Green Bay Packers 2013 NFL Draft Team Needs
Green Bay has to upgrade over Starks and co. at running back.
The Green Bay Packers came into 2012 with the reigning league MVP in quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and a revamped defense after having spent six of their eight draft picks on that side of the ball.
After a rough start to the season, which included heart-breaking, last-second defeats at Seattle and at Indianapolis, the Packers finally found their groove, winning nine of their next ten games. After dropping the season finale against the Minnesota Vikings to finish 11-5, the Packers got revenge against their NFC North rivals the very next week at Lambeau Field in a 24-10 playoff victory.
However, the Packers were once again eliminated by a team that made the Super Bowl (Giants last year, 49ers this year). Though they have arguably the NFL’s best player in Rodgers, one man can only carry a team so far. The lack of a running game has put too much weight on the right shoulder of Rodgers, who has to also use his legs since a lackluster offensive line isn’t always able to keep him standing upright.
On the other side of the ball, the defensive woes were exposed in that Divisional Round loss to the 49ers, where Colin Kaepernick rushed for 181 yards and had the defense confused all game long. Though a few injuries derailed the defense through the course of the season, some immediate needs are evident.
Let’s dive right in and see what those Packers needs are:
Offensive Needs: OL, RB
Rodgers, who has been one of the most-sacked quarterbacks over the past few seasons, is able to stay healthy and upright due to his mobility. But that can’t be the case forever, which is why a healthy offensive line is vital to the Packers’ success. They dropped the ball last year on re-signing Scott Wells and potentially drafting Peter Konz. Instead, they signed free agent Jeff Saturday, who was benched late in the season. Tackles Bryan Bulaga and Derek Sherrod show promise, but ended up on injured reserve this season. The Packers definitely need to look at tackle and center, while the guard position is solid with Josh Sitton and T.J. Lang.
The other component that the Packers need on offense to help out Rodgers & Co. is a running back; the team cycled through about half a dozen different running backs this year. The future of veterans Cedric Benson and Ryan Grant are questionable, especially with the potential of DuJuan Harris. Regardless, a more viable option at that position is necessary for the Packers, and many mock drafts I’ve seen have them taking Wisconsin’s Montee Ball in the first round. Our own Kevin Roberts has them selecting South Carolina’s Marcus Lattimore in his latest mock draft.
Defensive Needs: DE, S
Since losing Cullen Jenkins to the Eagles in free agency two seasons ago, the Packers haven’t quite found his replacement at defensive end. Veterans Ryan Pickett and Mike Neal are average, and rookie Jerel Worthy has promise, but hasn’t taken the next step yet.
Though I want to also list linebackers as a need for the Packers, I really don’t see it that way. Maybe they will draft some as backups, but their starting linebacking corps suffered because of injuries. Season-ending injuries to Desmond Bishop and Nick Perry early on in the season really hurt the abilities of Clay Matthews and A.J. Hawk. If all four are healthy, then the Packers will have one of the most dynamic linebacking corps in the league.
Safety, on the other hand, is again an immediate need. The career-ending injury suffered by Nick Collins in 2011 has been quite the ordeal for the Packers in terms of finding a replacement. Collins was on the same level as Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu, and his injury has really derailed the team’s secondary. Since then, Charles Woodson has moved from cornerback to safety, but that’s only a temporary fix. He’s a season or two (at most) away from retirement. Morgan Burnett and M.D. Jennings are good, not great, and the Packers are going to need great if they’re going to replace Collins.
Overall
Green Bay clearly needs to get better on defense. The painful part is that they focused their efforts to do son in last year’s draft, and it didn’t really work out as planned. Well, they’ll have to try again. While they’re at it, they sorely need to land a star running back to help ease the pressure off of Aaron Rodgers, and some o-line depth wouldn’t hurt, either. The Packers are still the team to beat in the NFC North and are Super Bowl threats until they prove otherwise. They just need to have a solid draft to keep the dream alive.
1. Margus Hunt DE/DT (SMU) 2. Travis Fredick C (WISC) 3. Travis Chappelear DT (NW MIZZ S) 4. Brad Sorenson QB (S UTAH) 5. Zavier Gooden LB (MIZZ) 6. Dexter Mccoil S (TULSA) 7. David Bass LB (MIZZ W S) Assumption is the front office will approach free agency to address OL, possibly another Jeff Saturday type deal, as well as the receiving core situation.
