Packers First Pick, What The Blogsphere Thinks

By 68md

Many many opinions on who the Packers will pick in round 1 and even more debate on position  With that I set out to find what some of our Packer Bloggers thought.

The question given as follows : What position should the Packers draft with the first pick and why ?

We start with Brain Carriveau :

"The Packers have so many needs on both sides of the football, they just need to identify the best player possible in the first round. There are a few places the Packers absolutely do not need to add any help, at least in the first round, namely at quarterback and cornerback. But apart from those two positions, they could use help almost anywhere on the field. Now that Charles Woodson has been released, they could use a safety. Green Bay could decide to part ways with A.J. Hawk next and find a playmaking inside linebacker to replace him. 

The defensive line needs depth at the very least. Thanks to injuries to Bryan Bulaga and Derek Sherrod, grabbing an offensive tackle can be considered a need, as is finding the center of the future. Adding a featured running back to help the Packers create a balanced offense isn't out of the question. Now that Donald Driver has retired and Greg Jennings and Jermichael Finley could be next to leave town, the Packers might need to find another receiving threat whether it be at wide receiver or tight end. Really, the Packers can't go wrong by addressing any one of these positions. It's more important that they identify a player that's going to help from Day One and not be a bust or a player that takes three years to develop."

Brain is Editor & Writer––Pro Football Draft Preview, Cheesehead TV 

CHTV

Next up JerseyAl :

My choice is defensive line. I feel good about the Packers secondary with the young players they have back there that gained valuable experience last season by necessity of injuries. The linebacking corps will be much improved with Bishop and Perry (and Smith) returning, so that leaves our defensive line, where performances have been hit or miss. 

To me the only predictable guy on the DL is Pickett, and if history tells us anything, the Packers are unlikely to keep him at his age when his contract expires after this season. BJ Raji sometimes gives you a great game, sometimes gets knocked around like a rag doll. I'm not that high on Worthy or Daniels to be significant contributors. CJ Wilson is a solid backup forced into a starting role and with Mike Neal, who knows what he really is? The Packers need a lineman who will be a force up front, causing problems and drawing double teams, freeing the linebackers to make plays. This is a strong draft for defensive linemen and there are several good choices likely to be available when the Packers are up.

Jersey Al  is the owner of AllGreenBayPackers and also co host Cheeseheadradio.

Let's Check in with John Rehor :

I really think safety is a position of dire need right now. Ever since Nick Collins was lost in 2011, the secondary-hell, the entire defense- has struggled. It just doesn't instill any type of fear in the opponents anymore. I thought moving Woodson back could have been a smart move, albeit a few years late, but with his release after one year as a safety, we'll never really know. Morgan Burnett is a nice player, but he just doesn't create any big plays. MD Jennings and Jerron McMillian might be players in the future, but they're not right now. 

By getting a player who can create plays deep again, the entire defense would benefit. Safety is not only a position of need for the Packers, it's a position they absolutely need to fix if they want to have any shot for a deep playoff run.

John is a writer at Packerstalk.com and co host of Cheeseheadradio

Justin Block gives us his thoughts :

Linebacker or OL for sure, but Ted Thompson has gone with value over need in the past, so I'll trust him on whoever he picks. With A.J Hawk nearing the end of his time in Green Bay and question marks around the health of Desmond Bishop, a mauler at ILB is needed. Given that Clay Matthews seems to be the only capable weapon and sure tackler out of the group, it's a position I'd like to see upgraded. Poor tackling has been a problem for the team for years now. 

Oh, and it never hurts to have linemen who can effectively block and protect Rodgers. Imagine how far the offense could progress if Rodgers had a good like and if our backs had real blocking. 

Justin is owner of JLBSportsTV

C.D.  Angeli  writes :

With the departure of Charles Woodson, I would definitely place at top priority bringing in that free safety the Packers have been missing since the departure of Nick Collins. We really saw how important it is to have a "quarterback of the defense", a smart, rangy, athletic safety who can not only see the whole field in front of them, but make the critical calls to get the players in front of him in the right place.

