Packers Draft Targets: Eric Kendricks, Byron Jones, Jalen Collins

I haven't written a lot about the 1st round draft prospects for the Green Bay Packers. The subject hasn't had much interest for me this year. The obvious prospect looks like Eric Kendricks as a desperately needed inside linebacker but he looks more like a 2nd round pick.

Anyone they draft at the end of the 1st round will at least provide depth and he's going to be a good player. They need an inside linebacker right now, and the 2015 Packers might be better off with a decent veteran (or young veteran) who knows how to play rather than a talented rookie with a big learning curve. Drafting for need might not help them if they reach too high up for a lesser player.

SB Nation compiled a list of mock drafts from all over and came up with the most frequently named players linked to the Packers. GM Ted Thompson isn't giving away any information, so these are all just guesses and no team has as little consensus about a player than the Packers. There are three favorites depending on whether you want the Packers to draft for need or the best available player.

Byron Jones' guide to breaking records and rising up #NFLDraft boards http://t.co/XpQ4TtuC53 @jdlisanti @Byron16Jump pic.twitter.com/3SQA1ByL0P
— SI Edge (@SI_Edge) April 8, 2015

UCLA LB Eric Kendricks. He might be the most pro-ready, but no one really knows about that until he steps onto the practice field at training camp/OTAs. He's not huge for his position but he's got coverage skills that are essential at inside linebacker. He'd be a help even if he can only offer a part-time role in 2015.

UCONN CB Byron Jones. Here's your best available player. He blew away the competition at the NFL combine and is probably as good an athlete as any player in the draft. The downside is that he didn't play a lot of cornerback in college. 2013 was his first season at cornerback and he missed much of 2014 with a shoulder injury. He reminds me of Sam Shields, who should have been a big project at cornerback too but instead played a major role during his rookie season. If the Packers do select Jones, he'll probably be ready sooner rather than later. Cornerback is a big need as far as depth goes, but isn't a bigger need than inside linebacker. It might be better to draft the high ceiling cornerback in the 1st round than reach for a linebacker.

LSU CB Jalen Collins. He's not as athletic as Jones, but he's played a lot of cornerback in college over the last three years in the SEC. The NFL might not exactly know what they're getting with Jones but they have a lot of college film on Collins. He reminds me of Davon House, which isn't a bad thing, as a lanky, fast cornerback who might need some time to work on his techniques.

I don't have a horse in this race. If there was a great inside linebacker prospect available in the late 1st round (such as 2014 1st round pick C.J. Mosley) I'd be all over him, but that player isn't in the 2015 draft. They'll get a good player and they can always use help/upgrades at almost every position, so I'll probably like the selection, if it's one of these three players or someone else.

2015 NFL Draft and Packers Expected Targets

The Green Bay Packers are arguably the most tight lipped (especially GM Ted Thompson) organization in the NFL, so no one has any idea who they might draft. But in recent years, their first round pick is usually at a position where they urgently need help. For example, last year they badly needed a replacement for FS M.D. Jennings and they drafted HaHa Clinton-Dix in the 1st round. The mock drafts might not get the actual player right but they could very well chose the correct position.

Another national mock has the Packers taking @EKLA6 with the #30 pick> http://t.co/ubHdIZ9mzl pic.twitter.com/RF1S4Llyk6
— PackersInsider.com (@packersinsider) April 1, 2015

Currently, CBS Sports has four mock drafts posted, one of which also selects UCLA ILB Eric Kendricks and the other three have cornerbacks. I think all four might have selected someone at inside linebacker if their were more (any) inside linebackers with a first round grade. Even Kendricks might be more of a 2nd round caliber player.

There aren't as many players listed as having met with the Packers as there are for other organizations, but Walter Football does list 14 players. There are only a few positions listed, but there are three positions where the Packers have met with three or more players:

1. Running back. I didn't see that one coming. While this isn't a need position, they can't afford to have their skill positions understocked, which is why drafting three wide receivers and Davante Adams in the 2nd round last year made sense. Maybe they'd consider using the 2nd round pick again (RB Eddie Lacy in 2013) this season on right running back.

2. Defensive back. I'm lumping two cornerbacks and one safety together, but the departure of Tramon Williams, Davon House, and probably free agent Jarrett Bush has left them thin in the secondary. Micah Hyde could play cornerback full-time which would then make drafting a safety important too. While they are set with their top five defensive backs, depth is needed but maybe not in the 1st round.

3. Defensive tackle. This might not be as important after re-signing both Letroy Guion and B.J. Raji but they still could use an upgrade over those two veterans. Also, recent draft picks Khyri Thornton and Josh Boyd might not be keepers. They met twice with Washington's Danny Shelton, who shouldn't be available at the end of the 1st round but would be a great addition if he did slip that far.

They have also met with two TEs (Minnesota's Maxx Williams was one) and Miami's Clive Walford twice. Reading the evaluation on Walford is like reading a description of TE Richard Rodgers, so I can see why the Packers might have interest in a player like Walford. He has a 2nd/3rd round grade, so it's more likely they'd be looking at him in the late 2nd.

I'll be happy as long as they address inside linebacker, defensive tackle, and defensive back at some point in the draft so I don't have a particular favorite. But inside linebacker still stands out as such a glaring need, Sam Barrington is the only player on the roster who looks like a favorite to start at either inside position (assuming Clay Matthews isn't staying inside), so that position still looks like the biggest need.