Round 1, Pick 21 - Calvin Pryor, FS, Louisville
Unless C.J. Mosely is dangling above Ted Thompson's head here at 21 overall, the Packers will draft their biggest need over best talent available. Calvin Pryor is probably the most NFL ready safety in this draft next to HaHa Clinton-Dix and Jimmie Ward. With the way Ted Thompson handled the defensive line in free agency, the Packers can focus on drafting defensive backs and linebackers to rebuild the defense, and it all starts here in Round 1.
Round 2, Pick 53 - Trent Murphy, DE/OLB, Stanford
Packers are really high on Trent Murphy and that's why he's staying here in this mock draft. His name has come up the most when Ted Thompson has talked about draft prospects. The Packers have longed for a outside linebacker to lineup opposite of Clay Matthews. Nick Perry has yet to stay healthy enough to tell if he is the guy or not. Newly signed Packer Julius Peppers is likely to play split time at OLB and DE this year. Adding depth to linebacker is a must this draft as it became the most injured position on the team last year.
Round 3, Pick 85 - Jared Abbrederis, WR, WisconsinIn case you missed the news, James Jones was signed to a three year contract with the Oakland Raiders. As it stands, the Packers have Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Jarrett Boykin, and Myles White with others on the practice squad. Just two years ago the Packers had Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, James Jones, and Donald Driver. They need to add a wide receiver early in the draft and this is a great spot for it with the likelihood of having two picks in the second round. Jard Abbrederis is such a Ted Thompson kind of guy. Not only could Jared be a deep threat option for Aaron Rodgers, but he could also serve as a solid option as a kick returner.
Round 3, Compensatory Pick (Greg Jennings) - C.J. Fiedorowicz, TE, Iowa
Look, I know there are a lot of people out there that really like Andrew Quarless. I am not one of them. I just don't feel comfortable going into the season with Quarless, Ryan Taylor, Brandon Bostick and Jake Stoneburner as our only tight end options. We don't need to reach for a tight end in the first round for a guy like Ebron or Amaro, but we need an upgrade from what we have. Fiedorowicz is a perfect tight end for the Packers offense. He can block and has great hands with decent burst to get yards after contact.
Round 4, Pick ??? - Max Bullough, ILB, Michigan State
As I said above, the Packers need serious help at linebacker, but especially at inside linebacker. The aging AJ Hawk and the incredibly inconsistent Brad Jones are at the top of the depth chart. Beneath them is Jamari Lattimore who actually is a promising young talent and Sam Barrington who just needs to keep developing. In a perfect world the Packers would cut ties with Hawk to free up cap space and just hit the reset button on the entire interior linebacker squad. max Bullough is the guy that was suspended from football activities at Michigan State for an off the field issue. Bullough had an incredible combine and probably out-shined the rest of the inside linebackers. But, because of the off the field issue, he will likely drop in the draft. It's a good thing Green Bay is an organization that can help off the field issues players have. Max is highly regarded by his coaches. He's a defensive leader.
Round 5, Pick ??? - Seantrel Henderson, OT, MiamiWith the loss of EDS to the Buccaneers and the apparent departure of Marshall Newhouse, the Packers will need to address the offensive line in the draft. Injuries were an issue last year as the team lost Bryan Bulaga in training camp with a torn ACL. Without a set in stone center, the Packers may have to shuffle the line around again. If they want a quick fix, the Packers will try either JC Tretter or Don Barclay at center. To cover the blow of the losses and a possible changing of the guard (pun intended) on the line, drafting an offensive lineman here is not a bad idea. Seantrel Henderson is a massive human being. He'd be a instant improvement over Newhouse and would provide as an excellent backup tackle to Bulaga and Bakhtiari.
Round 6, Pick ??? - Logan Thomas, QB, Virginia Tech
The Packers need to develop a dependable back up QB. Last year that became painfully evident. Matt Flynn was able to cushion the blow of losing Aaron Rodgers once he was eventually signed. Logan Thomas is a great pick here. Receiving comparisons like "Cam 2.0" is very intriguing to me. I've seen a few mocks that have Green Bay taking Tajh Boyd as early as the fourth round. No. That can't happen and won't happen. Boyd is not good at quarterback. That was evident at the NFL Combine when scouts and league executives said they wouldn't even waste a draft pick on him. The Packers have more needs to fill in the earlier rounds than to take a quarterback that *likely* won't see a lot of playing time.
Round 6, Compensatory Pick (Erik Walden) - Avery Williamson, ILB, Kentucky Williamson is one of those Ted Thompson guys. Under the radar guy who fits exactly into the defensive scheme. As I stated above, middle linebacker is a very shallow area for the Packers and they need depth. Williamson is very quick. He's a great tackler. He'll defend in short coverage, he'll rack up pass defends, he'll rap up a ball carrier. He's a perfect weight and height for the position, standing in at 6-1, 249 pounds. At the NFL Combine, he ran a 4.66 40 yard dash and was a top performer in the 20 yard shuttle.
Round 7, Pick ??? - C.J. Barnett, SS, Ohio State
The Packers take a second safety here. The secondary was absolutely destroyed last season due to injury and just lack of performance. The Packers have had a void in the secondary since the team lost Nick Collins. There are some bright spots. The emergence of Casey Hayward and Micah Hyde has been refreshing. Also, Sam Shields coming back provides some stability. Tramon Williams had a very productive year last season. C.J. Barnett would come from an Ohio State team that has produced defensive backs such as Malcolm Jenkins, Nate Clements, Antoine Winfield, Chris Gamble, Donte Whitner and Kurt Coleman. Barnett was a bright spot on the OSU defense that was near the bottom of the Big Ten ranks.
Until next time, Beers, Brats, and Championships.
-Andrew Vrchota
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