We preview the NFL Draft from the perspective of the Green Bay Packers.
Whether or not the Packers sign Brian Westbrook to pretty much fill out the offense, they are likely to lean defense with their first-round pick next week, No. 23 overall.
With that in mind, one guy who is likely to be on general manager Ted Thompson's radar is Florida State cornerback Patrick Robinson.
Watching this video of Robinson in action, it's hard not to see some similarities between his style of play and that of the Packers' two veteran starting cornerbacks.
Robinson has good size, though he's not as big as Charles Woodson. He is probably a little faster than an at-his-peak Al Harris, and keep in mind Harris is now coming off a torn ACL and will be 35, so he's looking less and less like a viable option as a starting cornerback.
You see virtually all the important things you need to see in that video. He's a productive, smart cornerback who seems to enjoy the physical game. He has good closing speed, good anticipation, and is a good tackler.
Not only that, but there's a swagger and intensity about him that can be hard to teach. Given how the Packers have missed in the draft at the cornerback position (guys like Terrell Buckley, Craig Newsome, and Ahmad Carroll have either disappointed or completely bombed out for a variety of reasons), this would be an important "get" for general manager Ted Thompson.
It helps that Robinson fills a need, but there's a good chance he'll be high on the Packers' board when the No. 23 selection comes up.
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