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When the Green Bay Packers go on the clock with the 29th pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, they should have no shortage of talented players to choose from. That is particularly true on defense, where the strengths of this year's draft class align nicely with the Packers' needs.
Edge rusher and cornerback have some of the deeper and more talented classes in recent memory, and both of those positions are possibilities in round one for Ted Thompson. However, with such depth at those positions and a dearth of highly-rated offensive linemen, the strategy of bolstering the hole on the line and waiting for one of the defensive players to drop holds some validity as well.
In that scenario, the Packers could get a potential plug-and-play guard at 29, while still getting talented defensive players on day two. However, the debate about whether that trade off is worthwhile is one that will be asked up until April 27th and perhaps beyond, depending on who the Packers choose in the first round.
Ranking the top 15 edge prospects of 2017 | PFF
PFF puts T.J. Watt at just ninth place among this year's class of edge rushers, but with the caveat that he closes as well as anyone and is still raw. Take that how you want, but under the tutelage of a good position coach he should have a very high ceiling.
Prospect Primer: OLB Ryan Anderson, Alabama | Packers.com
Though a bit less heralded for his pass-rushing prowess than his teammate, Tim Williams, Anderson brought the nasty to the Crimson Tide defense and was still a very productive player against both the pass and the run.
Green and Bold: The Case for a Guard | Cheesehead TV
Michelle Bruton makes the argument that the Packers should seriously consider drafting Western Kentucky's Forrest Lamp in round one and plug him in at right guard.
When NFL Contracts Want a Pound of Flesh | The MMQB with Peter King
Andrew Brandt is surprised by fans who ask why the Packers will not go after more free agents and responds with the following question: "What part of Ted Thompson do you not understand?"
Packers envision hybrid role for Kenny Clark | Packersnews.com
Clark will be asked to play a role similar to that of B.J. Raji, who was both a nose tackle in the 3-4 and a pocket-collapsing pass-rusher on passing downs. Compared to Letroy Guion, who is a exclusively a run-stuffer, Clark's skill set projects much better to be the type of player that the Packers' defense needs and can utilize well, especially in the nickel 2-4-5 they use as their base.
This is pretty nuts. Thanks to Bennett for sharing this on Twitter.