hmmmm....

Unlike my enthusiastic approval of a badly needed offensive lineman for the Pack in the lst round of the draft, the jury is definitely still out on our #2 pick (Mike Neal - defensive tackle). Not a need pick and defintely not listed under Gil Brandt's top 100 yet taken at the 56th pick of the draft. Other websites had him listed as low as the 168th spot - hardly a value pick. Add to the equation that our next pick cost us the entire 4th round to select (Safety Morgan Burnett - gave up 2 picks to move to 71st pick from the 86th slot) and I really wonder what's up. Why not take Burnett at the 56th pick and wait a round or two to draft Neal? TT must really believe in this guy but he believed in Justin Harrell (another reach) too and look what that got him - an expensive benchwarmer who's consistently hurt.
Burnett might be a good addition but when I read he likes to blow people up rather than tackle them, I have to wonder if he isn't just Atari the sequel. Unless this guy learns to use the arms God gave him to tackle with, he will not outplay Mr. Bigby for the starting spot.
Of the late round picks, I liked the Newhouse selection only because I saw his relative (cousin?) Robert Newhouse play like a demon for Dallas. If he brings the same family pedigree to GB, I'll view the late round selections as a success.
Lessions to be learned from this? Just the realization that recruiting talent in any organization is as much art as science. It's not just ability that determines whether you are selected by a company, it's also dependent on who is hiring you, what the company culture is and their perception of your potential in moving the organization forward. If you've ever been passed over for what seems a perfect job for you or been selected for a job only to find out that your strengths are not a good fit in that position, you soon understand that the recruiting process is far from perfect. But right now, like the draft, it's the only process we have to pick talent and we often aren't able to truly realize who our star performers are until long after the selection process ends.