One of the more quiet selections towards the end of the second round was the Packers’ pick of Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm. Are the Packers unsettled about Aaron Rodgers being Brett Favre’s replacement?
He’s a great West Coast offense fit because of his smarts, touch, and accuracy. While he doesn’t jump out physically, Brohm fell too far due to system concerns. Aaron Rodgers will be the unquestioned starter this year, but a QB controversy is not far away. It’s a good problem to have and smart to have depth with Rodgers’ durability questions. Keep in mind that Mike McCarthy was not around when Rodgers was drafted.
My thoughts on why the Pack decided to take Brohm in the second (in no particular order):
1. The Packers have absolutely nothing behind Rodgers, so bringing in Brohm will foster competition at the quarterback position and will essentially push Rodgers to have to earn the job in preseason. Sure, Rodgers will be the unquestioned starter, but he’ll now have to earn it.
2. The Packers don’t have a ton of pressing needs and Brohm was arguably the best player left on the board.
3. Here’s the biggie: Outside of a decent relief appearance in Dallas last year, Rodgers has not shown that he can be a caliber starting quarterback. He’s struggled mightily in preseason opportunities and the general consensus seems to be that the Packers aren’t thrilled with his development.
Obviously it’s way too early to tell, but there’s a chance that we’ll look back at this draft and comment how Brohm was the best quarterback in this class. And he was the third signal caller to come off the board.
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