Cory’s Corner: Jared Abbrederis steals Day 3 for Packers

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Jared Abbrederis was a first team All-Big Ten pick, despite playing in a run-first offense.
Jared Abbrederis was a first team All-Big Ten pick, despite playing in a run-first offense.

This draft was hailed as one of the best wide receiving crops ever.

And the Packers proved why on Saturday by getting Jared Abbrederis with the 176th overall pick.

Abbrederis was a first team All-Big Ten selection the last two years — and the most amazing thing is that he did it despite catching passes from an inefficient and inaccurate quarterback. He also didn’t have a legit No. 2 complementary receiver the last two years, but he continued to get better even though defenses were clearly zeroing in on stopping him, and him only, in the passing game.

So how does a wiry kid with Wisconsin roots end up getting better each year in college? The easy answer is that he runs routes very well, which he does run with surgeon-like precision. But the reason he is amazing in the passing game is because he understands the process having won a state title as an option quarterback in high school. He also was a quarterback on the scout team at Wisconsin.

He may be a receiver but he scans the field like a quarterback. He looks to see what the defense is going to allow and then he just attacks it with his crisp route running.

Abbrederis went to Wisconsin with the intention of running track. After asking a football coach if he could walk-on, he was able to get his foot in the door and he hasn’t looked back since.

It’s an excellent pick and not just because he grew up about 85 miles from the Lambeau Field steps. It’s because he has a high football IQ and isn’t afraid to prove people wrong.

Jared Abbrederis: A+

 

Carl Bradford is never light on intensity.
Carl Bradford is never light on intensity.

The Packers already have one heat-seeking ball hawk at outside linebacker.

They just got another one with the 121st overall pick in Carl Bradford. Now, I’m not even saying that Bradford is in Clay Matthews’ stratosphere for talent but he is in the same zip code for intensity. And that’s saying something, because we all know how hard Mathews plays.

Bradford led Arizona State with 8½ sacks last year, but what really impresses me about him is that he did it vs. the big boys. He had a sack at No. 11 Stanford at No. 16 UCLA and also vs. No. 11 Stanford. Oh, and he also led the team with 19 tackles for loss.

This is your prototypical linebacker that runs on Red Bull and Mountain Dew. He is a constant pain in the neck to opposing offenses.

There have been those that have said that Bradford’s arm length and speed may hurt him when trying to disrupt the running game, but he more than made up for any physical weaknesses this year with an immeasurable intensity.

Carl Bradford: B+

 

Corey Linsley has been needs his talent to catch up his physical skills.
Corey Linsley has been needs his talent to catch up his physical skills.

You can never add enough offensive linemen, especially when you’ve got the best quarterback in the game.

The Packers drafted Corey Linsley with the 161st pick to add depth to an offensive line that has been put together with duct tape the last few seasons.

Linsley has great strength but his toughness is overshadowed by his lack of talent and the fact that he may get swallowed at the line of scrimmage by guys with a longer reach.

The best part about Linsley is that he started all 14 games for Ohio State and was a team captain this past season. He’s a mature guy that could hold a leadership role on the scout team that could eventually morph into a roster spot.

But I really don’t see much more here.

Corey Linsley: C-

 

 

Demetri Goodson has all the ability, the question is whether it can be refined?
Demetri Goodson has all the ability, the question is whether it can be refined?

My mother always told me, “Better late than never.”

Well, Demetri Goodson started out playing college hoops at Gonzaga. The starting point guard originally had aspirations of playing in the NBA.

After having a change of heart, he gave football a try, which sent him to Baylor as a transfer.

The athletic cornerback is literally still figuring this game and himself out but he has showed flashes of potential greatness — including an interception off of No. 3 overall pick Blake Bortles in last year’s Fiesta Bowl.

Goodson is going to get better. His ability to cut on a dime is amazing, which makes sense since he was a point guard.

This is clearly a project, with an incredible upside.

Demetri Goodson: C+

 

Jeff Janis put Division II football on its ear. Has some of the best physical traits, yet was taken in the 7th round.
Jeff Janis put Division II football on its ear. Has some of the best physical traits, yet was taken in the 7th round.

I honestly don’t know how Jeff Janis fell to the seventh round but Ted Thompson just committed grand larceny. This kid has great wheels with a 4.42 second 40-time and an incredible 37½-inch vertical.

I’ve never heard of Saginaw Valley State . The Division II school from University Center, Michigan rarely comes into anyone’s mind or is next to never on anyone’s lips.

Janis, taken 236th overall, was the fourth player taken from SVS. After a quick look back, I was surprised to see that defensive end Lamar King was taken in the first round in 1999 out of where else, but Saginaw Valley State.

Teams may have been turned off by Janis’ inconsistent competition but it’s obvious he can play. He isn’t afraid to go over the middle, absorb a hit and turn it upfield. And he also has the ability to shed a defender while making a spectacular catch.

He averaged 17.5 yards a catch and grabbed 46 touchdowns in his collegiate career. That is unreal.

People have compared Janis to Jordy Nelson, but I think he’s more of a James Lofton because Janis catches it with his body unlike Nelson who hauls it in with his hands.

