(Plus, as you likely know, we LOVE doing mock drafts.)

Most of the “big fish” free agents have signed their respective deals and, as a result, some teams’ draft plans have changed. Our new mock has [...]]]> Now that we are roughly 12 days into free agency, it seemed like the perfect time to run an updated mock draft.

(Plus, as you likely know, we LOVE doing mock drafts.)

Most of the “big fish” free agents have signed their respective deals and, as a result, some teams’ draft plans have changed. Our new mock has certainly taken those moves into account as there are some major changes from our first mock.

What are those changes? Well, let’s find out, shall we?

1. St. Louis Rams -  Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma. The biggest jump in this current mock belongs to Bradford (whom I previously had going to Buffalo at No. 9). Why the sudden rise? Well, from everything I’ve read, it just sounds like the St. Louis brass rather likes Bradford. Plus, it’s a lot easier to sell the selection of a quarterback No. 1 overall than it is a defensive tackle. I have my doubts about Bradford, but from a business standpoint, I can see where St. Louis is coming from.

2. Detroit Lions – Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska. By signing Kyle Vanden Bosch and trading for Corey Williams, Detroit is definitely putting an emphasis on getting to the quarterback more. Those were both decent moves, but neither of those guys is a game-changer. Suh, on the other hand, surely could be. He’ll be NFL-ready from day one and could be head coach Jim Schwartz’s Haynesworth 2.0.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Eric Berry, S, Tennessee. While there is change with the top two picks, this song remains the same. In five years, Berry could very well end up the best defensive player to come out of this draft. Athletic, fast and rangy, he’s the type of do-it-all player who could make an impact on Tampa Bay’s defense right away. His playmaking numbers dipped a bit last season (just two picks as opposed to 12 combined in the two years previous), but don’t let that fool you. This kid’s for real.

4. Washington Redskins – Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State. Many analysts seem to think the ‘Skins will jump at Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen if he’s here. I disagree. New head coach Mike Shanahan has already said he wants Jason Campbell back. He’ll use 2010 to evaluate Campbell and see if he is, in fact, the future at quarterback. He’ll also give Campbell some added protection. Enter Okung, the most complete – and best – lineman in the draft.

5. Kansas City Chiefs – Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma. My previous mock had the Chiefs going with Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain as Okung, McCoy and Suh were all already gone. This time around, McCoy is available and I can’t see how Kansas City passes on him. He’s not overly big (just 295 pounds), but has explosive pass rushing abilities. Sure, the Chiefs whiffed on Glenn Dorsey and Tyson Jackson didn’t do much as a rookie, but if they just keep taking d-tackles, one of them will hit, right? Maybe?

6. Seattle Seahawks – Bryan Bulaga, OT, Iowa. A replacement must be found for 35-year old Walter Jones. Originally, I had Rutgers’ Anthony Davis as that guy. But Davis’ weight issues and shaky combine (his character has come into question) make Bulaga the pick now. Some questions exist as to how high Bulaga’s ceiling really is. But the 6-feet, 6-inch, 312 pound Bulaga was also voted Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year last season. A couple of recent winners of that award, Jake Long and Joe Thomas, have done pretty well in the pros and Bulaga should follow suit.

7. Cleveland Browns – Joe Haden, CB, Florida. Another pick that has not changed since our first mock. The Brownies still need secondary help in a major way as they finished 29th in passing yards allowed per game (a whopping 244.7). Haden is, hands down, the best corner in the draft. He’s physical, aggressive and extremely fast and the Browns will jump at him here. Mike Holmgren will find his future quarterback later in the draft.

8. Oakland Raiders – Jason Pierre-Paul, OLB, South Florida. Yet another pick that has not changed, although this one is for different reasons, the biggest being I just do not want to climb into Al Davis’ head and try to figure out what he’s going to do. I’m just not man enough for that mission. I know he loves measureables and Pierre-Paul has those in abundance (6-feet, 6-inches, 265 pounds and lightening fast). Pierre-Paul could team with Kameron Wimbley, recently acquired from Cleveland, at OLB for the Raiders.

