Packers end season without significant contributions from Nick Perry

GREEN BAY (WITI) -- The Green Bay Packers won 11 games during the just completed NFL regular season without any significant contributions from their first round draft choice, Nick Perry. 

When the Green Bay Packers picked Perry with the 28th selection in the first round of last year's draft, they do so in large part on projection. They felt they could move the college defensive end to NFL outside linebacker. Because of knee and wrist injuries, Perry only lasted six games as a rookie, but the team feels it saw enough to pronounce its projection a success.

"I think he has the ability to play this position. He just needs more time in the cleats on the ground, on the practice field and in games to increase his vision and increase his physicality and all that will come. He has it in him and he has the right attitude and that's half of it," Packers Linebackers Coach Kevin Greene said.

Perhaps the biggest adjustment for Perry at linebacker is having to drop back in pass coverage on occasion.

"He had a couple of fine drops. If you go back to the Indianapolis Colts game, we asked him to run vertical with Reggie Wayne in a hip/trail position and that's not an easy thing to do for a 265-pound man and he did it pretty good," Greene said.

In the last game they ended up playing this season, the Packers fell victim to the NFL's newest rage, the read-option offense, and Colin Kaepernick of the 49ers ran it to perfection. Would Perry help against that type of offense?

"I think with Nick's athletic ability, you've got to put as athletic a team as possible out there because they're going to challenge you on the perimeter and you've got to be able to get back to assignment football. You've got to be able to play the dive and have somebody assigned to the quarterback and you've got to have somebody that's fast enough that's assigned to that quarterback that he just doesn't out run him, so that affects the type of guy you've gotta put out there," 

The hope is, Green Bay will have the chance to put Perry out there next season for more than a half-dozen games. The team maintains with Clay Matthews on the other side, a Perry pairing will produce peak pressure and performance for the Pack.

Just like every NFL team, the Packers will be on the lookout again for more fresh talent in this year's draft, scheduled for the end of April.