"With the 103rd pick of the 2008 NFL Draft, the Green Bay Packers select....Jeremy Thompson, Defensive End, Wake Forest."
So there it is. After three rounds of anticipation (not that the first two were particularly suspenseful) the first Wake player has been taken as the third pick of the fourth round.
I'll spare you all the details about him - as Wake fans we know what an asset he was and I know everyone wishes him the best in the NFL.
The Packers website has yet to say anything about Thompson, and the they apparently have yet to talk to the press there today (they're showing the press conferences live on the website). I'll keep my eye on that and let you know of something happens.
Obviously center Steve Justice should be the next player taken, and I'm guessing it will be later in this round or maybe in the 5th.
Also, for what it's worth, I'm not too impressed with ESPN for barely mentioning Jeremy. Apparently NFLN did a little bit better, but come on ESPN.
Also... I have no idea what's happening with Steve Justice. At worst he was the second best Center in the draft, and now three others have been drafted, including two in this fourth round. I'm not worried about him getting drafted, I just can't believe teams are reaching past him.
Update - Packers Front Office on Jeremy Thompson:
"He's got good quickness, he's a night athlete. He's smooth and fluid, he can drop his weight and make good hits. Good length, really good arm length."
"They asked him to do a lot of things at Wake Forest. He drops into coverage, he plays the run really well, he's a pass rusher. They didn't let him pin his ears back like at a lot of schools and just go go go. But he's a great kid, really smart, loves football, loves the weight room."
"Mostly right end, but he would flip on occasion if needed because of an injury."
"When you see his frame - he's kind of a workout freak - he loves the weight room and he keeps his body fat pretty low. He eventually could grow into a 275/280 pound guy. I think he was 264 at his workout so he has a chance to get bigger without losing his ability."
"The one thing I really liked about him was that he stays on his feet. He's a really good athlete, he doesn't get knocked down. He's not a 300 pound set the point of attack guy, but he uses he length, he drops his weight, stays on his feet, keeps things alive that some guys can't do. He's got enough speed and range and chase when the ball's running away from him that he'll make plays on the backside, too."
"I'll be interested to see when he gets the chance to just pin his ears back more. At Wake forest I thought they asked him to do a lot of things, read and react type stuff rather than just set him out in a wide stance and let him come off the corner. I'll be excited to see that and see how he develops in camp with that. Getting more opportunities that way. His sack production I don't think was great and I think that has a lot to do with it."
"When you watch him as an athlete you don't see an limitations (from the ACL injury). You talk to the trainers and the coaches and stuff but they didn't have any problem. He loves the weight room, he's really conscientious about rehab and all that kind of stuff, and then you watch him move around and you don't see any limitations."
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