Mayock: Packers Should Target Corner Early
Speaking today on a conference call with reporters, Mike Mayock made a forceful pitch for the Packers to target the cornerback position in the early going of next weeks NFL Draft.
By PackerAaron
Longtime readers know how I feel about the months that lead up to the draft and those that "analyze" draft proceedings during them. But you also know I make one major exception when it comes to tuning out the draft-season chatter, and that is when NFL Network's Draft Guru Mike Mayock has something to say - when Mayock speaks, I pay attention. And as it happened, Mayock spoke today - for almost two hours, in fact, to a group of NFL media on a conference call. Mike was even kind enough to answer a Packers-related question from yours truly.
Simply put, I asked if, given the depth at 3-4 outside linebacker in this draft (Mike had mentioned how deep the draft was at that position several times during the call) did he see the Packers looking elsewhere with their 1st round pick, number 23 overall, and addressing the glaring hole opposite Clay Matthews (Calm down Brad Jones fans...it's only for effect) latter in the draft.
I was prepared for all sorts of possible answers from Mayock - except the one he gave. Not that it hadn't crossed my mind, mind you, but because of how emphatic Mayock was when he said it. He said, without hesitation, that the Packers need to address corner early, though not necessarily with their first pick. He gave a few examples of players he thought would fit well in Capers' system (my personal fave being University of Virginia's Chris Cook) but he was adamant that the Packers needed to come out of either Thursday or Friday with a corner, given not only Al Harris' injury but also the advancing ages of both Harris and fellow starter (and reigning Defensive Player of the Year) Charles Woodson.
Earth shattering analysis? Of course not - the guy must have answered about a hundred questions from writers all over the country. There's only so much detail he can go into with each of us. But like I say - he's the one draftnik I respect and if he thinks the Packers should focus on the cornerback position over both outside linebacker and offensive tackle, that's good enough for me.
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Comments (43)
April 15, 2010 at 01:49 am
I wouldnt be mad at a corner pick.
April 15, 2010 at 02:02 am
Corner seems to be pretty deep in this draft. Second round might be a good spot.
April 15, 2010 at 02:03 am
He may be a draftnik, but he doesn't know how depth our CB position is with Jarrett Bush, Trevor Ford and Josh Bell..
April 15, 2010 at 02:03 am
Not me. You don't know if Harris can come back, if he can be effective, or whether he'll be on the PUP to start the season.
Pat Lee? No clue if he can stay healthy.
Brandon Underwood? No clue if he can contribute.
Josh Bell? Ehhhhh.
Will Blackmon? As a CB, he's a good PR.
Jarrett Bush? Some things are better left unsaid.
Yeah, a tough, physical, shutdown CB would be a good pickup...
April 15, 2010 at 04:21 pm
Pat Lee was stashed. His thing is he was real raw, not injured. He's had another offseason to take notes.
Josh Bell looked pretty decent. Not starting material, but he made a good play on that losing TD against Pittsburgh, it's just that the other guy made a phenomenal play. (And Bigby was way out of position.)
Underwood's got alot of potential. Seemingly the light went on for him late last year after he was called out by the coaches. Hopefully he can make the jump.
April 15, 2010 at 02:24 am
I have thought for a long time that corner should be the Packers' number one priority in this draft to the point where if they take a d-back with their first pick or even, if Ted has fallen in love with someone like Joe Haden, trading up (gasp) to get one, I would not be disappointed. In fact, I'd welcome it.
Last year the sack problem was horrific, but it stabilised over the long term, even though the Packers are not set on the O-line for the future by any means. At times the defense looked held together with tape and twine and the times the D really excelled were when Woodson was freed up to roam the line of scrimmage and generally cause havoc. A quick, physical d-back would allow that to keep happening even if Al Harris can't return from injury as soon as we all want him to, which is like, yesterday. The Packers have been blessed with a pair of strong, aggressive contenders at corner for several years now and, if a season comes around where one or both of them aren't able to participate or have since retired, the Packers may learn just how crucial they were to the defense as a whole.
April 15, 2010 at 07:25 pm
In my opinion we would have to give up too many picks to get up high enough for Haden. We need our second and third rounders to address the Oline and OLB. To me CB is a secondary need to OLB.
April 15, 2010 at 02:38 am
"I make one major exception when it comes to tuning out the draft-season chatter..."
You're killing me smalls (channels sandlot persona).
This is why I desperately reasoned for the fall of Earl Thomas and his CB/FS flexibility. That being said, even Mayock has glowingly praised the defensive back depth in this draft. Let me re-phrase: The 'starting defensive back' depth. I say that because NFL starting OLB depth is a much, much shorter list than the potential DB depth.
