PFR Originals News & Rumors

PFR Originals: 8/14/16 – 8/21/16

August 21st, 2016 at 3:03pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past week:

In PFR’s new series The Beat, Zach is conducting interviews with beat writers, columnists, and TV personalities about the team that they cover. This week, Zach spoke with Terry McCormick of TitansInsider.com, and discussed the Titans, DeMarco Murray, Andre Johnson, Dorial Green-Beckham, and Jack Conklin.
PFR has continued to go over each team’s rookie class with the assistance of scouting guru Dave-Te Thomas, who has served as a consultant to NFL teams for multiple decades. Dave covered four clubs last week:
- Atlanta Falcons
- Carolina Panthers
- Detroit Lions
- Minnesota Vikings
PFR has also continued to look back at the offseasons for all 32 clubs, examining the major signings, departures, trades, and other notable offseason events for each team. We covered three clubs over the past week:
- Green Bay Packers
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- San Francisco 49ers
Zach rounded up the best of the football blogs in the latest edition of Pigskin Links.

Impact Rookies: Carolina Panthers

August 19th, 2016 at 9:00am CST by Zachary Links

The old adage that defense wins championships may or may not be true, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a title-winning team that didn’t build heavily through the draft. Rookie classes, naturally, are evaluated on the perceived upside of the NFL newcomers, but which rookies are ready to contribute right out of the gate? And, how do they fit in with their new team schematically?

To help us forecast the immediate future of these NFL neophytes, we enlisted the help of draft guru Dave-Te Thomas who has served as a scouting personnel consultant to NFL teams for multiple decades.

First Round – Vernon Butler, DT (Louisiana Tech, No. 30 overall)

While Butler is certain to play an important role in the defensive tackle rotation this year, his arrival holds even further importance. With the first round pick showing flashes in camp, the Panthers have not yet embraced the idea of giving right defensive tackle Kawann Short the long-term deal the player wants. They could let Short walk after the season, if Butler shows he is ready to step in and contribute this season.

Before his junior season, Tech coaches were seriously considering moving Butler to the offensive line – reasoning that his burst off the snap might be a better fit trap blocking from the guard position. Instead, they kept him on the D-Line and watched his draft stock soar.

Butler is a highly competitive sort who relishes his role as the defense’s “garbage man,” taking on multiple blockers constantly to free up a fellow Bulldog defender to make the play. He is simply unstoppable when he charges through the gaps and uses his hands with tremendous force when facing constant double teams. Some scouts were concerned about his gas tank late in games, but he worked hard during the 2015 offseason to get his weight down in order to eliminate his “tired legs” issue.

His strength at the point of attack is one of his best assets, as I have yet to see any blocker, or blockers, capable of riding him out once he anchors and establishes position in the trenches. He doesn’t use his violent hand punch as much as he should, but he can easily obliterate any blocker once he gets his hands into their body. He is the type that will rarely ever get bounced around by double teams, thanks to his overall strength and ability to remain at a low pad level. With his big, strong hands, body mass and aggression, Butler excels at shutting down the interior running game.

Second Round – James Bradberry, CB (Samford, No. 62 overall)

When a team loses a vital cog in their secondary like Josh Norman, it is very hard to replace that talent. However, the Panthers thought that Norman might have peaked last year and was not worth the money he was asking. Besides, there were locker room whispers than his on-field antics were starting to get in the way of his play and the solution for the team was to find his replacement in the draft. Carolina selected Bradberry in the second round, followed by West Virginia’s Daryl Worley in the third round. They then took Oklahoma’s Zack Sanchez in the fifth round, hoping one might of the three emerge this year. The Panthers’ depth chart now has Bradberry and Worley in the starting spots while Sanchez will serve as the swingman, backing up both of his fellow rookie defensive backs.

The reason for his instant success in Panthers camp is the fact that Bradberry is a smart, instinctive, and tough football player, one who diagnoses plays quickly and frequently a step ahead of the receivers. He is a physical tackler who can jam receivers when asked to line up in press coverage and he has the closing burst, along with awareness and positioning to make plays on the ball in flight, showing that second gear needed to run with receivers downfield.

