Sporting News Team Report for the Packers, 4-7-06
The offensive line remains an area of concern going into the draft, and the club is thought to be interviewing a number of early to mid-round prospects at its facility. It's possible Virginia's D'Brickashaw Ferguson will be available at No. 5, but more than likely the club will look to address the offensive line with its second- and third-round picks. If Ferguson is available, the club wouldn't hesitate to draft him and move tackle Mark Tauscher to guard. One way or another it has to address a shortage of experienced players in the middle of the line. There are no viable free-agents left, so unless someone gets cut it will have to come via the draft or a trade. . . Linebacker remains a position that the club must address this offseason. One player the club will keep an eye on is Roy Manning, who made the team as an undrafted free agent last year and started two games. Manning is a big, fast prospect who probably is better-suited to play inside because of his size. But with Nick Barnett in the middle, Manning is going to have to focus on being an effective blitzer and solid in coverage from an outside position. Manning made too many mental errors to be counted on last year and must show he can be reliable. . .
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is being trained to be the starter next season in coach Mike McCarthy's offseason quarterback school. McCarthy wants Rodgers to be fully prepared to play next year regardless of whether he's the starter. His primary objective now is to clean up Rodgers' mechanics. That way, when the season comes his fundamentals are in order and he can focus completely on decision-making. McCarthy is not making any significant changes with Rodgers' delivery, even though he carries the ball higher and tighter than most pro quarterbacks do. McCarthy wants Rogers to be more relaxed before he delivers the ball, but he's not reworking his technique.
SCOUTING REPORT: Wide receiver Marc Boerigter has been a bit of an enigma since coming out of the CFL several years ago. The tall, speedy receiver was a touchdown machine his first season, then tailed off his second and has been a non-factor since tearing an ACL two seasons ago. Boerigter can run, which makes him a solid deep threat, but he has to be more aggressive when fighting for the ball and must prove he can be effective coming across the middle. If he's going to be a solid third-down receiver, he'll need to be able to do more than run deep routes. He has the potential to be a guy who can run shallow crossing routes and gain some yards after the catch.
COMEBACK STORY: Running back Najeh Davenport is on pace to be ready for the start of training camp following surgery to insert two pins in his broken ankle. Davenport, a free agent, chose to return to the team because he saw an opportunity to share time with Ahman Green and possibly start if Green's thigh injury doesn't heal in time. Davenport can't afford to lose any speed because he doesn't run around people and will need to run lower to avoid the injuries that have plagued him throughout his entire career. If he can stay healthy, however, he'll get a shot to be a part of the running game because he can pound on a defense.