While there's a huge need to upgrade the talent along the defensive and offensive lines, a strong free safety could transform the entire defense, just as Collins did for the '10 Packers and Eugene Robinson did for the '96 Packers. Kenny Vaccaro (Texas) might fall to the Packers at #26, otherwise the Packers should be able to pick up Eric Reid (LSU)--even trading back a few picks and still coming away with the next LaRon Landry.

C.D is a writer and contributor at CheeseheadTV co host of CheeseheadRadio and also part of PackersTalk.com

There you have some great thoughts from around the Packers blog world.  What do you think Green Bay does in round 1 ? 

5 Best Center Fits for the Packers in the 2013 NFL Draft

By Bob Fox


During the free agency period before the 2012 season, starting center Scott Wells and the Green Bay Packers could not to come to an agreement over a new contract.

So, Wells signed with the St. Louis Rams as a free agent instead, and the Packers then signed veteran center Jeff Saturday, formerly of the Indianapolis Colts, where he had played with Peyton Manning for so many years.

The Saturday experiment had it's pluses and minuses for the Packers. Saturday learned the offensive system of the Packers pretty quickly, and he was solid with his line calls and his pass protection. But it was also obvious that Saturday had trouble blocking in the run game and getting to the second level.

Finally, late in the season, the coaches decided to replace Saturday with Evan Dietrich-Smith, who had also seen time at left guard earlier in the year when right tackle Bryan Bulaga fractured his hip, and T.J. Lang went from left guard to right tackle for a couple of games.

Dietrich-Smith is a much better run-blocker than Saturday, and that became evident in the games he started late in the season and postseason. Overall, Dietrich-Smith did a solid job at center in the games he started.

Ironically, Saturday was named to the NFC Pro Bowl squad, where he announced he would be retiring after the game.

Because of that, the Packers have some quality depth issues at the center position, and on the interior of the offensive line. The Packers only had undrafted rookie Greg Van Roten to back up at guard late in the year.

Therefore, I'm expecting the Packers to select a prospect in the 2013 NFL Draft who can obviously play center, but also play other positions across the offensive line.

The NFL Scouting Combine is a little over a week away, and the players who I am listing will all be there. All five of the players I'm listing can play multiple positions, while two of them can play every position on the offensive line.

There has been speculation about the Packers drafting an offensive tackle only in this draft, but I just don't see it. The Packers are currently five deep at offensive tackle, with Bulaga, Marshall Newhouse, Don Barclay, Derek Sherrod and Andrew Datko.

The only way I could see the Packers selecting just an offensive tackle, is if they feel that Bulaga (hip) and Sherrod (leg) would not be able to play effectively in 2013. Both are former No.1 draft picks, too.

That is why I believe the Packers will draft an offensive linemen who has the versatility to play in two or three areas on the offensive line, especially on the inside. Having the ability to play tackle would be a big plus.

Here is my top five list of center prospects for the Packers.

Barrett Jones (Alabama)
Height: 6'4"   Weight: 305 pounds

Barrett Jones has been an All-American at two positions (center and left tackle), plus also played right guard his first two years at Alabama.

Jones was also part of three national championship teams. The Crimson Tide offensive line dominated opponents over that time, and Jones was a big reason why.

Besides versatility and stellar play on the field, you can also add toughness to Jones' list of attributes. Jones severely injured his foot in the SEC Championship Game versus Georgia, but was still able to play in the BCS National Championship Game against Notre Dame. The Tide whipped the Fighting Irish 42-14 in that game, and Jones played very well.

A couple days after the game, Jones had surgery on his foot to repair torn ligaments. Jones should be ready for all football-related activities again in April.

Jones is expected to be selected in either late in the first round or early in the second round in the draft.


