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Yes, its been a while since we had a TE defenses worried about.NCF wrote: ↑23 Jan 2023 15:48This is the general narrative, but it's wrong. Kittle and Kelce showcased it again this weekend.Scott4Pack wrote: ↑23 Jan 2023 15:04In other words, you probably only pick that TE as a luxury pick, as in if you feel strong at those other positions.
None since Finley. But truth is that only a handful of teams really have very dynamic TEs. Certainly not the majority of teams.Pugger wrote: ↑24 Jan 2023 09:50Yes, its been a while since we had a TE defenses worried about.NCF wrote: ↑23 Jan 2023 15:48This is the general narrative, but it's wrong. Kittle and Kelce showcased it again this weekend.Scott4Pack wrote: ↑23 Jan 2023 15:04In other words, you probably only pick that TE as a luxury pick, as in if you feel strong at those other positions.
Dalton Wagner from Arkansas is 6'8" with 34" arms and massive hands 
DT Scott Matlock:Defensive Player of the Week
On the defensive end (no pun intended), I’ll give it to Perales. The 6-foot-3, 255-pound edge rusher from Fresno State had one of the more explosive get-offs on either team this week. There’s also something to be said for understanding the nuances of rushing the passer, which Perales obviously does. He never abandoned his rush-lane discipline for the sake of trying to win a one-on-one. He also converted speed to power, showed some secondary rush moves and knew how to build a wall on the quarterback’s throwing side to flush him out of the pocket.
Perhaps even more encouraging for his NFL hopes: Perales looked like a stout edge defender against the run, showing that he can take away creases on the perimeter and keep tight ends from sealing him or climbing to the next level.
From CBS Sports:Matlock (6-4, 300) was a little further ahead in his hand usage and understanding of rush lanes — he expanded and contracted his pathway to the quarterback based on how the protection was being set. That’s a positive sign that suggests he understands how pass rushing works for the entire defensive unit.
Marte Mapu: LB/S/Nickel, 6-2 220, Sacramento StateMatlock was virtually unblockable throughout the week. In my opinion, he was the best defensive lineman on the American squad. On Day 2 of the OL/DL 1-on-1s, his repertoire of moves were on display, constantly drawing praise from both players and scouts alike.
From The Athletic (listed him as a S/nickel)Mapu was another small-college linebacker standout this week. Again, it was the coverage ability that stood out. Mapu showed he could cover backs and tight ends rather well. The football instincts in coverage were also prevalent during the 7-on-7 periods.
WR Jason BrownleeMapu (6-3, 216) has the potential to be a real player at the next level. He has the size and wingspan that NFL personnel people covet at his position. This week, he also looked to be an active communicator, played with good spatial awareness in zone coverage and did well in his one-on-one matchups against running backs. Because American team coach Jeff Fisher opted not to run the ball much in team periods, I’m still curious how Mapu might look taking on blocks and tackling in the box. But there’s a clear outline of a future contributor in Mapu’s game.
Brownlee also had a 61-yard catch in the gameBrownlee (6-3, 202) was the most polished receiver I watched all week. He moved smoothly in the slot and outside, showed soft hands and ran his routes properly. He lost a rep in one-on-ones by stalling too long on his release, an issue he promptly fixed by being more aggressive off the line of scrimmage. If Brownlee tests well, he could provide value as a versatile receiver.
Potential good-blocking slots?Heath played like a man amongst boys all week at the position, and he let it be known that he was playing well. You love that type of confidence in a receiver, both verbally and physically, and he backed up his talk with his play. Last year it was Braylon Sanders from Ole Miss who starred at the NFLPA Bowl; this year it was Heath.
WR Mitchell Tinsley: 5-11 207, Penn State
Tinsley had himself a stellar week. We always use the phrase "plays bigger than his size"; well, that aptly described Tinsley's week. It was surprising to see his measurements juxtaposed to how he performed. You would've thought he was 6-5, 225 with how big he played. He also displayed a lot of athleticism in terms of his footwork in and around the goal line.