Bradberry has fluid hips and can change directions instantly, doing a nice job of rotating his hips when coming out of his backpedal. He is savvy enough to know how to recover from rare false steps when keeping the receiver in front of him and he displays natural hands to snatch the ball out of the air. In run support, he fills hard and flashes the ability to deliver the big hit. He takes sound pursuit angles and is a consistent open field tackler that does a nice job of breaking down in space.

While his total tackle numbers are not awe-inspiring, Bradberry consistently steps up and makes hard tackles in run support and on receivers after the catch. He does a good job of using his hands to jolt and slow the receiver’s release off the line of scrimmage and he is able to stay with the receiver on short routes. He has the ball skills to reach in front of the receiver and consistently break up passes. He also reads the quarterback well in zone coverage. When he gets started toward the receiver, he has a good closing burst to either break up or intercept the pass and is especially effective in the red zone.

Third Round – Daryl Worley, CB (West Virginia, No. 77 overall)

Worley continues to prove in camp that his 2015 season, when he led the Big Twelve Conference with six interceptions and twelve pass deflections was no fluke. Through 34 games with the Mountaineers, he started 27 times – often covering the opponent’s top wide receiver. He recorded 146 tackles (126 solos) through three seasons, making 9.5 stops-for-loss while picking off a total of ten passes and breaking up 21 other throws.

Worley is a well-built athlete and he uses his size to be very effective with his initial jam at the line of scrimmage. He displays loose hips to turn and run with the receiver and can shadow even the speediest opponent due to very good lateral quickness and the ability to plant and go out of his cuts. He has that explosive burst to close on the ball and evident by his thefts and break-up figures, he gets his hands on a lot of passes.

Worley is a natural playmaker with soft hands for the interception, one who times his leaps well and can snatch the ball out of the air. He demonstrates good body control to make the catch outside of his frame and looks natural with the ball in his hands, along with possessing a good feel for the return and the vision to set up blocks. He has the agility and quick burst to accelerate, which makes him a reliable open-field tackler who can break down in space well and wrap his arms securely.

Seventh Round – Beau Sandland, TE (Montana State, No. 252 overall)

Normally, a seventh round tight end will barely get noticed in Panthers camp, but with All-Pro Greg Olsen dealing with back problems and backup Ed Dickson sidelined with a groin injury, the former Miami product who transferred to MSU is in line to earn the final spot on the three-man tight end depth chart.

This well-traveled tight end finally found a home in the Big Sky Country, where he has developed some very impressive blocking skills. Sandland sat out the 2014 schedule after transferring in late August. It allowed him time to add muscle and bulk in the training room. By the time the 2015 season commenced, he was firmly entrenched as the Bobcats’ starter. The All-American third-team and All-Big Sky Conference first-team choice by The NFL Draft Report contributed 37 catches for 632 yards and nine touchdowns during his lone season at MSU. Sandland’s nine scoring receptions led the tight end in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision ranks and his 632 yards placed second at that position behind 850 recorded by Harvard’s Ben Braunecker. His nine touchdowns also tied for fifth on the school’s season-record chart.

Sandland is a fluid open field runner who is a valid threat to stretch the field or out-muscle defenders to get to the ball in a crowd. He is the type of runner that needs to be accounted for by the opposing safeties, as the slower linebackers struggle to maintain mirror in his route progression. He has large, natural, soft hands that lets him extend to catch outside the body’s frame. He almost never body catches and has the pluck-and-snatch agility to get to almost any pass thrown his way (only two drops in 2015). He is a smooth catcher and makes a concentrated effort to get to all throws – even the off-target ones.

Undrafted Rookie Free Agent – Keyarris Garrett, WR (Tulsa)

Kelvin Benjamin is reportedly out of shape as he recovers from last season’s knee injury and fellow wide receivers Stephen Hill (knee) and Brenton Bensin (ribs) also at less than 100%. One player to keep an eye on as training camp winds down is free agent Keyarris Garrett. The Tulsa standout was not taken in the draft, despite standing at 6’4″, 222 pounds with 4.5-second speed and a 37-inch vertical jump. Last season, he averaged 122.2 receiving yards per game, tallying an NCAA-best 1,588 yards with eight touchdowns on 96 catches.

