Maryland Terrapins wide receiver Kevin Dorsey (12) runs for a touchdown after catching a pass from quarterback Perry Hills (not shown) against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Byrd Stadium. Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

Ted Thompson and his cohorts over at 1265 Lombardi Avenue finally dipped into the wide receiver pool in the 2013 NFL Draft with their first and second selections in the seventh round – Charles Johnson, a wide receiver out of Grand Valley State in Allendale, Mich., and Kevin Dorsey out of the University of Maryland – and then finished out their draft by selecting Sam Barrington, an OLB out of South Florida.

Charles Johnson

Johnson, the former Laker was the 216th selection overall by the Packers, a player with somewhat of a checkered past. According to Gil Brandt over at NFL.com, Johnson was not invited to the NFL Combine, but his pro day attended by more than 20 scouts, was impressive. The 6-2, 215-pound Johnson ran the 40-yard dash in 4.38 and 4.39 seconds. He had a 4.31-second short shuttle and 6.96-second three-cone drill. He had a 39 1/2-inch vertical jump and an 11-foot-1 broad jump. He performed 14 lifts of 225 pounds on the bench press.

Charles Johnson
Grand Valley State University photograph

However, as reported by Brandt, Johnson has raised some red flags on the character end of things – an issue that might be surprising considering how important Packers officials feel character plays in their drafting decisions. Apparently they are comfortable with Johnson.

Here’s what Brandt said about Johnson:

Johnson does have a red flag, having bounced around between different schools. He initially went to Eastern Kentucky, where he was suspended. He then attended Antelope Valley Community College (Calif.) in 2008, took a season off in 2009, and was at Grand Valley State starting in 2010.

If Johnson has the talent to be drafted without attending the Combine, the Packers see something in him. How far he goes with a team that has great depth at the receiver position will be interesting to watch. No doubt he will be a longshot, but then again Donald Driver was a longshot at one time, too.

Kevin Dorsey

Kevin Dorsey
Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Dorsey, the former Terrapin, was the 224th selection in the draft – a player who had just 18 catches all of last season. He did have 45 receptions two years ago and like Johnson, brings size to the outside for the Packers. At 6-2, 210 pounds, the Packers are certainly not trying to replace Greg Jennings.

Here is Dorsey’s profile information provided on the Maryland University website:

A talented fifth-year player who is expected to be the No. 1 receiver for the second-straight season … an intelligent, polished receiver with excellent size and soft hands … a preseason All-ACC selection … fourth team all-conference pick by Phil Steele … has overcome foot injuries to become a productive performer … has played in 35 career games with 11 starts … voted one of four team captains at the end of the spring.

As a Senior (2012): Started all 12 games at wide receiver … led the team averaging 17.3 yards per reception … recorded one catch for 22 yards against William & Mary (9/1) … started and finished with one catch for eight yards against Temple (9/8) … totaled one reception vs. Connecticut (9/15) … recorded three receptions for 31 yards against West Virginia (9/22) … hauled in a 33-yard touchdown reception vs. Wake Forest (10/6) earning the offensive game ball … had one catch for 27 yards against Virginia (10/13) … gained 36 yards on three catches against NC State (10/20) … recorded 41 yards on three receptions against Boston College (10/27) … started and made one catch for 14 yards against Georgia Tech (11/3) … started but failed to record a reception against Clemson (11/10) … caught a career high two touchdown passes for 75 yards including a 42 yard reception against Florida State (11/17) … hauled in a 28 yard touchdown reception against North Carolina (11/24).

Kevin Dorsey (12) against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Byrd Stadium.
Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

As a Junior (2011): Served as the No. 1 receiver this season, making starts in 10 games … missed the Florida State (10/22) and Boston College (10/29) games with an injury … led the team in receptions (45), receiving yards (573), receiving TDs (3) and yards per catch (12.7) … catches rank tied for 19th on the Maryland single-season list, while the receiving yards are 24th … ranked 10th in the ACC with 4.5 receptions per game … earned the Dr. John E. Faber Award for Iron Man at the end-of-season banquet … had eight catches for a career-high 124 yards against Miami (9/5) … also had a 52-yard reception to set up the go-ahead field goal in the fourth quarter … had another stellar performance against West Virginia (9/17), establishing a new career high with nine receptions … finished the game with 79 yards receiving and a touchdown … Torrey Smith (21 receptions [seven vs. FSU, 11/20/10; 14 vs. NC State, 11/27/10]) is the only other Terp in the last 16 years to post as many as 17 receptions over a two-game span … Geroy Simon had 22 catches over the last two games of the 1995 season … caught five passes for 61 yards against Temple (9/24) … led the team with 44 receiving yards on four catches, including a 7-yard TD against Towson (10/1) … had a team-high 44 yards on two catches, including a 34 yard catch from Tony Logan on a trick play against Georgia Tech (10/8) … made one catch against Clemson (10/15) before missing much of the second half with an injury … missed the Florida State (10/22) and Boston College (10/29) games with an injury … returned against Virginia (11/5), drawing a start and making two catches for 22 yards … had three catches for 25 yards against Notre Dame (11/12) … led the team with eight catches for 77 yards against Wake Forest (11/19) … totaled three catches for 88 yards against NC State (11/26), including a career-long 59-yard reception and a 24-yard TD catch.

