2015 NFL Draft: Packers Select Rollins in 2nd, Montgomery in 3rd

After the Green Bay Packers drafted one cornerback in the 1st round, I didn't expect them to select another one with an early pick. Instead they selected Miami (OH) CB Quinten Rollins at the end of the 2nd round.
Matt Bowen has written a great story about Rollins's journey from being a great collegiate basketball player with little chance of playing in the NBA, to a college football walk on (he only played football his last year in college) to MAC defensive player of the year. There's a lot to like about watching his highlights and his fluid play. The knocks on him are that he doesn't have great long speed (4.5-4.6 40 time, but great acceleration) and he's so inexperienced. The inexperienced part might not hold him back for long because he looks like a natural. He also continues their interest in drafting former basketball players as cornerbacks; they selected former Gonzaga point guard Demetri Goodson in the 6th round last year.

The big downside to his selection is that he's not going to be a major 2015 contributor. Even if he catches on quickly, he'll be lucky to receive 300-400 snaps as a part of a rotation. He's more likely to contribute in the future and his addition makes me wonder if the team isn't as high on Micah Hyde and Casey Hayward as I thought.

After drafting three wide receivers in the 2014 NFL draft, I wasn't expecting they'd draft another wide receiver in 2015, but apparently they couldn't pass on Stanford's WR Ty Montgomery.

#Packers West Regional Scout Sam Seale on WR Ty Montgomery: "He’s more like a Cobb. He’s a bigger Cobb. ... He lined up all over the field."

— Tyler Dunne (@TyDunne) May 2, 2015

He's a fair comparison to Cobb. Montgomery didn't light it up as a senior, but Stanford's offense went stagnant as their QB and offensive line struggled. I'm always in favor of keeping the pipeline of wide receiver weapons for QB Aaron Rodgers flowing. The biggest help he might provide in 2015 is as a punt/kick returner since the Packers got little to nothing from their return game in 2014, and that alone might justify the pick.

But the same thing can be said here as with Rollins; he's not going to be a major 2015 contributor. It's unlikely he'll move ahead of WR Davante Adams for the No. 3 job, and the No. 4 receiver isn't a major contributor. Though when the offense went wild in 2011, both rookie WR Randall Cobb and veteran WR Donald Driver were involved as the Nos. 4 and 5 wide receivers, combining for 7 TD receptions and over 800 yards receiving.

It's looking like their 2015 draft is all about taking who they consider the best player available. Both Rollins and Montgomery might have been available later so they didn't receive an exceptional value for either, and while cornerback was a need position, it wasn't necessary to use their top two picks on defensive backs. And wide receiver wasn't lacking for depth.

They still have six more draft picks to add depth at linebacker, and to their offensive and defensive lines.

2015 Packers 1st Round: Arizona State DB Damarious Randall

He played free safety in college but GM Ted Thompson has already said that Randall is going to play cornerback for the Green Bay Packers and he's a versatile player who gives them more options.

Learn more about the #Packers' first-round pick Damarious Randall: http://t.co/GdzsbQTbha #PackersDraft pic.twitter.com/Bux13cfFOc

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) May 1, 2015

Watching these video highlights I can see what the scouts were talking about when they said he has cornerback size and free safety skill set. He's a hard charging downfield runner, but he doesn't have a very big frame. He looks a little smaller than his measurables, which aren't the biggest anyway. If Randall does end up lining up outside, at least he'll be a plus in run support because sometimes the cornerbacks are the only defender when a running back bounces the play outside.

Value: While Randall wasn't generally projected as a 1st round pick in mock drafts, he was ranked No. 37 overall at CBS Sports.com and he wouldn't have remained available if the Packers had waited until the end of the 2nd round. GM Ted Thompson talked to some teams about moving back but those scenarios might have moved them back too far to still take Randall. So he's not a great value pick, but this was when they had to make their take him or lose him.

Need: He probably won't start from Day 1 and won't be a major contributor in 2015, but they had a glaring need for depth in the defensive backfield. Also, the transition of Micah Hyde to full time, starting cornerback isn't guaranteed to succeed. They still have a lot of question marks at linebacker but only one inside backer was selected in the 1st round (the Saints reached for Clemson's Stephone Anthony who had a 2-3 round grade) and their options remain open. So he doesn't fill their biggest need on the roster but he does fill an important one.

Best Player Available: That answer might depend on how high you value defensive backs. He was the highest ranked free safety at CBS Sports.com, and the only two corners remained with higher draft rankings. And those two players come with character issues (Florida State's Ronald Darby) or worries that he might be a safety in the NFL (Utah's Eric Rowe). So Randall was arguably the best defensive back available. Some players fell due to character concerns (Nebraska's Randy Gregory) which makes it hard to say he was clearly the best remaining player.

