Every year, I think we get really involved in the free agency...only to be *let down* by Ted Thompson's lack of hitting the market. Some of us agree with it, some of us don't. Personally, I like the plan of building through the draft and I think Ted Thompson and Co. do a pretty damn good job every season. I know there have been a TON of threads about the draft and potential picks but I thought maybe we could centralize all combine/draft/rookie talk into one area.

I always enjoy seeing what others think and had a good convo a few weeks back about the possibility of the Packers grabbing a RB in the 1st. Its fun to see where everyone stands and who we all think is the best choice. Of course, we are always wrong because there is no telling what Stone Cold Ted Thompson is going to do. That's the fun of it.

There isn't a certain format and you don't have to go all out 1-7 rounds on us if you don't want to. You can be completely unrealistic or you can take a realistic approach. If anything, try to make the first round choice a realistic one and go from there...
I look forward to seeing what everyone thinks. Personally, I love following college careers up to the combine and through to the draft.

Your thoughts. Mine coming shortly.

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BPA, weighted towards OLB, DL and C.

He grabs a really good WR in round 2 or 3.

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1st round.
I have been convinced by the greats of this board that this pick MUST BE a defensive lineman. Will I be mad if its not? No. With that said, a 3rd name will be added for my enjoyment of watching others squirm.
Three names make sense to me here.
Jesse Williams- DT from Alabama
Jonathan Jenkins- DT from Georgia
Eddie Lacy- RB from Alabama
With news of Worthy not being ready for the 2013 season and Pickett on the back 9 of his career, a defensive lineman just makes more and more sense. These are both bigger bodies than some of the DTs in this draft. Eddie Lacy will be a valuable choice and his "shelf life" is nothing to be concerned about. Of course, if Lacy is picked...this ruins the rest of my choices.

2nd round.
I wouldn't mind seeing the Packers going one of three routes here (all 3 names would most likely have to be a trade-up). The small emergence of EDS at center might allow the Packers to go elsewhere with this pick, hopefully safety. If they don't think EDS can carry the load at center, they push for one this round. The recent news of Finley's chances of not being a Packer next season opens up tight end. Do not rely on what the Packers have now. That spells trouble.
Three names...
Matt Elam- S from Florida
Barrett Jones- C/G/OT from Alabama
Tyler Eifert- TE from Notre Dame
These names may not even be on the board by the time the Packers are making a choice at #52. Makes this interesting. Do the Packers move up to grab one of these names? If not, more options later on...imo.


3rd round.
If a center is not chosen in the 2nd, I'd think center is an option here and might have to be a trade-up to get the name mentioned. Other two routes, runningback and wide receiver. Both units could use an extra body. Runningbacks can't stay healthy and receivers are losing Greg Jennings.
Travis Frederick- C from Wisconsin
Le'Veon Bell- RB from Michigan State
Justin Hunter- WR from Tennessee
Frederick is that big body center the Packers need to establish their run game. I really wish the small timer, Quinton Patton (LTech), was available here but I see too much info on him going early. Two names above help both units out

4th round.
Dependent on the other choices in previous rounds, 4th round can be spent pretty much anywhere. You could ask for a defensive linemen at this point, but you are most likely getting a work-in-progress type player here. Going back to defensive tackle and adding MLB.
Sylvester Williams- DT from North Carolina
Jon Bostick- MLB from Florida
I believe that the MLB position is a position of need. At this time the Packers have AJ Hawk as their best option available to play. Desmond Bishop and D.J. Smith coming off major injuries are concerning. If Jon Bostick is available here, it would be a great choice and help with the MLB woes.

5th round.
If a safety is not selected yet. I'd like to see the Packers pursue one here and have a competition with the young guns already there. Also, if a specific name is available here, I wouldn't mind the Packers taking a chance, even though they might be set at said position.
Zeke Motta- S from Notre Dame
Tyrann Mathieu- CB from *LSU
More options for the backfield. Motta can bring some competition to the Jennings/McMillian mix. Mathieu is a big time reach but the kid can play football. With our corners pretty much set, Williams play has declined since his injury and it was said that 2013 will be an open competition. Why not? Also brings on a special teams role (bye bye Jarrett Bush and take Cobb off returns). Also, Mathieu's play reminds me of a young Charles Woodson. Just sayin'

6th and 7th should be filled with work-in-progress linemen. It can be offense or defense.

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I was not aware one could highlight text on this software. Interesting.

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BWAAAAAAAH.

I have seen it but never felt the need.




Until now. it is a cool tool.. I may do that instead of bolding when I want to speak about other posts.

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yerko,
I do not know enough about college kids. I have know idea about how they will fit until the [MM] system.

I have to rely solely on the old BPA phrase. It has worked out pretty well over the years. I recall fans being upset or at least questioning Uncle Teddy for picking up Greg. smaller college. Other WR were avail. Other needs to fill. All in all he had a decent career in GB. Same thing when he grabbed Jordy. I am not sorry he went that route. Especially if Greg walks.

That said I would like to see help on the DL first.

Sharrif Floyd*, DT, Florida
Datone Jones, DE, UCLA
Jonathan Jenkins, DT, Georgia at 359 stick him in the middle of the line with Pick and Raji on the edges and no one gets yards up the middle. (I think he would be our new "gravedigger".)
Margus Hunt, DE, SMU I am concerned he is too tall and the OT can get underneath him. He is pretty light at 6-8 and 277. But that means he has room to add a couple of biscuits.

