Packers plan to put franchise tag on DT Ryan Pickett. working on long-term deal but will franchise by Thurs if can't reach extension

With Raji sitting behind Pickett, though, you'd have to think that we'd at least make a phone call to, for instance, the Bills, who are switching to a 3-4. They have no one at NT at might be willing to pay up some draft picks for Pickett.

Don't think it'll happen, but I wouldn't mind it. Even if it leaves us with little depth.

"Rockmolder" wrote:

Franchising Pickett should be a no-brainer.

People are REALLY overvaluing Raji. Dude may be a top-10 pick, but he was nothing more than average in his time at NT while Pickett was injured; Raji still has a ways to go to bring his play to the level of Pickett the past year.

Remember, the Packers do work to limit Pickett's snaps. He may be 32, but he has not at all shown signs of slowing down with age. I'll concede that age can creep up on a DL remarkably fast, but considering Pickett hasn't shown any sign of that, and that he plays an immensely valuable position in the 3-4 (and played it very well at that last year), you don't even think about trading the guy.

Remember: a top 5 pick means you end up having to pay a rookie player more than 7 million; would you spend a boatload of money on an unknown rookie or spend some money (be it 7 million or higher) on someone who produces well at a critical position.

"all_about_da_packers" wrote:

Nothing more than a gut feeling right now, of course.

Like you said, DTs can hit the wall very hard. He's a 32 year old who's played in every single game since joining the league. Like I said, I wouldn't mind keeping him, he's a great player and the unsung hero of this defense. Having him and Raji rotate is one hell of a luxury. But still, the chance that he'll be the next Pat Williams is very small. Odds are, we'll get another 2 years out of him. If we can net an early 2nd for him in a draft as deep as this one, I'm all for it.

"Rockmolder" wrote: