When is it time to get worried about the Packers recent history in the first round of the NFL draft?
- Bryan Bulaga (2010): Missed four games in 2011 with a knee injury and seven games in 2012 with a season-ending hip injury.
- Derek Sherrod (2011): Broke his leg toward the end of a ho-hum rookie season and missed all of 2012.
- Nick Perry (2012): Broke a bone in his wrist and missed the final 10 regular season games and the playoffs.
Ouch.
Of those three, Bulaga appears to be a good to great player if he can stay on the field. The jury is still out on the other two.
If you’re looking for a silver lining with these three, you could probably say that these are not re-occurring and nagging types of injuries. It’s not like these three are always hobbling around with a strained hamstring, sore back or migraine headaches. If these injuries heal as they should, the chances are good each player’s development could get back on track.
Or maybe the serious nature of these injuries has set each player back so far that they will never reach their potential.
Either way, I’m sick of the tough luck (or maybe the fragility) of the Packers recent first-round picks. Here’s hoping things turn around this April and Ted Thompson finds another Clay Matthews or B.J. Raji who is productive and stays on the field.
Packers News, Notes and Links
- Bob McGinn had some great stuff in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel this week. He got Mike McCarthy for a one-on-one and covered issues such as the Packers toughness, the salary cap and the Packers draft outlook. I like how McCarthy took some ownership for the Packers defense in the story on toughness. He needs to do more of that this season.
- Evan Western at Acme Packing Company goes over Jermichael Finley’s comments about not being willing to take a pay cut. I’m on Finley’s side here. He shouldn’t have to take a pay cut. And he shouldn’t be vilified for taking that position.
- Jacob Westendorf, the newest scribe at Packerstalk.com, also chimes in on Finley. Packerstalk.com podcasts this week include a breakdown of the corners and safeties, the Out of the Pocket Podcast with Richard, Kelly and Colleen, and a personal favorite of mine, the ‘Ol Bag of Donuts podcast on Charles Woodson, free agents and other stuff.
- Once again, CheeseheadTV.com is doing another NFL draft guide. I’ve ordered it the past two years and it’s great, whether you’re a Packers fan or just want to know more about the NFL draft.
- The Green Bay Press Gazette looks at free-agent defensive lineman Chris Canty visiting the Packers. It’s always intriguing when Ted Thompson checks out a free agent. I’d rather hear that Aaron Rodgers and Clay Matthews have been extended, though.
- Johnny Jolly was reinstated by the NFL. Jason Wilde from ESPN Milwaukee has everything you need to know about that situation here. Speaking of defensive linemen who used to play for the Packers, John Rehor at Packerstalk.com opines about Cullen Jenkins returning to Green Bay.
- Who was the top Packers writer at Bleacher Report in February with over 70,000 reads, you ask? Well, it was ALLGBP.com’s own Kris Burke! Normally, I don’t visit Bleacher Report because the slide shows drive me nuts, but there are a few writers I make an exception for. Kris is one of them. Keep reading him on this site, but also check out his Bleacher Report work here.
Non-Packers Links and Other Nonsense
- I finally got around to reading Time’s story on healthcare costs. It is an amazing piece of journalism, and one of the most depressing and angering things I’ve ever read.
- I’m a guy who is unable to take naps. Too much going through my mind. Maybe I’ll be able to take naps one day if I study this guide on how to take a nap.
- Is the Harlem Shake ruining our children? I would say it’s ruining society as a whole, not just our children. That said, we’ve gotten Jersey Al to play fantasy football and listen to podcasts this year. Maybe the Harlem Shake is next on Al’s list of new things to try.
Adam Czech is a a freelance sports reporter living in the Twin Cities and a proud supporter of American corn farmers. When not working, Adam is usually writing about, thinking about or worrying about the Packers. Follow Adam on Twitter. Twitter .
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Without delving too deeply into it, I would venture to guess that the relative success (or lack thereof) of the top draft picks you mention is largely a reflection of the position that they were picked. Tough to get impact players near the end of the 1st round.
I believe Bulaga started last season with a problem which eventually got the better of him.
Sherrod wasn’t a true 1st rd talent but was taken there as he would not have lasted to our next selection.A protection pick to be allowed time behind Clifton that didn’t happen.
Perry wasn’t a 1st rd guy even as a 4-3 DE but taking him as a 1st rd OLB is still the larger looming reach aspect in taking him there.I would still put 20lbs on him and play him at DE.
Of the three mentioned..Bulaga is the only true 1st rd pick as to position the Packers made…so we are other than the injury setbacks of each,getting he result of their true value of where they should have been picked which wasn’t the 1st rd.
If you’ll recall, Bulaga was rated much higher than the Packers draft position in the weeks leading up to the draft and he seemed to slide in the last days. I thought he was a steal where the Packers got him.
I’m glad that Adam Czech recognized the nature of the injuries these players suffered (contact injuries vs. the nagging kinds of “do you feel good?” injuries).
You make a good point, Taryn: Sherrod and Perry were in that nebulous “who do you like?” 1st-2nd round tweener region.
Really, BJ Raji productive?
As productive as a 60% chance of snow.
Apparently you don’t appreciate that 34 DL job is too occupy blockers so LB can make plays.
Apparently you don’t watch Raji get shoved backwards or knocked off his feet far too frequently thus far in his short career to consider him a truly productive 1st round pick.
It’s not about a lack of tackles or sacks; it’s about sub-par performance for long stretches during games and sub-par performance for long stretches of a given season.
Raji has not performed well enough to make him a lock to be resigned, IMO, unless it is a very Packers-friendly deal..He’s not by any means a bust, but he’s certainly not a run-away success thus far, either.
Your prone to over-exaggerating!
Apparently you don’t appreciate that 34 DL job is too occupy blockers so LB can make plays.
Yeah, but Raji doesn’t handle those blockers consistently, especially when he’s got two guys on him. Needs to exert more control.
I agree, I would like to see a little more passion and physicality out of Raji at times. Doesn’t change the fact that in a 34 D, the DL is more about taking blockers than it is making tackles, sacks, pressures, etc… That being the case, its pretty hard for you or I to make a case for Raji one way or the other. I’ll guess that the Packers will make the right choice on him and I’ll guess they re-sign him to a deal similar or better than Pickett is working on right now.
Unfortunately, I’m guessing the Packers will make an iffy-at-best decision on Raji..
And what I mean by that is, he’s a decent player who I fear will get an unsubstantiated contract handed to him by the Packers, kind of like the AJ Hawk deal.
Please, Packers, do NOT reward Raji for just showing up to work each week. If you extend/resign Raji, do NOT break the bank unless you use him as a disruptive gap-shooter in sub.
Yup. Raji is a lousy 2-gapper, and that’s what the Packers drafted him on- they projected him as a NT. He isn’t, at least at this point in his career.
Keep repeating the same crap Stroh. “3/4 linemen are only there to take up blockers so the LB’s can make plays”. I guess guys like Watt,Wilfok,Seymore, Ngata aren’t doing their jobs. They get pressure, sack the QB and collapse the pocket. Basic defense by Stroh! In case you haven’t noticed, D-Linemen in the 3/4 are doing more than take up blockers. Because it’s their job to do more!
Raji, as a nose tackle, gets pushed out of the middle regularly. He plays better at DE. Pickett is really good as a NT. But this could be his last year, so they better find a nose tackle in this draft.