I thought this was good until they said the Packers were financially-strapped. Weird! And these reports are usually pretty good--in face, I think many of them are written by Tom Silverstein.
Team Report: Strategy and Personnel
Fox Sports
With Brett Favre still sitting on his decision whether to return or retire, the Packers find themselves somewhat handcuffed about what they'll have at quarterback.
They've begun readying Aaron Rodgers, last year's first-round draft choice, for the possibility he'll have to be the starter on opening day in five months. Yet, should Favre walk away, Green Bay is without any sort of reliable backup after allowing Craig Nall to bolt for Buffalo as a free agent.
The Packers, armed with the fifth overall pick in the draft, are giving Texas' Vince Young strong consideration.
Save for linebacker and possibly addressing an upgrade over Ahmad Carroll at cornerback, the Packers are in better shape defensively after re-signing end Aaron Kampman and then landing former Seattle safety Marquand Manuel and onetime St. Louis nose tackle Ryan Pickett in free agency.
If he were to get assurances by the start of the draft April 29 that Favre will continue to play, GM Ted Thompson can concentrate on finding a starter-ready player at linebacker, cornerback or possibly defensive end (if Mario Williams lasts that long) with the high-end pick.
TEAM NEEDS
1. Linebacker: The man in the middle, Nick Barnett, is the only surefire player the team has in the linebacker corps, although it signed Cleveland free agent Ben Taylor on March 27. Taylor could fill the void on the strong side after veteran Na'il Diggs was released March 2. Robert Thomas, who manned the weak-side spot in his first year with the team, was all but useless the second half of last season because of a quadriceps injury. With the financially-strapped Packers' opting to take a pass on some of the bigger-name free agents that were available, they may be wont to invest their No. 5 draft pick in Ohio State outside linebacker A.J. Hawk.
2. Wide receiver: Javon Walker's recent declaration that he would "retire" before throwing on a Packers uniform again can't be easily dismissed. GM Ted Thompson has made it clear he will hold his ground and not give in to Walker's demand for a new contract because the talented wideout has to prove his worth all over again after missing all but the season opener last year with a knee injury. The re-signing of Rod Gardner and the March 27 signing of Kansas City free agent Marc Boerigter help ease the potential long-term absence of Walker. Yet, what was a position of strength is considerably thin with Donald Driver the only bona fide playmaker.
3. Defensive end: Green Bay took care of its top in-house priority by re-signing indispensable workhorse Aaron Kampman to a well-earned four-year deal with guaranteed money of $12 million. Yet, the Packers still are in the market for a player who can wreak havoc on the other end of the line since Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila isn't cut out to stop the run. North Carolina State's Mario Williams fits the bill and is the trendy pick for the No. 5 spot in Round 1 of the draft, provided he stays on the board.
