As we near the 2006 draft day, speculation of what the Packers are going to do with their fifth overall pick is running rampant. It's very easy to get caught up in all the hype and scenarios that are going around. And I for one, get caught up in it and find myself wondering at the possibilities. But first let me say that the Packers' needs are many... They go into the draft needing a lot of help and only have, at the moment of course, 7 picks to work with. Now, from here on out you have to pay close attention so you don't get lost because this is a very complicated situation for a lot of reasons. The Packers have a lot of need and we're going to see if we can figure some of these things out.

First off, regardless of the return of Favre or not, the Packers are not happy with Aaron Rogers and the prospect of him eventually leading the team, so there's a big question mark there for sure. And seeing that Ted Thompson has not ruled out taking a quarterback with his first pick, we're left wondering if he just might. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Back to the personnel the Packers need. Now follow along because this is a list that would make Santa Claus cry.

They way I see it, and again these are starters, we're not even thinking about having any kind of quality supporting cast, but the Packers need two linebackers, a safety, a corner, a defensive end, at least one more defensive linemen, they need at least 2 inside offensive linemen, a running back incase Green doesn't come back to his pro bowl form, they need another wide receiver---hopefully a playmaker to start opposite of Driver and if you really want a chance to do anything in the playoffs, they need a better Tightend. I know, they just gave Franks a big contract extension but come on, we're talking Bubba Franks here. Who wouldn't want to pick the likes of Vernon Davis over Franks? But then again, that's another subject we'll get into later.

For right now, that pretty much sums up the needs of the Packers. Oh, wait. I was wrong. I forgot, they don't have a kicker or a punter either. So let's recap, they need at least 11 players that are pro caliber to immediately fill in the gaps in their roster, and they go into the draft with just 7 picks. Okay, I can see where Thompson might want to do some horse dealing. But again, the question is where in the draft do you look to trade down? We'll get to that in a minute.

For now, let's talk about the possibility of taking a quarterback at #5. There should most certainly be at least one of the big three left at that slot. And if that's the case, should the Packers pluck him from the ranks of the college players demanding huge salaries having never proven themselves in the professional game? If you noted a bit of cynicism there you weren't mistaken. But again, we'll discuss that topic at a later date. For now, the scenario we're working on is the Packers picking a quarterback in the first round in back-to-back drafts. Let's take a minute to consider this fact.

According to at least one expert that supposed to know everything there is to know about football. No, not me. I lost that moniker when I couldn't answer the question about a tackler making a tackle and getting called for hitting below the knees. I mean, who knew? Certainly not me. Anyway, according to this know-it-all, the Packers' current roster, and included depth chart, has the making for a 3-13 team this year. (That ought to make Packer fans excited.) But if he's correct, the Packers would be in position to draft a top-rated quarterback such as Notre Dame's Brady Quinn and Michigan State's Drew Stanton in 2007. And according to experts, those two young men are in the same class if not a little better than this year's quarterback prospects available in the upcoming draft. So that begs the question, does Thompson trade down to acquire more picks this year and hope to be in the running for one of the two studs at QB next year?

Again, I know that's not what true football fans want to hear. Nobody actually wants to cast off the present season in hopes of getting better next year because as every football fan knows you have to do everything humanly possible to get to the super bowl right away and damn the forward looking plans for the following years. Why else would there be such a fuss over whether Brett Favre returns or not? It's not like he's going to lead this team to a super bowl this year and he's already said that this is definitely his last year. And you might even think that entire situation has some effect on this year's draft but it doesn't. Anyway, that's fodder for another article another day.

What we're discussing here is whether to pick a QB with the fifth pick this year, or to take a defensive gem in the form of Mario Williams or A.J. Hawk if either one's available? Or to trade down to acquire more picks to try and fill a roster that resembles a practice squad roster. And let me just throw this in here for you to ponder. In five drafts for Seattle and one for the Packers, Thompson has traded down eight times and never traded up. He entered the '05 draft with seven picks and finished with 11.

Given that track record, and the fact that Green Bay has a laundry list of voids in their current inventory, no one will be surprised if he does some trading down in this draft. Right? Right. Heck, you can almost make book on it. But perhaps the better question is where? Where is Thompson going to go looking for deals? Now considering that the Packers pick in pretty decent positions in the second and third rounds, waiting until say the 3rd round to go bargain hunting might be a possibility. Remember, that was when Thompson made his move last year. For instance, Green Bay picks again at 36 (in the second round) instead of 60, and at 67 instead of picking at 90 (in the third round).

Which translates into this; with the 5th overall and then their next two within the first 67 picks, they should get three very good players without having to do anything as far as trading up or down. However, their last three picks in the fifth(139,165) and seventh(253) rounds are late picks and probably won't net them much, or at least they won't have much to choose from. And then of course, they can always fill the vacancies with the unsigned free agents as soon as the draft is over. But there you can't expect to pick up much from the scrap heap. So he could trade down from the 5th spot or dump the 3rd rounder for a package deal which seems to be a better alternative if he's just looking to acquire more selections.

So what this all sets up, as far as I'm concerned, is if the Packers use their #5 pick no matter who they select, they'll say they picked the best player on the board. To that I say hogwash! I have always felt that was a just a cop-out to justify picking a guy everybody else wanted but didn't necessarily fill your team's need. Very rarely is that true. And you have to go no further back in the Packers' draft history than last year when they picked Rogers at #24 to see that sort of thing happen. At the time, they said they couldn't pass him up because he was the best man on the board at that slot, having slid all the way down from a projected 1st or 2nd overall pick. I know hindsight is 20/20 so looking back now it's kinda tough to make that statement when the likes of Luis Castillo and Heath Miller were still available. And I also know what the critics will say in rebuttal, that Rogers was Favre's backup and not expected to play. But stop and think of this, even now the Packers are still not showing any confidence in Rogers a year later, which is why I began writing this article in the first place. So explain how you considered him the best player on the board then? Huh? Go ahead, I'll wait. Okay, but you get my point. Anyway, I find myself getting off the subject again. For that I apologize.

So getting back to the dilemma of what to do with that #5 pick. As I had eluded to earlier, what if there is one of the big three quarterbacks left when the Packers come to the podium? You've got a head coach who passed on the guy you now have slated to be the heir apparent to the QB throne for Green Bay so you know that if one of those other three studs are available McCarthy's going to be chewing on Thompson's ear to take him. I mean, he didn't think much of Rogers last year, not a whole lot has come to pass to change that feeling I'm sure. Which means you take a quarterback instead of A.J. Hawk or Mario Williams? Does that mean you take a quarterback instead of Vernon Davis or Michael Huff, the CB out of Texas? Or Oregon defensive tackle Haloti Ngata or Virginia tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson? You can argue that all of these young players are franchise players, not that the quarterback you picked is not. But it's something to think about.

To take a player you thought you already had solidified on your roster from last year's draft is like a kick in the guts. It leaves you windless and feeling as if you're going to hurl... On the other hand, if the quarterback you have in your corral isn't as good as the one that's on the board when you come to pick, what do you do? One might consider that Thompson would trade down from the #5 slot just so he wouldn't have to be faced with that decision... Just a thought.

Anyway, what it all comes down to is this, we're getting closer to draft day and still nothing has been solved. And believe me, nothing will until the day finally gets here. And you can join the rest of the so-called experts and contemplate this until the cows come home, we won't know for sure what Thompson and the Packers are going to do in this up coming draft until they do it. But it's fun to think about, right? Yeah, right. Until next time, Keep Driving Forward.