Sunday, April 30, 2006

With Their Final Pick of the 2006 Draft...

With the 253rd pick of the 2006 NFL Draft -- there are only 255! -- the Packers chose Dave Tollefson, a defensive end from Northwest Missouri State...our own version of Mr. Irrelevant...but good luck to you anyway, Dave.

Actually, he looks pretty good. A bit older...but had a heckuva 2005 season. Maybe this is is our late round gem?

From the bio posted at Packers.com:
"Tollefson is a vastly underrated talent who had a banner senior season that he capped by excelling in the 2006 Hula Bowl in front of a national audience. It was a long road that took David to the Bearcats. He was an outside linebacker at Los Medanos Community College, but then spent three years away from the game due to shoulder and foot injuries, in addition to joining the work force. He went on to set the Bearcats' season-record for quarterback sacks and fell just short of the school's career-record...Earned All-American first-team honors from The NFL Draft Report, Daktronics and American Football Coaches Association...All-Mid American Intercollegiate Athletic Association first-team and was named the league's Defensive MVP...Finalist for the Gene Upshaw Award, given to the best lineman in the small college ranks...Also named to the All-Southwest Region team...Started fourteen games at right defensive end, recording 58 tackles (38 solos) with a team-high 16.5 stops for losses of 83 yards and five quarterback pressures...Set a school season-record and ranked 13 th in the nation with 12.5 sacks for minus 75 yards...Caused a fumble, blocked a kick and deflected four passes."

As for the the overview of this year's draft for the Pack, I'd think most fans have to be pretty pleased. Started with 7 picks and wound up with 12. Got perhaps the best defensive player in the draft. Picked up a few receivers/returners who can help both the offense and special teams immediately. Added depth on the offensive and defensive lines, linebacker and safety. Even picked up a QB. Combined with the free agent signings already completed, ah...it's great to be a Packers fan!

Hope you enjoyed the draft weekend as much as I did. Hope you found Packerfansunited.com a good source of info, comment and a bit of fun too. Keep checking back. Don't forget: minicamp is coming up, training camp, pre-season, and then...kickoff against Da Bearz. Ohhhhh baby!

Th-th-th-that's all, folks!

Oh...except for the non-draftee free agent signings coming up. Stay tuned for news of those when they are announced. And let's not overlook a few of those guys in NFL Europe. Such as WR Chad Lucas, CB Therrian Fontenot, and OG Pete Traynor who each seem to be having good seasons and could compete for roster spots with the Pack this Fall.