With the 62nd pick of the NBA Draft the Green Bay Packers select … point guard Quinten Rollins from Miami (Ohio) University. Wait, that’s not right, sorry. With the 62nd pick of the NFL Draft the Green Bay Packers selected cornerback Quinten Rollins from Miami (Ohio) University.
Between Rollins and Randall in the first round, you get the feeling that Ted Thompson just wants to remind people who he is and what he can do. Lots of people around Packer country may have been left saying, “Who?” after the first two picks, Rollins especially.
A lot of Packer fans may have felt that Ted even reached with Rollins. I disagree and you will see why in a bit.
All that being said, Ted Thompson almost always knocks his second round picks out of the park. Since 2005 there is a pretty impressive list of names in the Packers’ second round picks:
Nick Collins, Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, Mike Neal, Randall Cobb, Casey Hayward, Eddie Lacy, and Davante Adams… I’d say that’s a pretty damn impressive group. They also traded their pick in 2009 to move up to get some guy named Clay Matthews. Welcome to the club, Quinten! I’m pretty confident you will be thought of in the high regards as the others on that list.
Quinten Rollins has only one season of college football under his belt. He was four-year starting guard, and two-time captain, for the Miami Redhawks basketball team. He finished his basketball career 12th in MAC history in steals… can’t wait to see him against Jay Cutler.
Rollins had not played football since he played in high school. Last year a Baltimore Ravens scout mentioned to him that he should give football a try, so he did for his senior season. He’s a little bit different of a story than you usually hear of basketball players switching to football, typically most end up being athletic large-bodied players that learn to play something like tight end. Being able to switch from basketball to having to learn cornerback basically on the fly is quite impressive.
Nothing Rollins did at the combine sticks out, he had a very mediocre combine. What sticks out about Rollins is his awareness and understanding of the game, as well as his on the field skill. He may not have elite combine numbers, but his quickness on the field is very real.
There were three years separated from playing any football for Rollins (let alone cornerback), but he made his one season count and got 7 of the Redhawks 11 interceptions on the season, including one for a touchdown. Leading to an eventual MAC Defensive Player of the Year.
What they’re saying:
“His skill-set transfers to football. You see it from the recognition skills and closing bursts… Jumping routes early and being in position. This guy is just a good athlete who understands the game of basketball and the game of football.” – Todd McShay via ESPN.
“Great balls skills. I think he really improved as the season went along. He played well the entire time he was there. He was probably their best player in week two of the season and the guy only played since that spring. I thought he was fairly easy to evaluate.” -Brian Gutekunst, Packers director of college scouting.
“Rare start-stop-start suddenness. His ability to change gears instantly give him a chance to develop into a talented cover cornerback. With more work on technique and overall discipline, Rollins has the physical tools to become a very good NFL starter.” – NFL.com
Who was on the board at No. 62:
Seattle took Michigan defensive end, Frank Clark immediately after the Packers took Rollins. Defensive end Owamagbe Odighizuwa from UCLA was a popular guess for the pick among Packer fans. Otherwise tight end Clive Walford from Miami and Paul Dawson, ILB from TCU are the names that stand out the most.
Why they went with Rollins:
The Packers have a history of uncovering talent and taking risks. The ceiling for Rollins is very high and I think that potential was just too much for the Packers to pass on, they’d rather take a player a little early than miss out on him entirely. Scouts are raving about Rollins and most of the issues seen with him are due to his inexperience. I have to believe the Packers feel with some more coaching they can polish his game and turn him into one of the elite corners in the league. The guy looks like he can flat out play.
With the 94th pick of the NFL Draft, the Green Bay Packers selected Stanford wide receiver Ty Montgomery.
Ted Thompson again with another questionable pick at first glance, that’s 3 for 3 this draft.
