TEAM NEEDS
1. Kick returner: This was the weak link of the Super Bowl champions, who rolled through four players on kickoffs with subpar results. The Packers last had a kickoff return for a touchdown in 2000. What's more, Tramon Williams wasn't dynamic on punt returns and is too valuable as a top cornerback to pull double duty.

2. Defensive end: The team could have a big void in the starting lineup if effective pass rusher Cullen Jenkins leaves as a prospective free agent. Aging Ryan Pickett is the other starting end. So, the Packers, for now, are banking on talented Mike Neal, a second-round draft pick last year, and possibly Justin Harrell, the disappointing first-round choice in 2007, to return from season-ending injuries.

3. Offensive tackle: Green Bay identified a successor to left tackle Chad Clifton when it took Bryan Bulaga in the first round last year. Bulaga, though, settled in at right tackle after replacing an injured Mark Tauscher early in the season. Clifton probably is good for one more season, but the Packers must zero in on having their right tackle of the future once the time comes to move Bulaga to his natural spot.

4. Running back: The late-season emergence of rookie James Starks, who rushed for 315 yards in the playoffs, sets up an intriguing battle with incumbent Ryan Grant for the starting role entering next season. The unknown is whether Grant, 28, will be back to his old form as a productive runner after suffering a season-ending ankle injury on opening day. Also, dependable backup Brandon Jackson is a prospective free agent.

Returning is a massively overrated part of special teams. It's much more important to have good coverage on kickoffs and punts.

"Stevetarded" wrote:

Green Bay Packers draft needs start at outside linebacker 

The Green Bay Packers are coming off a Super Bowl win with a talented young roster at most positions.


They dont necessarily need an immediate starter in this years NFL draft, though they might end up with one if they take an outside linebacker with a high pick.

Instead, General Manager Ted Thompson will be drafting to restock his roster with new young players who will help replace the inevitable personnel losses, to free agency and age, to come in the next couple of years.

The Packers have all seven of their own picks in the 2011 draft, beginning with the last pick of the first round (No. 32 overall), plus a compensatory pick at the end of perhaps the third or fourth round for losing defensive end Aaron Kampman in free agency last year.

Following is a look at their greatest areas of need heading into the spring scouting season, which kicks off this week with the NFL scouting combine beginning Thursday in Indianapolis.
Outside linebacker

After Thompson didnt draft one last year and that was a surprise its all but a given this year hell select someone to possibly start opposite Clay Matthews in defensive coordinator Dom Capers 3-4 scheme.

Last year, after Brad Jones season ended because of shoulder injury in Week 7, undrafted rookie Frank Zombo and street free agent Erik Walden deserved credit for playing well enough to help win a Super Bowl. But this critical playmaking position demands more resources.

Jones flashed some pass-rush ability as a rookie in 2009 but has had durability issues his first two seasons and wasnt as effective rushing when he played in 2010. Zombo and Walden proved competent Walden is the more sudden rusher of the two but its still a big step to being a playmaker.

Drafting a player high doesnt guarantee hell be any good, but if the Packers could find a quality individual rusher like Pittsburgh has with former second-round pick LaMarr Woodley opposite James Harrison, the leagues No. 2-ranked scoring defense from last season could become something to behold.
Offensive tackle

Left tackle Chad Clifton bounced back surprisingly well from early-season knee problems and was remarkably sound even as a seasons worth of snaps accrued during the Packers stretch run. But hell be 35 this summer.

Maybe he has another solid season in him, or maybe 2011 is the year he breaks down. Even if the Packers think hell be fine, their degree of confidence can be only so high, and his time is running out.

Thompson drafted Bryan Bulaga in the first round last year as the left tackle of the Packers future. Bulaga had to play right tackle the final 16 games, playoffs included, because of Mark Tauschers season-ending shoulder injury. Bulaga held up fine on the right side, but based on quarterback Aaron Rodgers comments late in the season, the Packers still see Bulaga as a left tackle.

Tauschers distinguished career with the Packers appears to be over, and theres no knowing whether Clifton will be a starter or a $5.75 million insurance policy. If the Packers bump Bulaga back over to the left side, they could go with third-year pro T.J. Lang on the right side, though hes also a possible starter at left guard. They also have Marshall Newhouse, a fifth-round pick last year, as a developmental prospect at left tackle.

No matter. Thompson might again spend a high pick at tackle, either left or right, to provide more options for those key pass-blocking positions for now, and for a year or two down the road.
Cornerback

The Packers have one of the best defensive backfields in the NFL and two good young cornerbacks in Tramon Williams and Sam Shields.

Williams blossomed into a premier cover man last season. Shields went as an undrafted rookie from the bottom of the depth chart to a quality No. 3 corner and showed the talent to become a starter, maybe even a good one, soon.

But cornerback Charles Woodson, one of the teams best players, is 34 and has to slow down some time. The Packers need to prepare for that day, even if its a couple of years down the road, and have a quality player ready to replace him.

Plus, as the Super Bowl showed when Woodson and Shields went down with injuries, cornerback depth is crucial. Pat Lee and Jarrett Bush gamely got the Packers through the fourth quarter, but that doesnt mean theyd hold up for a stretch of games.
Wide receiver

This position of strength could erode fast.

Donald Driver is a physical marvel but turned 36 earlier this month. His days of starting-caliber production cant last forever.

James Jones contract is up, and depending on a new collective bargaining agreement, hell be gone in free agency if a team offers him a starters salary, whether thats this year or next.

That means the Packers could be looking to replace one or even two receivers of note in the next couple of seasons.

They have only one possibility on the roster in Brett Swain, a seventh-round draft pick from 2008 who will have to make significant strides to win that kind of role. They might not need replacements for a year or two, but drafting one now provides the luxury of time to train him.
Punt-kick returner

The Packers return game has been mostly a dud during Thompsons six-year tenure as GM. Maybe a drafted wide receiver or cornerback could fill this hole, but if not, it might be time to consider using a valuable pick on someone strictly for the threat to change field position in the return game.

Think these writers will ever get it through their heads that the Packers don't address "needs" in the draft? That they select the best players on their board?

"bozz_2006" wrote: