Ted Thompson's Draft History
 

RED = No longer with team
GREEN = Pro Bowl selection
* = Career ending injury

2005
1/24 - QB Aaron Rodgers
2/51 - S Nick Collins*
2/58 - WR Terrence Murphy*
4/115 - S Marviel Underwood
4/125 - LB Brady Poppinga
5/143 - OL Junius Coston
5/167 - CB Mike Hawkins
6/180 - DE Mike Montgomery
6/195 - WR Craig Bragg
7/245 - LB Kurt Campbell
7/246 - OL Will Whitticker

2006
1/5 - LB A.J. Hawk
2/47 - OL Daryn Colledge
2/52 - WR Greg Jennings
3/67 - LB Abdul Hodge
3/75 - OL Jason Spitz
4/104 - WR Cory Rodgers
4/115 - CB Will Blackmon
5/148 - QB Ingle Martin
5/165 - OL Tony Moll
6/183 - DT Johnny Jolly
6/185 - S Tyrone Culver
7/253 - DE Dave Tollefson

2007
1/16 - DT Justin Harrell
2/63 - RB Brandon Jackson
3/78 - WR James Jones
3/89 - FS Aaron Rouse
4/119 - OL Allen Barbre
5/157 - WR David Clowney
6/191 - FB Korey Hall
6/192 - LB Desmond Bishop
6/193 - K Mason Crosby
7/228 - RB DeShawn Wynn
7/243 - TE Clark Harris

2008
2/36 - WR Jordy Nelson
2/56 - QB Brian Brohm
2/60 - CB Pat Lee
3/91 - TE Jermichael Finley
4/102 - DE Jeremy Thompson*
4/135 - OL Josh Sitton
5/150 - OL Breno Giacomini
7/209 - QB Matt Flynn
7/217 - WR Brett Swain

2009
1/9 - DT B.J. Raji
1/26 - LB Clay Matthews
4/109 - OL T.J. Lang
5/145 - FB Quinn Johnson
5/162 - OL Jamon Meredith
6/182 - DE Jarius Wynn
6/187 - CB Brandon Underwood
7/218 - LB Brad Jones

2010
1/23 - OT Bryan Bulaga
2/56 - DE Mike Neal
3/71 - S Morgan Burnett
5/154 - TE Andrew Quarless
5/169 - OL Marshall Newhouse
6/193 - RB James Starks
7/230 - DL C.J. Wilson

2011
1/32 - OT Derek Sherrod
2/64 - WR Randall Cobb
3/96 - RB Alex Green
4/131 - CB Davon House
5/141 - TE D.J. Williams
6/179 - OG Caleb Schlauderaff
6/186 - LB D.J. Smith
6/197 - LB Ricky Elmore
7/218 - TE Ryan Taylor
7/233 - DE Lawrence Guy

2012
1/28 - DE/OLB Nick Perry
2/51 - DT Jerel Worthy
2/62 - CB Casey Hayward
4/132 - DT Mike Daniels
4/133 - FS Jerron McMillian
5/163 - LB Terrell Manning
7/241 - OT Andrew Datko
7/243 - QB B.J. Coleman

Packers Record
2005: 4-12
2006: 8-8
2007: 13-3 (lost conference championship)
2008: 6-10
2009: 11-5 (lost wild card round)
2010: 10-6 (Superbowl Champions)
2011: 15-1 (lost divisional round)
2012: ????

Mmm hmm. So far he looks to be middle of the road in terms of grading, maybe higher. You can't argue that he's one of the worst GMs in the history of the team, let alone the league, but you cant say he's one of the best either.

He plays a very conservative style in regards to Free Agents and spent almost all of his drafts trying to store up depth in a franchise he must've felt was hollowed out due to the previous regime in place. He also was about as cold-hearted as one can get in regards to Favre.

His approach is top-notch. His effeciency is still up for debate.

I think he's doing a good job in adding depth to the team but we need more players stepping up and becoming solid starters. So far out of Thompson's draft I'd say we have above average players in Aaron Rodgers, Nick Collins, Greg Jennings, and Jason Spitz.

I also don't really mind his approach to free agency either. It would be nice to add some more players that we do but how often does a high priced free agent acquisition pan out? Pickett worked out for us and I think we got lucky with Woodson simply because we needed to spend the money to get up to the minimum cap usage that year. Woodson even said he signed here because the Packers offered the most money.

One thing I like about Thompson though is that he isn't affraid to cut ties with a player that doesn't pan out. He was quick to cut Ahmad Carroll, Mark Roman, Arturo Freeman, and Marquand Manuel among others. No more of this Cletidus Hunt/Joe Johnson treatment that went on for years under Sherman.

Overall though our offense has potential to become a top notch unit under Thompson. We'll have to wait and see how our defense shapes up in the new 3-4 but we'll need guys like Hawk, Harrell, Lee, Raji, and Matthews to develop.

He's drafted some superstars all ready. He's also had some that have faded away which is what to be expected with some. Overall I think he has done great.

On a side note, I used to like Abdul Hodge...I wish we still had him with Bishop for depth.

We're already a pretty deep team on offense. We're have tons of guys along the offensive line which we need to sort out. We're loaded at WR. We have a potential Pro Bowl calibur QB and our run game has been solid, but hopefully better this year.

Defensively we really haven't hit on anyone yet as to call them an above average starter. Hawk is solid, Jolly has been good, Rouse can make plays but gives them up just as easily, Pat Lee has been pretty disapointing so far, and Jeremy Thompson should fit well into the new defense.

As for Hodge, I liked him coming out of college but his skill set just doesn't match up for the NFL and especially in the 3-4. Remember when he got the start against Seattle and they ran all over him?