Jonathan Cooper (North Carolina)

Height: 6'3"   Weight: 310 pounds

Jonathan Cooper was one of the best offensive guards in the country in 2012 for North Carolina, leading the way for exciting running back Giovani Bernard. However, Cooper's best position in the NFL might end up being center. Either way, the Packers would have a versatile player on the interior of their offensive line.

Cooper was also an All-American. He's a punishing run-blocker, as he had double-digit knockdown blocks in nine of the 12 games in which he played in. North Carolina averaged 193.8 yards a game running the football.

Cooper is also very adept in pass-blocking as well.

The former Tar Heel is expected to be selected late in the first round or early in the second.

Travis Frederick (Wisconsin)
Height: 6'4"    Weight: 338 pounds

Travis Frederick started 31 games for the Wisconsin Badgers, seeing time at both guard and center. Frederick mostly played left guard for the Badgers as a freshman and sophomore, and then started at center all of the 2012 season.

Frederick was named All-Big Ten First Team by the media, and All-Big Ten Honorable Mention by the coaches in 2012.

Frederick is a very good run-blocker and has improved as a pass protector in his three years at Wisconsin, which saw the Badgers win three straight Big Ten titles and also go to the Rose Bowl three straight times.

The former Badger is smart and strong, and has good technique coming from a school that annually seems to put good offensive linemen into the NFL.

Frederick is expected to be selected in the second round of the draft.

Brian Schwenke (California)

Height: 6'3"   Weight: 307 pounds

If things go right for Brian Schwenke in the 2013 NFL Draft this year, he might soon be snapping the ball to another former California Golden Bear with the Packers. That would be quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

California didn't have a great season in the Pac-12 as a team (3-9), but Schwenke stood out with his play on the field at center.

In fact, Schwenke was named to the 2012 All-Pac-12 First Team.

Schwenke also opened some eyes at the Senior Bowl. At least, according to Mike Mayock of NFL Network. And Mayock certainly knows what he's talking about.

Schwenke was able to handle people like big John Jenkins (Georgia) in practice, as he showed good strength and some nice quickness getting to the next level. He also showed that he can use balance and leverage to his advantage.

In addition to his abilities at center, Schwenke also has experience playing guard as well.

Schwenke is expected to be selected in the third round of the draft.

David Quessenberry (San Jose State)

Height: 6'5"     Weight: 295 pounds

Next to Barrett Jones, David Quessenberry might be the most versatile offensive lineman in the 2013 NFL Draft. Quessenberry was the first offensive linemen in San Jose State history to be selected to the Senior Bowl. He certainly played like he belonged in Mobile.

Quessenberry definitely stood out at the Senior Bowl for a couple of reasons. One, he performed very well for the North team in drills and at practice. Second, he did that at multiple positions, which included center. He also excelled at both guard and tackle.

Quessenberry was part of an offensive line at San Jose State for a team that finished 11-2 and won the Military Bowl.

The former Shark was recruited to San Jose State as a 240-pound tight end. He has the frame to add weight in the NFL.

Quessenberry was also named to the 2012 All-WAC First Team (coaches).

Quessenberry is expected to be selected in either the third or fourth round of the draft.

Bob Fox is a featured columnist at Bleachereport.com and shares content with GBPackeraddicts.com

Packers To Release Charles Woodson

By: Matt Bove
It appears that Charles Woodson has played his final down as a Green Bay Packer.

According to a tweet from Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Packers told Woodson's agent Carl Poston that the team plans to release Woodson.

"Theyre getting ready to release him," Rapport quotes Poston as saying in the tweet. "It's part of the business.

The Packers signed Woodson to a seven-year, $52 million contract in April of 2006.

Woodson was one of the greatest free agent signings in Packers history. He won the NFL Defensive Player of the year in 2009 when he had nine interceptions and three touchdowns. He helped win the Packers the Super Bowl in 2010 and is very likely a future Hall of Famer.

