With the NFL draft fast approaching, I thought it would be a nice excercise to look back at some of the player grades, scouting reports and other bits of information about the Packers 2015 draft class and compare it to what we actually saw on the field as rookies.  Most of the information is taken from CBS draft website, which for some reason likes to delete their player profiles afterwards (maybe so no one can see how badly they messed up)

Damarious Randall: "Above average speed for the position with transitional quickness and natural footwork. Highly aggressive and plays at full speed at all times. Never gives up on plays and has a knack for chasing down ballcarriers downfield from behind. Understands angles and sees things happening quickly. Decisive sideline angles with closing burst to make up ground. Good anticipation to jump routes, reading the quarterback and baiting throws. Heady awareness and won't fall asleep at the wheel. Adequate ballskills and knows what to do with the ball once he gains possession (six career interceptions, averaging 29.8 yards per return with two touchdowns). Plays bigger than he looks and initiates the action, seeking out contact with a violent mentality to strike through his target. Plays ticked off and sets the tempo. Unselfish team-first type with ideal training habits.  Played on special teams coverages at Arizona State with experience as a return man. Productive starter in only two seasons at the FBS level, creating 10 turnovers (six interceptions, four forced fumbles)."

I would say overall, this is a pretty accurate representation of Randall's rookie year, while I never got the sense that he played "ticked off" or "set the tempo", he had very good awareness and was usually in the right place at the right time.  Naturally experienced receivers got the better of him plenty of times, but as a rookie that should be expected.  I didn't think he was a terribly aggressive tackler but overall he showed better fundamentals and was more techically sound.  If the Packers had a similar scouting report to Randall I have to imagine they are pretty happy with what they got out of him on the field. 

Quinten Rollins: "Constructed well for the position with good length and solid build for his height. Fluid athlete with coordinated footwork and smooth belt action to easily flip his hips.Good flexibility out of his stance, keeping his nose over his toes and staying low to spring in any direction. Above average ballskills, reflexes and hand-eye coordination (16 passes defended in 12 starts).  Impressive tackling technique for a player with his inexperience, sinking, striking and wrapping with timing and pop. Throws his body around with emphasis and embraces the physical side of the game. Good eye use to read and anticipate the play before it happens, staying dialed in with natural instincts to put himself in position to make plays on the ball.  Ideal toughness for the position, both physically and mentally. Highly confident with a short-term memory to bounce back quickly after mistakes, especially important for a player with his inexperience. Aggressive hands to fight through blockers and make a play on the ballcarrier. Has experience on special teams coverages.  Mature work ethic with ambitious personality, both on and off the field. Solid durability with his body (not used to that type of consistent beating) holding up the full football season without serious injury. Productive one year on the football field, earning MAC Defensive Player of the Year honors."

I think the biggest thing that stands out with Rollins in his rookie year was his tackling ability; I agree that while he wasn't terribly experienced, he was very enthuastic about laying down the wood.  He also was a lot more physical than Randall but also didn't seem as fluid or agille.  Either way, while Randall slowly started to insert himself into the cornerback rotation, ultimately becoming Sam Shields direct replacement when Shield was injured, we saw less and less of Rollins as the season went on, which makes comparing him a little more difficult. 

Ty Montgomery: "Top athlete when healthy. Well-built with long arms, broad shoulders and a thick lower half. Appears well-suited to making the jump to the NFL. Quickly accelerates to leave defenders in his wake and is very aggressive, bursting upfield and fighting through arm tackles to generate positive yardage rather than dancing to avoid contact. He shows good hand-eye coordination to pluck the ball out of the air. Flashes toughness to take the big hit. Comes from a pro-style offense and program with exceptional academic standards, should be able to handle an NFL playbook."

Another comparison that will be hard to make since Montgomery missed the majority of the season with a leg injury.  To be honest Montgomery looked to me more like a running back than a wide receiver, while he does understand route concepts and how to catch the ball, he doesn't display the fludity or suddeness that you usually see from highly drafted wide recievers.  Naturally he makes up for that with pure power but that power probably also comes at the expense of pure speed, and he didn't show that he could get behind a defender.

Jake Ryan: "Good-sized frame for the position with adequate length. Terrific play speed with a motor that is always revving - high effort player. Finds the quickest route from A-to-B with excellent pursuit skills, seeing plays develop before it happens with read/react awareness. Anticipates well as a run defender to blow up run lanes and blocks, sacrificing himself for the greater good. Sets the edge and understands field leverage with NFL take-on strength to give blockers a handful at the point of attack. Processes information quickly with decisive movements to cover a large area. High football intelligence and an assignment sound player. Good timing as a blitzer, doing a nice job playing on the other side of the line of scrimmage. Top-shelf competitor and often has the dirtiest jersey on the field.  Highly confident and marches to the beat of his own drum. Strong football resume with 41 starts, 267 total tackles and 45.5 tackles for loss over his career - extensive special teams experience and versatility inside and outside.  Football bloodlines: father (WR, Wake Forest), grandfather (DT, Xavier), older brother (WR, Ball State) and younger brother (LB, Ball State)."