Love Mayock, hard to dispute. This draft in particular will not only see a run on OT and DB in round 1, but also the day 2, round 2 break will be equally if not more compeling.
Come on Nagler, how can I only be your 2nd favorite analyst;)
April 15, 2010 at 02:50 am
Sure we need to get a corner somewhat early, and we will. I'd be shocked if that's the direction they went round 1 though. Haden is a given to be gone, if Wilson is there @ 23 I could see that as a possibility, though I doubt he will be. After that there appears to be a bit of a drop off in talent, doubt we'd go for anyone other than those two in the 1st.
J-E-R-R-Y in the 1st
OT/DB or DB/OT 2nd, 3rd
GBP 4 LIFE
April 15, 2010 at 02:52 am
These guys have Wilson falling to us (wouldn't be all bad): http://football.about.com/cs/nfldraft/a/bl_mockdraft_3.htm
April 15, 2010 at 02:56 am
I like Mayock, but I still think we need another safety worse than we need another corner.
PackerAaron
April 15, 2010 at 12:50 pm
Disagree, esp early. Yes, they need an upgrade over Bigby and some depth behind him - but mid-to-late rounder is fine, hell even an undrafted FA - for a safety.
April 16, 2010 at 02:08 am
First of all, I don't want to see cornerback OR safety drafted with our first round pick.
But I maintain that, RIGHT NOW, we need an upgrade to Atari Bigby worse than we need a cornerback to improve our overall defensive backfield. For me, it's about timing. IMO, we can wait a year for to upgrade the CB position, assuming Al Harris can return and at least be nickel back. I think he will, and I base much of this on that assumption.
We can't wait another day for an O lineman or another pass rusher. So both OLB and OL get prioritized ahead of Dbacks in the overall draft picture.
And call me a stupid homer, but I think CB will be fine with Woodson and Tramon, and Al as nickel. I think Underwood and/or Lee will finally turn into our 4th CB this year. We don't have another decent safety besides Collins, thanks to Bigby's constant injuries. Not one.
April 15, 2010 at 05:32 am
I still say punter with the first pick and kicker with the 2nd. You guys make this harder than it has to be :)
April 16, 2010 at 12:45 am
Mike Sherman, is that you?
April 16, 2010 at 03:50 am
Awesome.
April 15, 2010 at 11:15 am
Taking an OLB would block Jones' development. You don't need 11 stars, just 11 that play together. Jones seems to go into the scheme.
April 15, 2010 at 12:39 pm
Totally agree here
April 15, 2010 at 12:51 pm
That philosophy flys in the face of everything in professional football. If Jones is a competitive kid then bringing in competition should improve his game, not inhibit his development. If it did block his development I would call the kid mentally weak in every way. Besides, you need at least 9 linebackers on a 3-4 roster, of which at least 3-4 better have the ability to rush the QB. They at least need more depth at the rush position.
April 15, 2010 at 01:08 pm
YOu do have a point - but as we've seen for several seasons now - if they have talent that looks on par, to be equal in ability, alomost without failure the Assistant Coaching Staff (until recently) has always chosen the lesser of the two, and usually based on what I term "kiss the coaches backside" ability more than real talent. WE DO NOT have that many selections this year, whereas previously it's always been around 10, or more. We are needing to focus on VALUE-ADD, especially since we have very little in the bank to spend (Draft picks). Not seriously trying to diminish your point... just think it needs to be 2nd on the list. Aren't we fairly deep at LB?
April 15, 2010 at 07:30 pm
I disagree, what if Jones or Matthews get's hurt. Then we're super screwed. We have no depth at OLB. Poppinga is only a special teamer, maybe Chillar could play out there but I doubt it. I think JOnes will start this coming year and will be even better. Let's face it he did play really well for where he was drafted. But I still think we will end up with either kindle, graham or hughes in rd. 1. Maybe Jones could play 1st and 2nd down. And then have excellent pass rusher like graham or hughes come in on third down ala when kampman would specifically rush on third down.
April 16, 2010 at 04:15 am
Forget Jones' development. Don't get me wrong, I LIKE BRAD JONES (I'm rooting for Brad Jones). However, if we could bring in a "blue chip" beast that will fight Jones tooth-and-nail for the honor to start opposite CM3, GOOD. Competition is what makes the NFL go 'round. And, ya know what? If Brad (7th round) Jones could beat out a Graham, Kindle, or Hughes... God Bless Him! My point is this, we appear to be set @ ROLB, for years to come. In the 34, if you have two STUD OLB's (along with a big-fat-fatty in the middle, and a solid center fielder) you are golden. I'm not sold Jones is the "other" guy (yet). Bring in J-E-R-R-Y- H-U-G-H-E-S-.. and let 'em compete... it's a win win prop.
