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The rumors that Randy Moss might be traded to the Packers are officially over!  The Oakland Raiders traded the has-been receiver to the New England Patriots for a mere fourth round draft pick.  Several Packers fans had been anxious to see Moss in a Packers uniform, perhaps forgetting the fact that Randy Moss ended up destroying the team chemistry of each NFL team he’s played for (See Vikings and Raiders).  Luckily, he’s the Patriots problem now.  Maybe he can moon Jets fans now.

Round 4:  OT Allen Barbre (that’s BAR-BRAY) out of Missouri Southern State.  This looks like a really good pick by Ted Thompson and the Packers.  This talented blocker from a small Division II school should be a solid starter within a year or two.  He’s very athletic and has exceptional pass blocking skills.  With this pick, few will find anything to criticize.

Highlights

Round 5:  WR David Clowney out of Virginia Tech.  This blazing fast receiver is tremedously athletic.  He’s a sprinter on the VT track team.  He can make spectacular grabs on balls that aren’t exactly on target.  However, he’s a little small and has a lot of trouble against big defenders.  He’s no Javon Walker, but he plays with a lot of heart and could turn out to be a great pick.  Clowney is my favorite GB pick of the draft.

David Clowney’s highlight reel

Round 6:  LB Korey Hall out of Boise State.  Korey Hall has some similarities to last year’s outstanding first round pick A.J. Hawk.  Like Hawk, Hall agressively flies around the field and is often in the right place at the right time.  Hall is always moving toward the ball, and has a lot of quickness.  However, the comparisons end there.  Hall is extremely undersized for a linebacker, and he’ll have trouble bringing down some of the league’s bigger backs.  Plus, his small size will make him easily blocked by opposing O-lines.  Korey Hall is nothing too special, but he could compete with Brady Poppinga in the future.

Sorry, no highlight reel available.

Round 6:  LB Desmond Bishop out of Cal.  This guy’s underrated.  He’s aggressive and hits hard.  He plays very well against the run.  His only problem, however, is a big one.  He’s pretty bad in pass protection.  That’s why he went so late in the draft.  With some good coaching, though, Bishop could turn out to be a really good inside linebacker.  Regardless of whether or not he can improve his pass coverage, he’ll still be a great backup in the NFL.

Video Highlights

Round 6:  Kicker Mason Crosby out of Colorado.  This is another great pick.  Mason Crosby is one of the best kickers to ever have played college football.  Crosby has a ton of power in his kicks, and is pretty accurate too.  He’s proven himself in clutch situations throughout his college career.  At times, he has had difficulty in poor weather, but who hasn’t?  This is one of the best picks Thompson’s made in his 3 years as GM.  Mark my words, Mason Crosby will have a serious impact.

Highlight Reel

Round 7:  DeShawn Wynn out of Florida.  Wynn is a big running back who can put defenders on their backs and is very fast for his size, but he doesn’t show much determination and doesn’t work very hard.  Unless he can make a serious attitude adjustment, we won’t be hearing much of him in the future.

Sorry, no highlight reel available

Round 7:  TE Clark Harris out of Rutgers.  The Packers finally addressed their tight end need by drafting Clark Harris with their last selection.  Harris is a good pass-catching tight end with decent speed.  He’s not a great blocker, but he does well enough to get by in the NFL.  He probably won’t be good enough to be a #1 tight end in the near future, so the Packers and the fans had better hope Bubba Franks can rebound after last year’s miserable season.

For video highlights, click here.

In conclusion, the Packers probably appeased angry fans with some less risky and smarter picks on Day 2.  Some of these guys could end up being good.

It started out with Justin Harrell, defensive tackle out of Tennessee.  Ted Thompson decided to put off the Packers’ offensive needs until later in the draft.  Instead, he chose a defensive tackle, a position that most expected Thompson to address later in the draft, if at all.  Green Bay fans seemed confused, even angry about Thompson’s pick.

Thompson’s next selection didn’t do anything to calm fans down.  Passing on Lorenzo Booker, the Packers GM instead chose the injury-prone Nebraska running back Brandon Jackson.  Many scouts expressed serious concern about his ball security skills and his speed.  But the Packers liked his mental toughness and his ability to make defenders miss.

