Cheese Curds, 4/20: Packers have a strong history when drafting at #15

It has been a long time since the Packers used the 15th overall pick in the NFL Draft. For one thing, the team has been a perennial playoff participant over the last three decades, meaning that they are usually selecting later in the first round. Additionally, the team rarely trades up in the first round, so reaching that 15th spot is unusual.

Indeed, the last time the Packers picked 15th was exactly 30 years ago, back in 1993. That year’s draft saw the team select a nasty linebacker known for big hits with the 15th pick, drafting Clemson’s Wayne Simmons. Simmons would be a core part of the Packers’ Super Bowl-winning defense in 1996 and was a multi-year starter for the team before Ron Wolf traded him to the Kansas City Chiefs in 1997.

Prior to that, the Packers had last used pick #15 back in 1979, selecting Georgia Tech running back Eddie Lee Ivery there. Although he played just one game as a rookie, Ivery would go on to have an eight-year career with the Packers as a remarkably versatile back, gaining nearly 3,000 yards on the ground and more than 1,600 receiving yards.

Going back further in history finds that the Packers drafted have a Hall of Famer and another Packers Hall of Famer in their history at #15, so there’s plenty of reason to be excited for the type of player that the team might find if they stay with that spot. Of course, the team could be a candidate to trade down if the right situation arises next Thursday night, something the Packers have never been shy about doin.

With one week to go and the team’s draft visits now complete, let’s put the finishing touches on draft boards and look to the past just a bit before focusing on the future.

Dope Sheet: Packers 2023 NFL Draft preview | Packers.com
It's good timing that the Packers put this out in time for 4/20. In all seriousness, here's a nice preview of the upcoming draft from a variety of angles.

The players taken with the 15th pick in the NFL draft | Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
This piece by friend of APC JR Radcliffe looks back at past players drafted at 15, both Packers picks (like Jim Taylor and Billy Howton) and notable players from throughout NFL history. Taylor is of course the Hall of Fame fullback for the Lombardi-era Packers, while Howton set a league rookie record for receiving touchdowns (13 in 1952) that stood until Randy Moss arrived in the NFL in 1998.

4 most likely scenarios for Packers in the first round of 2023 draft | Packers Wire
A trade down certainly seems plausible, particularly if one of the top four quarterbacks somehow slips to 15.

Why the 2023 NFL Draft only has 31 picks in Round 1 - The Athletic ($)
Don't forget that the Dolphins forfeited their first-rounder this year as a result of the NFL alleging that the team tampered with Tom Brady and Sean Payton.

Councillor suspended for responding in German to emails written in Welsh | Sky News
Both languages are full of incredibly long words and compound nouns; was it really that inappropriate?