“We strongly believe that our best policy is to select the best player. This is not fantasy football.”
Ted Thompson General Manager of the Green Bay Packers
Many people think that Thompson takes the best player available, however, when studying the Packers’ drafts since Thompson took over as general manager in 2005, this is not the case. I think Thompson’s statement above is very misleading and something of a red herring.
Rounds 1-3
In rounds one through three, Thompson selects the best available player in a perceived position of need that meets his team’s first focus. It is a very conservative draft in these rounds and drafts players who have minimal character risks. Thompson is on record as trying to draft at least 2-3 solid starters. These are the main players of your soccer team. None of the selected rookies are expected to come in and start immediately. However, if they do, it is considered a bonus. They are expected to take a year or two to develop (sometimes less than that), and then eventually take on an early role or at least be a quality backup. Looking back at previous drafts with Thompson as the Packers’ GM, all of the draft picks in rounds 1-3 fit that philosophy.
2005: Aaron Rodgers – QB (1st), Nick Collins – S (2nd), Terrence Murphy – WR (Round 2)
2006: AJ Hawk – LB (1st), Daryn Colledge – OT/OG (2nd), Greg Jennings – WR (2nd), Abdul Hodge – LB (3rd), Jason Spitz – OG/C (3rd)
2007: Justin Harrell – DT/DE (1st), Brandon Jackson – RB (2nd), James Jones – WR (3rd), Aaron Rouse – SS (3rd)
2008: Jordy Nelson – WR (2nd), Brian Brohm – QB (2nd), Pat Lee – DB (2nd), Jermichael Finley – TE (Round 3)
2009: BJ Raji – DT/DE (1st), Clay Matthews – OLB (1st)
2010: Bryan Bulaga – OT (1st), Mike Neal – DE/DT (2nd), Morgan Burnett – SS/FS (3rd)
Rounds 4-7
In rounds four through seven, Thompson seems to draft players based more on raw potential and looks for value. These are called boom or bust type spikes. Many of these draft picks have a lot of athletic advantage and ability, however perhaps it hasn’t been met due to technique, training, character concerns, less competition, injuries, lack of weight training, the change of position, the lack of play. time, offensive/defensive scheme, etc. In these rounds he takes more risks, especially in character, and relies on the coaching staff/individual to develop and maximize the ability of the players. Examples include:
2005: Michael Hawkins – FS/DB (5th), Kurt Campbell – SS/OLB (7th)
2006: Tony Moll – OT/OG (5th), Dave Tollefson – DE (7th)
2007: Allen Barbre – OT/OG (4th), David Clowney – WR/KR/PR (5th), DeShawn Wynn – RB/FB (7th)
2008: Jeremy Thompson – DE (4th), Breno Giacomini – OT (5th)
2009: Ham Meredith – OT (5th), Brandon Underwood – FS/DB (6th), Brad Jones – OLB (7th)
2010: Andrew Quarless – TE (5th), James Starks – RB (6th)
Undrafted free agents
An undrafted free agent himself, these are guys I think Thompson has a special affinity for. Many undrafted free agents simply get overlooked due to a number of factors. This makes them hungry and they play with a chip on their shoulders. Thompson typically brings them in in bulk, at certain positions, to push fringe players off the roster and create competition. In some cases, they make up the team. Examples include:
2006: Tramon Williams – DB, Jason Hunter – DE/OLB, Atari Bigby – SS
2007: Daniel Muir – DT
2008: Kregg Lumpkin-RB
2009: Evan Dietrich-Smith – GO/OC
2010: Frank Zombo – OLB, Sam Shields – DB, Nick McDonald – OG/OC, Chris Campbell – OT