Will Packers draft quarterback at No. 30?

tromadz

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Will Packers draft quarterback at No. 30?

By Pete Dougherty
[email protected]

When the Green Bay Packers’ first-round draft pick at No. 30 comes up next Saturday, General Manager Ted Thompson could face an intriguing decision.

Quarterback Brian Brohm of Louisville still could be on the board, similar to how Aaron Rodgers was available when Thompson used the No. 24 pick overall on him in 2005.

Also available could be other quarterbacks that some teams, including the Packers, might have rated as late first-rounders, such as Michigan’s Chad Henne and maybe even Joe Flacco of Delaware.

With Rodgers succeeding the retired Brett Favre as starter this season, Thompson has no backup quarterback. So depending on how highly he’s rated Brohm and the quarterbacks compared to the other players remaining, what should he do?

Should he select Brohm or perhaps Henne as long-term insurance in case Rodgers can’t stay healthy or disappoints in the next couple of years, with the option of trading the younger quarterback down the road if all goes well with Rodgers?

Or, if Thompson has several other players rated similarly, does he trade back a few spots with a quarterback-needy team and pick up an extra pick later in the second round?

Thompson will never tip his hand on such decisions, but he at least says he has no qualms about selecting a quarterback at No. 30. Doing so could risk undermining the confidence of Rodgers, who takes over the team’s key position but has yet to start a game.

On the other hand, Rodgers has had two significant injuries – a broken foot in 2006 and a pulled hamstring last year – that raise questions about his long-term durability.

“No, it wouldn’t (be a deterrent), if we felt that was the best position to take,” Thompson said. “The quarterback position is so valuable and you certainly need as many players at that position as you can find. It’s rare teams are able to play with just one guy. We’ve been fortunate to have Aaron and Brett the last few years. I know Aaron hasn’t played, but as an organization we’ve felt very comfortable we had two guys that could play the game, so if we’re able to add another player that can play the game, that’s fine. That could apply to any position.”

Thompson enters this draft, his fourth as Packers GM, with eight picks, one more than the seven every team is allotted for each draft: A first rounder, two seconds (one obtained in a trade with Cleveland for defensive tackle Corey Williams), a third, two fourths (one a compensatory pick at the end of the round for the team’s net loss in free agency last year), and a seventh. Thompson traded his sixth-rounder last September for running back Ryan Grant, a move that turned out to be a coup.

This year, Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy have no major immediate needs, in the sense that they don’t have an open starting position or two where they don’t have viable options.

Even at guard, where the Packers have had their share of struggles the past two years, they appear confident that two of the five or six young candidates for the two starting jobs – Jason Spitz, Daryn Colledge, Allen Barbre, Junius Coston, Tony Palmer and perhaps Tony Moll – will provide an upgrade through offseason improvement and competition.

However, for immediate depth and the development of quality starters at aging positions a year or two down the road, the Packers have several crucial holes, beginning with backup quarterback and also including cornerback and tackle, among others.

Thompson did not sign a veteran backup quarterback in free agency, so he might look for his No. 2 in this draft, or at least a developmental prospect for No. 3. He always can trade or sign a veteran after the draft.

But higher on the list of priorities are two other crucial positions where the Packers are aging quickly and could need new starters in as short as a year or two: cornerback and tackle.

Cornerbacks Al Harris and Charles Woodson are 33 and 31, respectively, and tackles Mark Tauscher and Chad Clifton will be 31 and 32 before the start of training camp. There’s no knowing how many good years any of them have left, and Clifton, who plays the critical left tackle position, has been in especially precarious health because of chronic knee problems that could be the aftereffects of the devastating separated pelvis he sustained in 2002.

Tight end also is a major need, where Donald Lee returns as a decent starter, with only intriguing but injury-prone Tory Humphrey behind him on the roster.

