Packers trade first-round pick to Browns
Packers get second-, fourth-round picks in trade
GREEN BAY – The Green Bay Packers traded back four slots on the first night of the NFL draft on Thursday, gaining the opening selection in the fourth round from the Cleveland Browns but losing the chance to draft two attractive players to beef up their defense.
Green Bay dealt its first-round choice, No. 29, to the Browns. In exchange, Cleveland gave the Packers the first pick in the second round (No. 33) on Friday night and the first choice in the fourth round (No. 108) on Saturday morning.
On one trade value chart used by NFL teams, the Packers traded 640 points and received 658 for a plus-18.
“We felt like today went pretty well,” general manager Ted Thompson said. “We thought things fell in ways we thought were
to us. Especially set up for the next couple days, and we did not have to give up a whole lot to get a couple of the breaks.
“We feel good at where we are, but we didn’t draft anybody. We will see about that tomorrow. We have something kind of unusual. We have the first pick tomorrow and the first pick on Saturday.”
By trading, the Packers lost out on outside linebacker T.J. Watt of Wisconsin, who went 30th to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and inside linebacker Reuben Foster, who fell all the way to No. 31 and the San Francisco 49ers.
Foster was regarded as the No. 1 player at the position in the Journal Sentinel’s pre-draft polling of personnel people despite injury and offthe-field concerns.
Several prominent names, however, remain for the Packers on Friday when the draft resumes
at 6 p.m.
Kevin King of Washington, at 6 feet 3 inches the tallest top cornerback in the draft, was held in highest regard by the Packers before the draft.
In addition, Florida State’s Dalvin Cook, the terrific running back and another of the Packers’ targeted players, remains available. Cook was regarded as a distinct character risk by several teams due to various arrests dating back to high school in Miami.
Two other players, guard Forrest Lamp of Western Kentucky and cornerback Quincy Wilson of Florida, also would seem attractive to Green Bay.
“You could tell from tonight that the board was pretty strong there at the end and we felt good about where we were,” Thompson said. “We were fortunate to have a team or two interested in doing something with us.
“You need to have a dancer.”
Thus, for the first time since 2008 the Packers won’t have a selection in the first round.
In that draft, Thomp-advantageous
son traded the 30th pick to the New York Jets in exchange for a secondround pick (No. 36) and a pick in the fourth round. In those days, the draft was a two-day affair, so the Packers didn’t have to wait long before selecting wide receiver Jordy Nelson.
Nelson developed into one of the NFL’s leading wide receivers. Now the Packers will be attempting to it again first thing Friday night.
The trade with Cleveland on Thursday night marked the 20th time in Thompson’s 13 drafts in Green Bay in which he has moved down. In contrast, he has traded up nine times.
“I think it is very good strategy-wise,” said Thompson. “We know where we’re at and what we’ll do.”
In all, the Packers have nine selections in the remaining six rounds in which to bolster their thin defense and increase their roster of 64 players, which is 26 beneath the 90-man limit.
Despite their status as a NFC Championship Game participant last
season and perennial Super Bowl contender, the Packers went into the three-day, 253-pick event with significant needs at four positions.
No void on the depth chart in Green Bay was larger than at cornerback, where the Packers have been scrambling since losing Sam Shields to a career-ending concussion in Game 1.
The holdovers at cornerback are LaDarius Gunter, Damarious Randall, Quinten Rollins, Demetri Goodson, Josh Hawkins and Herb Waters, a converted wide receiver.
In March, the Packers re-signed Davon House, who spent the last two seasons playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
It is incumbent upon the front office to secure
a No. 1 cornerback in the draft.
The Packers entered the draft short-handed at running back. Eddie Lacy and James Starks, the two leading ball carriers the past four seasons when healthy, have departed.
Lacy signed with the Seattle Seahawks as an unrestricted free agent, and Starks was released.
Presently, the Packers have Ty Montgomery, Christine Michael and Don Jackson at the position.
At inside linebacker, the Packers haven’t had a top-notch performer since Desmond Bishop suffered a torn hamstring in the 2012 exhibition opener that effectively ended his career.
Undersized Joe Thomas returns after probably having the best season of the three, while Jake Ryan begins his third year and Blake Martinez will be entering his second.
The void at right guard was created when the Packers didn’t make a financial offer strong enough to stop T.J. Lang from taking a three-year, $28.5 million deal from
the Detroit Lions.
On Wednesday, the Packers took a band-aid approach by adding Jahri Evans (6-4, 318), a 33year-old unrestricted free agent from New Orleans.
Evans is joined on the depth chart at guard by Kyle Murphy, a sixthround draft choice in 2016 who played eight snaps from scrimmage as a rookie; Don Barclay, a five-position backup with 27 starts in five seasons, and Lucas Patrick, a free agent from Duke who spent his entire rookie season on the practice squad.
The Packers also could be seeking reinforcements in the defensive front seven.
At outside linebacker, the well-paid combination of Clay Matthews and Nick Perry is backed by Kyler Fackrell and Jayrone Elliott. Datone Jones and Julius Peppers left as unrestricted free agents.
The defensive line returns intact with 3-technique Mike Daniels, 5technique Dean Lowry and nose tackle Letroy Guion.