Packer QB talk
NFL Draft Mailbag
March 9, 2004
Lou Pickney, DraftKing.com
Reader feedback is always welcomed here at DraftKing.com. Send your thoughts to me at LouPickney@gmail.com.
From: Tommy Fechter
Sent: Monday, March 8, 2004 12:05 AM
To: Lou Pickney
Subject: Packer QB situation
Mr. Pickney--
First off, thanks for answering my rebuttle. Your up to date website is better than any other out there.
As far as what I think the Pack should do with the QB situation, I think they should continue doing what they have been doing for the last 12 years: draft quarterbacks in the lower rounds and develop them. People tend to forget that Mark Brunell, Matt Hasselbeck, and Aaron Brooks were all 5th round or lower guys. I'd say they're doing all right.
Secondly, last year after the draft, Mike Sherman admitted that had Kyle Boller been available he may have selected him. However, he is on record as saying that he believed only Carson Palmer and Kyle Boller would have been an upgrade over current protege Craig Nall.
If the right guy falls to the Packers, sure Sherman and his staff will jump on the bandwagon. But Eli and Ben definitely won't be there and they have to wonder if a Phillip Rivers, J.P. Losman, etc. are worth a 1st rounder when they could upgrade their porous d-line, add depth to corner or o-line, or even add a speedy tight end or safety to help Favre win now.
In short, I see the Packer's only taking a QB before the 4th round if someone falls incredibly far, i.e. Losman to the bottom half of the second round.
P.S. Don't be too shocked to see a guard or corner taken, Mike Wahle, Marco Rivera, and Al Harris are all in the final year of their contracts, and there is NO depth behind them.
Lou: Good point about how the Packers have developed quality QBs through the years. Green Bay has quite a developmental system in place.
There will be quality corners on the board when Green Bay picks at #25... Whether they choose to go that route vs. going with an outside linebacker remains to be seen.
From: Jack Lucas
Sent: Monday, March 8, 2004 10:28 AM
To: Lou Pickney
Subject: Your latest NFL mock draft
No way Bears go CB with their first pick...
Bears have a lot of money tied up in RJ Mc Quarters and Jerry Azhuma; Tillman (last years #2 pick), is showing signs of being All Pro. Just no way Bears are taking any DB in the first three rounds.
I truly believe Bears will do one of the following:
1) Take DT Tommy Harris if he falls to #14;
2) Take DT Kenechi Udeze if Harris is gonebut Udeze is still on the board;
3) Take OT Shawn Andrews is both Harris and Udeze are gone and Andrews is still on the board;
4) If all three of the above guys are gone, pick between DT Wilfolk and WR Reggie Williams. Bears are concerned about Wilfolks' tendency to bloat up which affects his quickness. Williams isn't a consensus top 15 pick. That means that they if this scenario were to play out, the Bears would probably look to trade down figuring that one of these guys would still be available so long as they didn't trade too far down.
One other factor you left out... if Drew Henson doesn't sign by draft day and reenters the draft, that shuffles the deck one more time as I've read some scouts are now privately rating Henson the #1 QB in this draft.
Lou: At one point I had projected Shawn Andrews as going to the Bears, though I have him slated as going to the Jets at #12 at this point. With the Bears signing Kansas City OT John Tait to a hefty offer sheet, I would be surprised if the Bears were to also draft Andrews (unless Kansas City matches the Tait offer, of course).
If either Harris or Udeze are there, then either would be an excellent pickup, no doubt. I've been deliberating what the Bills will do at #13 (they might take Harris, or they might take Ohio State CB Chris Gamble).
Vince Wilfork will likely be there, but probably won't last beyond Tampa Bay/San Francisco at 15/16. Reggie Williams, on the other hand, has been slipping (thanks in part to the influx of WR talent into this draft, particularly USC WR Mike Williams). I could see the Bears potentially working a mid-draft trade depending on who's on the board...
