If there's one
thing the rest of the teams in National Football League know
it's that they have a trading partner in Ted Thompson.
During his three
years as Green Bay Packers' general manager, Thompson has swung
nine trades involving 11 draft picks, netting him a total of 17
picks that he has used to help rebuild the roster. All of the
trades have been downward in the draft.
Almost three
years to the day he made the first of those trades, it's time to
see exactly how Thompson has fared in those deals. It's easier
to judge the success of the moves he made in the 2005 draft than
it is the ones in `07, but still it's possible to make a
reasonable assessment of his success.
Perhaps the best
way to categorize it would be this way: He whiffed in `05, he
hit it big in `06 and he played slightly better than a draw in
`07. Of the 17 picks Thompson used through his trades down the
draft board, 10 players who played at least one game last season
are still on the roster.
None are left
from `05, five are left from `06 and five are left from `07. The
full or part-time starters from the group are: receiver Greg
Jennings, guards Daryn Colledge and Jason Spitz, defensive
tackle Johnny Jolly and fullback Korey Hall.
"It looks
like it was better in `06 and `07 than it was in `05, but that
happens with time," Thompson said.
For his part,
Thompson doesn't specifically grade the personnel he got in the
deals as much as he evaluates the decision-making in executing
the trades.
"You look at
it to make sure you didn't panic or do something illogical in
the process," Thompson said. "Now whether the picks
really panned out, you don't really worry about that, it's just,
`Did it make sense at the time based on your board?' You're
always doing that."
Here's a look at
each of those drafts:
2005- Thompson
had an aging team that needed an influx of young talent and so
he swung three trades that netted him five picks and gave him 11
overall. The picks he gave up were a third, a fourth and a
sixth.
Taken with the
selections he traded were defensive tackle Attiyah Ellison
(Carolina), guard Todd Herremans (Philadelphia) and defensive
tackle Antaj Hawthorne (Oakland through New England). Ellison
and Hawthorne were busts, but Herremans has started 35 games in
three seasons and recently received a new five-year contract
from the Eagles.
As badly as
Thompson needed a guard, he passed up Herremans and basically
wound up with nothing. He received three picks from the Eagles
for his fourth and traded one of them - a sixth - to New England
for two more picks.
When it was all
said he done, he used the picks on safety Marviel Underwood,
cornerback Mike Hawkins, receiver Craig Bragg, linebacker Kurt
Campbell and offensive lineman Will Whitticker. The guard
position was a complete disaster in `05 and continues to be a
problem.
Asked about
Herremans and whether he valued the players he took higher than
the Eagles' guard, Thompson said he wouldn't comment on another
team's player.
In 2006, Thompson
traded both of his second round picks because he felt there was
a considerable amount of equal talent in the round and was happy
to get extra picks.
He struck it big
on his first deal, trading No. 36 overall to New England for two
selections. The Patriots took receiver Chad Jackson, who has 13
catches in two injury-filled years, and the Packers took
receiver Greg Jennings and guard Jason Spitz, both of whom were
starters last season.
Jennings has a
chance to be a Pro Bowl player.
"He was one
of a few players we felt comfortable with," Thompson said.
"In fact, we made two trades on consecutive picks (in the
second). The board was very strong at that particular time. We
felt very comfortable we could get a good player later on."
The other second
round pick was dealt along with a fifth-round pick to Atlanta
for three selections. Then Thompson traded one of those picks to
St. Louis for two picks and then traded one of those picks to
Philadelphia for two picks.
With the Packers'
original picks, Atlanta took cornerback Jimmy Williams and
tackle Quinn Ojinnaka. Williams has been unable to crack the
starting lineup and was moved to safety last year, and Ojinnaka
has been moved to guard and might not make the team this year.
St. Louis used
the third-round pick it got from Green Bay on tight end
Dominique Byrd, who has been a bust on and off the field and
could wind up getting cut soon. Philadelphia used the
fourth-round pick it got on receiver Jason Avant, who showed
some promise last year, catching 23 passes for 267 yards and two
touchdowns, but could be lost in the wash this year because the
Eagles are going after more receivers in the draft.
Thompson,
meanwhile, parlayed the Atlanta, St. Louis and Philadelphia
picks into guard Daryn Colledge, quarterback Ingle Martin,
cornerback Will Blackmon, safety Tyrone Culver and Jolly. Martin
was cut after one season and Culver was on injured reserve last
year but remains on the roster.
Of the survivors,
Thompson said, "They all have to develop, but we're happy
to have that group."
The 2007 draft
will take time to assess, particularly because the players taken
in the spots Thompson gave up are very good.
The Jets took
linebacker David Harris with the Packers' 47th selection overall
and Harris became an instant starter. Jets personnel director
Terry Bradway recently said if the draft was done over again
now, Harris would have been a top 10 pick.
The Steelers took
punter Daniel Sepulveda with the Packers' fourth-round selection
and he was an instant success. If he continues to improve he
could be a Pro Bowl player.
Thompson got
three extra picks and parlayed them into running back Brandon
Jackson, safety Aaron Rouse, fullback Korey Hall, guard Allen
Barbre and linebacker Desmond Bishop. Jackson, Rouse and Hall
all started at least one game last year and Barbre could be a
full-time starter this year.
"We think we
got some good players," Thompson said.