Drew Boylhart Draft Chat Transcript

February 7, 2008

Copyright © 1995-2008 Wisconsin Sports Online, LLC - All rights reserved.DrewBoylhart-TheHuddleReport - Good evening. Am ready to go at anytime. CHEESE - gents gbpackfan - Is there a mod here? gbpackfan - Drew, I don’t think anyone is running this chat right now. DrewBoylhart-TheHuddleReport - OK. Just let me know when you’re ready. CHEESE - Hey Drew, DRC gonna be there at 30? dth - Love the Huddle Report. I’m a longtime subscriber. do you see the packers do anything substantial in free agency? gbpackfan - One at a time boys! DrewBoylhart-TheHuddleReport - DRC (Tenn St) — I don’t think so. The closer we get to the draft after the combine, I think he’ll move up. gbpackfan - I’ll mod this chat until a real one gets in, unless someone else wants to gbpackfan - dth, your up DrewBoylhart-TheHuddleReport - Thanks for the subscription/business! No, I don’t think the Pack will do much in FA. I think they’ll look to the draft to shore up weaknesses. gbpackfan - JM, go ahead…. JM. - pass gbpackfan - Madfan, shoot Madfan - How do you rate the QBs overall, and Josh Johnson as a development player? dth - what do you feel will be the packer’s greatest needs? DrewBoylhart-TheHuddleReport - QB’s overall are outstanding. Josh Johnson (QB San Diego) and Dennis Dixon (Oregon) will be excellent developmental QB’s. Top 3 QB’s for this draft: 1) Matt Ryan - BC, 2) John David Booty - USC and 3) Matt Flynn - LSU. gbpackfan - dth, you gotta wait man…..pckman29…your up pckman29 - What do you think of Mike McGlynn, G, Pitt? Do you think he’ll be on the board when we pick in the 3rd? DrewBoylhart-TheHuddleReport - 4th QB would be Chad Henne - Michigan. DrewBoylhart-TheHuddleReport - McGlynn - yes, I think he’ll be there in the 3rd and he would be an excellent pick for the Pack. gbpackfan - tex….go ahead tex - howie longs sone….how good is he? ratings seem tohave him all over the place…others better than him? tex - sorry…howie long’s son….. DrewBoylhart-TheHuddleReport - Chris Long (Virginia) is a top 5 player in this draft according to his talent and the value board. Vernon Gholston (Ohio St) is as good as Chris — faster pass rusher, but not as good against the run. gbpackfan - umm21, go ahead….. umm21 - Where did you learn how to be a scout? What were your first steps? dth - do you think Miami will trade out of # 1 spot? DrewBoylhart-TheHuddleReport - I’m not a scout, I’m an analyst. The difference would be that I don’t leave my living room to evaluate draft choices and I don’t go as in-depth as the scouts have to go to evaluate draft choices. I only use about 1/2 the tools they use. However, I consider my area of expertise to be more in the realm of a pick’s length-to-impact (LTI) in the NFL as well as their potential to be successful at that level. First steps (and always are) watching lots of film with no sound. gbpackfan - apoc, you’re up buddy. apoc - What do you think of Xavier Omon from the northwest missouri? do you think he’ll be successful at the pro level? DrewBoylhart-TheHuddleReport - Xavier Omon — I don’t have any NW Missouri. I can’t give an educated opinion on this right now. Will add this to my research list. Thanks for the heads-up. gbpackfan - Cheese, go ahead. CHEESE - anyone fromTexas-Nation game we should look for? DrewBoylhart-TheHuddleReport - Texas-Nation game…at this point, I would have to say no. There are some potential FA picks that may be interesting, but not enough to draw draft interest at this time. gbpackfan - dth, now you’re up. gbpackfan - dth left, JM, you’re up.. JM. - Hi Drew, thanks for comming. I like D.R.C. a lot and think his upsides are really intriguing. I am however concerned about how well he fits into Packers’ scheme because he still needs to add some bulk and does not have the physical strength at this point. So the question is: Do you think there is a good chance he eventually gets a good bulk and physical strength to play press coverage? Would you draft him assuming you were the Packers and he is availible at #30? DrewBoylhart-TheHuddleReport - Miami would be very foolish if they didn’t trade out of #1 spot — they have too many holes to