I had chosen a cornerback in the 2nd round of the SB Nation mock draft, but I wasn't sold on him and I liked many of the alternatives in the 2nd round even less. Maybe if S Taylor Mays had continued to fall in the 2nd round, then he could have been an option. But Burnett is a good fit in the 3rd round because has more size (6'1" 209 lbs.) than most of the cornerback options and the only reason he's only a 3rd round prospect is because of inconsistencies.
To move up and select Burnett near the top of the 3rd round they swapped 3rd round picks with the Eagles and gave up their 4th round pick. As a general rule, I don't like trading away draft picks, but the Packers have enough roster battles on their hands and it's more important to move up and draft the player they like then adding more quantity.
Not surprisingly, Georgia Tech fans love the guy. Here's BirdGT at From The Rumble Seat:
M. Burnett - Georgia Tech DB #1
Unlike his predecessors at Tech (Ravens safety Dawan Landry and Giants safety James Butler), Morgan Burnett's game is speed. He is lightning quick and breaks on passes like it's nobody's business. The Tech safety racked up 14 interceptions over his three year career at Tech because he had enough speed to react to poorly thrown footballs and the hands to snab the errant throws.
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the lost 4th kinda stings
but I like the pick. Seems like he’d be a good complement to Collins. Bigby’s been a bit unreliable health-wise, and can be a liability in coverage.
At the very least it provides depth
This is something we sorely needed at this position. At least we don’t have to deal with Bush or Martin back there.
2 years
in a row that i like ted’s first round picks—————has hell frozen over.
neal is a depth pick, especially if/when jolly gets suspended for his “conduct”
burnett should/will replace bigby this year or the next.
i would still like the pack to draft another tackle tomorrow, imo, bulaga will be a fine rt in the nfl and fill in at lt, but he may struggle at LT in the nfl, because of lack of footspeed.
Do we really need more CB's?
Yes we could, but look at it from this point of view. Our main backups after Tramon are blackman, pat lee, and of course al harris. All three of them had their seasons ended with injuries. Blackman isn’t gonna develop into what we need, but Harris isn’t done and Lee can still prove himself. Burnett is a true BALLHAWK. Any ball in his general area he will react and attack with amazing quickness. Definitely has a huge upside and may be our solution to a complete safety package. .. .btw, can we please dump underwood and bush???
I like this pick, as I think currently our back-up CB’s are slightly better than the back-up S’s, thus making getting a Safety a slightly higher priority.
imo
burnett can contribute significantly more than the first 2 draft picks in 2010. he can push bigby for playing time.
Yeah, I think I’m most excited about the Burnett pick, and everyone here knows how badly I wanted us to take a LT early.
by packallday555 on Apr 24, 2010 11:16 AM CDT up reply actions
"Snab the errant throws"
If true… I love this line. Two games a piece against Farve (misspelled on purpose) Stafford and Cutler. This is a match made in heaven.
In all honesty, we need depth in the defensive back field. I don’t hate this pick. If TT thinks this is the pick… I will go with it.
by bplatz on Apr 23, 2010 11:33 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
Bertt
When I type Favre’s name, I leave his last name alone deliberately, because it is so easy to mis-spell accidentally (you have to explain that it is on purpose).
Instead, I like to write ‘Bertt’, because my friend, for years when #4 was a Packer, always called him Bert (or Burt, or what have you) and I like the idea of switching the ‘e’ and the ‘r’, while leaving the ‘tt’ intact. LOL.
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The glass is more than half-full.
I love all 3 picks and they make perfect sense
1. Bryan Bulaga- Hands down the obvious pick at #23. He will be a great LT for us for many years. It was him or we move to OLB, and Bulaga remained on the board. Excellent talent, excellent value, excellent pick.
2. Mike Neal- Prototypical 3-4 DE. The prototypical size is 290-310 lbs. He’s a definate upgrade over Jolly in my opinion. While Jolly is just a big guy taking space, this guy will actually generate a little pressure and will be better not just for the DL, but more importantly…our LOLB. The linebackers are only good in a 3-4 if the defensive linemen are solid. It all starts up front. Slightly overpicked, but this was our guy.
