Lombardiave.com's Tim Thomas thinks Georgia Bulldogs cornerback Brandon Boykin could be the Green Bay Packers' second overall choice in next week's NFL Draft. Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

By Tim Thomas

Contributing writer – Lombardiave.com

Tim Thomas, Lombardiave.com’s newest contributing writer, takes a stag at all seven rounds and 12 picks the Packers have in this year’s NFL Draft.

Take a ride along with Tim as he considers some of the best fits for the Packers.

The NFL Draft is now two weeks away and the Packers are finishing up their draft board and should be ready for the draft by now. Ted Thompson is one of the best general managers at finding talent through the NFL Draft which is why the Packers have won so consistently and one Super Bowl with Thompson as GM. So, what will the Packers do this year to put together a Super Bowl caliber team?

Round 1, Pick 28, The Green Bay Packers select USC DE/OLB Nick Perry.

Nick Perry was a very successful player at USC and has the potential to be an immediate starter at outside linebacker as he could form a great tandem of outside linebackers with another former Trojan, Clay Matthews. Perry fairly productive at USC as he garnered tons of sacks including 9.5 last season to lead the Pac-12. Perry also has good speed and strength for a 3-4 outside linebacker as he ran a 4.64 in the 40 and benched 35 reps at the NFL Combine. Perry has proven he could be an immediate upgrade over Brad Jones at outside linebacker and a long term solution opposite of Clay Matthews.

Round 2, Pick 59, The Green Bay Packers select Georgia CB Brandon Boykin.

Brandon Boykin was a very impressive player at Georgia as he has a great work ethic which led to Boykin having a productive career. Boykin has great speed which allowed him to be a dangerous playmaker on special teams. Boykin could take the kick and punt return man role from Randall Cobb which would allow Cobb to focus on becoming the elite receiver everyone expects him to be. Boykin’s speed will allow him to stay up with some of the speedier receivers in the NFL like the Eagles’ DeSean Jackson. Boykin will also have time to develop before he becomes a starting cornerback for the Packers. Boykin could be an impact player for the Packers for a long time.

Round 3, Pick 90, The Green Bay Packers select Nebraska DE Jared Crick.

Crick is one of the most underrated players in the entire draft as he could be a great pass rusher as a five-technique defensive end in Dom Capers’ defensive scheme. Crick is a perfect fit for the Packers as a 3-4 defensive end due to the fact that he has experience as a 4-3 defensive tackle and a 4-3 defensive end at Nebraska. Crick also has good strength and decent speed as he ran a 4.99 at the Combine and had 26 reps at Nebraska’s pro day. The one concern for Crick is his health. That is why he has fallen from the last of the first round to the end of the third round. Crick could be a major steal at this point in the draft as he could be an instant starter at Lambeau.

Round 4, Pick 128, The Green Bay Packers select Michigan C David Molk.

David Molk is a great young center who will get the chance to learn and develop behind one of the best centers in NFL history, Jeff Saturday. Molk has great awareness for a center which is a key trait of great centers and he also showed excellent leadership. Molk also has impressive strength as he had a very impressive NFL Combine in which he pushed 41 reps on the bench. Molk has a high ceiling and should be a great center that could be as good as Jeff Saturday.

Round 4, Pick 132, The Green Bay Packers select Notre Dame S Robert Blanton.

Robert Blanton was a fairly productive defensive back in his time at Notre Dame and he has the potential to be a really good safety. Blanton has good speed for a safety and he proved he has a great ability to jump up and get the ball as he showed that at the NFL Combine with a vertical jump of 34 inches. Blanton can be that safety who replaces Charlie Peprah in the long term.

Round 4, Pick 133, The Green Bay Packers select Utah State RB Robert Turbin.

Robert Turbin is one of the most underrated running backs in the NFL Draft and was very productive last year with 1,517 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns. Turbin also showed an impressive combo of speed and strength necessary for a starting running back at the NFL Combine by having 28 reps on the bench and running a 4.5 in the 40. Turbin has a very high ceiling, and he has the potential to be an upgrade over James Starks and the best running back the Packers have had in a while.

Round 5, Pick 163, The Green Bay Packers select San Diego State QB Ryan Lindley.

The Packers need a young quarterback to develop into a good backup and Lindley is exactly that quarterback. Lindley has an impressive arm but the one thing that is lacking right now is Lindley’s lack of consistent accuracy. When Lindley is accurate, he is a very good quarterback and is a first two round quality quarterback. When he is inaccurate, he is not a draft-worthy quarterback. Lindley’s potential is high and he could be as good as Brett Favre but he should be at least as good as Rex Grossman.

