The 3rd in a series of articles ranking Ted Thompson’s draft picks by round.
In the 5th round, you’re getting a little farther away from the bottom of the barrell. This is the edge of the “middle rounds” where you are doing more than throwing darts when the studs are all gone. These are guys who should not be confused with UDFAs, guys who, if the Packers passed on them, would actually get drafted. Still, you can’t expect too much. After all, 130+ picks are already gone and it’s not like you expect 130 All Pros to be drafted every year. That being said, here are Ted’s picks for the round, in ascending order.
18. Ingle Martin – As the third string quarterback, he can always say he was the best quarterback on the team after Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. Never did anything anywhere, though. Also, I’m sure no one in his second great class ever told him, but his first name rhymes with “dingle.”
17. Terrell Manning – Also never really did anything. He was picked with the 163rd selection of the 2012 draft, which was traded from the Packers to the Patriots and later traded back from the Patriot to the Packers. That’s probably the most noteworthy thing about his NFL story.
16. DJ Williams – He won the John Mackey award as the nation’s best tight end in 2010 (edging out Lance Kendricks, ironically enough). He looked like he could be a late round gem, but, despite an occasional preseason flash, he never amounted to anything past the 9 catches for 70 yards he got in his first two seasons with the Packers.
15. Junius Coston – Ted’s first fifth round pick as the Packers GM… it took him a while to get used to it. He actually started 7 games in 2007. He was cut in 2008 by the Packers… and the Raiders… and then the Lions.
14. Mike Hawkins – never quite lived up to his potential and athleticism. Played in 11 games his rookie year, then lasted 7 games with the Browns the next year before hanging out on the rosters of, but never playing for, the Vikings (and it wasn’t the first time they picked up a former Packer), Cowboys, Buccaneers, and Raiders. The athleticism was so tempting.
13. David Clowney – maybe the fastest player Ted’s ever drafted, given that Shields was undrafted. Didn’t make the team for the Packers but went to the Jets for two and a half years before catching on in Carolina. Only got 341 yards in his career, but it was a 15.5 ypc. Fast.
12. Trevor Davis – He’s fast. Maybe not as fast as Clowney, but still fast. He had a great grab in minicamp last year. Oh, and he muffed a punt. That’s about all we know after a rookie season that included 3 catches for 24 yards in 1 game.
11. Josh Boyd – This was a guy I really liked. He played in 9 games as a rookie and 15 as a second-year player (starting 4) and looked like a player on the rise. It never materialized though. In week two of his third year, he tore ligaments and broke bones in his ankle, going on injured reserve before being cut in camp the following year. Could have definitely been higher on the list were it not for injuries ending his career too soon.
10. Quinn Johnson – Bruising fullback in a league where fullbacks aren’t all that utilized. The Packers oddly kept three fullbacks the year he was drafted (including Korey Hall and Kuhn), showing how much they liked him. Kuhn eventually won out and Johnson left after two years to join the Titans for 3 more, netting 13 total starts in his 5 year career as a lead blocker. He wasn’t just a blocker, though – he also had 4 carries for 5 yards in his career.
9. Marshall Newhouse – I never liked this guy. He started 31 games for the Pack during his three year stay and I thought he had a slow snap reaction that doomed him and usually Aaron Rodgers. He spent the last three years with the Giants and Bengals, starting 25 more games for them. I’m sure he was thoroughly unspectacular in all of them. Thankfully, our line is so much better now.
8. Jared Abbrederis – Home state hero who couldn’t really stay healthy. When he played, he looked like the most precise route-runner on the team, throwing out crazy stuff like this in limited opportunities. Still, not big, healthy, or all-around quote good enough to see the field regularly, no matter how much we liked him. He ended his Packer career with 20 catches for 119 yards before going to Detroit.
7. Tony Moll – a nice swing man who was traded to the Ravens for Derrick Martin after a few years. Had 18 career starts over 3 teams in 6 years. Fewer career starts than Newhouse, sure, but he didn’t royally suck through them all, either.
6. Brett Hundley – A promising-looking backup quarterback (based on one preseason of work), he’s already the subject of trade rumors (and would probably net something more than Derrick Martin). Looks like a good pick, but that’s based solely on potential – still a lot to prove. He could definitely move up these rankings.
5. Andrew Quarless – He wasn’t amazing, but he used God’s Gifts to fill in just fine for an injured Jermichael Finley in the Super Bowl run. A solid TE2 with the Packers for 5 years (not including 2012, which he missed due to injury), grabbing 89 catches for 940 and 6, being unremarkably decent for his stay in Green Bay.
4. Jamon Meredith – This guy… this was my guy. I wanted him so bad and was ecstatic when they drafted him in the 5th. Then I was horrified when they cut him. He went to Buffalo and was an instant contributor. Then he bounced around to the Lions, Giants, Steelers, Bucs, Colts, back to the Packers (whoo hoo!), then quickly to the Bengals (d’oh) and finally the Titans, starting 30 games over 7 years. Not bad at all.
3. Breno Giacomini – I remember really liking this guy after the combine. He was big and had a smooth athleticism, but he didn’t fit GB’s system for some reason. He went to Seattle and then the Jets, carving out a solid career as a starting right tackle for 70 games, including 5 games last year before injuring his back. Very good career for a pick this late.
2. Micah Hyde – I love this guy. He immediately became a special teams contributor and great nickel back (as opposed to the unicorn rare “great Nickelback”). Last year, he pretty much was the only consistent player in the entire cornerbacks group. He did so good that Buffalo overpaid him. The fifth round is very good value for a DB who really has everything except top-end speed.
1. Corey Linsley – A rare offensive lineman that Ted drafted who wasn’t a tackle in college. Linsley was a center at Ohio State, where Urban Meyer called him “the apex of the offense.” The fact that he lasted until the 5th round shows how undervalued centers are around the league. However, he proved his worth to the Packers, starting all 16 games as a rookie and doing a damn fine job with JC Tretter injured. He started most of 2015, as well, but was injured to start 2016. When Tretter went down midseason, Linsley stepped in and did great. With Tretter leaving via free agency, the hope is that Linsely can stay healthy and continue to perform at a high level.
The 5th round can be tricky, and Ted certainly had some misses. About half these guys became NFL starters for multiple years. That’s a pretty decent batting average down here. Getting a couple guys like Linsley and Hyde should have Ted forgetting about the Ingle Martins of the round and feeling pretty good. I’m not going to sit here and slobber on this like Ted’s amazing for finding a utility DB and some good linemen down here, but you can’t use his 5th rounders as an excuse to fire him (oh, I’m sure you have plenty of other excuses, though).
Other parts in this series
Ranking Ted’s Seventh Round Picks
Ranking Ted’s Sixth Round Picks
Ranking Ted’s Fourth Round Picks