The Green Bay Packers 2014 season was an amazing experience for cheeseheads, culminating in a torturous display in the fourth quarter against the Seattle Seahawks. The defense broke down, the special teams unit botched a huge play and ultimately it was a vomit-inducing show. However, the season left us with plenty of positives.
Aaron Rodgers had the best year of his career and solidified his position as the best quarterback in the league (Brady lovers can cry and whine at that comment all they want, but Rodgers is the league’s best. It’s a fact at this point). Looking to those around Rodgers, Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson combined to be one of the most impressive wide receiver duos in the league, with over 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns each on the year. The offensive line pulled together and rallied around rookie center Corey Linsley, who looks like a bright future star up front. Two receivers also made names for themselves on the roster: tight end Richard Rodgers, who showed great hands and a good rhythm with Aaron Rodgers and wide receiver Davante Adams, who took over for Jarrett Boykin and showed flashes of greatness.
On defense, Clay Matthews successfully transitioned to inside linebacker from time to time and after a slow start, seasoned veteran Julius Peppers made some great plays, including two pick-sixes and seven sacks. The defensive line looked fairly sharp, with Letroy Guion having a career year and making some key stops in short yardage situations. The secondary looked rough in 2013, especially at the safety positions. This changed significantly in 2014, as Micah Hyde, Morgan Burnett, and rookie Ha Ha Clinton-Dix split the duties at safety, generating a vast improvement from the previous season.
Notice how there were four rookies listed up there? Clinton-Dix, Adams, Rodgers and Linsley were all 2014 draft picks and had very successful rookie seasons. This is a vastly more complete team than it was back in the 2014 offseason, as only a couple relatively insignificant players left in free agency. With that said, the team does have some holes that must be filled with draft picks. Here are the top three needs for the Packers 2015 draft.
Green Bay Packers 2015 NFL Draft: Top 3 Needs
Inside Linebacker
With the departures of A.J. Hawk and Brad Jones, the Packers lost a long-serving veteran who spent his career with the team and went to one Pro Bowl (Hawk) and a perennial underachiever (Jones). Sam Barrington will step into a starting role but the 3-4 package will require a second inside linebacker. Clay Matthews will remain available and more than capable of stepping inside, but he is better suited as a full-time pass rusher. There are a couple outside linebackers who could be decent fits on the inside, but round one presents a good opportunity to draft a solid counterpart for Barrington.
They will choose 30th in the first round and there are a few quality inside linebackers who will likely be available at that time. Denzel Perryman (Miami) is a ruthless, reliable hitter, but is noted as having trouble in pass coverage. Mississippi State’s Benardrick McKinney is another option and while he shows solid fundamentals and high potential, his block-shedding is suspect and has made some question his viability as an NFL starter. Given that Barrington is their only actual inside linebacker right now, two linebackers might not be a bad idea for this draft, unless they want to bring a backup outside linebacker to the inside.
Cornerback
The Cleveland Browns took a gamble on 32-year-old cornerback Tramon Williams, snatching him from the Packers. Davon House also left, seeking bigger and better things in Jacksonville. That was a joke, by the way. Sam Shields is locked up, Casey Hayward is itching for a shot at a starting job after a disappointing 2013 season, but he bounced back with a solid 2014 season backing up Tramon Williams. Furthermore, safety Micah Hyde has indicated that if needed, he could move back to cornerback full-time now that Ha Ha Clinton-Dix has proved that he is starter material. Demetri Goodson, the 2014 sixth rounder, is still unproven and only a fourth name on the cornerback depth chart right now. That’s the opposite of depth, so this may be the draft to pick up two corners.
Kevin Johnson (Wake Forest) would be ideal, but it is not likely that he will be available in the first round when the Packers are on the clock. Ronald Darby or P.J. Williams, both from Florida State, may be available going into the second (possibly third) and either could be a suitable addition.
Nose Tackle
Mike Pennel and Khyri Thornton were picked up in 2014 but neither has done anything worth mentioning. Letroy Guion will get plenty of time on the field this year, but he’s quickly approaching 30, which means the clock is ticking. B.J. Raji’s athleticism and capabilities as a nose tackle are well-known, but they were lacking in 2013 and he missed 2014 due to his biceps injury. This is a good draft to seek another nose tackle, but most likely in the third or fourth round.
If the Packers are lucky they could get a chance at Iowa’s Carl Davis. Davis has no problem on the field and is one of the more athletic tackles in the year’s draft, but some consider him to have shown some signs of an attitude problem. Another large body with reasonable athleticism that would be ideal for the Packers 3-4 defensive scheme is UCLA’s Ellis McCarthy. His extremely average combine performance did nothing for him either way, but he is a strong, large presence in the middle of a defensive line and that’s what the Packers need.
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