Round 6, Pick 197, The Green Bay Packers select Arizona State ILB Vontaze Burfict.

Burfict has first round talent but the one problem with him is that he loses control of his emotions on the field which causes to rack up lots of penalties. Burfict has the potential to be a great middle linebacker if he controls his emotions. He proved that by being very productive in college. Burfict also has good strength and the potential to be a starter for a long time if he controls his emotions.

Round 7, Pick 224, The Green Bay Packers select Oklahoma DE Frank Alexander.

Frank Alexander is a good defensive end that could be a very successful NFL player. Alexander has the talent to be an outside linebacker or a defensive end as he has the right size to be a defensive end in Dom Capers’ system. Alexander showed good strength at his pro day with 24 reps on the bench. Alexander could be a good steal this late in the draft as he could be useful as depth in the long term or even start.

Round 7, Pick 235, The Green Bay Packers select USC FB Rhett Ellison.

Rhett Ellison is one of the best fullbacks in the draft and has an ability to be a threat in the passing game along with the running game. Fullbacks don’t have the best longevity in the NFL so Ellison could be groomed behind one of the NFL’s best fullbacks, John Kuhn. For being a potential late round pick, Ellison is already a good player who could make a decent impact in his rookie season.

Round 7, Pick 241, The Green Bay Packers select Oklahoma State OT Levy Adcock.

Adcock is the prototypical size for a NFL starting offensive tackle as he is 6 feet 6 inches and 320 pounds. At his pro day, he showed off his strength by having a total of 26 reps which is better than potential first round pick Ohio State OT Mike Adams. Adcock also has the potential to move inside to play offensive guard as his size will allow him to do that. Adcock is a high upside pick this late but he could really be a steal.

Round 7, Pick 243, The Green Bay Packers select Utah CB Conroy Black.

Black is the type of player you would expect the Packers to take at the end of the draft, a raw talent that has all the skills capable of becoming a really good cornerback. Black has elite speed and good height for a cornerback and could be a long term replacement for Charles Woodson or Tramon Williams. Black has high potential and could be a steal at this point in the draft.

The Packers have 12 picks in this draft but knowing what Ted Thompson has done in the past, it would not surprise me if he pulls off some trades to climb up in the draft and maybe he will trade back into the first round like he did when the Packers got Clay Matthews. The Packers will definitely be able to bring in the improvements that can help them win more Super Bowls.

The Packers caught fire at the end of last season because of a potent offense, but also because of an attacking defense designed by Dom Capers (left). Here he chats with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

During the 2010 season, the Packers were up, down and upside down at many points.

They suffered through some rough games, including a loss to the Detroit Lions in which Aaron Rodgers suffered a concussion and was unable to play half of the game. In trying to square the Packers’ uninspired play earlier in the season with the Super Bowl win, analysts have used the theory that the Packers simply “got hot” at the right time.

Certainly the Packers did improve over the last couple regular season games and then of course they won every post-season game. But does the fact that the Packers have continued this impressive streak with 11 2011 season wins mean that the theory that the Packers won the Super Bowl because they were “hot” or “had the momentum” still apply?

Jump to more about the impact of momentum and remember to Like Lombardiave.com on Facebook and follow us on Twitter

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Plaxico Burress. Photo courtesy of Midwest Sports Fans

The thought of the Philadelphia Eagles taking on another reclamation project in the form of Plaxico Burris is nothing short of scary.
Coach Andy Reid has been known as the big Teddy-Bear and should he decide to bring the controversial Burris into the fold, we’ll have to start considering him the miracle worker. (more…)

First off, Ravens fans can’t blame the referees for losing this game.  Yes, the referees missed two huge calls: the roughing the kicker call after Mitch Berger fell on his butt when Edgar Jones just happened to be lying on the ground next to him and Ryan Clark‘s helmet-to-helmet hit on Willis McGahee.  More on the second one later.  But a blind monkey could have made that first call.  The ridiculousness of that call is unspeakable.  So for once I will side with the Ravens fans.  But your team didn’t lose because the referees and the NFL are out to get you.  Take some solace and go cry in your Natty Boh over that one.