Just think, we could be watching two OLB's that compliment each other for YEARZZZZZ... who you gonna double, Lovie? Chilly? other guy? That's what I thought,you'll play us straight up, or get B-slapped.
Jerry opposite Clay gives me a hard-on, I'm man enough to admit it ( you can't quantify the effect that would have on the secondary, I think it'd be off-the-charts).
bup-bup-to-the-BANG
WOOT
GBP 4 LIFE
April 15, 2010 at 12:20 pm
Ken--you do need to have someone available thought if Jones doesn't develop. Competition/depth is never a bad thing.
If Wilson is there, I wouldn't have a problem with that pick. After him and Haden, noone else is 1st round worthy. Then I would hope for OLB (kindle or weatherspoon) or trade down. We'll see what the mighty Ted has in mind in a week!!
April 15, 2010 at 01:01 pm
lmills - with the way Brad Jones played last season, coming right out of the woodwork, we can attest that to several items: 1)Kevin Greene {you can mention other AC's, but I do believe KG is having the most affect on the Defense overall, and it's spreading} 2)The kid does have talent, so in that TT once again found a Gem where usually none may be 3)Playing alongside a guy like CM3 can't hurt. Liken it to whenever you go play pool at the Bar... If you play someone who is so-so, then your play (no matter how good) will also begin to suffer; yet, if you get on a table with a guy who (say) goes to Vegas for the yearly playoffs, his talent will also rub off on you and your play WILL get better, by association.
As for Aaron's preference for Mike Mayock? He's not alone. I've had this preference for almost as long as Mayock has been on the NFL Network and I don't even get that channel(yet). Comcast are nitwits-who are also shrinking quantity of regular cable channels weekly.
Mayock makes the Hairboy on the four-letter stand out as the charlaton he really is (see, unless I go look it up, his name fails me).
STILL, AARON - I would offer this little tidbit. To me, it seems like just about "every friggin' year" the Pundits, no matter who(m), always....always....always.. want the Packers to go take a Corner in the 1st pick they have. Or, they say we should trade down. You have no idea how that riles me. The issues we have DEMAND we look to other positions on this Team and make a move for NEED - which (agree or not) is exactly what Trader Ted did last year, for the first 3 picks, IMHO.
WE NEED: O-Line personnel... You do not win football games with the QB laying on his butt. WE ALL KNOW THIS. And, even I'm at the stage where Thompson throws his jugular out there if this does not happen, especially early on, even if he trades down into the 2nd round for two selections.
WE NEED: Safety's... as others are noting, there is no tellling if Bigby will ever turn that corner and become what he needs to be.
BleacherReport has this List:
7. Brandon Meriweather (Patriots)
6. Michael Griffin (Titans)
5. Adrian Wilson (Cardinals)
4. Bob Sanders (Colts) injured alot...
3. Oshiomogho Atogwe (Rams) trpped on a BAD team
2. Troy Polamalu (Steelers) Love this guy
1. Ed Reed (Ravens) Long in the tooth ?
I'm reviewing now, as to which of those coming up in this Draft have talent anything close to any of these seven.
We ALSO need to address DT (Nose Tackle) what with Ryan Pickett's knees being what they are and the fact that he's been in there (what) 5 seasons now - how long do DT's hold up, possibly around 8 seasons at best(?)
I like the reports I'm hearing about a potential replacement for Donald Lee, but who knows how that might work out. And, certainly a RB in the later rounds that has something like Ahman Green (the guy from the Eagles won't be that person, again JMHO)
Mayock is right, we ARE long in the tooth at Corner... but, he defies logic saying Woodson is just about outta gas. And, Harris has been injured before and came back righteously. I think both of them have at least two more years left. Only the (*#$%) bug might interfere with that.
Just a few thoughts...
April 15, 2010 at 01:22 pm
Scout.com's Chris Stueber has the first two rounds, for the Packers as:
1. Maurkice Pouncey | Center | 6'4", 304
..comes from Idaho
2. Kareen Jackson, a CB | 5'11", 196
..comes from Alabama
IF we are going to select a Corner early on, I would prefer he be a bit taller, like around 6'1".. that's my first dig.
April 15, 2010 at 01:46 pm
There's all of one CB that's above 6' tall (Chris Cook, Virginia) and his production/work ethic are questionable.
