5 Biggest Needs Green Bay Packers Have Yet to Address This Offseason

The benefit to Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson's philosophy is that the Packers usually have the cap space to retain their best draft-and-develop weapons, such as Randall Cobb and Bryan Bulaga. The downfall, however, is Green Bay always heads into the draft with pressure to hit on picks because Thompson rarely dips into free agency to address personnel needs. 

This year in particular, starters at multiple positions could come from the 2015 rookie class, which is a somewhat unnerving prospect. The Packers have starting positions open at their three biggest areas of need: inside linebacker, defensive tackle and cornerback. At only two of those positions are there players currently under contract who could feasibly step in, and it's likely at only cornerback.

Thus, the Packers appear to have more holes than many other teams at this point in the offseason, and though free agency is not over yet, the team will most likely address those needs in April. 

Let's break down Green Bay's biggest areas of need, as well as a couple of others the Packers would do well to address, and potential moves they can make to do so.

Honorable Mention: Offensive Line

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Since the team re-signed starting right tackle Bryan Bulaga and veteran backup Don Barclay, offensive line isn't a true need for Green Bay in the way the following four positions are. 

However, Ted Thompson has drafted at least one offensive lineman in every draft during his tenure in Green Bay since 2005, and 2015 should be no different. 

As long as it remains intact, the 2015 offensive line (which will feature the same configuration as the 2014 unit) should be one of the best in the league. And while the depth, with Barclay and J.C. Tretter ready to fill in with needed, is much better than in past years (where Marshall Newhouse was a primary backup), it never hurts to build extra reinforcement. 

If Thompson's best available player strategy corresponds with the team's top needs, the Packers likely won't look at offensive linemen until Round 5 or later. A college guard, or a tackle who would kick inside to guard, would likely be the best fit. Potential prospects could include Utah's Jeremiah Poutasi, who started at left tackle for the Utes but would likely move to guard in the NFL, or Ben Beckwith, who primarily played left guard at Mississippi State but also has some experience at center. 

Inside Linebacker

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It's no secret that inside linebacker is Green Bay's most pressing need heading into the draft. Ted Thompson neglected to address the position in 2014, and then the Packers cut their two former starters, A.J. Hawk and Brad Jones. 

The Packers finished the 2014 season 23rd in run defense, and the leaky middle was a big culprit. Jones managed to miss six tackles in only 207 snaps, while Barrington had just three over 364 snaps per Pro Football Focus. It's part of the reason he eventually took the starting job. 

Green Bay also has yet to target the need in free agency, though there are certainly still options available, including Mason Foster of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Brandon Spikes of the Buffalo Bills. 

But more likely, the Packers will turn to the draft, and with a starter needed opposite Sam Barrington as well as depth (as rotational inside 'backer Jamari Lattimore was allowed to walk in free agency), the Packers will likely double-dip at the position in April. 

Early on, UCLA's Eric Kendricks and Clemson's Stephone Anthony are probably the best fits for Green Bay. Kendricks is possibly the most complete linebacker in this class, and both he and Anthony are more skilled in coverage than their run-stuffing counterparts in Benardrick McKinney and Denzel Perryman. 

Though McKinney and Perryman were ranked at the top of this class earlier this offseason, Kendricks has moved into the top spot at the position, with a Round 1 ranking, and Anthony has jumped to No. 3, per CBSSports.com. 

It's unlikely either will be available with the Packers' 62nd pick, but value-wise Kendricks could be a perfect pick at No. 30. 

Defensive Tackle

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The Packers currently only have one player under contract who could play at nose tackle, and that's 2014 undrafted free agent Mike Pennel.

Given the leaky run defense and absence of an anchor on the defensive line, that makes defensive tackle a sizable need. 

Pennel does have the size (6'4", 332 lbs) to play the nose, but he didn't show enough in 2014 to demonstrate that he's ready to start over the middle. He played 181 snaps at defensive end in 2014, per Pro Football Focus.

