Green Bay Packers: 5 Key Young Players to Keep a Close Eye on This Season

The Packers organization is not fond of signing big name free agents or making big trades; they only take interest in picking players out of the scrap heap and developing them into good players.

This method has been scrutinized by the Packer faithful ever since Ted Thompson became general manager, until, of course, the Packers won the Super Bowl.

It may be a method that no other general manager in the league uses, or may even be a method that no GM has ever used in the NFL, but Thompson has proven once and for all that it does work.

How does he do it? It's not just that he knows how to control himself in times of desperation or frustration, like how he refused to trade for Marshawn Lynch last season. It's also that he just has a good eye for players that have "hidden" talent. It's why he traded up for Clay Matthews and Morgan Burnett.

This method has brought in a slew of young and talented players these past few seasons, and here are the top five of them to keep an especially close eye on this season. 

Sam Shields and His Ridiculous Speed

Shields undoubtedly had his best game in the NFC Championship game last year, where he pulled in two interceptions from quarterbacks Jay Cutler and Caleb Hanie.

But it's not just skills at the corner position that intrigue me so much. His speed is enough to match with any other player in the league, in my opinion.

His first interception came against one of the fastest players in the NFL, Johnny Knox. Yes, I know that Knox isn't DeSean Jackson or Mike Wallace (at least not yet), but his speed is a mismatch for any opponent. And Shields matched him stride for stride on that play.

Shields' speed isn't limited to just interceptions and coverage, but blitzing and kick returning as well.

Shields never really seemed to spark in the return game, but I believe there is so much undeniable potential for him there. His first return was for 49 yards, and he would have brought one back for touchdown against Atlanta (week 11) had it not been for the kicker barely grabbing onto his leg.

I don't know if McCarthy has given up on Shields in the return game, but I sure hope he continues to keep trying with him. His speed could easily make him one of the better returners in the game.

And as far as blitzing goes, we have to go back to the Championship game again. Shields not only caught two interceptions in that game, but forced a fumble as well. 

On a 3rd-and-7, with a drive in which the Bears desperately needed to score to get back in the game, Sam Shields came off the edge with speed and stripped the ball out of Cutler's hands. Had Desmond Bishop only looked behind him, he would have easily recovered the ball.

With the kind of speed that Shields possesses, unlimited amounts of possibilities can open up. I'm convinced that we need a player of his caliber simply because we need an answer for the kind of speed that Green Bay has had to match up with and will probably have to match up with for a while. 

To me, Sam Shields is that man.

Clay Matthews and His Health

We already know that Matthews is one of the best defenders in the league, with pass-rushing abilities that rival some of the league's best and above-average coverage skills as well.

However, Matthews does appear to have an inability to stop the run even when it comes right at him, but that problem has shown in only a handful of games. A little more time is needed before we can jump to any conclusions.

But, whether that's a weakness or not, Matthews was regarded as the favorite to win defensive the Player of the Year award throughout the season, but a lingering injury seemed to keep him from playing at his full potential for the majority of 2010.

In the first five games, Matthews had 8.5 sacks and a knack for making big plays. But, after that, Matthews' production dropped drastically, garnering only five more sacks for the rest of the season.

If Matthews can stay healthy for the majority of the season, I suspect we will see a lot more of the Matthews we saw in the first five games. If that happens, he should be considered the heavy favorite to win defensive MVP this year, in my opinion.

Vic So'oto and How He Contributes to Pass Rush

The loss of Cullen Jenkins undoubtedly hurts the Packers' ability to rush the passer as effectively as last season, but at least Mike Neal was someone the organization felt comfortable with in replacing him. 

But enter Vic So'oto, a guy who went undrafted and suddenly gets 2.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception returned for a touchdown in the preseason.

This means that the Packers will have B.J. Raji, Clay Matthews, Erik Walden, Frank Zombo, Mike Neal and So'oto as their best pass rushers, and, added together, they could possibly bring back the same effective schemes that Dom Capers was able to do when the team had Jenkins.

Morgan Burnett and His Ball-Hawking Skills

So, let me get this straight.

We're going to have Charles Woodson, who had nine interceptions in 2009.

Nick Collins, who's had 17 interceptions in the past three seasons, three straight Pro-Bowl appearances and is regarded as the third best safety in the league behind Troy Polomalu and Ed Reed.

Tramon Williams, who had seven interceptions in 2010 and two key interceptions in the playoffs.

Sam Shields, who had a sensational rookie season and had two key interceptions in the Championship game.

And now a ball-hawking second-year pro from Georgia Tech? Just what exactly are people thinking when they say the Eagles have the best secondary in the league?

Morgan Burnett screwed up in the third preseason game, but that's just a hard lesson he learned. It's plays like the one he made in the second preseason game when he deflected a pass against Larry Fitzgerald that demonstrate why Thompson traded up to get him.

Tim Masthay and How He Contains the League's Best Punt Returners

There are six specific games to keep a close eye on for Tim Masthay. The games against Detroit, Minnesota and Chicago come to mind. And the specific games to look forward to within the aforementioned ones are those against Chicago.

The NFC North contains some of the most amazing kick returners in the league with Devin Hester (Chicago), Stefan Logan (Detroit) and Percy Harvin (Minnesota); Devin Hester obviously being the most notorious of the group. 

Harvin has yet to do a punt return, but that could change at any moment for all we know.

Masthay will easily have his hands full this season when the Packers face their divisional rivals. With the performance he gave against the Chicago Bears last season, I'm looking forward to it.

James Starks and How He Can Potentially Take Grant's Job

The league's No. 1 postseason rusher appears to be taking a bigger role as a 3rd-down back than the role he played in the team's run to the Super Bowl. But that could change at any point this season.

Grant started off slow in the preseason, but began to show that burst again against the Kansas City Chiefs and managed to keep his job as the No. 1 back. 

But he'll be fighting to keep that job throughout the entire season with second-year pro Starks right on his trail. 

Honorable Mentions

Jermichael Finley

Finley is definitely someone to keep an eye on this season due to his health concerns, but I'm sure everyone already knows about that.

Bryan Bulaga

Bulaga has settled in quite nicely as Green Bay's right tackle, although, I was personally hoping that the Packers would move him to the left simply because I felt he was more natural there. 

But anyways, Bulaga isn't facing any real competition or anything of the like for his job. I'm confident he'll be good, and, therefore, there won't be much reason to pay attention to how he performs.

T.J. Lang

At long last, Lang finally found a place in the offensive line. I'm hoping that sooner or later the Packers would use him simply because he proved that he was a keeper-back in his rookie season in 2009.

I would say keep your eye on Lang, but that's pointless now since he already beat out Derek Sherrod for the job.

But I guess it's worth watching just how much better he plays than Daryn Colledge did.