Kevin Roberts provides a review of the Green Bay Packers’ draft needs.

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What does a team do when they’re roughly four minutes from the Super Bowl and they suffer a meteoric collapse that fails to get them to the promised land? They get rid of the guy that put the nail in the coffin, for one. Tight end Brandon Bostick was one of the first casualties in Green Bay’s offseason, as the Pack cut loose their backup tight end, but not at all because of the gaffe he committed on the game-altering onside kick heard around the NFL world. Note the sarcasm.

In addition to Bostick getting kicked to the curb, Green Bay had Mike McCarthy relinquish play-calling duties (not sure if we’re to be excited about that) and the team also shed under-performing linebackers, A.J. Hawk and Brad Jones. They also proceeded to let their top two free agent corners (Tramon Williams and Davon House) walk in free agency and didn’t bring in any key free agents – or you know, any at all.

The good news is the green and gold did keep their studly offense intact by re-signing slot demon Randall Cobb and offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga. That’s a plus, but those holes we just mentioned haven’t been filled up and the Packers will undoubtedly have to rectify that via the 2015 NFL Draft. That’s probably fine considering building through the draft is dead eyed GM Ted Thompson’s M.O., but one would think a Super Bowl contender would leave key defensive holes less to chance. But hey, what do I know?

With that, let’s dive into Green Bay’s biggest needs on both sides of the ball and see who they might consider bringing in this April:

Offensive Needs: TE, OL

If you’re a Packers fan, this is the good part of the article. Aaron Rodgers is one of the best quarterbacks in the league, Green Bay has largely improved their formerly shaky offensive line, Eddie Lacy appears to be the answer at running back and Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and DaVante Adams are a scary trio at wide receiver. Heck, even Jeff Janis could be imposing if forced into action in 2015. The point? Green Bay has been fantastic offensively and that isn’t going to change going into the new year.

The lone grey area would be tight end, where a lackluster combination of Richard Rodgers, Andrew Quarless and the corpse of Brandon Bostick tried making up for the loss of Jermichael Finley (neck). Green Bay’s amazing wide receiver corps made their dearth of talent at the tight end position less obvious, but they haven’t a single play-maker in the entire lot. Rodgers could still end up being the guy, but I don’t buy it due to average athleticism, so Green Bay could be looking for another tight end prospect to coach up this year.

Ted Thompson doesn’t dive into offense early in drafts usually and there isn’t anyone to chase after in round one (quiet down, Maxx Williams fans), so the earliest the Pack will reach for an upgrade is round two. I think round three or round four make much more sense, where someone like Devin Funchess would be very interesting. That’s assuming everyone is buying him as a tight end convert (he played mostly wide receiver at Michigan). If not, perhaps Tyler Kroft would be appealing out of Rutgers. Kroft actually happens to be extremely underrated and has a nice package of size, athleticism and blocking ability. He could be just what the doctor ordered for Green Bay. Either way, both Funchess and Kroft would be great fits in Green Bay’s system, with Funchess potentially carrying mammoth fantasy football upside.

Offensive line in a very general manner is another direction the Packers could go in. They seem to have things figured out across the o-line, especially after keeping Bulaga, but they could always use youth and depth, plus competition is never a bad thing. Green Bay also has had just horrid luck with injuries over the past few years when it comes to their o-line, so getting a tackle to throw behind Bulaga would be a good idea. Again, this isn’t a huge need like it could have been had Bulaga left, but it’s also worth noting Thompson has drafted at least one offensive lineman in every year since taking over the reigns in 2005.

One other mild concern is backup quarterback, as the Packers inexplicably seem to think they have it figured out with Scott Tolzien. Matt Flynn was slightly more reliable and even he’s gone, so perhaps taking a passing prospect later in the draft would be a good idea.

Defensive Needs: ILB, CB, NT

Had fun reading through the stuff that really isn’t a big deal? Great, now we get to the part that just might force Packers fans into tears. Tramon Williams was 32 and Davon House was somewhat overrated, so Thompson was right not to overpay for his two corners. However, now the Packers are down to Casey Hayward and Sam Shields, which should have them looking at 1-2 cornerbacks.

Shields is pretty solid and Hayward still has potential, but they don’t have much beyond these two and Hayward is actually a free agent after next season. That could lead to the Packers taking a stab at a top level corner with their first round pick. Guys like Jalen Collins out of LSU and Ronald Darby out of Florida State could make some sense. Collins could easily be gone before the Packers pick, though, so it’s much more likely they target their favorites corners in round two and/or round three.

Inside linebacker is obviously a huge need considering Green Bay cut their two starters from a year ago. Thompson had no choice, of course, as they were a big reason why the Packers were 23rd against the run and Hawk tended to struggle in coverage. Upgrading both in the draft might be difficult, but Eric Kendricks, Benardrick McKinney and Denzel Perryman are just a few inside ‘backers that could draw Green Bay’s interest. I can’t see them spending a first round pick on any of them, but all of them(and others) should be on watch from round two, on.

Nose tackle is the chief concern right now for Green Bay’s defense, as B.J. Raji is finally gone and Letroy Guion has an array of off field issues right now. Green Bay supposedly “would love” to have Guion back, but they’d still need another competent body and probably someone who is an actual long-term solution. Malcom Brown is a trendy pick in the first round, but he could easily be gone by that time. That could have Oklahoma’s Jordan Phillips being the pick, as he’s pretty stout up the middle, but is much more likely to slide to the 30th spot.

Outside linebacker is another minor issue for Green Bay’s defense, as Julius Peppers is pretty old. He was great in his first season last year and will be back again, but he could easily start regressing faster and the Packers will need a long-term replacement. If Eli Harold or Markus Golden can slide to them in round two (albeit doubtful), they could chase the best pure value and add some solid depth here.

Summary

Overall, the Packers are in a great spot offensively. All of the guys you love in fantasy football remain elite plays, while DaVante Adams and Richard Rodgers (or a potential new tight end) need to be on watch. Defensively, the Packers are another story. They have some obvious studs and visibly improved in 2014, but they have some very obvious holes to address. Then again, true fantasy football fans would rather they didn’t, as a regression of Green Bay’s defense would only lead to the Packers having to put more points up on offense.

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Kevin Roberts offers fantasy football insight year round over at BreakingFootball.com. Hit him up and follow him on Twitter @BreakingKevin for extra advice.

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