Have the Packers stopped drafting like cheeseheads?

By Darrell Laurant  |   Friday, March 23, 2007  |  Comments( 3 )

Green Bay Packers
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Second in a series: Looking back at the 2006 draft.

For the Green Bay Packers, trying to find gold in the NFL draft has become an exercise in frustration. Or, more to the point, an exercise in "What were we thinking?"

Back in 1989, for instance, Green Bay became infamous for choosing offensive lineman Tony Mandarich of Michigan State with the second pick in the draft. In all fairness, though, what transpired was more bad luck than bad drafting -- the gigantic Mandarich, vastly overhyped, turned out to be a gigantic bust.

Over the next decade or so, the Packers littered the NFL landscape with forgettable first-rounders like Ron Hallstrom, Kenneth Davis, Vinny Clark, Aaron Taylor and Jamal Reynolds. They drafted badly whether they had a low pick or a high pick, but they outdid themselves in 2004 when they decided to take a first-round gamble on Ahmad Carroll.

Carroll, a cornerback from Arkansas, was down the list among players at his position. He was also said to have attitude problems. Given all that, he probably would still have been available in rounds three or four, or even lower. Green Bay made him the 25th selection in the draft, anyway, and it was Tony Mandarich all over again.

It turned out that Carroll's overzealous style of guarding receivers attracted more flags than a presidential visit. And if he wasn't mauling those receivers, he was getting beat by them. After two frustrating seasons, the Packers finally cut their losses -- and Carroll.

The fact that Green Bay took another cornerback, Joey Thomas of Montana State, with their next 2004 pick might have helped -- but Thomas didn't make the grade, either. Nor did the other two third-round picks, punter B.J. Sander of Ohio State and DT Donnell Williams of Clemson.

The Packers made some trades and loaded up with draft picks in 2005 -- 11 overall. Of that incoming horde, however, only six made the team, including No. 1 pick Aaron Rodgers (a non-factor in his two years as backup quarterback). Several 2005 rookies eventually worked their way into starting roles, but only DB Nick Collins really stood out.

Which brings us to 2006, Green Bay's best top-to-bottom draft in a decade. Perhaps the tide is turning.

With their first pick, the Packers chose All-American linebacker A.J. Hawk from Ohio State -- a no-brainer. Of course, that's also what they said about Tony Mandarich, but Hawk was a starter from the moment he showed up at training camp.

What really set this draft apart for Green Bay were the two second-round picks, OT Darryn Colledge of Boise State and WR Greg Jennings of Western Michigan, a couple of mid-major gems. Colledge was a first-teamer at tackle and Jennings provided about the only deep threat available for Brett Favre, scoring on receptions of 46 and 75 yards.

After that, the jury is still out. LB Abdul Hodge came highly regarded, but he missed most of the season with injuries. A nine-tackle performance against Seattle late in the year gave some promise of future production.

Fourth-round pick Will Blackmon of Boston College saw some action at cornerback, and fifth-rounders Tony Moll (G, Nevada) and QB Ingle Martin (Furman) also made the team. Moll wormed his way up the depth chart as the season progressed, while Martin was inactive behind Favre and Rodgers.

Green Bay's reward for finishing 8-8 last season is the 16th pick in the first round of the 2007 draft. All over the world, cheeseheads will be holding their breath.

Original NFL insights, courtesy of RealFootball365.com
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