3. Morgan Burnett- You must be nuts if you dissaprove of this pick. Burnett was projected by many to be a late 1st Round pick. You want an NFL comparison? You’ll like this one…Nick Collins! We have Nick Collins I & II. Why is this better than a CB? The answer is simple: Safeties are valued higher than Cornerbacks in the 3-4. The reason is CB’s generally sit and play zone on the sidelines while the Safeties are the one covering literally the entire field. The 3-4 is a far more different system then the 4-3 in this case. In the 4-3, CB’s come of more value, in the 3-4, Safeties come of more value. Please refer to Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and New England for reference.
"No player is greater than a team."
-Vince Lombardi
Jolly is ok on the field
The questions with him to me are his legal troubles first off. Then, connected to that, is this a guy that you really want to pay up for long term? Is Jolly a guy you can give a real contract to, and then trust him to maintain his level of play?
The first question I’m not sure about, but I’m pretty sure the answer to the second one is “no”.
On the field, Jolly is decent right now to me. Not a star, but I thought he did the job. Neal might be able to give him a push right off the bat, I don’t know. Neal wasn’t really on my radar, and I wasn’t expecting them to go this direction that early, but they obviously like him. Just looking at his measurables, he’s built for the position, he’s strong, and he looks like he has some burst. So he may be a great addition. I just think the Neal pick was as much for 2011 as anything. I’m sure they’ll work him into the mix this year though, and Jolly could end up suspended or worse when the case hits trial. If that happens we really needed someone.
I wanted Murphy or Myron Lewis, but Burnett looks like a fine pick too. Looks like they got their help in the secondary and some pass rush, just not the way I was expecting. I’m excited about the way this team is filling out too!
Neither Jolly nor Jenkins is a guarentee to be a Packer in 2011!
If either leaves, then Neal could be a starter by then!
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The glass is more than half-full.
I am with you.
When I first saw a DT was drafted I was shocked. I was one of the people in here that mentioned the need for depth on the Dline, though I never anticipated using our 2nd rounder for it. I was thinking a 4 or 5th rounder. I like it though. The more I read on this guy, the more I think he was a GREAT pick. Constantly double teamed…seriously underrated. I think its possible we ended up with three 1st round talent players on our roster. This is good news for our team…GREAT draft Thompson!!!
i'm still for drafting an oline
trade up for bruce campell to solidify our oline…… come on TT
We already got our OT
There is no reason to trade up to get a guy who is a workout warrior and nothing else. If he falls to us its something to consider but dont trade up for him.
Probable 5th round picks and possible 6th round picks.
OLB: Thaddeus Gibson, Dekoda Watson, Arthur Moats, Dexter Davis, Kion Wilson
CB: Sherrick McManis, Donovan Warren, Akwasi Owusu-Ansah (if we are lucky), David
Pender, Rafael Priest, Crezdon Butler, A.J. Jefferson (immediate starter at KR)
RB: Lonyae Miller, LeGarrette Blount, Shawnbrey McNeal (scat-back), Anthony Dixon, Brandon West, Andre Anderson
P: Zoltan Mesko, Matt Dodge, Brent Bowden
Lets finish this one strong TT; come away will classy guys with high motors ;)
They want power. We want respect...
How about Muckelroy?
In round 5 he’d be great IMO, but maybe he doesn’t make it there. I’d love Sapp or Norwood, but there’s probably a 5% chance one of them makes it there, and if they do it’s probably because there is something we don’t know personality/injury wise.
For RB’s, Blount definitely doesn’t fit the character criteria based off his tantrum on the field after Boise handed it to them. But he might be worth the late round pick anyway. If he continues to be an idiot, you can let him go pretty easily in the late rounds.
I’d put Walter McFadden in the mix too for corner, but he is pretty slight and doesn’t fit the profile. But we’re talking late rounds. I’m an Auburn honk, so I’m biased too. He’ll be around the ball and is capable of making a play on it, which is more than we can say for Bush. I’d say he’d be good on the Berrian’s of the world, terrible on the Rice’s. Marginal at best at run support at the NFL level, though he is willing. As an Auburn guy, I just wish Pat Lee would get his butt on the field, hopefully not having lost a step, and ease everyone’s concern.
Roddrick Muckleroy is best fit for the 4-3. Blount may have character issues, but maybe TT and others look past that. McFadden is nice: dudes quick, loose hips and changes direction well while in coverage, not afraid to go after the RB, can blitz well. The only problem with him is his height, I don’t know if TT wants CBs under 6’0"—I read somewhere that he likes tall CBs.