Back in form as a senior, Garrett tested well at the NFL Scouting Combine and during Tulsa’s Pro Day, but then sat and waited for a phone to ring during the three-day draft event. Knowing that the Panthers were lacking depth at wide receiver and their penchant for signing big wideouts, so far, it looks like the team and player are finding common ground. If the injuries linger for Hill and Bersin, the Tulsa talent might be able to secure the fourth or fifth spot in the receiving corps.

Garrett is “starting to string it together,” according to head coach Ron Rivera, as the receiver has caught Rivera’s attention with his good performances throughout training camp. Now, the prolific producer at Tulsa is looking to continue his recent success in an attempt to carve out a role in the passing game. Based on his performance last year, you can see he is a player who can dominate smaller defensive backs with his height and strong overall build. His long strides give him deceptive downfield speed and he takes advantage of soft coverage with receiver screens and short patterns, making better use of his foot quickness than expected for his size.

Garrett generates quick moves at the line to get off a jam and shows that he is able to snatch the ball with his hands, secure it and quickly turn to get additional yardage. He has become a strong red-zone presence and jump-ball target due to his height, length and size. He will use his hands well while blocking on the outside, which can make him a valuable asset in the running game. While he doesn’t have elite top-end speed he does demonstrate impressive body control and soft hands.

The Tulsa product can twist his body to catch off-target passes with remarkable ease and can get up high to make the catch over cornerback in jump-ball situations. He has shown in camp that not only is he fully recovered from leg woes, but that he has no fear catching passes in traffic, taking a hard hit and holding on to the ball. He is the type that comes down the line aggressively and will blow up the linebacker on a crack-back block. He also does well blocking down the field, staying after blocks and eliminating the defender to spring the ball carrier for a big play.

Dave-Te Thomas owns and operates The NFL Draft Report, a service providing insight to league scouting departments for over 40 years. All year round, you can read Thomas’ in-depth reviews of both blue chip prospects and diamonds in the rough by visiting the NFL Draft Report blog.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Offseason In Review: Green Bay Packers

August 18th, 2016 at 6:26pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

For the majority of NFL teams, finishing the regular season with 10 wins and picking up a playoff victory would constitute a successful year. The Packers accomplished those feats in 2015, yet their season was at least somewhat of a disappointment, especially after they got off to a 6-0 start. As the Packers scuffled over the season’s final 10 games, so did superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers, whose descent (by his lofty standards) began in Week 8 during a 77-yard showing in a 29-10 loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Broncos.

Including their shellacking in Denver, the Packers closed the regular season 4-6 and shockingly lost three of four games at Lambeau Field during that stretch. Each of those home defeats came at the hands of the NFC North, a division Green Bay had won four straight times entering last season. The final blow, a 20-13 decision against Minnesota in Week 17, cost the Packers the division and gave Minnesota its first North title since 2009. The Packers regained some of their mojo in the playoffs, going on the road to blow out the Redskins and then losing an overtime thriller to Arizona in one of the greatest games ever played, but they never really resembled Super Bowl contenders after their season-opening hot streak.

Part of the problem for Green Bay was the absence of standout No. 1 receiver Jordy Nelson, who didn’t play a game last season after suffering a torn ACL over the summer. The loss of Nelson took a player who had combined for 183 receptions, 2,833 yards and 21 touchdowns from 2013-14 away from the Packers’ Rodgers-led aerial attack. Rodgers and the offense in general didn’t enjoy life without Nelson, but with the wideout now healthy, the team will try to return to its division-winning, championship-contending ways.

Notable signings:

Mason Crosby, K: Five years, $16.1MM. $5MM guaranteed.
James Starks, RB: Two years, $6MM. $1.5MM guaranteed. $600K available annually via incentives.
Nick Perry, LB: One year, $5MM. $1.5MM guaranteed.
Jared Cook, TE: One year, $2.75MM. $825K guaranteed. $900K available via incentives.
Lane Taylor, OL: Two years, $4.15MM. $600K guaranteed.
Letroy Guion, DT: Three years, $11.25MM. $500K guaranteed. $250K available via escalators.
Lerentee McCray, LB: One year, $800K. $50K guaranteed.
Don Barclay, OL: One year, $700K.

