Saturday, April 30, 2016

Green Bay Packers Draft — Day 2

ROUND 2:
JASON SPRIGGS — ROUND 2 (#48 Overall)
College: Indiana
Position: Offensive Tackle
Height: 6’ 7”
Weight: 305 lbs.
Year: Senior
Hometown: Elkhart, Ind.
High School: Concord

OVERVIEW: Spriggs excelled in his senior season, catching second-team All-Big Ten accolades along with the eyes of scouts. The four-year starter also was named first team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America and third-team honors by the Associated Press. Spriggs had a scary moment on the field in 2014 against Michigan State, as he was taken to the hospital after suffering a helmet-to-helmet blow. But since them he has shown the build (6-foot-7, 307 pounds), anchor in pass protection and willingness to block through the whistle to be the type of prospect NFL offensive line coaches will covet at left tackle.

PRO DAY RESULTS: Vertical: 35 inches / 3-cone: 7.57 seconds

ANALYSIS

STRENGTHS: Athletic frame with long arms. Comes out of his stance with tremendous quickness and has elite lateral movement. Can get to extremely difficult backside cutoff blocks. Knee bender. As a move blocker, lands squarely in the strike zone and rolls hips and feet under him to to wash down defender or secure a down-block. Shows good patience in space with ability to become solid combination blocker in zone scheme. Looks to finish. Able to adjust his assignments on the fly. Is active with his hands in pass pro. Will throw jabs with both hands rather than offering them up for defensive ends to swat. Has tools to substantially slow pass rushers when timing his punch. Durable, four-year starter.

WEAKNESSES: Play strength needs improvement. Unable to match power as a base blocker and too easy moved off his spot. Struggles to cleanly absorb and eat contact without being jostled. Has crippling issue with over-setting in pass protection. Doesn't maintain much weight on inner half of his frame and has consistent issues redirecting his weight back inside with suddenness against inside moves. Doesn't use his length to his advantage often enough. Slows his slide when punching, allowing rushers opportunity to gain advantage around the corner. Needs stronger hands to snatch and control rather than just push. Ability to recover with power or athletic traits are a concern.

DRAFT PROJECTION: Round 2

NFL COMPARISON: Ryan Harris

BOTTOM LINE: Spriggs has outstanding athleticism, but his play strength and overall recovery ability are major concerns for a position as important as tackle. Spriggs followed up a strong week at the Senior Bowl with a very good showing at the combine and has solidified his standing as an early round tackle amongst evaluators. If he can improve his inside post and prevent counter moves from eating him up, he has a chance to be a solid NFL starter on the left side.
(NFL.com)

Spriggs, along with right guard Dan Feeney, became the fifth and sixth first team All-American offensive linemen in program history. He started 28 consecutive games to begin his career and made 47 starts in 48 games at left tackle.

2015 Honors: Football Writers Association of America first team All-American … also earned All-America recognition from Phil Steele, Sporting News, the Walter Camp Football Foundation, the Associated Press and Sports Illustrated … the first Outland Trophy semifinalist in school history … second team All-Big Ten (coaches and media) … received Indiana’s Chris Dal Sasso Award (Outstanding Lineman) … team captain.

2015 (Senior): Allowed just two sacks in 475 called pass attempts … finished with 79 knockdowns in a team-high 1,074 snaps … started all 13 games at right guard … Indiana finished first in the Big Ten in total offense, passing offense and scoring offense, while placing second in rushing offense ... the Hoosiers became the first team since Ohio State in 1995 to lead the league in total, passing and scoring offense ... IU led the conference in scoring offense for the first time since the Big Ten began using the entire season as the statistical champion in 1985 ... Indiana had not led the league in total offense since 1988 ... the Hoosiers became the fourth college football team to have a 3,500-yard passer, a pair of 1,000-yard running backs and a 1,000-yard receiver in the same year ... IU was one of only two Power Five conference teams with two 1,000-yard running backs (Baylor) ... the offensive line allowed 13 sacks, tied for the seventh fewest nationally ... Indiana set single-season school records with 475 total points, 6,556 total yards, 3,820 passing yards, 337 first downs and 168 passing first downs … IU offensive player of the week (Michigan) … six-time game captain.

2014 Honors: Honorable mention All-Big Ten (media).

2014 (Junior): Played in 11 games and made 10 starts at left tackle ... allowed just two sacks in 689 snaps ... recorded 45 knockdowns ... the team set a program single-season record with 3,163 rushing yards ... Indiana averaged 263.6 rushing yards per game (9th nationally, 3rd in the Big Ten) and 405.0 total yards (5th in the Big Ten) ... the Hoosiers gained 200 yards 10 times (T-9th nationally, 3rd in the Big Ten), averaged 5.9 yards per carry (8th nationally, 2nd in the Big Ten) and scored 29 times on the ground ... Tevin Coleman became the 18th player in FBS history to rush for 2,000 yards (2,036), which set a school record, is 16th on the FBS all-time list and sixth in Big Ten history ... Coleman was Indiana’s third unanimous and consensus All-American and finished seventh in Heisman Trophy voting.