As a Sophomore (2010): Saw action in all 13 games at wide receiver and on special teams … ranked fourth on the team with 15 receptions and tied for third with two TD catches … posted at least two catches in six of the last eight games … posted five special-teams tackles (all on kickoff coverage) on the season … made one catch for 4 yards against FIU (9/25) … posted two catches against Clemson (10/16), Boston College (10/23) and Wake Forest (10/30) … had a 42-yard catch for his first touchdown against Miami (11/6) and finished the game with a season-best three catches for 63 yards … had just six yards on two catches against Florida State (11/20) … posted one catch for 20 yards against NC State (11/27) … had two receptions for 50 yards, including a season-long 45-yard TD reception, in the win over East Carolina in the Military Bowl (12/29).

Sam Barrington

Sam Barrington

The Packers final selection in this year’s draft, Sam Barrington was listed at 6-1, 230 pounds – a four-year player a South Florida University. In his senior year, he had 80 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 6.5 TFL, three PBU and two forced fumbles. Here are some career highs listed for Barrington on the university’s website:

BARRINGTON’S CAREER HIGHS
Tackles: 10 (Louisville, 2012)
Sacks: 2.0 (Pittsburgh, 2012)
TFL: 2.0 (Three Times)
QBH: 1 (Four Times)
FF: 2 (Nevada, 2012)
FR: 1 (Connecticut, 2010)
PBU: 1 (Nine Times)
INT: 1 (UTEP, 2011)

Here are the other pertinent statistics, broken down by year, for Barrington:

2012: Started 11 games at linebacker, missing the UConn game … earned second-team All-BIG EAST honors … was selected to play in the East-West Shrine game … posted 80 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 6.5 TFL, three PBU and two forced fumbles … recorded at least seven tackles in eight of his 11 games … his 7.3 tackles per game ranked eighth in the BIG EAST … the 80 tackles were a career high and ranked second on the team … tallied four tackles, a sack and two TFL in the season opener versus Chattanooga … notched eight tackles, two forced fumbles and a PBU at Nevada … posted nine tackles and a TFL versus Rutgers … added six tackles and a PBU at Ball St. … tallied five tackles and a PBU against Florida St. … recorded eight tackles at Temple … posted 10 tackles and a half TFL at Louisville … added eight tackles versus Syracuse … notched seven tackles and a half sack at Miami … tallied eight tackles and a half TFL at Cincinnati … recorded seven tackles and two sacks in his final game against Pitt.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights wide receiver Quron Pratt (7) is tackled by South Florida Bulls linebacker Sam Barrington (36) after making a catch for a first down during the first half at High Point Solutions Stadium. Noah K. Murray /The Star-Ledger via USA TODAY Sports

2011: Started all 12 games at linebacker … finished third on the team in tackles with 72 and added 2.5 sacks, 6.5 TFL, two PBU, an INT and a forced fumble … posted nine tackles at Notre Dame … collected seven tackles against Ball State … registered three tackles against FAMU … returned his first career INT 30 yards for a TD against UTEP … established a career-high with nine tackles and a pressure at Pitt … posted six tackles, 1.5 sacks and a PBU at UConn … registered six tackles, a TFL and a pressure against Cincinnati … tied career-high with nine tackles and set a career high with two TFL, including a sack, at Rutgers … posted six tackles and a pressure at Syracuse … added five tackles and a TFL versus Miami … notched six tackles against Louisville … tallied five tackles, a PBU and a forced fumble versus West Virginia.

2010: Appeared in 13 games, starting 11, at linebacker … finished third on the team in tackles with 65 to go along with a half sack, 6.5 TFL, a pressure, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and three PBU … tallied eight tackles at Florida … posted a team-high six tackles and a half TFL versus WKU … notched eight tackles, 1.5 TFL, a pressure and a forced fumble against FAU … added seven tackles and a PBU versus Syracuse … posted three tackles at WVU … tallied a career-high nine tackles and a forced fumble at Cincinnati … posted five tackles and a TFL against Rutgers … added three tackles at Louisville … notched two tackles and a TFL versus Pitt … tallied six tackles, a TFL and a PBU at Miami… recorded three tackles and recovered a fumble against Connecticut … notched four tackles, a half sack, 1.5 TFL and a PBU in the Meineke Car Care Bowl victory over Clemson.

2009: Appeared in 13 games, starting one, at linebacker as a true freshman … named to All-BIG EAST Freshman Team by ESPN.com … racked up 41 tackles, two TFL and a PBU … opened the season with three tackles against Wofford … added five stops against Charleston Southern … notched four tackles at Florida State … notched five tackles and a half TFL at Pitt … added three tackles and a half TFL at Rutgers … tallied six tackles and a half TFL against Miami … posted a season-high seven tackles and a half TFL against UConn … added three tackles in the International Bowl win over Northern Illinois.

