I would say the short answer to that is, “no.” However, the Green Bay Packers would be wise to draft defense early, later this month.
Their primary needs in our book are cornerback and edge rusher.
Running back would probably come in a distant third for a number of reasons. First, despite having plenty of talent at running back, first with Eddie Lacy and then with Ty Montgomery, Mike McCarthy regularly refuses to make the running game a priority. Second, it has been proven time and again that you can add talent at running back in the middle and late rounds of the draft.
So despite many “experts” pegging running back as the Packers’ first-round pick, most of us aren’t buying that.
The Packers’ offense was fine in 2016 and despite some free agent losses, it should be fine in 2017. It was the defense that was the problem and that unit hasn’t really gotten any better this offseason.
So will the Packers address that in a couple weeks? They better.
In fact, here’s what a veteran scout told Mike Freeman about the Packers’ first-round selection.
“If they don’t go defense here, everyone in that scouting department should be fired.”
Fortunately for the Packers, two of the draft’s deepest spots appear to be cornerback and edge rusher.
The top cornerbacks — and sure-fire day one contributors — will likely be gone before the Packers pick at No. 29. If the Packers grab a cornerback at that spot, we don’t expect him to be an instant starter.
That would seem to make edge rusher the obvious choice. There likely will be rushers who can contribute right away available at No. 29.
Of course, until players start coming off the board on April 27, this is a huge crapshoot.
Would anyone be surprised if Ted Thompson chose a receiver in the first round? You shouldn’t be.