As he has typically done since taking the reins as the Packers’ general manager in 2005, Ted Thompson largely eschewed the free agent market and mostly focused on retaining homegrown talent during the offseason. Of the Packers’ six most expensive signings this year, four were originally acquired either in the draft or, in offensive tackle Lane Taylor‘s case, as an undrafted free agent. Another, defensive tackle Letroy Guion, had been a Packer the previous two years.

The Packers’ most notable outside pickup during the winter was tight end Jared Cook, to whom they committed just one year and $2.75MM. Given that Cook only ended up on the market after the Rams released him, the Packers won’t have to surrender a compensatory draft pick for signing the 29-year-old.

Before joining the Packers, the 6-foot-5, 254-pound Cook was durable and productive in Tennessee and St. Louis from 2011-15, missing a mere three of 80 games and combining for 235 catches, 3,064 yards and 15 scores. Last season was the only one during that five-year period in which Cook caught fewer than 44 passes (39) and three TDs (zero). He hasn’t visited the end zone since Dec. 7, 2014, to be exact, and on another alarming note, led tight ends in drops (10) last season, per Evan Silva of Rotoworld. Cook also underwent foot surgery a couple months after signing with Green Bay, but he returned to the field last week and has since impressed Rodgers. The two-time MVP lauded Cook’s speed Monday and likened him to field-stretching ex-Packers tight end Jermichael Finley.

Between Cook and Richard Rodgers, who caught 58 passes and scored eight times a year ago, the Packers have a tight end duo capable of being among the league’s most prolific. Rodgers will cede targets to Cook, though, after dominating Packers tight ends in snaps last season (799 to second-place finisher Justin Perillo‘s 115). Part of that was on account of a torn MCL that kept Andrew Quarless out for most of the season. When Quarless was healthy two years ago, he and Rodgers combined for 1,108 snaps. With Cook replacing Quarless, who’s now with the division-rival Lions, Green Bay’s reliance on its top two tight ends should revisit (and perhaps exceed) its 2014 level.

Continue reading about the Packers’ offseason..

In addition to Cook, running back James Starks will serve as one of the Packers’ skill-position weapons in 2016. Starks spent his first six seasons with the Pack, but the 30-year-old drew offseason interest from at least two other teams (the Patriots and Dolphins) before re-upping in Green Bay through 2017. Starks, who logged career highs in several key categories last season, will continue as a steady backup to the slimmed-down Eddie Lacy.

“Eddie and James is our 1-2 punch,” head coach Mike McCarthy told Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. “That’s been an excellent combination now going into our third year with those two guys. It’s important to establish that and make sure those guys touch the football.”

Every time Starks has scored during his career, Mason Crosby has kicked the extra point. That’s not going to change, as he easily landed the Packers’ largest offseason deal in length (five years), total value ($16.1MM) and guarantees ($5MM). Crosby, a Packer since they picked him in the sixth round of the 2007 draft, is now one of the league’s highest-paid kickers. The 31-year-old was mediocre from 2007-10 and a disaster in 2012, but he has otherwise connected on between 81.8 percent and 89.2 percent of field goal tries during the other four seasons of his career. Crosby hit 24 of 28 attempts (85.7 percent) and made all but one of five kicks from 50-plus yards (the miss was blocked) last season. He was also one of only two kickers to go without a miss on at least 35 extra points (he had 36).

On a per-year basis, outside linebacker Nick Perry collected the Packers’ most expensive offseason contract. Perry will rake in $5MM this season, but the team didn’t commit to him beyond that. Green Bay actually elected in 2015 to decline Perry’s fifth-year option for $7.75MM, so the club came out on top in retaining him for less. Ideally, though, Perry would have been worthy of that option. Instead, the 2012 first-rounder (28th overall) hasn’t quite lived up his draft status. He’s decent depth, however, and has totaled 12.5 sacks and five forced fumbles during his career. Perry amassed 3.5 sacks and one forced fumble while partaking in 33.4 percent of the Packers’ defensive snaps last season, leading Pro Football Focus (subscription required) to assign his performance a mediocre 58th-place ranking among 110 qualified edge defenders.

