Reaction: Packers draft Alabama S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix in NFL Draft's first round

In case you don't already know, the Packers somewhat surprised us in last night's First Round, drafting Alabama Safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix with the 21st Overall Pick. Going into the round, most mock drafts had the Pack selecting either Oklahoma State CB Justin Gilbert or Ohio State LB Ryan Shazier, but since those two end up being taken 8th and 15th respectively Green Bay obviously had to choose someone else. 

Anyway, in his three years in Tuscaloosa, Clinton-Dix had a reputation for blowing up box scores, recording a combined 99 tackles and 7 interceptions. Most of those numbers, unsurprisingly, came for the Crimson Tide last season, in which Clinton-Dix collected 51 of those 99 takedowns and 2 of those 7 takeaways. 

Despite those intriguing stats, I still think it's safe to conclude that this guy, though clearly athletic, won't really dominant any games for the Pack anytime soon. In my opinion, he'll still contribute and wind up being a good selection, but due to the increased talent of the NFL he simply won't become what Shazier and Gilbert appear to be capable of: game changers.

In other news, North Carolina TE Eric Ebron, the prospect we Packers fans really wanted to succeed Jermichael Finley, was taken 10th overall by the Lions last night, a move not really surprising but still genuinely upsetting for obvious reasons.

Packers take Oklahoma State CB Justin Gilbert 21st overall in latest ESPN Mock Draft

So far this offseason, plenty of names have been thrown around as possible Packers first round picks, but according to ESPN.com's NFL experts, the Pack Beat Writer Rob Demovsky included, we'll be surprised when tonight comes around. Because, in their opinion, the 21st player taken in this year's draft won't be Ohio State LB Ryan Shazier or North Carolina TE Eric Ebron, but instead will be underrated CB Justin Gilbert, a four-year Oklahoma State star.

In his college career, Gilbert's numbers, though not necessarily as impressive as Shazier's, were pretty good, as the Huntsville, Texas native collected a combined 182 Tackles and 15 Interceptions. If you like math, that's an average of 45.5 takedowns a year, a stat that likely won't translate to the pros yet is still definitely impressive. 

Now if the Packers do end up taking Gilbert with their first pick I won't necessarily be ecstatic(I'm keeping my fingers crossed when it comes to Eric Ebron), but I don't think I'll get too down either. This guy clearly has a lot of talent, so if he ends up being available after Shazier and Ebron have been taken I'd have no problem seeing him get called to the stage.

Packers reportedly met with North Carolina TE Eric Ebron this weekend

According to NFLTradeRumors.com's Matt Zenitz, the Packers met with North Carolina TE Eric Ebron this weekend. In 3 seasons with the Tar Heels, Ebron was pretty good, catching 112 passes for 1,805 yards (62 passes for 973 yards in 2013), so given their current situation it's not surprising that the Pack are looking at this guy. 

Still, I'd be shocked if Green Bay's seriously looking for a starting TE in this year's draft. I mean, Jermichael Finley will probably still be able to come back and Andrew Quarless is, of course, available, so why they would just doesn't make sense to me.