Joseph Zarr

Thank you, once again, @reillymcshane. I truly LOVE these posts. I'd like to take a moment to share a few things: (1) As a kiddo growing up, I was also a shrimp. Tho, I did ultimately grow to 6'3" with decent size and strength for a college athlete, throughout my younger days and into early high school I was a mere 5'7" and frail as a twig. I loved soccer, basketball, and baseball at the time but can distinctly remember feeling like an absolute twerp while everyone else was growing and strengthening around me. I truly considered Tiny one of my Brewers heroes. He had appeal to fellow shorties - especially kiddos, in my mind's eye at least - in those cups of coffee and part-time-player roles in the 1980's into the early 1990's. (2) He actually became a beloved San Francisco Giant in his brief time there. I followed him, albeit from a distance, when he first left the Crew in 1991/1992. He still lacked any power in those 2 Giant seasons (hitting only 4 or 5 HR's if memory serves?), but he actually hit quite well and continued to steal some bases. Those Giant teams weren't very good, if you recall, as I believe those were the last 2 years pre-Bonds who came aboard just after. The point is: It was just an improbable 2 year run for him and I can remember being super happy for him way back then. I think, if memory serves (sorry, too lazy to look it up! Eeeeek), he even was nominated for a couple 2-3 players of the week (!!) in the NL. It was so awesome as a closet Felder fan. I only remember this because, at the time, I wore it like a Badge of Honor. (3) Lastly, and I honestly have no idea why I know this, but, Mike ended his career with 161 steals. This is not even top 500 in total MLB steals, but, it is tied with Dale Murphy, which in and of itself is mildly hilarious. When I first learned this some years ago, I tipped a beer to both.

So, a late Rd IDL/DT prospect. Interesting. Seems about right.

This is the stuff right here. Awesome. Thanks for the write-up!

This is the stuff right here. Awesome. Thanks for the write-up!

This is the stuff right here. Awesome. Thanks for the write-up!

This is the stuff right here. Awesome. Thanks for the write-up!

I am obviously not a Draft 'expert' but I can offer some tid bits as to why he may be falling: * With the addendum, as we know, all it takes is one team to fall in love with a guy to defy the general consensus so you may be spot in with what you see. * Here is a distillation of Tony Pauline's latest offerings in his Pod with Trey Wingo he does weekly leading up to the draft (Keep in mind, Burks is still a top 5 WR on the cumulative PFN Draft Analyst Top 300 Big Board): (Full article here: https://www.profootballnetwork.com/nfl-draft-rumors-will-tyler-linderbaum-and-treylon-burks-fall-out-of-round-1/)

I am prepared for this heartbreak. However, if there is a year to lose out on your top wideout this is One of those years. There is a lot of depth and a lot of ways the Packers could go to restock the WR Room. Related to this depth: Drake London's Pro Day has been re-scheduled for April 15th. That's a pretty big one. If London tests well, he will most likely move up Boards. There are questions from analysts I have listened to re: the quantity of contested catches. Is he a contested catch artist, like Mike Evans and Tee Higgins? Or is he a, for example N'Keal Harry or Hakeem Butler? He is already capable of pretty handily beating the high level Press at the NCAA Level. Teams will want to see those explosive numbers to see if they can project him to the NFL level.

Whoa, I just saw this: That's a wild trade!

Does anyone here actually watch or follow the Gophers Men's Football team? I do not. I learned about Mafe during Senior Bowl week and followed him from a distance at the Combine. Apparently, another teammate is also receiving draft buzz: Would be curious to see if anyone here follows the Gophers and has anything to report about either player.

I've been gushing over Watson because he is essentially the perfect WR for a LaFleur offense and said offense needs speed and weapons. I don't compare CB numbers to WR numbers but, yes, those 3 cone and short shuttle numbers are utterly absurd. That is one hella athletic young man. Glad to see he is getting notoriety because Sam Houston State does not get a lot of publicity or exposure.

Great to hear on McCollum. BUT, as always: we'll see where he ends up. Clearly, teams like what they see on tape and love his numbers because he really didn't have all that a great a week in Mobile but he did get better as the week wore on so perhaps it was an adjustment period.

