Draft Day Three Was Offensive

After drafting two defensive backs and a defensive tackle in the second and third rounds Ted Thompson started the last day of the draft by drafting an outside linebacker before turning to the offense with the last 5 picks.

The linebacker was local product Vince Biegel from Wisconsin taken with the first pick of the 4th round. His NFL Profile had him a 5.28 prospect, which is rather low, who was projected to be taken in the 5th or 6th round. He reminds the scouts of former Packer Frank Zombo. His 1st major liability is a foot injury that is finding difficult to completely heal.

His other weaknesses are troublesome: Undersized, and it often shows up on tape. Needs to increase play strength and add more bulk to his frame. Gets jostled around by tackles if he loses with his hands. Poor contact balance to fight through redirect blocks and can get shoved to turf. Average three-step burst upfield. Duck-foot rusher missing twitch and athleticism to bend the edge. Attempts to activate spin counter, but he's missing footwork to bring it home. "Take-on" anchor and power versus lead blockers is below average. Quick to stack, slow to shuck.

The bottom line on him almost spelled out the Packer were the only team he could be successful on: Effort-based worker bee with edge-setting hands and attitude, but a lack of power that could lead to inconsistency in play. Biegel's football character is off-the-charts and he can be counted on to put the effort into improving in areas that need work. He lacks individual rush talent but could be a good fit for teams utilizing exotic rush packages. Average NFL ceiling but has the demeanor and traits of a potential special teams demon.

It looks like only Dom Capers and his bag of a million too-complicated packages that hides his liability is the only good fit for him.

So now that the defensive deficiencies are addressed, well sort of, Thompson turned to his favorite pastime getting cheap replacements. Needing a top-notch running back in the worse way Thompson went nuts by drafting 3 in the 4th, 5th and 6th rounds.

Jamaal Williams (6-0, 212) from BYU was taken in the 4th round with the 134th pick. He is a 5.32 prospect, who was projected for the 4th or 5th round, and is somewhat injury prone. Some liked him to James Starks. His bottom line is: His NFL size and physical nature give him a shot to make the back-end of the running back depth chart, but his inability to create for himself with broken tackles and elusiveness puts a ceiling on his draft value.

Aaron Jones (5-9, 208) from Texas-El Paso was taken in the 5th round with the 182nd pick. He is a 5.08 prospect, but he is more of what the Packers need, despite his smaller stature. After missing his junior year with a torn ligament in his left ankle he had a breakout season last year with 1,733 yards rushing and 17 TDs. He has breakaway potential with a 40+ run in 8 games last year.

Devante Mays (5-11, 230) from Utah State was taken in the 6th round with the 238th pick. He is a 5.12 prospect, who missed all but 37 carries last year with a foot injury. He was projected as a 7th round or a priority free agent. His bottom line is: After a monstrous performance early in the season against Weber State, Mays was never able to get completely right after injuring his ankle against USC. While he may have slid off of radars after the season, his 4.5-second 40-yard dash and 40.5-inch vertical leap were likely a wake-up call for evaluators who could be intrigued by his size, power and explosiveness. Mays has the physical tools to find his way into a camp and battle for a spot at the back end of the running back depth chart.

Thompson finally chose an offensive lineman by picking South Florida left tackle Kofi Amichia (6-4, 297) with the 212th pick of the 6th round. He was a great pass protector in college, but was ungraded and is undersized, so he is expect to move to center or guard.

Finally Thompson chose 2 wide receivers in DeAngelo Yancey (6-2, 201) from Purdue in the 5th round with the 175th pick and Malachi Dupre (6-2, 196) from LSU with the 247th pick of the 7th round.

Thompson made his 2nd trade of the draft swapping his 5th round-172 pick to the Broncos for the 175 while also getting Mays. The Broncos took WR Isaiah McKenzie (5-7, 173) from Georgia.

Almost no one, but Thompson likes Yancey, who was a 4.9 prospect, while almost everyone likes McKenzie (5.17), because he is a special player with big play potential and kick returning abilities. The only knock on him is his size while it seems the only plus for Yancey is his size.

Yancey was projected for the 7th round or priority free agent. His bottom line is: Four year letterman who has relied on quantity for his production totals. Yancey is a stiff-hipped vertical receiver only with good size but below average hands. A team could sniff around on him on Day 3, but he will struggle to uncover against NFL man coverage. An AFC scout added: Has to play down the field because he's not going to get open underneath. He's got size and can run a little bit so he's got a chance.

McKenzie's pluses are: Specialized in hitting big plays. Scored a touchdown every seventh time he touched the football on offense this season and averaged 11.9 yards per offensive touch over three years at Georgia. Angular, downhill running still bolsters his home run kick return ability. Able to get instant acceleration off the line as a receiver or with the ball in his hands. Slippery in tight quarters, but will elude and go rather than trying to get miss after miss. Has vertical speed to win over the top of nickel cornerbacks on deep routes. Offers gadget touch option for creative offensive minds.

I think McKenzie's big play potential would have been a plus for Aaron Rodgers. It seems Yancey will have trouble making the roster.

Dupre (5.49) was projected for the 3rd or 4th round, so he was a steal in the 7th round. His strengths are: Has desired size and athletic ability. Experienced at multiple receiver spots. More talented than production would dictate. Tracks the deep throws like an outfielder and can adjust catch positioning without taking his eye off the ball. Consistently solid catch rate throughout his career. Adjusts to low throws and balls behind him to make the catch. Looks to turn it up the field quickly after the catch. Dips low and drives through cornerbacks while stretching for additional yardage. Small sample size during freshman season gave hints of his downfield potential. Another opinion stated: He was not voted first or second-team all-conference during his career, and has not ranked among the more prolific receivers in the country due to the Tigers' inconsistent quarterback play. His bottom line is: Big target who has suffered from arrested development due, in part, to quarterback inconsistencies at LSU. Dupre is a developmental receiver with some upside but it could take some time before he's ready to contribute. Could be a potential third or fourth wide receiver with time and coaching.