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Packers GM Ted Thompson made a total of four trades during the 2013 NFL Draft.

With the 2013 NFL Draft now in the books, let’s take a look at what “Trader” Ted Thompson did with his eight original picks to turn them into eleven total selections. He made a total of four trades, three of which being “down” and the final one being a trade “up.” Overall, he gained eight picks for the price of five, netting three.

Below I’ve detailed each of the trades, as well as updated what the draft board looked like at that moment. Picks in bold are the ones that were added during the trade, while the struck-through selections were already made by that point.

Original Draft Picks:

1. Round 1, 26 (26)
2. Round 2, 25  (55)
3. Round 3, 26 (88)
4. Round 4, 25 (122)
5. Round 5, 26 (159)
6. Round 5, 34 (167) [comp.]
7. Round 6, 25 (193)
8. Round 7, 26 (232)

Trade #1 (DOWN):

Gave the San Francisco 49ers No. 55 (Rd. 2) for Nos. 61 (Rd. 2) and 173 (Rd. 6).

1. Round 1, 26 (26): Datone Jones, DE
2. Round 2, 29  (61)
3. Round 3, 26 (88)
4. Round 4, 25 (122)
5. Round 5, 26 (159)
6. Round 5, 34 (167) [comp.]
7. Round 6, 5 (173)
8. Round 6, 25 (193)
9. Round 7, 26 (232)

Trade #2 (DOWN):  Read more... (553 words + 1 image, estimated 2:13 mins reading time)

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Trader Ted was in trade-down mode Friday night in the NFL draft.

Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson traded out of the third round on Friday during the second night of the NFL draft.

Thompson initially traded the 88th overall pick to San Francisco for the 93rd pick and the 49ers’ seventh-round selection. Thompson then moved the 93rd pick to the Dolphins for their fourth-rounder (No. 109 overall) and Miami’s fifth- and seventh-round picks.

Confused? So am I. You are probably eating Fruity Pebbles and watching Saturday morning cartoons right now and would rather not have to think too hard about this kind of stuff. So, to make it easy for you, here is where the Packers will be picking on Saturday:

• Round 4, pick 12, 109 overall
• Round 4, pick 25, 122 overall
• Round 5, pick 13, 146 overall
• Round 5, pick 26, 159 overall
• Round 5, pick 34, 167 overall
• Round 6, pick 5, 173 overall
• Round 6, pick 25, 193 overall
• Round 7, pick 10, 216 overall
• Round 7, pick 18, 226 overall
• Round 7, pick 26, 232 overall

All of this wheeling and dealing happened after Thompson traded down in the second round — once again with NFC rival San Francisco, this time for an extra seventh-rounder — and selected Alabama running back Eddie Lacy. Packers fans were also still digesting the news of Aaron Rodgers’ five-year, $110 million contract extension.  Read more... (328 words + 1 image, estimated 1:19 mins reading time)

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Remember how free agent Nnamdi Asomugha was going to deliver the Lombardi Trophy to Philly?

For some reason, my dog acts like a crazed maniac whenever she’s on a leash.

Matilda is a near-perfect dog in any other setting, but when we put on her leash and walk her around the neighborhood, she goes nuts. Lunging at other dogs. Eating leaves and rocks. Chasing cars. She’s completely out of control.

My wife is working with Matilda to correct this behavior, which makes my wife a much better person than I am. I don’t have the patience to deal with a dog that treats bikers and pedestrians like the fake bunny rabbit on a pole at a greyhound track.

My attitude toward Matilda is kind of like the attitude most NFL fans have toward free agency. I don’t want to put the time and effort into re-training my dog. Most NFL fans don’t want their teams to put the time and effort into building through the draft.

I want Matilda to magically get over her leash craziness. NFL fans want their teams to magically get better by signing a bunch of free agents.

Check out the reaction to Miami not signing Peyton Manning or Matt Flynn. They’re getting trashed. How about the Dream Team moniker and the euphoria over the Eagles after their spending spree last season? People thought Philly would roll to a championship.  Read more... (543 words + 1 image, estimated 2:10 mins reading time)

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The Bears traded two third-round picks for WR Brandon Marshall.

