Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson has never traded up in a draft that he's been in charge of and I don't expect him to start this weekend.
Thompson has been in charge of three drafts so far. In 2005, he orchestrated three draft day trades, all of them moving back to acquire more picks. Thompson made four trades in 2006 and two more last year. That's nine deals in three years, all of them moving back.
Those moves turned into an additional 11 draft picks. Thompson turned 7 picks into 11 in 2005. He went from 7 to 12 picks in 2006 and then from 9 to 11 last year.
I believe Thompson will start dealing right off the bat. He'll find a taker for the 30th pick and he'll move backwards to acquire additional picks.
The last time the Packers held the 30th pick was in 1997. That year, the Packers selected Iowa's Ross Verba who turned into a quality starter with the Packers.
The 30th pick has turned out some talented players in recent years. In 2006, the Indianapolis Colts took Joseph Addai with the 30th pick. In 2005, Pittsburgh took TE Heath Miller. The Colts selected WR Reggie Wayne in 2001 while Tennessee selected LB Keith Bulluck in 2000. And in 1999, Atlanta made Patrick Kerney the 30th overall pick. Kerney is the 2007 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
Following is a break down by position of the Packers picks since Ted Thompson took over as GM.
First round (3): Quarterback, Linebacker, Defensive Tackle
Second round (5): Wide Receiver (2), safety, guard, running back
Third round (3): Linebacker, guard, wide receiver, safety
Fourth round (5): Safety, linebacker, wide receiver, cornerback, guard
Fifth round (5): Guard, cornerback, quarterback, tackle, wide receiver
Sixth round (7): Def. end, wide receiver, Def. tackle, safety, linebacker,
fullback, kicker
Seventh round (5): Linebacker, guard, def. end, running back, tight end
Barring a trade, the Packers go into the draft with 8 selections in 7 rounds.