Before The 2015 NFL Draft: Looking Back At The 2012 NFL Draft and Nick Perry

The 2012 NFL Draft wasn't all bad for GM Ted Thompson, he did select CB Casey Hayward in the 2nd round and DT Mike Daniels in the 4th, but everyone else from that draft class is either out of the league or hanging on by a thread. Except for 1st round pick LB Nick Perry:

#Packers unlikely to exercise 5th-year option on Nick Perry http://t.co/SAqJxmp5Ke

— Packers News (@PGPackersNews) April 28, 2015

Coincidental, it was reported that the Seahawks are unlikely to exercise the fifth year option on a similar player drafted in the 2012 1st round; LB Bruce Irvin. Teams usually exercise that fifth year option, even the Redskins did it for QB Robert Griffin III this month, and when a team doesn't exercise it, that's usually a sign that the player won't return in 2016. The 2012 NFL draft wasn't a good year in general; overall picks Nos. 2 through 7 are all selections their teams probably wish they could have back.

Perry's a frustrating player. In 2012 and 2013, he flashed signs of being a great pass rusher alongside some terrible games and multiple injuries. In 2014, he stayed healthy and was surprisingly good against the run (which was his biggest weakness coming out of USC) but was generally ineffective as a pass rusher. The estimate was that picking up the option would cost $7.751 million in 2016, which is way too much for what Perry's shown so far in his career. It would seem like 2015 is Perry's last season with the Packers.

Similarly the Packers didn't exercise their option on OT Derek Sherrod while giving him every opportunity to prove himself. Though it didn't work out with Sherrod, Perry has managed to become a solid run defender despite that being a major concern three years ago. He seems more likely to turn it around than Sherrod, unless the Packers draft an obvious replacement for him this weekend. It looks like they intend to give him another chance as part of their rotation in 2015.

The 1st round is tonight, and it's been a rocky road for GM Ted Thompson since his last, great 1st round selection of LB Clay Matthews in 2009. Perry is looking like another mistake, though he'll get one more year to turn it around. I've actually done quite well in guessing which player Thompson will select over the past few years, I was dead-on with his choice of Sherrod, so my stamp of approval hasn't been a harbinger of goodness. I'm hoping he selects someone totally off of my radar (like Rodgers in 2005 or Matthews in 2009).