2012 NFL Draft: Is Packers' First-Round Pick Outside Linebacker or Bust?

The Green Bay Packers desperately need to improve on their 27th ranked pass rush.

Shea McClellin, Whitney Mercilus, Nick Perry and Courtney Upshaw are some of the outside linebackers that have been mentioned joining the Packers in this year's draft. All of whom have great potential to help Green Bay return to the Super Bowl.

The Packers do have other needs such as safety or cornerback that should be addressed. However, it is not the main concern and a first-round pick of another position may not sit well with the fans.

Ted Thompson has been known to take the best available player on the board instead of getting filling a need. One has to wonder if the same scenario occurs this year. Will Thompson take a need or the best player left?

A player like Wisconsin center Peter Konz has been linked to the Packers, but with the signing of free agent Jeff Saturday, the need for a center has died down. Still, Thompson may consider Konz better than any outside linebacker left for the first round and choose him for the future, a similar scenario that happened with Aaron Rodgers.

If Thompson and the Packers have their eyes on three linebackers and they are all taken before they can pick, what will they do? Will they take a linebacker they don't want out of need? These are questions that only the Packers staff can answer.

However, the Packers' needs at outside linebacker are so necessary that Green Bay must take whoever the best available linebacker is for their team. It has been noted that the safeties and cornerbacks are not a strong class this season and players can be found later in rounds without a steep drop-off.

While it will be disappointing if the Packers do not address their outside linebacker problem in the first round, it will not be the end of the world if they get the right pick. Konz has been touted as a great center and Saturday will not be around long so a replacement will be needed. Also, offensive linemen do get hurt a lot, so Konz may be used this season.

With Packers nation clamoring for pass rushing help for Clay Matthews, any other pick will most likely draw criticism. But let's not forget that the draft needs to play out before we see how the choice was. 

The 2006 draft is a perfect example of this. The Houston Texans selected Mario Williams as the No. 1 pick over Vince Young or Reggie Bush. The pick did not sit well, but the Texans did not believe Young was a franchise quarterback so they got a pick that helped the team.

So while we can disagree with the Packers first-round choice and offer opinions on who they should have drafted, just let the players have a chance to prove themselves before the criticism goes too far.

Green Bay does need a linebacker in the first round. However, if there is a better player available at a different position, they should take that player.