April 15, 2010 at 09:05 pm
Did Bleacher Reporter just listed Meriwheater as a better S than Nick Collins? Yeah, they surely know what they're talking about... What a piece of...
About DT, no we don't. Raji.
April 15, 2010 at 01:16 pm
Ok, who were the players he mentioned fitting in the Capers sytem?
You say he mentioned some and then don't relay the info. Kind of a cruel joke for those of us craving draft info like a vagrant craves crack.
Anyway, since you didn't, here's mine:
Kyle Wilson - looks like a less angry Cortland Finnegan 1st Rd. OR Kareem Jackson
Perrish Cox, Brandon Ghee, Chris Cook(who is build like Nnamdi Asomough-but hasn't shown that level of talent...yet)
Your Thoughts aaron?
PackerAaron
April 15, 2010 at 01:41 pm
Sorry Jordan - I took the call while at work ducking my boss and scribbled names down extremely fast - then forgot to take them home with me last night. Mayock also mentioned: Jerome Murphy from South Florida, Kareem Jackson from Alabama, and Cook.
April 16, 2010 at 12:55 am
You know that your boss probably just read this
April 15, 2010 at 01:18 pm
Makes way too much sense to address our need in the defensive backfield with one of our first picks. Teddy will pick a TE in round one and force me to stick my head in the freezer yet again.
April 15, 2010 at 02:24 pm
Honestly, I don't think this team needs to draft to fill holes. Other than maybe LT, I don't think there is a GLARING [for effect, Aaron ;)] hole on this team. First round, take the best guy on the board. If he's an OLB, CB, or LT, all the better.
April 15, 2010 at 04:28 pm
That's right Keith. BEST. PLAYER. AVAILABLE.
April 15, 2010 at 03:21 pm
IPBprez: I aree that Brad Jones will be much improved this year with the entire offseason and 1 year under his belt. But, we don't know how much better of a pass rusher he will be. If we don't have another quality rusher opposite matthews, they're going to double/chip matthews all day.
April 15, 2010 at 04:30 pm
I agree with the assessment. All the other positions people mention as needs, the Packers at least have a solid enough guy be it Bigby, Clifton or Jones.
CB though is a lot more uncertain though with Harris's situation. If we can get a top CB, he can get some much needed experience rather than needing a CB immediately to replace Woodson/Harris in the future and throwing him in the fire.
April 15, 2010 at 05:47 pm
No love for Tramon? He's a solid starting CB.
April 15, 2010 at 04:49 pm
I'm actually content with our crop of CBs and think Safety is our biggest need. We all know that Harris is going to be back, no doubt in my mind. Big question is what does he/will he have left? Woodson and Tramon are sure things, Harris a ? mark but I think at worst he can play the Nickel at a high level. Then you have a stable of young guys behind them in Lee, Blackmon, Underwood, and Bush. I'm an optimist, so I believe one of Lee/Underwood is going to break out this year and step up big for us.
At Safety we have an All-Pro in Collins, and Bigby, who has missed 15 games the past 2 years and just can't seem to stay healthy. If Bigby goes down early in the season we have...? Derrick Martin? Jarrett Bush? Matt Giordano? God that's a scary proposition, and I feel much more comfortable with Tramon/Harris/Lee/Underwood stepping in at CB than I do with Martin/Bush/Giordano stepping in at Safety. JMO.
April 15, 2010 at 07:38 pm
The only guy I see in the first round worthy of trading up for if he slides just a bit is the Safety Earl Thomas. Would love to have him in G & G.
April 15, 2010 at 10:15 pm
One week away from the draft and I`m still sticking with my first choice and that is
Jahvid Best.
April 15, 2010 at 11:05 pm
You stubborn S.O.B.
April 16, 2010 at 12:58 am
I know right?
I just loved watching him play in college. Up until he got hurt on that freakish play against Oregon State, he was the top back in college.
Plus, he got me mad points in espn`s college football fantasy contest...lol
April 16, 2010 at 02:13 am
I disagree with him that corner is a bigger need than OLB or OT, however, I've been picking up little signs here and there that leads me to believe that Thompson will take a CB with pick 1 or pick 2 at the latest. And maybe another one in the later rounds...
April 17, 2010 at 03:19 am
"I disagree with him that corner is a bigger need than OLB or OT"
Yep.
"I’ve been picking up little signs here and there that leads me to believe that Thompson will take a CB with pick 1 or pick 2 at the latest"
Could be. But we both know 75% of the shit we hear right now is fluffy-smokescreen-garbage.
Can't wait 'till Thursday.
GBP 4 LIFE