Green Bay Packers Shouldn't Have Drafted BJ Coleman over Kellen Moore

Going into the tail end of the seventh round of the draft, I was excited to see how the Green Bay Packers would use the two compensatory picks that remained. It was great to see them using their 12 picks to trade up and get players that could really help solidify the defense, but I was also nervous because they would only end up coming away with a total of eight picks, and they needed to use one of them to replace Matt Flynn.

With the final pick by Green Bay coming up eleventh from the end of the draft, they had still not selected a quarterback. This didn't surprise me, because the franchise is in good shape with MVP Aaron Rodgers at the helm, and the team just needed a backup. I was thrilled, though, because I thought the team could get a real bargain on talent by drafting a highly underrated quarterback who was projected to slide to the last round.

As I have said elsewhere, the quarterback I had targeted for the Packers was former Boise State Bronco Kellen Moore. I was glad to see that he was still available, and waited with bated breath to hear that the Packers had selected—Chattanooga’s BJ Coleman.

Needless to say, I was disappointed that the Packers had passed up Moore for a quarterback who was lower on many projections. Unfortunately, the division-rival Lions managed to see what the Packers had not, as they quickly snapped up the talented quarterback as an undrafted free agent to back up Matthew Stafford. 

I went from disappointed to annoyed when I discovered that Coleman's mentor was none other than retired legend-turned-traitor Brett Favre. Coleman had trained with Favre in the winter, and he wants to consult him while he plays for the Packers.

This may be more emotional than logical, but I don't know that it's a great idea to have a backup to Rodgers being mentored by the guy who Rodgers used to back up; a guy who would have been pleased to shelf Rodgers for a few more years so that he could return to Green Bay and keep his starting gig after a teary retirement. Now, shortly after the Packers had recovered from the rift caused by Favre and his departure, he has a foot in the door through a potential protege to Rodgers.

I don't like it. Sure, Ted Thompson—a GM I've learned to trust the hard way—has high expectations for Coleman, but the Packers passed on the winningest quarterback in NCAA history—one with a proven record and a high football IQ—for a quarterback who has some downside and who missed time his senior year with a shoulder injury.

Maybe Ted is right, and Coleman will be a truly great pick for Green Bay. If anyone can develop a quarterback who has any upside whatsoever, it's the Packers.

Still, I think they made a mistake in passing over Moore to take Coleman. I just hope it's not one that ends up setting a passing record against us in a throwaway game on Week 17, like another seventh-round quarterbacking prospect recently did to the team that picked up Moore.