The move comes as no surprise, as releasing Woodson will save the Packers more than $10 million from their 2013 cap. The Packers could have asked Woodson to restructure his deal, but there has been no indication that they asked him to do that or that he was interested in doing that. Considering Ted Thompson's draft and develop system, the Packers probably wanted to go with younger players in the secondary anyways.

Woodson has given no indications that he wants to retire, so it is likely that he will try to sign with a contender for a chance to get another Super Bowl ring before he does retire.

Casey Heyward should have no problem replacing Woodson as the slot cornerback, but there are issues as to who will take over the safety position that Woodson occupied as well.

Jerron McMillian and M.D. Jennings both showed potential at safety last season, but they also had many inconsistencies. The Packers may look to free agency or the draft to find somebody to compete with them for the safety spot aside Morgan Burnett.

Even though Woodson showed decline the last two seasons, his leadership and prescience in the locker room will not be easily replaced.

Woodson's winery Twitter account, TwentyFourWines, also sent out a tweet about Woodson's impending release.

"Thank you Green Bay; It was a great run," the tweet said.

Packers: 5 Sophomores Who Will Make Big Defensive Impact in 2013

BY 

TYLER BROOKE

The Green Bay Packers seem to find great rookies each and every year, and 2012 was certainly no exception.  The young additions to the defense were solid contributors, and will be even better next season.

The defense for the Packers has let them down the past few seasons.  They historically had the worst pass defense of all time after the 2011 season, and didn't do much to stop teams from scoring this past year.

Luckily, the Packers have several young players who were quite impressive in their first seasons.  A few key rookies will come back healthy and ready to prove they were worth a draft pick.  Another will be proving the Packers were right to sign him as a free agent.

With that being said, here are five rookies from this past season who will be big parts of the defense in 2013.

5. Jerel Worthy

Jerel Worthy was a logical pick for Ted Thompson in the second round.  The team had struggled with their defensive line, and Worthy had been a dominant lineman at Michigan State.

Unfortunately, Worthy wasn't able to do much during the season, as he battled multiple injuries before finally ending his year with a torn ACL.  He did, however, record 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble in his short time on the field.

With an ACL injury, it's always quite difficult to predict when a player will be back.  In Worthy's case, it will be just as hard.  The one bright spot was that the now famous Dr. James Andrews performed the surgery, which could mean a quicker recovery. 

The Packers sorely need another dominating presence on the defensive line next to B.J. Raji.  The team was pushed around far too easily, and were dominated by some good running backs.

Regardless of when Worthy comes back, he will make a big impact on this defense.  The numbers may not show it, but that's not what being a defensive lineman is about.

4. Jerron McMillian

Jerron McMillian is another one of of those late draft picks taken by Ted Thompson that quickly found their way onto the field.  He was taken in the fourth round by the Packers, and stepped in quite smoothly to the rotation.

With the injury to Charles Woodson, McMillian saw himself with quite a bit more playing time, especially in nickel and dime packages.  He ended the year with 27 total tackles and an interception. 

Woodson is beginning to show signs of age, and other players will have to step in his place soon.  McMillian is one of those candidates, and he will be splitting a lot of time with M.D. Jennings. 

Regardless of where and when McMillian plays, he is sure to give it his all, as he showed this past season.  Look for him to make some exciting plays next year.

3. Dezman Moses

After the injuries to both Clay Matthews and Nick Perry, the Packers were depleted at the outside linebacker position.  Luckily for the team, they found a new one in Dezman Moses.

Moses was an undrafted free agent after playing at Tulane.  He went under the radar by most professional teams, but the Packers saw something in him, and signed him shortly after the draft.

As soon as Moses got his chance, he made the most of it.  He scored his first career touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars after recovering a blocked punt. 

Once Matthews went down, Moses was asked to step in at linebacker.  He quickly became a force, recording a very impressive four sacks in only a few games. 

Moses will become a very frightening player in 2013.  He likely won't start, but he will be subbing in when Matthews or Perry need rest.  He certainly knew how to get to the quarterback this past year, and he will do the same next year.

2. Nick Perry

When the Packers struggled getting to the quarterback in 2011, they realized that Clay Matthews couldn't be the only one to put pressure on the quarterback.  This is why Nick Perry was the best choice in the first round, putting him opposite of Matthews.

The plan went well for a while, as both players were getting some good hits on opposing quarterbacks.  Perry recorded two sacks, while Matthews went on a tear thanks to the attention that Perry was getting.

Unfortunately, Perry was another player to have his season shortened.  After suffering a knee injury, he was put on injured reserve during Week 6. 

With Perry returning next season, the pass rush will become even more frightening.  He will be able to attract a lot of attention while players like Matthews can get in the pocket without getting triple-teamed. Offensive coordinators will have nightmares figuring out how to cover two frightening pass rushers.

1. Casey Hayward

There were few rookies in the NFL that were as truly dominant as Casey Hayward was this past season, and he will be just as dominant next year.

Hayward was another second round pick by the Packers, and became a regular player on the field quite quickly.  He recorded his first career interception against the Indianapolis Colts, where he was able to get inside of Reggie Wayne for a big turnover.

The Defensive Rookie of the Year award was a real possibility for Hayward, but he finished third in voting.  He still had an incredible season, with six interceptions and 21 passes defended.

The Packers are now quite deep at the corner back position, as Hayward joins both Sam Shields and Tramon Williams.  Davon House also began to prove himself at the position. 

Hayward will be a force on this defense, as he has proved that he can cover almost any wide receiver in the league.  His tight coverage frustrated a lot of big names, and he will continue to do so in 2013.

Tyler Brooke is a contributing analyst for bleacherreport.com

Rebirth Of GBPackeraddicts.com

By 68md

 A few weeks ago I announced a very big move that would have led to my site being brought under the umbrella of one of the biggest packer sites around.

 Alas this arrangement was not meant to be. I discovered that my passion and vision for Packer football and others did not mesh.

With that GBPackeraddicts.com is reborn and re-energized.

We will move forward with new members and a new focus on covering the packers. Our vision and goals are as follows :

 1. To cover and discuss the Green Bay Packers in an objective and fair manner that looks at all sides of the argument.

 2. To grow are message board and blog into the best community on the net.

 3. To work in unison with other Packer sites so that our members have the best total Packer experience they can get.

 4.  To have fun doing the above in a environment where everyone feels welcome.


 I welcome all of you to the new reborn  Gbpackeraddicts.com

Join us and feed your Packer addiction !

5 Best Running Back Fits for the Green Bay Packers in the 2013 NFL Draft

By Bob Fox,

The Green Bay Packers know full well how much an effective rushing attack will help the team have success. In the 2010 postseason, quarterback Aaron Rodgers was brilliant, as he threw nine touchdown passes, compared to just two interceptions, for 1.094 yards in four games. That added up to a 109.8 quarterback rating.

That also led to a victory in Super Bowl XLV, where Rodgers was also the game's MVP. Rodgers' success was certainly helped by a strong running attack. Running back James Starks, who had only gained 101 yards in the regular season, became a force in the postseason. Starks led all NFL running backs with 315 yards rushing in the 2010 postseason.

Defensive opponents were always on their heels because of that development. Teams couldn't scheme to just stop Green Bay's potent passing game. Because of the running game threat, Rodgers was able to use a number of play-action pass plays to help freeze the linebackers and the secondary for just a moment, and that certainly helped his success.

In the 2011 regular season, even though the team went 15-1, the rushing attack sputtered as the Packers finished 27th in the NFL in rushing. The result? A shocking playoff loss to the New York Giants at Lambeau Field, as the G-Men were solely focused on stopping the Green Bay passing attack.

