Keeping The Team Together

18 Days Until The Draft

Assume GM Ted Thompson wants to keep the roster intact. Assume he doesn't want to draft anyone that would take the spot of anyone currently on the roster, and he's only looking to fill holes that already exist. Who have the Packers lost this offseason?

QB Brett Favre. You might have heard that he retired.

DT Corey Williams. He was traded to Cleveland for a 2nd round pick (56th overall).

CB Frank Walker. The free agent signed with Baltimore.

TE Bubba Franks. A former three-time Pro Bowler was released back in February and signed with the NY Jets.

Let's say Thompson wants to find four players to fill those four spots. The Packers have picks 30, 56, 60, and 91 overall. Here is Rivals.com's Top 100 players. Who is available at those positions for those picks.

Rivals Rank No. 31. CB Brandon Flowers. The end of the 1st round/early 2nd round seems to be the time to find a cornerback. Other cornerbacks projected to go around picks 30 through 40 are Kansas' CB Aqib Talib, Penn State's CB Justin King, or Oklahoma's CB Reggie Smith.

Rivals Rank No. 56. TE John Carlson. He's got good hands, but is better known for his blocking. If he can manage 20 catches per season, then he sounds like an ideal replacement for Franks.

Rivals Rank No. 61. DT Pat Sims. Thompson showed last year with his selection of DT Justin Harrell in the 1st round that he likes SEC defensive tackles. It would seem to appropriate to draft a young tackle in the 2nd round to replace DT Corey Williams.

Off the chart. QB Josh Johnson. With their late 3rd round pick, the Packers will have their choice of several well regarded quarterbacks. Players like QB Josh David Booty, QB Colt Brennan, and QB Erik Ainge will still be around, but Johnson has shown great durability, which is a big plus since he's playing behind fragile QB Aaron Rodgers. Still the Packers could grab an offensive lineman here, and wait for a couple more rounds.

Another good choice on the 2nd day would be QB Alex Brink who has fallen way under the radar this year and would be available at the end of the 5th round or even later. The knocks on him are a high number of interceptions, but that is not the most important college indicator of success in the NFL, and weak arm strength. The fact that he rarely missed time due to injury, and started a lot of games in college, making it more likely he could step in and immediately, are big positives in his favor.