9. Buffalo Bills – Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame. As they can no longer get Bradford here, the Bills will jump at Clausen. Why? Brian Brohm, Trent Edwards and Ryan Fitzpatrick, that’s why. That’s the quarterback group for the Bills as of now. None of those three bring any hope for the future, if you’re a Bills fan. And, as I said previously, that’s what Buffalo needs to give its fans here – some hope. Quite frankly, I have major doubts about Clausen as a pro, but I don’t doubt he’ll be the pick.

10. Jacksonville Jaguars – Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma State. Everyone had the Jags going defensive end here before they signed Aaron Kampman. I always thought they’d go with Bryant and, well, I still do. Simply put, Jacksonville hasn’t had a gamebreaking receiving threat since the days of Jimmy Smith. Well, those days are long gone. Bryant is an athletic, tough wideout with very good hands who could loosen the strain on Maurice Jones-Drew.

11. Denver Broncos – Rolando McClain, ILB, Alabama. Previously, I had Clausen going here. But, by acquiring Brady Quinn from Cleveland last weekend, Denver is no longer in the market for a quarterback (which is good because if things play out like I think, it couldn’t get one here anyways). The Jamal Williams signing beefs up the Broncos’ d-line, but they still have holes in the second level. McClain can remedy that as he is an absolute beast, particularly in stuffing the run.

12. Miami Dolphins – Brian Price, DT, UCLA. Nose tackle was a position of need for the Dolphins before 35-year old Jason Ferguson was suspended for the first eight games of the season (performance-enhancing drugs). Now, of course, it’s even more so, and I still think Price is the guy here. Price is similar in size – Ferguson’s 310 pounds and Price is 300 – and the Pac 10 Defensive Player of the Year also has the explosion to get into the backfield on passing downs. He’ll open things up for newly acquired ILB Karlos Dansby.

13. San Francisco 49ers – Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers. Yes, the issues surrounding Davis aren’t necessarily good. But he’s also a 6-feet, 6-inch, 325 pound monster who is looked at by many as the best pass protecting lineman in the draft. In other words, his equally large upside will prevent him from falling as far as some analysts think. Plus, something tells me Mike Singletary can keep this guy in line. Just a hunch. 

14. Seattle Seahawks (from Broncos) – C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson. With the combine Spiller had, Pete Carroll and Co. will be doing backflips if he’s still available here. A dual threat back, Spiller could be Pete’s new Reggie Bush (hopefully, minus the whole Kardashian thing). By nabbing Bulaga and Spiller, the Seahawks will have cleared up two of their biggest issues (offensive line and a lack of gamebreakers).

15. New York Giants – Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee. After chatting with my good friend (and huge Giants fan) Matt Anderson, I’m convinced New York will attempt to move up if it feels it’s in danger of losing McClain. But, since I’m not going to predict any trades here, I’ll stick with Big Blue selecting Williams. New York’s d-line wasn’t as good as many (myself included) thought it would be before last season. At 325 pounds and strong as a bull, Williams could go a long way towards fixing that.

16. Tennessee Titans – Derrick Morgan, DE/OLB, Georgia Tech. Originally, I had the Titans addressing some of their needs along the o-line with Idaho’s Mike Iupati. But after losing Vanden Bosch, I now think Tennessee turns to the defensive front, where it struggled last season without Fat Albert. At 275 pounds, Morgan is right on the fence as far as where he can play in the pros (depending on whether or not he adds weight). With 12 sacks and two forced fumbles last season, Morgan could replace Vanden Bosch in a major way.