fill. DrewBoylhart-TheHuddleReport - DRC…I would draft him in the top 15 of this draft. His strength is deceiving because of his size — he’s wiry. He will be able to add bulk and I think after the combine, he’ll shoot up the boards. gbpackfan - Madfan, ask away. Madfan - You always seem to look for something special in a player. Do you see anything special in CBs Cromartie-Rodgers or McKelvin? Length-to-impact? DrewBoylhart-TheHuddleReport - Cromartie-Rodgers is the Randy Moss of the CB. He’s very special…he plays with ease (if that makes sense). McKelvin has a quick-twitch, athletic talent that sets him apart, and above, most of the other corners in this draft. They both are developmental players that should go high in this draft. Cromartie-Rodgers LTI estimated is late first round, which equals halfway through the first season. McKelvin is the same - 9th game. gbpackfan - massa1224, you’re next. gbpackfan - massa, you have a question? gbpackfan - nhpkfan, go ahead. gbpackfan - Sorry Drew…..pckman29….on to you. pckman29 - What do you think of Craig Steltz? DrewBoylhart-TheHuddleReport - Steltz is a very solid player — a little bit of a tweener between S and LB. Good straight-line speed, but not very quick. Should be a good player at the next level, not great. gbpackfan - tex, you’re turn. tex - who are best SLB who can cover TE and what round is their best value? DrewBoylhart-TheHuddleReport - Best LB’s to cover TE’s…Dan Connor (Penn St) and Ali Highsmith (LSU) and Curtis Lofton (Oklahoma) are best picks for this. Connor is a 1st, Highsmith and Lofton are 2nd rounders. gbpackfan - The Dude, you’re up. The Dude - What do you think of Kendall Langford from Hampton. The packers have, in my opinion, a need for another base DE to give Kampman a break and Langford seems to fit that mold at 6′6 275 (senior bowl wieght) and has the burst and strength. Plus he is big enough to play DT on passing downs, and would give the packers the option of rushing four DE in those situations. I think he’s a day 1 guy but what are your thoughts. Thanks for coming. DrewBoylhart-TheHuddleReport - Sorry, guys, got bounced for a few seconds. OK, Langford…unfortunately, I do not have film on him. Can you re-send the rest of the question as I can no longer see it? gbpackfan - What do you think of Kendall Langford from Hampton. The packers have, in my opinion, a need for another base DE to give Kampman a break and Langford seems to fit that mold at 6′6 275 (senior bowl wieght) and has the burst and strength. Plus he is big enough to play DT on passing downs, and would give the packers the option of rushing four DE in those situations. I think he’s a day 1 guy but what are your thoughts. Thanks for coming. DrewBoylhart-TheHuddleReport - I’ll go back in and look at the Senior Bowl footage again for Langford. I usually don’t profile players without footage of 4 games, which is why we only do around 150 profiles. However, I will do some Senior Bowl profiles if a player jumps out at me. Will have to look at this again. Sorry… gbpackfan - umm21, ask away. umm21 - Does Jamaal Charles run physical enough in the middle of the field to be an every down back, or does he try to stretch plays sideways too much? The Dude - Is there a good reason why Antoine Cason appears to have fallen down a lot of draft charts recently besides the fact that he is rumored to not have top end speed. He was one if not the top CB last year and all he did his senior year was win the Thorpe Award. I would be very happy with DRC b/c of his upside but Cason has the 4 years of starting experience, quality character and has played a lot of man to man coverage. The Dude - Sorry DrewBoylhart-TheHuddleReport - Jamaal Charles…I don’t think he runs hard enough through the tackles. You’re right, he bounces outside too much and he doesn’t have good balance. If he’s outside and gets hit in the shoulder, it’s enought to throw him off-balance. If he wants to be a 3rd down back, he’ll have to learn to block well, read defenses and pick up the blitz. I’m not convinced he has the work ethic to do that. gbpackfan - no problem The dude, Drew…can u get dude’s question and we’ll skip him next time gbpackfan - we’ll get you