already a subscriber? Register me
Subscribe now See my options

What scouts say about the Packers' picks

Ha Ha Clinton-Dix walks to the stage after being selected by the Green Bay Packers at Radio City Music Hall.




What NFL personnel people told the Journal Sentinel before the draft about safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, the Green Bay Packers' first-round draft choice:

AFC scout: "I wouldn't take him in the first. There's just nothing he does really well. He's not particularly athletic, not particularly fast, not explosive, not always physical. You get him and you put him in there and he's just OK. He played at Alabama and started a bunch of games."

AFC scout: "He's a middle-of-the-field guy. Better athlete and in coverage than (Calvin) Pryor. Not the hammer that Pryor is."

AFC scout: "He could get to 21. He'd be a great pick at 21. He's a very athletic guy with good range. He can play strong, he can play free. He's not elite but he's a good player."

NFC scout: "I love him, but he misses tackles."

AFC scout: "He's 4.6. He's got good angles and ball skills. Lack of speed will eventually catch up to him. He'll still be a good, solid starter. He'll be about the same guy as Morgan Burnett. He could go from 11 to 21. He scares me."

NFC scout: "That is Nick Saban's position. Look how many first-round picks have come out of that school. This kid fits right into that mold. He may be even over-drafted because they're that good down there. He's a good player. Green Bay had success last year there with (Eddie) Lacy."

NFC scout: "Average speed guy. You'd love to get him in the late 20s or second round."

AFC scout: "What bothers me about him is athleticism and just top speed. I just think he's a good, solid player. He's not the fastest guy in the world and he's not the best athlete. I think his instincts are better than his smarts, if that makes sense. I'd only take him late first."

NFC scout: "He's not great. He'll go in the first because he's the best one. He does everything pretty good."

AFC scout: "I don't think he can cover. When he got hurt for a while and they put the sophomore in (Landon Collins), it looked like the sophomore was the better of the two. There's something missing in Ha Ha. He has hip tightness. He has to gather to change direction. He overruns things frequently. He needs to break down better. If you play for Nick you're going to be zoned in on what's going on. If you make one mistake for Nick you're on the bench."

NFC scout: "I don't think he gets to 21. He goes ahead of Pryor."

NFC scout: "He'll go first round. He's just a solid starter. The average safety in the league runs 4.6. He plays faster than that. He's a nice, smooth pedaler. Very instinctive. Got nice ball skills. You don't see a speed deficiency on film."

AFC scout: "He does everything right. He doesn't make any mistakes. He has good range. He's a very good tackler. He just plays very sound. Very sound. I'd be surprised if he got to 21. I liked Morgan Burnett coming out, but (Clinton-Dix) is better."

AFC scout: "There will be three cards in front of Ted (Thompson) and he'll be one of them he's considering."

AFC scout: "He's above average in everything. You don't look at him and see rare. He's good in coverage, good in run support, good across the board. He's like a solid NFL player and has a chance to be above average. I'd take him somewhere in the first round."

NFC scout: "He'd be a good late first-round pick. He's just not elite. He's athletic. He doesn't blow you away in anything. But he has instincts. He can plant and drive. Has feet, hips, range. Good tackler. He just doesn't make many game-changing plays. 15 (Wonderlic) test. He was OK in the interview. Like Mark Barron. Not the sharpest. Harrison Smith may not be the athlete that Clinton-Dix is, but he's a better player."

NFC scout: "The top two safeties this year, I don't see them as bad players. I see them as deficient in some areas. They'll be good zone guys. They might be able to play some man on a tight end. I don't think they match up to the guys that were taken high last year. Kenny Vaccaro and Eric Reid."

NFC scout: "I love him. I truly love him. I think the guy is a damn good football player. He plays fast. He's instinctive as hell. If you want to get caught up in what he ran ... I don't know about the brain but he killed it in our interview as far as the video stuff. Some people must have a completely different view of him than I do."