Tight End?WR C.J. Johnson: 6-1 225, East Carolina
Johnson had a strong start to the week before going down with a bit of a hamstring injury. He's a very physical receiver, both at the release and at the catch point. His functional strength is exactly where you'd want it to be, and he's someone who always seems to find the void within the defensive zone.
From CBS:Offensive Player of the Week: Michael Ezeike, TE, UCLA
I don’t think Ezeike (6-foot-5, 252 pounds) lost a single rep this week during one-on-ones. Linebackers and safeties alike struggled to body him up or run with him, and he showed great concentration while catching the ball away from his frame. This is a deep tight end class that exemplifies all the growth we’ve seen in the skill sets at the position. I’ll have to go back through Ezeike’s regular-season tape to confirm where he is as a blocker, but he’s good enough as an athlete to take a chance on.
DB Anthony Johnson Jr., Iowa StateTE Johnny Lumpkin: 6-5 273, Louisiana
Lumpkin was physically imposing out there on the field, giving defenders fits on both ends of offense. He really surprised a lot of people with how well he moved as a route runner at 273 pounds. But it goes way further than that for him, and he spoke about why that is the case in our post-practice interview.
From CBS:In the players to watch preview for the Collegiate Bowl, I mentioned Johnson (6-0, 207) as a player I wanted to see in an NFL defense because he was coming from a three-high-safety college system. Johnson isn’t the most comfortable in one-on-one matchups, but it’s easy to see how he accumulated more than 200 career tackles — he flew downhill with abandon multiple times this week.
Isaiah Bolden, SB, Jackson StIt's always funny when you look up at practice and see a player who always has the ball in his hands -- who doesn't play offense. That was Johnson all week long. Whether it was driving on the ball and making the interception, catching one off of a tipped pass or flying up in run support, the former Cyclone was all over the field this week.
DB Jalen Green (6-1, 200), Mississippi StateBolden was a star defender this week. He showed he could be a very good outside corner at the NFL level. We already knew his safety background at Jackson State, but playing on the perimeter this week was a chance to showcase his coverage skills. Also, his ability as a return specialist makes him even more attractive to pro scouts. I spoke with him earlier in the week about his ability to do more than one thing.
Offensive Linelooked comfortable as a middle-of-the-field player. He came down with multiple interceptions and consistently broke on the ball with the right angle and tempo to make tackles after the catch.
From The Athletic:OL Sidy Sow: 6-4 329, Eastern Michigan
Sow is also a highly touted CFL prospect, and it wouldn't surprise me to see him taken in one of the top two rounds of their draft. He had an excellent showcase here in Pasadena. I came away mostly impressed with his footwork and overall athleticism.
From CBS:Jovaughn Gwyn, G, South Carolina
He showed well as a pass protector all week, using his strong hands and good feet to stay in front of defensive tackles. While Gwyn (6-3, 300) has the functional strength and height to do the job at the next level, any NFL teams interested in him will want to see him run well to offset concerns they may have over his weight and wingspan.
Some Other NamesOL Harris LaChance: 6-6 304, BYU
LaChance was arguably the most patient offensive lineman during 1-on-1 drills. He didn't allow any pressure, nor was he fooled by a variety of moves thrown at him by defensive linemen. His hands and feet were in unison, and I thought he played the piano well when working vs. stunts and twists.
Always been a big fan. He has some real explosion and power and quickness. I wouldn’t be surprised if he tests really well at Indy.YoHoChecko wrote: ↑01 Feb 2023 20:23DT Keeanu Benton from Wisconsin was near consensus best DT down there
YoHoChecko wrote: ↑31 Jan 2023 13:09Tight End?
From The Athletic:Offensive Player of the Week: Michael Ezeike, TE, UCLA
I don’t think Ezeike (6-foot-5, 252 pounds) lost a single rep this week during one-on-ones. Linebackers and safeties alike struggled to body him up or run with him, and he showed great concentration while catching the ball away from his frame. This is a deep tight end class that exemplifies all the growth we’ve seen in the skill sets at the position. I’ll have to go back through Ezeike’s regular-season tape to confirm where he is as a blocker, but he’s good enough as an athlete to take a chance on.