The Packers also could use a quality running back to share time with Grant, who’s physical running style could leave him susceptible to injury if he carries too heavy a load. The Packers drafted Brandon Jackson at halfback in the second round last year, and McCarthy has spoken highly of him this offseason as a possible ball carrier and likely key contributor on special teams, but Jackson’s play last season left reason to question whether he’s explosive enough to carry a regular load at running back.

Guessing who Thompson will take with his first pick is especially difficult because his three previous drafts have shown he sticks with “the best player available” philosophy more than probably most GMs in the NFL.

Thus he could fill a relatively pressing need at several positions with that first pick, though he’s just as liable to go for less of a need if he thinks an especially good player is available, like last year, when his high grade on defensive tackle Justin Harrell made him a surprise pick.

“At 30, if we know what we’re doing, we’re still going to be able to get a good player,” Thompson said. “The problem is, in the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth rounds, your pick is at the end of the line, too. (Drafting at the end of the round) is more cumbersome later on.

"I don’t like picking early in the first round. It’s not so much (the guaranteed money), it’s just there’s so much focus on it and some of the decisions you normally have to make up there, you don’t have to gnash your teeth and make (picking later), because somebody else is going to make them in front of you.”

It also will be interesting to see how many, if any, trades Thompson makes this year. In his three previous drafts with the Packers, he’s traded down nine times and turned 23 draft picks into 34.

But in his eight years running drafts – five as a vice president with Seattle plus three as Packers GM – he’s never given up an extra pick to move up. So if he does any trading, he’s far more likely to move back than up again in this draft even though he’s improved the bottom half of the roster and could end up cutting more draft picks at the end of training camp this year than in past seasons.

Asked whether he could see coming out of this draft with 10 or 11 picks, Thompson said: “I could see coming out of this draft with 10 or 11 picks, depending on how the thing goes. We have added a lot of core players to our team, we are stronger and deeper than we were in past years.

"But it kind of depends on how the draft is working. As a general rule you’d always rather have 10 picks than six picks, because with 10 picks you’ve got more chances of finding a good player, obviously.

“At some point, maybe you get diminishing returns if you do that year after year after year. But at the same time, our job is to keep finding good players and create as much competition as we can, and if that’s a battle of draft picks from last year and draft picks from this year, if they’re good players, it’s still good for the Packers.”

Thompson and his scouts began their final series of draft meetings Monday and go from about 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day through Sunday. The coaches will join the meetings beginning Monday and running through Wednesday, when the Packers’ draft board will be finished.
 

Pack93z

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There is no way he drafts a QB in the first.. nota.. think of the message and added pressure that would apply to Rodgers.. I think the Packers will draft a QB, maybe even day one... but I just don't see it @ 30.. Unless Ryan slides all the way there.. even then he would trade away the pick and gather up a few more picks.
 
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tromadz

tromadz

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Does anyone else picture Thompson in a batcave-like room going over stats,footage,workout vids,etc.

All while old Mike Stock does his Alfred impression.

God im a batman nerd.
 

trippster

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Does anyone else picture Thompson in a batcave-like room going over stats,footage,workout vids,etc.

All while old Mike Stock does his Alfred impression.

God im a batman nerd.

It is not who you are underneath, it is what you do that defines you :twisted:
 

Raider Pride

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Does anyone else picture Thompson in a batcave-like room going over stats,footage,workout vids,etc.

All while old Mike Stock does his Alfred impression.

God im a batman nerd.

Sorry. I can not imagine Thompson in a the bat cave like room going over stats. Ted does not go down to the cave, he has never been there.

Ted is in the parlor of "Wayne Manor" Sipping on cognac, wearing a Hugh Hefner like house coat, and periodically reading the combine numbers and scouting reports, while calling in his draft picks.

Alfred is standing beside him.. Waiting to deliver Ted's draft pick to Rodger on a silver platter, from the parlor in the Wayne Manor.
 

RainX

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At this point, drafting a QB anywhere before round 3 will pretty much shoot any confidence Aaron Rodgers had right out the door going into next season. Like he really needs the pressure of another 1st round QB waiting in the wing with fans calling for his job if he has a stretch of a few bad games?

