Draft Day Is Finally Here » Brats & Beer

April 29, 2006
posted under: NFL Draft, Packers, Ted Thompson

Yes, boys and girls, you can stop with your speculation and mock drafts because the real deal is at last upon us. NFL Draft Day is like Christmas in April for football fans: We get to unwrap all kinds of goodies that will keep us talking for the next few months until training camp starts. I’ve always been amazed, though, that enough people tune in to ESPN to watch the thing unfold on television when they could just read about it later in the day online or the next day in the newspaper. Of course, as I write this I am warming up the TV and perparing to plant my own fat ass on the couch for the next few hours. Actually, I’m only really interested in seeing a couple things: who the Packers take (obviously) and whether or not the Vikings can get their pick in on time. It might also be entertaining to see Mel Kiper and Sean Salisbury yelling at no one in particular about the Texans picking Mario Williams instead of Regie Bush or Vince Young. Maybe one of their heads will explode on the air.

So what can expect to get from Ted Thompson-Clause this year? Having Williams off the board does muddy the water a bit for the Packers, who have at various times been rumored to fancy the NC State defensive end. My personal hope was that Williams and linebacker AJ Hawk would still be available after the first three picks so that we could get one of them. Now, the chance that Hawk will still be around at #5 is dwindling fast (though if he is, Uncle Ted had better take him). Recently, though, Maryland tight end Vernon Davis has appeared on the radar, and even though I know very little about the guy, I think I could get behind that pick. Hopefully he would provide some blocking power for running plays and they say he has great hands, giving Brett Favre another outlet. I could also get behind taking offensive lineman D�Brickashaw Ferguson because of the state of our current blockers, although that pick would lack some of the razz-a-mataz of taking Hawk or Davis.

My fear for this afternoon is that Thompson gets himself in a lather and tries to get too clever. Like trading away the draft to get Bush, which would be a disaster. (Remember Mike Ditka and the Saints scrambling to get Ricky Williams?) Similarly, I could see Ted thinking it might be smart to trade down for a later first-round pick and another in the second round, but then we’d end up with some non-impact players and not really improving the situation. This would be in keeping with Green Bay’s recent character, though, and gives me reason to be apprehensive as the clock marches down to 11am.