AFC scout: "He's a cover safety. Five-star recruit. Real good athlete. Excellent ball skills. Can get bigger in the upper body. Can be stronger tackling as his career unfolds. He's got some ability to range from the middle, cover a tight end, cover slot receivers. His best football is ahead of him. He had a three-game suspension for taking $500 from some assistant strength coach. He may be as clean (medically) as any coming out of Alabama this year. As far as I know, decent kid. The upside is really there. He can really move his body. When you talk about all these tall corners, he could go out there in certain schemes and get you through a game as a corner. I was a little surprised he didn't re-run (the 40-yard dash) at Alabama because most people thought he was more of a 4.5 than a 4.6. I think if I had a significant hole at safety you'd have to bet on the come that he's going to be a starter (immediately) and get better."

Bob McGinn


AFC scout: "He's got very good ball skills, first of all. He's got big size. He catches a lot of shorter balls. That offense is a bit inflated because they run all kinds of bubble screens and hitches. He's pretty savvy. He positions himself well. He's not a burner. I think he goes second round between 32 and 40. I see him as more of a possession guy. He's a decent player. Probably like a Keenan Allen (San Diego's third-round pick in 2013). I don't know if he's as tough as Keenan Allen mentally and physically. He's got some of the same skill set but I don't know if he has Keenan Allen's toughness."

AFC scout: "He can catch the football. Good player."

AFC scout: "I doubt he goes first round."

AFC scout: "He's the guy that does a lot of good things. He doesn't have one special trait, but he does a lot of solid things."

AFC scout: "Fourth round. All his big games were against (expletive) competition like Hawaii. He came on a little at the end, but I don't see him as a top-three round guy."

AFC scout: "He just doesn't have speed. More of a possession guy. But he has body control and hands. He is not explosive. Fourth round."

AFC scout: "Mid-second round pick. Big, physical. Good hands. Plays in a passing style offense. Caught a lot of balls. Will need to develop his game in a more pro-style offense. Should develop into a starter."

NFC scout: "Pretty good player. 20 to 45."

NFC scout: "I would have a hard time taking him in the first. He's a really good catcher and really athletic. He's not a speed guy. He's got size."


AFC scout: "He had a bit of a knee issue. Some say he can go as high as the third round. I don't know if that's going to happen but he'll be drafted. Defensive tackles are hard to find. He's got some athletic ability. I wouldn't be surprised to see him make it."

AFC scout: "Had some off-the-field issues. Will be more of a three-technique. He's a mid-to-late round pick. Fifth or sixth round. Yeah, he's got a little bit of pass rush. He's a guy you think can develop his game a little bit. He's too small to be play five-technique."

NFC scout: "Late-round guy."


AFC scout: "Kind of a big wide receiver. Kept getting his weight up. Didn't run great. 4.8. That doesn't help him. He's in the fifth, sixth-round range. Not special in any way."

AFC scout: "I like him. I'm trying to hide him. If you go to 2012 film you can watch him block. He's got the best hands of the tight ends. He's 4.87. He's got a broken thumb. Our docs say he's OK."

NFC scout: "He's nothing at all."

What NFL personnel people told the Journal Sentinel's Bob McGinn before the draft about the Packers' selections Saturday.


AFC scout: "He's undersized for a 4-3. Probably a 3-4 team pick."

AFC scout: "He can stand up."

AFC scout: "Get him out of uniform, you say, 'You play football?' He's short-armed. He looks like a little nose tackle, but he plays pretty good. I sort of like him. They play him down and reduce him when they do that, and he just gets covered up. He has no plan to rush the passer, but the guy can bend his knees. He's tough, strong. Third round would be a little bit rich. More fourth round. To me, he's a standup 3-4 guy. What's intriguing about him is he played a little inside."

NFC scout: "I'm thinking 3-4 teams might snatch him up in the third round. The length is what bothers everybody. For sure he'll go in the fourth."

AFC scout: "He is a linebacker. He really had a nice workout as a linebacker. I don't know what his instincts are but he had really good movement. I don't know how bright he is. Now he is explosive. He's not as explosive as (Terrell) Suggs but he's the closest thing they (Sun Devils) have had to Suggs. He's a lot faster than Suggs. Third round. He's more of a pass rusher because they played him in a three-point stance. He's an explosive rusher. He wants to be a good player and I think he can be."

AFC scout: "Third round. Outside linebacker but could play inside linebacker for some teams."


AFC scout: "I like him but he's a free agent."