If he’s still there in the 7th I want Old Dominion’s Zach Kuntz. He’s massive, 6’8” 255. He’s raw so he likely needs practice squad. He’sa better receiver than blocker at this point despite his size. And his team’s offense basically only worked when he was on the field. I would flip for this guy to have a year learning from Big Dawg
Might be able to find a Lewis heir and give the rookie TE a year under Marcedes' wing to develop for the in-line blocking role
Someone I listened to is obsessed. It was maybe Ben Fennell or maybe Fran Duffy? The way they talked about him I thought “oh sounds like a borderline first round guy” and then realized he isn’t in anyone’s top 10/15 at the position or top 100 on the big board, so I’m intrigued.
I hear mixed things on Musgrave.
Some say that he's a good enough blocker with room to improve. Rick Speilman and his pod co-host from CBS say he can't block anyone. They also say he dropped more balls than about anyone down there this week. The NFL Network guys are ready to take Musgrave in the top 20. Speilman and Wilson sound like he's borderline top 50.
Honestly seems like the kind of elite athlete at a need position that the Packers would roll the dice on, so I'll be watching his process, but I'm more skeptical than "in love" at this point.
Some Notes on Safeties
Sydney Brown, a safety from Illinois that is a little short and will go on Day Three, has been a star this week. He's a great value pick we could look for to fill out that safety depth chart.
From the Shrine Game, Florida safety Trey Dean III won his team's practice player of the week and nabbed a pick (tipped ball) in the game. He's between 6'2" and 6'3" and 211 pounds. I also haven't seen him in anyone's top 100, so he's definitely a guy I'll be looking for
Tyrique Stevenson (Miami) and Riley Moss (Iowa) are two CBs whose future might be at safety. They both have impressed at their all star games and look fast and capable, but both have some tape that indicates some lack of twitch or fluidity or hips that might limit them as corners and better suit them to play safety where the game is mostly in front of them. Both have plenty of speed, so that's not the issue. But it might be interesting to monitor those guys as potential secondary fits even though we're not particularly hurting for CBs (which is a shame because this class is DEEP).
Marte Mafu, who I mentioned from the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl got a call up to the Senior Bowl and they played him at LB. He's 6'3" and 217 pounds, so he'd be very undersized at LB. It will depend how he runs, but he is a relentless player with really good athelticism and despite being from a small school fit in and looked the part at two different all star games. I'd love to add him as a special teams guy and developmental 3rd safety/dime LB type.
Speaking of Linebackers...
It's not particularly an area of need but there's a guy who transferred from Florida to Utah who is a helluvan athlete and started to put it together as a football player this year, and who looked great all week at the Shrine Game. His name is Mohamoud Diabate. He's 6'3" 230 pounds and is expected to run in the 4.5s; he got some reps at EDGE in the Shrine practices which didn't go great, but highlights that the coaches viewed him as a versatile tool who can cover, play off ball, and maybe be featured in blitz packages. As long as interviews check out and he wasn't under-productive in college due to lack of effort or desire, but more due to slower development, I'd love to see him in the later rounds, as well.
O Linemen Notes
Interior OL
I keep hearing people praise Cody Mauch, who was one of my favorites coming into the event. The narrative generally goes "he's a smaller school guy who came in and played a new position (moved inside to both guard and center after playing LT at NDSU) and he "held his own." I have watched multiple clips of stronger DLmen annihilating him. I don't understand. I think he's fallen out of the top 50 consideration and I don't like him before round 3. He doesn't have the length to play outside (32 1/8" arms would be pushing it) and he doesn't have the power to anchor inside.
Now, he's athletic and feisty AF. He has a place in the league, and I would love his personality on our unit, which I think has been lacking a little fire since some higher profile departures, but I don't think he can be a rookie starter until he can gain a bunch of functional play strength to anchor against NFL strength.
