Green Bay Packers Top 5 Needs in 2015 NFL Draft

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Oct 26, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; Green Bay Packers inside linebacker A.J. Hawk (50) against the New Orleans Saints during the second quarter of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

#1 Inside Linebacker – The Packers need an inside linebacker. They need him now, and they might need more than one. This will be the team’s primary areas of need entering the offseason because it will both shore up their rushing defense and allow Clay Matthews to kick back out to OLB where he can rush the passer.

A.J. Hawk‘s long career in Green Bay is stumbling toward it’s conclusion, unfortunately, as he looked much smaller and slower in 2014. He couldn’t keep up to the pace of play, was unable to adjust to runner’s cut-backs quickly enough and was a liability in tackling. When paired with Brad Jones, the position was a mess.

Along with Matthews, former seventh-round pick Sam Barrington stepped up later in the season. He’s still raw and has room to grow both mentally and in pass-coverage, but his physical talents are exciting. He is able to stand up large running backs at the line of scrimmage and blow up running lanes, which could pair beautifully with a more conservative coverage ILB.

With Jones recently cut and the possibility of Hawk soon following, the winds of change have begun to blow over Lambeau. If a quality ILB is on the board at 30 in April, I expect Ted Thompson to pull the trigger. A.J. Hawk manned the position admirably for nearly a decade, but the Packers could have themselves set up for a changing of the guard.

Likely round: 1st-2nd

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