more than the season average.
A new general manager is in charge of making the picks in the NFL draft this year for the Green Bay Packers John Brown Jersey , who are stocked with new faces on the coaching staff.
So many changes this offseason and yet the Packers will have familiar priorities when the draft starts Thursday night.
Think defense, again.
The secondary could use a cornerback or versatile safety. The pass rush could use another athletic presence off the edge.
"There will be some different people sitting in some different chairs. But I think it's going to be exciting," GM Brian Gutekunst, who replaced the retired Ted Thompson in the offseason, said at the NFL combine.
"But what matters is building the board," Gutekunst said. "On draft day you kind of trust yourself, you watch it fall and then make the best decision you can."
There are a few holes to fill on a team that finished 7-9 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2008. With a healthy Aaron Rodgers back this fall, the Packers hope to regain their postseason swagger in 2018.
It makes this year's draft especially important for a team that normally doesn't pick so high in the first round. At No. 14, the Packers have a shot at selecting an impact starter on defense.
Damarious Randall, the team's first-round draft pick in 2015, was traded to Cleveland for backup quarterback DeShone Kizer, to shake up the cornerback position again.
Veterans Tramon Williams and Davon House came back on free-agent deals and figure to join Kevin King Morgan Cox Jersey , a second-round selection in 2017, atop the cornerback depth chart.
But another young cornerback certainly won't hurt in a pass-happy league. Prospects such as Ohio State's Denzel Ward or Central Florida's Mike Hughes might be first-round options.
Or the Packers might look at safety after versatile veteran Morgan Burnett left as a free agent for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Another 2017 second-round pick, Josh Jones, seems poised to replace Burnett.
But another talented safety from the draft, such as Alabama's Minkah Fitzpatrick or Florida State's Derwin James, could give new defensive coordinator Mike Pettine more speed and valuable flexibility.
PASS RUSH
Clay Matthews, who will be 32 next month, hasn't eclipsed double-digit sacks since 2014, though he was asked to play middle linebacker during part of that time. Nick Perry had seven sacks after being limited to 12 games because of injury in 2017, his first after signing a contract extension. UTSA edge rusher Marcus Davenport could be a tempting first-round option with his explosiveness and potential.
CATCHING ON
Jordy Nelson is gone and Randall Cobb is entering the last year of his contract. Davante Adams is the new No. 1 receiver and under contract until 2021. Geronimo Allison, who has 35 catches and two touchdowns in his first two years in the league, could earn more playing time. The Packers could target a receiver or two in the early rounds of the draft to replenish depth.
ON THE O-LINE
There are questions on the right side of the offensive line Jamaal Williams Jersey , enough so that it wouldn't be a surprise if Green Bay saw value in taking a top prospect early. Veteran Jahri Evans, who was solid in his one season at right guard, turns 35 this summer and remains a free agent. Right tackle Bryan Bulaga tore his right ACL last season, and top backups Jason Spriggs (knee) and Kyle Murphy (foot) are also coming back from injury.
HITS, MISSES AND BARGAINS
The Packers had a productive first couple rounds in 2014 with Thompson in charge, taking safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix in the first round and Adams in the second. The 2016 draft brought three defensive starters in lineman Kenny Clark in the first round, along with a pair of fourth-rounders in lineman Dean Lowry and inside linebacker Blake Martinez.
Cornerback Quinten Rollins, a second-round pick in 2015, has been slowed by injuries through his career. Kyler Fackrell, a third-round pick in 2016, hasn't produced enough to ease depth concerns at outside linebacker.
The Packers got two bargains on the offensive line after taking left tackle David Bakhtiari in the fourth round in 2013 and center Corey Linsley in the fifth round a year later. More recently, the 2017 draft brought value at running back with fourth-rounder Jamaal Williams and fifth-rounder Aaron Jones.
The Panthers have signed three potential starters in the second wave of free agency.
Carolina signed safety Da'Norris Searcy and cornerback Ross Cockrell to two-year contracts on Friday and guard Jeremiah Sirles to a one-year deal. The financial terms were not released Chris Doleman Jersey , although Cockrell's agency Reign Sports Management announced on Twitter his deal was worth $6.8 million.
Searcy and Cockrell both have North Carolina ties and were teammates before with the Buffalo Bills in 2014. It didn't take them long to resume their trash talking with Searcy having played at North Carolina and Cockrell from rival Duke.
"There has been plenty of it already," Cockrell joked on a conference call Friday.
Added Searcy: "Oh yeah, it started when we got off the plane. We already played together and we carried that relationship over from Buffalo."
