Your Do Not Draft List

[Heyjoe4]

Did not look up their rankings. I believe if not still, at one time were top 100.
5. Restrepo- WR Miami- too slow.
4. Bond- WR Texas- his college production does not make him look like he will do much in the NFL.
3. Pearce- E Tennessee- character issues.
2. Hairston- CB- Kentucky- we have an injury issue #1 corner. We signed an injury prone slot corner. Please don't draft an injury prone corner.
1. Stewart- E- A&M. Great ceiling. Will eventually disappoint IMO. Man, he reminds me of (take your pick of multiple early high potential recent GB picks).

I think it was Dantes who pointed this out - that Pearce takes a mostly linear approach to the QB and has little flexibility in his hips. Sounds a lot like LVN.

 

[Dantés]

A couple of notes I've heard on Hairston:

1) His shoulder injury was apparently nothing serious-- he got a needle sight infection and that's what kept him out.

2) He has a lot of nagging ****** assault accusations following him around.

Now I read that he's around 194# in training. Maybe slimmed down to run that 4.28 forty.

These are a lot of if's, but...

If he really can play around 190+ at 5'11"...

If the should injury was really just an infection issue...

If there isn't any legitimacy to the accusations following him around...

This is a really, really good prospect. The movement skills are special. He has legit man cover ability.

I have been vocal about thinking that the Packers might not be going corner early, but if they don't want Valentine to have a big role, or if they see Nixon playing a lot less, I can see the wisdom in taking the right guy at #23. There aren't a ton of good options on day 2.

 

[Thirteen Below]

I have been vocal about thinking that the Packers might not be going corner early, but if they don't want Valentine to have a big role, or if they see Nixon playing a lot less, I can see the wisdom in taking the right guy at #23. There aren't a ton of good options on day 2.

I know I'm on record as going back and forth on Hairston (assuming anyone pays any attention to anything I say, lol) but now it's early Thursday morning and Thursdays are one of the days that I'm scheduled to love the guy.

I live in Kentucky, and have seen a lot of him, and I like him a lot as a college player. He's got all the tools (and most of the instincts) to do very well at the next level, but one thing he does not have and you can not coach is - body mass. He doesn't have a lot of that to spare.

On the plus side, he has terrific speed, and is an aggressive and confident press defender. He gets his hands all over his man right from "hut", and harasses him all the way downfield - something that Hafley values very highly, which may suggest that Green Bay has him higher on their christmas list than other teams might. And when is in zone coverage, he is very quick to read the flow of the play, and recognize his responsibilties. He rarely gets caught out of position.

IMO, he does have some weaknesses that are mental rather than physical, and can be coached up. He's a ballhawk, and while one of his innate strengths is that he has a high football IQ and is able to read a QB's intentions with just a glance - but by the same token, there are a lot of times when he spends too much time looking at the quarterback and not enough looking at the man he is covering.

But again, that can probably be coached out of him. Hafley is known to be a guru for DBs, and Hairston is a bright, motivated kid who wants to succeed.

Also, despite his fluid movement skills, defensive instincts, and exceptional athleticism (9.68 RAS), he often gets crossed up running with his man, and his footwork is awkward. He's not always a smooth defender when he's going stride for stride with a WR, and seems to get out of step with his man more than you would expect from a player with his skills - which probably makes it stand out more to me, but it seems to be one area where his instincts are lacking.

But... again... NFL-level coaching can often turn college-level players into NFL-level players.

But the biggest issue I have is his tackling. Overall, he's a willing and sometimes aggressive tackler, but he consistently seems to shy away from the truly big hits - especially when a running back breaks through the first level and becomes his responsibility.

And that's what I mean when I speak of his body mass - he has a very light frame, and while overall he is a good tackler, he noticeably shies away from shoulder tackles even at the college level. What's going to happen when he's the only man left in front of Saquon Barkley or Derek Henry, storming out of the backfield already in 3rd gear?

I was thrilled when Green Bay drafted Jaire Alexander, because I saw a lot of him here in Louisville back when we owned a rental property there and I had to be up there a lot. And i see a lot of similarities between Jaire and Hairston - football "IQ", the ability to recognize where the ball is going to go before it even leaves the QB's hand, and the speed and athleticism to react to that.

Unfortunately, one of those similarities is that they are frail and don't have the "build" to reliably defend the run at the NFL level without getting injured. I fear that if we draft Hairston as the heir apparent to Jaire, we're just replaicing Jaire I with Jaire II - a truly exceptional CB who can't handle the violent physicality of the NFL game and will be increasingly injury prone with each passing season.

 

[Heyjoe4]

Now I read that he's around 194# in training. Maybe slimmed down to run that 4.28 forty.

These are a lot of if's, but...

