Ted Thompson's approach is fine. He doesn't need to rely on outside free agents anymore than he already does. Not at all. All he has to do is draft better. It's that simple, although obviously drafting better is far from easy or simple. If Ted Thompson would have hit on a few more draft picks, recent Packers teams could have been totally different. One or two good players can make all the difference in the world. I think Ted Thompson can find another couple of players in this draft and along with the development of other young players, I expect the Packers to be as good as they were (which I think was good enough to win the Super Bowl), or better. Just having Aaron Rodgers more healthy in the playoffs makes the Packers better.
From my perspective, relying almost exclusively on the draft is a MUCH bigger risk than signing outside free agents. Any general manager can throw lots of money at a big-name player. The negative ramifications of that are usually two years down the road, or more and additional players can always be brought in. Finding star players in the draft is incredibly difficult when picking late in every round.
As Wade said, obviously Ted doesn't take many risks in free agency, but he does take some risks in that regard, and he takes massive risks with his reliance on the draft. It takes balls of steel or ignorance to do that. Ted Thompson is clearly confident in his ability, and for good reason. He's pretty damn good at it. If he can snag a couple more very good players in this upcoming draft that can contribute this year, I expect the Packers to win the Super Bowl this season or next, pending health (as always).
Originally Posted by: DoddPower