Article:Grilled Cheeze: The Packers 2009 NFL Draft Adds Some Much Needed Toughness.

Welcome to the inaugural edition Grilled Cheeze. A sporadically issued analysis feature offered for your perusal. I say sporadically because I have no idea how often I will be able to publish an article. I’m not exactly the analytical type nor the verbose type.

Let’s get this thing started.

In 2009, the Green Bay Packers started the NFL draft with nine selections. They were

Round 1:  Pick 9

Round 2:  Pick 41

Round 3:  Pick 73, Pick 83

Round 4:  Pick 109

Round 5:  Pick 145

Round 6:  Pick 182, Pick 187

Round 7:  Pick 218

With their aging OTs and the switch to the 3-4 the logical thought process would lead you to believe that the Packers had the following needs going into the draft:  DT, DE, LT, RT, OLB

There are a couple of lower priority areas of need. The Packers could use another playmaker. They have no running back that is a threat to break it deep anytime he touches the ball. Also, with Al Harris at 34 and Charles Woodson at 32, it would not be surprising if Green Bay chose a playmaking cornerback.

Here’s how it went:

Pick 9:BJ Raji, DT, Boston College


Stats:  6’2” 337 lbs, 5.15 sec in the 40 yd. dash

Analysis:  BJ Raji was rated the best defensive tackle in the draft. With the switch to the 3-4, the Packer needed a dominating nose tackle to whip some double teams to free up AJ Hawk and Nick Barnett. Raji fits that role nicely.

The scouting report on Raji is that he has an incredible burst off the ball and exhibits good lateral quickness. Word is that he dominated the week of practice prior to the Senior Bowl.

An area of concern is that he was not consistently dominant in the ACC. The ACC is not known as a conference that turns out NFL caliber offensive linemen. I would have expected to see more.

In addition, there is some room for Raji to mature as he was declared academically ineligible for 2007. It’s not a matter of intelligence either as he scored a 21 on the Wonderlic. It appears to be a matter of motivation.

Raji has also struggled with weight issues coming into 2006 at over 350 lbs. He could potentially eat himself out of a job and if he does, he’ll take Ted Thompson with him.

Green Bay will plan to use Raji in conjunction with veteran Ryan Pickett. This will leave the 16 th pick of the 2007 draft, Justin Harrell, as the odd man out.

From the Mind of McCarthy:  “… I will tell you this: we're going to play better run defense and it is going to be everybody involved. It will start with our base front being a 3-4. I know from an offensive standpoint, I have always felt it was a bigger challenge to compete against a 3-4 than the four-man lines in run defense. Obviously players have a lot to do with that. I'm not saying scheme is the end all and will resolve this, but he will definitely contribute. He is the body type. He is a gifted young man. He has exceptional foot quickness for his body type…

I think Raji is not only a player that can be what you're looking for in a 3-4 on first and second down, I think he also has the ability to play third down.”

Pick 26:  Clay Matthews, LB, USC


Stats:  6’3” 240 lbs, 4.67 sec

Analysis:    The key word when discussing Clay Matthews is versatility. As a rushing threat with some coverage skills, Matthews should offer Dom Capers the ability to remain flexible with his pass rushing schemes. Bill Polian is quoted as saying, "His dad was a great player but not nearly as athletic as this kid is. This guy does amazing things."

The scouting report on Matthews is that he’s tough as nails and has an incredible work ethic. He’s a gym rat whose dedication to the weight room is obvious when you see his build. .

It helps that Matthews comes from good genetic stock. As mentioned above, his father is a 19 year NFL veteran linebacker. It is also noteworthy that his uncle is Hall of Famer Bruce Matthews.

Although Matthews is an instinctual defender who plays well in space and utilizes his speed, he tends to rely on his speed too much. He prefers to run around blocks rather than take them on and use power to hold the point of attack.

He should be effective on the weak side where he can use his speed to pursue and make plays.

He scored a 27 on his Wonderlic.

Thompson’s Take:  I think the fact that he traded three picks to move up 15 spots to get Matthews  is a good indication of how highly Thompson regards him.

The Mind of McCarthy:  “I can't say it enough, the ability to add the linebacker body types to our football, both with the last addition of Brad Jones and also Clay Matthews. I just think you can't have enough of those types of players. I feel very good about the current linebacker corps that we have here. That in itself will improve our special teams and also give us the ability to be a much more improved run defense on first and second down.”

Pick 109:  TJ Lang, OT, Eastern Michigan University


Stats:  6’4” 316 lbs, 5.21 sec

Analysis:  Have I mentioned versatility yet? Lang is a big, strong player that has the ability to start at all three interior line positions. He has been called a mauler and can absolutely stonewall and pancake his opponents. If you study him, you will a see a guy who works hard and is always hustling.

Some scouts have mentioned that he is too stiff in the hips to be effective in a zone blocking scheme like the Packers run. He may be challenged by speedy defensive players. Definitely an interior lineman.

Thompson’s Take:  “I think he is a very versatile player. He plays left tackle. I had an opportunity to see him in an all-star game out in El Paso. During that week he lined up at all five spots, and he looked like he was very good at that… He has got good feet. He has got good balance. He is a very good technician and I think he is a good player.”

The Mind of McCarthy:  McCarthy had no comments about Lang specifically.

Pick 145:  Quinn Johnson, FB, LSU


Stats:  6’1” 249 lbs, 4.78 sec

Analysis:  This selection is all about third and short. The statistics are not readily available but if my memory serves me, which it hardly ever does, the only play that was consistently effective for the Packer in short yardage was the quarterback sneak. Johnson can really open some options in the short yardage game. His speed and power will be a boon to the special teams units as well.