All three free agents fill vacancies left from last season and could start for the Panthers in 2018.
Searcy was brought in to compete for a starting safety position that opened up when the team released veteran Kurt Coleman.
Searcy is a seven-year NFL veteran who spent the past three seasons with the Titans after four seasons (2011-14) with the Bills. His most productive season came in 2014 when he had 65 tackles and three interceptions.
Searcy played in all 16 games last season for the Titans with six starts, recording 27 tackles, one quarterback pressure, one interception and two passes defensed. He also had six stops on special teams.
He lost his starting job last season, but said he still sees himself as a starter.
"Situations change," Searcy said. "I took it on the chin and still helped the team and played excellent when I was there. I will carry myself as a starter and let the chips fall where they may."
Cockrell, a four-year NFL veteran, is expected to compete for the starting cornerback spot created when Panthers general manager Marty Hurney traded away Daryl Worley to the Eagles for wide receiver Torrey Smith earlier this month.
"I am ready to come in and make plays on the ball," Cockrell said. That is what I do."
Cockrell played in all 16 regular season games with nine starts for the Giants last season and led the team with 11 passes defensed. He also had 49 tackles and a career-high three interceptions, including one he returned for a touchdown.
He was drafted in the fourth round in 2014 and has played in 53 career games with 31 starts over his four-year career. Since entering the league he has recorded 153 total tackles DeShone Kizer Jersey , 32 passes defensed and five interceptions.
It will be a homecoming for Cockrell, who grew up in the Charlotte area and played at Charlotte Latin High School.
"It's a great pleasure to come back and rekindle some family ties," Cockrell said. "This is great place to play football. We are not too far removed from a 15-1 season and a Super Bowl."
Sirles enters his fifth season, having spent the past three with the Vikings and will have a chance to compete for the starting guard spot vacated when All-Pro Andrew Norwell signed with the New York Giants.
Sirles has played in 30 career NFL games with 15 starts.
He played in 14 regular season games with four starts last season for the Vikings, with all four coming at left guard.
The 6-foot-6, 315-pound Sirles helped the Vikings rank seventh in the NFL in rushing yards with 122.3 yards per game. In his starts, Minnesota averaged 132 yards rushing yards per game, nearly 10 yards more than the season average.
He started a career-high 10 games while playing in 14 in 2016.
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Womens Oren Burks Jersey
So many changes this offseason and yet the Packers will have familiar priorities when the draft starts Thursday night.
Think defense, again.
The secondary could use a cornerback or versatile safety. The pass rush could use another athletic presence off the edge.
"There will be some different people sitting in some different chairs. But I think it's going to be exciting," GM Brian Gutekunst, who replaced the retired Ted Thompson in the offseason, said at the NFL combine.
"But what matters is building the board," Gutekunst said. "On draft day you kind of trust yourself, you watch it fall and then make the best decision you can."
There are a few holes to fill on a team that finished 7-9 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2008. With a healthy Aaron Rodgers back this fall, the Packers hope to regain their postseason swagger in 2018.
It makes this year's draft especially important for a team that normally doesn't pick so high in the first round. At No. 14, the Packers have a shot at selecting an impact starter on defense.
Damarious Randall, the team's first-round draft pick in 2015, was traded to Cleveland for backup quarterback DeShone Kizer, to shake up the cornerback position again.
Veterans Tramon Williams and Davon House came back on free-agent deals and figure to join Kevin King Morgan Cox Jersey , a second-round selection in 2017, atop the cornerback depth chart.
But another young cornerback certainly won't hurt in a pass-happy league. Prospects such as Ohio State's Denzel Ward or Central Florida's Mike Hughes might be first-round options.
Or the Packers might look at safety after versatile veteran Morgan Burnett left as a free agent for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Another 2017 second-round pick, Josh Jones, seems poised to replace Burnett.
But another talented safety from the draft, such as Alabama's Minkah Fitzpatrick or Florida State's Derwin James, could give new defensive coordinator Mike Pettine more speed and valuable flexibility.
PASS RUSH
Clay Matthews, who will be 32 next month, hasn't eclipsed double-digit sacks since 2014, though he was asked to play middle linebacker during part of that time. Nick Perry had seven sacks after being limited to 12 games because of injury in 2017, his first after signing a contract extension. UTSA edge rusher Marcus Davenport could be a tempting first-round option with his explosiveness and potential.