I feel running back is a more pressing need than offensive line or anything on defense (though those are important too). A running game would help out Rodgers and the offensive line and the defense once again suffered a lot of injuries.
I am hoping that Barrett Jones will be available for Ted Thompson to take at number 26. If he has been taken then I like the idea of taking Eddie Lacy.
I don’t like the idea of selecting an interior lineman, such as Cooper or Barrett Jones, in the 1st Round. EDS solidified the interior line IMO; they are fine with EDS, Sitton, and Lang, but could pick up a C/G type in Cave or Schwenke in the 4th round. I don’t agree with the writer that last year’s draft didn’t pan out. They went from 32nd to 10th in total defense. I do agree they need a playmaker at S and DL the most and a RB in the first three rounds would be good. They are getting a bunch of guys back from injury which will help: Bishop, Smith, Sherrod, Bulaga, Quarless, Perry. I just wish they can get through next season without so many injuries. Go Pack!
Ball in the first rd? That is ridiculous. I would maybe consider him in the third rd but even there I see more viable options. The interior line IMO could potentially be set for years to come with Lang, EDS, Sitton. Bulaga is absolutely one of the Packers tackles of the future and if Sherrod could return they have two good options at LT in Sherrod and Newhouse. They were just really banged up this year. Rodgers was credited with more Sacks than any other QB this year. There is a reason PFF recently graded Packers Oline as the 11th best pass blocking unit in the NFl even with all the injuries. The consistently gave Rodgers 3+ seconds in the pocket. Rodgers has a tendency to hold onto the ball far too long.
I meant to say I really do think GB needs to add depth to the interior offensive line. I think a player like Schwenke in the middle rds would be perfect. He is a really solid Center who has experience as both a Guard and Center. Quessenberry is another option. I’m not a big fan of Jones in the first. I consider DE to be a pressing need especially after the news that Worthy had surgery after tearing his ACL. At RB I personally don’t see any Stars in the first rd this year. There best hope would be a 2nd-4th rd pick they really like and hope he can be the player they think. There just isn’t any sure things at RB this year.
I don’t think Ball is a first-rounder either, I’d rather take SC’s Lattimore over Ball, I was just saying what I saw in a few mock drafts for the Packers. I agree with you that the interior line is set, and I also think Bulaga shows a lot of promise as the future franchise LT (though he needs to quit his bad habit of getting called for false starts/holding at the worst times). Rodgers can hold onto the ball too long at times, but he’s really just going through his progressions and looking for an open man rather than trying to force it a la Brett Favre. Our o-line isn’t bad, but it isn’t great either, and would really prosper with a viable running game so the offense isn’t so one dimensional, making it easier for opposing defenses.
I’ve even soured out Lattimore lately, and I mocked him there, haha. I think I’d go Bernard there, instead.
Round 1: a nose tackle. If Pickett goes down the Pack is in deep doo. 2) Eddie Lacy or Barrett Jones (depth at three positions). 3) a quaterback like Flynn who won’t take too long to develop, unless Coleman is further along then has been reported. Aside from a stud running back, all the Packers need is quality depth at those three other positions.
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Everybody, I think you all are making very excellent points about the Packers and what they need for 2013. They could definitely use more depth on defense at every position, since they constantly lose players to injuries on that side of the ball, and depth on defense was a key to the Super Bowl run in 2010. As for the o-line, I do believe the interior is pretty secure, but I am a bit skeptical on EDS and if he can be productive at center for an entire 16-game season plus playoffs. And if Bulaga and Sherrod could just stay healthy, they could be franchise tackles. But, I still believe the running back position is what needs to be addressed for the Packers first and foremost. We’ve seen what happens against the elite NFC teams (49ers, Seahawks, Giants) when the Packers offense is one-dimensional. Benson and Grant are too old, Starks is way too inconsistent and Alex Green proved he wasn’t the guy. I like DuJuan Harris, but we can’t bank on him to be the answer. The Packers top priority this offseason should be finding the answer at RB (whether in free agency, the draft or a trade) that can pound the rock 20-25 times a game, wear down defenses, run the clock and keep defenses on their heels. If the Packers can find that guy, then life will be so much greater for Rodgers & Co. and could culminate with another Super Bowl title.