Predicting the Packers Draft

We're now less than two weeks away from the 2009 NFL Draft, and I can barely subdue my excitement. The Green Bay Packers have a high draft pick again this year, and I have a hard time believing they will disappoint. But who will they draft? Well, I decided to breakdown each of their picks and make an educated guess as to who they will draft with each pick.


1st Round. 9th Overall - DT B.J. Raji, Boston College (6'2" - 337 lbs.)

Assuming he falls this far, this would be a great pick. He is filling one of the major needs in the 3-4 defense, at Nose Tackle. Those that believe that Ryan Pickett is an adequate player at this position are right, he could fill the role if Raji is picked earlier, however having a dominant NT would be a great building block toward the future and in terms of progress for this defense. He has had some off-the-field problems, however, these should only be deemed minor and probably will have little affect on not only his draft status, but with his play on the field.

2nd Round, 41st Overall - OT Jamon Meredith, South Carolina (6'5" - 304 lbs.)

Meredith is an interesting prospect, and a bit overshadowed in college. He was rotated at the Tackle position throughout his time at South Carolina, getting significant starting time at both RT and LT. He's got great height, and is fairly quick for an offensive lineman (4.86 40-yard dash). He is also a character guy, which Ted Thompson would be very excited about, earning a 3.7 GPA in college. He would certainly fit in on the offensive line in Green Bay, with his versatility being key to him earning playing time very early.

3rd Round, 73rd Overall - CB Mike Mickens, Cincinnati (6'0" - 184 lbs.)

Lets face it, neither Charles Woodson nor Al Harris are getting any younger, and the need to find the potential replacement has becoming a growing issue. Tramon Williams has a lot to offer, but that only fills one of the possible open CB spots in the future. Mickens is quick, running 4.43 40, and has great open-field tackling skills. He was argulably the cornerstone on a defense the led the Bearcats into their first BCS bowl game in 2008. His durability is the only real question, having knee problems in college, but seems to be healthy and also would be a great addition to the defense.

3rd Round, 83rd Overall (from NYJ) - DE Lawrence Sidbury, Richmond (6'3" - 266 lbs.)

Sidbury is another guy that may not last this long in the draft. There are a lot of NFL teams that are high on his potential, including Green Bay. Coming from a Division 1-AA school, some scouts have their doubt that he can perform at a high-level and make a successful transition to the NFL, a point a would argue is moot simply because so many players have proved this to be wrong. He would shift to OLB in the 3-4 defense, and play on the opposite side of Aaron Kampman. He registered 11.5 sacks in his senior year, continuing his trend of increasing his sack total each year he played.

4th Round, 109th Overall - TE Chase Coffman, Missouri (6'6" - 244 lbs.)

If you're thinking that this selection was picked because of the first name Chase, then you're right. However, Coffman has a lot to offer as a Tight End, and has a tremendous amount of value at this point in the draft. Some scouts say that he has the best hands out of all the TEs in the draft class, and his height gives him a huge advantage over smaller LBs that will be covering him. His blocking needs some improvement, but having compliment and develop with Jermichael Finley gives the Packers some security at a position that used to be a strong suit in the 1990s.

5th Round, 145th Overall - ILB Antonio Appleby, Virginia (6'3" - 243 lbs.)

This selection would give the Packers a lot of depth at the linebacker position, which is exactly what they need. There's really no telling what the lineup will be defensively going into next year, so the more players that can be thrown into the mix, the better. He is coming off an ankle injury, but his tackling ability is what has scouts excited.

6th Round, 182nd Overall - P Chris Miller, Ball State (6'2" - 206 lbs.)

Fans are still confused as to why Ted Thompson let Jon Ryan go last season, he was the best executer of fake punts that Canada had ever seen. That aside, the Packers need a Punter who cannot only boom the ball, but place it too. Miller can do that, placing the ball inside the 20-yardline 23 times last season, and he averaged 46.0 yards per punt. These are all upgrades over Jeremy Kapinos and Durant Brooks, who do not really excite anyone.

7th Round, 218th Overall - OG Andy Kemp, Wisconsin (6'5" - 314 lbs.)

This draft needs to end on a high note, no matter how the rest of the draft goes. Mark Tauscher was a 7th Round draft pick out of Wisconsin, so why not Kemp? Sure, he needs to get a little stronger and needs some refining, but he is definitely worth a late round waiver. Wisconsin has a good record of developing pro-style NFL lineman (Joe Thomas in 2007), and his position being Guard gives the Packers a little more needed depth at the position.


If the draft turns out this way, I would say the Packers had a fairly successful weekend. Make sure to tune in to ESPN on April 25th and watch one of the most exciting aspects of the NFL.