15 Facts About the 2013 Green Bay Packers Draft Class

by Ross Uglem

1. 1^st round pick and UCLA DE Datone Jones is the first “Datone” to ever be listed on a Green Bay Packers roster. Also, the Vikings have never won a Super Bowl and the sky is blue.
2. Datone was a history major at UCLA, and seems to have a grasp of both NFL and Packer history. While Jones' favorite NFL legend is Michael Strahan, he invoked the name of Reggie White as someone that he models his game after. "All I know is Reggie White played one way, and that was a maniacal effort and just a complete hunger. No matter who he lined up against, he wanted to dominate. And that's the player I want to carry myself after."
3. 2^nd round pick Alabama RB Eddie Lacy was widely expected to be the first tailback taken in this year’s draft until concerns about his health and conditioning allowed him to slide down to the 61^st overall pick.
4. One of Lacy’s more major concerns came from Super Bowl XLV runners-up Pittsburgh (like to slide that in whenever possible), who reported that his big toe had been “fused” and that they wouldn’t touch him with a “ten-foot pole”. This is ironic as a ten-foot pole would have been the only way anyone on Notre Dame’s defense could have touched him in the National Championship.
5. Lacy’s nickname among his college teammates was “circle-button”. This, of course, refers to the button on Sony’s PlayStation controller that corresponds with Lacy’s signature spin move in either of their top-selling football titles, Madden or NCAA Football.
6. 4^th round selection Colorado LT David Bakhtiari is reportedly 50% Persian and 50% Icelandic. In related news, there’s been a 100% increase in use of spell-check by the local Wisconsin media.
7. Bakhtiari’s older brother Eric, plays for the 49ers and has been a member of 6 NFL clubs.
8. 4^th round pick Cornell OL J.C. Tretter went to Cornell. Matt Birk went to Harvard. 
9. Tretter started his collegiate career at tight end before moving over to left tackle. He, like Datone Jones, is lauded for having “good feet” because of their experience playing basketball. Tretter, who now stands at 6’4” and weighs 307 pounds, claims to have been a point guard. Tretter projects to the interior of the line in the pros, and given his intelligence, could factor in to the competition at center.
10. Ted Thompson traded up to select UCLA RB Jonathan Franklin in the 4^th round.  Franklin, projected by many to be one of the best 3 backs in the draft and a 2^nd round talent, is known as “The Mayor” at UCLA. Franklin is also the school’s all-time leading rusher, has aspirations of being the mayor of Los Angeles, his hometown, and has personally guaranteed as much.
11. 5^th round selection CB Micah Hyde of Iowa, a high school QB, had 111 total TDs (65 passing) in four years playing in Fostoria, OH. Hyde is a solid tackling corner, becoming one of less than 70 Iowa players with 200 career tackles. His style of play may eventually result in a move to safety, which appears to be more of a position of need than CB for the Pack.
12. DL Josh Boyd of Mississippi state was first discovered by the Packers while Defensive Line coach Mike Trgovac was scouting Fletcher Cox, the Philadelphia Eagles 1^st round selection a year ago. Boyd figures to provide depth across the line, but his apparent lack of pass rush (1/2 sacks last season) has opened up the idea that Green Bay may want him to add weight and play NT.
13. The Packers only 6^th round selection, DE/OLB Nate Palmer, played at FCS level Illinois State, which also produced Super Bowl XXXI champion and fantastic goatee-wearing Green Bay Packer Mike Prior.
14. The 7^th round brought the selections of WRs Charles Johnson and Kevin Dorsey. While both players have desirable measurables (height/weight/speed/vertical), Johnson played against questionable competition in the NCAA’s Division II, and while attending Maryland Dorsey wore questionable uniforms.
15. The Packers final selection, LB Sam Barrington was 2^nd team all Big East at the University of South Florida. Sam Barrington had a better time in college in South Florida than you did.

You can follow Ross Uglem, aka “D3 Hack” on Twitter as @Rug_pHd12