Breaking News: There Are Six More Rounds After The First Round
Fans have a tendency to get caught up in team needs early. Thankfully, Ted Thompson knows needs can be filled throughout the draft.
By PackerAaron
You've heard the refrain either online or talking to a friend about the upcoming draft.
"The Packers have to get an inside linebacker early. Have to. Look at their depth chart. No way they can roll into the season with that."
Or
"Ted has to take a cornerback early. The value will be there."
Or, some variation on my personal favorite
"Ted has to go defense with his first two picks."
I'm here to tell you that Ted doesn't have to do anything with his first two picks.
He does have to do something with all nine (or more if he ends up trading down at some point) of his picks.
He has to find good football players.
Yes, he'll most likely find the best player available that fills a position of need early. But just because he takes, say, a defensive tackle, that doesn't mean the Packers are doomed at inside linebacker.
The draft is seven rounds. Impact players can come from anywhere, even the ranks of the undrafted, as Packers fans know only too well.
That's not lip service either. I know Packers fans know everything I'm saying here. Sometimes we just need to be reminded while we're pouring over our mock drafts and worrying about how things will play out over the course of the weekend. I get caught up worrying about all the players Ted didn't take after he's only made one selection.
Trust me, I get it.
I also get that Thompson and his crew are better at mining the entire draft for talent, not to mention the frenzied period after it when teams are signing free agents.
So no matter what happens Thursday and even Friday night, just remember there's still a long way to go and a lot of talent left to be acquired.
Ted's got this.
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Comments (20)
FITZCORE1252
April 28, 2015 at 11:14 pm
Thanks for that, Aaron. Probably a bit off topic but this is the first year that I decided not to get caught up in the pre-draft hoopla (like, i told myself "don't do it dude")... and I'm finding it to be much more enjoyable! I'm just gonna trust Ted and his scouts to do what they've proven to be very good at.
For instance, when i think of how much time and energy i spent beating the Jerry Hughes drum years ago on here... I'm wondering... Wtf was the point!?!? No more, not for this guy. I'm going to enjoy watching the draft, AND THEN learn about who we selected, instead of pulling my hair out prior.
Aaron, what are the chances we trade for Jerry Hughes? :-)
DrealynWilliams
April 29, 2015 at 10:25 am
"...this is the first year that I decided not to get caught up in the pre-draft hoopla "
Same here. Although, I have watched the "highlights" of the TCU MLB, the MLB from Miami and the MLB from Syracuse.
I probably won't start watching any of the Draft until closer towards the 20th or 25th pick.
FITZCORE1252
April 30, 2015 at 03:14 pm
I'll definitely be watching from the first pick. I love the draft and all of the crazy trades, It's just all the pre-draft minutia I'm avoiding.
Thegreatreynoldo
April 29, 2015 at 02:16 am
Well said. GB is good as it is. I advocate TT treating our 1st round pick as a complete luxury pick, and just take the best player regardless of position (okay, almost regardless of position). Yeah, consider any offers to trade back too.
tm_inter
April 29, 2015 at 04:39 am
Some 1st round picks act like prima donnas who hold out for more pay, come to camp later than others, and don't work very hard at their jobs. A case in point is Datone Jones. Contrast that with middle round picks like Mike Daniels who works very hard. Middle and late rounders have to work extra hard to make the team.
I'd love to see Ted Thompson trade down from No. 30. I'm sure the Packers will be better for it. More picks usually means better chance of getting good players for the team.
NickPerry
April 29, 2015 at 06:30 am
Aaron's right, Ted does a lot of his best work the 3rd day of the draft. He's built an exceptional OL on day 3 picks with the exception of Bulaga, he's the lone day one pick. Mike Daniels, Micah Hyde, and Sam Barrington are all day 3 picks. His history with finding the UDFA gems, Ted's just getting started when Saturday rolls around.
Samson
April 30, 2015 at 11:12 am
Unfortunately, the best impact players in the NFL come in rounds 1 through 3. --- Most later round players hang on to a short, lackluster career as long as they can. -- Worthy, Green, Sherrod, Neal, Perry & even D. Jones are some of the reasons GB has to count on late draft picks. --- TT has lost all his draft gurus & can't do it by himself.
RCPackerFan
April 29, 2015 at 07:09 am
Your correct Aaron. The draft does go 7 rounds deep, plus UDFA's. Most fans do get caught up with the first pick, where in reality the team is built in rounds 2-7. The first pick gets highlighted because its the round in which your choosing the best players in the draft.
Also most of them are expected to be ready to come in and make an impact early.
