With the 28th Pick of the 2012 NFL Draft, the Green Bay Packers Select...

Thursday night the Packers took a big step towards fixing their defensive problems by selecting USC defensive end/outside linebacker Nick Perry with the 28th overall selection. Perry, previously thought of as a top-15 pick fell somewhat in the draft, to the delight of Green Bay.

At 6'2 3/4" and 271 lbs, Perry is what Packers General Manager Ted Thompson called a "tremendous physical specimen." In the NFL combine Perry ran the 40 yard dash in 4.5s, had a 38.5" vertical leap, and benched 225 lbs. 35 times.

“He’s got that kind of juice,” said Thompson. “We’re looking forward to getting him with (outside linebackers coach) Kevin (Greene) and (defensive coordinator) Dom (Capers). He’ll jump in with our guys and compete with our guys and we’ll see how he stacks up.”

A Detroit native, Perry started for two years at USC, and led the Pac-12 with 9.5 sacks in 2011.

As a Packer, Perry will likely play outside linebacker opposite fellow USC alumnus Clay Matthews in the 4-3 scheme, a position that has been weak recently, with Frank Zombo, Brad Jones, and Erik Walden making little impact.

Perry will wear no. 53 for the Packers.