For many disgruntled Packers fans, the 3rd round pick of WR James Jones out of San Jose State was the icing on the cake.  Jones had been predicted by many to go in the middle of the sixth round.  Yet the Packers took him off of the board in the third round, again over many prospects that had been rated higher by most experts.

The pick of safety Aaron Rouse made sense, but Thompson had expressed confidence in Marquand Manuel to have a bounce-back season, so why did he take a safety so early?  Maybe he liked the fact that Rouse’s size and strength make him an ideal candidate to play both safety and linebacker.

Whatever his reasons, Ted Thompson did very little to appeal to fans.  However, let’s not get too harsh with the criticism until the new Packers rookies get a chance to prove themselves on the field.  After all, Thompson did a superb job in last year’s draft, and he might just have a plan that will return the Packers to greatness.  For his sake and ours, let’s hope he’s right.

For more on the Packers’ day 1 selections, click here.

Round 1:  DT Justin Harrell out of Tennessee.  The crowd erupted in boos when the Packers took Harrell.  With two great receivers available in Robert Meachem and Dwayne Bowe to help Favre, no one was thinking Harrell would go this early.  Coming off an injury, Harrell may have been a Top 10 pick if he’d remained healthy.  GM Ted Thompson is clearly taking a very measured approach to this draft.  In his eyes, with Marshawn Lynch gone and a lot of depth at the receiver position, Harrell was the guy to go with because he was one of the few good DT’s left.  Harrell could end up being a huge success if he can help Ryan Pickett stuff the run.  Then again, he might not come off of his injury as Thompson is hoping.  Thomspon is obviously looking to build a powerhouse defense to win games instead of an explosive offense.  After all, defense wins championships.

See a highlight video of Justin Harrell here.

Round 2:  After trading away the 15th second round pick to the New York Jets in exchange for the 31st second rounder, the Packers raised more eyebrows by picking the Nebraska’s Brandon Jackson.  Projected as a late third-rounder, Ted Thompson chose instead to take him in the late second round.  These two picks will be scrutinized heavily, and Thompson had better hope that they turn out well, or disgruntled fans will be calling for his firing (Oh, wait, they already are).

That being said, Brandon Jackson does have some upside.  He has good vision, a definite plus in the zone-blocking scheme which the Packers have implemented.  He also shows good burst and has great agility.  In short, he can make guys miss.  But he’s also had problems with fumbles and injuries.  He actually looks a lot like Ahman Green in his strengths and weaknesses.  Ted Thompson is clearly taking some risks in this draft, going against what conventional wisdom would tell him to do.  He probably should have gone with the faster Lorenzo Booker in this situation, but maybe Ted knows something we don’t.

Here’s the highlights.

Round 3:  WR James Jones, San Jose State.

With yet another questionable pick, the Packers go with James Jones over Steve Breaston and Aundrae Allison at receiver.  What the Pack really needed was a deep threat.  They chose the opposite.  Jones will do better with slant routes and short passes.  Jones has quickness, but doesn’t have a lot of speed on deep routes (a 4.54 forty).  Jones could very well develop into a good #3 receiver, even a #2 if given enough time.  But he probably would have been available when the Packers selected later, and this doesn’t look like an outstanding pick.

Highlight video of James Jones

Round 3:  S Aaron Rouse may turn out to be the smartest pick Ted Thompson made on the first day.  And it wasn’t even a superb pick.  Good: yes, great: in terms of value, yes, oustanding:  no.  Aaron Rouse has tremendous upside.  His first 3 years at Virginia Tech were spectacular, but in his senior year he hit a serious slump.  He redeemed himself somewhat with a stellar performance in the Senior Bowl, but he’s still a risk.  Rouse is incredible against the run, and does reasonably well against the pass as well.  However, especially in the aforementioned senior season, he has had problems being in the right place at the right time.  He’s going to need to adapt quickly if he’s going to be successful on the big stage. 

Click here for the highlights.

For a complete list of the picks of the 3rd round of the 2007 NFL Draft, click here.