NFC scout: "He's just small. He's a pretty good player. One-position guy. Like the way he plays. Really good with his hands. Smart and aware. He can anchor. He can snap and step. He's not an ideal athlete, but he's an efficient player."

NFC scout: "Mid- to late-round guy. He's a wide body with good play strength and determination. He had OK lower-body anchor. He's not quick-footed. Needs improvement with his hip flexibility and change of direction. He was inconsistent to the second level. He's a tough guy."

NFC scout: "I kind of like him as a tough guy. Probably fifth round."

AFC scout: "Third-round guy. He's just a tough, smart guy. He's an Ohio State-Michigan type of player."


AFC scout: "The speed would be a question. He probably goes in the mid- to late rounds. He obviously won't wow you with his speed, but he's got the hands and the toughness, that 'it' factor. He's got some confidence about him. Just because of where he comes from, being a walk-on there. He's going to surprise some people and be a third or fourth (receiver). He has some great hands and will make some spectacular catches."

AFC scout: "Like that guy. He'll make a team. He ate Bradley Roby up."

NFC scout: "He's a good route runner. He killed everybody. He's the fast version of Dane Sanzenbacher. That's who he reminds me of."

AFC scout: "His medical was fine."

AFC scout: "The problem with him is he's got no strength. The more I watch him, the less I like him. I have him as a free agent. He's always hurt because he can't take the pounding. But he's quick and has good hands. He had that great game against Ohio State. He's just so slight. He couldn't stay healthy at Wisconsin."

AFC scout: "He's third to fourth round. The only problem is he's had a number of concussions. I think he had three to four concussions during his career. That will be a medical concern. As a receiver, he should come in and play early. He's not an NFL starter, but he's a role player. He's a slot or a No. 3 receiver, maybe a No. 4 on a very good team. He's going to be active on game days because he's so polished. If he goes to a Denver or a New England he may catch 80 balls in his rookie year. You watch him against Ohio State and Bradley Roby. He wore him out. Big-time game for him. He really kept Wisconsin in the game. He goes to the right team, he could catch a lot of balls. He goes to the wrong team that plays him outside, he may not have the career. Is he better than Austin Collie? Yeah, but not significantly better."

AFC scout: "He's all right. He'll get drafted in the middle rounds. He's done some kickoff returns in the past. I worry a little bit about him holding up physically. He's had a bunch of things. I don't know if the kick returning would suit him concussion-wise. He's a pretty consistent player. I don't think he's special. He's not super fast."

NFC scout: "I mean, you try not to like him, but all the kid does is make plays. Ever since he's been there. He's just a good football player. That (concussions) is a concern. And the way he plays and the way he is, that's not surprising. He'll probably always be banged up and you'll be worried about him. But he just knows how to play football, and he does it well. Fourth round."

AFC scout: "The concussions make me nervous. I love him."


AFC scout: "He's the basketball player that started at Gonzaga. He's still raw but he is really quick. He's got a shot down the line."

AFC scout: "Basketball player. He's hurt all the time. He's got some ability. He could be draftable. He's athletic enough. You just worry about the injuries."


AFC scout: "Big, strong guy. Little straight-line. He's got straight-line speed so he can run by people. But when he starts having to run routes, he struggles a little bit in and out of his breaks."

AFC scout: "He's horrible."

NFC scout: "Free agent. I don't think he's going to be much better than that. He's no Jordy Nelson, all right?"

NFC scout: "He's a good small-school player. Raw."

AFC scout: "He ran real well at the combine but I didn't like him down there in Mobile."

AFC scout: "No, he's not a player. He caught 1,000 passes but he had 1,000 chances, too."

© 2014, Journal Sentinel Inc. All rights reserved.

About Bob McGinn
author thumbnail


Packers Update

E-mail Newsletter


Get the Newsletter!

Login or Register to manage all your newsletter preferences.
Latest Packers Photo Galleries
Video Highlights

Fan Photo Gallery

Share your green and gold spirit in a fan photo gallery.

View gallery | Submit photo

Steve Hedrick - Elida, OH
Old School Packers


Packers on your phone


See Wisconsin athletes on Twitter

Pick NFL games and win


