Makes sense – this is a Packers’ blog, after all.

But there are three other teams in the NFC North, of course, and we’re going to kick off our draft week coverage – seriously, [...]]]> The last few weeks at OBOD have been dedicated entirely to discussing the upcoming draft as it pertains to the Green Bay Packers.

Makes sense – this is a Packers’ blog, after all.

But there are three other teams in the NFC North, of course, and we’re going to kick off our draft week coverage – seriously, the draft is three days away…holy crap – by taking a look at what those teams could/should do Thursday through Saturday to improve themselves.

(Quick note: I’ll be rolling out a Packers version of this on Wednesday.)

Chicago Bears

Day one: Have everyone over at head coach Lovie Smith’s house to watch game four of Blackhawks/Predators. Study the Blackhawks. Take notes on how to use the draft to build a competitive team, as the Blackhawks did. Feel free to watch game three of Bulls/Cavs during the commercial breaks. Keep Jay Cutler away from the open bar, though.

Day two: During the early part of the evening (i.e., the second round), you can go with either Cubs/Brewers or White Sox/Mariners. Again, you have no picks here and baseball is a good way to pass the time. Personally, I’d go with the Cubs/Brewers game – Adam’s right, I am a closet Brewers fan - but the choice is yours. Once the third round gets rolling later in the night, get excited – you finally get to draft someone!

But who should you draft? Well, you’re lucky in the sense that you’ve got clearly defined needs (offensive line, cornerback and wide receiver). I’d go with an offensive lineman; Cutler’s your biggest asset going forward and you need to protect him much better than you did last season. Ole Miss’ John Jerry should be on the board at pick No. 75 and he’d be a nice fit. He’s an old-school mauler type at 6-feet, 5-inches and 332 pounds. He played right tackle in college, but is likely a guard in the pros. Either way, he’d provide immediate relief to that group.

Day three: I’d hold off on a wide receiver in round four. You’ve got some young talent there (Johnny Knox, Earl Bennett and Devin Aromashodu) and you should give those guys one more year to see if any of them can turn into a true No. 1 wideout. You need to snag a safety or corner. If you go the safety route, I’d look long and hard at Florida’s Major Wright. He’s raw, but his speed, recovery time and zone skills make him a nice fit for your Cover-2 scheme. As for a corner, UCLA’s Alterraun Verner would work nicely. He’s small (5-feet, 10-inches) and a bit slow, but he’s got great ball skills and knows how to play the zone.

In the fifth round, take either a corner or safety (whichever spot you didn’t address in round four). Round out your draft by taking a wide receiver in the sixth round and a developmental quarterback in the seventh.

Detroit Lions

Day one: First, let me say that – for the first time in my life, seemingly – there appears to be a legitimate plan in place in Detroit, one that doesn’t rely on drafting wide receivers. That bodes well for the future.

I’ve had you taking Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh with the No. 2 pick in each of my mock drafts and I’ll stick with that. He’s a dual-purpose difference-maker and could be a force for the next decade. Suh, Corey Williams and Sammie Hill give you a nice three-man rotation at d-tackle. Those guys, along with Cliff Avril and Kyle Vanden Bosch, will give you a greatly improved d-line next season.

Day two: You have almost no corners. That must be fixed (and for God’s sake, stay away from Pacman!). Alabama’s Kareem Jackson was dominant in a pro-style defense. He brings a real swagger with him and he can play – and make an impact – right away. Take him in the second round. He’ll be around for a long time. 

Now it’s round three and your truly bad offensive line can no longer be ignored. Trading for Rob Sims cleaned things up at the left guard spot. But left tackle Jeff Backus has never been anything special and he turns 33 in September. Luckily for you, your future left tackle resides in-state: Hillsdale’s Jared Veldheer. He’s 6-feet, 8-inches, 312 pounds and boasts the athleticism of a tight end. He could cover Matthew Stafford for the rest of Stafford’s career once he steps in. Some say he needs a year; I think he could be ready by mid-season.