If he really can play around 190+ at 5'11"...

If the should injury was really just an infection issue...

If there isn't any legitimacy to the accusations following him around...

This is a really, really good prospect. The movement skills are special. He has legit man cover ability.

I have been vocal about thinking that the Packers might not be going corner early, but if they don't want Valentine to have a big role, or if they see Nixon playing a lot less, I can see the wisdom in taking the right guy at #23. There aren't a ton of good options on day 2.

Yeah I don't think the Packers are going to use #23 on a corner. Now if Jahdae Barron somehow dropped to #23, then yeah he'd be worth it. But I think Barron goes somewhere between 10 and 15, gone well before #23.

As for Hairston, he looks like a decent day 2 guy. I think Gluten sent a message with signing Hobbs that CB has dropped on the draft priority list. And I'm among a minority of commenters who thinks JA will be staying in GB.

Anyway CB isn't the priority it seemed at season's end. My guess is that WR Egbuka is the guy at #23. Guessing these picks is always a mystery and always fun.

 

[Heyjoe4]

I know I'm on record as going back and forth on Hairston (assuming anyone pays any attention to anything I say, lol) but now it's early Thursday morning and Thursdays are one of the days that I'm scheduled to love the guy.

I live in Kentucky, and have seen a lot of him, and I like him a lot as a college player. He's got all the tools (and most of the instincts) to do very well at the next level, but one thing he does not have and you can not coach is - body mass. He doesn't have a lot of that to spare.

On the plus side, he has terrific speed, and is an aggressive and confident press defender. He gets his hands all over his man right from "hut", and harasses him all the way downfield - something that Hafley values very highly, which may suggest that Green Bay has him higher on their christmas list than other teams might. And when is in zone coverage, he is very quick to read the flow of the play, and recognize his responsibilties. He rarely gets caught out of position.

IMO, he does have some weaknesses that are mental rather than physical, and can be coached up. He's a ballhawk, and while one of his innate strengths is that he has a high football IQ and is able to read a QB's intentions with just a glance - but by the same token, there are a lot of times when he spends too much time looking at the quarterback and not enough looking at the man he is covering.

But again, that can probably be coached out of him. Hafley is known to be a guru for DBs, and Hairston is a bright, motivated kid who wants to succeed.

Also, despite his fluid movement skills, defensive instincts, and exceptional athleticism (9.68 RAS), he often gets crossed up running with his man, and his footwork is awkward. He's not always a smooth defender when he's going stride for stride with a WR, and seems to get out of step with his man more than you would expect from a player with his skills - which probably makes it stand out more to me, but it seems to be one area where his instincts are lacking.

But... again... NFL-level coaching can often turn college-level players into NFL-level players.

But the biggest issue I have is his tackling. Overall, he's a willing and sometimes aggressive tackler, but he consistently seems to shy away from the truly big hits - especially when a running back breaks through the first level and becomes his responsibility.

And that's what I mean when I speak of his body mass - he has a very light frame, and while overall he is a good tackler, he noticeably shies away from shoulder tackles even at the college level. What's going to happen when he's the only man left in front of Saquon Barkley or Derek Henry, storming out of the backfield already in 3rd gear?

I was thrilled when Green Bay drafted Jaire Alexander, because I saw a lot of him here in Louisville back when we owned a rental property there and I had to be up there a lot. And i see a lot of similarities between Jaire and Hairston - football "IQ", the ability to recognize where the ball is going to go before it even leaves the QB's hand, and the speed and athleticism to react to that.

Unfortunately, one of those similarities is that they are frail and don't have the "build" to reliably defend the run at the NFL level without getting injured. I fear that if we draft Hairston as the heir apparent to Jaire, we're just replaicing Jaire I with Jaire II - a truly exceptional CB who can't handle the violent physicality of the NFL game and will be increasingly injury prone with each passing season.

Hey 13 I pay attention to your comments. Well, ya know, now and then.....

This is a good summary of Hairston's S&Ws. Just my opinion, but small corners like Hairston are becoming extinct. Speed isn't an asset if he can't bring down someone he catches. (Like the dog caught the car. Now what?)

These guys do get bigger under the guidance of NFL strength coaches, but there are limits. So just as WRs are getting bigger, and faster - as in 6'3" minimum height and 210-225 lbs, the corners need to keep pace. Guys like Derrick Henry and Jacobs would run right through Hairston. Guys under 190 lbs are simply prone to shoulder injuries, and those are nasty.

I think CB has a lower profile now for the Packers in this draft. Hobbs is no All Pro, but he brings solid veteran experience. And I think JA stays. #23 will be Egbuka or Burden III or a disruptive DT, just depends on who is there. Oh and just my opinion FWIW.