Green Bay Packers' Defense-Heavy Draft Strategy Will Not Yield Immediate Results

We hear a ton of unsourced things from inside the league before the draft, but those items are hard to trust because of the incentive for teams to lie. After the draft, nuggets from league insiders should have more weight. Pro Football Weekly's "Audibles" post-draft column has terrific thoughts from anonymous NFL coaches, scouts, and front-office personnel:

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I had a hard time figuring out the Packers’ draft this year. They took Nick Perry in the first. In (Round) Two, they took Jerel Worthy and then they took the midget from Iowa (DT Mike Daniels). I have no idea where they are going to play him. You love his temperament, but he’s going to get pinballed at his size.

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My Take: I have to agree here. Perry gave inconsistent effort during him time at SC, and that is the most significant factor for the guy lining up opposite Clay Matthews, who will draw plenty of attention. Many hustle sacks will be there for the taking on the other side.

Perry also has to improve his run defense to not be a liability there. Courtney Upshaw should have been the pick.

Jerel Worthy is good at shooting gaps and beating blockers one-on-one, but he's not going to hold up against double teams. He doesn't have the length and anchor a 3-4 end needs to excel in Dom Capers' defense.

Mike Daniels, meanwhile, is just too short to be a 3-4 end and is probably a subpackage player. He is built for a 4-3 scheme, like Worthy.

In 2010, Green Bay spent a second-round pick on a 4-3 defensive tackle that they wanted to convert to a 3-4 end. Purdue's Mike Neal has played in nine games in his first two years in the league. He has six tackles, a sack and a forced fumble, and is suspended for the first four games of the 2012 season for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs.

The Packers spent a second and fourth trying to make up for Neal's failings, and spent a first to fix the biggest hole on their team. The long-term future is more uncertain, but I have my doubts that any of the picks will help this year, which is crucial for a team in a championship window.