The NFL season is over and the combine is on the way, meaning that the widely read and paywall protected Mel Kiper and Todd McShay of ESPN have their new mock drafts out and ready for the world. We'll link to and talk about both of them this morning. We're going to start with Mel Kiper's mock draft, which currently features a running back in the Green Bay Packers' slot.
You can read Kiper's entire mock here, if you have ESPN Insider access. That costs money, and I don't really want to steal money from ESPN, as I've noted before, so I'm not going to paste everything he said. I will tell you, however, that Kiper's pick for the Packers at No. 26 is Alabama Crimson Tide running back Eddie Lacy.
Kiper notes that Lacy has "really good vision, balance and more shiftiness", and predicts that he will move up draft boards after the NFL Combine. Obviously, running back is a need for the Packers, even if it isn't their biggest need, and Lacy would probably present solid value at No. 26. He's 220 pounds and a versatile back and can catch the ball, so he'd probably fit into literally any system.
If Kawaan Short and John Jenkins are still on the board at 26 -- which they are in Kiper's mock -- I wouldn't be thrilled about selecting Lacy. There are a number of offensive linemen that could be considered at the spot as well. But there are also plenty of scenarios where Lacy would be the best player available that fit a need for the Packers.