The 2014 Draft turned out to be the first draft that Ted Thompson has been in charge of in which he didn't trade spots with another team. Instead the Packers chose nine players in the original projected spots and here are some of my thoughts on who was drafted.
Rd 1, Pick 21 Ha Ha Clinton-Dix Safety Alabama
I wrote about my first reaction thoughts on Ha Ha on Friday and overall I'm seeing a lot of grades for the Packers draft in the B+ area.
Rd 2, Pick 21 Davante Adams [Wide Receiver, Fresno State]
One criticism of Adams [he's #11 on that list] is that he has great stats but he had Derek Carr throwing to him. Well, imagine what he can do with Aaron Rodgers throwing him passes.
Rd 3, Pick 21 Khyri Thornton [Defensive Tackle, Southern Miss]
Rd 3, Pick 34 Richard Rodgers [Tight End, California]
Out 3rd round pick will hopefully be an adequate replacement for Jermichael Finley if the worst case scenario happens and he won't be able to play during the 2014 season. Having California grads named Rodgers at quarterback and tight end will certainly give headlines writers some great material.
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| 2011 Topps Chrome #77 Jermichael Finley Orange Refractor |
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| 2011 Topps Chrome #77 Jermichael Finley X-fractor |
Rd 4, Pick 21 Carl Bradford, [Outside Linebacker, Arizona State]
Rd 5, Pick 21 Corey Linsley [Center, Ohio State]
I think it might be a little surprising to say that a fifth round pick could come in and easily win a starting job on a playoff team but Corey Linsley at the center position has that possibility. His primary competition is Garth Gerhart who was the Packers backup last season.
Rd 5, Pick 36 Jared Abbrederis [Wide Receiver, Wisconsin]
I was excited when the Packers drafted Abbrederis as he's a Wisconsin Badger as well from Wautoma, Wisconsin which is a tiny little town in central Wisconsin. Along with Ha Ha I think he will be the other player I will try to really collect out of this draft class.
Rd 6, Pick 21 Demetri Goodson [Cornerback, Baylor]
Rd 7, Pick 21 Jeff Janis [Wide Receiver, Saginaw Valley State]
Nothing against our 7th round pick but I had hoped the Packers might have spent their last pick on Michael Sam. I personally have a feeling he would be a steal with a 7th round pick but as Sam's a Missouri player I think the Rams might be the best possible place for him.
I was surprised that we ended up drafting three receivers but how can I really complain when we addressed our key problem areas at safety, center, and the defensive line. Now we just need to get through the next 16 weeks until the Packers start the NFL season against the Seahawks.
Comments
As for the Packers, I like Ha-Ha a fair amount, though he's had some on-field plays that I saw where you scratch your head and say, "what was he thinking?"