17. San Francisco 49ers (from Panthers) – Earl Thomas, S, Texas. Having already upgraded at o-line with Davis, the Niners now turn their focus to finding a big-time playmaking safety in the secondary. Thomas’ size (5-feet, 10-inches, just under 200 pounds) isn’t exactly what you’d like at that position. But his numbers (63 tackles, eight interceptions last season) and speed definitely are. By taking Davis and Thomas, the Niners would walk away with a very nice first round haul.

18. Pittsburgh Steelers – Mike Iupati, OG, Idaho. Previously, Maryland’s Bruce Campbell was the pick here. But there are some fairly significant question marks on Campbell – like, if he’s so good, why did he receive no votes for All ACC-First Team last season? - and I think he’ll drop a good deal as a result. Still, the Steelers need o-line help badly. The 6-feet, 5-inch, 330 pound Iupati has the strength to be able to play, and flourish, right away. He could end up being very. very good. A typical Steeler pick.

19. Atlanta Falcons – Sergio Kindle, DE/OLB, Texas. With Morgan – the player I previously had them taking – off the board, the Falcons will turn to Kindle. At 255 pounds, he’ll play outside linebacker in Atlanta’s 4-3 scheme and he should be very good at that spot. He’s got great athleticism, knows how to get to the quarterback and could be for the Falcons what Brian Orakpo was for the ‘Skins last season.

20. Houston Texans – Jared Odrick, DT, Penn State. I’m not sensing much change at this spot for Houston. As usual, the Texans are set, offensively. Again, as usual, their defense still needs more work if they are to finally get over the top and into the playoffs. Last year’s first rounder, linebacker Brian Cushing, was the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, but the team still needs one or two more pieces. Odrick (306 pounds with seven sacks last year) could very well be the nose tackle to open things up for Mario Williams and Amobi Okoye.

21. Cincinnati Bengals – Maurkice Pouncey, C, Florida. Believe it or not, I actually left the Bengals off my first mock draft. I’m not sure how that happened, but if you’re a Bengals fan reading this, I am very sorry. Anyways, Cincinnati has major needs on the offensive line, particularly at center and guard. Lucky for them, Pouncey can play either of those spots in the pros. He’s also intelligent and plays with a mean streak that the Bengals’ offense sorely lacks.

22. New England Patriots – Brandon Graham, DE/OLB, Michigan. The Pats did not, as some expected, end up with Julius Peppers. They also cut Adalius Thomas, making outside linebacker a huge priority. Truth be told, I think Kindle will be a better pro, but Graham is not a bad consolation prize at all. Over his last three seasons at Michigan, Graham averaged over nine sacks a season, with ever-improving tackle numbers. He’s got short arms, yes, but he’s also a hard-worker who comes at you on every play. The Hoodie will love this guy.

23. Green Bay Packers – Charles Brown, OT, USC. Since this is a Packers’ blog, I’ll go a little more in-depth here. The re-signings of Chad Clifton/Mark Tauscher, at first, had me thinking Ted Thompson might go in a different direction with this pick (i.e., defense). But when I thought about it more, I still think the team has to nab a left tackle of the future. Clifton could break down at any minute and, while we all love T.J. Lang, I’m beginning to think he’s strictly a right tackle. The Packers need someone who can step in if Clifton goes down (which you know he will, if only for a game or two at a time). At just 290 pounds, Brown must bulk up a bit before he’s game ready. But his athleticism and NFL-ready pass protection skills would cover him if forced to play right away. He’s got a ton of upside and could protect Aaron Rodgers’ blindside for the next decade. At some point, this move has to be made. Why not here?

24. Philadelphia Eagles – Everson Griffen, DE, USC. Having whiffed on Kampman and Julius Peppers, the Eagles look to the draft to find their pass rushing end of the future. Previously, I had them going to Graham, but since he’s no longer available, they’ll go with Griffen. Not always the most motivated player, Griffen is still blessed with great athleticism and pass rushing skills. If the Eagles can keep a fire under his butt, he should be a productive player.

