I’ll be the first to admit when I am wrong, and am glad that you straightened me out
To be blatently honest, the Packers draft situation has been the most difficult to write about thus far. I do believe this is a result of Thompson’s draft philosphy (as you mentioned). After reading your post, I feel that it may be appropriate to tweak my page for the Packers.
I do like the Packers despite being a loyal Lions fan, and I want to give this post my best effort.
Thanks again for the informative comment!

Thanks for the reply. Just to brandish my bonafides, I write for a fantasy football website (www.ffmastermind.com) as the Packer’s in-state correspondent. I am a die-hard fan…but also a guy who refuses to let his propensity toward “homer-ism” interfere with sound analysis.

The facts are the facts. Two things are certain with Ted Thompson (aka: The Polar Bear) Ted Thompson trades down A LOT and he drafts rarely for NEED. Let’s look at some examples.

Last year, Ted Traded out of round 1, and with his very first pick (round 2, pick #36 overall) he took Jordy Nelson, WR. This despite the presence of Driver, Jennings, James Jones, Ruvell Martin, etc.

In the year prior (2007), despite having a veritable bevy of D-linemen, the Polar Bear drafted the player who he beleived was the best available in Justin Harrell (perhaps Ted’s greatest misfire).

The point of it is this: Thompson rightly believes that because the draft is such a crapshoot, that you double down your potential for screwing up by drafting for need ahead of any other consideration. That is, a given player at a given skill position, in an area of a draft board may turn out to be a total bust (Kijana Carter anyone?).

BUT, if you draft purely for best available…at least you are not trying to force a rookie into a role that is surrounded by urgency to fill it. Remember that there are cuts mid to late summer and trades can happen as well.

Sure, I’ll admit that this could be considered “playing it safe”, and there have been gobs of examples where drafting for need by a team HAS worked out (Marshwn Lynch, 2007: Bills), but I will also say that for every M. Lynch there are at least 10 more Alex Smiths and Pacman Jones(es)!

So, Ted may very well do something the talking heads and armchair analysts like ourselves can’t quite see coming. Moreno is not out of the question. This despite what the homers who pick AFTER the Packers who are married to drafting for need will say in hopes of convincing the fates that Moreno is still on the board when their team picks: I actually saw one guy’s mock draft having Moreno going near the bottom 4th of round 1!

Do I think Jenkins is that bad an athlete? Naw. But his combine ALONE will require he fall past #9…and David, you are ABSOLUTELY right that he is probably better suited to play SS/FS rather than CB. He reminds me a bit of LeRoy Butler in that respect.

I voted that the Polar Bear would trade down. Curry will be off the board, and if DT Raji and OT Monroe are also gone (distinct possibilities both) I’d be willing to bet on it, unless he thought that the best available (Moreno or Wells perhaps) offered him a chance at greatness.

Should TT trade down, look for him to look for athletes who can play in different alignments (OLB Cushing, LB Maualuga) and/or serve Special teams (Percy Harvin?).

first off, thanks for the well-thought comment. Do you really think Thompson has Jenkins that low?
I know Jenkins has his shortcomings but he is a decent player who is similar in style to Charles Woodson and Al Harris. I know he had a poor combine, but his college career was excellent. Teams just stopped throwing his way (look at the Bowl game against Texas). If it makes you feel better, Vontae Davis could be a better option at corner.
Secondly, good point about Moreno. He is by far my favorite of all the running backs in this class because of his intensity and desire. I could see Thompson considering him there. After all, Ryan Grant really isn’t what I’d call an elite runner.
This was a very hard pick for me to analyze because the Packers could really go in any number of directions here (trade down being one of them).

You made a good point, and it helped me remember that I actually considered Vontae Davis and Alphonso Smith to be better prospects at corner. Before the combine, I was laready thinking Jenkins should be a safety.

Unless the likes of DE/OLB Orakpo, LB Cushing, LB Curry are available, Thompson will likely trade down as he has done 50% of the time in round one.

OT Oher is a possibility here too, especially if Tauscher leaves, but also…don’t count out the notion that Ted might well just draft the best player available REGARDLESS of POSITION.

It would not shock me in the least to see ol’ TT draft RB Knowshon Moreno. Sure we have Ryan Grant and Brandon Jackson, but what else? Moreno is an immeidate upgrade and might well be the best athlete at #9 (should TT keep the pick). Don’t reject this out of hand…nothing Ted does suprises me anymore.