We really have no desire to report on every draft prospect the Green Bay Packers might be interested in. That’s a futile effort, since no one knows what is inside Ted Thompson’s (empty) head (answer: nothing at all).
However, we do find this guy intriguing — Western Kentucky tackle Forrest Lamp.
Of course, the Packers don’t need a tackle, what with David Bakhtiari and Bryan Bulaga situated with long-term deals and 2016 second-round pick Jason Spriggs seemingly relegated to rotting on the bench.
Despite spending most of his career at left tackle and earning third-team All-American honors there in 2016, Lamp is projected as a guard in the pros.
Who needs a guard?
The Green Bay Packers could roll into 2017 with Don Barclay in T.J. Lang’s old spot, but we can probably all agree that it would be great if they had a better plan than that.
Lamp is supposedly on the rise in terms of draft status. It now seems likely that he’ll be a first-round pick. Along with the Packers, the Vikings and Seahawks are reportedly the most interested teams.
Both of those teams pick before Green Bay.
However, if Lamp is available, the question ultimately becomes this: do you draft the Lang replacement in the first round over other seemingly greater needs like cornerback or edge rusher?
That answer surely comes down to who is available and graded highest at those three positions when the Packers pick in round one. We well know they don’t chose the “best player available” — they choose the best player available at a position of need.
On the positive side, Lamp can play up and down the line, much like another guy the Packers lost in free agency, J.C. Tretter. That’s a valuable asset.
On the negative, Lamp can’t play cornerback, so he’s just another Damarious Randall…