Troy Polamalu and Ed Reed are two of the top safeties in the NFL today, but Polamalu showed on Sunday why he should be considered the premier safety in the NFL.  Polamalu outplayed Reed, bad calf and all.  The Steelers schemed against Reed perfectly, and his name was only called by Jim Nantz a few times.  The Ravens schemed against Polamalu, but he still found ways to get himself involved in the play of the game, notably in the fourth quarter when he read Joe Flacco‘s eyes perfectly and stepped in for the pick, and made a very Reed-like return for the touchdown to seal the game for Pittsburgh.  After seeing Reed v. Polamalu in the AFC and Brian Dawkins v. Adrian Wilson in the NFC, we get Polamalu v. Wilson in the Super Bowl, which promises to be another great safety matchup.

I love the Pittsburgh wide receivers.  Starting with Hines Ward, and right down through Limas Sweed.  They play the game the way it is supposed to be played.  They can catch.  They can run.  And most of all, they can block.  The attitude comes straight from Ward who isn’t afraid to hit somebody.  I don’t call his play dirty at all.  He does his job for his teammates and plays until the whistle is blown.  When defensive players complain about the way he plays the game, it just sounds like they don’t want to get hit.  Those defensive players can dish the pain, they just can’t take it.  Sweed is a notable example.  After having a sure touchdown catch bounce off his fingertips, Sweed came back a few plays later and delivered an absolutely crushing block on Corey Ivy to help spring tight end Heath Miller for extra yardage.  My friend & I DVR’d that play at least five times.  It was a clean block and that’s what coaches want their wide receivers to be doing.  You can’t complain with the way they play.  Santonio Holmes is a speedster.  His early touchdown catch was an absolute thing of beauty.  He shows great instincts on the run after the catch and on punt returns.  He fits the mold of the Eagles’ DeSean Jackson, although he was better size than Jackson.  The Steelers wide receivers are probably one of the most underrated crews in the league.

My hat goes off to Joe Flacco.  At the beginning of the season, I did not think they would be able to get anywhere with him at quarterback.  Well I was wrong.  He showed maturity and poise beyond his years this whole season in dealing with a city still smarting from the Kyle Boller debacle.  Flacco said all the right things and did all the right things this whole season and showed that he is indeed a good guy.  I don’t chalk up his loss to the Steelers as a rookie choking on the big stage; I see it as a quarterback running into a tough defense that schemed against him perfectly.  Kerry Collins or Phillip Rivers would not have been that successful against the defense that Dick LeBeau put out there.  Flacco gives the Ravens security at quarterback they have never had before.  All they have to do is add a big play wide receiver and they’re good to go on offense for years to come with Flacco, Le’Ron McClain, Ray Rice, and the emerging Mark Clayton.

I mentioned Ryan Clark’s hit on Willis McGahee earlier and I come back to it here.  I have to say that was one of the scariest things I have ever seen on a football field.  I immediately froze after that hit.  It was great to see the response from the medical staff and the players on both sides.  McGahee is in my prayers and it was great to hear that he was talking and moving around late last night.  That being said, there definitely should have been a flag thrown on that play for a helmet-to-helmet collision.  The NFL said they were going crack down on helmet-to-helmet hits recently, but I have not seen that happen one bit.  With the way the players are playing now, it’s getting way too dangerous not to call those penalties.  Football is football.  Guys are going to get hurt.  Guys are going to lead with their helmets.  They won’t always be able to remember that they aren’t supposed to lead with their helmets.  But if it is in the rule book, it should be enforced.  The hit on McGahee was especially brutal, with the way his head snapped back after the impact.  It looked more like he got hit by a car than another player.

I was impressed by the way the Steelers played against a tough Ravens team Sunday night; but I’m still rooting for the Cardinals.

Larry Fitzgerald is the best wide receiver in the National Football League, hands down.  I can’t think of anyone else who could come close to him.  Fitzgerald has the right combination of size, speed, and hands.  His statistics from Sunday (9 receptions, 152 yards, 3 TDs) back this up.  The only question I have about the play calling of the Cardinals offense was during the third quarter and first part of the fourth quarter when Fitzgerald was totally written out of the gameplan.  During this stretch, Fitzgerald was barely thrown to and the Cardinals saw their 24-6 lead turn into a 25-24 deficit.  But what did the Cardinals do on their last drive?  They got the ball to Fitzgerald which led to the win.  Watching Fitzgerald was watching a man among boys.  It’s obvious that if the ball is anywhere near Fitzgerald, he will come down with it.  I wonder how Mike Tomlin and Dick LeBeau plan on stopping this one.