In the 2012 regular season, the Packers improved the running game, as Green Bay ended up 20th in the league in rushing. The Packers rushed for 1,702 yards in 2012, which included a 3.9 yard average.

The Packers achieved that with five running backs whom they used during the course of the season. This group included Cedric Benson, Alex Green, James Starks, Ryan Grant and DuJuan Harris.

Green Bay did win a playoff game in the 2012 postseason (versus the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field), but then suffered a 45-31 loss to the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park. In that game, the Packers abandoned the running game in the second half of the contest and became one dimensional.

That's why it's so important that the Packers establish a strong running game in 2013, so it can help the Packers' passing game have the success it has had in the past, most notably in the 2010 postseason.

Because of that, I expect the Packers to select a running back fairly early in the 2013 NFL draft.

The Packers really liked the dimension that Harris brought the team late in the 2012 regular season and in the postseason. The team isn't ready to write off Green and Starks yet either, as both have flashed some real ability, but both need to stay healthy in 2013.

Still, the Packers need to find a back who will make the safeties play up near the line of scrimmage because of the threat of the run. That rarely happened in 2012, when most times the safeties played extremely deep. That scenario definitely affected the Packers' deep passing game.

There are a number of viable candidates in the upcoming draft who can help the Packers. Here are five of them.

Eddie Lacy (Alabama)  Height: 5'10   Weight: 220 pounds

In the 2013 NFL Draft, there are some who believe a running back won't be taken in the first round of the draft. However, if any running back should be selected in round one, it's Eddie Lacy of Alabama, who ended his collegiate career with a brilliant performance in the BCS National Championship Game.

Lacy rushed for 140 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown, plus caught two passes for 17 yards and had another score, as the Crimson Tide whipped the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame 42-14.

Previous to that, Lacy ran for 181 yards in the SEC Championship Game against the Georgia Bulldogs.

For the 2012 season, Lacy rushed for 1,322 yards (6.4 average) and had 17 touchdowns for the Tide.

The Packers have all sorts of questions at running back right now. Veterans Cedric Benson and Ryan Grant most likely won't be back. James Starks has been injured way too often in his three years in the NFL, although he has some good ability. Alex Green also has ability, but his ACL injury from 2011 set him back late this past season due to some scarring issues with the knee.

The Packers were excited with the emergence of DuJuan Harris late this past season and also in the playoffs, but because of the size of Harris (5'7", 208 lbs), the Packers aren't completely sure he could handle the role of being a three-down running back.

Lacy would be an excellent addition to pair with Harris, as he is an inside-the-tackles running back, who runs with power. Lacy also catches the ball pretty well.

Would Ted Thompson draft someone like Lacy in the first round? It's a possibility. Why? Because in the 2011 NFL draft, Thompson strongly considered drafting Mark Ingram out of Alabama in the first round, before the New Orleans Saints selected him first.

Lacy didn't win the Heisman Trophy like Ingram did, but most scouts believe he would be a better NFL running back.

Montee Ball (Wisconsin)  Height: 5'11"  Weight: 215 pounds

Montee Ball finished his last season at Wisconsin strong, as he was named the Grange-Griffin Big Ten Championship Game MVP, as he rushed for 202 yards and three touchdowns against Nebraska. Then in the the Rose Bowl, Ball rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown versus Stanford.

That was the third straight Rose Bowl that Ball participated in. Ball became the first player in the history of the Rose Bowl to rush for over 100 yards in three consecutive games, plus score a touchdown in three straight games.

Ball also won the Doak Walker Award (nation's top running back) this past season, and was also named first-team All-Big Ten at running back, too. Ball was named Big Ten Running Back of the Year this season as well.

Ball won those same Big Ten awards in 2011 as well.

Also, just like in 2011, Ball was also named to the first-team Associated Press All-American team at running back.

This past season, Ball rushed for 1,730 yards and 21 touchdowns.

Last year, when Ball was a Heisman finalist, the Badger running back rushed for 1,923 yards, had 33 rushing touchdowns and added six receiving touchdowns.