From: don (daker1@***.net)
Sent: Monday, March 8, 2004 1:51 PM
To: Lou Pickney
Subject: packers QB situation
first thanks for the opinion from feb 28th. Now I see you have asked the
packer fans for an opinion on the QB situation. Well I would like to offer
mine, since I am a die hard Green and Gold. I understand where you are
coming from. I too see the need to start grooming someone to replace
superman. Like I said before, using a first rounder this year on a QB does
not make sense unless the Pack wants to get a high draft pick next year
(2005) because their pass defense STILL cannot stop anyone this coming year!
Look what happens with selecting a QB high in the draft,,does Ryan Leaf ring
any bells? I know that is a little drastic of an example, but my point is
that some of the BEST qb's have been late round signal callers. Anyhow, I
believe that if the pack takes a QB in the first,,big mistake. If they can
do the 2005 2nd rounder for Drew Henson, then go for it. IMO, I believe
that the Pack needs defensive end first and foremost. They need pass rush,
that is the MAIN reason they could not stop teams through the air. The
secondary is only as good as the pass rush. I also think that Marquise Hill
DE from LSU would be a great pick,,he's huge and could be a great pass
rusher. I think the other good DE's will be gone by the 24th like Kenechi
or Will Smith. If a big name "pass rushing DT is around I'd be happy with
that too. To extend my hopeful 2nd round, I would take the undersized Bob
Sanders from Iowa. So in summary, I think that a pass rusher (DE DT) in
first, and S in second, and LB in third would be a great way to go. I am
also hearing rumors that GB may fill some of these defensive holes in free
agency. Then it changes the draft thinking too. If all works out in a
perfect world, Drew henson for a 2005 2nd, a passrusher DE,DT in the first,
a S in the second, and a LB in the third. Hopefully other pack fans will
sound in too. Let me know what ya think.
Lou: Marquise Hill is tempting in that range... He is moving up on some draft boards, and could be just what the doctor ordered for the Pack on the pass rush. I think Will Smith will be long gone by then (though he might take a Boss Bailey level free-fall -- you never can tell), but I would suggest that either Hill or Alabama DE Antwan Odom would be on the board at #25. If not, it should be an indication of someone with major talent having fallen. I've really grown on the idea of the Packers taking Miami LB D.J. Williams if he's on the board there.
From: Matt DellaValle
Sent: Tuesday, March 9, 2004 4:45 AM
To: LouPickney@hotmail.com
Subject: lets talk abt what really matters...san diego.
so i know we have a bad qb draft history, leaf, brees...but
is eli too good to let go? what do you think, gamble on
another young qb or go the safer way and take the best wr
to come out of college since mr randall moss?? i think you
gotta gamble, you have to let eli do it for you, ease him
in tho, let drew get some fire under him, and if he doesnt
do it, like he hasnt been doing, put eli in there and let
him feel out the nfl. eli has possibly the best field
vision in the ncaa, his arm strenght and accuracy are good,
his speed like his brother poor, but you can be a
successful pocket passer. san diego needs to take some
pressure off the great dane...even tho he the most dominant
runner...reciever combo in the league, he needs a rest, if
eli and boston can make this work, san diego could work
themselves back up. the o and d lines need to step it up,
and with the lbs and cbs all young BUT talented, they will
develop. i have hope, and all you bolts fans should, but
cmon they have to take eli, you cant pass him up, and if
they do pass on eli, you have to take larry fitz, these
players are just too good to let slide.
Lou: San Diego needs to look at the big picture. A cliché, yes, but in this case one that is quite apt. The team has an elite RB. The WR corps is talented but unstable (and it's entirely possible that David Boston won't be there next season). Their LBs and secondary should be on the rise.
So what do you do? I say you take Eli Manning at #1, then snag a receiver in a WR-deep draft in the second round. Really, I think it's a no brainer. Unless you can get multiple first rounders from Arizona by moving to #3, I don't see why you'd do anything else. Yes, Robert Gallery is tempting. But not *that* tempting. Not when you have talent like Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger on the board...