Ty Montgomery is best known for his kick return skills and coming into the draft was considered to be one of the best returners in the draft. He had a fantastic 2013 season with 958 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, leading the team in both categories. 2014 however saw him only get 604 yards and three touchdowns, causing his value to slip to where he was taken by the Packers. He also had a combined 303 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns over the last two seasons.
Montgomery says his receiving yards were down because he was asked to do a lot more work catching passes behind the line of scrimmage this year.
For a kick return guy, he does not have elite speed (he ran a 4.55 at the combine) but he did have almost 1,100 return yards on 36 kickoffs in 2013 to go with two touchdowns. He only had 17 returns for 429 yards and no touchdowns last season.
Injuries really hampered his seasons last year and in 2012.
What they’re saying:
“Montgomery is a likable person with high character and an ability to leave a positive impression in draft interviews, but teams will still have to figure out how they want to use him. His hands might not be trustworthy enough to be part of a three-wide-receiver set. Montgomery can flip fields and change games with his ability in the return game and might be best-utilized in a dynamic, open-minded offensive system that gets the ball in his hands quickly and allows him to use his run after catch talents.” – NFL.com
“He’s a bigger Randall Cobb and he can lineup anywhere.” – Packers’ scout Same Seale
“Top athlete when healthy. Well-built with long arms, broad shoulders and a thick lower half. Appears well-suited to making the jump to the NFL. Quickly accelerates to leave defenders in his wake and is very aggressive, bursting upfield and fighting through arm tackles to generate positive yardage rather than dancing to avoid contact… Like a lot of players with a rocked-up build, doesn’t possess ideal lateral agility and flexibility, making him a bit straight-linish. Average explosion out of his breaks, perhaps one of the reasons why most of his damage came on vertical or quick screens. Allows too many passes to get to his pads, resulting in some ugly drops in which the ball simply goes right through his fingers. ” – cbssports.com
“He’s a very strong runner, very instinctive, has good quickness,” – Ted Thompson
Who was on the board at 94:
Once thought of potential first round pick, Paul Dawson feels like he could have been a steal as he was still available at pick 94. Clearly the reported attitude problems, off the field issues, and poor combine really stuck with teams. East Carolina receiver Justin Hardy was still available too, he’s one of the most productive receivers in the history of the NCAA and I would almost rather have seen the Packers take him over Montgomery. OLB Kwon Alexander from LSU was available there as well.
Why they went with Montgomery:
Clearly the comments about Montgomery reminding of them of Cobb stick out. He is definitely as versatile as Cobb, Montgomery mentioned that teams were even looking at him as a running back. I can see him as a second slot guy in 4-wide sets and replacement for Cobb if Cobb is injured. If the Packers can space the field and get him the ball at the second level to make plays after the catch, that could be his biggest strength and I envision that is a big reason why they took him. He has big play potential and that is something the Packers are missing a little bit out of their receivers.
I get the feeling that the Packers really like having Nelson and Adams on the outside and want to make sure there is a capable replacement for Cobb if he were to go down. The most glaring reason why the Packers would be interested in Montgomery though has to be his kick return skills. The Packers ranked second to last in the kick return game last year and absolutely need to improve on that, Montgomery should help with that.
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Mike Reuter lives in the Twin Cities and is a graduate of the University of St. Thomas. He is a mobile tech enthusiast, a 19 year Gopher Football season ticket holder and a huge Packers fan. Mike is a writer with AllGreenBayPackers.com and you can follow him on twitter at @uofmike.
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Randall – Home Run !! A
Rollins – Slam Dunk !! A
Montgomery – Our kick returner – B
Ted
how far do you have your nose up TT?
Jerry, Jerry, Jerry.. (shaking my head)
Did you not see the B grade I gave Montgomery? How is that brown nosing our legendary GM?
If the guy makes mistakes which he does on rare occasions, I am there just like anyone else to point it out.
I was there when he traded Dr. Samkon Gado for Vernand Morency. That was the last one I recall. Yeah, I pointed it out and was pissed at Ted.