25. Baltimore Ravens – Carlos Dunlap, DT, Florida. Baltimore’s trade for wide receiver Anquan Boldin took care of its need for a big-time playmaker not named Ray Rice. That being the case, the Ravens will focus on d-line with this pick. Kelly Gregg is still very good, but will turn 34 during the season and the team needs to find a player to team up with Haloti Ngata for the future. There are some questions surrounding Dunlap (lack of motivation and a DUI arrest in particular). But he’s also had nine sacks in each of the past two seasons.

26. Arizona Cardinals – Jerry Hughes, DE/OLB, TCU. Having lost Dansby, you could argue that the Cards should go inside linebacker here. But since there are no real ILBs worth taking at this spot, they’ll stick with Hughes (whom I had them taking in our original mock). Clark Haggans and Chike Okeafor are both aging and merely decent and, with 26 sacks over his final two years at TCU, Hughes has shown a knack for getting to the quarterback.

27. Dallas Cowboys – Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma. Again, I’m sticking with what worked the first time here. Flozell Adams, for all the hype and money, just isn’t very consistent in pass protection. Plus, he’s getting older, so the team needs to upgrade there for the future. Williams would have gone much higher if not for his subpar 2009 season, but he still has a lot of tools and could be a good pro, if he regains his 2008 form.

28. San Diego Chargers – Terrence Cody, DT, Alabama. In our first mock, I said this pick “could be surprising” considering the Bolts, at that point, still had Jamal Williams. Seeing as though Williams got cut (and signed with Denver), this pick is no longer a shock. In fact, it makes a lot of sense. San Diego needs its next Williams and “Mount Cody” could be just that, provided he stays motivated and keeps his weight down. Remember, Cody dominated for long stretches in the toughest conference in the country.

29. New York Jets – Sean Weatherspoon, OLB, Missouri. The names change (previously I had Clemson’s Ricky Sapp here), but the position remains the same. Like I said before, it’s time for New York to just suck it up and admit that Vernon Gholston is a bust and find someone else to go opposite Calvin Pace at OLB. Weatherspoon is not the biggest linebacker, at just 245 pounds, but like his good buddy Clay Matthews, he’s an intense, non-stop player who is good in mulitple facets. He was a leader for Mizzou’s defense and you can never have too many of those.

30. Minnesota Vikings – Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise State. With the Williams sisters still on trial (and possible facing four-game suspensions), Minnesota could very well look d-tackle here. But with all of the first-round tackles already gone, the Vikings turn their attention to cornerback. Good idea as Antoine Winfield is getting older and Cedric Griffin could miss the first six weeks due to his torn ACL. Wilson is a bit small at 5-feet, 9-inches, but is an aggressive, playmaking corner.

31. Indianapolis Colts – Bruce Campbell, OT, Maryland. Charlie Johnson was serviceable at left tackle last season, but is far from the long-term solution there. As I previously mentioned, there are some big questions surrounding Campbell. But he is also a freak, physically (6-feet, 7-inches, 310 pounds, with a sub-4.8 40 time). In fact, some think he’s got the most upside of any lineman in the draft. After a year of learning, he could protect Peyton Manning’s blindside for the rest of Manning’s career.

32. New Orleans Saints – Taylor Mays, S, USC. Darren Sharper’s knee injury/contract demands place his future in New Orleans in doubt. The team needs someone who can play right away in the event Sharper walks and that player could be Mays. Before last season, it would have been unthinkable to have him this low. But a bad 2009 season (just one interception) and doubts about his ceiling land him here. Still, Mays brings great value at this spot.

-Chris Lempesis

The past week has been hellish for your ol’ buddy Chris. Besides working at my regular job, I’ve also been in the process of moving to a new apartment and – if that weren’t enough – I’ve also been sick. I’ll spare you the details, but suffice to [...]]]> Before we begin, I must apologize to our faithful readers.