2013 Honors: Honorable mention All-Big Ten (coaches and media).

2013 (Sophomore): Started all 12 games at left tackle ... Indiana set single-season records with 508.5 total yards per game, 38.4 points per game, 36 passing touchdowns and 62 total TDs ... the team averaged over 300 passing yards and 200 rushing yards in the same season for the first time in school history ... offensive line surrendered just one sack every 26.1 pass attempts, which ranked third in the Big Ten ... the Hoosiers were one of six teams in the nation to rank in the top 30 in total, passing, scoring and rushing offense ... IU offensive player of the week (Purdue).

2012 Honors: Honorable mention All-Big Ten (coaches and media) ... CollegeFootballNews.com Freshman All-American honorable mention ... ESPN.com and BTN.com Big Ten All-Freshman team ... 247Sports.com second team All-Big Ten.

2012 (Freshman): Started all 12 games, an IU true freshman record for an offensive lineman ... led the team with 80 knockdowns and surrendered just two sacks in 961 snaps ... offensive line led the Big Ten allowing just one sack every 31.8 pass attempts ... line did not allow a sack in five games and surrendered just one sack twice ... team led the Big Ten in passing offense (311.2), finished second in total offense (442.0) and fourth in scoring offense (30.8).

Prep/Personal: Offensive tackle, defensive end and long snapper for head coach Tim Dawson at Concord High School ... Indiana Associated Press Class 5A All-State (defensive line) and Indiana Football Coaches Association (IFCA) Top 50 (offensive line) in 2011 ... three-year starter recorded 58 tackles, seven sacks, 19 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and three passes broken up ... returned one of the fumbles for a touchdown ... first team Elkhart Truth selection as an offensive lineman in 2011 and as a defensive lineman in 2010 ... team captain named Concord’s most valuable offensive lineman (2011) and defensive lineman (2010 and 2011) ... IFCA Junior All-State honoree ... selected all-conference as an offensive and defensive lineman in both 2010 and 2011 ... rated the No. 17 prospect in Indiana by 247Sports ... also a basketball, lacrosse and track and field standout ... parents are Rick and Michelle Spriggs ... born on May 17, 1994, Jason Michael Spriggs is a liberal studies major.
(Indiana PR)





ROUND 3:
KYLER FACKRELL — ROUND 3 (#88 Overall)
College: Utah State
Position: Linebacker
Height: 6’ 5”
Weight: 250 lbs.
Year: Senior
Hometown: Mesa, Ariz.
High School: Mesa
Experience: 2 Letters

OVERVIEW: A stand-up rush linebacker with length and agility, Fackrell came out the box strong for the Aggies, garnering all-conference honors in each of his first two seasons on campus (21 tackles for loss, eight sacks in 2012-2013). Fackrell suffered a torn ACL in the season opener as a junior but returned with in his final year, consistently making plays on the edge against the run (82 tackles) and attacking the backfield (15 tackles for loss, four sacks, two forced fumbles, five recovered). Scouts appreciate the maturity of a plyer who has gone through injury adversity, as well as taken on responsibilities via marriage and fatherhood. Fackrell and his wife, Elizabeth, welcomed a baby girl (Delaney) into the word early in 2015.

PRO DAY RESULTS: Short shuttle: 4.31 seconds / 3-cone: 7.24 seconds / Bench: 16 reps of 225 lbs.

ANALYSIS

STRENGTHS: Premium length and athleticism. Played quarterback and wide receiver in high school and lettered in basketball and volleyball. Rangy tackler who is able to shadow the ball all over the field. Has length and arm extension to punch and control the point of attack. Functional strength is good enough against the run. Has length and motor for tremendous tackle radius. Had 80 tackles or more in each of his last three full seasons. Had just five sacks, but often dropped into space. Potential is there to become plus pass rusher. Combines forward lean, hip explosion and long arms to crank up speed-­to­-power pocket push. Upfield burst covers substantial ground in first three steps. Has upper body turn and shoulder dip to slip under tackle’s shoulder and around the corner. Don’t sleep on his cover ability in space.

WEAKNESSES: Missed the entire 2014 season with an ACL tear. Can improve his hand play as pass rusher at the high side of his rush. When edge rush stalls out, has average counter attack. Long-strider who struggles to make sudden inside moves once he gets going upfield. High center of gravity combined with lean lower half make it difficult to play through redirect blocks with contact balance.