Meanwhile, the best OL down there by most eyes is Minnesota C John Michael Schmidt, who we already knew was a bigger more powerful center, but he's shown that he also moves well enough to be a second-level blocker and operate in schemes that do zone blocking or pull their centers. Given that he is a ready-made iOL, I can't imagine anyone would draft Mauch ahead of Schmidt, so that feels like a ceiling to me. He's in the 40s on both the ESPN and Athletic big boards.
Oh, and Steve Avila, G/C from TCU, has had a great run down there. I'm interested in getting a physical guy to compete at G but also as a backup plan for C. I'm just not sure Meyers is going to merit a second contract, or even develop enough to be a more consistent starter than he currently is. Avila played C last year and guard this year for TCU.
Tackles...
It's been interesting how some people have observed that Darnell Wright is the best OT down there and belongs in the top 25 (PFF podcast) while others don't even mention him at all. Others think Dawand Jones cemented himself as a first round guy by showing great movement in one day of practice at his record-breaking size. Others think he's still in round two. And still others seem to talk more about Matthew Bergeron from Syracuse (LT currently penciled in around 60-75 on various boards)
How different teams stack these three players will go a long ways toward determining who is available for the Packers in round two if they're hunting for a new RT. I'm a Darnell Wright guy all the way, for the record, between these three.
Good read. Thanks for sharing.BSA wrote: ↑26 Feb 2023 15:35.
There's a great article up on The Athletic, talking about the S2 Cognition Test and the work they've been doing with it for many years
Very different than Wonderlic and much more relevant imo. This blurb below is about CBs, but the testing they've done with QBs is even more impressive. Their test had Brock Purdy in the elite range for QBs before the draft
paywall
https://theathletic.com/4226466/2023/02 ... tion-test/
“The average human being can keep track of about three and a half objects at a time,” Alley said.
“The average safety in the NFL, it’s closer to six.”
The positions with the third-highest scores: linebacker and cornerback.
The traditional thinking about cornerback was that it was all about physical skills — being fast and mimicking the movements of a wide receiver. As it turns out, the ability to make rapid decisions and to control impulses are paramount. One of the S2 tests looks at impulse control. Ally said low scores predict substandard play as well as holding and pass-interference penalties.
“If you’re impulsive, you fall prey to that double move,” Ally said. “You make a step in the wrong direction. And second, they just can’t control that impulse to grab a jersey when (the receiver) gets by them. You saw that call in the Super Bowl? We could argue all day long whether that was (a penalty) or not. But you saw him start to get burned and he just couldn’t control that impulse to grab the jersey. That’s very typical of someone with low impulse control.”
.
No kidding.How about giving this test to the referees?
yupYoHoChecko wrote: ↑23 Feb 2023 23:32I just found a new draft crush and its Jonathan Mingo from Ole Miss
For some reason I had him pegged as a very different kind of player than he is. He's 6' 1 3/8" with incredibly long arms for his height (32").
He weighed in at 225 pounds at the Senior Bowl. I guess I just expected him to be a sort of slow plodder without much twitch. But that's not how he looked on tape. I figured he was a poor man's Rashee Rice, but he's actually what January Packers Twitter thought Rashee Rice is, but he isn't. He looks pretty fast on tape. I bet he'll run just under a 4.5 (similar to Doubs' time, who was timed from 4.48 to 4.52 depending on the source)
But his catch radius is insane. His hands are SO sticky (reports say some concentration drops, but his highlight catches are absurd). He has a vertical and ball tracking down pretty darn well it seems, but his routes are pretty elementary. Gets schemed a lot; runs a lot of little smoke and bubble screens. But his YAC is nice. He's powerful and fast and has a huge catch radius and is likely an early Day 3 kind of guy? 4th round, I'm in. Put him in my offseason.
Ok, I looked; not super impressed.YoHoChecko wrote: ↑05 Mar 2023 09:355. Bryce Ford-Wheaton, the WVU WR played at the Shrine Game and the exec of the Shrine Game said he felt like him and one other guy had a combined good shot that one of them could be "the next DK Metcalf." He had a nice week, but I didn't see a bunch of raves, so I didn't check back. After hitting 4.38 with a 6.97 3-cone and 4.15 shuttle at 6' 3 1/2" 221, I have to go take a look.