Packers mock draft: Green Bay settles on a linebacker

With the annual NFL Scouting Combine set to begin Tuesday, SB Nation has released its latest mock draft. Once again, curator Dan Kadar has the Green Bay Packers bolstering their defense with their first-round pick. This time, he has them taking Alabama linebacker Reggie Ragland.

For several seasons, the Packers have endured sub-par play from the inside linebacker position. The team has trotted out the likes of Jamari Lattimore, Nate Palmer and a host of others without much success. The issue grew to the point where edge rusher Clay Matthews shifted inside on a full-time basis this past season. Needing to avoid another season of that arrangement, Green Bay could draft a linebacker such as Ragland to pair with 2015 fourth-round pick Jake Ryan and move Matthews back outside where he can do the most damage.

Here's what Kadar had to say about the selection:

27. Green Bay Packers: Reggie Ragland, LB, Alabama

If Ragland doesn't time well at the combine, it's possible that he'll slide this far in the draft. We've seen it with middle linebackers before. That's not to say he won't be a good player. He should start from Day 1 in his NFL career and produce. But he plays at a position where the draft process is unkind.