The Green Bay Packers need help at the safety position, and they needed to find it in the 2012 NFL draft. They selected a defensive back, Vanderbilt's Casey Hayward, in the second round, and maybe that will lead to another cornerback, such as Charles Woodson, being moved to safety. Or maybe Hayward could be converted to safety. But the coaches expect Hayward to remain at cornerback and I think he was selected to pressure Sam Shields, who slumped last season. Also, I don't expect any of last season's cornerbacks to change position. Mike McCarthy has said he's not going to move Jarrett Bush back to safety, and none of the coaches seem eager to move Woodson either. So the Packers needed someone else in the mix at safety, and they grabbed a talented, raw prospect in the fourth round.
Round 4, Pick 133. Maine SS Jerron McMillian. Most mock drafts are hopelessly wrong, and often the players themselves have no idea. McMillian was just hoping to be drafted in any round, much less the fourth round. The Journal-Sentinel also wrote about how shocked McMillian was to be invited to the draft combine in February, and the players at Maine are typically players who receive no scholarship offers.
At 5-11 and 203 lbs., McMillian is about the same size as former safety Nick Collins. He runs a 4.36 in the 40, and in college, he was known as a big hitting strong safety who played close to the line of scrimmage. His combination of size, speed and strength make him an intriguing prospect, but one with a steep learning curve as he goes from Maine to the NFL.
It's up to McMillian himself whether he'll be a candidate to start in 2012. Morgan Burnett was thrown into the mix as a starter in 2010 as a rookie by working very hard over the summer to learn the defense, and he went out and proved it to the coaches during the OTAs. It also depends on what role Burnett will play. Will he spend the offseason preparing to take over for Collins as the deep safety in coverage? Then McMillian might be a natural fit as a safety who plays closer to the line of scrimmage.
Sometimes a player emerges during training camp, but I haven't seen anything from Charlie Peprah, M.D. Jennings, or Anthony Levine that makes me believe in them as a starter. I wouldn't expect a player like McMillian to have a shot to start as a rookie, but he doesn't haven't a lot of quality competition either.
7 comments:
Incidentally Brandon, you are truly missed over at APC. I really underappreciated your laissez-faire style of management. I accumulated exactly four warnings over the span of three days recently,which led to my permanent banishment from APC. They are as follows:
1) Referring to the NFL draft as a "slave auction" in the context of Players being forced to play for a team against their possible wil, instead of the free market that most of us enjoy when seeking employment
2) Referring to the Vikings as the "Queens" -- no joke.
3) In the aftermath of Seau's suicide, I engaged in a little gallow's humor. Context: When it comes to death, some of us face this difficult life moment with humor, often of the wry, semi-twisted sort. I joked that he killed himself b/c he never won a Super Bowl. And I blamed the Giants for ruining his best chance.
4) I labeled my critics on APC "soft like women" and was banned for being a sexist. This coming from a site that calls Ponder "Christina" and feminizes other teams' players.
I loved APC, esp. with you there. Really enjoyed guys like Stroh, Vermont, Packallday and a few others. But I guess it was time to move on.
Yeah, I didn't like the joke much either http://goo.gl/34R5v but you're a long time commentator. I would have probably deleted the comment and gave you a warning instead, to let you know that the community didn't like it. But I rarely banned anyone. I am surprised Kevin hasn't actually deleted the comment, you obviously had some second thoughts about it in a later comment.
Thanks for remembering/recognizing me! Yeah, after he warned me for calling the Vikings the "Queens", which virtually EVERY Packer fan says (it's our birthright, dammit!), I basically blew the proverbial gasket and then said they (Kevin, et al.) were "soft like women". Yeah I regret saying some things, but... hey, even as I type this, I'm thinking "it's done". Leave it at that.
He went WAY overboard, and did considerably more than he lets on here, if you're considering trying to help him out. And he went around the entirety of SBN posting outrageously racist comments about how he was treated. PackFan, you aren't "leaving it at that", you're banned from the whole network. And for good reason.
Nice Try Tepo. But my supposed "racist comments" (more of that in a bit) came AFTER I was banned from APC. Underline, bold face and italicize that. I was banned precisely for the FOUR reasons I described above. And by the way, did you see the rampant sexism on the Sam Shields-dumping-his-fiance post or whatever story it was (Has APC become Ya-snooze or TMZ-lite now?). People calling her a "goldigger" "typical woman" standing up for Shields acts, etc. Much more offensive and sexist than my playful description of Kevin and his ultra-sensitive lackeys as "softer than any woman I've met". Oh and check this out, you can't even refer to the Vikings as the "Queens" anymore. Don't believe me? Think I'm lying? Try it, I dare you. Test my theory. Post Queens right now...you will be "warned" with an "or else." My supposed racists comments? Nothing of the sort -- I felt like I was lynched and treated like the N-word. The N word for me takes on a much broader meaning of someone of ANY RACE that's been railroaded.
Heck, I've moved on. Won't address this any more. And one more thing: *cracks knuckles* *turns head to the left, then to the right* *looks you straight in the eyes*.... DYNASTY
rec me
Hey sorry to hear you were banned. Guessing its only a matter of time for me, tho Kevin has sd a few things that I feel are kinda like kissing my ass lately. I got warned for something, about saying someone was dumb, when it was really saying a particular comment was dumb. A couple other and I feel he's overcompensating for something. But what ever... Sorry again, see you round here I guess.
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