all_about_da_packers;2758791. So, your complaint is what exactly? That Ted didn't trade up in this draft for last year's players? That Ted didn't select a lesser S this year in the draft compared to Ha Ha?

2. Shiiiiit, homie, can the Packers sign you? Anyone who can say that a 6'1 person does not have "great size" must be a friggin beast. You have an agent, right? Also, if only Greg Jennings and Randall Cobb had size... they aren't even close to 6"1. If only they "had size" they could have been SO much better...

3. Khyri Thornton. I've seen people ask "who" when they fail to hear something, but this may be the first time I've heard someone ask "who" when about a thousand sites would tell you Thornton's first name.

4. So... Rodgers fits a position of need, BUT HE HAS NO DEFINED POSITION?! Please tell me I'm not the only one who sees the contradiction in that.

I'm joking around Laser. Only partly, though.

1. I've said elsewhere that I actually liked that pick purely because I don't think the S class is very good. but we are desperate for help there, so landing one of the better ones this year helps. a lot.

2. conversely, the WR class is very deep. so much so that we could have gotten a player of equal talent later in the draft and used this pick elsewhere.

me not liking the WR is just some side-bitching. we did need a WR, but I don't think we picked the best of what was available.

3. This guy is a total dark horse, not great production at all. 2.5 TFLs and a half-sack are really sketchy for a 3rd rounder.

4. he is listed as a TE. at Cal they moved him to WR... i'd like to know WHY. if he was some great TE, why wasn't he playing that spot with them? that thar be a big red flag to me.

Laser Gunns;275886

3. This guy is a total dark horse, not great production at all. 2.5 TFLs and a half-sack are really sketchy for a 3rd rounder.

Copied and pasted this from the comments section on JerseyAl and not sure where it comes from

NFL Draft Report

One of my favorites making a rapid rise up draft boards is Southern Mississippi’s Khyri Thornton. Playing nose guard is usually a role reserved for those with thick skin, not concerned about their own personal success, but that of their team. That is what made it so frustrating for Thornton, who had perhaps two of the finest seasons ever by a Golden Eagles interior line defender the last two seasons, only to see USM win just one of twenty-four contests during that span.

Battling for a starting job during his first two seasons in the program, Thornton played a big part in that success, as the Eagles went 8-5 during his freshman campaign and 12-2 during his sophomore season. That would see Southern Mississippi’s fortunes change drastically in 2012, as the lost all twelve contests, followed by just one victory during a twelve-game 2013 schedule.

In run defense, Thorton is stout at the point of attack and plays with good leverage, enough to anchor and create a pile. He is an alert defender who works hard to keep containment, showing good lateral agility and balance to slide while fighting blockers. He has the long arms (78 5/8-inch wing span) and good strength to lock-out.

Thornton possesses explosive hands to disengage and is the type that won’t shed the block until he reads where the ball carrier is going. He demonstrates good effort laterally and downfield in pursuit, along with surprising speed for a man his size (5.03 in the 40-yard dash at the Combine). He can provide an explosive initial punch to jar the offensive lineman back onto his heels, thanks to powerful and quick hands to shed blocks.

Thornton flashes some explosiveness as a hitter, needing little momentum to rock the ball carrier. He has a thick lower body, which helps him anchor well against the run. He is a powerful bull rusher with good hand strength to disengage quickly, along with the upper-body strength to pull down ball carriers while occupied with a blocker.

He later calls Thornton the “Most Underrated” at the position.

Guy sounds like a late riser which might explain why he's a mystery/projected day 3 guy

I have a really hard time believing that this guy was the best player available.
He could work out, but it just seems like someone that could have easily been there in the 4th.

DoddPower;275888I have a really hard time believing that this guy was the best player available.
He could work out, but it just seems like someone that could have easily been there in the 4th.