There are a couple of C or RB or WR I wouldn't mind grabbing in the 2nd.

Barrett Jones, C/G/T, Alabama It would be sweet if Jones fell all the way to GB in the second. That ain't going to happen.
Joseph Randle*, RB, Oklahoma State good at picking up the blitz. Crucial to keep AR on his feet. Decent power/speed. RB is not a big issue for me. They do have others. I think they would perform better if the OL did a better job. So if they don't get a RB in the 2-3 I won't be crushed.
Stepfan Taylor, RB, Stanford He can run and make the catch out of the backfield.
WR For Nerman

Robert Woods*, WR, USC
Markus Wheaton, WR, Oregon State

If they have not picked a C yet then look at

David Quessenberry, C/G, San Jose State
Brian Schwenke, C, California
Dalton Freeman, C, Clemson

If they have a C then look at OLB

Chase Thomas, OLB, Stanford
Brandon Jenkins, DE/OLB, Florida State due to a broken foot he may drop.
Jonathan Cyprien, S, Florida International A small school flyer who bears keeping an eye on. He can hit and stop the run. I LOVE THAT!

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1st rnd
Johnathan Hankins, DT, JR(RS), 6'3, 322 -
Big John Hankins has commanded respect and double teams all season long from every team the Buckeyes have faced and yet he has still produced, recording 55 tackles, 4 for loss and one sack. Hankins is used mostly to clog up the middle of the field and would be a valuable piece for any team running a 3-4 scheme.

Comparison: B.J. Raji, Green Bay Packers.


3rd rnd
John Simon, DE, 6'2, 263
Simon is a beast in the weight room, brings leadership, and has a motor that just doesn't quit.
His physical talents are not eye-popping, and his measurables probably won't be worthy of a typical high-round defensive end unless he runs a super 40 (which isn't likely).
Critics will complain about his lack of elite athleticism, but he can be an unstoppable force at times. He finished with 44 total tackles and an insane 14.5 tackles for loss with a team-leading 9 sacks despite playing through injuries much of the year.
The most important aspect of his game is that he gets the most out of his talent, and NFL scouts do like that.
Comparison: Aaron Kampman without the injuries.

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walter's  overall review of the depth at each position. in depth analysis in each link.



not all positions have been reviewed and written.

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The Green Bay Packers won 3 of their Super Bowls with a Wolverine on the roster.
Draft someone from the University of Michigan.

1st round
I like the Jenkins pick. I'd be a big fan of going after a guy like Jenkins. I think he might be the fit at NT that we all hoped Raji would be. It'd allow us to plug Jenkins in at nose and have Raji play DE, since Pickett isn't getting any younger. It'll allow us to rotate our D-linemen a bit more, as well. Always a big plus when going with 330+ guys.

Not so sure about Jesse Williams. He's not really fit to play NT and can't generate a whole lot of pass rush. Wouldn't be the end of the world, but I don't like to see that from my 1st rounder. Especially since we have a roster full of guys who seem to be able to hold their ground to a certain extent, but can't move anyone.

Lacy would be a good pick from a completely objective standpoint, but I'm not a fan of 1st round RBs, except for the real elite ones who have a chance to go 1-5th overall. There's not a whole lot of drop-off in talent from a guy like Lacy to someone like Randall. I'd rather pick up Randall or Ball later on and just look somewhere else right now.

At WR Keenan Allen for instance, if he'd drop that far. He'll have the chance to be that real nr. 1 receiver. Someone who draws double coverage and opens up things for our three other, nr. 2 caliber WRs. Allen would have to drop a bit for that to happen, though. Wouldn't mind a guy like WR Cordarrelle Patterson, either.

2nd round
I'd absolutely love all of your picks in the 2nd round... But that's mostly because, for all of those guys, we'd have to trade back into the late first or early second.

Tyler Eifert would especially be good, because that'd mean that Finley would be gone. Love Eifert's size and the way he uses his body. Doesn't have that Hernandez-like speed at TE, but he does get open. Or just gets the ball when he's not.

Matt Elam, also, would be a great pick, although I do think that it'd already put a stop to McMillian's career as a starter before it has really started. Don't get me wrong, Elam would be an upgrade from the get-go and put a playmaker back at safety that we haven't had since Collins went down, but I'm not sure how our FO sees this one.

Lastly, Barrett Jones. Intelligent, strong, dominating usually, but also having a few bad days. I know, everyone has those, but if I'm going to get an offensive lineman, I'd like to get a guy who brings continuity. Not someone who will shut down Wilfork one week and give up 3 sacks to Melton the next. I think he can be coached up and when he's on, he's on. If he had nothing but good games, he'd have all the tools to go top 20. If he somehow falls to our second pick, our card with his name on it should be in in about 2 seconds. In the first round, I'd take a long, hard look at him, but he's not the no-brainer pick everyone seems to make him out to be.

Anyway, I'd love to continue, because you've put a lot of work into that mock list and I love talking about the draft, but it's 2:40 am over here, so I better get some sleep. I'll take a look at the rest later on!