More likely, the Packers will re-sign one or both of free agents B.J. Raji and Letroy Guion to a short-term deal to address the immediate need and then look to the draft to find a long-term solution. 

NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reported on March 10 that Raji was weighing offers in free agency, but that his preference was to return to Green Bay. Since then, there has been little talk from his camp except for word from his trainer, Joe Carini, who told Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Raji's post-surgery strength is "phenomenal."

The big-name nose tackles on the free-agent market—Dan Williams, Terrance Knighton, Vince Wilfork—have all been signed, and for surprisingly little. It's unlikely Raji, coming off rehab for the torn bicep he suffered last offseason, would demand more, so expect the Packers to bring him back on a one-year deal. 

Guion avoided jail time for his felony drug and weapon charges from February, but he is still subject to discipline from the league. He was a solid starter for Green Bay last season, so the Packers will have to weigh if losing him to a suspension would be worth it, especially if he only gets a one-year deal. 

In the draft, Oklahoma's Jordan Phillips has been a popular mock to the Packers, but questions about his power and hand usage could have him rated lower than No. 30 on Green Bay's board, while he'll likely be gone by No. 62. 

Iowa's Carl Davis could be an irresistible pick if he somehow falls to 62. 

Cornerback

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When Tramon Williams and Davon House departed in free agency, they took with them Green Bay's two best candidates for the starting cornerback spot opposite Sam Shields. 

Now the Packers are faced with two potentially disconcerting options: start slot corner Casey Hayward on the outside or a 2015 draft selection. 

If Hayward moves to the outside, both Green Bay's cover corners will be 5'11", and the Packers lose their best nickel corner—the best in the league, in fact, in 2014 per Pro Football Focus. 

But starting a rookie cornerback has its own pitfalls. Cornerback is the hardest position to develop in the NFL, save for quarterback, and ideally, teams don't throw rookies into coverage after just one training camp in the scheme. 

Ted Thompson rarely drafts corners above Round 4 due to the bust potential the highest-rated players out of college carry with them. But given the extent of Green Bay's need this offseason, he may look in Round 2, where he found Hayward. Florida State's P.J. Williams, who has great size at 6'0" and 194 pounds, might not last until No. 62. 

Former basketball star Quinten Rollins from Miami of Ohio is a physically gifted natural at the position who could be an intriguing developmental project for defensive coordinator Dom Capers and cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt. However, drafting such a green prospect means the Packers would need to start a more experienced player like Hayward. 

Tight End

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Unlike the more pressing needs at inside linebacker, defensive tackle and cornerback, the Packers already have a likely starter at the tight end position in 2015 in Richard Rodgers.

The 2014 third-round selection had a slow start to the 2014 season but came on in the second half and in the playoffs. Rodgers played 277 snaps in the Packers' final eight regular-season games and totaled 114 yards over 13 receptions for two touchdowns per Pro Football Focus. 

However, the Packers offense would benefit from a weapon at the tight end position to threaten the seam and for Rodgers to find downfield, and ideally that player would be a complete enough weapon to block, too. Currently, neither Rodgers nor Andrew Quarless really fits that bill. 

Ben Koyack of Notre Dame could be a great investment for Green Bay late in the third round. Rodgers' run blocking left much to be desired in 2014, but Koyack lined up primarily as a lead blocker in the run game for Notre Dame last season. He's built like a big receiver, at 6'5" and 255 pounds, but if the blocking ability is there, that's not necessarily an issue. 

"As a receiver," write Derek Stephens and Rob Rang of CBSSports.com, "Koyack shows impressive burst off the line, is able to sink and accelerate out of cuts and possesses superb arm length, coordination and soft hands to pluck the ball off his frame."

Especially if the Packers gain more selections via compensatory picks, which they likely will for the losses of James Jones and Evan Dietrich-Smith, selecting a tight end to push Rodgers and compete for the starting job would be a wise move.