A. Yes it has only been one week but I think Newton can and will be a special player. It is amazing what he did in such a short amount of time. He looked confident in the pocket and was extremely accurate with his passes on Sunday and nearly won the football game in his first ever NFL start.

The thing I think Newton has is that ‘It’ factor that certain quarterbacks have. He is a natural leader. Already, this is Cam Newton’s team. His teammates trust him and have confidence in him more so than any one they have had since Jake Delhomme. He is something special and I think the best is yet to come for the Panthers and Newton.

• Do you feel Newton has the intelligence and the skills to handle the multiple defensive looks the Packers will surely throw at him?

I think that this will be a real test for Newton. The Packers are one of the best if not the best defenses in the league and I don’t expect the same kind of game from Newton as last week. Having said that the Cardinals threw about everything in the book at Newton Sunday. They blitzed him every which way with corners, linebackers, from the outside, from the inside and he hung in there and delivered pass after pass with the Cardinals breathing down his neck.  I know the Packers have a much better defense then the Cardinals but I don’t expect Newton to get rattled.

To answer your question, yes I feel like he has the abilities to keep the Panthers in the game against the Packers. The Panthers may not win but I think that Newton will be effective even against the Packers defense.

• Will the Panthers go more to the run at the start of the game to set up the pass for Newton? Or do they go the opposite route – put the ball in the rookie’s hands to allow him to make plays and build his confidence?

I think that all depends on what the Packers defense gives them. If they load up the box to stop the run, Ron Rivera isn’t going to just run it right into them, he isn’t John Fox. Instead he will let Newton throw it and utilize a lot of play action to try and catch the Packers off guard, very similar to the gameplan the team had against Arizona. Don’t get me wrong, the Panthers are a run first team, but until opposing defenses begin to respect the passing attack, the Panthers will try and burn teams through the air.

• The Packers gave up 15 sacks in the preseason … though the offensive line played much better in the first game against the Saints, do you feel the Panthers have the weapons on the defensive side to dial up a rush and put pressure on Aaron Rodgers.

The Panthers definitely have play makers on the defensive side of the ball to get to Rodgers. That would be even more so if the team had captain and Pro Bowler Jon Beason on the field but Beason was lost for the season last week and the Panthers will have to replace him. Defensive end Charles Johnson signed a huge contract in the offseason and has earned his money so far this season. Look for him to keep the pressure on Rogers all game lining up at both defensive end and defensive tackle on passing downs.

• The Packers didn’t run the ball much against the Saints, but it seemed the Cardinals had some early success on the ground against the Panthers. Do you expect the Packers to also try to exploit the Panthers with their run packages? And if so, what will the Panthers try to do to stop the run.

If they are smart they will. The Panthers have two rookie defensive tackles starting and the team as a whole has had trouble stopping the run, especially up the middle. In the preseason it was a glaring weakness and that carried over into the game against the Cardinals. This may be the Panther’s Achilles Heel this season. They really get pushed around a lot at the line of scrimmage so I would expect pretty big days out of the Packers running backs.

• Kevin Kolb had success against the Panthers’ defense. Kevin Kolb is no Aaron Rodgers. What will the Panthers need to do to at least slow the Packers’ air attack and do you feel that if they do that, they will have a shot at a win?

Without a doubt. If the Panthers can slow Rodgers and that passing attack down then they will definitely have a shot to win but that is not a guarntee. I cannot stress how bad the Panthers run defense has been. But I do think the Panthers defense actually matches up pretty well against the Packers offense. Chris Gamble will be tasked with staying with Greg Jennings the entire game. Last week they matched him up against Larry Fitzgerald and he shut him down for the most part, limiting him to just three catches. The biggest key will be slowing down Jermichael Finley. More than likeley Thomas Davis will be matched up against him and he should be able to stay with him for the most part. Davis is a former safety and has really excelled in coverage on tight ends.

• It seems the Panthers have made some moves in the off-season to fill some needed holes. What other areas do you feel they have to address to become a complete team and have a legitimate shot at becoming a playoff-caliber team and one that could win a division title?

I think the past offseason was more about keeping their own guys. The Panthers focused on keeping the core group of players together and they did that. Their biggest weakness was at quarterback and it seems that Newton is the answer there. But the Panthers won’t be a legitimate playoff team until it shores up the defensive tackle position and gets a bit more depth at cornerback. I’ve told you about the problems at defensive tackle. They just need time there to learn how to play the position in the NFL. At cornerback, right now Captain Munnerlynn is starting at corner along side Gamble but Munnerlynn is much more suited for the nickle role. He is an undersized cornerback who doens’t play the run very well.

Outside of that the Panthers just need to get experience. They have the third youngest team in the league really just need to let their young players learn and grow in the new system.