7 Most Exciting Green Bay Packers Position Battles to Keep an Eye on This Summer

The Green Bay Packers' roster is far from final, and several players will have to fight for starting spots in 2012.

The offense had a historic season in 2011, but Aaron Rodgers' MVP-winning campaign hid a lot of deficiencies along the offensive and in the running game.

The defense set records for all the wrong reasons last year and gave up the most passing yard in NFL history. The unit needs work at all three levels and will certainly be making some changes.

Here are the seven position battles that will be the most intriguing during the rest of the offseason.

7. Backup Quarterback

In the Running: Graham Harrell, Nick Hill, Prospective Draftee

Matt Flynn set a high standard for Green Bay Packer backup quarterbacks and next season, he will be starting for the Seattle Seahawks.

His departure leaves Aaron Rodgers as the only QB on the Packers roster that has thrown a pass in the NFL.

Graham Harrell had an excellent career at Texas Tech before going undrafted in 2009. He was signed by the Packers in 2010 and has bounced between the active roster and the practice squad since then.

Nick Hill came out of Southern Illinois in 2008 and also went undrafted. He spent time in arena football before Green Bay brought him in shortly after being eliminated from the playoffs.

Neither of these passers have impressive resumes and the team may look to add another QB in the upcoming draft. General manager Ted Thompson will be looking for a player like Flynn—one who was productive in college but will fall to the later rounds because of perceived physical limitations. Boise State's Kellen Moore and Houston's Case Keenum both fit that profile.

Winner: Graham Harrell

Harrell has the most experience with the offense and will be No. 2 on the depth chart for at least the first couple weeks of the season.

6. Third Wide Receiver

In the Running: Donald Driver, James Jones, Randall Cobb

The Green Bay Packers have one of the most talented receiving corps in the league, but the team is going through a transition phase because Donald Driver is nearing the end of his career.

Driver has been a fixture in the starting lineup, but Jordy Nelson took over his spot last season, and the 37-year-old will join Randall Cobb and James Jones in the competition for the slot-receiving role.

Driver is not getting any younger, but still brings reliability and leadership to the group.

Jones was expected to compete for the No. 2 spot heading into 2011, but Nelson pulled away in the competition early. Jones struggled to receive consistent looks from Aaron Rodgers, but still finished the season with 55 catches for 635 yards and seven touchdowns.

Cobb was not as productive as Jones as a receiver, but was electrifying as a return man. His abilities in the open field make him a dangerous weapon for the Packers offense. 

Winner: Randall Cobb

Cobb improved throughout the season as a receiver and will continue to do so in the offseason. He is too talented to be kept on the sidelines and will be very involved in the offense in 2012.

5. Strong Safety

In the Running: Charlie Peprah, M.D. Jennings, Prospective Draftee

Nick Collins' injury in Week 2 of last season may be career-ending for the All-Pro safety, and the Green Bay Packers will struggle to replace him.

The team sorely missed Collins and gave up an NFL-record 4,796 passing yards without him. 

Charlie Peprah was the starter alongside Morgan Burnett for most of last season. He made some plays that showcased his athleticism, but was caught out of position far too often last season.

M.D. Jennings is a work in progress and is not ready to step into a starting role yet. He was picked up last season as an undrafted free agent. 

If Collins comes back, then Burnett can move back to strong safety and the Packers defense will be ready to return to their 2010 form. But his injury was extremely serious, and many close to Collins are urging him to hang up his cleats.

If he retires, then the defense will face a lot of questions and will likely draft a safety. LSU's Brandon Taylor is used to the center-field role that Collins played and would be available in the middle rounds. 

Winner: Charlie Peprah

Peprah's experience will make him the starter for Week 1, but if he makes as many mistakes as last season, he will be benched fairly quickly.

4. Defensive End

In the Running: Jarius Wynn, C.J. Wilson, Mike Neal, Anthony Hargrove

B.J. Raji and Ryan Pickett will continue to start along the defensive line, but the third spot is up for grabs.

The Green Bay Packers struggled to pressure opposing quarterbacks last year and sorely missed Cullen Jenkins, who signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as free agent prior to the season.

Jarius Wynn, C.J. Wilson and Mike Neal were all given shots to take over Jenkins' role, but none of them showed much promise.

