The Packers did their homework last April and the result was adding a lot of players that will help the future of the team.  DT Justin Harrell was the first round pick of the Packers last season and he played in 7 games (2 starts) and he made 16 tackles.  Look for Harrell to be a force in the future if he can just stay healthy.  RB Brandon Jackson started early in the season after being a 2nd round pick but he couldn’t hold onto the job.  He did play well late in the season however.  Jackson played in 11 games (3 starts) for the Packers last season and he carried the ball 75 times for 267 yards (3.6 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 16 passes for 130 yards (8.1 avg).  WR James Jones was an outstanding 3rd round pick for the Packers.  He played in all 16 games (9 starts) last season for the Packers and he caught 47 passes for 676 yards (14.4 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Jones needs to adjust to the cold weather better as his play faded in the 2nd half of the season.  Strong saftey Aaron Rouse was the Packers’ other 3rd round pick last April and he flashed potential.  He played in 11 games (3 starts) for the Packers last season and he made 25 tackles, defensed 4 passes and intercepted 2 passes.  4th round pick (OG/T) Allen Barbre played in 7 games (0 starts) as a rookie last season and he looks like he’ll be nothing more than a backup for the Packers in the future.  5th round pick David Clowney (WR) was cut in training camp and he wound up on the Jets practice squad last season.  The Packers did very well with their three 6th round draft picks.  First up was linebacker Korey Hall.  Hall switched to fullback in training camp for the Packers and he won the starting job.  Hall played in 14 games (10 starts) for the Packers last season and he caught 8 passes for 49 yards (6.1 avg).  Look for him to add running the ball to his game next season.  Inside linebacker Desmond Bishop was the second of the 6th round picks the Packers made last season.  Bishop played in 10 games (0 starts) last season for the Packers and he made 10 tackles.  The final 6th round pick of the Packers was kicker Mason Crosby.  Crosby played in all 16 games for the Packers last season and he made 31 of 39 field goals (79.5%) and he also made all 48 of his extra point attempts to finish with 141 points.  In the 7th round the Packers selected running back DeShawn Wynn.  Wynn played in 7 games (4 starts) for the Packers last season and he carried the ball 50 times for 203 yards (4.1 ypc) with 4 TD runs.  He also caught 9 passes for 73 yards (8.1 avg).  The Packers final pick of the draft was TE Clark Harris who was cut in camp and hooked on with the Lions.

GRADE FOR THE 2007 SEASON:  B

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  A-

The Green Bay Packers have signed linebacker Brandon Chillar to a 2-year, $5.2 million dollar contract.  Chillar played in 15 games for the Rams last season and he made 67 tackles, defensed 3 passes, had 2.5 sacks and he forced 3 fumbles.  Chillar has now played in 63 games in his NFL career and he has made 204 tackles, defensed 5 passes, has 4.5 sacks and he has forced 5 fumbles.  This was a solid signing for the Packers.