This is the first in a position-by-position series evaluating the Green Bay Packers needs entering the 2011 draft.
RUNNING BACK / FULLBACK
Need level: Moderate
On the roster: Ryan Grant, James Starks, Dimitri Nance, Quinn Johnson.
Free agents: Brandon Jackson, John Kuhn, Korey Hall
Outlook: This is Starks world if he wants it. The Packers havent had a back with his overall skills since Ahman Green. Starks revived a dormant running game at the end of last season and while he only averaged 3.9 yards per carry and had a long run of 27 yards, the game was not too big for him as a rookie. He has been labeled a poor mans Adrian Peterson by one member of the coaching staff and has just scratched the surface in most others view. Things wont be easy for Starks, who had a fumbling problem in college, but didnt cough it up once in 81 touches with the Packers. Teams will have tape on him and theyll start going after the ball. Ideally, Grant would come back and look more flexible and elusive than coming into the 2010 season when he appeared stiff and too bulked up. He was off to a decent start before suffering a season-ending injury in the opener. Starks could be Dorsey Levens and Grant, Edgar Bennett, in a job-sharing role reminiscent of the 1996 Super Bowl season. Starks never showed the good hands he had in college, but showed better blocking skills than Grant and could be the regular third-down back. Kuhn remains a vital part of the team and will be re-signed. Coach Mike McCarthy really liked Dimitri Nance and kept trying to use him, but to no avail. He could be the third down back that replaces Jackson, but more than likely thats where the draft comes in.
Eye-opening stat: In the 32 games in which Grant, Starks, Nance and Jackson had more than one carry, only nine times did they average 4.0 yards per carry individually.
Whats available: There arent many sure things in this draft, but GM Ted Thompson could pluck a someone on the second or third day who could help him right away. The long shot is that Alabamas Mark Ingram slide to him at No. 32, forcing him to make the selection because hes the best player available. Thompson remembers Ingrams father, Mark, from his brief stint in Green Bay, and may have some insight into how he ticks. Hes not a great receiver, but given the short shelf life of running backs it wouldnt be a stretch for him to consider Ingram. More than likely, hell wait. He might be able to get Cals Shane Vereen, a solid receiver and one-cut runner, at the end of the third, Hawaiis intriguing Alex Green in the fourth or fifth or sturdy Georgia Techs Anthony Allen in the sixth or seventh. Sitting at the end of each round will afford Thompson the chance to catch someone who is falling farther than expected.
Bottom line: This will be one of those spots where if the right guy pops up when its Thompsons turn to pick, hell grab him. Grants coming off a serious leg injury, Starks is all potential right now and theres little chance Jackson will be back. At the very least, he has to find someone who can catch out of the backfield and add a third-down dimension that McCarthys offense has lacked since he got here. New running backs coach Jerry Fontenot would be in charge of developing him.