Dein erstes Forum » The APC Staff reveals their January draft crushes.

"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections The APC PodcastPackers Film RoomFantasy Football AdviceCSTShareTweetShareShareWednesday Walkthroughs: Early Packers Draft CrushesKim Klement-USA TODAY SportsAdmit it: you’ve been reading mock drafts.It’s ok! With the Packers (sadly) on the outside looking in as Championship Weekend rolls around Color Rush Jace Sternberger Jersey , the draft and free agency is about all we’ve got.Even though the 2019 NFL Draft is months away, it’s never too early to start perusing draft rankings and projecting your favorites. We’re no different, and this week the APC staff is prepared to reveal who we’re crushing on as our attention turns to the offseason in earnest.What names are you watching?Peter Bukowski — Jachai Polite, EDGE, Florida The RetireMoms movement comes to Titletown. With the Packers in desperate need of an athletic playmaker to rush the passer, enter the twitched up Florida underclassman who exploded onto the scene in 2018 with 11 sacks and 19.5 TFLs. He won’t be for every team because of his size at 6’2 242, but his explosiveness, length, and bend shouldn’t hamper his ability to get after the quarterback in the Mike Pettine’s defense. Here’s a great example of why he’s not “small,” as he can use his length and technique to discard blockers. If Polite can translate some of his playmaking — he had six forced fumbles along with all those tackles behind the line — I just don’t care if he’s a little light to play against the run. Run it all day if you want to, because on third down Polite is coming off the edge and chances are you can’t block him. He’ll likely be available right in the range of the Green Bay’s first pick, and at 20 years old, has plenty of room to get stronger and more advanced with his technique. Harold Landry was a draft crush for a lot of Packers fans last season and Polite compares favorably with the ex-Boston College star who played for Matt LaFleur’s Titans last season. Younger, and without the injury concerns, Polite could turn out to be an even better prospect and would be a great fit at the 12th pick.Kris Burke — Kaden Smith, TE, StanfordThe Packers still have Jimmy Graham for at least another year but he is getting older and they still need to develop a receiving threat at the position.Smith brings size, strength and physicality and is not afraid to attack the middle of the field, something that the Packers’ offense has been lacking at tight end since the days of Jermichael Finley.He’s not projected as the top tight end in the draft and frankly I really don’t care.Smith’s tape to me looks like a perfect blend of Finley and Rob Gronkowski with a little bit of Graham sprinkled in.The Green Bay offense hasn’t gone at its normal clip since Finley was lost with a neck injury and a young talent like this could be just what the offense needs to regain its edge under LaFleur.Paul Noonan — David Edwards, OT, WisconsinI’m not the best person to ask, because I only watch one college team, but I love Edwards. The knock would be he’s a bit light and may conjure memories of Jason Spriggs Cheap Jace Sternberger Jersey , but his dominance in run-blocking, a sign of power and tenacity, should put some of that to rest. Edwards stock suffered a bit due to an injury-plagued junior season, but I would advocate ignoring that season entirely. Injuries happen and when he was healthy, he was among the best tackles in college football. The fact that you may be able to get him with a draft discount is just the icing on the cake. The Packers need offensive line depth, and an eventual replacement for Bulaga. Wisconsin linemen usually work, out, and Edwards would be a nice pickup. Jon Meerdink — The Large Tight EndsI’m not far enough into my draft prep (read: I haven’t looked at that many mock drafts) to form much of a substantive opinion on this year’s class, but fairly predictably, I find myself drawn to the tight end group. I haven’t gravitated to one in particular yet, but as with Adam Shaheen in 2017, the larger a the tight end, the better. Maybe it’s because I was once a tall, gangly tight end, but I sympathize with guys who look like they’d be more comfortable on the basketball court. They so often just seem annoyed by the (comparatively) tiny defensive backs swarming around their ankles and knees, and I find that very amusing. This is my draft crush. It doesn’t have to make sense.Whether it’s 6-8 Zach Gentry, 6-6 Foster Moreau, or 6-5 Noah Fant, I don’t particularly care. I’m just hoping the Packers draft a giant pass catcher so that I may adopt him as my large adult son and defend him at all costs.Evan “Tex” Western — T.J. Hockenson, TE, Iowa and Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, WR, OklahomaOf the two Iowa tight ends declaring for the 2019 NFL Draft Jace Sternberger Jersey Womens , Noah Fant will probably make the most noise at the Scouting Combine. He’ll test off the charts, probably with a 40-plus vertical and a 40 time under 4.60. That’s great, and he’d probably fit in Green Bay well as a move tight end. However, in Hockenson the Packers would get the true all-around tight end that they haven’t had — or haven’t used properly — in all of Mike McCarthy’s tenure. He’s a punishing blocker, but also a reliable receiver who has a knack for making big plays.Watch the film of his three catches against Wisconsin early in 2018 for a glimpse of his receiving ability. He went for 125 yards on those three receptions, giving the Badgers’ secondary fits. At 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds, he’s right in the ideal size range for tight ends, and probably could bulk up even a bit more. Iowa’s very much a tight end factory, with George Kittle, C.J. Fiedorowicz, Tony Moeaki, Dallas Clark, and more all coming out of Iowa City in the past decade-and-a-half.But again, Hockenson’s all around ability appeals to me, particularly because of the ways that the Shanahan offense uses those true in-line players. LaFleur was setting up to do so in Tennessee last season as well, before Delanie Walker was injured in week one and missed the rest of the season.My other crush right now is Hollywood Brown from Oklahoma. A small wideout at 5-foot-10 and around 170 pounds, Brown would seem to project as a slot receiver in the NFL. The Packers could certainly use help in that area, with Randall Cobb assumed to be gone in 2019. However, after some further thought, I see him as an inside-outside weapon, with his blazing speed making me think about another NFL comparison: DeSean Jackson. Brown and Jackson are almost the same size. If he runs in the 4.3 range — entirely possible based on his play speed — that could put him in the conversation for a late first-round pick, and he’d finally provide the blazing-fast deep threat that the Packers have lacked for the past several years.Packers-Bears Film Preview: Where will Khalil Mack line up for Chicago’s defense? Khalil Mack, the longtime Oakland Raider Jace Sternberger Green Bay Packer , is now the highest paid defensive player in the league. And he’s also a member of the Chicago Bears. If you had asked everyone six months ago how the Mack situation in Oakland would have played out, I bet you could have counted on one hand the number of people who said he was going to Chicago.Unfortunately, the Green Bay Packers are going to have to deal with this reality through 2024. In preparation for Sunday’s game, we take a look at how Mack’s transition from defensive end to outside linebacker might go.2014Mack saw the field right away in his rookie season, starting the season technically as the SAM, or Strong-side outside linebacker, in a 4-3 under formation.On early downs, Mack would be in a stand-up position on the LOS outside the defensive tackle.Standing up meant Mack was more of a read and react player, where he would engage with a blocker, read the play, shed the block, and pursue the ballcarrier.This read and react style of play tends to limit players’ pass rush pressures on these early downs, especially for younger players in the league, as the processing of the play type takes a split second, and that split second is vital when it comes to rushing the passer.Keep in mind that this does not apply when the linebacker is told to blitz; the read and react becomes someone else’s responsibility then.On passing situations, Mack would lineup as the rush end on either side of the defense. There didn’t appear to be a concise gameplan for which side Mack would rush from but it didn’t really matter - even though Mack expressed frustration that he only managed to record 4.5 sacks on the year, he piled up the pressures as he ranked tied for 5th in the league.2015Mack, under new head coach Jack Del Rio and defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr., still started games in a standing position and he was able to have success there.However, Mack was increasingly playing with his hand in the dirt.Norton Jr., similar to his predecessor, also employed a 4-3 defense but officially moved Mack to a DE position. Here he is rushing off the left side against Packers right tackle Bryan Bulaga.By starting with a hand on the ground and playing the defensive end position, it relinquishes (to an extent Jace Sternberger Jersey 2019 , as it’s playcall dependent) the read and react nature of the outside linebacker position and instead the player can focus on beating the man in front of him.The results spoke for themselves; freed up to be more aggressive in pursuit of the ball, Mack finished the year with 15 sacks, second only to J.J. Watt.What stood out