Ted
LOL, Ted. I can’t believe I am seeing you give a TT pick only a B! Well, hope you’re right. I like all these guys as players, just not in comparison to the guys we passed on, but Go Pack!
I’ll be honest. I wanted to give Montgomery an A as well but I knew if I did that people might accuse me of brown nosing so I didn’t.
Ted
IIRC, someone did anyway. I can’t say I like the pick overall, if I think of it not as a 3rd round pick but as late 3rd or high 4th, it sounds better.
Reynoldo, TT has just solved long term our kick return and punt return problem with Montgomery. DuJuan Harris is no more and thank God for that as he was a huge disappointment and one of the worst in the league.
All our so called “needs” at least how I saw them have been met. The needs were not big holes but with depth. QB, fullback, a tight end who can run, an inside linebacker, a kick return specialist and especially replacing House and Tramon. Ted did all that in this draft. Mission accomplished. I stand in awe of Ted. The son of the bitch did it!! Against all odds and picking at 30 he some how some way patched every single hole on the team. Incredible!!
Ted
My very complaint: mostly a need draft, not BPA. You made my point.
You mean if the best kicker or punter was out there that you would have been happy with TT picking him up over Rollins? Mike Sherman did that with B.J. Sanders. In fact traded up to get him. lol
Ted
Love ya, Ted! GB is loaded. Needs were CB and ILB, just some upgrades otherwise. Top talent drops, TT ignored the opportunity to get an elite player in Brown or Goldman. It is not like passing on Sanders to take Mandarich – Brown isn’t Sanders and Randall has a good chance to start, it’s more like he passed on Sitton to take Bakhtiari. Every yr. we complain that we draft late and it is hard to draft that elite, impact player. That chance was ignored for a need pick. Randall is a top 60 player in terms of talent and as a late 2nd round talent, he easily could be a starter in the NFL.
LOL. Well…. I guess BPA can be taken too far, as can picking for need. How’s that for a TT waffle answer? You still don’t know what I think or the process by which I reached any particular decision. I reserve the right to be mutable.
I have to admit, I didn’t know much about Ty Montgomery before today, and after watching some YouTube videos of him, I can see why people are comparing him to Randall Cobb. I think he may help make the Packers offense even more explosive, if that’s possible. I also came across a video of an in-depth analysis and discussion of Ty Montgomery from Matt Waldman on YouTube if anyone is interested:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiqHjCimeFI
Oh yes, you tube always makes people look good. omg.
I’m sure that TT & MM have the plan… If we agree that the best team from last season was Packers I really do not see from where that panic comes… Still the same team. Many teams that get players people wanted to be Packers can find out that those players are not BAP… At least for several years…
Regarding ILB issue… I say I believe coaches in their evaluation. I think we will see Packers will ILB picked in this draft, as well some from UDFA… Stay calm and believe… Do not worry…
I’ll say A-, A and B, which gives A- after 3 rounds… It can only be better today!
I keep saying that the long-term health of the franchise is ultimately what I’m interested in, and not in the year-to-year plugging of holes and the flashy picks. I think that rounds 1 and 2 were longer term return picks.
But when you’re this close, as the Packers are, it would be nice to have someone you can look at and say “this guy immediately makes us much better now”. Maybe if you’re looking ST where the Packers have been–at best–below average over the last couple seasons, Montgomery gives you that, but otherwise that factor just isn’t there…and I think that’s why the general sentiment on this board over the last two days has been one of frustration and disappointment.