The Packers picked WR James Jones and S Aaron Rouse.  For more on these two players and the rest of the Packers’ Day 1 selections, click here.

For a complete list of picks from the 2nd round of the 2007 NFL Draft, click here.

 The Packers picked Brandon Jackson.  More on Jackson.

1.)  Oakland Raiders:  QB JaMarcus Russel;  Big, strong guy with a powerful arm.   The Raiders’ pick of JaMarcus Russel shows that they were drafting for need.  They passed on Calvin Johnson, the consensus #1 player in the draft.

2.)  Detroit Lions:  WR Calvin Johnson;  a no-brainer, although some expected a defensive pick here.

3.)  Cleveland Browns:  OT Joe Thomas;  The Browns pass up Brady Quinn, and go for the safest pick available.

4.)  Tampa Bay Buccaneers;  DE Gaines Adams;  Speedy and versatile pass-rusher out of Clemson will make an immediate  impact for the Bucs.

5.)  Arizona Cardinals:  OT Levi Brown;  They would have liked Wisconsin’s Joe Thomas, but Brown is the 2nd guy available.

6.)  Washington Redskins:  S LaRon Landry;  This could make the Redskins’ secondary very intimidating.

7.)  Minnesota Vikings:  RB Adrian Peterson;  Anyone with half a brain would have picked Peterson here.

8.)  Atlanta Falcons:  DE Jamaal Anderson;  Best player available at that time.

9.)  Miami Dolphins:  WR Ted Ginn, Jr.; Could be a double threat, serving as both a speedy receiver and an explosive kick returner.

10.)  Houston Texans:  DT Amobi Okoye;  19-year old phenom is the second 1st round pick in a row that the Texans have used on their defensive line.

11.)  San Francisco 49ers:  LB Patrick Willis;  49ers are hoping that Willis will plug the inside and improve their weak run defense.

12.)  Buffalo Bills:  RB Marshawn Lynch;  After losing Willis McGahee in free agency to the Ravens, the Bills steal Lynch away from the Packers with the 12th pick.

13.)  St. Louis:  DE Adam Carriker;  Rams wanted a DE, so they took a DE, nothing shocking here.

14.)  TRADE:  Carolina traded the No. 14 selection and their sixth-round pick to the New York Jets. Carolina got the Jets’ first-round pick, 25th overall, their second-round pick, 59th overall and a fifth-round selection.

New York Jets:  CB Darrelle Revis;  The Radio City Music Hall erupted in cheers when the Jets took traded up and took Darrelle Revis, who is a shutdown corner in a division that needs shutdown corners because of Tom Brady.

15.)  Pittsburgh Steelers:  LB Lawrence Timmons;  The Steelers improve an already solid defense.

16.)  Green Bay Packers:  DT Justin Harrell;  No one would have expected this pick, and the crowd booed as the Packers took a risk with the injury-prone Justin Harrell.  The Packers passed up several players they saw as overrated.  For more on this pick, click here.

17.)  TRADE:  Broncos trade their No. 21 pick and their third and sixth round picks to the Jets for New York’s No. 17 pick.

Denver Broncos:  DE Jarvis Moss;  The Broncos obviously see something in this guy, trading 3 picks to move up a mere 4 spots. 

18.)  Cincinatti Bengals:  CB Leon Hall;  Hall, who has great hands and makes more interceptions than the average CB, will fit right into the Bengals opportunistic defense.

19.)  Tennesse Titans:  S Michael Griffin;  Talented safety, but many would have liked to see the Titans go for offensive players instead..  Most, however, will be content with this pick.

20.)  New York Giants:  CB Aaron Ross;  A talented but inexperienced corner who didn’t become a star player until his junior season.  He is an extremely versatile kick returner.

21.)  Jacksonville Jaguars:  S Reggie Nelson;  The Jaguars take the best safety still on the board.

TRADE:  The Cowboys trade the 22nd pick to the Browns for their second round pick (#36) and next year’s #1 pick.

