Mel Kiper Jr.: Replacing aging stars - NFC North Blog - ESPN. Over the weekend, Mel Kiper Jr. looked at a few NFC North veterans. He concluded that the current teams for these veterans should select their eventual replacements in this April's draft. For the Green Bay Packers, he discussed CB Charles Woodson.

Woodson is really old for a cornerback, he'll turn 36 during the 2012 season, so this is somewhat of an obvious choice. Even if he did look good enough in 2011 that he should have at least a couple more seasons left in him.

GM Ted Thompson hasn't used a lot of picks on cornerbacks, but he might have drafted CB Davon House last April as a future replacement. Based on playing time, it wasn't clear whether someone on the current roster could really step into Woodson's shoes in the future. When he didn't play last season, CB Jarrett Bush often filled in for him, but he can hardly be considered a long-term replacement himself.

Thompson doesn't seem to have a big school or small school preference for his defensive backs. While Morgan Burnett and Pat Lee came from big schools and conferences, he's also drafted House and selected Nick Collins from Bethune-Cookman.

While cornerback shouldn't be their top priority, maybe the Packers would be interested in someone like Chase Minnifield in the second round. He had a good eye for the ball in college (13 interceptions), and tackling is considered "one of his better traits." They might prefer a player who already has good fundamentals.

Todd McShay mock draft 2.0 - NFC North Blog - ESPN. In his latest mock draft, he selected Oklahoma LB Ronnell Lewis for the Green Bay Packers. He stands 6-2 and 244 lbs. While they could use an athletic outside linebacker to provide a pass rush, I'm not sure I like him in particular.

According to CBS Sports.com, Lewis "has a lot of ability, but is still relatively unproven and raw." He's coming out early in part because he was "struggling with academics" and the "coaches advised him to go pro." School isn't for everyone, but "he was moved around a lot in college" and he'll probably have a lot to learn to become an NFL outside linebacker. If he wouldn't do enough to stay eligible at Oklahoma, his work ethic has to be considered.

The Packers haven't avoided players with some background concerns (DE Johnny Jolly, TE Andrew Quarless come to mind) but they haven't been selecting raw, unfocused players with high draft picks. I'm not really excited about his possible selection.

FYI - The quarterback being sacked in the picture is Diondre Borel, who the Packers have converted to a wide receiver and kept on their practice squad all of last season.

2012 NFL Mock Draft: Final Draft Order Is Set, Colts Are On The Clock - SBNation.com. I'm not too picky about which player the Green Bay Packers draft, but I'll be looking for the best available defensive lineman over the next couple months. A lot can change between now and the NFL combine.

Players All-Star Classic Practice Notes: Day Two | National Football Post. If you haven't heard of the Players All-Star Classic, it's because it's a brand new college all-star game debuting this weekend. Yes, the same weekend as the Super Bowl, when most NFL teams will probably have their attention focused elsewhere. Maybe that will make it easy to remember when the game is played.

I'm not sure how valuable it is for scouts. Maybe it should be called the undrafted free agent bowl. It seems like a good place to look at players who might be worth a spot on the practice squad.

The only two GMs who were seen scouting the practices this week were Green Bay Packers GM Ted Thompson and 49ers GM Trent Baalke. I found that a little ironic because they were the top two vote getters for the AP Executive of the Year award. Maybe more GMs should be in attendance.

2012 NFL Mock Draft: New Trade Partner For Robert Griffin III - SBNation.com. It is interesting to see how high Robert Griffin III will fly up the draft board. I'm not too impressed with him, but I wasn't impressed with Cam Newton either, so what do I know.

Once again Mississippi State's DT Fletcher Cox was linked to the Packers. He's coming out early so he wasn't at the Senior Bowl. I'm still in support of drafting any defensive lineman who is big and strong, and got a motor to get after the quarterback. Elite pass rushing skills are not necessary.

WRs steal the thunder, boost stock in Senior Bowl - CBSSports.com. Unfortunately I don't expect the Green Bay Packers will have any interest in using a high draft pick on a wide receiver, so the 2012 Senior Bowl might not have as much to offer them as other teams.

The "most talented player" was a pass rusher, which is probably the Packers single biggest need. But at 6-6 and 281 lbs., North Carolina's DE Quinton Coples might be better suited as a 4-3 defensive end. Also, he's currently the No. 5 overall prospect according to ESPN, so the Packers should have no shot at him anyway.

WalterFootball.com: 2012 Senior Bowl Game Recap. Here's another excellent recap that said, of the talented pass rushers on the South squad, Marshall's DE/LB Vinny Curry was "more impressive than all of them." The recap mentioned the Packers as one possible destination at the end of the 1st round, and Packers.com was discussing just that possibility last week.

Did anyone watch the game? Anyone grab you're attention as a player who'd fit for the Packers?

Mel Kiper's debut 2012 mock draft - NFC North Blog - ESPN. All four NFC North teams are discussed. For the Green Bay Packers, it's Illinois DE (who Kiper considers a LB) Whitney Mercilus. More on him from CBSSports.com:

Mercilus had a remarkable year for the Fighting Illini, tying Simeon Rice's single-season record and leading the nation with 16 sacks. He also forced nine fumbles on the season, breaking Illinois and Big Ten records and ranking as the second-most in NCAA history. His 22.5 tackles for loss in 2011 led the Big Ten, rank second in the nation and third in the Illinois record book.

He's a big time playmaker which is something that any defense can use. At 6-4 and 265 lbs. he's a candidate to convert to outside linebacker. I'm sure the Packers will take a look at him and see if he can drop back in coverage. If he can't play in coverage, then he'd be a bad fit for the Packers.

There are some success stories, like Clay Matthews, of college defensive ends that became great 3-4 outside linebackers. But there aren't a lot of them. This is a position to tread carefully on.

BBAO: NFC North draft order - NFC North Blog - ESPN. One thing that's been set by the Green Bay Packers loss to the Giants is that they'll be picking No. 28 overall.

Every mock draft I've read over the past several weeks, such as the most recent one from SB Nation, has them drafting a defensive lineman. I really don't want them to get too focused on one position. It's hard to predict the bottom of the 1st round. This seems to be a talented draft pool, but sometimes you have to go with the only player left above your first round line, as the Packers did in 2005 when they drafted Aaron Rodgers.

In more recent years, they seemed pretty ecstatic when Bryan Bulaga was still available with the No. 23 overall pick, and that's worked out pretty well. While they had a need at tackle, they had just re-signed Clifton and Tauscher, so it wasn't essential to draft one.

Let's hope there's a defensive player available with a first round grade when they draft next April.