The past week has been hellish for your ol’ buddy Chris. Besides working at my regular job, I’ve also been in the process of moving to a new apartment and – if that weren’t enough – I’ve also been sick. I’ll spare you the details, but suffice to say, it’s been nasty.

Those things, when combined, are the reason why I haven’t been able to post our review of Green Bay’s 2007 draft.

But I’m moved in and on the mend, so, without further adieu, here is part three of our weekly series in which we are evaluating each of Ted Thompson’s four drafts as general manager of the Green Bay Packers.

Enjoy and, again, sorry.

The Scene: The Packers looked to be an improving team heading into the 2007 NFL draft. Green Bay had won four more games in 2006 than it had the previous year, finishing a respectable 8-8 and just missing the playoffs.

What gave us fans even more reason to be excited was that our general manager, Ted Thompson, finally seemed to be getting the hang of this drafting thing.

His 2006 draft had produced numerous starters/key backups (linebacker A.J. Hawk, wide receiver Greg Jennings, etc.) and we figured Teddy was one draft away from really putting this team in the “contender” category.

He had some work ahead of him, though, as the Packers were 22nd in points scored and 25th in points allowed in 2006. On top of that, the team had to find a replacement for running back Ahman “Fumblitis” Green, who had signed with Houston in free agency, more depth at the receiver position and a kicker to compete with Dave “Shaky” Rayner, amongst other things.

The Draft: The Packers held the 16th selection of the first round, but before their number could even come up, we were treated to an awful flashback.

It came in the form of Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn.

Quinn, once projected as a surefire top 10 selection, plummeted down the draft board to the point where he was there if Green Bay wanted him at 16 (even the ESPN cutaways to a baffled/depressed Quinn in the green room at Radio City Music Hall reminded us of 2005, with Aaron Rodgers playing the role of “guy who can’t figure out why he hasn’t been picked yet” in that drama).

Some were even suggesting the Packers actually take Quinn. Remember, at this point, no one knew if Rodgers was going to pan out, so by taking Quinn, some thought the Packers would fully be covering their bases in terms of finding a replacement for Brett Favre.

Green Bay did not take Quinn, however, sparing us from a lifetime of “Hey, did you know his brother-in-law (Hawk) plays on the team, too? That’s neat!” stories on ESPN.

What we got was even more baffling. What we got was Justin Harrell.

Harrell, a defensive tackle from Tennessee, hadn’t even made it through two games of his senior season before suffering a season-ending torn bicep injury.

Most draft prognosticators had him listed as a second or third round pick. That led to widespread anger/confusion from Packers fans – like this.

Thompson, as per usual, then sent the team’s second round pick, along with one of its seventh rounders, to the New York Jets for second, third and sixth round selections.

The second round pick was used on Nebraska running back Brandon Jackson. The third round selection was used to take Virginia Tech safety Aaron Rouse.

In between there, Green Bay used its own third round pick on San Jose State wideout James Jones.

In all, a thoroughly unsatisfying day one at the time. In addition to Harrell, Jackson and Jones were both ranked much lower than the spots in which Teddy took them.

Day two began, shockingly, with another trade down as Ted sent Green Bay’s fourth rounder to Pittsburgh for fourth and sixth round picks.

The fourth rounder, which some thought the team might use to acquire disgruntled Oakland wide receiver Randy Moss, was held onto and used to take guard/tackle Allen Barbre (Missouri Southern State).

The Packers then took another Hokie, wide receiver David Clowney, in the fifth round.

Green Bay, thanks to the Pittsburgh trade, had three picks in the sixth. They were spent on, in order, linebacker Korey Hall (Boise State), linebacker Desmond Bishop (California) and kicker Mason Crosby (Colorado).

Ted used the team’s two seventh round selections on running back DeShawn Wynn (Florida) and tight end Clark Harris (Rutgers).