Johnson has been called a throwback player. He excels at blowing linebackers out of the hole.

The negatives are that he tends to be indecisive about who he needs to hit. He lacks flexibility which will hurt him when maneuvering to block at the second level.

He is not a ball carrier.

Thompson’s Take:  “Well, we just felt like it was a great value pick. You go in there as Alonzo and myself did during the course of the year, and SEC football, you hear a lot about it, but it is a physical league,…  He's a very, very effective lead blocker. He's a physical presence. He was a running back in (high school) who rushed for over 1,000 yards. He's got a skill set, and he's a big, physical guy…”

The Mind of McCarthy:  “I think the first thing that jumps off at you (about Johnson) is just physicality. I can recall Ted coming back from his LSU visit during the season. He usually returns on a Thursday or Friday, and talking to him about the players he had seen that week, Quinn Johnson was somebody he was very excited about. He is our type of player. He is a hard-nosed fullback…

Quinn Johnson has that ability to play power football, in the power pattern schemes versus the zone schemes. But his number one asset will be in the inside zone scheme, which is the starting point the way we run the football. I think he's definitely a fit for us the way we have played and the direction we're making adjustments to. It's not going to look very different I think to everybody here. But it's important offensively schematically to try to stay a step ahead of your opponents, and that's something we go through every offseason, and just made some adjustments with the offensive scheme and continue to try to utilize our players' specific skills.”

Pick 162:  Jamon Meredith, OT, South Carolina


Note this pick is part of the trade that moved the Packers from pick 41 to pick 26.

Stats:  6’5” 304 lbs, 5.03 sec

Analysis:  A definite value pick at 162, Meredith may emerge as one of the draft's biggest sleepers. Another versatile player, he will add quality depth to their offensive-line rotation as he has the ability to play at multiple positions.

The negatives are that Meredith is not very competitive. Word out of the Gamecock locker room is that he lacks passion for the game. He has been referred to as a locker room lawyer.

If he grows up and learns to love what he’s doing, he has the size and skills to become an NFL starter.

Thompson’s Take:  “…Meredith has played tackle a lot in college. He was moved to guard this year, which gave him a little versatility. … the ability to play multiple spots.”

The Mind of McCarthy:  McCarthy had no comments about Meredith specifically.

Pick 182:  Jarius Wynn, DE, Georgia


Stats:  6’3” 275 lbs, 5.08 sec

Analysis:  Wynn has good size for a defensive end but he lacks the speed required for the position at the NFL level. He has the size and body type to take on some additional mass and become more effective in the 3-4 scheme.

He definitely sounds like a work in progress as he is a “tweener”.

The Mind of McCarthy:  “He's very long-levered, has the body type, tough guy. I think he's someone that can grow a little bit. His weight is probably not where it needs to be right now, but we feel he has the ability to play the defensive end position.”

Pick 187:  Brandon Underwood, CB, Cincinnati


Stats:  6’1” 198 lbs, 4.48 sec

Analysis:  Here’s that word again. Since he has played cornerback, nickel and free safety, Underwood has the versatility to compete for a position on the Packers. He is a tall player with good coverage range. A hard worker, he hits well inspite of his size and is willing to give it his all in order to prevent the big play.

Underwood will add depth to the aging secondary and may become effective as a safety.

Thompson’s Take:  “… He played both safety and corner this year. I thought he played both positions pretty well. I had a chance to watch him at an all-star game as well. I was in there in the fall, on a school call, and I think he's a good player. He's got good size, he runs well, very athletic. …

In mid-May we go to our combined scouting meetings, and you first get reports on prospects that are seniors… I didn't know him when he was at Ohio State or his high school career, other than after the fact. But I knew that he was at Ohio State and academics and then he went to Cincinnati and paid his own way his first semester and earned the respect of the coaching staff and the team and was a productive player for them this year.”

The Mind of McCarthy:  McCarthy had no comments about Underwood specifically.

Pick 218:  Brad Jones, LB, Colorado


Stats:  6’3” 230 lbs.

Analysis:  The word on Jones is that is extremely quick for a man his size. Green Bay has a guy that can be effective on special teams and may be able help in pass coverage. His size limitations mean he may not be very effective in holding the point in the running game.

Thompson’s Take:  “Brad Jones is a very interesting player. We started watching a lot of tape on him over the course of the last month. The more you watch, the more you like, and he lines up everywhere. He'll line up as a pass rusher with his hand down. He'll rush from the inside linebacker spot. I've seen him detach from the formation and play over the slot, not unlike what USC did with Clay, they moved him all around as well. I think he gives us a guy that can really, really run, has coverage ability, and is a pretty productive pass rusher, so we thought he was a nice get there in the seventh round.

The Mind of McCarthy:  “I can't say it enough, the ability to add the linebacker body types to our football, both with the last addition of Brad Jones and also Clay Matthews. I just think you can't have enough of those types of players. I feel very good about the current linebacker corps that we have here. That in itself will improve our special teams and also give us the ability to be a much more improved run defense on first and second down.”

Post Draft Signings:
Tyrell Sutton, RB, Northwestern, 5’8” 211 lbs, 4.68 sec

Kole Heckendorf, WR, North Dakota State, 6’2” 191lbs, 4.49 sec

Carson Butler, TE, Michigan, 6’5” 250lbs 4.72sec

Jamarko Simmons, WR, Western Michigan, 6’2” 231 lbs. 4.50sec

JaRon Harris, WR, South Dakota State, 6’1” 200 lbs, 4.46 sec

Andy Brodell, WR, Iowa 6’3” 205 lbs, 4.53 sec