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.

Packers Pre-Draft Roster Moves

With the 2012 NFL Draft only days away, the Green Bay Packers have made several roster moves.

On Monday, Green Bay agreed on a 1-year contract with outside linebacker Erik Walden. Walden started 15 games in 2011, but never made much of an impact, despite receiving little attention playing opposite of Clay Matthews.

In his two years as a Packer, Walden has played in 25 regular season games, and has totaled 85 tackles, six sacks, and a fumble recovery. 

The Packers also parted ways with two very familiar faces, releasing left tackle Chad Clifton on Monday and safety Nick Collins on Wednesday.

The Packers cut Clifton after he failed a physical. Clifton, originally a second-round draft pick in 2000, played 165 games in his 12 seasons as a Packer, the second most by a Packer offensive tackle behind only Forrest Gregg (187 games). Clifton was a Pro-Bowler in 2007 and 2010.

Green Bay has a few options to replace the veteran, with 3rd year tackle Marshall Newhouse the likely candidate took take over the starting role. The Packers' first round pick from 2011, Derek Sherrod, will also compete for the job, and Green Bay will probably select another tackle in this year's draft.

Green Bay also released safety Nick Collins, who suffered a season-ending neck injury in week 2 this past season. Collins underwent neck fusion surgery in September, and while that surgery reportedly went well, the Packers have been skeptical to allow Collins back on the field.

Collins was a second round pick in the 2005 draft, the same draft that brought Aaron Rodgers to Green Bay. In seven seasons Collins has recorded 417 tackles, 21 interceptions, and four defensive touchdowns. Perhaps his most memorable play was his pick-six off Ben Roethlissberger in the first quarter of Super Bowl XLV. 

Collins was voted to the NFL All-Pro Second Team and the Pro-Bowl for three straight years (2008-2010). His presence will be missed in the Packers secondary.

The Packers will most likely look to the draft to replace Collins, as depth at safety is relatively low for Green Bay, and consists of M.D. Jennings, an undrafted rookie in 2011 who only saw special teams action last year, and Anthony Levine, an undrafted rookie from 2010 who has yet to leave the practice squad. Another potential option for Green Bay is to move 14-year veteran Charles Woodson from corner to safety.

Look for Green Bay to address needs at defensive end, outside linebacker, and safety in this year's NFL draft. The Packers will probably also add an offensive lineman, a quarterback, and a running back to replace the likely-departing Ryan Grant.

2011 NFL Draft: 5 Wisconsin Badgers find NFL Homes

After a Rose Bowl season in 2011, five Wisconsin Badgers were selected in the NFL Draft—the most Badgers taken in a draft since 2006, when five were also taken.


Read the rest of the article here on the Bleacher Report.

NFL Draft: Ranking the Last 10 Green Bay Packers Drafts

I recently wrote an article for The Bleacher Report ranking the past ten draft classes for the Packers. Check it out here.

Green Bay Packers 2010 in Review: A Look to the Off-Season (Part 4 of 4)

The 2011 off-season has been troubling to date. With the NFL's collective bargaining agreement (CBA) expiring on Thursday, the potential for a 2011 lockout looms bigger than ever. It does not appear that the conflict between the NFL team owners and the Player's Union will be resolved and a new CBA will be put into place before the current agreement expires.

If no agreement is reached, the players will be locked out - players won't be able to work out at team facilities, teams can't conduct organized team activities, such as mini-camps, and the free agency period will not begin.

The lockout potential affects all teams as the 2011 season (hopefully) approaches.

The Green Bay Packers

In 2010 the Packers were one of the youngest teams in the NFL. They also experienced a heavy dose of injuries throughout the season. That makes 2011 exciting for Green Bay.

The Packers will experience a talent influx as injured players return to the team. 2010 starters like Jermichael Finley, Nick Barnett and Morgan Burnett will be thrown back into the mix as the team looks to return to the Super Bowl.

One of the problems the Packers will face in the off-season is making room for the injured players to return to the roster. This is most notable at the middle linebacker position.

Nick Barnett and Brandon Chillar, both inside linebackers, had season-ending injuries last year. A.J. Hawk and Desmond Bishop stepped up to handle most of the middle-linebacking duties. Bishop was rewarded for his play with a 4-year contract extension.

Deciding whether to keep A.J Hawk or Nick Barnett is a different story. Hawk's contract calls for a base salary of $10 million next year. Barnett has suffered season-ending injuries two out of the past three years. It appears that there is not room for both of these players on the Packer roster, one issue Green Bay will have to deal with.

As much as I love Nick Barnett, I feel the Packers need to attempt to re-negotiate a contract that will keep A.J. Hawk in a Packer jersey for years to come. Hawk struggled with the 3-4 defense early in its inception, but has developed into a vital part of Dom Capers' scheme. He led the Packers in tackles in 2010.

Another issue the Packers will need to address is their free agents. The Packers have several players with expiring contracts. Most notable is Cullen Jenkins. It is highly likely Jenkins will not be re-signed by the Packers and will be playing football elsewhere next fall. I would expect Mike Neal to move into the starting defensive end role.