For the third season in a row, Guion will be one of the linemen in front of Perry. The 322-pounder avoided free agency by inking a three-year, $11.25 deal a month beforehand, though his contract contains a measly $500K in guarantees. Guion’s earning power took a serious hit as a result of a February 2015 felony arrest, one which came after Starke, Fla., police found 357 grams of marijuana and an unloaded gun in his truck. Guion ended up accepting a plea deal and settling the matter a month later, but the league subsequently hit him with a three-game suspension to begin last season. By including little in the way of guarantees in their pact with Guion, the Packers protected themselves against future off-field incidents and kept a solid nose tackle on a low-risk accord.

B.J. Raji is at least temporarily out of the picture (more on him in the next section), and fellow lineman Mike Pennel will miss the year’s first four games thanks to a substance abuse violation, making Guion all the more important to the Packers’ cause in 2016. Notably, when Raji sat out the entire 2014 season with a torn right biceps, Guion started all of Green Bay’s games and easily led their interior D-linemen in snap percentage (50.1).

Notable losses:

Brett Goode, LS
Casey Hayward, CB
James Jones, WR
John Kuhn, FB
Andy Mulumba, LB
Mike Neal, LB
Nate Palmer, LB: Waived
Andrew Quarless, TE
B.J. Raji, DT: Hiatus
Sean Richardson, S
Scott Tolzien, QB

As mentioned, Raji is no longer a member of the Packers, making this the first time since 2008 that Green Bay is entering a season without the 334-pounder under its control. The Packers wanted to re-sign Raji, who’s currently a free agent, but the 30-year-old is taking a hiatus from the sport.

Aside from missing 2014, Raji had been a mainstay along the Packers’ front since they drafted him ninth overall in 2009. Raji started in all 77 of his appearances from 2010-15, including 15 last season. His 2016 showing didn’t impress PFF, however, as the site ranked him 97th among 123 qualified interior defensive linemen. With Raji as the centerpiece of their line last season, the Packers ended up 21st in rushing defense (119.1) and tied for 26th in yards per carry against (4.5). They were a much better 13th in run defense by Football Outsiders’ standards, though, after the site gave the Packers a 24th-place ranking in that department without Raji in 2014.

Along with Raji’s exit came the departure of cornerback Casey Hayward, who parlayed his 51-game, nine-interception stint in Wisconsin into a reasonable deal with the Chargers. Although Hayward went without an interception last season after picking off three the previous year, he spent time both in the slot and on the outside, started a career-high 11 games and graded as PFF’s 16th-best corner among 111 qualifiers. During his run in Green Bay, which began when it grabbed him in the second round of the 2012 draft, Hayward lined up in the slot on 65.4 percent of the passing downs in which he participated and held opposing quarterbacks to a weak 72.1 rating on those plays (via Jared Durbin of CBS Sports).

As good as Hayward is, the Packers still look fine at corner with Sam Shields, Damarious Randall, Quinten Rollins and Demetri Goodson set to comprise their top four. Of course, enemy offenses will put their depth to the test early on account of Goodson’s four-game PED suspension. Their next two corner options, Ladarius Gunter (40 snaps) and Daniel Robertson (zero snaps), garnered little experience as undrafted rookies last season.

In addition to Raji and Hayward, the Packers’ defense also lost linebackers Mike Neal and Nate Palmer, who combined for 1,273 snaps a year ago. Most of those (734) went to Neal, who trailed only Clay Matthews among Packers linebackers. He also racked up 16 appearances for the third straight year and at least four sacks for the fourth straight season. Nevertheless, Neal remains a free agent, which he heavily attributes to the league’s ongoing investigation into claims that he and a handful of other players previously took performance-enhancing drugs. Matthews and Julius Peppers, both of whom have agreed to cooperate with the NFL, are also involved in that probe. Neal, on the other hand, hasn’t yet consented to an interview with the league regarding the accusations. If he doesn’t by next Thursday, he’ll face a suspension.

Neal’s ouster from Green Bay came as part of an offseason outside linebacker remodeling, as Ryan Wood of USA Today detailed in May, with Matthews headed back there from the middle, third-rounder Kyler Fackrell coming in, and third-year man Jayrone Elliott in line for more playing time. Of course, Green Bay also has Peppers and Perry on the outside, and Datone Jones – previously a full-time defensive end – is in the mix, too. Thus, the Packers are amply prepared for life without Neal and Palmer.

