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Hawk vs. Davis: Did Packers or 49ers come out ahead in draft?
By Pete Dougherty
pdougher@greenbaypressgazette.com
One game or even one season won't prove whether Ted Thompson made the right choice when the Green Bay Packers' general manager selected linebacker A.J. Hawk instead of tight end Vernon Davis with the fifth overall pick in this year's draft.
Nevertheless, the Packers' game against the 49ers on Sunday will provide a first-hand look at the two late in their rookie seasons  the 49ers selected Davis at No. 6.
Thompson's decision to draft Hawk instead of Davis wasn't easy. Davis was an unusually gifted tight-end prospect, bigger and more explosive than Kellen Winslow Jr., the sixth overall pick in 2004, though not as polished a receiver.
The Packers could have used a big-play talent on offense, and Davis was the best prospect for that on the board. He also was the hit of the NFL scouting combine, with the best testing performance ever by a tight end.
"He was such a freakish offensive weapon, and nobody had ever seen anything like him at the combine," said John Schneider, the Packers' personnel analyst to the general manager. "So, it was a tough decision, because he seemed like a guy that was kind of a game-changer."
Thompson, though, opted for Hawk, who didn't show Davis-type athleticismbut was a complete package of standout talent, game-day production and off-the-charts football character. The Packers viewed him as a player they could build their defense around in the coming years.
"He was such a reliable (spectacular) guy at a big-time program and such a passionate football person," Schneider said.
"That's what edged out the other guy."
Davis hasn't had much of a chance to be a game-changer as a rookie because he missed six games with a broken fibula. He's been back for three games, and last week was his first at full strength since getting hurt.
Davis has caught only seven passes for an average of 9.9 yards a catch, including a 31-yard touchdown in his first touch of the season, against Arizona.
But what made him especially intriguing is that even though he plays tight end, where only a handful of players in the league are true playmakers, he has unusual physical gifts.
At the scouting combine, he blew away teams by measuring in at 6-foot-3½ and 254 pounds, and performing like an elite receiver in the 40-yard dash (4.39 seconds) and vertical jump (42 inches), and also bench pressing 225 pounds like an offensive lineman (33 repetitions).
Hawk, at 6-1, 248 pounds, tested well (4.42 seconds and 4.48 seconds in the 40 and a 40-inch vertical jump at his campus workout), though he doesn't have Davis' freakish combination of size and speed But Hawk scored off the charts in his love for the game and work ethic.
Once both Hawk and Davis were available at No. 5, the rebuilding 49ers were content to sit back and take whichever one the Packers' didn't. Scot McCloughan, the 49ers' vice president of personnel, said Davis' ceiling is extraordinary if he reaches his potential, but Hawk is a sure bet to reach his potential.
"The thing with A.J., you know exactly what you're getting," McCloughan said, "and it's going to be good. Worst-case scenario, he's a good football player; best-case scenario, he's a perennial All-Pro. He's going to be good no matter what because of the way he's wired and the physical skills he has.
"Vernon is a little more of a work in progress because he's still young enough where he's still trying to learn how to play the position. In college they said, 'Just run, we're going to find a way to get the ball to you, you're our best player.' In the NFL, you've got to be precise on your routes."
Almost inevitably, Hawk and Davis will be matched against each other on Sunday, both in pass coverage and run blocking. The two know each other in passing  they were at the scouting combine at the same time, and they both promote Under Armour athletic apparel.
Hawk leads the Packers in tackles (126) and has 3½ sacks as an every-down player. He's had occasional problems in pass coverage, though, where rookies have to adjust to defending the more complex NFL passing games.
If nothing else, it will be interesting to see how Hawk and Davis do if and when they're matched in pass coverage.
"(Davis) is a guy who can run. He's fast," Hawk said. "That's why we usually have some help in different areas of the field. We'll see. I'm up for the challenge."
How can Hawk possible be in Davis's leage I mean he run's three hundreaths of a second slower in the forty.
To recape Davis freak, Hawk reliable.