DRAFT PROJECTION: Round 3

NFL COMPARISON: Connor Barwin

BOTTOM LINE: When it comes to the length and athleticism teams will look for off the edge, Fackrell will be one of the poster boys. His field versatility, coverage talent and potential as a pass rusher could make him one of the fastest rising prospects in this draft and a future contender for a Pro Bowl nod.
(NFL.com)

HONORS: Phil Steele Fourth-Team All-American (2015); All-Mountain West First-Team (2015); Butkus Award Semifinalist (2015); Phil Steele First-Team All-Mountain West (2013, 2015); College Football News Sophomore Honorable Mention All-American (2013); All-Mountain West Second-Team (2013); College Sports Madness Third-Team All-Mountain West (2013); Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week (11/28/15; 11/16/15; 11/2/13); College Sports Madness Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week (9/27/13; 11/2/13); College Football Performance Awards National Linebacker of the Week (11/2/13); Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) Freshman All-American (2012); First-Team All-WAC (2012); WAC Defensive Player of the Week (10/5/12; 10/13/12); College Football Performance Awards Honorable Mention National Linebacker of the Week (9/21/13; 10/13/12; 10/27/12). 

2015 PRESEASON HONORS: Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year; First-Team All-Mountain West; College Sports Madness First-Team All-Mountain West; Phil Steele First-Team All-Mountain West; Athlon Sports First-Team All-Mountain West; Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List; Butkus Award Watch List; Bronko Nagurski Award Watch List; Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List. 

RECORDS: Set a single-season school record with 12 quarterback hurries as a senior, including a single-game school record of six against Colorado State (10/3/15)... Ranks tied for 10th all-time in USU history with 125 career interception return yards... Returned an interception 99 yards for a touchdown against Hawai’i (11/2/13), which ranks as the third-longest interception return in USU and Mountain West history... Had nine career double-digit tackle outings... Scored two defensive touchdowns (interception, fumble recovery) and one offensive touchdown (reception) during his career... Is one of just 15 players in school history to earn first-or-second-team all-conference honors three times during a career. 

2015 (SR): Started all 13 games... Earned fourth-team All-American honors from Phil Steele’s Magazine and was named a first-team all-Mountain West selection as he finished the season ranking first in the nation with five fumble recoveries, while also ranking first on the team with his 15.0 tackles for loss, first on the team with his school-record 12 quarterback hurries and second with his 4.0 sacks... Was also named first-team all-MW by Phil Steele’s Magazine... Overall, he ranked sixth in the MW in tackles for loss (1.15 pg) and 27th in the MW in tackles with 82 (6.3 pg)... His 82 tackles (37-solo, 45-assist) were second on the team, as were his three games with double-digit tackles, all of which came against conference opponents... Tied for first on the team with his two forced fumbles, to go along with a defensive touchdown on a fumble recovery in the end zone against Nevada (11/21)... Was named the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week twice after performances against then-No. 21 Boise State (10/16) and Nevada (11/21)... Against the Broncos, he had 11 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss, two fumble recoveries, two quarterback hurries and a forced fumble... Against the Wolf Pack, he recorded 10 tackles, including 0.5 tackles for loss, two quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery in the end zone for a touchdown... Recorded double-digit tackles in three games, including a season-high 11 stops against Boise State... Also had 10 tackles against both San Diego State (10/23) and Nevada... Recorded at least five tackles in 11 of the 13 games he played in... Posted a career-high 3.0 tackles for loss against Colorado State (10/3) and had tackles for loss in nine games... Tied his career-high with 2.0 sacks against Southern Utah (9/3)... Six of his quarterback hurries were against CSU, setting the single-game USU school record, while adding two each against SUU, BSU and UN... His five fumble recoveries were against CSU, Fresno State (10/10) and Nevada, as well as two against the Broncos... Forced two fumbles during the season at Washington (9/19) and against Boise State... Was a semifinalist for the Butkus Award, honoring the nation’s best linebacker.

2014 (JR): Played just one game during the season as he suffered a season-ending knee injury in the second quarter of the season-opener at Tennessee (8/31)... Recorded two solo tackles against the Volunteers. 