Oliver Hodgkinson just completed and shared his most recent 4 Rd Mock draft over on Pro Football Network. Of all the Packers-themed takeaways from the Analysts who watch tape and make scouting reports and then produce Mocks (which definitely is not all analysts by a country mile), this is probably my favorite draft. A Lot to like in here. This is a version whereby the Packers don't move and stay put - which, given Gutey's history is probably not the case but it would be extremely hard to judge this draft in a negative light. Mock in full here: https://www.profootballnetwork.com/2022-nfl-mock-draft-hodgkinson-april/2/ Packers results extracted for you: I can easily say: I like the projections for every one of these players. If you've never seen Devin Lloyd play, that would be an insanely good 'Value' pick and would give the Packers quite possibly a very solid shot at possessing the most athletic and most disruptive ILB crew in the NFL. He's that good. And, that would be a hilarious about face but with a D-Coordinator as a former ILB coach it would not be that surprising.

File this under: Priority UDFA (or, hey, we have 3 7th's let's take a flyer) Sheeeesh there is some kind of athleticism in the WR draft pool. An 11'3" Broad Jump is absurd. Just absurd.

https://www.profootballrumors.com/2022/04/kyle-hamilton-in-danger-of-falling-in-the-draft Yes, young Grasshopper. Continue to fall...to 22. Yes. Yes, this is the way.

A Random 'Not discussed at all, really' under the radar prospect... Unheralded FCS CB/S Zyon McCollum: Pros: Interesting as a Day 3 pick or priority UDFA (tho, I don't think he'll make it to UDFA) Has size, 4.3 speed, long arms (over 31" long), and a very good nose for the ball (54 total PBU's and 13 career INT's) Invited to both East/West Shrine game and Senior Bowl - obviously, the scouting community has taken notice. Thrived as a Press Man cover CB at the FCS Level...will it translate? See below. Cons: Has some stiffness in his movement even tho he is clearly athletic by his testing numbers - ie, may not play to his testing numbers Struggled early at the Senior Bowl tho he did see improvements by the 3rd day of Practice in 1v1's and was noted for his work there. Can play out of control at times - will need more discipline at the NFL level. May really be a zone CB or strictly a S depending on how his body develops or what a given scouting department sees Not a lot of tape (Sam Houston State is definitively not a CB hot-bed - no CB's drafted since Rickey Royal in 1989!) Here's a slightly humorous compilation tape of Zyon (NSFW. There is some casual profanity in this highlight and commentary. If that doesn't offend you, this guy's perspective and delivery is hilarious):

Jelani Woods. People are starting to see and discuss what I've been saying. Here's Ben Fennel with a direct comp: And, here he is in all his glory: This is truly the most Packer I've felt about a TE prospect possibly ever? I wouldn't think twice if we used one of our 2nd's OR drafted out of the 1st to acquire a 2nd and 3rd to ensure we have the Capital to grab this young man. *I highly suggest clicking on the 2nd Tweet to see 2 more clips of Jelani absolutely mauling. The man is a Beast.*

I'm actually hearing quite a bit of chatter that Linderbaum is potentially falling out of the First Rd. He hasn't really tested and teams are starting to think he is attempting to hide (I don't necessarily believe this, btw) what some already suspect or know: Short arms and light and small for the Interior of the NFL. I can't help but think, however, this kid has a wee bit of Creed Humphrey-like doubting in the Mix. Teams are overthinking a guy who is clearly a stud.

In the vein of 'Don't be surprised if the Packers...' (1) Take a Safety in Round 1 (2) Draft an interior OL or Edge in Rd 1 (3) Target an unheralded but fast riser in Rd 1 - such as, UConn interior DL Travis Jones (4) Don't draft a WR in Rd 1 because Olave, Williams, Wilson etc are all gone. (5) Trade out of one of their Rd 1 picks to accumulate more value in a very dense Top 100

This seems like a really good solution. Someone still can post their Mock BUT also address the problem another poster is having. Good work!

Certainly nothing wrong whatsoever with diversifying your approach and avoiding the all too easy mind traps. Good stuff.