Edited by: white tornado
By Pete Dougherty
pdougher@greenbaypressgazette.com
One game or even one season won't prove whether Ted Thompson made the right choice when the Green Bay Packers' general manager selected linebacker A.J. Hawk instead of tight end Vernon Davis with the fifth overall pick in this year's draft.
Nevertheless, the Packers' game against the 49ers on Sunday will provide a first-hand look at the two late in their rookie seasons  the 49ers selected Davis at No. 6.
Thompson's decision to draft Hawk instead of Davis wasn't easy. Davis was an unusually gifted tight-end prospect, bigger and more explosive than Kellen Winslow Jr., the sixth overall pick in 2004, though not as polished a receiver.
The Packers could have used a big-play talent on offense, and Davis was the best prospect for that on the board. He also was the hit of the NFL scouting combine, with the best testing performance ever by a tight end.
"He was such a freakish offensive weapon, and nobody had ever seen anything like him at the combine," said John Schneider, the Packers' personnel analyst to the general manager. "So, it was a tough decision, because he seemed like a guy that was kind of a game-changer."
Thompson, though, opted for Hawk, who didn't show Davis-type athleticismbut was a complete package of standout talent, game-day production and off-the-charts football character. The Packers viewed him as a player they could build their defense around in the coming years.
"He was such a reliable (spectacular) guy at a big-time program and such a passionate football person," Schneider said.
"That's what edged out the other guy."
Davis hasn't had much of a chance to be a game-changer as a rookie because he missed six games with a broken fibula. He's been back for three games, and last week was his first at full strength since getting hurt.
Davis has caught only seven passes for an average of 9.9 yards a catch, including a 31-yard touchdown in his first touch of the season, against Arizona.
But what made him especially intriguing is that even though he plays tight end, where only a handful of players in the league are true playmakers, he has unusual physical gifts.
At the scouting combine, he blew away teams by measuring in at 6-foot-3½ and 254 pounds, and performing like an elite receiver in the 40-yard dash (4.39 seconds) and vertical jump (42 inches), and also bench pressing 225 pounds like an offensive lineman (33 repetitions).
Hawk, at 6-1, 248 pounds, tested well (4.42 seconds and 4.48 seconds in the 40 and a 40-inch vertical jump at his campus workout), though he doesn't have Davis' freakish combination of size and speed But Hawk scored off the charts in his love for the game and work ethic.
Once both Hawk and Davis were available at No. 5, the rebuilding 49ers were content to sit back and take whichever one the Packers' didn't. Scot McCloughan, the 49ers' vice president of personnel, said Davis' ceiling is extraordinary if he reaches his potential, but Hawk is a sure bet to reach his potential.
"The thing with A.J., you know exactly what you're getting," McCloughan said, "and it's going to be good. Worst-case scenario, he's a good football player; best-case scenario, he's a perennial All-Pro. He's going to be good no matter what because of the way he's wired and the physical skills he has.
"Vernon is a little more of a work in progress because he's still young enough where he's still trying to learn how to play the position. In college they said, 'Just run, we're going to find a way to get the ball to you, you're our best player.' In the NFL, you've got to be precise on your routes."
Almost inevitably, Hawk and Davis will be matched against each other on Sunday, both in pass coverage and run blocking. The two know each other in passing  they were at the scouting combine at the same time, and they both promote Under Armour athletic apparel.
Hawk leads the Packers in tackles (126) and has 3½ sacks as an every-down player. He's had occasional problems in pass coverage, though, where rookies have to adjust to defending the more complex NFL passing games.
If nothing else, it will be interesting to see how Hawk and Davis do if and when they're matched in pass coverage.
"(Davis) is a guy who can run. He's fast," Hawk said. "That's why we usually have some help in different areas of the field. We'll see. I'm up for the challenge."
How can Hawk possible be in Davis's leage I mean he run's three hundreaths of a second slower in the forty.
To recape Davis freak, Hawk reliable.
Edited by: white tornado
