Ted Thompson made the boldest draft-day move of his tenure as general manager of the Green Bay Packers in April, when he traded up to draft linebacker Clay Matthews in the first round.
For that reason, many expect Matthews to be the teams opening-day starter at right outside linebacker.
But dont count out Jeremy Thompson, the second-year pro who, before Matthews, was the only player Ted Thompson had traded up to draft.
In 2008, Ted Thompson sent a fifth-round pick to the New York Jets in order to move up 11 spots in the fourth round to take the defensive end from Wake Forest.
That move paid almost no dividends last season, when the rookie played sparingly. At 6-foot-4 and 270 pounds, he had little success as a pass rusher. He didnt have the pure strength to move NFL-sized offensive tackles, and his speed moves didnt work, either. He failed to record a sack and had just 13 tackles in nine games (including three starts).
So, why are the Packers so high on him now?
The switch to the 3-4 defense might benefit Jeremy Thompson more than any returning player on the roster.
I like it a lot; right now I love it, Thompson said of the new defense. It gives me an opportunity to be a lot more free. We have one job. If were in coverage, its to be in coverage. And if were rushing, just come as hard as you can off the edge.
Instead of backing up left outside linebacker Aaron Kampman, Thompson worked as the starter on the right side during organized team activities that began last week.
Hes a guy that has made progress in the short period of time weve been around him, said Dom Capers, the Packers new defensive coordinator. I think he has the ability to play the position.
Just how much the Packers like Thompson and whether he can start ahead of Matthews wont be decided for months, but if Matthews returns from a hamstring injury and Thompson continues to work with the starters when OTAs continue this week, it might be a sign Thompson will be a significant contributor this season. He was working ahead of Matthews even before the rookie pulled his hamstring near the end of the first practice last Wednesday.
Jeremy Thompson didnt play in a 3-4 scheme in college, but in Wake Forests 4-3 defense, the ends dropped into coverage like outside linebackers do in the 3-4.
A lot of things carry over from college, Jeremy Thompson said. I still have to work on it, but we dropped our ends in college, so some of the things are similar to what we did.
Knowing he would need to work on his speed as much as his strength in the new defense, Thompson made it a point to streamline his body. He dropped his weight to 260 pounds and looks more lean and toned than he did last season.
If I can get through the OTAs at 260 and see how that goes, I might stay there, Thompson said. But I might even drop a little bit more. During the offseason workouts, I made it an emphasis to lean down and work on my speed and agility.
Capers said: If you talked to our strength coaches, I think hed be one of our top performers in there overall. Im not sure what his weight was last year, but I like where he is right now. Hes got enough size to him that he can be very physical playing the run, and hes got enough flexibility and athletic ability that he can drop into coverage.
Thompson has spent hours with new outside linebackers coach Kevin Greene, who played the position under Capers. When asked last week which players stood out, the first name Greene mentioned was Thompsons. Greene raved about his athletic ability.
Greene also believes Thompson will be better suited to play the right outside spot rather than the left, where he was slated to line up as Kampmans backup.
Hes left-handed, so generally speaking, a left-handed guy will be more productive rushing the passer from the defensive right side, using his dominant left hand, Greene said. So goes the theory.