Offensively, the Packers chose not to re-sign a pair of fan favorites – receiver James Jones and fullback John Kuhn. Jones was a Packer from 2007-13, but he left for the Raiders in 2014. That didn’t work out, nor did a brief summer fling with the Giants, so he returned to Green Bay last September and ended up catching 50 passes for 890 yards (good for an excellent 17.8 YPC) and eight touchdowns. Despite that respectable production, the Pack didn’t show any real interest in re-upping Jones, who took a deal with the Chargers earlier this month.

The Jones-less Packers are in better shape than most at receiver, where Nelson will return to join Randall Cobb as their two best options. However, Davante Adams disappointed last season, Jared Abbrederis and Ty Montgomery combined for 24 catches, and playoff hero Jeff Janis is out for the foreseeable future with a broken hand.

As for Kuhn, he became an improbable success story with the Packers after signing with them in 2007. Now a Saint, Kuhn missed only five games in nine years with the Packers, made four Pro Bowls and, including playoffs, scored 30 combined touchdowns as a runner and receiver. In a league that’s phasing out fullbacks, Kuhn still managed to appear in 26.6 of Green Bay’s offensive snaps last season. Aaron Ripkowski, a 2015 sixth-rounder, will replace Kuhn in Green Bay. Their fans won’t have as easy a time chanting his name as they did Kuhn’s, though.

Trades:

Acquired a 2016 second-round pick (No. 48) from the Colts in exchange for a 2016 second-round pick (No. 57), a 2016 fourth-round pick (No. 125), and a 2016 seventh-round pick (No. 248).

Draft picks:

1-27: Kenny Clark, DL (UCLA)
2-48: Jason Spriggs, T (Indiana)
3-88: Kyler Fackrell, LB (Utah State)
4-131: Blake Martinez, LB (Stanford)
4-137: Dean Lowry, DL (Northwestern)
5-163: Trevor Davis, WR (California)
6-200: Kyle Murphy, OL (Stanford)

In hopes of securing a couple long-term building blocks up front, the Packers addressed the lines with their first two draft picks. Their top choice, well-rounded defender Kenny Clark (No. 27 overall), amassed 73 tackles and 5.5 sacks en route to third-team All-America honors last season at UCLA. In the wake of Raji’s quasi-retirement, the Packers will rely heavily on Clark as a rookie. He’s primed to start alongside Guion and Mike Daniels as they look to stuff the run and aid a Green Bay pass rush that produced the seventh-most sacks in the league (43) in 2015. Clark should contribute in both areas, as PFF’s Steve Palazzolo highlighted in a pre-draft scouting.

In assessing Clark, PFR’s own scouting expert, Dave-Te Thomas, wrote: “Clark has a very explosive initial step with quick feet, good athleticism and balance for his size, along with the body control and low pad level to come off the snap and get an immediate advantage versus a lethargic offensive lineman. He flashes a strong, consistent hand punch, enough to consistently put the blocker up on his heels, driving with good leverage walking that lineman back into the pocket. He has that initial burst needed on movement and the suddenness to gain advantage when engaging double teams. He has good initial quickness coming off the snap and for a player of his size, that burst can surprise an offensive lineman.”

With their second pick, the Packers moved up to take ex-Indiana offensive tackle Jason Spriggs in Round 2. In doing so, they gave up the 57th, 125th and 248th picks, which Chase Stuart of Football Perspective estimated in May as Green Bay paying the Colts 130 cents on the dollar.

Initially, Spriggs will act as depth behind starting tackles David Bakhtiari and Bryan Bulaga – who combined to miss six games last season. Bulaga hasn’t played a 16-game season since 2010, his rookie year, so Spriggs’ presence might come in handy immediately. Going forward, Spriggs could replace impending free agent Bakhtiari on the left side next year. in the meantime, the 301-pound Spriggs will have work to do, as Thomas explained, “Spriggs has a tall frame with minimal body fat, but will need to add at least 20 to 25 pounds of bulk to succeed at left tackle.”