The Packers did well in the 1st round last year with a defensive back (Ha Ha Clinton-Dix) so that's a good sign that their scouts know what they're doing. While Randall wasn't the best player available, didn't fill their biggest need, and didn't provide the best value, he was taken only a little ahead of when he should have gone and he'll give them the backfield depth they really need. He looks like a good selection and now we'll have to wait and see what he looks like on the field.

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).

2015 NFL Draft: What Do The Packers Need In The First Round?

The personnel man said "Ted will get a corner and a defensive lineman and a rush linebacker. It's just a matter how they've got their board stacked."

Opposing personnel executive examines #Packers' needs position by position ... http://t.co/TfdoqYBHT7
— Bob McGinn (@BobMcGinn) April 26, 2015

Probably the best thing you could do at this point is stop reading what I've written and go read Bob McGinn's mass of articles posted over the last few days at JS Online. But here's my two cents:

Cornerback. One of the personnel guys he interviewed said that Micah Hyde isn't a corner. I don't agree, but assuming he's correct then cornerback becomes very important. If Ted Thompson thought it was critical then he wouldn't have let both Tramon Williams and Davon House leave in free agency. They had to draft a cornerback or two anyway for depth with them gone but they don't need someone who can start now.

Defensive lineman. After Mike Daniels and Datone Jones (as a situational pass rusher) the tackle and end positions were in rough shape. Re-signing B.J. Raji and Letroy Guion plugged the holes but they don't provide any hope for improvement. There are a lot of options in the middle rounds if one of the top picks don't fall into their laps early.

Rush linebacker. I was toying with this idea since I've been underwhelmed with the options at inside linebacker. Bob McGinn got a quote complimenting LB Carl Bradford, who spent 2014 as a NFL redshirt. He played outside in college but moved inside by the end of the preseason. If Bradford can be counted on as a backup and Clay Matthews stays inside, then the key is getting a couple linebackers either inside or outside just to replace the roster spots for A.J. Hawk and Brad Jones. Maybe they're encouraged about the development of Nate Palmer, who spent the 2014 season on I.R.

Offensive lineman. This article made it seem like a bigger need, but with the starting five set and JC Tretter and Don Barclay both returning as backups, there's not much room on the roster for another lineman. They aren't going to keep more than eight on the active roster. It's a good idea to draft one every year (and they usually do) but it isn't essential to spend a high draft choice.

They will sit and wait and see who falls to them at No. 30 but if there's an available player with a 1st round grade on their draft board at each linebacker, defensive end/tackle and cornerback, they should still go for the linebacker. Except for the times when they've moved Matthews inside, they haven't had a play making inside linebacker in years and they still need one for the defense to take a step forward. If that means finding a play making outside linebacker instead and keeping Matthews inside, that's OK too.

NFL Combine: Packers Inside Linebackers

I'm sure the Green Bay Packers are evaluating every position at the NFL combine, but the main talk coming out of Indianapolis is about their need for a new inside linebacker (or two).

They started fixing their 53-man roster by releasing LB Brad Jones, a move that's been obvious all season. He was terrible as a starter in Week 1 at Seattle and lost his starting job the next week. He was a liability every time he played defense throughout the season. And he was exposed as a liability on special teams during the NFC championship game. There's no way to justify his production, especially along side his $3.75 million cap number.

Miami LB Denzel Perryman said he's talked to many teams: Packers, Raiders, Dolphins, Broncos, Panthers. Bucs, Eagles, "many more" to come.
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) January 20, 2015

Mississippi State LB Benardrick McKinney has also drawn their attention. UCLA's ILB Eric Kendricks is arguably the top ranked inside linebacker. After those three players, there might not be another inside linebacker drafted until the 4th round. It's not an apples to apples comparison either; McKinney and Perryman are two different types of players. Maybe converting a college outside linebacker to play inside is an option.

What are their combine results? Can they drop back in coverage? What do they look like on film? Not one of them has stood out so far.

Another problem is that none of them have a true 1st round grade. All of them look like 2nd round prospects. Maybe another player slips and another team wants to trade up into the 1st round, like QB Teddy Bridgewater did last year. But there's no guarantee it will happen again and GM Ted Thompson hasn't been known for reaching on players in the 1st round. It's usually the opposite; players like Bryan Bulaga and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix were projected to be gone by the time the Packers were on the clock.

I really want them to draft an inside linebacker, and Eric Kendricks is my preference at the moment. But they also might need to draft for value and it might not make sense for them to draft a linebacker in the 1st round.

Murphy Would Like to Have the Draft in Green Bay

Since 2006, the NFL Draft has always been held in New York.

However, for 2015 that might not be the case, something that could end up bringing the event to Green Bay.

In response to that possibility, Packers President Mark Murphy seemed to like the idea, telling the team's official site it'd be great for the local community.

"I would like to see the draft held in Green Bay," Murphy said. "It would be great for the local community if the draft were held in Green Bay, and we’ve contacted the League regarding the specifications required for hosting the draft."

Currently, the Pack aren't the only team trying to land it, although they do seem to have a pretty good shot, seeing as they are the ones pursuing the most aggressively.