They want power. We want respect...
by SenorChuckles on Apr 24, 2010 10:09 AM CDT up reply actions
Pack has done great so far.
I agree, i hope they use a pick on a punter. Also, maybe a few of the later picks with not only depth but special teams in mind. By far the worst unit the last few years. Last year’s Mr. Irrelevant, Ryan Succop, went to the Pro Bowl as a rookie punter.
Myron Rolle is still available, the Burnett pick may take him off the radar. I like him as further depth in the secondary, don’t know his profected value for a ST’er.
That koolaide turned my tongue blue.
by BleedsbluinMI on Apr 24, 2010 9:52 AM CDT up reply actions
Absolutely love Myron Rolle’s character. Hope we draft him in the 6th and let him play on special teams.
They want power. We want respect...
by SenorChuckles on Apr 24, 2010 10:11 AM CDT up reply actions
with all
these great draft picks over the last 6 years, it’s amazing that the packers have won only 1 playoff game.
must be coaching——right?
6? You can't include Mike Sherman
he was all poor drafting and lets sign Free Agents!
"No player is greater than a team."
-Vince Lombardi
ted thompson
should trade the remaining picks to move up into the 4th round and get a player he covets. his track record for the 5th, 6th and 7th rounds are well———-not good
for instance:
2005——-5th round——j. coston,m.hawkins
6th round——m.montgomery,c.bragg
7th round—-k.campbell, w.whittacker
2006————5th round——i.martin,t.moll
6th round—-j.jolly,t.culver
7th round—-d.tollefson
2007————5th round—-d.clowney
6th round—-k.hall,d.bishop,m.crosby
7th round——d.wynn,c.harris
2008————5th round——b. giacomini
6th round——none
7th round——m.flynn,b.swain
2009————5th round——q.johnson,j.meredith
6th round——-j.wynn,b.underwood
7th round——b.jones
imo——3 hits out of 25————-jolly,crosby,jones——-not a good average, but his 4th round selections have been better.
like———-poppinga,blackmon,sitton,lang,barbre.
You should compare his 5th, 6th, and 7th rounds to the Steelers, Colts, or Patriots.
We could call Hall a hit, as well as Bishop and Swain. All those guys have contributed pretty well on special teams. Even Flynn is looking like a pretty decent back-up.
by packallday555 on Apr 24, 2010 11:21 AM CDT up reply actions
why compare?
packer fans should concern themselves about what their team is doing——-not others.
Cause I’d be curious to see how some of the other teams who have had great success in the past have done. You make it seem like it’s a travesty that TT has only picked 5 guys out of 26 in rounds 5-7 that have contributed. I’d bet the numbers would be pretty similar to some other good teams.
by packallday555 on Apr 24, 2010 11:39 AM CDT up reply actions
than
why are some of these other teams wining in the playoffs?
are they drafting better in the earlier rounds or is it coaching?
Because those teams have been doing the same thing over a longer time span
TT hasn’t been here that long dude.
Honestly, what team does land a gem consistently after the 4th Round? Nobody. Why can’t you trade up with all those picks? Because all those picks are essentially useless in trade value. They all combined would not equal a 4th Round pick. That’s why no team, again, NO team can do it.
The difference between GB and Pittsburgh is age. So you counter by saying we need veterans like Pitts, so we have to get free agents, right? Wrong. As I said, Pittsburgh along with all the other successfull franchises build through the draft. The difference is, they resign their own players. They have been doing this a lot longer than us. That is why we haven’t won a playoff game in a couple years.
Now let me ask you this: why are so many analysists saying Green Bay will be a Super Bowl contender now? The answer is simple, because we build through the draft and have done a heck of a job in doing just that. You may not think so, but in comparison to our competitors, he have done a tremendous job!
Do I think we will win or contend in the Super Bowl this year? No. I don’t, but I do feel we are on the right path. We unfortunately missed out on a premier pass rusher, but I can’t blame TT on that because the board just didn’t go our way in the 2nd Round. I think this miss will hurt us, but in the long run, this draft will turn out very well. My prediction: Bulaga, Neal, Bullet, and Wilson will be on the team for the next several years. That’s an incredible 4 of 7 picks! That’s how much confidence I have in this draft. Usually for most teams, it’s only 1 or 2 at the most.