Like Spriggs, the aforementioned Fackrell might not contribute much this year. As mentioned, the Packers are loaded with depth at outside linebacker, for one, and the third-rounder from Utah State got off to an inauspicious start at camp. On a better note, Fackrell picked up a sack against the Browns in the Packers’ preseason opener last Friday. He accumulated a total of 13 during his three full college seasons, including five in 2015, and will make his mark in the pros as a pass rusher (if he makes one, that is).

The Packers had two fourth-rounders, the first of which they used to select another linebacker – ex-Stanford Cardinal Blake Martinez. Green Bay might have a steal on its hands in Martinez, who is set to accrue significant playing time in the middle of its defense this year after piling up 138 tackles and two sacks last season. Thomas likens him to former Pack linebacker Nick Barnett and current Jets stalwart David Harris.

Six picks after landing Martinez, the Packers circled back to the defensive line and added former Northwestern Wildcat Dean Lowry at No. 137. Lowry, like Martinez, has a legitimate chance to emerge as a great value pick immediately. With Fennel on the shelf for a quarter of the season, Lowry will be a relied-on member of the Packers’ defense. The 296-pound end filled the stat sheet at Northwestern, where he notched 28 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks from 2013-15.

Other:

Declined 2017 fifth-year option for DE Datone Jones ($8.369MM).
Learned CB Demetri Goodson would be suspended four games (PED policy).
Learned DT Mike Pennel would be suspended four games (substance abuse policy).
Signed 19 undrafted free agents following the draft.

In Perry and Jones, their top pick in 2013, the Packers have back-to-back first-rounders whose fifth-year options they’ve elected against exercising in consecutive offseasons. The club decided in May not to pick up Jones’ $8.369MM option for 2017, which could make this his last season in Green Bay. Jones, 26, had eight sacks in three seasons as a D-lineman and will look to up his production in a hybrid role this year. To prepare for reps as an edge-rushing outside linebacker, Jones lost 15 pounds during the offseason, thereby dropping his weight to 284, according to Tom McMahon of the Associated Press. The returns have been positive so far.

“He got off to a very good start, had some very good physical plays, had the sack,” defensive coordinator Dom Capers said of Jones’ performance against the Browns.

Top 10 cap hits for 2016:

Aaron Rodgers, QB: $19,250,000
Clay Matthews, LB: $13,750,000
Sam Shields, CB: $12,000,000
Julius Peppers, DE/LB: $10,500,000
Randall Cobb, WR: $9,150,000
Jordy Nelson, WR: $8,300,000
Mike Daniels, DE: $7,400,000
Josh Sitton, G: $6,850,000
T.J. Lang, G: $6,181,250
Morgan Burnett, S: $5,956,250

The Packers didn’t live up to expectations in 2015, but it’s still fair to regard them as legitimate Super Bowl contenders entering this season. Not only is Nelson rejoining their offense, but their elite quarterback remains the face of an all-around terrific roster. At minimum, a return to the top of what will likely be a competitive NFC North should be within reach for Green Bay. Given that there don’t appear to be any pushovers in the division, the utter dominance the Packers exhibited in going a combined 20-3-1 against the Vikings, Lions and Bears from 2011-14 is likely in the rearview mirror.

Contract information from Over the Cap and Spotrac was used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Impact Rookies: Atlanta Falcons

August 18th, 2016 at 10:20am CST by Zachary Links

To help us forecast the immediate future of these NFL neophytes, we enlisted the help of draft guru Dave-Te Thomas who has served as a scouting personnel consultant to NFL teams for multiple decades.

First Round – Keanu Neal, S (Florida, No. 17 overall)

When the Falcons drafted Neal, they did so with the idea that he would start at strong safety from Day 1. That’s exactly how the Falcons are going to use the youngster just as soon as he rebounds from his “trunk” injury that has dogged him in recent weeks.

Neal is a smooth, fluid mover who has done quite a nice job of making plays at the opposite side of the field, thanks to his burst, second gear, and ability to sift through traffic to get to the ball. He shows excellent ball reactionary skills, along with the quick decision-making process to close on the play with good urgency. He can change direction in an instant and does a nice job of maintaining position when challenged by lead blockers assisting vs. the ground game.

