Packers mock draft: A running back in the first round?

Mock draft season comes at an interesting time for the Green Bay Packers.

After back-to-back wins, the team finds itself within spitting distance of the NFC North lead while at the same time falling behind the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings. Furthermore, the Packers could just as realistically finish with a draft selection in the 20-32 range as one in the top 10. Accordingly, figuring out what general manager Ted Thompson might do appears no easy task.

Enter SB Nation NFL draft guru Dan Kadar, who monitors prospects as well as team needs throughout the year. Kadar offers some interesting thoughts on the class as a whole, specifically how underwhelming he finds the quarterbacks. That doesn't affect the Packers directly -- they still have that Aaron Rodgers fellow after all -- but it does impact which prospects could fall to their selection.

So who does Kadar see landing in Green Bay? In his latest mock, he has the team selecting Texas running back D'Onta Foreman. Here's what he had to say about the projection:

17. Green Bay Packers — D’Onta Foreman, RB, Texas

Fun fact: The fewest yards Foreman had this season was 124 against Kansas State. Scary fact: He had 341 against Texas Tech. That’s almost as much as Eddie Lacy has had all season. Foreman is a bruiser who could go in the top 20 because of his combination of running ability and pass blocking. He’s not much of a receiver, but when he has the ball, look out.

Given that the Packers' lack of competent ball carriers has forced them to pass at the second highest rate in the league, the idea of securing a talented rusher early in the upcoming draft makes some sense. Securing the 6-foot, 240 pound Foreman could return Green Bay's offense to its 2014 levels of effectiveness.

At the same time, the Packers haven't drafted a running back in the first round under Thompson, nor do they generally favor players with such noted ball-security issues. That doesn't mean they wouldn't consider Foreman, but that does make this projection a little harder to envision.