Since '05 he's drafted more for depth and to help build a core for the team. This year was the first year he traded up into the first to get some superstars.

Thompson gets an A if Harrell does good like I said he is.

In your opinion, who is the best GM in the game? I want to stack Ted up against them and see how he grades out. Of course certain circumstances interfere with it being an even grading system but I'm curious.

Thompson has been our GM for 4 going on 5 years now, I believe. Most people agree that it takes 3 years at least to grade a draft. Thus it is really only fair to grade him on the 2005-2006 drafts. So it's still early to sing his praise or condemn him in my opinion, but I really like what he's done and where the team is headed.

Our 2005 draft was pretty damn good.

They say that the 5 year mark is the year to grade a GM though. The draft is only half the equasion and you have to factor in free agency too. So you have to factor in him signing Woodson, Pickett, Bigby, Trammon Williams, and trading for Ryan Grant.

What would you guys Rate Thompson right now?

I'd give Thompson a B right now for the following reasons:

1) He has re-established the overall depth of the team
2) He has created the cap surplus that we've had annually now which gives us the flexibility to sign free agents and sign our key players long term
3) The offense is a top 10
4) Key signings of Charles Woodson, Ryan Pickett, and a great value trade for Ryan Grant.
5) He isn't affraid to get rid of mistakes i.e. Ahmad Carroll and Marquand Manuel


Mostly though he's failed to hit on his top picks other than Aaron Rodgers. Hawk's been solid but unspecatular and Harrell has rarely seen the field. I don't think that Matthews will become a great pass rusher but if he hits on Raji then I'd give TT a B+ or A-

I hope you're kidding. Outside of Rodgers falling into our laps, we have one starter and a couple of backups.

He's a probowler, so I am not complaining.

At the end of the day, TT is one of the better GMs in this league and his philosophy of building througth the draft is the right one.

Corey Hart was an All-Star with the Brewers last year too. Those two are very comparable. They've showed some potential that people believe they have, but may not necessarily be worthy of the accolades. Collins improved alot last season but he's not an All-Pro caliber player and he needs to show that last season wasn't a fluke.

If last season wasnt a fluke, then would you say it was a good draft?

I would say it was a good draft, yes. If you can get 2 Pro Bowl caliber players in one draft then yes, but I am still skeptical of Collins being as productive moving forward.

I am sure the 3-4 D can help his production.

I'd even throw Rodgers into that category too. Yeah he also had a great season but lets repeat it and start come up late in the 4th quarter.

Its the 1st year running an entirely new defense. There will be bumps and growing pains along the way. We have no 3-4 proven player in the front 7 and our CBs will be playing alot more zone coverage than the man to man that we're used to.

I grade Thompson an A.

He's done a good job bringing in hungry players that make contributions to the team.

He showed confidence in the Favre situation. A lot of GMs wouldn't have.

He finds talent all the way through the draft and has built a team where most of our 'bubble' players would be scooped up by other teams or even starters.

But the real reason I give Thompson an A is because usually when I call for a players head, or call for him to draft someone, he does exactly what I was thinking. Good or bad thats happened repeatedly and so I really like him as a GM.

I love a lot of what TT has done, but he's also mis-fired. He cost Sherman (for better or worse) by not securing guards his first season as GM while cutting loose Wahle and Rivera. The Packers couldn't convert short yardage and they got punked by interior rushers. TT also cut loose Sharper and his replacements have been Manuel, Roman and Bigby, with only one good year from Bigby two years ago. He cut loose Longwell and Sanders and though we have Crosby now, we still don't have a punter. I didn't like his statements towards Favre, but he got a third round pick for an aging super star that had to leave for GB to see how good Rodgers is.

He had to overhaul an aging roster and he did so with a horde of draftees and fiscally responsible free agents. Woodson, Pickett and Chillar have been great choices. Ryan Grant had a bad year and still got 1200 yards, so that was a nice choice. His draft choices have been solid for the most part, with a good portion of them sticking on the roster. I still think parting with a second and thrid round choice and having Randy Moss and Tony Gonzalez on the team would have been better choices. Hate the Harrell pick as well, especially since that could have been Greg Olsen. Same thing with passing on Dustin Keller last year. Hawk, Collins, Jennings, the O-line and Raji have tilted the balance towards.

I'd grade TT with how the teams record has been, which is 31-33. McCarthy was a solid hire and he's 27-21. Overall that makes TT a little below average with Sherman included, and above average when you consider he inherited Sherman's crappy roster and contracts.

Overall, a C+, with room for growth.

Is 2009 Ted Thompson's best draft class yet?

Raji - Looks like a stud who can play anywhere on the defensive line.

Matthews - Better than I expected. Can't wait to see him with a full season under his belt.

Lang - Versitile guy who got beat up but looks like a potential starter in the near future.

Johnson - Didn't start out well but has really started to put it together late in the season.

Meredith - I wish we could've kept him but he really hasn't done much with the Bills. Got a few starts but never locked down a job.

Wynn - A bit undersized but could be a descent sub player if he can add some weight.

Underwood - Never really flashed like I hoped he would. I still think his future could be at safety.

Jones - Filled in great for Kampman but I don't know if he's an every down player because of his size. Could be a situational pass rusher at worst. Still have high hopes for him though.

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Out of this draft we got a Pro Bowl canidate in Matthews at its looking like we hit on Raji too. I think that alone makes this a great draft class. When you look back though you'll see that TT has manged to get 2 studs from almost every draft class and or at least 2 quality players/starters.

I would still consider 2006 a better draft