After trading up to draft Terrell Manning in the fifth round, the Packers are sitting tight until their compensatory picks in the seventh. That gave a variety of members of the Green Bay organization to talk to the media and give their impressions of the linebacker.
First up was inside linebackers coach and assistant head coach Winston Moss:
"I would say from a blitz standpoint, he can be effective inside and outside."
"What I was pleased to see was his ability to play with good technique and leverage against tight ends."
Manning has "a knack, a mindset, a temperament to chase and pursue the ball well."
"I think that he's going to press the guys that are in the group right now.
Obviously, if Moss is discussing him in a press conference, the team thinks he will be an inside linebacker. He appears to be good blitzing and in coverage, which may allow him to see the field on passing downs in the place of A.J. Hawk.
Quotes from Manning are after the jump.
Manning is a very confident player, and seems to be aware of the factors that dropped him to the fifth round. He spoke on a variety of topics during his conference call with the Green Bay media.
When asked if he was a better player than North Carolina's Zach Brown: "Definitely. I think I'm a better overall prospect than a lot of linebackers in this draft."
Discussing his injury history: "Everything is 100 percent...my (left) knee hasn't given me any problems since I had surgery" (before the 2011 season). "The right knee was an ACL/MCL tear (in high school)...my left knee was an MCL sprain."
Manning on his consistency: "I want to look to be dominant every game...that I take the field."
He looks like a good kid, and one who can get on the field quickly. I hope to see him help out in the linebacking corps on passing downs and in special teams.