next apoc DrewBoylhart-TheHuddleReport - Cason — if you look at my profile, you’ll see that I’m very high on him. I don’t have a clue why he’s dropped, unless people think he’s more of a S than a CB. I don’t agree with that and I think he’ll be an outstanding CB at the next level. gbpackfan - Apoc, okay….the wait is over, go ahead. apoc - Where do you think Reggie Smith from Oklahoma goes, and do you think he would be a fit in GB’s system? Is he more a safety or cb, and I really think he would help our punt returns, your thoguhts? DrewBoylhart-TheHuddleReport - Reggie Smith — I think he’ll drop lower than people expect. I do think he’s more of a S than a CB, and he’ll be a good one, but his LTI will be longer than expected at this point. I believe he’ll end up going in the 2nd round. Reggie will be a great help on special teams. gbpackfan - Cheese, you’re up. CHEESE - thoughts on Justin King and Godfrey from Iowa? DrewBoylhart-TheHuddleReport - Godfrey should be an outstanding ballplayer at the next level. King — have to wait for his workouts. Not sure about his lateral agility, should find out more at the combine. There are some character issues with King to be looked at. gbpackfan - JM, ask away. JM. - Florida Gators receivers seems to struggle taking the step to the NFL. Will that be any different with Andre Caldwell? DrewBoylhart-TheHuddleReport - Andre Caldwell is a pretty good receiver, but he’s going to have to get stronger and run better routes. And, until that happens, he’ll have some growing pains at the next level. gbpackfan - Madfan, you’re turn. Madfan - Thanks for your great answer to my previous question on CBs. Somebody needs to ask about OGs. Is Albert the best in the draft? Does Schuening compare when considering a zone blocking scheme? 3rd round? DrewBoylhart-TheHuddleReport - To be honest, there are some better OT’s that will have to be moved into the OG position for this draft. Albert will probably be drafted lower than his talent rates out, but he should be a good one. OT’s that need move to OG include: Carl Nicks (Nebraska), Tony Hills (Texas) and Oneil Cousins (UTEP), John Greco (Toledo), Mike McGlynn (Pitt), Pedro Sosa (Rutgers) — all will probably move to OG and may be drafted ahead of Albert. Schuening is a very good pulling G — good pick. gbpackfan - marchetta, shoot… marchetta - Who would you compare Ray Rice to. He seems to be a cross between Emmitt Smith and Barry Sanders. He’s more agile and faster than Emmitt, with Barry’s lateral agility. Also, could you compare Markus Monk to James Hardy for us? DrewBoylhart-TheHuddleReport - Ray Rice is a cross between Smith and Thurman Thomas. I think, personally, he has top 10 talent but he won’t be taken then. Markus Monk is a huge sleeper and should be an outstanding WR at the next level with 1st round talent, but will be drafted lower due to knee injury. Monk v. Hardy — Monk is further along in development, but Hardy has potential to be Randy Moss in the future. Monk more like ocho-cinqo (Bengals)! gbpackfan - It looks like nhpkfan is still just a spectator, so PCKMAN29, you’re up. pckman29 - In what round will Kerry Brown, G, Appalachian St go, and will he be able to make the transition to the NFL? DrewBoylhart-TheHuddleReport - Kerry Brown is probably a late rounder or FA. If he has a good work ethic, he should be able to transition well. gbpackfan - tex, you’re question please… tex - who are top all around DE’s and who are more pass rush types- can any start by end of 08 season? DrewBoylhart-TheHuddleReport - Top 3 DE’s: Chris Long (Virginia), Vernon Gholston (Ohio State) and Derrick Harvey (Florida). Best pass rusher is Gholston. All 3 of these could start right away and be impactful for their respective teams. gbpackfan - umm21, you’re up (you got your one in before The Dude.) gbpackfan - umm21? umm21 - Does Jonathon Goff has the ability to play all three linebacker spots or is he only athletic enough for the middle? DrewBoylhart-TheHuddleReport - Jonathon Goff could play the middle and the strong-side, maybe all three. Will know more about his speed from the combine, which will tell us a lot about where he can play. gbpackfan - apoc, go ahead… apoc - Where does Fred Davis USC go? and will the pack take him if he’s there DrewBoylhart-TheHuddleReport - Davis (USC) will be sitting at 30 for the Pack. I think it would be a good selection — he’s a great ballplayer. gbpackfan - JM, you are up… JM. - Who do you think are the 3-5 best punt returners? DrewBoylhart-TheHuddleReport - First of all, there are a TON of great punt returners in this draft. DeSean Jackson (Cal), Anthony Aldridge (Houston), Darius Reynaud (West Virginia), Justin Royal (Va Tech) are just a few to mention. gbpackfan - Madfan, you’re turn. Madfan - What is your opinon of Nick Hayden? Will he exceed expectations? Or, will he disappear? DrewBoylhart-TheHuddleReport - Hayden has a lot to learn — his lateral agility is really the big question. He takes up space, which is the main thing a DT needs to do, but he’s probably a late rounder or FA. gbpackfan - marchetta, go ahead…. marchetta - Does Dominique Cromartie have the potential to be as good as his cousin in San Diego? How do you compare the two? Also, you project Early Doucet to be an outstanding #1 WR. Does he have the speed to be a true #1 deep threat WR or would he be more of a move the chains WR? DrewBoylhart-TheHuddleReport - I never compare relatives when it comes to football to each other. Talents are totally different and stand on their own — plus there’s plenty of talking heads to do that. Doucet…speed is not the first need of a #1 WR. Intelligence, strength, good route-running, hands and then speed. For example, Michael Irvin was not very fast, but certainly a great WR. Smart WR’s with less speed can get deep on CB’s. gbpackfan - pckman29, go ahead… pckman29 - what do you think of Trae Williams and Dwight Lowery? How well would they fit us? DrewBoylhart-TheHuddleReport - Trae Williams (S Florida) is a very under-rated CB…he would be an outstanding pick for some team. Dwight Lowery is under-rated also, but may have to be moved to the FS position — will know more after the combine about his lateral agility and quickness. Looks like a good prospect right now, but we’ll see as we get more info on him. gbpackfan - Drew, do you have time to get to the last 3 guys? DrewBoylhart-TheHuddleReport - Sure…answer 3 more, no problem. gbpackfan - Tex, you’re up then… tex - any DT who are good pass rushers in addition to run stoppers? DrewBoylhart-TheHuddleReport - DT’s…Pat Sims (Auburn), DeMario Pressley (North Carolina State) and a real sleeper, Ahtyba Rubin (Iowa St). These DT’s have the potential to be 1-gap, 2-gap players. gbpackfan - The Dude, ask away. The Dude - Thoughts Paul Hubbard? and who are some of the better route running WR in the draft this year? Thanks for coming out!! DrewBoylhart-TheHuddleReport - Paul Hubbard has inconsistent hands and has to get a lot stronger, even though he seems to be big, he’s not that strong. Better route-running WR’s are: Devin Thomas (Michigan State), Markus Monk (Arkansas) and Lavelle Hawkins (Cal) and Jordy Nelson (Kansas State) — Nelson is probably the best route-runner. gbpackfan - umm21, the last question is yours. umm21 - Do you think Darnell Terrell has what it takes to play safety? What sort of upside does he have? DrewBoylhart-TheHuddleReport - Darnell Terrell has the size to play Safety. He looks like he’ll be a solid player — not sure of his special upside at this point. gbpackfan - Drew, on behalf of packerchatters.com and Packers’ fans everywhere, I’d like to thank you for your time tonight. Make sure to check out www.thehuddlereport.com for more great draft information. Madfan - Thank you for participating tonight. I appreciate your perspective of these draftees. pckman29 - thanks drew gbpackfan - We’ll see Drew back here on March 26! marchetta - Thanks Drew DrewBoylhart-TheHuddleReport - Thanks to you guys as well…we always get great questions from Pack fans and enjoy the time. Be sure to check out the site as well as the WordPress blogs — there’s some great analysis (with charts!) from one of our senior contributors, Fred Jones, this month. Have a great February and we’ll see you at the end of March. You can also email any of our staff members for individual questions at your leisure. Good night, everyone!