Looking at last years draft, who would have thought that Thompsons best pick would have been his 5th round pick? Clinton-Dix, Adams were great picks, but the guy who solidified their OL position and played at a pro bowl level the entire season was Linsley. And he was drafted in the 5th round. You can find impact players all throughout the draft.
stockholder
April 29, 2015 at 08:24 am
Reggie White 6'5" 295 Sean Jones 6'7" 275 Earl Dotson 6'31/2" 310 Gilbert brown 6'2"330. vs. in 2010 Cullen Jenkins 6'3" 292, Ryan Pickett 6'2" 310, Raji 6"2" 330 But since 2010 there's been this empty feeling. Considering; Size ,speed,muscle, and position ability. Where is another Aaron Kampman 6'4"265lbs. 5th round. KGB 6'4" 249 lbs. 5th round , Jenkins 6'3" 292 FA . Players that could get to the high level. Teds drafted small tweeners. That keep over achieving to take on NFL blocks. Players that have limitations. Clones that have had poor evaluations. Why? SIZE and being cheap! TT says not all draft classes have developed as expected. He's gotten his priorities mixed up. Size and Proven talent win! Perry ,Neal, Peppers all could be gone next year. Draft and development? BAH! Where's the trading for Proven Talent like Wolf got. The best team ever does not just come from the draft. It takes savvy. It should not be happy hour. Ted you don't have a Defense any good. Period. 5 years of Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy should have produced more than 1 SuperBowl. Don't let the bad guys win.
Samson
April 29, 2015 at 03:26 pm
Great points. --- GB is entering another season with more question marks than they left last season. Their "D" is again a huge question mark. --- One more year where AR has to carry the team. ----- This won't last much longer.
Wolf is going into the HOF because he understood that there was a fine line between winning & losing in the NFL. --- For TT to ignore all the tools afforded him to improve the Pack is atrocious.
4thand1
April 29, 2015 at 09:59 pm
RW won 1 SB.
Thegreatreynoldo
April 30, 2015 at 01:35 am
Stockholder is well known on APC. Now he has found Cheeseheadtv. Expect every comment to be similar to this one.
TKWorldWide
April 30, 2015 at 06:32 am
Always gotta have that bovine flavor.
Freedom of speech rocks!
Samson
April 30, 2015 at 10:51 am
Oh greatreynoldo
He has an opinion. Just because it doesn't line up with exactly what you think doesn't make it completely wrong. You might want to bounce around the web a little more. There are quite a few Packfans who are frustrated. --- After all, the goal is still winning another Lombardi Trophy. --- Close but no cigar is getting old.
egbertsouse
April 29, 2015 at 09:27 am
I agree that TT's best work is done in rounds 3-7. The 1st round is his weakest point. In fact, a lot of his 1st rounders have 3-5th round talent. Hawk, Raji, Perry, they'd all look like great picks if they were 3-5th rounders.
Tundraboy
April 29, 2015 at 11:18 am
Spot on. This is one draft I expect BPA. Team has so much talent as is, and with Hawk/ Jones gone, the biggest mistake would be overeaching. Combined with last years rookies making jumps this year (one or two usually does) and TT's ability to find later round talent as well as UDFA's I for one am feeling good about the draft and where the roster will be by season start. I do hope for one immediate impact player from the draft and do not care what round it comes from.
Samson
April 29, 2015 at 03:33 pm
Amazing how clean the air is in here. --- Oh, ya, that's right, Stroh is gone. (at least for awhile)
@ballark
April 29, 2015 at 03:43 pm
Nagler, you cannot stop me from being an irrational, worried, hopeful, euphoric, nervous, over-analytic football fan, no matter how hard you try!!
My brain is a runaway train, with a one-way ticket to crazytown. I want an ILB in the first, but maybe we can trade back to the early 2nd, add a pick and still get a guy? Or maybe Gregory drops like Bulaga and Rodgers did? And maybe Ted pounces, and we get an a kid able to learn the game alongside Sensei Peppers?
I guess my point is yeah, trust Ted. Sure. He's awesome. Come Sunday we'll be on the other side of this thing. Until then...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwXD0hCvtX4
4thand1
April 29, 2015 at 10:02 pm
I read somewhere that there are 13 #1 picks in the HOF and 14 undrafted players in the HOF.
DraftHobbyist
April 30, 2015 at 10:24 am
I agree with what you said Aaron. I like the LB's throughout this Draft. I like Eric Kendricks UCLA in the 1st, but I like Paul Dawson TCU, Benardrick McKinney MISSISSIPPI ST, Stephone Anthony CLEMSON, and I'd even be okay with Denzel Perryman MIAIM (FL) in the 2nd. Then I like guys later like Ben Heeney KANSAS, Hayes Pullard SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, Mike Hull PENN ST, and Trey DePriest ALABAMA. I really don't like this Draft (I think it's missing top-end talent and depth) but I do feel like ILB is one of the positions it is deep at.
As for CB in the later rounds, a guy I absolutely love is Doran Grant OHIO ST. He reminds me a lot of Casey Hayward. His negatives are that he's short (5'10") and he doesn't always make a play on the ball when it's in the air and he's in position, but he is absolutely incredible at mirroring the WR and brings great speed to the position.
The point is that there are good options outside of the 1st and 2nd rounds.