Wynn and Wilson were largely ineffective and showed no ability to consistently rush the passer. Neal struggled with injuries for the second consecutive year and will serve a four-game suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs.

The disarray along the D-line caused general manager Ted Thompson to make a rare free-agent signing. He brought former Seattle Seahawk Anthony Hargrove. Hargrove is an athletic lineman capable of playing the run and the pass. He served a year-long suspension in 2008 for violating the league's substance-abuse policy, but bounced back the next year and won a Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints. 

Winner: Anthony Hargrove

Thompson would not sign a free agent unless he plans on playing him. Hargrove has the perfect skill set to help revive the Packers pass rush and he will quickly become the starter.

3. Running Back

In the Running: James Starks, Ryan Grant, Alex Green, Prospective Draftee

James Starks and Ryan Grant split carries evenly for the Green Bay Packers last year, and the team will likely use a similar strategy in 2012.

Starks and Grant had nearly identical seasons, with the second-year man receiving 133 carries compared to the veteran's 134. Starks rushed for 578 yards (4.3 yards per carry) and one touchdown, while Grant posted 559 yards (4.2 yards per carry) and two touchdowns.

Starks is 26 years old and entering his third season, while Grant just hit the wrong side of 30 and is a free agent. The future of the Green Bay rushing attack is Starks. If the team can get another back in the draft, Grant may not be brought back.

The Packers picked Alex Green in the third round of last year's draft. Green is a speedy back with great hands, but suffered a knee injury in Week 7 of the 2011 season. 

Ted Thompson could decide to add another player like Green to the roster in the upcoming draft, and players like Lamar Miller from Miami and LaMichael James from Oregon would both excel in a scatback role. 

Winners: James Starks and Prospective Draftee

Starks will split carries with a back that Thompson picks up in the upcoming draft to give the Packers a youthful thunder-and-lightning combination in the backfield.

2. Left Tackle

In the Running: Chad Clifton, Marshall Newhouse, Derek Sherrod

The Green Bay Packers have a franchise player at quarterback in Aaron Rodgers, but they don't have a similar talent to protect his blind side.

Chad Clifton used to be one of the best left tackles in the NFL, but age and injury have taken their toll on the veteran.  The Packers may not bring him back next season because of his $5.25 million price tag.

Marshall Newhouse filled in for Clifton when he was injured and received mixed reviews. Newhouse was a fifth-round pick out of TCU in 2010 and had both good and bad moments in 2011. In some games, he looked like the left tackle of the future, but he had Cheeseheads praying for Clifton's return in other outings.

Derek Sherrod is the Packers other option at the position, but he is a wild card. Sherrod was a first-round pick in 2011 and lost out to T.J. Lang for a starting spot at guard. He was given a chance late in the season, but broke his leg in Week 15 against the Kansas City Chiefs. Sherrod has plenty of talent, but has barely played at the pro level and Green Bay needs a more experienced player to anchor its O-line.

Winner: Marshall Newhouse

Newhouse showed enough promise last season to earn a place in the starting lineup. His competition will get significantly lighter if Clifton is eventually released. 

1. Outside Linebacker

In the Running: Erik Walden, Frank Zombo, Brad Jones, Prospective Draftee

Clay Matthews is one of the best outside linebackers in football, but the Green Bay Packers have failed to find a decent pass-rusher to complement him.

Erik Walden was the other OLB in Dom Capers' 3-4 defense, and Pro Football Focus rated him as the worst player in the NFL at the position. He has an excellent work ethic, but not much else going for him. He failed to generate any sort of consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks last season. 

Frank Zombo and Brad Jones are both young players that saw sparse playing time last season and neither was very impressive. Zombo was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2010 and Jones was a seventh-round pick in 2009. Both have not done much to prove that they are capable of becoming starters.

The best option for the Packers is to find a new player in the draft. Nick Perry from USC could fall to the team with the 28th overall pick, but Whitney Mercilus from Illinois is the more likely option. Both players would be a huge upgrade over the players currently on the roster. 

Winner: Prospective draftee

The Packers had the worst pass defense in NFL history last year, and a large part of their futility was because of their inability to pressure the quarterback. The team needs another dynamic pass-rusher and the draft is the best place to get one.