Watson is indeed blowing up. His athletic numbers are unreal and are literally in the Megatron class of wideout athleticism. The concerns with Watson are he has shown a small tendency to lose concentration and suffer from drops, he had limited route responsibilities due to how he was used, and he played at an FCS Level (tho, I would argue, that is becoming increasingly meaningless). Where he shines as a prospect is his versatility and the threat he provides with the ball in his hand. NDSU used him all over their offensive sets. He thrives in jet sweeps and those odd route concepts that get the ball in his hands early and in space - to that end, you could see how he could really thrive in a LaFleur led offensive system. What is also quite interesting, and not talked about all that much, is he is essentially an All-American as a Kickoff returner to boot. This is from #1 NDSU football fan, Ross Uglem:

Glad to hear it! I love sharing it as I'm listening to this stuff almost daily this time of year. I'm a self-admitted draft nerd. However, I've been obsessing over this long enough I no longer get emotionally invested one iota in the outcome of the Packers draft. We simply never know. And, even when we think we do, we still might be wrong. What I do love throughout the process, however, is finding my Draft crushes. That is a very real thing. I always want my beloved and heartbreaking Packers to select at least some of them, but, I enter the Draft knowing I may not see a single one in the Green and Gold. And, that's just how it is.

I have no problem with the Mocks posted - but, I'm also looking at all of this on my desktop. Are you on a Mobile? I think the joy of posting a Mock for an individual isn't that they think this is what is going to happen but it is, rather, a kind of declaration: 'I'd be really excited if this happened'. I have fun doing the Mocks myself because on any given day a Board may have changed and been adjusted since Pro Days have taken place or the trades proposed or the results are just wildly different than the time or two prior. Also, as to accuracy: I would loosely argue nobody is really all that accurate, and, I've found over the 22 some stupidly obsessive years I've followed the Combine and the Draft season NFL.com certainly isn't gospel either - Bucky, Jeremia, and Reuters can be wildly off-base just as anyone else. If a given individual finds they like a certain pool of players or the ratings used, I say, have at it. I tend to lean Pro Football Network for my mock drafts. Occasionally, I'll use Ross Uglem's RAS-tilted Packers board at Fan Speak (tho, one finds even tho Ross' list 'should' be tilted Packers it, too, is often found to be suspect with what the Packers actually do...ie, they can be unpredictable. Imagine that.). I don't use The Draft Network simply because I don't like to pay for any of these services. I guess, on a personal level, that's where I tend to throw my hands up at the entire process and trust I'll gather enough free information to form confident amateur opinions. Lol. Anyhow, that's just my two centavos.

More TE Draft intel from muh Guy Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network: * Trey McBride had an extremely surprising performance at his Pro Day yesterday. He ran faster than anyone was prepared for: a 4.54 40 apparently. He has now moved into the TE 1 and TE2 conversation most likely coming off the board in the 2nd round. His belief is the other clear Rd 2 TE is Greg Dulcich of UCLA. A Quick Note Here: Recall, Wydermyer had an egregiously bad Pro Day and is now a candidate to go undrafted in his eyes. Pre-Draft Process darling Isaiah Likely (Coastal Carolina) has tested fairly pedestrian throughout the pre-draft process and appears to be falling tho he also believes he will provide good value in, say, Rd 3 or early 4 as he plays much faster than he times. AND, Jeremy Ruckert has an ongoing, and potentially concerning, lower leg injury and was seen in a walking boot during his Pro Day. * Another TE who is clearly rising up draft boards is Maryland's Chigoziem Okonkwo - he has tested quite well and had an excellent Pro Day. He sees him as an early Rd 4 riser as a very intriguing Move TE prospect. * Interestingly, he didn't mention a single thing on my early TE Draft crush, Jelani Woods (posted about above) but his colleagues in their Draft Analyst department, Oliver Hodgkinson and Ian Cummings (who have a very enjoyable podcast for you Draft nerds, btw) have fallen in love with Woods as a prospect and they believe he may go as early as Round 2. We shall see. If you're in to this type of draft coverage: REALLY good convo here today. He goes into precise detail of 3rd round round value at WR where I personally think the Packers will find many a target to potentially add to their WR room. Also goes into detail on Day 3 interior OL. Tony's breadth of draft knowledge is really uncanny. (Start at the 51:50 mark and it is straight into the conversation)