This is the only pick so far that I just really don't like for any reason. Might be overkill but they would have been better off just grabbing another WR or just taking their highest rated defensive player regardless of position.

luigis;275885You just debunked my kidnapping and clone swap theory. This is more likely [grin1]


Now let's say you are d-lineman from a pseudo-team like the Lions, Bears or Vikes. You blanket whoever our center will be and TJ and you find a Rodgers t-shirt, you pull hard, take the guy down only to realize the evil smile of Richard Rodgers while Aaron scrambles for 20 yards untouched.

Evil genius Teddy, evil genius.

well with their gear on Rodgers and Rodgers could pass for cousins.

Edit I wake up this morning to see this was my 12,000 post.
It is a lame one.

Pretty big reach here. Like many, I was confused by this selection and the last (especially with Louis Nix still on the board).

But, whatever. None of us nor the experts that so brilliantly drop a draft grade on each team know how these players are going to pan out on their respective teams. What ultimately matters in the end is who is throwing to this kid and that is one of the best in the game right now.

Let's sit back and let Ted and Co. work their magic before we start calling this Ted's worst draft ever. That puts you on the level of Jon Gruden saying every team needed to draft Manziel in the first round.

RELAX.

Here's a really nice piece on this guy.
Potential as high as 2nd round?
Hmmm.

A subtle shot at Aaron Hernandez and who he plays for was a nice piece of humor.

http://www.ganggreennation.com/2014/2/19/5427200/scouting-the-draft-richard-rodgers-te-california

I'm going to speculate that no way in the world this was the highest rated guy on their board but with a comp pick they felt like it was monopoly money and just winged it on one of the biggest positions of need.
Perhaps, he's much faster than his timed speed when he's lighter.
Man, that guy's weight really bounces around a lot.


Former Cal HC the one who coached the other Rodgers on the Packers, declared this guy was going to be the best TE in the nation at one point.

Mucky Tundra;275892TE Metrics - Out Of The Box

Everyone bashing this pick should review these TE metrics comparisons. Great find Mucky!

There was not a single prognosticator that didn't have TE as a need for GB, and it looks like they grabbed a good one.

No one knows how long these players will last - and he's a fellow Cal Bear. I'm certain Aaron Rodgers had some input on this pick here at the end of R3.

uffda udfa;275898I'm going to speculate that no way in the world this was the highest rated guy on their board but with a comp pick they felt like it was monopoly money and just winged it on one of the biggest positions of need.
Perhaps, he's much faster than his timed speed when he's lighter.
Man, that guy's weight really bounces around a lot.


Former Cal HC the one who coached the other Rodgers on the Packers, declared this guy was going to be the best TE in the nation at one point.

Take a look at the article Mucky Tundra posted a few posts above. Richard Rodgers combine numbers seem pedestrian (albeit very similar to Finley's, as someone above mentioned). However, some of his stats are scary good. Rodgers YAC are just a hair less than Sammy Watkins and Mike Evans, and amongst the best at the TE position (Rodgers averaged more than 8 YAC). That stat is made even more impressive by the fact that most of Rodgers catches were 1-5 yards from the LOS - which means he was making catches with traffic around him. Additionally, whenever Rodgers caught the ball, he advanced the ball an average of +8 yards from the line of scrimmage - that's better than Sammy Watkins and Ebron. Again, this is made more impressive by the fact that the majority of Rodgers catches came within the first 10 yards of the line of scrimmage - where you will have multiple defenders around.

The one knock might be his 40 speed, but our TE coach said Rodgers plays faster than his 40 time. Again, I point out that Finley clocked in at almost the same 40 time as Rodgers, and no one will suggest Finley is too slow at TE.

The more video I see of Rodgers, the more I like him. He seems to be VERY smart for his position. I saw a play on the page you linked, uffda udfa (it's the first video), that shows Rodgers running a crossing route, realizing as he approaches the left hashmark that his QB wants to run the ball himself, then Rodgers extends his route so the defender follows Rodgers and opens space for his QB to run. You can see as he is running the route, Rodgers is constantly moving his head back and forth between his QB and the defender to assess the situation. That is pretty damn impressive, especially for someone who was spending his first year as a pure receiver.