It’s 11:30 p.m. central time on Tuesday, March 13, 2012. I’m going to read a few pages in my book and go to bed. By the time this publishes around 7 a.m. central time on Wednesday, March 14, 2012, a bunch of other stuff might have happened and the news contained in this post might feel like it’s 10 years old.

Welcome to the start of NFL free agency.

A lot went down on Tuesday when 532 NFL players hit the open market. Let’s take a look at the developments that concern the Green Bay Packers:  Read more... (525 words + 1 image, estimated 2:06 mins reading time)

• Packers center Scott Wells is as good as gone according Packer Report. I was a big advocate for bringing Wells back, even if it meant overspending a little. Maybe it’s me accepting the fact that Wells is probably leaving, but I started changing my mind a couple days ago. Is it wise to overspend for a 31-year-old center that’s undersized and isn’t that great of a run blocker? Probably not, especially when there’s extensions for Aaron Rodgers, Greg Jennings and Clay Matthews coming up in the near future. The Packers will miss Wells’s pass blocking. They’ll miss his command of the pre-snap calls just as much. But it’s not a devastating loss…I don’t think.
• And who knows? Maybe the Packers are treating Wells like they treated Clifton a few years ago, letting him explore the market to see what sort of offers are out there and hoping for an opportunity to match.

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The Packers decided against franchise-tagging Matt Flynn Monday.

Packers quarterback Matt Flynn will be free to sign with whichever team he so chooses this spring after the NFL’s franchise tag deadline passed Monday without GM Ted Thompson slapping the $14.4 million tender on the 27-year-old backup.

Instead of taking the risk of tagging Flynn and then trading him to a quarterback-needy team, the Packers have decided to play it safe and let Flynn become an unrestricted free agent on March 13. Depending on how a number of factors play out, the Packers could receive a third-round compensatory pick in next year’s draft for letting Flynn walk.

Early opinions following the re-signing of tight end Jermichael Finley to kickoff the NFL Combine were that the Packers would tag Flynn and find a trade partner, which potentially could have landed a first- or second-round pick in exchange. As the process wore on, however, it appeared less and less likely that the Packers would go down that route.

The Packers certainly did their due diligence to investigate whether the tag-and-trade route would benefit the franchise, but the risk of getting stuck with a $14.4 million backup outweighed the potential of acquiring a top pick in the 2012 NFL draft. Starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers makes more than $6 million less than the quarterback franchise tender.  Read more... (483 words + 1 image, estimated 1:56 mins reading time)

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The Miami Dolphins have hired Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin as their next head coach.

According to both Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN, the Miami Dolphins will hire Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin to be their next head coach. Terms of his contract are reportedly already agreed upon and a press conference is slated for Saturday.

Philbin, who has held the role of offensive coordinator since 2007 in Green Bay, beat out Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy and Miami secondary coach and assistant head coach Todd Bowles for the position. All three men went through two rounds of interviews with GM Jeff Ireland and owner Stephen Ross.

Some, including ESPN’s John Clayton, figured McCoy was the front runner after the final round of interviews were completed. Philbin was a favorite of Ross, and that might have trumped any hiring that Ireland wanted to make.

Philbin’s hiring completes what has been a whirlwind couple of weeks for the 27-year coaching veteran. While in the process of interviewing in both Kansas City and Miami, Philbin’s 21-year-old son Michael fell through the ice on the Fox River in Oshkosh and drowned. That tragedy also conincided with the Packers preparation for their Divisional Round game against the New York Giants, a contest in which the Packers lost 37-20 last Sunday. Philbin was present at the game and served in his full capacity despite Michael’s funeral being on the Friday before the game.  Read more... (508 words + 1 image, estimated 2:02 mins reading time)

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Clay Matthews is one of the players that can bring some defense back to the NFL.

The first week of the NFL season is usually ruled by defense. Not this year.

Quarterbacks and passing dominated opening weekend in 2011 and it’s going to be interesting to see if the trend continues throughout the season. Some stats:

• Offenses racked up 7,842 passing yards in Week 1, the most in NFL history.
• According to the Elias Sports Bureau, there were five games where both teams QB’s threw for over 300 yards, also a record.
• The Patriots-Dolphins game on Monday night was the first to have one QB throw for over 500 yards (Tom Brady) and the other throw for over 400 (Chad Henne).
• All of these records were set despite the fact that Minnesota’s Donovan McNabb had just 39 yards through the air.

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