Me too Aaron. Very strong and moves well for a big guy. Also, fits into a need area. I don't believe best player available neccessarily fits for the Packers this year. The Packers should use the "Player that will provide the most immediate benefit to the Packers" approach.

Nice pad level....

Notre Dame doesn't play in the NFL. And no, the Lions don't count.

Seriously though,he blew the blocker up but I am very concerned about his height.

Cheezer there were 2 top 10 DT's taken last year that were the same height. I don't think it's a huge issue.

How about Raji at #9, then a move back up into the 1st round or earlier in the 2nd round for either Clay Matthews, Max Unger, or Jarron Gilbert?

He can't be any worse then the other first round pick we wasted on a DL player.

As much as I like Raji, and I AM a fan, I'm leaning more towards Jason Smith. From what I've heard his athleticism is outstanding but he is lacking in technique.

Clffy is a great technician but not much of an athlete. This is probably his last year. It's time to draft his replacement and see who we can get in the third to suck up blockers in the middle of the 3-4.

I would be more than happy with Raji though.

Really Aaron Rodgers? Seriously? It's 2009 now dude, let it go already.

What's interesting about Rajii is that he has some pass rush in him....So when we went 4-3 subpackage on 3rd down in obvious passing situations (probably we will) you could have picket and Rajii on the field at the same time at DT and CUllen Jenkins and Kampman at DE...that would be touch to stop, especially if we had Bigby coming from the corner or up the middle, that would be a problem for the other team...we know we can man up the receivers in that situation....And then Picket and Rajii spell each other at NT in the base....good stuff. Guy has to put on some weight though, seriously needs to be Close to gravedigger size ala casey hampton.

Wha? Casey Hampton is listed at 6'1", 325 pounds. Raji is listed at 6'1", 337 pounds. Did I miss something?

buck, why would we shift to a 4-3 on passing downs? I would think it should work the other way around.

re: Smith - I would prefer to draft a player who is going to contribute right away at #9. I like drafting athletes who need to refine their skillset a bit later.

Casey Hampton is 360 if he is an ounce, we had Gilbert Brown listed at 320....listed means nothing, look at the man....so yeah I think you missed something, but I could be wrong......

The 3-4 will probably be a 1st down defense, and 2nd down dependent on down and distance (probably a sub package that is 3-4 with firezone blitz or nickle package), favorable 3rd down situations will most likely be 4-3. The 4-3 with a blitzing FS or LB is probably what they will line up with and once in a while change it up with a 3-4 look. Most likely this will depend on how effective the outside blitzers in the 3-4 progress. IF we get a Raji, then its crazy not to have him, Picket, Jenkins and Kampman getting after the QB. Thats how the hybrid will probably work. They probably will not use the 4-3 to defend the run since we proved that it doesn't much work with the present personel...this is just my take and based on what I have gleaned from researching a bit what Capers did in Jax.

Again I could be wrong, but I am guessing this is the initial approach. It freaks offensive lineman out to have to adjust every down from a 0- 1 tech to 3-4 and 4-5 to a 6-7...it is just demoralizing for them....It makes their job three times as tough as defending just the 4-3 or twice as hard as just the 3-4. Conceivably this could actually be more disruptive than either system in its pure form. I think that's why Jax had that huge jump in their first transition year when Capers jumped on board...but this is just my opinion.

This just in :

McCarthy says there is one clear goal with the switch, and it involves the Packers' play on early downs.
Eight of the nine teams using the 3-4 in 2008 ranked among the top half of the NFL in run defense.

"The thing about the 3-4 is, it's better against the run," he said. "There's three bubbles to run at in the 4-3. In the 3-4, you've got five guys on the line of scrimmage and only two bubbles. The whole goal is to get to third and long and into 'sub' quicker, where we're much more athletic.

"I thought the old scheme was outstanding against third down. I thought our issues were more on first and second down."

http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2009/02/24/packers-discuss-kampman-3-4-plans/

Nice to know we are all on the same page....

Cheezer,

Jason Smith would also be a good pick. Great Athlete and fills a need. However, the draft info I've read says he's gone by #5. That would require TT to trade up. Not likely!

Of couse, Andre Smith has fallen out of the top 25. If you want to take a chance on a "head case".

It all depends. The Browns, Rams, and Bengals all have many glaring needs. J Smith might fall.

A guy can hope anyway.