Saturday, April 29, 2006

With #67, the Packers Take Linebacker Hodge

With the 67th overall pick in this year's draft, the Packers selected Iowa LB Abdul Hodge.

Here's the scoop from NFL.com's Prospect Profiles:
"Hodge has played in the shadow of Chad Greenway during his career at Iowa, but he is an excellent linebacker in his own right, and will have a long and productive NFL career. He is a very tough and hard-nosed player who consistently plays with an all-out, no-quit aggressive attitude on every snap, and he never stops chasing the ball carrier until the whistle. He is a very good all-around linebacker, who not only makes an impact against the run (both at home and away), but he is also very good in coverage (both zone and man-to-man). Overall, I believe that Hodge is going to be slightly overlooked because of his teammate and his lack of height, but when all is said and done, he is going to be an excellent NFL linebacker. He will be very valuable because of his ability to be productive in all areas of defense, and he will not have to come off the field. He is best suited to play middle linebacker in the NFL, but has the ability to play all three linebacker positions in the NFL productively."

Sounds like the Pack has made some significant improvements already to its linebacking corps. I guess an old linebacker knows a good one when he sees one.