Until regular season games are played without contact and in shorts, everything that happens in OTAs and minicamps should be taken with a very big grain of salt. That’s why we didn’t think it was necessary (or even useful) to provide a play-by-play account of what occurred on the practice field last week. Instead, we asked a former scout to give us a list of the 10 most impressive players. For what it’s worth, here it is:
1) CB Tramon Williams - “He just keeps getting better. The kid can run with any receiver. He’s as quick as a hiccup and plays much faster than he times. He was far and away the best defensive player on the practice field last week. He’ll replace Al Harris - the only question is whether it will be sometime this season or a year from now.”
2) WR Greg Jennings - “His new extension overshadowed just how good he looked on the practice field. Nobody - and I mean nobody - could cover him. Green Bay is blessed with a bunch of talented receivers, but this young man stands head and shoulders above them all. You don’t need to be a pro scout to know that he’s special.”
3) QB Aaron Rodgers - “What a difference a year makes. He was a kid last spring and now he’s a man. In fact, now he's THE man. He’s no longer reluctant to speak up. He was quick to correct teammates who lined up wrong or ran poor routes and he even made forceful suggestions to the coaches. And, oh yeah, he threw the heck out of the ball.”
4) TE Jermichael Finley - “He had a very good week, but unlike Williams, I still have some reservations. This is the kind of player who will always look great in shorts because of his size and athletic ability. But does he have the maturity and the toughness to get the job done in the heat of battle? We won't know that for a few more months.”
5) OT Allen Barbre - “This is another player who should always look really good in shorts. He’s arguably the strongest and most athletic offensive lineman on the entire roster. While I’m not ready to annoint him the new starter at right tackle just yet, I will say that he looks far more comfortable outside than he ever looked at guard.”
6) WR Jordy Nelson - “He’s not flashy - even in shorts - but he runs good routes and catches almost every ball thrown his way. While he’s a bit stiff in his movements, there’s nothing robotic about the way he thinks. He seems to have an innate ability to get open. That’s why Rodgers threw so many balls his way during the week.”
7) LB Brandon Chillar - “While reporters were focused on Aaron Kampman and Clay Matthews, the most impressive linebacker on the field was Chillar. I’m not sure if he has the size and/or the power to be an effective starter in the 3-4 (either inside or outside), but he certainly moves well enough. I know he’s penciled in as a backup, but I’d like to see him get a legitimate chance to compete for a starting job.”
8) LB Jeremy Thompson - “He looks the part of a 3-4 outside linebacker, but I won’t jump on the bandwagon until he shows the ability to beat a veteran left tackle and get to the quarterback on a consistent basis. Can he do that? Maybe, but I have my doubts. The one thing I’m sure of, however, is that he has a much better chance of finding success at outside linebacker than he had at defensive end.”
9) OG Josh Sitton - “He was impressive all week. The kid is huge, and while he’s far from light on his feet, he moves around OK. He reminds me of a much heavier and slightly more athletic version of Marco Rivera. My biggest concern is how he’ll fare playing next to a young right tackle. Mark Tauscher made things a lot easier for him last summer.”
10) P Jeremy Kapinos - “The Packers would love to see Durant Brooks win the job, but Kapinos was clearly the better punter last week. He doesn’t have a strong leg, but his hang time was very consistent and his accuracy was outstanding. While the competiton will obviously come down to who kicks better during training camp and the preseason, the fact that Kapinos is still the frontrunner is a surprise.”
Copyright 2009. Do not repost.
