I think it is good to look at those who really didn't help our cause last year, and see if we can't do better at those valuable positions, in no particular order.

DEFINITELY REPLACE:

NT: Green (need reliable AND effective backup to rotate with Raji)
DE: Wilson (need a starter)
DE: Wynn (need a starter, even though we're helped with Hargrove addition)
DE: Neal (need a quality end we can rely on)
OLB: Walden (need pass rush opposite Matthews. This is where we must add a wrecking crew pick)
RB: Grant (need reliable backup or starter)
C: Wells (Saturday is a great addition for 2012, but we will have to make a pick here to groom for 2013 - )

ON BUBBLE:

SS: Peprah (could use a top S talent here)
SS: Colins (depending on medical/team clearance)
OLB: Jones (could use more than invisible backup here)


Those are some pretty serious needs yet to be addressed for a 15-1 team. Muir seems like a good addition to backup Pickett, but Raji is so much more effective when he is rotated. I'd love to see us add a really good NT. I'm kind of looking at Muir, Hargrove and the anticipated Tollefson additions as great for our rotations as well as sound upgrades, but we still must add starters from draft.

Grant is just a victim of age and injury.

Saturday was an excellent pick up, and he will be great to help bring along a rookie C. I like Peprah, but I think we could do better (they did like MD Jennings and Levine last year). Jones seems a great ST guy and little more. If Collins does return, that would be huge. We could be fine keeping our bubble players, but those others really ought to go.

Upgrading those 7-10 slots should make us legit SB challengers this year.

The more I think about it, the more likely I think Nick Collins retires.

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Having the same feeling. With the rise in SS talks through the draft and Mike McCarthy stating he wouldn't let him play if he was his son, I think Nick Collins is done. Sad to think about.

Charlie Peprah is not the answer here (like stated). A lot of gaps on defense...

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Raji's a great NT. Pickett's very good, but he's a run stuffing specialist, with only a couple years left in the tank.

As for Collin's I'm cautiously optimistic. If he didn't WANT to come back, he wouldn't have had the surgery. He didn't NEED to do that. And it's sounding like that went well.

Ctv 

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I think that's an important point. The whole point of the surgery was so that he could potentially play again. At least that was my understanding. I don't doubt the he will be able to technically "play" again. My bigger concern is if he will ever be able to become very effective again. I would be shocked if he was able to return to form.

I don't know if I'd go as far as calling Raji "great." He's good, definitely. But without Cullen Jenkins, he wasn't quite the factor he was in 2010.

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Raji said his assignment was more of contain QB rather than pressure.

His drop in productivity may have been more scheme than effort.

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Not to mention massively increased workload.

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His assignment might have changed, but he was still being single blocked alot, and did not have a very good season, he was mediocre at best in my book.

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Definitely. One could try to justify it in any way they want, but the reality remains that Raji did not play very well last year. We know he's capable though, so I'm not that worried. It was frustrating to routinely see one person standing him up and completely shutting him down. Especially with the lack of rush from elsewhere.