Day three: I like running back Kevin Smith, but more as a dual-option back. You need a true smash-mouth runner to compliment him. He’s a major gamble, no question about it, but Oregon’s LeGarrette Blount would fill that role perfectly. He’d bring great value as a fourth-rounder and I think Jim Schwartz can keep him in line.

Round out your draft with more corner and o-line depth and grab a safety somewhere in there, too, if you can.

Minnesota Vikings

Day one: Before we begin, I just want to reiterate that I hate you.

Okay, with that out of the way, I think you need a corner more than anything. Antoine Winfield is getting older and Cedric Griffin could miss the first six weeks (torn ACL). But I’m just not sure the value will be there. It’s a deep draft at that spot, anyways. Defensive tackle Pat Williams is still very good, but he turns 38 in October. You need to find his eventual replacement. Alabama’s Terrence Cody is a gamble because of his weight troubles, but when you put on the tape, this guy dominates. Cody, Kevin Williams and Jared Allen could be a scary threesome for the next eight-to-10 years.

Day two: We’ve reached the second round and it’s now time to take a corner. Wake Forest’s Brandon Ghee has tremendous speed and is an excellent tackler (he reminds me of Winfield in that sense). His ball skills are a work in progress, but could improve with good coaching.

In the third round, you must fill the void left by Chester Taylor’s departure and find a backup for Adrian Peterson. USC’s Joe McKnight would be a good fit. He’s not an every down runner, but that’s not a big deal – you’ve already got one of those. McKnight has great speed and vision (particularly outside the tackles) and is a very good pass catcher.

Day three: Left guard Steve Hutchinson is an elite player, obviously, but he turns 33 in November. Your other guard, Anthony Herrera, is average. In other words, you could use some depth there. One guy I love as a fourth-rounder is Arkansas’ Mitch Petrus. He’s raw (just converted to guard two years ago), but he’s got the athleticism of a fullback/tight end (the spots he played before his conversion). Plus, he tied the combine record with 45 bench press reps – simply astounding.

I’d round out my draft by looking for depth at safety, outside linebacker and wide receiver.

So there’s my two cents on what the other three NFC North teams should do in the draft.

I can’t wait until later in the week when they take me up on exactly none of it.

-Chris Lempesis

That’s right – six.

With that being the case, let’s skip the cute intro and get right to it, shall we?

The numbers: 6-feet, 1-inch, 235 pounds…recently turned 23 years old…4.50 40-yard dash time at the combine…consensus first team All American in 2009…runner-up for the Heisman Trophy…1,871 rushing [...]]]> Six running backs down. Six more to go.

That’s right – six.

With that being the case, let’s skip the cute intro and get right to it, shall we?

• Toby Gerhart, Stanford

The numbers: 6-feet, 1-inch, 235 pounds…recently turned 23 years old…4.50 40-yard dash time at the combine…consensus first team All American in 2009…runner-up for the Heisman Trophy…1,871 rushing yards (5.5 average) and 27 rushing touchdowns in 2009.

How did we not mention Gerhart in either of our first two running back posts? We’re not exactly sure, but regardless, there’s a lot to like about him. He’s very much a throwback-type of runner. He’s big, powerful, tough and a pain in the you-know-what to bring down. He always lets the hole develop before hitting it with all he’s got. Of course, being a throwback runner also means Gerhart lacks elite speed. He won’t run by too many guys in the pros. He doesn’t bring much as a pass catcher, either (just 11 grabs last season). Still, he’s not likely to last past the second round and brings value strictly for his ability to pick up the tough yards.

• Ben Tate, Auburn

The numbers: 5-feet, 11-inches, 218 pounds…turns 22 years old in August…4.34 40-yard dash time at the combine…second team All SEC in 2009…1,362 rushing yards (5.2 average) and 10 rushing touchdowns in 2009.

Tate brings many of the same things to the table that Gerhart does. He’s got excellent size and toughness and can be a pain to tackle. The difference with Tate is that he also brings elite speed (see: his 40 time) and is a better pass blocker than Gerhart. He’s got very good hands, as well, despite not catching the ball much at Auburn. On the downside, his vision is not great and some have wondered just how much of a gamebreaker he can be in the pros. He’s also had some fumble issues (never good). His combination of size and speed is very intriguing and he would be a very solid addition if the Packers wait until round three to pick a back.