2013 (SO): Started all 14 games... Named an honorable mention Sophomore All-American by College Football News and earned second-team all-Mountain West honors as he finished the season ranking first on the team with 13.0 tackles for loss, tied for first with two forced fumbles and second with 5.0 sacks, while ranking fourth on the team with 82 total tackles (37-solo, 45-assist)... Averaged 5.9 tackles per game to rank 35th in the Mountain West... Also recorded three quarterback hurries, recovered one fumble, intercepted one pass and registered one pass breakup during the year... Had a career-high 13 tackles and tied his career-high with 2.0 tackles for loss against BYU (10/4), and had 11 tackles at San José State (9/27)... Was named the Mountain West's Defensive Player of the Week and College Football Performance Awards National Linebacker of the Week following USU's 47-10 home win against Hawai'i (11/2) as he recorded nine tackles, including 0.5 for loss, to go along with an interception return of 99 yards for his first career defensive touchdown, which ranks as the third-longest interception return in Utah State and Mountain West history... Scored his first career offensive touchdown against Weber State (9/14) on a 4-yard reception to become the first Aggie to score an offensive and defensive touchdown in the same season since 1964 when Earsell Mackbee had four receiving touchdowns and two interception returns for touchdowns... Had six-plus tackles in six games during the season and recorded at least 0.5 tackles for loss in 12 games... Was named College Sports Madness' Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week following USU wins at San José State and against Hawai'i, and an honorable mention national linebacker of the week from College Football Performance Awards following the USC (9/21) game as he had four tackles, forced a fumble and tied his career-high with 2.0 sacks. 

2012 (RS-FR): Started all 13 games... Earned first-team all-WAC honors and was named a Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) Freshman All-American as he finished the year ranking second on the team and eighth in the WAC with three interceptions (0.23 pg), third on the team and 13th in the WAC with 8.0 tackles for loss (0.62 pg), and fourth on the team and 13th in the WAC with 87 tackles (6.7 pg)... Those 87 stops rank tied for third all-time at Utah State among freshmen along with Jake Hutton who had 87 tackles in 2005... The single-season school record for tackles by a freshman is 123 set by Del Lyles in 1988, while Terrance Washington registered 93 tackles as a redshirt freshman in 2003... Finished second on the team with seven quarterback hurries, to go along with 3.0 sacks and three pass breakups... Had a career-high two sacks against San José State (10/13), as USU set a single-game school record with 13 sacks in the contest, and 0.5 sacks against both Texas State (11/3) and Idaho (11/24)... Blocked a 42-yard field goal attempt against New Mexico State (10/20)... Forced and recovered a fumble against SJSU... His three interceptions came against BYU (10/5), UTSA (10/27) and Toledo (12/15) in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl... Returned his interception against the Rockets 16 yards, his interception against BYU eight yards and his interception against the Roadrunners two yards... Recorded double-digit tackles four times during the year, including in back-to-back games against BYU and San José State with 10 and 11 stops, respectively... Had a season-high 11 tackles against Utah (9/7) and tied that total against both SJSU and Idaho... Had at least five tackles in eight games during the year... Had a career-high three quarterback hurries against UNLV (9/29)... Is the first player in school history to be named a FWAA Freshman All-American and was just the fourth freshman in school history to earn first-team all-conference honors... Earned WAC Defensive Player of the Week honors twice during the 2012 season in back-to-back outings against BYU and San José State, marking the first time since 1996 that an Aggie freshman has earned WAC Player of the Week honors in consecutive weeks... Was also the first WAC freshman to earn the award in consecutive weeks going back to 1999... Was named College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) honorable mention National Linebacker of the Week following games against SJSU and UTSA... Was one of 32 players, including defensive end teammate Jordan Nielsen, named to the CFPA National Freshman Performer of the Year Watch List. 

2011 (RS): Redshirted during his first season at Utah State. 

HIGH SCHOOL: A four-year letterwinner at Mesa (Ariz.) High School... As a prep senior, saw action in three games at quarterback and 11 games at wide receiver, as well as playing all 14 games at linebacker... Earned 5A-I all-region and all-Mesa Tribune honors on both offense and defense in leading the Jackrabbits to a 9-5 record and runner-up finish in the 5A-I state playoffs, Mesa HS's first 5A state championship game appearance in 17 years... Posted 68 tackles (25-solo, 43-assist) with eight pass break-ups, two interceptions and one forced fumble... On offense, tallied 36 receptions for 662 yards (18.3 ypc) with five touchdowns and a season-long of 63 yards... Also had 22 rushes for 159 yards (7.2 ypc) with three touchdowns and a season-long rush of 97 yards... Was also 22-of-38 (.579) passing for 334 yards (15.2 ypp) with four touchdowns and one interception... Had a 97-yard touchdown run, tying the second-longest rush in school history, which came on Oct. 2 as part of his 103 rushing yard outing along with four catches for 65 yards, earning him the U.S. Air Force Team Player of the Week award... As a junior, also earned team's MVP award after starting at quarterback, safety and kick/punt return specialist, along with 5A-I all-region honors... Also earned 5A-I all-region honors in both basketball and volleyball, and was a four-time letterwinner in basketball and a two-time letterwinner in volleyball. 

PERSONAL: Born Nov. 25, 1991... Son of Darrell and Lori Fackrell... Has two sisters and one brother... Graduated from USU in the fall of 2015 in business administration... Married Elizabeth Luke in October, 2013, and the couple has a two-year old daughter, Delaney... Name is pronounced Kie-ler Fack-rull.
(Utah State PR)