Ball holds the Division I FBS all-time touchdown record with 82 scores. Ball also holds the all-time FBS mark with 76 touchdowns rushing the football.

Overall in his storied career, Ball has 5,040 yards rushing, plus 58 receptions for 591 more yards.

Ball would fit a need for Green Bay at running back, plus he would adapt to Mike McCarthy's offensive scheme very well. The Packers need a back that will bring the safeties up near the line of scrimmage, as opposed to playing strictly deep, like they did in 2012.

Ball is a natural cut-back runner who hits the hole hard, and who obviously knows how to find the end zone. He has excellent vision to go along with a nice blend of speed and power. Ball is also a very good receiver and a good blocker.

Ball looks to be drafted in either the second or third round of this year's draft.

Stepfan Taylor (Stanford)  Height: 5'9"  Weight: 216 pounds

Stepfan Taylor finished his career at Stanford very strong, as he helped to lead the Stanford Cardinal to the Rose Bowl. In that game, Taylor ran for 88 yards,  plus scored a touchdown in Stanford's 20-14 win against the Wisconsin Badgers. Taylor also had three receptions for 17 yards.

In addition, Taylor was named to the 2012 All-Pac-12 second-team at running back. Taylor had 1,442 yards rushing the ball this year, plus scored 12 touchdowns. Taylor  also catches the ball well, as he had 38 receptions for 370 yards and two more touchdowns.

Taylor did it when it counted, too. In the last three regular season games of the Pac-12 season, Taylor had 114, 161 and 142 yards rushing versus ranked opponents Oregon State, Oregon and UCLA, respectively.

Plus, Taylor also had 78 yards rushing and one touchdown against UCLA in the Pac-12 title game. Additionally, Taylor had six receptions for 55 yards.

At the Senior Bowl, Taylor had an excellent week at practices. He ran for 53 yards on just nine carries in the game for the South. He also had two receptions for eight yards.

Taylor is an all-around running back, and he has the the ability to be a three-down back with the Packers.

The Packers need a back like Taylor, who can get the tough yards in a short-yardage situation.

Taylor is expected to be selected in the third or fourth round of the draft.

Mike Gillislee (Florida)  Height: 5'11"   Weight: 207 pounds

Mike Gillislee had a fine senior campaign for the Florida Gators, as he had 1,104 yards rushing the football, plus had 10 touchdowns. He also caught 15 passes for 146 yards and another score.

Gillislee was also named to the All-SEC first-team at running back by both the coaches and the media this past season.

The Gator running back had a fabulous last game of the regular season, when he ran for 140 yards and two touchdowns against the arch-rival Florida State Seminoles.

Gillislee played an important role in the Gators finishing 11-2 this past season and moving on to the Sugar Bowl. In that game, Gillislee gained 48 yards on nine carries, plus caught a pass for 13 yards in the 33-23 loss to the Louisville Cardinals.

At the Senior Bowl, Gillislee was very solid during practice sessions, plus had 46 yards rushing on 10 attempts in the game for the South.

Gillislee also has three-down running back abilities, and is also an exceptional blocker picking up blitzes.

The former Gator is also expected to be selected in either the third or fourth round of the draft.

Christine Michael (Texas A&M)  Height: 5'10"  Weight: 220 pounds

As I watched an East-West Shrine game practice one day, I noticed that Ted Thompson was keeping a very close eye on Christine Michael, as Michael showed some real athletic ability during that particular practice session.

In the actual game, Michael ran for 42 yards and a touchdown in the West's 28-13 victory over the East. He also had a reception for seven yards.

Michael fits a mold for Thompson, as he has flown a bit under the radar due to injuries in college—very similar to James Starks' situation in college.

Michael had only 417 yards rushing his senior year at Texas A&M, but did manage to score 12 touchdowns. Injuries kept Michael from playing full seasons the two previous years (broken tibia in 2010 and a knee injury in 2011). Combined in those two years, Michael had 1,530 yards and 12 touchdowns.