At this point, here's what you do to address the QB situation: (even though the Packers probably should have persued a guy like Brunell or Green a bit harder.)

Aaron is the obvious starter.

Re-sign Craig Nall to a one or two year deal for near league minimum. He's a relative fan favorite despite not seeing much action during the regular season in his time with the Packers, but he'll probably have to battle it out in camp to show he's worthy of a roster spot.

Draft a QB no earlier than the 3rd round. A guy like John David Booty or someone else wouldn't be a bad choice on day two of the draft.

The Packers could also, in theory, try to trade a pick for a veteran QB on draft day, but we'll see how that goes. QB depth is always important as it showed last season when Brett went down against Dallas. That being said, you also shouldn't try to sell the farm for a guy whose primary role will be to hold a clipboard once training camp is complete.
 

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I posted this earlier in the draft section of this forum. I don't think there is any doubt that the Packers will take a QB sometime in the draft. It depends who has the most value at the time on TT's draft board.

Packer Report.com

Pre-draft position analysis

By Bob Fox
greenbaybob @ hotmail.com
Posted Apr 10, 2008


Packer Report’s Bob Fox names quarterback prospects that the Packers might select

The Green Bay Packers have a lot of options in terms of picking a quarterback in the 2008 NFL draft. The Packers will certainly pick a QB in the draft, but when depends on Ted Thompson's draft board.

Currently, the Packers don't have anyone with real experience backing up Aaron Rodgers at QB, unless the Packers bring back Craig Nall. And even Nall has limited experience. Veteran possibilities that the Packers may pursue include Trent Dilfer, Tim Rattay and Kelly Holcomb. Here are the best draft options at QB and when they may be selected:

Brian Brohm (Louisville)
Round possibly selected - 1st. There is differing speculation here. Some people think that Brohm may be taken in the top 10 picks. Others say he could slide out of the first round. Sounds almost like Aaron Rodgers, huh? Brohm does not have a howitzer for an arm, but he is very experienced and has great touch and accuracy. Brohm would function very well in the West Coast offense.

Joe Flacco (Delaware)
Round possibly selected - 1st or 2nd. If you are looking for a Brett Favre howitzer type of arm, then Flacco is your man. Flacco is big at 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds. He also has the BIG arm and is athletic enough to be effective in the Mike McCarthy offense. Flacco is accurate and excels in play action, which is important in the Packer offense.

Chad Henne (Michigan)
Round possibly selected - 2nd or 3rd. Henne knows how to play in the spotlight, as he started for Michigan for four years. He threw for 87 touchdowns as a Wolverine to just 37 interceptions. Henne is almost 6-3 and 228 pounds, athletic and fairly accurate. Better coaching will definitely help him in the NFL.

John David Booty (USC)
Round possibly selected - 3rd or 4th. Booty (6-2, 213) has the ability to be an effective QB in the West Coast system. He has a strong arm, is very accurate on short and intermediate routes, but will need some help on his overall technique. Ted Thompson saw him first hand at USC's pro day.

Kevin O'Connell (San Diego State)
Round possibly selected - 5th. O'Connell (6-5, 225) ran a 4.65 40. O'Connell had two nice years as an Aztec, and two so-so years. But he has a good arm, athleticism and accuracy to be a West Coast type of QB.

Josh Johnson (San Diego)
Round possibly selected - 5th or 7th. Johnson put up AWESOME numbers his senior year at San Diego, throwing for 43 touchdowns and ONLY 1 interception. He threw an unbelievable 113 TDs at San Diego overall, and just 15 interceptions. VERY athletic, Johnson (6-3, 200) also ran a 4.56 40. He had a 66% completion average in his three years as a starter. Remember, though, this was at the Division-1AA level.
 

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We will take a QB somewhere in this draft, but won't be with #30.

