Green Bay Packers Sunday morning draft: Louis Nix III
Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Louis Nix III (9)
Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports photograph
The Green Bay Packers head into 2014 once again with defense being the team’s biggest need – and who better to fix that need than Notre Dame defensive tackle Louis Nix III.
At 6-3, 342 pounds, Nix is everything the Packers will need at the point of attack in their 3-4 defense … especially the Packers ailing run defense. And that’s why I selected Nix III in this morning’s mock draft that comes courtesy of fanspeak.com’s unique computer-generated draft. With Nix at the top of the board awaiting my selection, it was a no-brainer.
Not only would Nix III bring his run-stuffing skills to the Packers, but his quickness and athleticism would also give the Packers someone who can get into the opponents’ backfields and disrupt offenses. How long has it been since we’ve seen that? Well, probably since 2010 when B.J. Raji was at his best.
However, with the Packers defensive line set to be decimated by free agency, the team’s biggest need will be replenishing it.
Safety, you say?
Actually, the Packers will need to improve all the way up the middle, but they’ve got to start somewhere. Not only is safety a big need, but so is inside linebacker. At those positions are studs like Ha Ha Clinton Dix or C.J. Mosley, but starting with one of the best defensive tackles and building around that position seems to be the better way to go – at least today. There’s a long time until the May NFL Draft and who knows how Packers General Manager Ted Thompson will be seeing things by then. We’ve seen him surprise us all with that first round pick and this year may be no different.
Anyway, for today we’re taking Nix III.
And if you haven’t already, check out these two sites for mock drafts … they are a couple of the best around
http://walterfootball.com/draft2014.php
http://www.dcprosportsreport.com/MockDraft.htm
Here’s the complete draft as generated over at fanspeak.com. Head on over to the draft generator yourself and give it a shot … it’s a blast.
ALL PICKS
1
QB JOHNNY MANZIEL
HOUSTON TEXANS
2
OT JAKE MATTHEWS
ST. LOUIS RAMS
3
QB BLAKE BORTLES
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
4
QB TEDDY BRIDGEWATER
CLEVELAND BROWNS
5
QB DEREK CARR
OAKLAND RAIDERS
6
DE JADEVEON CLOWNEY
ATLANTA FALCONS
7
DE KONY EALY
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
8
WR ALLEN ROBINSON
MINNESOTA VIKINGS
9
G CYRIL RICHARDSON
BUFFALO BILLS
10
WR SAMMY WATKINS
DETROIT LIONS
11
OLB ANTHONY BARR
TENNESSEE TITANS
12
OLB KHALIL MACK
NEW YORK GIANTS
13
OLB RYAN SHAZIER
ST. LOUIS RAMS
14
DT TIMMY JERNIGAN
CHICAGO BEARS
15
OT GREG ROBINSON
PITTSBURGH STEELERS
16
DT RA’SHEDE HAGEMAN
DALLAS COWBOYS
17
WR MIKE EVANS
BALTIMORE RAVENS
18
WR MARQISE LEE
NEW YORK JETS
19
OT CYRUS KOUANDJIO
MIAMI DOLPHINS
20
OT ANTONIO RICHARDSON
ARIZONA CARDINALS
21
DT LOUIS NIX III
GREEN BAY PACKERS
22
ILB C.J. MOSLEY
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
23
TE ERIC EBRON
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
24
OLB KYLE VAN NOY
CINCINNATI BENGALS
25
DE MICHAEL SAM
SAN DIEGO CHARGERS
26
WR KELVIN BENJAMIN
CLEVELAND BROWNS
27
CB DARQUEZE DENNARD
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
28
WR JORDAN MATTHEWS
CAROLINA PANTHERS
29
DT WILL SUTTON
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS30
30
CB JASON VERRETT
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
31
CB JUSTIN GILBERT
DENVER BRONCOS
32
OT TAYLOR LEWAN
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS