Top 10 Ted Thompson Draft Successes: Nick Collins

GM Ted Thompson's Top 10 draft picks for the Green Bay Packers. No. 2: FS Nick Collins.

I'm a little surprised I'm ranking him higher than LB Clay Matthews, but a lot of what Collins does isn't seen on TV. The Packers have arguably the best secondary in the NFL, and the three-time Pro Bowl play of Collins is a big part of it. You don't see a lot of quarterbacks trying to sneak something deep against Collins. In fact I saw a lot fewer passes in 2010 go anywhere near him. And you don't see the Packers getting beat deep down the middle. He took away a lot of the field from opposing offenses last season. If you want a big pass play against the Packers, opponents have to try a crossing route about 10 yards out, and hope their receiver can make a big run after the catch.

But his draft selection deserves some bonus points. A player this good taken in the second round is a great pick. Also, he played college ball at Bethune-Cookman, so they really had to go find him, and take a big second round chance on a small school player. GM Ted Thompson took some shots (especially from me) for dumping FS Darren Sharper, and replacing him with some small school guy with a big learning curve. 

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