I'm already half-expecting TT to trade our first-rounder to some QB-needy team as it is. I'd love for that to happen.
 

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We will take a QB somewhere in this draft, but won't be with #30.

I'm already half-expecting TT to trade our first-rounder to some QB-needy team as it is. I'd love for that to happen.

I agree.

I don't know about trade but I see a QB in the 4th or 5th round may be.
 

Zombieslayer

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There is no way he drafts a QB in the first.. nota.. think of the message and added pressure that would apply to Rodgers.. I think the Packers will draft a QB, maybe even day one... but I just don't see it @ 30.. Unless Ryan slides all the way there.. even then he would trade away the pick and gather up a few more picks.

I think the only way we draft a QB in the first round is if we have another fluke like what happened in '05. Let's say a top tier QB "falls" all the way to #30. TT is thinking "well, we have obvious needs. Don't want to **** off Aaron. But dang, BPA man. He's definitely the BPA."

Does he pull the trigger? Good chance he does, if he's truly thinking BPA.
 
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Pack93z said:
There is no way he drafts a QB in the first.. nota.. think of the message and added pressure that would apply to Rodgers.. I think the Packers will draft a QB, maybe even day one... but I just don't see it @ 30.. Unless Ryan slides all the way there.. even then he would trade away the pick and gather up a few more picks.

I think the only way we draft a QB in the first round is if we have another fluke like what happened in '05. Let's say a top tier QB "falls" all the way to #30. TT is thinking "well, we have obvious needs. Don't want to **** off Aaron. But dang, BPA man. He's definitely the BPA."

Does he pull the trigger? Good chance he does, if he's truly thinking BPA.


Interesting scenario.

I have to think if Ryan falls to 30, you'd have a bunch of teams calling the Packers, including the Falcons.

The Falcons have three second round picks, so offerring two of them to the Packers would be enough to get Ted to trade down, IMO

But the only problem I see in such a scenario is that I believe if Ryan drops so much, the Cowboys would be the first team that other teams call at the 28th spot.
 

bigfog

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Does anyone else picture Thompson in a batcave-like room going over stats,footage,workout vids,etc.

All while old Mike Stock does his Alfred impression.

God im a batman nerd.

Does that make McCarthy Robin? "Holy Toledo, Thompson-Man, Rogers-Cromartie has fallen to us!"

"You're right good chum, quick...to the hotline!"
 

spardo62

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I will not write off a pick at #30, depending on how the draft plays out the 1st 29 picks, but I would be totally shocked if they do not pick a QB somewhere between Rd 2-4.

I would also not be shocked to see TT move down, again depending on how the previous picks pan out to gain another 2 and 5 or 6.
 
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Does that make McCarthy Robin? "Holy Toledo, Thompson-Man, Rogers-Cromartie has fallen to us!"

"You're right good chum, quick...to the hotline!"


LMAO. :rotflmao:

This post definitely deserves to be a candidate for the post of the year, if we have that next year.
 

Toronto_Cheesehead

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Maybe a guy like John David Booty will be taken later on. He doens't have huge potential where he would threaten Rodgers spot as starter, but he did play in a pro-style offense at USC, so he could be a backup that could keep the team afloat if A-rod gets hurt.
 

Twizz

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Toronto_Cheesehead said:
Maybe a guy like John David Booty will be taken later on. He doens't have huge potential where he would threaten Rodgers spot as starter, but he did play in a pro-style offense at USC, so he could be a backup that could keep the team afloat if A-rod gets hurt.

Plus seeing Booty on the back of a Packer jersey will make me giggle
 

packedhouse01

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What I want Ted to do is draft the very best player on the board, no matter what position he plays. Seriously the only real flaw in this team right now is the lack of impact players. One of the reasons that GM's tend to fly on middle and late first round choices is that they're looking for that diamond in the rough that will be that impact type player. If the best player is a QB, then that's who you take, not unlike when they took Aaron Rogers. Do you think San Francisco would like to have that draft pick back now?
 

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