I hate second-guessing anyone.  Whether it be an errant Brett Favre throw in the 2008 NFC Championship Game, to play-calling, to the referees.  But here I’m just going to say what I would have done; not what should have been done.  The string of plays concerns the Eagles second-to-last possession that started with about 2:53 left in the game.  With 2:09 left around midfield, the Eagles faced a second-and-ten. Andy Reid called three straight pass plays to end the Eagles last scoring threat.  What I would have done is on second down, with 2:09 left is called a run play.  The run play would get some yardage and put the Eagles in more manageable situations for their offense.  After the second down pass, 2:01 was left on the clock with third-and-ten.  Run the ball, Andy.  Make an easier fourth down situation for your team.  That was my only qualm about Reid’s playcalling.

The Eagles have been searching for big play weapons for Donovan McNabb for some time now, and I think they have finally found them in Kevin Curtis and DeSean Jackson.  Curtis had a great game and was almost the team’s savior on the fourth-and-ten play.  His deceptive speed creates mismatches on defense and he just always seems to be able to get open.  As for his counterpart, I think that Jackson was the steal of the 2008 NFL Draft.  Countless mocks had the Eagles picking him with the 19^th pick in the first round.  Instead, the Eagles traded out of the first round and picked him down in the second round.  That saves a lot of money right there.  Jackson in the first round is a bad pick; Jackson in the second round is a great pick.  He could play too.  He gave McNabb a consistent threat the quarterback hadn’t seen since that #81 character was in Philly.  The only blemish on Jackson’s rookie season was his ridiculously bonehead play against the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football.  That was really bad.  But he still turned it around, making a juggling 62-yard touchdown catch on Sunday against Arizona.  He’s a game changer any time he touches the ball and no matter how he touches it.

I’m focusing more on the Eagles in this mostly because they’re my second team behind the Green Bay Packers and I know more about them than the Cardinals.  I could tick off the names of most of the Cardinals skill players, but not much more.  That being said, the Eagles have finally found their replacement for L.J. Smith who is on his way out.  It’s tough to see why they even franchised him for this year.  But that’s beside the point.  This man is Brent Celek.  He can play.  Ten catches, 83 yards, two touchdowns.  That’s not the line you expect out of a no-name tight end in the NFC Championship Game.  He’s an athlete too. Numerous times this year we’ve seen him try to leap over guys, and he was at it again on Sunday.  The only thing he needs to work on to become one of McNabb’s favorite targets is to improve his hands and football mindset.  Many times this year he dropped key passes or committed stupid penalties, putting his team in a hole.

Kurt Warner can still play.  Matt Leinart better be taking notes on how Warner goes about his business or he’ll have bust written all over him.  Warner is a professional (I know he had those spats in St. Louis, but that seems to be an isolated incident).  It’s obvious that in his time off he’s out studying the next opponent or out helping his community instead of entertaining college girls in his hot tub.  Warner goes out each Sunday, makes his reads, and gets the ball to his playmakers.  Leinart could never get comfortable in the pocket (maybe thinking about those chicks?) and didn’t seem to realize he has one of the best receiving corps in the NFL around him.  Watching Warner run the offense is like watching an experienced surgeon at work who knows where everything is and what needs to be done.  He doesn’t do just enough to get by, but he doesn’t try to do too much either.  Warner is one of the reasons I’m rooting for Arizona on February 1^st.

Clancy Pendergast is one of the coolest names out there.  He sounds like a 1950s detective.  He’s done wonders with that defense though.  But the cool name nearly trumps that.

But there has been something different this week. There has been no mention of the Green Bay Packers at all from TLH. TLH seems a little more preoccupied with biased newspapers, Clinton Portis and Brian Mitchell challenging each other to fights, and the upcoming matchup between the Eagles and Steelers. TLH does not seem to realize the Cowboys are trekking up north to the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field for a showdown with the Green Bay Packers.

Could TLH and the fans of “America’s Team” be scared of what the Packers have to offer? Donovan McNabb passed for 281 yards without his top two receiving targets and all 5’8.5″ of DeSean Jackson topped 100-yards receiving.  What will happen when actual wide receivers come into play in the Dallas secondary?  Could Aaron Rodgers repeat last year’s relief performance?  If Jackson can top 100 yards, Greg Jennings, James Jones, and Donald Driver could be looking to have a fun time.  The Eagles put up 37 points on the defense.  The Packers arguably have a stronger offense than the Eagles.  Is TLH nervous for this one?  Hmm…

I’m not going to make any predictions yet; that’s coming Saturday.  But either TLH and Cowboys Nation is overlooking the Pack Attack or they are their usual, cocky, arrogant selves.

I thought I’d stir the pot a bit.

Oh, can anyone get Jessica a ticket to the game?