Cleveland Browns:  QB Brady Quinn;  Quinn dropped way down, and the Cowboys didn’t have any needs that they couldn’t address later.  So a trade was expected here.  With the best tackle in the draft (Joe Thomas) blocking for him next year, Brady Quinn could have some big-time success.  The Browns debated between Thomas and Quinn with the #3 pick, and now they’ve got BOTH.  Everybody in Cleveland is happy right now, and so is Brady Quinn.

23.)  Kansas City Chiefs:  WR Dwayne Bowe;  The Chiefs perhaps should have addressed their miserable offensive line, but Bowe will do well with Eddie Kennison as his mentor.  He has questionable hands, but unquestionable work ethic and has improved his catching ability.

24.)  New England Patriots:  S Brandon Meriweather;  This is a versatile player who can play multiple defensive positions, but he has some character issues too.

25.)  Carolina Panthers:  LB Jon Beason;  the Panthers got a bit of a steal here, getting an excellent linebacker even after trading down.

26.)  TRADE:  Cowboys move back into first round, acquiring No. 26 pick from Eagles; they give up No. 36 (second round), No. 87 (third round) and No. 159 (fifth round)

Dallas Cowboys:  DE Anthony Spencer;  An unexpected trade with the Eagles set the Cowboys up to take this player from Purdue.  He could play OLB in the 3-4.

27.)  New Orleans Saints:  WR Robert Meachem;  Many expected the Packers to take Meachem back at pick #16, but Green Bay suprisingly went with Justin Harrell instead.  The Saints are happy that Meachem fell into their lap; their offense will be formidable now.

28.)  TRADE:  49ers move up to get No. 28 pick from the Pats; they give up No. 110 (fourth round) and a 2008 first-round pick.

San Francisco 49ers:  OT Joe Staley;  a top-notch tackle who will probably get to learn from current starter Kwame Harris before stepping into the starting role next year.

29.)  Baltimore Ravens:  G Ben Grubbs;  One of the weaknesses of the Ravens last year, if you can call it that, was their offensive line.  They’ve fixed that up here.

30.)  San Diego Chargers:  WR Craig Davis; this lesser-known speedster will open up the field for Antonio Gates.

31.)  Chicago Bears:  TE Greg Olsen; another player who the Packers passed up on and then slipped.  Olsen should be a great target for Rex Grossman to miss.

32.)  Indianapolis Colts:  WR Anthony Gonzales;  Maybe should have been taken later, but the Colts are confident that Peyton Manning can win as long as he has targets.

This post will be updated as the day goes on with the selections of all of the teams in the NFL Draft.  For a list of the Packers picks in Day 1, click here.

PACKERwatch will be giving up-to-the minute reports on the NFL Draft to keep you updated.  Join us at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 28 for the beginning of the draft.

PACKERwatch is looking for a talented writer or two to work on this site as a contributor.  If you’re interested, send a sample article and some information about yourself to packerwatch@gbpackersfan.com

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• Brett Favre’s return
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• The Colts beat the Bears in the Super Bowl.  Any true Packer fan should be happy about that. 
• Future Hall of Fame QB Brett Favre decided to return to the Packers for (at least) one more year.
• The Packers were remarkably inactive in free agency, signing only possible nickelback Frank Walker.  The team ended up losing HB Ahman Green to the Houstan Texans.  There have been no other significant moves as of now.
• Rumors of a pending trade between the Packers and Raiders involving Oakland’s hated receiver Randy Moss and Green Bay’s heir apparent to Favre, Aaron Rodgers. These rumors, portrayed as solid facts throughout the sports media, turned out to have absolutely no basis in reality.
• Koren Robinson is serving the remainder of his jail time under house arrest, and looks as though he may be back for the 2007 season.  However, Robinson could face more time behind bars for the drunk-driving incident that led to his suspension last year.  The judge has not yet ruled on Robinson’s penalty.
• The Packers will have the 16th pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.  The Packers will most likely look to use their first-round pick on a high-caliber running back to replace Green, such as Cal’s Marshawn Lynch.  They may also look at a standout wide receiver to give Favre another target besides Driver.  Tune in on April 28-29 and watch.
• The Packers official schedule has been released.  Check it out here.
• Keep visiting PACKERwatch to stay in the know.