Packers Touch Base with Prospects at Senior Bowl

The Packers met with pro prospects Kyle Long, Arthur Brown and Larry Warford while at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala.

The game isn't until Saturday, but players and the media began to descend upon Mobile, Ala. on Sunday for the Senior Bowl, the game with the highest profile of all the college football all-star events.

Members of the media, particularly the guys at DraftCountdown.com, kept tabs on the exchanges between players and teams on Sunday, including several notable exchanges between the Green Bay Packers and a few elite prospects.

It's important not to put too much stock into these meetings. Just because the Packers met with a player hardly means they're going to draft him. For as many of these so-called meetings that are reported, there's a very larger number that aren't. And truth be told, the Packers at some point during the pre-draft process, will talk to literally hundreds of players, doing their due diligence.

By taking a look at these meetings, however, we can get to know a couple of players a little bit better, a preview of the Senior Bowl, of sorts.

After spending the bulk of the week at the East-West Shrine Game last week, and the Casino del Sol All-Star Game before that, the Packers general manager just keeps grinding away, out-working other NFL personnel.

As Wright notes on Twitter, Kyle Long has some impressive bloodlines, the son of an NFL Hall of Famer and the brother of a starter of a defensive end for the St. Louis Rams.

Despite the remarkable lineage, the youngest Long originally tried his hand at baseball, receiving a scholarship from Florida State as a left-handed pitcher. But while in college, he ignored his studies and ran afoul of the law when he was arrested and jailed for driving while intoxicated.

Kyle Long returned to his native California, straightened out his life off the field, and played football at a junior college. He transferred to Oregon this past season where he played only one season of FBS-level football.

While a natural athlete, Long is still rough around the edges. He was moved from tackle to guard by Oregon during the 2012 season, but he was still part of one of the most explosive offenses in college football.

He's 6-7 and 312 lbs. As a natural left-hander, he's suited for the left side of the offensive line, whether it's tackle or guard. NFLDraftScout.com has Long rated as the seventh tackle and the 48th-best player overall in this year's Draft class.

A native of Kansas, Brown originally enrolled at Miami and made almost zero impact.

After two years, Brown came back home and transferred to Kansas State where he's been a big part of the Wildcats' resurgence under head coach Bill Snyder.

Brown's stats weren't overwhelming at K-State, but he was a steady performer with 201 tackles, 16.5 for a loss, three sacks and three interceptions in two years. He was named the Big XII Defensive Player of the Year this season.

NFLDraftScout.com ranks Brown as the fourth-rated outside linebacker and 63rd player overall, but at 6-1 and 228 lbs., he's more likely to play on the inside in a 3-4 defense. As someone who played off the line of scrimmage in college, it shouldn't be much of a transition for Brown.

Warford was perhaps the best player on a bad Kentucky team, named second-team All-SEC by both the coaches and the media and a third-team All-American selection by the Associated Press.

According to Kentucky football, Warford did not allow a single sack all season.

What is perhaps odd in the connection between Green Bay and Warford is the Packers' seeming aversion to natural guards, frequently preferring to develop more athletic college tackles and then converting them to guards in the professional ranks.

Warford is 6-3, 343 lbs. and ranked as the third guard and 66th overall player by NFLDraftScout.com.

To get a glimpse into what some of these meetings with prospects are like, Hallam shares a photo of Warford meeting with the team that now employs ex-Packers executive John Dorsey...

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Comments (1)

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Lars's picture

January 21, 2013 at 05:06 pm

TT loves production. Brown sounds like a possibility at ILB. Long has the perfect size for an NFL LT and the packers have the need with the Sherrod bust and Newhouse being just a guy. Good work Brian, Thanks.

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