It will be another late night for Green Bay Packers fans, as playoff success again has Green Bay drafting near the end of tonight’s first round.
This time, general manager Ted Thompson has the 27th pick for the first of nine selections the Packers are scheduled to make over the next three days.
The Packers most immediate need is on the defensive line, which is now without B.J. Raji due to his announced hiatus, and Mike Pennel’s four-game drug suspension to start the season.
Thompson rarely trades up in the first round and with a large group of defensive linemen, it does not appear that he’ll need to, as Kenny Clark of UCLA and Jarran Reed of Alabama are among the possible options for the Packers.
The Packers also have a need at inside linebacker with Clay Matthews supposedly moving back to the outside again. The Packers also have three offensive line starters in the final years of their contracts, which makes it entirely possible that Thompson will draft a couple of lineman at some point during the three day draft.
Round one is tonight with rounds two and three on Friday. The remainder of the draft will be held on Saturday.