• Montario Hardesty, Tennessee

The numbers: 6-feet, 225 pounds…turned 23 years old in February…4.49 40-yard dash time at the combine…second team All SEC in 2009…1,345 rushing yards (4.8 average) and 302 receiving yards in 2009…14 total touchdowns last season.

I’m starting to wonder if there’s a trend with these second team All SEC backs from last season. Hardesty, like Tate, is a big, tough, punishing runner who has no problem taking on contact. He’s also a solid pass blocker and a slightly better pass catcher than Tate. He’s only really had one year as “the guy”, but that might also mean he’s just tapping the surface of what he can do (if you’re an optimist, anyway). Unlike Tate, though, Hardesty lacks elite speed and, if you’re a pessimist, you could think he’s simply a one-year wonder. Hardesty is ultimately a bit of an unknown and will likely still be around in round three if Green Bay decides it wants to solve the riddle.

• LeGarrette Blount, Oregon

The numbers: 6-feet, 1-inch, 241 pounds…turns 24 years old in December…4.70 40-yard dash time at the combine (improved it to 4.59 for his pro day in March)…suspended for most of 2009 as a result of punching incident after Oregon’s season-opener against Boise State…1,002 rushing yards (7.3 average) and 17 rushing touchdowns in 2008.

Okay, okay – we’ll give you a second to calm down as we’re sure you’re thinking we’ve lost our minds for including Blount on this list. The man who threw the “Punch Heard ‘Round the World” as a Packer? Sure, it seems crazy…until you consider the type of player Blount is. When he is able to harness his maniacal energy and use it on the field, he’s a beast. He has no fear and will do whatever it takes to get the job done. Consider his Senior Bowl showing – the guy ran over everything in his path. If he’s learned his lesson – granted, that could be a big “if” – and can get within the right environment, he could be the next Brandon Jacobs. If the Packers decide to target some other areas earlier in the draft, why not take a flier on Blount in round four? Admit it – you’re intrigued.

• Joique Bell, Wayne State

The numbers: 5-feet, 11-inches, 220 pounds…turns 24 years old in August…4.68 40-yard dash time at both the combine and his pro day…2009 Harlon Hill Award winner (best player in Division II)…2,084 rushing yards (6.4 average) and 29 rushing touchdowns in 2009.

What’s with us and guys from the GLIAC, eh? Bell, like Jared Veldheer before him, played for a team in that conference (being from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, I’m more than familiar with these teams, by the way). Bell has great vision and, while not naturally fast, he’s able to use his quickness to hit that extra gear in a hurry. His toughness is also an asset, as he does not shy away from contact. He’s got good hands and is a more-than-willing pass blocker. In fact, the only real knock on Bell is that he played at the D-II level. But if that’s the only knock, that’s really not that much of a problem, especially when you consider he ran for over 2,000 yards. He’ll still be on the board in round four – maybe even round five – and, like Blount, he’d provide great value if Green Bay looks elsewhere early on.

• Pat Paschall, North Dakota State

The numbers: 6-feet, 209 pounds…turned 23 years old in March…4.65 40-yard dash time at the combine (improved it to 4.57 for his pro day in March)…1,397 rushing yards (6.7 average) and 16 rushing touchdowns in 2009.

This post has, obviously, mainly focused on big, powerful runners. While he has decent enough size, Paschall is not necessarily that type of back. He’s a shaky, quick runner who has the ability to get outside and turn it on. He’s also a good receiver. On the downside, he’s not overly physical and runs far too tall at times. Don’t look to him to pick up the tough yards, either, as he’s likely an outside-the-tackles runner in the pros. Still, his positives make him an ideal “change of pace back” candidate and he’d definitely be worth a look late in the draft (say, round six or seven). 

That wraps up our coverage of running backs (and, really, offensive players in general). Starting Monday, defense will be the name of the game for us.

Thanks for checking us out this week, everyone. We really appreciate it. Stay tuned – the fun’s only getting started.

-Chris Lempesis