If the Packer had Bryant, the team most likely would not have re-signed Cobb and the money would have been spent elsewhere.
Uhhmmm, how is this a question? Sure Bulaga is really good but Bryant is one of the best 3 WRs in the NFL, and I'm not sure you can actually name a WR that is definitively better than Bryant. Just look at it this way, what could the Packers trade either player for? I like Bulaga and I'm glad the Packers have him but Dez Bryant is a terrific player.
Sure the Packers have Cobb and Nelson but had the Packers drafted Bryant the team probably wouldn't have re-signed Cobb and you would be looking at a WR group of Bryant and Nelson; that's a better duo than Nelson and Cobb, no matter how much you like Cobb. Saying that Dez is better than Cobb isn't saying Cobb is a bad WR.
It may be more likely that we lose Nelson the year before rather than paying him 9 million and possibly losing Cobb as well knowing Dez would be up for a huge contract. A combo of Bryant and Nelson or Bryant and Cobb would be better than Nelson and Cobb but a combo of Bryant and ? Who knows.
Who knows if we even select Cobb in 2011 if we draft Bryant in 2010. Maybe with that pick we take someone else. Demarco Murray was still there (so no Lacy in 2013?) so was Justin Huston. Maybe we take a tackle in 2012 or 2013 and he turns out better than Bulaga.
I just have a hard time looking at it from a standpoint of should we have taken Bulaga or Bryant. If the Packers were mired in mediocrity right now and struggling to win games and make the playoffs I would say yes we should have taken Bryant. If that were the case obviously the way things worked out by taking Bulaga were not good so yeah, we should have taken Bryant. However, with us sitting where we are right now as one of the best teams in the league having taken Bulaga its difficult to say that one change would have made us much better because we have no idea how that one change would have affected the team in other ways and we may be worse off. Its the whole Devil you know vs the one you don't thing.
If it were as simple as saying would you trade Bulaga for Bryant right now I would most likely say hell yeah. Bryant Nelson, Cobb, Adams would be the best assembled group of WRs in history but as I said it is not that simple. At least it isn't for me.
I really have no idea why any Packers fan would prefer having Dez Bryant over Randall Cobb. In addition by not selecting Bulaga in 2010 could have meant the team would have to look for a long-term answer at RT.
I'm not sure to respond to this and not because its a bad comment. My first reaction was to say I really have no idea why any Packer fan WOULDN'T prefer Bryant to Cobb and I'm kinda sticking with this because the way you worded your comment seems like "would you rather have Cobb or Bryant" and that is easy for me. Its a simple swap of players and I'd take Bryant in a heartbeat. I would think the vast majority of people removed from the emotional aspect of it (being a fan of one team or player involved) would prefer Bryant.
Its different than the OPs question of should we have taken Bulaga or Bryant because that would have had further implications on the team like you addresses in the second part of your comment but once again, as I said above, I have a hard time seeing it simply as a player for player swap without taking other aspects into consideration and that is what caused my uncertainty in how to respond. Looking at it from that perspective I can see why some Packer fans would prefer Cobb to Bryant. Cobb is a great player (not on Bryant's level but still very good) and he doesn't bring all the baggage. He is a likable guy and some people would rather have likable guys than guys with more talent if they think that talent is going to come with lots of excess negativity.
So I can see both sides of it and when I look at the overall picture I am leaning toward saying I am happy with things the way things are with Cobb So I wouldn't want Bryant. Bryant would bring more talent to the team but at what cost? Would the increase in talent offset any negative aspects that come with it? That said, if Jones proposed a straight up trade Bryant for Cobb I'd have to say I would be for it. That's the difficult part for me. Weighing the player for player talent vs the possible negative affects to the team.