CATCHING ON
Jordy Nelson is gone and Randall Cobb is entering the last year of his contract. Davante Adams is the new No. 1 receiver and under contract until 2021. Geronimo Allison, who has 35 catches and two touchdowns in his first two years in the league, could earn more playing time. The Packers could target a receiver or two in the early rounds of the draft to replenish depth.
ON THE O-LINE
There are questions on the right side of the offensive line Jamaal Williams Jersey , enough so that it wouldn't be a surprise if Green Bay saw value in taking a top prospect early. Veteran Jahri Evans, who was solid in his one season at right guard, turns 35 this summer and remains a free agent. Right tackle Bryan Bulaga tore his right ACL last season, and top backups Jason Spriggs (knee) and Kyle Murphy (foot) are also coming back from injury.
HITS, MISSES AND BARGAINS
The Packers had a productive first couple rounds in 2014 with Thompson in charge, taking safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix in the first round and Adams in the second. The 2016 draft brought three defensive starters in lineman Kenny Clark in the first round, along with a pair of fourth-rounders in lineman Dean Lowry and inside linebacker Blake Martinez.
Cornerback Quinten Rollins, a second-round pick in 2015, has been slowed by injuries through his career. Kyler Fackrell, a third-round pick in 2016, hasn't produced enough to ease depth concerns at outside linebacker.
The Packers got two bargains on the offensive line after taking left tackle David Bakhtiari in the fourth round in 2013 and center Corey Linsley in the fifth round a year later. More recently, the 2017 draft brought value at running back with fourth-rounder Jamaal Williams and fifth-rounder Aaron Jones.
The Panthers have signed three potential starters in the second wave of free agency.
Carolina signed safety Da'Norris Searcy and cornerback Ross Cockrell to two-year contracts on Friday and guard Jeremiah Sirles to a one-year deal. The financial terms were not released Chris Doleman Jersey , although Cockrell's agency Reign Sports Management announced on Twitter his deal was worth $6.8 million.
Searcy and Cockrell both have North Carolina ties and were teammates before with the Buffalo Bills in 2014. It didn't take them long to resume their trash talking with Searcy having played at North Carolina and Cockrell from rival Duke.
"There has been plenty of it already," Cockrell joked on a conference call Friday.
Added Searcy: "Oh yeah, it started when we got off the plane. We already played together and we carried that relationship over from Buffalo."
All three free agents fill vacancies left from last season and could start for the Panthers in 2018.
Searcy was brought in to compete for a starting safety position that opened up when the team released veteran Kurt Coleman.
Searcy is a seven-year NFL veteran who spent the past three seasons with the Titans after four seasons (2011-14) with the Bills. His most productive season came in 2014 when he had 65 tackles and three interceptions.
Searcy played in all 16 games last season for the Titans with six starts, recording 27 tackles, one quarterback pressure, one interception and two passes defensed. He also had six stops on special teams.
He lost his starting job last season, but said he still sees himself as a starter.
"Situations change," Searcy said. "I took it on the chin and still helped the team and played excellent when I was there. I will carry myself as a starter and let the chips fall where they may."
Cockrell, a four-year NFL veteran, is expected to compete for the starting cornerback spot created when Panthers general manager Marty Hurney traded away Daryl Worley to the Eagles for wide receiver Torrey Smith earlier this month.
"I am ready to come in and make plays on the ball," Cockrell said. That is what I do."
Cockrell played in all 16 regular season games with nine starts for the Giants last season and led the team with 11 passes defensed. He also had 49 tackles and a career-high three interceptions, including one he returned for a touchdown.
He was drafted in the fourth round in 2014 and has played in 53 career games with 31 starts over his four-year career. Since entering the league he has recorded 153 total tackles DeShone Kizer Jersey , 32 passes defensed and five interceptions.
It will be a homecoming for Cockrell, who grew up in the Charlotte area and played at Charlotte Latin High School.
"It's a great pleasure to come back and rekindle some family ties," Cockrell said. "This is great place to play football. We are not too far removed from a 15-1 season and a Super Bowl."
Sirles enters his fifth season, having spent the past three with the Vikings and will have a chance to compete for the starting guard spot vacated when All-Pro Andrew Norwell signed with the New York Giants.
Sirles has played in 30 career NFL games with 15 starts.
He played in 14 regular season games with four starts last season for the Vikings, with all four coming at left guard.
The 6-foot-6, 315-pound Sirles helped the Vikings rank seventh in the NFL in rushing yards with 122.3 yards per game. In his starts, Minnesota averaged 132 yards rushing yards per game, nearly 10 yards more than the season average.
He started a career-high 10 games while playing in 14 in 2016.
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Womens Oren Burks Jersey