As a freshman, Michael ran for 844 yards, and also scored 10 touchdowns.

Michael is very good in short-yardage situations.

Michael's performance during the week at the East-West Shrine game may have moved him up the draft board, where he now could be selected in either the third or fourth round of the draft.

Bob Fox is a featured columnist for Bleacherreport.com and shares content with GBPackeraddicts.com 

My New Orleans Experience

By: Matt Bove
I had the luxury of being in New Orleans from Thursday through Monday and of course I was at the Mercedez Benz Superdome for the game on Sunday.

I won tickets to the game and an all expenses paid trip by winning the NFL.com Predict the Pick contest, which was a contest to see who had the most accurate mock draft. You might want to keep that in mind when we do our draft coverage this year :).

If the NFL wanted to put the Super Bowl in New Orleans every year I would have no objections. It really is the perfect host city. The only real issue is the stadium and not because the lights went out. It only has two small video boards and the sound system is terrible.

However, the fact that the city is amazing more than makes up for those small issues. Everything is in walking distance, which is really nice. The city just has so many cool places like the River Walk, Bourbon Street, Canal Street and The Convention Center. The restaurants, people, music, weather and atmosphere are second to none.

I spent all day Friday at the NFL Experience and the NFL really does an outstanding job with that. They have games, a Memorabilia shops, the NFL Shop, clinics for kids, the Lombardi Trophy on display, rings from every Super Bowl Champion on display, replica lockers for every team, and some things from the HOF . Best of all they had free autograph sessions all day. I got autographs from great players like Von Miller, Demarcus Ware, Reggie Wayne, and Joe Montana.

In addition to those players I got to meet and get an autograph from our own Randall Cobb. Cobb was everything I expected him to be. He was on the podium for two hours when the majority of the players were only there for one. Cobb is just as good a person as he is a player, and he will be a great Packer for years to come.

Luckily, I got to experience a great game as well. I was happy to see Joe Flacco play as well as he did because I have always been a supporter of his. He has always gotten too much heat and after last year's playoff run I felt that the Ravens could win a championship with him.

Flacco played outstanding, but he also got help from Anquan Boldin and a porous San Francisco secondary. When the Ravens didn't have a receiver running free Flacco would throw it up to Boldin for him to make an outstanding play on it. San Francisco had little pass rush and when they did Flacco made some great escapes.

On the other end, Collin Kaepernick had a good game overall, but his terrible second quarter put his team in a hole that they could not recover from. Kaeprnick threw a bad interception and looked unusually tentative in his decision making. The Ravens could have been up by more than they were but fake field goal attempt failed and they had to settle for a field goal after Ed Reed's interception.

The Ravens did a great job against the read option, as most of Kaepernick's rushing yards came off scrambles. They were the first team I have seen to really knock Kaepernick around on every option play. Despite all of this,the 49ers had a good chance to take the lead late in the 4th but blew it on their final possession at the goal line.

First, Jim Harbaugh messed up by calling a time out instead of taking the five yard delay of game penalty on second down. Backing five yards at the goal line actually gives you more room to pass. If he had had that second time out, the 49ers could have gotten the ball back with around a minute left after they didn't score.

Also, Harbaugh's play calling was highly suspect. Harbaugh not giving Vernon Davis or Frank Gore a chance was baffling. Throwing two out passes and a fade all to Michael Crabtree made no sense. I absolutely agree with the no call on the 4th down fade to Crabtree. Sure, there was a little holding,but Crabtree ran a terrible route and Kaepernick threw a terrible ball that probably was not catchable.  You do not reward a team the Super Bowl with a bad play like that.

It was a great Super Bowl and I had a fantastic time in New Orleans. Now it is time for the offseason and I cannot wait to see what the Packers will do. We will have it all covered here on the Packers Addicts Blog so stay tuned!