The Results: Our general sense of confusion over Harrell has essentially been proven right. He has battled various injuries over his first two seasons, only playing in 13 games and recording just 27 total tackles with no playmaking stats.

It’s still too soon to use the “b” word on Harrell, but not too far away, either. Harrell is listed as a defensive end on the team’s current depth chart. He has the size to play the position and there is no question that this is a make-or-break season for him.

The rest of the day one picks (Jackson, Jones and Rouse) have all produced at some point, but need to be more consistent. All have potential to be good players – Jones and Rouse in particular – and it’s time they start showing some results week in and week out.

Day two was quite a success, compared to usual day two standards for most teams. This is particularly true with the three sixth rounders. Hall was converted into a fullback and has turned into a solid run blocker/pass catcher. The potential is there for him to be a strong starter, ala William Henderson, for quite some time. Bishop has turned into a solid special teams performer and was also serviceable at middle linebacker last season in place of the injured Nick Barnett. He could end up seeing some time at that same spot in the new 3-4 scheme this season. Crosby, although he regressed a bit last year, has been good for the most part and is definitely an upgrade over Rayner.

Wynn is an intriguing player, as well. He showed some flashes early in 2007 before being placed on injured reserve. He started last season on the practice squad before seeing time in five games, including a 100-yard rushing performance against Detroit in the season finale. As of now, he looks to be in the mix for the No. 3 running back spot.

Barbre was drafted as a project and has yet to make much of an impact. Still, the team likes his potential and, with the offensive line still in flux at the moment, he could crack the starting lineup with a good training camp.

Clowney and Harris are no longer with the team, although the former has caught on with the Jets.

The Grade: C+

This draft didn’t land much in the way of starters, but did provide the team with depth at several key positions. Players like Jones, Crosby and Wynn all contributed at some point during the team’s NFC Championship Game run in 2007, for example.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that the group, collectively, regressed last season – a big reason for the team’s disappointing 6-10 finish.

There’s big-time potential for this grade to rise, or fall, depending on how this group shows up next season.

One final note: Isn’t it funny how everyone wanted Green Bay to trade a third or fourth round pick in order to get Moss, only to have the team get within an overtime of the Super Bowl without him? Sometimes the best trades are the ones you don’t make, I guess.

-Chris Lempesis

While not a big area of need, the selection of Jordy Nelson [...]]]> After trading defensive tackle Corey Williams and trading out of the end of the first round in the 2008 draft, Ted Thompson armed himself with three second-round picks, not a bad scenario for a team that was an overtime away from the Super Bowl.

While not a big area of need, the selection of Jordy Nelson worked out as he contributed nicely in the recieving corps and special teams last season and showing a lot of promise.  The selection of Pat Lee also is justifiable, even if he hasn’t done much yet.  Cornerback was an area that needed youth and depth (the resigning of cornerback/safety/bain of my existence Jarrett Bush does not improve this). Thompson drafted the right choice of position, now Lee just needs to prove himself.

But the move that scrated the most heads then and even more so now is Brian Brohm.  The move could have been defended on draft day.  Recalling a draft-day phone converstation with Chris, the facts brought up were:  Best player available, which Thompson follows like scripture; Trade bait for future; Better than any free agent on the market at the time to back up Rodgers; Don’t know 100% what you have in Rodgers yet.  Chris wasn’t entirely talked off the ledge, but at least now he had to get a running start.

Fast forward one year later and almost of those above-mentioned points have fallen through.

Best Player Available:  Hardly, especially when seventh-rounder Matt Flynn beat Brohm out for the #2 job.  There is no point going through a list of rookies drafted after Brohm who had more  impact last season because Rodgers was the starter all year.  However, Chad Henne, selected one pick after has shown more promise in Miami than Brohm in Green Bay.