Of all the scouting reports so far I'm probably the most dubious of Ryan's.  While I think Ryan's run defense was definitely the best aspect of his 2015 season, I wouldn't say that he was really all that spectacular at it.  Coming in primarily as a DE/OLB obviously shows his inexperience in pass coverage but I was surprised that we didn't see more out of him when pass rushing.  I am however willing to give him the benefit of the doubt as he was drafted in the 4th round and probably would have been served better sitting on the bench the entire year and learning the position before having to play on the field. 

Brett Hundley: "Good-sized athlete with ideal height and a thick lower body...not an easy player to tackle and will deliver hits, running with power - stout frame to brush off contact in the pocket and as a ballcarrier...athletic footwork and flexible body control to move like a much smaller athlete...uses his legs effectively to pick up positive yards or move the pocket with natural instincts as a scrambler and the acceleration to erase pursuit angles.  Nice job stepping into his throws with easy arm strength to spin a pretty ball to all levels of the field - able to generate unforced velocity...quick set-up, rhythm and delivery motion...comfortable operating from a clean pocket with an even-keeled, calm demeanor...improved understanding of situational football...nice job selling play fakes and works his mannerisms well...durable and plays through pain (dealt with minor ankle and elbow injuries), starting every game of his career (40 career starts)...mature leader for his age with a gutsy demeanor even if it doesn't appear that way because of his reserved demeanor - voted team captain as a sophomore.  Wants to be great with the football passion and competitive drive needed for the NFL...career 29-11 record as a starter, becoming the first UCLA quarterback to produce at least nine wins in three straight seasons as a starter...leaves UCLA with the career records for touchdown passes (75), completions (837) and total offense (11,713) - finished second in school history in career passing yards (9,966) and rushing yards by a quarterback (1,747)...football bloodlines: father (Brett Sr.) played running back at Arizona."

Given that Hundley never saw a snap on the field and was not even active for that many games if at all, the only thing we have to compare the scouting report is what we saw in the preseason.  While Hundley was more of an "atheletic" quarterback like Colin Kaepernick or Cam Newton, Hundley definitely looked like he was starting to transition to a more pocket quarterback who ran occasionally like Aaron Rodgers.  Hundley was on time with his throws, knew what was going on and it didn't look like the coaching staff was dumbing down the playbook or that opposing defenses were throwing things that he didn't expect.  Obviously the Packers liked enough of what they saw that they allowed backup Scott Tolzein to depart for free agency so Hundley will likely be the back-up and active on every game from this point on. 

Aaron Ripkowski: "Smash-mouth style, will run through a wall for his team...well built upper body and runs behind his pads...will break tackles and run through contact...physical blocker in pass protection, using his hands well - looks for the decleating hit. Inexperienced as a pass catcher...overaggressive and gets overeager as a blocker, lunging himself and ending up off balance."

Pretty much spot on in my opinion.  After the preseason, I was convinced that Kuhn would be on the roster for at least one more year simply because Ripkowski could only run block.  Every time Ripkowski walked on the field, everyone knew that the play was going to be a run.  Near the end of the season the Packers put Ripkowski into some passing plays but overall, he's a stronger but less technically sound run blocker than Kuhn, obviously he can't catch or run the ball like Kuhn can (and that's saying something cause Kuhn hasn't been all that great at that either) and I'm not sure I would trust him protecting Aaron Rodgers either.  

Christian Ringo: "Excellent athlete for his size (4.97-second 40-yard dash at his pro day) and has displayed good strength with 28 reps on the 225-pound bench press. Dominated lower level of competition, showing the speed and agility to attack the backfield through the interior of the offensive line or off the edge."

Your guess is as good as mine.  We didn't see much of Ringo in the preseason and then didn't see him at all in the regular season as he was cut and signed to the practice squad, where he spent the entire season.  He will likely have a upward battle this year as the goodwill of being a draft pick has probably faded.

Kennard Backman: "Ran a 4.66 40-yard dash at his pro day while posting 17 reps on the 225-pound bench press. Four-year starter and good overall athlete who can adjust to off-target throws and is a threat to pick up yards after the catch. Likely a developmental H-Back at next level."

Again, your guess is as good as mine.  While Backman did make it onto the 53 man roster, he only saw the field a handful of times and did not record any meaningful statistics.  Given that Ted Thompson just spent money on a free agent signing that people know of in Jared Cook, my assumption is that Backman was a developmental project that didn't develop all that well; in the 6th round more often than not teams miss rather than hit.  I would guess Backman is already on the bubble and if the Packers draft another tight end at the end of April, Backman might not even make it pass the first round of cuts.