2012 NFL Draft Big Board for the Green Bay Packers

Welcome to the second NFC North Big Board, as we move from Monday's look at the Chicago Bears to Wisconsin and the Green Bay Packers.

While the Packers regularly contend for the Super Bowl right now, they are not without flaws.

GM Ted Thompson and head coach Mike McCarthy have done an excellent job building this team largely through the draft. They have depth across most of the team and have needed it as they've been bit by the injury bug repeatedly the last two years.

In fact, they won the Super Bowl when dealing with one of the worst spates of injuries I can ever recall a team going through.

In terms of what this team needs, the simple answer is more pressure on defense. More than anything else, the team needs to find ways to get to the quarterback. Yes, the secondary struggled (looking at you, Tramon Williams), but some of that came from simply giving passers too much time.

The Packers' 17th-ranked sack total of 29 attests to that.

Get someone across from Clay Matthews who can rush. Shore up the defensive line. If Nick Collins can't return from his neck injury, safety becomes a concern, as does cornerback if Charles Woodson is pressed into service as a safety as a result.

Offense is largely set, though you can never have too many wide receivers or running backs, and with Matt Flynn leaving for Seattle (must be the new uniforms), the Packers have but two quarterbacks on the roster.

With all that in mind, let's take a look at the top 50 on Green Bay's Big Board.

1) Matt Kalil, OT, USC
 

2) Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU

3) David DeCastro, OG, Stanford

4) Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina

5) Andre Branch, DE/OLB, Clemson 

6) Melvin Ingram, OLB, South Carolina

7) Courtney Upshaw, DE, Alabama  

8) Nick Perry, OLB/DE, USC

9) Reilly Reiff, OT, Iowa

10) Fletcher Cox, DE, Alabama

11) Mark Barron, S, Alabama

12)Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin

13) Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford

14) Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama

15) Doug Martin, RB, Boise State

16) Whitney Mercilus, DE, Illinois

17) Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina

18) Cordy Glenn, OG, Georgia

19) Jared Crick, DE, Nebraska 

20) Michael Brockers, DT, LSU

21) Trumaine Johnson, CB, Montana

22) Devon Still, DT, Penn State

23) Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis

24) Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State

25) Brandon Boykin, CB, Georgia

26) Cam Johnson, DE, Virginia

27) Lavonte David, OLB, Nebraska

28)  Luke Kuechley, ILB, Boston College

29) Ben Jones, C, Georgia

30) Markelle Martin, FS, Oklahoma State

31) Donta Hightower, ILB, Alabama

32) Zach Brown, OLB, North Carolina 

33)  Brandon Brooks, OG, Miami (Ohio) 

34) Alfonzo Dennard, CB, Nebraska
 
35) Kelechi Osemele, OG, Iowa State

36) Harrison Smith, SS, Notre Dame

37) Bobby Wagner, OLB, Utah State
 
38) Coryell Judie, CB, Texas A&M 

39) Vinny Curry, DE, Marshall

40) David Wilson, RB, Virginia Tech

41) Shane McClellin, OLB, Boise State

42) Josh Robinson, CB, Central Florida

43) Bruce Irvin, OLB, West Virginia

44) Jeff Allen, OG, Illinois

45) Casey Heyward, CB, Vanderbilt

46) Russell Wilson, QB, Wisconsin

47) Mike Brewster, C, Ohio State

48) Markelle Martin, FS, Oklahoma State

49) Zebrie Sanders OT, Florida State

50) Brandon Washington, OG, Miami

So, several things might stand out to you here. First, there are running backs on the board! Wait, didn't I say that running back wasn't a primary need?

Indeed, I did. However, there has been some noise that McCarthy/Thompson is looking for a big back to bang out tough yards but who can also contribute in other aspects of that game. Hence, the presence of Doug Martin and David Wilson on the board.

Either player would fit in well, though I doubt the Packers would pull the trigger on anyone other than Richardson in the first round. Starks is good, but can he stay healthy? Alex Green is unproven and, while the team loves Brandon Saine, he too is an unknown quantity.

So I could see the Packers ranking either of those backs highly. Pulling the trigger will take a few contortions though.

Both Luke Kuechley and Dont'a Hightower are on the list, though inside linebacker is far from a pressing need. However, in the right circumstance it would absolutely make sense for the Packers to look at these two guys, as both can pressure the quarterback and would also fit the best-player-available mode that the Packers sometimes move into.

There are a lot of defensive backs on this list, save for one notable exception. Janoris Jenkins, the former Florida Gator and North Alabama corner, is not on this list. With his off-field issues, I just can't see him as a Packer, and I am willing to bet neither Thompson and McCarthy do either.

So I removed him.

Russell Wilson is a quarterback I really like who would fit very well on the Packers. He's got a decent arm and good mobility, though his consistency wains on occasion.

Going through the Packers' quarterback school would be the sort of thing that could really help Wilson focus and become a very good quarterback in the NFL.

Keep in mind that this board isn't an NFL Big Board—it's a Packers Big Board. That's why a guy like Kuechly is ranked behind Lavonte David. The Packers will value an OLB over an ILB because it's what they need more.

They'd trade back for more picks if Keuchly was there. They might not for David.