T-Minus 4 Days: NFL Mocks Team Needs
By djlombardi
I was going to write about offense today, but I got a Packers draft preview published over on NFL Mocks today, so I’d like to redirect your attention over to here to read my overall view of the Packers draft. Hopefully I’ll get into late round specifics tomorrow. As for right now, I’ll leave you with a few excerpts of my Mocks post.
"The Packers most glaring need on draft day is their defensive line. They are currently understaffed and undersized for new defensive coordinator Dom Capers‘ 3-4 alignment and will definitely try to alleviate this in the draft."
That was pretty obvious, but I can’t give everything from the post away here…
"…the Packers do have talented linebackers. Nick Barnett, tweeting his way back from a severe knee injury, will be in the middle, but the question is who will start with him. A.J. Hawk, Brandon Chillar, and Brady Poppinga are all solid linebackers, but are all more suited for the 4-3 defense. I expect Capers and Mike McCarthy to rotate the linebackers in and out and really mix up the looks they will give the offense."
Linebackers…what’s next?
"The Packers drafted Josh Sitton in 2008 to hopefully compete for a starting job and they also signed Duke Preston in one of their free agent moves this offseason. It seems as if McCarthy and Ted Thompson are trying to breed competition to get the best starting lineup they can get."
Hopefully that breeding has some offspring.
"Thompson is a notorious mover on draft day, making unexpected trades (ie trading out of the first round in 2008) and making unexpected picks (Aaron Rodgers in 2005). That being said, there is no sure pick for the Packers at #9. I have said in some posts on Lombardi Ave that I want the Packers to get either Brian Orakpo or B.J. Raji at #9, or Malcolm Jenkins, the one everyone has the Packers picking, if Raji or Orakpo are gone. It seems logical that the Packers will go defense, given their personnel is ill-suited for a 3-4 defense currently."
Check out NFL Mocks for the rest of the preview and for other teams’ needs as well.