Jeff Janis: A

 

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Cory Jennerjohn is from Wisconsin and has been in sports media for over 10 years. To contact Cory e-mail him at jeobs -at- yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter: Cory Jennerjohn

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17 thoughts on “Cory’s Corner: Jared Abbrederis steals Day 3 for Packers

  1. Excellent reviews. I had no idea Bradford was somebody not to be upset about using a 3rd round pick on. I think I like the center more than C-, though. He’s gotten some very promising reviews. I wish reviewers would post their reviews from 3 years ago. 🙂

  2. Since I fell out of familiarity with the draftees early in Round 2, I’m good with the results. And if I wasn’t, in the whole scheme of things, what would it matter?

    I figure the Packers invested somewhere north of $2MM in costs and probably over 200 years of football experience in the draft.

    And I’m going to question them because I ….?

  3. I think the center (Linsley) will add to the running game. He will push the other’s inside OL players but GB has needed a center who can push the NT out of the way. Linsley will do that and open the way for Lacy in the run game.

    He also will quiet the fans who complain about not having a “Center” drafted. After this he will either make the team, or push the eventual starting center to be better.

    This might be One of the best drafts for GB. We will know that in a few years. As it is, 43 TT drafted players are heading into OTA’s.

    I expect a top 10 Offense to be complimented by a top 10 Defense. And the special teams will be up there as well.

    Go Pack GO!

  4. I thought the Packers might take Tyler Larson from Utah State there, the kid that never allowed a sack in his college career. Linsley is one of 9 guys to bench press 225 at the combine more than 35 times so he’s strong as heck.
    Abbrederis, Bradford, and Janis are all steals, love this draft.

    1. Go look at the list of all time best bench pressers at the combine. You’ll be underwhelmed, I guarantee it.

  5. For those who love the Abbrederis pick, remember that this happened with the compensatory selection… the one that TT earned by not doing anything stupid in free agency.

    I would say that I really, really like the pick for a seventh round selection. It’s a great seventh rounder, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to be Calvin Johnson either, or even Donald Driver.

  6. Sure seemed like a good draft. Usually it seems that the lower round players develop and contribute sooner than the first rounders, such as Lacy, Cobb, Hyde, Bahk, Heyward, etc. I hope this season Ha Ha can start off great and really contribute.

    I am a believer in Burnett and I think a top notch partner in the back field will improve his and everyone elses game.

    1. It will be an interesting competition at safety.My first impression has Dix not starting. That’s why I was sad Shazier did not fall to us.

  7. Defense still the issue….steals galore if WR was where the true needs were. Aside from hoping HaHa lives up to the hype, the d still has Hawk, Jones, Raji and Burnett up the middle. And that won’t get it done

    1. You may or may not be right, donut boy ;-), but they addressed their most pressing need at safety with flying colors, added a talented linebacker in Carl Bradford who can play both inside or out, and I think the jury is still out on Raji and the d-line as Raji has switched back to his more natural position. Go Pack!

    2. You may or may not be right, donut boy ;-), but they addressed their most pressing need at safety with flying colors, added a talented linebacker in Carl Bradford who can play both inside or out, and I think the jury is still out on Raji and the d-line as Raji has switched back to his more natural position. Go Pack!

  8. Only time will tell but I think that this is a very good draft for the Pack. To me TTs approach for this year was to fill needs and add depth to cover the Packers on going injury plague. When you combine the 9 draft picks with the UDFAs the major needs have been addressed. We have a safety, a center, an LB and a TE who will likely contribute during the, 2104 season. Plenty of depth at WR, an additional DL, and depth at LB (3 UDFA LBs). Looking forward now to see how this team comes out of camp. Go Pack Go! Thanks, Since ’61

  9. The only picks that were head-scratchers were both major reaches in the third round…TT is not as good at drafting as Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Seattle, San Francisco, etc.
    Very much like the picks in Round 1, 2, 4, and 5…Rounds 6 and 7 are developmental long shots. Why didn’t we try to strengthen the ILBs in Round 3?
    In any event, am hoping I’m dead wrong on the two Round 3 draft choices…
    We truly need to vastly improve our ILB, NT, and TE…What am I missing? Smallwood was ranked as the number 4 ILB and we draft another WR when we can pick-up a stud in Round 7?

  10. The only picks that were head-scratchers were both major reaches in the third round…TT is not as good at drafting as Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Seattle, San Francisco, etc.
    Very much like the picks in Round 1, 2, 4, and 5…Rounds 6 and 7 are developmental long shots. Why didn’t we try to strengthen the ILBs in Round 3?
    In any event, am hoping I’m dead wrong on the two Round 3 draft choices…
    We truly need to vastly improve our ILB, NT, and TE…What am I missing? Smallwood was ranked as the number 4 ILB and we draft another WR when we can pick-up a stud in Round 7?

  11. If Smallwood was such a stud, why did all 32 teams pass on him round after round? There is no such thing as a “stud” that is a round 7 draft pick. If he was the stud you claim, he would have been drafted earlier. You say TT screwed up but then I guess all 32 teams screwed up as well, correct?

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