He has the nimble feet you would want in a free safety, along with the loose hips to recover quickly when a receiver gets behind him. He can turn and run with the speediest of receivers, as he is a savvy player who knows how to disrupt the route’s progression by using his hands to knock his coverage assignments off stride. He has the loose hips and sudden burst to close on the ball in a hurry and shows good body control in transition. Neal has excellent hand/eye coordination, along with the leaping ability to get fine elevation going up to get to the pass at its high point (team’s active interception leader). He is quick and fast, which allows him to keep plays in front of him and mirror even the swift flankers and split ends in deep secondary coverage.

While he is too valuable as a centerfielder to remove him from either safety position, he has the speed, range and mirroring ability to excel as a slot cornerback, as he is fluid and calm in one-on-one confrontations with split ends and flankers, along with showing the physicality to reroute tight ends and slot backs working in the short areas. Neal has the quickness, agility, and speed needed in the slot to more than handle any NFL No. 3 receiver. His play is reminiscent of Ryan Clark in terms of his ability to quickly locate the receiver and stay on the hip of his man throughout the route.

Neal came into this draft with experience at both safety positions, but thanks to the recent success that the Cardinals and Rams had in utilizing big safeties to play the Cover-2 linebacker role, Neal drew extra attention. Handling Cover-2 assignments at the next level will see Neal return to his roots as he was a second level defender during his days at South Sumter High School.

Continue reading about the Falcons’ rookies..

Second Round – Deion Jones, ILB (LSU, No. 52 overall)

The Falcons have missed the steady play of Curtis Lofton, having let the middle linebacker leave after the 2011 season. Paul Worrilow manned the position last year, leading the team with 95 tackles, but the slow-footed defender struggled to contain the running game, evident by the twenty touchdowns Atlanta allowed vs. the run last season. While there were much bigger options in the draft, Atlanta recognized that Jones’ instincts and quickness far outweigh his deficiencies – size and bulk.

Still, the Butkus Award finalist joins the team having only started for the Tigers last season. He did make the most of his one year with the first unit, leading LSU in tackles with 100. Previously, he had thrived on special teams for first three years before flourishing as a senior at outside linebacker. He capped his career with 165 tackles, 21.0 stops-for-loss, and five sacks while playing in 51 games with 12 starts. He would serve as team captain and shared the squad MVP honors.

What separates Jones from most in his draft class is his outstanding instincts and reaction speed, as he knows the game and plays very fast. He is the type that reads plays quickly, whether smelling out a screen or coming off an edge blitz to take away an open back coming into the flat. There are times where he can get a bit overzealous against the run and will bite on play-action, but he has that burst needed to recover.

Because of his range, Jones can cover more ground than most linebackers, as he displays good lateral quickness and generally takes solid angles. He is also the type that can generate straight-line speed and closing burst to make impact plays in the backfield (13.5 tackles-for-loss in 2015). He does a nice job of breaking down in the open field and will consistently wrap up and get his man down. His only real knock here is that he does not display explosive initial pop as a hitter, which is partially a byproduct of his lack of elite size and bulk.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Offseason In Review: San Francisco 49ers

August 17th, 2016 at 8:55pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

This past offseason brought far less upheaval to San Francisco than last year’s, but it certainly wasn’t a smooth winter for the 49ers. After racking up a paltry five wins en route to a last-place NFC West finish in 2015, the 49ers made a coaching change for a second straight year. Once the 49ers tabbed Chip Kelly to replace Jim Tomsula on the sidelines, acrimony between them and their erstwhile franchise quarterback led to months of speculation about a possible trade.

The Niners came close to sending Colin Kaepernick to the Broncos, but talks fell through after the 28-year-old refused a pay cut to join the reigning Super Bowl champions. As a result, the 49ers have a potential backup signal-caller with an $11.9MM base salary on their hands. While Kaepernick entered the summer set to compete with ex-Jaguars bust Blaine Gabbert for the starting job, a “dead arm” has recently kept the former from vying for the position. General manager Trent Baalke downplayed that Wednesday, however, and added that Kaepernick could begin ramping up activities Thursday. Regardless of whether Kaepernick or Gabbert ultimately wins the job, San Francisco looks like a strong bet to finish at the bottom of its division for the second consecutive season.