to me was how effortless Mack makes everything look - shedding blocks, speed moves, long arm moves, backside pursuit, inside counters - Mack had evolved from raw rookie to an elite edge player in one season.In reviewing Mack’s film, it’s interesting to note that of his 18 combined individual and half sacks that year (12 individual sacks worth 1, 6 combined sacks worth .5 for a total of 15 sacks), only three out of those 18 combined sacks came when he was playing in a stand-up position and none of those three were high quality.The first came when he only had a running back blocking him who missed a cut block; the second came when he chased down a quarterback playing a spy position; and the third was a cleanup sack brought by other players’ pressure.Additionally, 15 of the 18 combined sacks came when he was rushing from the left side of the defense.While this may sound important, don’t let this fool you - this was only because Mack predominantly lined up in a down position on the left side of the defense, thereby having a much greater number of opportunities to accumulate those sacks.There’s absolutely no question in my mind that if he had lined up in, say, a standup position on the right side, Mack would have had a similar impact.2016 and 2017Mack, now fully entrenched as the premier pass rusher in the league, was receiving the respect from offenses that he deserved.It took him four games to get his first sack in 2016, due in large part to offenses recognizing what a force he is, and either double teaming him or getting the ball out quickly.Mack didn’t do anything new or line up in many different spots; on early downs or with heavier offensive looks Mack saw a lot of time as the left defensive end and would line up outside the offensive tackle or tight end if there was one.He would still play in a stand-up position sometimes:On passing downs, Mack would widen out but primarily stick to the left side, going up against the offense’s right tackle.This is what Mack did for a majority of the time.Similar to 2015, very few sacks came from a standup position or from anywhere but the left side.Mack was being played in a fixed position on passing downs Jace Sternberger Jersey Mens , and he was reaping the benefits. Just look at his sacks:But versatility is king in the modern NFL defense and the Raiders were beginning to recognize that as well.Mack has the athleticism and overall talent to lineup anywhere on the field and be productive, so Norton Jr. would on occasion have him line up inside with Bruce Irvin and have other linemen play on the outside:or Norton would switch Mack over to the right side.As teams want to gain every edge possible, defensive fronts would change based upon the weekly and in-game matchups that were presented, and traditional defensive roles were blurred.2018Now it’s time to face the music — Khalil Mack will be chasing Aaron Rodgers around for roughly 80 plays a year for the forseeable future.Mack is slotted as an outside linebacker for the Bears, an important position for the success of Vic Fangio’s defense as it is in most 3-4 defenses.They need to rush the passer, set the edge on runs, and occasionally drop back in coverage.Outside linebackers are asked to do a lot, and the Bears’ lack of pressure in recent years has been largely blamed on poor outside linebacker play.While it has been a minute since Mack consistently played outside linebacker, he’s been successful at whatever position he’s been put in.I would expect him to play standing up in the LOLB spot in base packages, but quickly get kicked down on the line in sub packages so he can do what he got a record breaking contract to do. I don’t expect Mack to switch sides from left to right; its clear that he’s had success on the left side and Chicago’s other outside linebacker, Leonard Floyd, is a solid young talent.Packer fans might be ruing the fact they didn’t draft a replacement for Bryan Bulaga, because that’s the matchup we’re going to see a lot of.As teams have figured out with every superstar pass rusher, you cannot block them one on one for any length of time and be successful unless the ball leaves the quarterback’s hands in two seconds or less.The Packers are at their best when the offense is able to strike quickly, but Aaron Rodgers has a propensity to hold on to the ball and squeeze every second out of a play.The Packers will have to adjust their game-planning a bit in order to account for Mack — I would predict a lot of chipping by tight ends and running backs.In all honesty, though, I want to see Mack line up over David Bakhtiari 60 times a game and have those two go one on one.The best pass rusher in the league versus the best pass blocker in the league is must-see TV.No matter where Mack lines up, hopefully, Green Bay will be able to limit the number of times this happens.