Green Bay’s general manager has been acting strangely for the past week or so. I can now report that he’s become hooked on a powerful drug: he’s addicted to speed.
I’m speaking metaphorically. For almost all of Ted Thompson’s time in Green Bay, the Packers have been one of the slowest teams in the league — slow receivers, slow running backs, slow linemen, and even slow defensive backs.
But that was then. Here are some comparisons between the old Ted and the newly-addicted Ted.
Newly-acquired tight end Jared Cook probably holds the fastest NFL Combine 40-yard dash time of any tight end in the league: 4.51 seconds. At 29, he doesn’t seem to have lost much speed either. Teammate Richard Rodgers, in contrast, ran a 4.87, in the 29th percentile among his tight and group.
Jhurell Pressley, the brand-new backup to Eddie Lacy and James Starks, ran a 4.38 dash at his pro day event. That’s stunningly fast. It’s much faster than John Crockett (4.62), and even better than Brandon Burks (4.41), who lasted on the 53-man roster for a day, until an even-faster running back became available.
Sam Shields aside, the fastest of the team’s returning cornerbacks is Damarious Randell (4.46, 88th percentile). New cornerback Josh Hawkins, however, was timed at 4.39 at his pro day.
The Packers’ returning safeties are relatively speedy: Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (4.50), Chris Banjo (4.50), and Morgan Burnett (4.51) are all around the 75th percentile for NFL safeties. But new arrival Kentrell Brice is variously reported to have from 4.38 to 4.44 speed. The other new safety, Marwin Evans, has recorded a time of 4.47.
In drafting a wide receiver this spring, Thompson again felt a need for speed. Trevor Davis, like Jeff Janis, has 4.42 speed. Maybe Thompson learned something after spending a second-round pick three years ago on Davante Adams (4.56), who can’t separate himself from defenders.
The GMs sudden craving for speed even extends to linemen and linebackers. Kenny Clark (5.06), and Blake Martinez (4.71), for examples, are faster than average for their positions. The new offensive lineman with the most impressive dash time is Jason Spriggs, whose 4.94 time puts him at the 97th percentile for offensive tackles.