The Packers were glad to see 22-year old OT Derek Sherrod slide to them.  The Packers used the 32nd overall pick in the NFL Draft (first round) on him.  Sherrod has the versatility to play either guard or tackle, but he’ll likely start his career on the outside.  Sherrod and Bryan Bulaga will give the Packers a nice set of bookend offensive tackles to protect QB Aaron Rodgers for years to come.  Sherrod played in 13 games (all starts) for Mississippi State last year.  He played in 47 games (35 starts) in his four years at Mississippi State.  This was another excellent pick by GM Ted Thompson of the Packers.

The Green Bay Packers don’t have a lot of pressing need areas, so look for them to take the best player available this weekend regardless of position:

1st round (#32 overall) – Corey Liuget, DT, Illinois

2nd round (#64 overall) – Sam Acho, OLB, Texas

3rd round (#96 overall) – DeMarcus Love, OT, Arkansas

4th round (#129 overall) – Jacquizz Rodgers, RB, Oregon State

4th round (#131 overall) – Nate Irving, OLB, North Carolina State

5th round (#163 overall) – Johnny White, RB, North Carolina

6th round (#197 overall) – Rashad Carmichael, CB, Virginia Tech

7th round (#204 overall) – Jake Kirkpatrick, C, TCU

7th round (#233 overall) – Will Hill, S, Florida

The Packers would be cherry picking a lot of good players by just taking the best player regardless of need.  This would be an awesome haul based on where they are drafting.

The Green Bay Packers had a pretty solid draft last April.  A few of the players dealt with injuries but they showed a lot of potential for the future.  Here’s a look at how the rookie did in 2010:

Bryan Bulaga:  The Packers drafted OT Bryan Bulaga in the first round (#23 overall) out of Iowa last April.  He played in 16 games (12 starts) for the Packers last season, doing his best work at RT.  He looks like he’s going to be a fixture on the Packers’ starting O-Line for a long time.

Mike Neal:  The Packers took DE Mike Neal out of Purdue in the 2nd round (#56 overall).  He only played in 2 games (0 starts) for the Packers last year before his season ended due to injury but he did have 3 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 forced fumble.  If Neal can stay healthy, he has pretty solid potential to help the D-Line of the Packers.

Morgan Burnett:  Strong safety Morgan Burnett came to the Packers in the 3rd round (#71 overall) out of Georgia Tech.  He won a starting job for the Packers in training camp but his season ended early due to injury.  Burnett played in 4 games (all starts) for the Packers last year and he had 12 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception.  He looks like another find for the Packers to help out in the secondary.

Andrew Quarless:  TE Andrew Quarless came to the Packers in the 5th round (#154 overall) out of Penn State.  He played in 13 games (3 starts) for the Packers last year and he caught 21 passes for 238 yards (11.3 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Quarless was learning on the fly last year after the injury to Jermichael Finley but he has the potential to really help the Packers down the road.

Michael Newhouse:  The Packers took OG Michael Newhouse in the 5th round (#169 overall) out of TCU.  He never made it to the field and finished the season on the Injured Reserve List.  He will need to show the Packers something next season if he wants to continue getting paid to play football.

James Starks:  The Packers selected RB James Starks in the 6th round (#193 overall) out of Buffalo.  He started the season late due to injury.  He played in 3 games (0 starts) for the Packers during the regular season and he carried the ball 29 times for 101 yards (3.5 ypc).  Starks also caught 2 passes for 15 yards (7.5 avg) and he returned 2 kickoffs for 25 yards (12.5 avg).  But, in the post-season, Starks turned into the main man in the running game for the Packers.  Starks carried the ball 81 times for 315 yards (3.9 ypc) with a TD run in the playoffs and Super Bowl.  He also caught 3 passes for 15 yards (5.0 avg) and he returned 5 kickoffs for 70 yards (14.0 avg) in the post-season for the Packers.  He might not challenge Ryan Grant for the starting job in 2011, but he will be no lower than #2 on the depth chart at RB when next year begins as long as he is healthy.

C.J. Wilson:  DE C.J. Wilson came to the Packers in the 7th round (#230 overall) out of East Carolina.  He played in 15 games (2 starts) for the Packers last year and he had 18 tackles and 1 sack.  This was just another solid pick by Packers’ GM Ted Thompson who really knows what he is doing.  I look for Wilson to have  bright future with the Packers.

GRADE FOR 2010:  B

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  A