2012 NFL Draft: Green Bay Packers Must Draft a Free Safety

The Green Bay Packers' Nick Collins is still unsure whether or not he can play football again. With his future up in the air, the Packers need to draft another free safety.

The Green Bay defense struggled last season, ranking 31st in yards allowed. While the main problem might have been a lack of a pass-rush, the secondary did not play at a high level.

The cornerback position does not have a lot of depth behind Charles Woodson and Tramon Williams, and the Packers may have to address that issue this offseason as well.

However, the safety position was the worst position for the secondary last season. Charlie Peprah replaced Collins after the Week 2 injury and provided a decent year. He was second on the team in interceptions with five, but was picked on a lot by quarterbacks.

Collins is a three-time Pro Bowl player and is an excellent play maker for any team to have. Without him on the team, the defense looks noticeably different.

The injured Packer has stated that he would like to know whether he can play football again before the draft so he doesn't hurt the team.

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"It's cut and dry," Collins said. "If the doctor says I can go back, I'm definitely going to go back. If he says to stop, I'm definitely stopping. That's it. I'm not going to linger around and make this team suffer from waiting on a decision from me. That's not the type of person I am. I want them to be able to make a decision early. We have the draft coming up. Maybe they want to draft somebody."

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Drafting someone is something that needs to get done. Peprah is not the long-term fix at the free-safety position if Collins does not comeback. He makes too many mistakes during a course of a game and needs improvement before being considered a replacement.

The Packers have entertained the idea of moving Woodson from cornerback to safety, a move that Mike McCarthy has said is unlikely.

The Packers are already thin at the cornerback spot, which makes this decision the right one. However, the issue of safety still needs to be addressed. Even if Collins does come back, a replacement for him needs to be drafted in case of another injury.

Don't be surprised if the Packers draft a safety early on if Collins still does not have clearance to play.

A player like Alabama's Mark Barron is a mid-to-late first-round draft pick and is an NFL-ready safety. If the outside linebackers that the Packers were targeting are taken, Barron would be an excellent choice if he is still available.

Fans do not want to hear about using their first-round pick on a need they might not need. However, Collins future is so unclear at this point that even Mike McCarthy has said he would not let Collins play if he was his son. So drafting someone who would be ready to step in and contribute will be crucial.

The draft is next month, and it will be interesting to hear what leads up to it. If Collins is medically cleared, the Packers should draft another free safety during the middle rounds. If not, then maybe they should look at drafting one in the first round.