As I've been digesting the draft, an interesting thought came to mind.

As it came out in the Journal-Sentinel, the Packers were prepared to select Clay Matthews with the #9 pick if Raji had been off the board. At first thought, it sounded kind of crazy. Just imagine how differently draft day would have felt if we had selected Matthews at #9, when many experts had him rated as a mid- to late-first round pick. I even saw a couple mock drafts that had him sliding into the second round.

Granted, Matthews is a guy that some scouts had rated pretty differently. But I think the consensus was mid- to late-first round.

So just think what would have happened if he were drafted #9. I don't think they would have been cheering in the Lambeau Atrium, that's for sure. Thompson might have had his tires slashed.

But then, I thought about the team that the Packers traded with.

The New England Patriots had the #10 overall pick last year. They drafted a guy that most experts had rated as a mid- to late-first round pick, in LB Jerod Mayo. In fact, I even recall a mock draft that had the Packers taking Mayo at #30.

Now because they're the Patriots, they weren't second guessed at all. After all, they can do no wrong. But on a serious note, they scouted a player and looked how he would fit in their system, and weren't afraid to draft him quite a bit higher than many thought he should have gone. And Mayo ended up winning Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Who knows if TT would have actually taken Matthews at #9, if Raji hadn't been there. Maybe he would have been able to trade down a few spots for someone who wanted Crabtree, and still could have got Matthews. But if Bob McGinn's sources are correct, it could have easily played out with a surprise pick of Matthews at #9. I don't know that Clay Matthews is going to garner any DROY votes like Mayo did, but I do find the scenario to be an interesting parallel, especially considering that the Packers and Patriots were trade partners in this whole thing.

I guess in this case, I hope that history (or near-history) repeats itself.

This is, to me, the most succinct and sensible analysis of why a team drafts a player where they do I have read. Very well done. This idea that if the general consensus that a player should go in the mid-rounds, then he is a "reach" if you take him earlier. And a player that falls from a first round projection to the mid-second, they are then a steal? Or, as Rodgers did, from a projected possible #1 to #24 means... what? The Packers got a steal? 23 other teams in the NFL were just too dumb? Good grief- I really don't care where a player is taken, or whether they're FA's or whatever. If they can contribute, that's all I care about. I'll leave the handwringing about where a player was taken to others.

It is two-fold. The so-called experts come out with their own rankings and this sets up the draft. When a team selects a player, even the Raiders selection, they must consider two things. 1) Where this player is on their own board and how well they really want him and 2) where is this player on the other 31 teams boards and how likely is he to be around for this team's next selection.

In the case of GB, if Raji is not there, then who of the first 8 selections drop; Bey with the Raiders or Sanchez does not get selected by the trade up by the Jets. I am not into deep thinking, but these are the likely senarios. GB even indicated that when the Jets traded up, they felt that Raji and Crabtree most likely would be there. While GB may have been looking at Matthews at #9, I do not think that would have played out when the Jets traded up. And GB did immediately look to move up after the Raji selection, it is just that other teams probably did not know whom the Packers wanted. It would be interesting to wire tap all of the teams phone lines one year and listen to all of the chatter during the draft.