So we missed out on a pass rusher, then why didn’t we get one in free agency? Well, who were we supposed to get? Joey Porter? I thought about him, but apparently he struggled to even get on the field half the time last year. Obviously it’s even worse when his team and his employer before that one doesn’t want him. So why would we want to be the 3rd team to make a mistake? No thanks. Once in a while I wish we could grab a free agent or 2, but the fact of a matter is this, this year was not a good one for free agents.
"No player is greater than a team."
-Vince Lombardi
Well it’s a couple of things. To start, we did win in the playoffs in 2007. 2005 and 2006 we didn’t really have very good teams to work with. Then TT put together what Favre once called, “the most talented team I’ve ever played on”, and we went 13-3.
In 2008 I think we had to expect a drop off. Rodgers played great but it was only his first year playing and the injuries didn’t help either.
To me, a big thing is just some of those other GM’s I mentioned have had more time to put their team together then TT has. Maybe a lot of them have done better in the 1st round but aside from Harrell (which was a big DOH) but TT has done a decent job with our early on picks.
Coaching could definitely be a factor as well. Ever notice that we always seem to come out slow in big games? Sure, some of the blame has to go on the players but it sure doesn’t look good on McCarthy’s part. The lack of discipline on McCarthy’s part definitely doesn’t look good for him either.
Another thing to consider is we just switched defensive schemes. It’s not easy to do that, as history and statistics have proved, and I thought we did a pretty good job with it. The pass defense wasn’t pretty but how much of that was the fact that we had to play guys at the nickel and dime spots who weren’t expected to do anything other then play on special teams? We also had Bigby back there, and when he was out Rouse, Martin, and Bush. None of those guys can cover a lick. It looks like with Burnett we’ve found a capable guy. It’ll be interesting to see how our pass defense improves, if it does.
by packallday555 on Apr 25, 2010 1:13 PM CDT up reply actions
what about Quinn Johnson?
RIP Jim Thome 1-25-2010
an AL team not having a DH is like a giraffe fucking a mule. - larry
by blackoutsox on Apr 24, 2010 11:59 AM CDT up reply actions
He was a late pick
He’s still progressing and will soon become our starter. You heard it here first. Late draft picks are like playing Roulette. When you do get them, they are usually developmental projects right off the back. Rarely, very rarely do they ever contribute right away.
"No player is greater than a team."
-Vince Lombardi
Here is a guy we could look at!
This is a biased opinion but a guy we should look at in the 7th round is Dane Fletcher OLB of Montana State University. At his Pro day he did 29 reps which would have been in Top 3 for OLB’s and ran 4.6 in his 40 which would have been 3rd fastest among OLB’s. He is a relentless pass rusher with multiple moves and can hold up against the run as he played end at this level. He has the athletic ability to drop into coverage. And is a great special teams player.
The reality is we are not going to get an instant starter in these rounds. They are going to be projects. Our best hope now is a veteran free agent who is cut by another team and to develop our own players. You can’t fill all the needs of a team at once and build for the future. Brad Jones has had one year in the system and I am sure he will improve his skills under Kevin Greene. We still need ST players and developmental guys. We have done well this draft in getting value now and for the future in the picks we made in the first three rounds.
MTPack Fan Montana’s #1 Packer Fan
I'm going to keep
my comments limited to the title of this article. I think this guy was under rated and Thomson hit moving up to get him. I also believe he will serve well on special teams. The link below is just one comparison to other safeties.
by GBfan73 on Apr 24, 2010 5:38 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
AJ JEFFERSON
We should’ve picked Jefferson From FRESNO STATE…. He’s got good size and can be a great Returner
with Arizona.
They want power. We want respect...
by SenorChuckles on Apr 25, 2010 1:38 AM CDT up reply actions
After doing some research:
I really like this pick. Burnett is a burner. He’s as fast, if not faster, than Tramon Williams, but with ball hawking skills like Collins. Burnett’s INT highlights are reminiscent of Collins, but he’s even more return skills.
Another reason to like the pick: Burnett know how to pick of Stafford and take it to the house!
And one of the best reasons to like the Burnett trade: the Bears wanted him and Ted jumped ahead of them. I love sticking it to the Bears.
by StephanL on Apr 24, 2010 9:17 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
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