Trade bait:  If Thompson looked at Brohm as soley as trade chip for the future, that’s could be somewhat justified.  There have been enough scenarios where this has happened, most notably in Green Bay with Matt Hasselbeck and recently with Atlanta trading Matt Schaub to Houston.  However, Brohm’s value has dipped so low that it would be hard to anything close to equal value in return right now.  Best case scenario is that he lights up training camp and preseason the next two years and ups his value to at least the level he was drafted at.

Better than any free agent back up:  This is the only point that hasn’t gone bad.  At the time Brohm showed a lot of promise and remember that shortly before the draft the team was interested in bringing in Daunte Cullpepper.  Seeing what was out there, Thompson made the right move to gamble on Brohm instead of brining in any retread or washed up quarterback.

Don’t know what you have in Rodgers:  There were plenty of question marks with Rodgers going into last season.  How would he handle the pressure of following Favre?  Has he had enough live game experience?  What if he is a bust?  Is he an injury-risk?  And the list goes on.  However, from the beginning Thompson and McCarthy showed ultimate faith in Rodgers suceeding.  If that is the case, why draft a quarterback in the secon- round for competetion?  Well, as it turned out there was no competition, Rodgers had a border-line Pro Bowl season, and Thompson and McCarthy misjudged badly that Brohm could have an impact.

All is not lost for Brohm.  In reality, he is only a second-year quarterback and rookie seasons like Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco had in 2008 are very rare.  However, with Flynn beating Brohm out for the #2 position does raise some red flags.  This is not a shot at Flynn, who may develop into a solid NFL quarterback, but Brohm was once considered a can’t miss prospect and far from being raw out of college.

After his junior year at Louisville, Brohm was talked about in the breath as first-round picks JaMarcus Russell and Brady Quinn, and some ranked him ahead of one, if not both players.  Playing in an NFL-style system in college, Brohm earned Orange Bowl MVP honors after leading the Cardinals to victory over Wake Forest as a junior.  It was widely speculated that he would enter the NFL draft and be among the top picks selected, but decided to return for his senior season.

A player coming back for his senior year shouldn’t be looked down on, but like Matt Leinart, Brohm saw his draft stock worsen his senior year despite setting numerous school and Big East Conference records, including most career passing yards, completions and attempts.  Brohm also said on draft day that returing for his senior year helped him improve and mature as a player, so at the time some could say the Packers got a steal.

Well, it is only a steal if they can trade him for equal or greater value than when they drafted him.  The day Rodgers signed his new exentsion, Brohm’s value dropped even more and don’t think other NFL teams in need of a young quarterback didn’t take notice.

The question has never been about talent with Brohm, who has as much upside as almost any young quarterback in the league.  The questions are is if he can put it all together and if he will get the opportunity in Green Bay.  With Flynn as the #2, Brohm is getting less reps with the team’s top unit.  Also, if Rodgers gets hurt Flynn is the first off the bench, as was seen in the Tampa Bay game last year.

The Packers need Brohm to be the #2 this year in more ways than one.  While Rodgers stayed relatively healthy last season, he isn’t Favre and fans will have expect him to miss some time in the future.  Flynn has been solid in his back-up role, but Brohm presents more talent and potential.  If Rodgers goes down (God help us that he doesn’t), it could give Brohm the chance he needs.  However, he needs to prove himself first in the pre-season where he was awful last year.  The front office also need him to improve his trade value, so it doesn’t look like they wasted a second-round pick.

Coaching plays a vital part in this happening.  Can McCarthy, offensive coordinator Joe Philbin, and quarterbacks coach Tom Clements coach Brohm up enough to take over as the #2 and prove to the rest of the league that he isn’t a bust?  With Rodgers entreched as the Packers starter for the foreseeable future, Brohm’s stay in Green Bay will not be long.  When a quarterback is drafted in the second-round the hope is that he will be a future starter, or they can show enough to garner a high return in a trade. 

Right now Brohm and the team can’t do either, which means the 2009 season is arguably as critical to Brohm as it is to any current Packer.

-Adam Somers