The NFLDraftguys staff is going simulate playing the GM of each of the 31 teams picking in the first round and justify their picks. You can look forward to a new pick every day leading up to April 28, when the staff will be in Radio City Music Hall to see if they took our advice.
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Follow the progress of the On The Clock Draft Board, where you can see exactly how the first round would play out if the NFLDraftguys staff were making the calls in the war room.
Sean Baca
With the 16th pick in the 2007 NFL Draft the Green Bay Packers SHOULD take Marshawn Lynch RB, California
Let me preface this with the fact that someone will most likely trade up to get Lynch if he is not out-right drafted by someone. That being said, he is still available in this version and Green Bay would be insane not to take him in this spot and open up McCarthy's west coast offensive attack.
Lynch is the best all-around back in the draft and versatility are key to making the west coast offense click. He is superb out of the backfield and is a fiery and intense player with the rock in his hands. The rumors are that the running back position may be losing ground in this draft due to free agent veteran backs being available. If that is the case then maybe, just maybe Lynch falls to Green Bay and then Brett can wheel and deal less and just hand the ball to a 20-25 carry a game back for a while. Like I said in my Mock Draft, west coast offense meet Marshawn Lynch, you guys will be great together.
Marc Faletti
With the 16th pick in the NFL draft, the Green Bay Packers SHOULD select JaMarcus Russell, QB, LSU.
Surprise! According to my "ideal" board, Russell's still available. This isn't how I expect the draft to unfold, of course, but rather how I believe it should, and in that scenario, the guy who wings the ball around like Favre is there to be snatched up by Green Bay at 16.
Russell possesses the tools to go much higher, and he certainly will. He has the same amazing wrist-flick power Vick does, even on the run, but unlike Vick he looks totally natural delivering the ball anywhere on the field. He's a huge man with a cannon arm, and because QBs are so hard to find, he may go 15 picks higher than this. On my board, though, QBs don't get special treatment. Russell's weight, short-range accuracy problems, and gambling mentality should be manageable but are causes for concern. Don't worry, I consider it more likely he'll succeed than not; that's why he's a first-rounder. But even a successful Russell might be a frustrating risk-taker, and his yellow flags drop him a notch below last year's top 3 to me. With so many potential cornerstone defensive players in this draft, I would find it hard to take Russell earlier than this.
The Packers, on the other hand, need to unearth a franchise player who can keep the positive momentum of the Favre era going after #4 retires, making they're the perfect team to roll the dice with Russell.
Cecil Lammey
With the 16th pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, the Green Bay Packers SHOULD take Darrelle Revis, CB, Pittsburgh Panthers.
The Packers were hoping that Marshawn Lynch would fall this far, but now must address their RB woes at a later time in the draft. Another big hole on their team is quality depth at the CB position. Al Harris and Charles Woodson have some time left, so why not groom an up and coming CB in the process?
Toughness is the name of the game when breaking down film of Revis. He's not your regular CB either. He can fill the gap and stop the run with some of the best corners in the league. His tackling is textbook, and very sound in the open field. In press coverage he likes to mix it up with the WR's and hassle them all the way down the field. He knows how to get his hips low in and out of breaks. He does a great job of reading the QB's eyes and anticipates the play with expert precision.
Green Bay is hoping to make one last run with Brett Favre. The weapons are there on offense (although an upgrade or more depth at RB would be nice), so the Pack looks to improve it's defense. Revis can do that, and inject some youth into a squad that already has a very good and young LB corps.
Sigmund Bloom
With the 16th pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, the Green Bay Packers SHOULD take Darrelle Revis, CB, Pittsburgh Panthers.
A selection of Revis is the best of both worlds: He's a short term boost as a nickel corner and return man who can have a similar impact as the one Richard Marshall had in Carolina last year. He can make big plays on special teams and like Marshall, he looks to score any time he gets the ball in his hands on defense. More importantly, this means Revis represents a use of the first that will help Brett's Last (?)
Revis helps answer the question of what lies in the future at CB for the Packers. Charles Woodson and Al Harris's best years are behind them. In my ideal draft world, Revis is the first CB off the board because of his added value as a punt returner, and his shutdown CB mentality. He also didn't get burned as often as Leon Hall, but then again, he was barely thrown at all year.