Several other players, including John Kuhn, Atari Bigby, Jason Spitz, Mason Crosby, James Jones, Charlie Peprah and Brandon Jackson are also facing free agency. Expect the Packers to re-sign many of these players to contract extensions.

The Packers have several areas to address in the 2011 NFL Draft. First, another offensive lineman is a necessity. Bryan Bulaga took over for Mark Tauscher last season, but the aging Chad Clifton will soon need to be replaced. T.J. Lang has seen playing time at tackle, but he has been streaky at best.

The Packers also need to address their defensive line. The 3-4 defense Dom Capers runs rotates defensive lineman in and out constantly. If the Pack lose Jenkins to free agency, more depth will be necessary on the defensive line.

Expect the Packers to draft a defensive back, a corner most likely, as well. Charles Woodson is aging, and Jarrett Bush is of more use as a special teamer than a dime-back. Several other positions could be impacted depending on what free agents the Packers are able to re-sign.

After a Championship 2010 season, the Packers rewarded Mike McCarthy with a 3-year contract extension that pays him around $5 million per year, putting him among the top ten highest paid coaches in the NFL. Green Bay's general manager Ted Thompson also received a contract extension (note: of the 53 Green Bay players active for the Super Bowl, 49 were acquired by Thompson, 26 through the draft).

The threat of a lockout has tarnished the end of the 2010 NFL season. If the 2011 season starts as planned, the Green Bay Packers will certainly be a favorite to make a playoff run once again.

Packers 2010:
Part 1: The Regular Season
Part 2: The Playoffs
Part 3: The Super Bowl

NFL Draft Day 1: Packers Take Bulaga

With the 23rd pick of the 2010 NFL Draft the Packers selected Bryan Bulaga, an offensive tackle out of Iowa. This pick was a steal, as Bulaga was slated to be a top-ten draft pick.

"We were a little surprised that Bryan was still available, and we felt like it was a very good value pick for us," Packer General Manager Ted Thompson said. "He's the real deal, I think."

Bulaga stands at 6-foot-5 and weighs in at 314 pounds. Stated simply: he's a beast.

Bulaga earned first team Big Ten honors last year as a junior, and was also selected as the Big Ten offensive lineman of the year.

This pick will hopefully help solidify the Packer offensive line that was shaky at many times last season. With offensive tackles Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher both entering their 11th seasons in the NFL, the added depth Bulaga brings could be vital.

The Packers now have two young offensive tackles (J.T. Lang, last year's 4th round selection, being the other) who will likely take over Tauscher and Clifton's tackle positions at some point in the future.

"What I want to accomplish is be a successful starter on an offensive line for an organization," Bulaga said. "I want to be able to play good football for a very long time and be beneficial to an organization, to have an organization want to want me there for a long time."

Rounds 2 and 3

Tonight rounds 2 and 3 of the draft will take place. The Packers will most likely be looking to draft a linebacker or defensive back. I also wouldn't be surprised to see the Pack take a running back in the 3rd round.

Here are some picks to watch for tonight:

Taylor Mays - S, USC

Sergio Kindle - DE/OLB, Texas

Navorro Bowman - LB, Penn State

Sean Lee - LB, Penn State

Daryl Washington - LB, TCU

Jerome Murphy - CB, South Florida

Toby Gerhart - RB, Stanford

Tim Tebow Told to Shut Up

I know that one of the most polarizing character in college football in years is Tim Tebow. I sniffed at the possibility of the Packers picking him and got shot down. Again, I don't want to pick him in the first few rounds I just think he could be a late round gamble that could pay off.

Anyway to satisfy the Tebow hate, I thought you would show you this article. Apparently Tim Tebow tried to lead a prayer before the Wonderlic and another player told him, "Shut the F#$@ up!" The whole room erupted in laughter.

Needless to say his in your face religious ways may not go over as smooth as Florida. I still think he is the most interesting pick of the draft to see where he is drafted will be a fun story to follow.

Childress Has Different Favre Strategy

Minnesota Vikings' coach Brad Childress has decided to go a different route than the Green Bay Packers in dealing with Brett Favre's indecisiveness. Instead of rushing Favre into a decision, Childress has told Favre he can take as long as he wants to decide on whether he is going to come back.

Childress believes that rushing Favre into a decision may led him into retirement, after hearing his reasoning for coming back after retiring from the Packers the first time. Childress believes that with Favre they are a Super Bowl caliber team and without him they probably miss the playoffs. Instead of focusing on an eventual future plan for life after Favre, it seems the Vikings have put all their eggs in Favre's return basket.

It will be interesting to see if the Vikings use their draft picks to pick a quarterback for the future in this April's draft. If Vikings wait until August and Favre comes back they could be a Super Bowl favorite. But if Favre does decide to retire in August, the Vikings will be desperately searching for the last piece they need for their strong team to make it to the Super Bowl.

Once again, another off-season that will be filled with Favre news...

Tebow a Packer?

ESPN reported today that the Green Bay Packers could take a chance on Tebow. McCarthy said that he would love to coach Tebow. I think its a possibility if he is still available in later rounds to take a chance of Tebow. I think he is a winner and will find a way to help his team in the NFL.

It's weird seeing Tebow in Green and Gold though.