Draft Predictions and Late Free Agent Stuff

Well, it seems The Ted has a philosophy about unrestricted free agent offensive linemen. He only signs two kinds. The first kind is veteran backups like the first UFA he signed guard Adrian Klemm and the second is used up former All-Pros at the end of the line like center Jeff Saturday and now guard Jahri Evans. And none of them proved to be a good pick up.

Klemm was signed to replace Mike Wahle at left guard and he lasted just 8 games as a starter before being replaced by center Scott Wells. Saturday was signed to replace Wells, who was allowed to walk as a free agent and had nothing left in the tank and was eventually benched for the last 2 games of the 2012 season being replaced by Evan Dietrick Smith.

Now Evans has been signed and I think he will be the same kind of player that Saturday proved to be. Evans was drafted No. 4 by the Saints in 2006 and became the highest paid offensive lineman when he signed a 7 year, $56.7 million dollar contract after making his first Pro Bowl in 2009. It was a good investment for the next five seasons with him making the Pro Bowl each season,

However, in the 6th year of that contract Evans was getting long in the tooth in 2015 - missing five games with hamstring and ankle injuries. So the Saints signed a 1-year extension to cut his cap number in half after the season, but, instead they just cut him. He was picked up by the Seahawks, but they cut him before the season. The Saints re-signed him to a 1 year, $1 million dollar contract when they couldn't find a replacement for him at right guard and he started every game, but was obviously not the player he once was and they let him walk again as a unrestricted free agent with no intention of bringing him back a second time.

I feel he was signed to be a 1-year stopgap to replace Pro Bowl right guard T.J. Lang and his signing has changed the dynamic of the Packers draft.

Now to the draft. The big hole in the lineup was at right guard and if Forrest Lamp from West Kentucky was available it would have been hard to pass him up. He would have beaten out all the other pretenders at right guard (Don Barclay, Lucas Patrick, Justin McCray and even tackles Kyle Murphy and Jason Spriggs). But now with Evans on board guard is no longer a priority pick.

So the next position up should be either a pass rusher, an inside linebacker or a cornerback. However with the last 2 drafts focusing on inside linebacker (Jake Ryan and Blake Martinez) and cornerback (Damarious Randall and Quinten Collins) I feel drafting either of those positions would be an admittance by The Ted that he drafted wrong and he won't admit that, so they are off the table.

That leaves running back and here's where it gets interesting. Joe Mixon from Oklahoma State will likely be sitting there at 29 and he would have been a top 10 pick if it weren't for his questionable character issues. Normally punching a girl would have kept him  off of The Ted's prospects list, but with running back being populated by Ty Montgomery, Christine Michael and Don Jackson The Ted has left himself in a quandary. Does he pass up a character guy like he has many times, or does him admit he needs a pick at his position and give him a chance.

I would have bet the farm Mixon wouldn't be on the list, but The Ted brought him in for a pre-draft kick of the tires and went to his Pro Day. I was shocked, but The Ted is not stupid and even he has to come to the realization that the Packers have to reload and having Mixon at the main running back would be a great pickup. I wouldn't be surprised he would grab him at 29.

However, if he just can't pull that trigger then a defensive player would be up next, but I don't think a difference maker would be available at 29. In that case I think he trades down to pick up an extra pick or 2 and begin to rebuild his defense with the next four picks.

The Ted will then draft an offensive lineman and running back in the lower 3 rounds.

Other Predictions:

Chad Reuter for NFL.com has the Packers drafting OLB T.J. Watt (J.J. Watt's brother) at 29 followed by D'Onta Foreman, RB, Texas, in the second; Shaquill Griffin, CB, UCF, in the third; Sean Harlow, G, Oregon State, in the fourth; Jonathan Calvin, DE, Mississippi State, and Nate Hairston, CB, Temple, in the fifth; Robert Davis, WR, Georgia State, in the sixth and Jonathan McLaughlin, T, Virginia Tech in the seventh.

The other NFL.com draft pickers (not to be confused with nose pickers) have predicted that the Packers will draft the following at 29 - Daniel Jeremiah: Joe Mixon; Mike Maylock: RB Alvin Kamara from Tennessee; Lance Zierlein: DE Takkarist McKinley from UCLA; Bucky Brooks: Joe Mixon; and Charley Casserly: CB Teez Tabor from Florida.

It seems two others feel Mixon will be taken by The Ted. Well, tonight we'll see if the interest in Mixon was real or just a Ted Thompson smokescreen. I don't like what Mixon did, but if he is sincere and (I have doubts about that), but with all things being equal I would roll the dice and pick Mixon.