Yes, Ty Montgomery is a good person. Yes, he’s a good slot receiver and KR. Yes, he’s a good luxury pick. There’s the rub. We’re very deep at WR. We are paying the best slot receiver in the NFL $10 million a year. Do we need another? As for KR, let me suggest Corey Grant, Marcus Murphy or Akeem Hunt, all of whom should be available in the 6th and 7th rounds. We have done nothing to strengthen our D-line or our linebackers, positions of weakness going into the draft and before free agency. Several have commented that we missed out on Paul Dawson for the 3rd round. Some have questioned his attitude but everyone recognizes his talent. After taking two projects who will need a lot of work and time to develop into NFL-caliber CBs, I had hoped that we’d take Wash. St.’s Xavier Cooper for the D-line or take a chance on Dawson in the 3rd round. But once again, I was disappointed. We missed out on Malcom Brown in the 1st, Eddie Goldman and others in the 2nd, and now Cooper in the 3rd. Pray Raji returns to his earlier form when he played NT and hope that Guion isn’t suspended for half of the season. I won’t give our first 3 picks a grade, but based upon who was available to us at the time of our selections, let me suggest what I would graded as an “A”: Malcom Brown, DT, Texas; Cilive Walford, TE, Miami; and Paul Dawson, ILB, TCU.
Montgomery is a good person – we have to many “good” persons on the team already. We need a player with a little nasty in his blood – preferably an ILB. The NFL doesn’t stand for Nice Friendly Lovers… And Rollins is going to be awesome if a Basketball game should break out on the field. Go TT, way to throw out the BPA.
I’m giving TT a B for these first 3 picks. He has restored depth to our secondary with Randall and Rollins but will either be effective outside CBs? That remains to be seen and out side CB is where the need exists with the departures of House and Williams. Ty Montgomery, could be another Cobb but it seems many scouts question his ability to catch the ball. He could be a factor in our return game but do you use a 3rd round pick on STs when we have a void at ILB? I see the potential in each of these picks, what I don’t see yet is what are we doing to stop the run game which is the Packer’s most glaring weakness. Given the quality of this draft I’m not very confident that we will find an impact ILB in rounds 4-7. Thanks, Since ’61
The reality is that none of the ILB’s were guaranteed to immediately help either. Just because a player is good in college means nothing. I am glad we didn’t pick Dawson because he’s a slow headcase. Keep the faith “Since61”. Keep in mind the basis of draft and develop. Pennel was raw but may improve his technique in year 2. He has great measurables. Raji will bring a true NT back to the core 3-4. The middle will be better. Let’s wait until after the draft and the rest of FA to see what the roster looks like.goPack!
Great draft so far!
D- for a grade so far…it has been pathetic.
Everything is relative. Take a look at how Minnesota has improved its defense so far (Trae Waynes, CB; Eric Kendricks, ILB; and Danielle Hunter, DE) .and compare it to what we have done. Now, those selections merit an “A+.”
Take a look at the measurables of Randell and Waynes. Waynes ran a faster 40, that’s it. Waynes and Randell have basically the same measurables with Randell having better times in the 3 cone and shuttle. The Packers also finished 12-4 and are 30th in each round, the Vikings are picking 11th. I’ll take a winning team with a chance at a SB each year over a team that’s NEVER WON A THING!!! We get it, you hate the Packers draft!!!!!!!!!
I couldn’t understand the third round of last years draft, but it’s always been “In TT we trust”. This year, I just can’t say that. I feel the Packers are just one or two players from being Super Bowl champs. We beat New England and should have beat Seattle. The offense lead the league in scoring so I feel like it’s OK. I would have traded the entire draft for ILB, DL, CB. Go from there. Not only does TT not do free agency he doesn’t do player trades either. Hell get a stockpile of something and trade for something needed. You’ll notice that he gets all these draft picks and pick and pick but never gets a surplus of any one position.
TT wants to know if Marshall Newhouse is still on the board.
I hope they give Randall reps at FS and CB, since I don’t see anyone to back up Ha-Ha. I think he can develop into a starting CB or FS. Grade D+/C-. Rollins has a good ceiling and could be a quality starting CB. Grade B+.
Ty Montgomery is fine as far as he goes, but not in the 3rd. Grade D+. Grade C- so far.