Green Bay Packers: Is Ted Thompson A Late Round Guru?

The Green Bay Packers fell short of the Super Bowl for yet another season. This should not be surprising as Ted Thompson relies on late round draft picks to play meaningful snaps.

Packers GM Ted Thompson has made his mark on the NFL by sticking to his draft and develop philosophy. Most general managers would not experience longevity in the profession if they expected undrafted free-agents to cover Julio Jones in the NFC Championship Game.

However, Ted Thompson has gotten away with atrocities such as this for two reasons. First, he drafted Aaron Rodgers, who developed into a Hall Of Fame quarterback. The decision to draft Rodgers took guts because it didn’t immediately improve the team’s chances of making the Super Bowl. For this, Thompson deserves credit as Rodgers mere presence makes the Packers a perennial contender.

The second reason for  Thompon’s longevity is the mindset that he is somehow better at evaluating late round draft talent. But, is this idea supported by evidence?

For this study, the focus will be on players drafted between the 5th and 7th rounds. It will also include undrafted free agents who went on to make the team.

They will be evaluated on their regular season impact and given a rating of “contributor” or “non-impact.”

Certainly, it is not fair to expect each of Thompson’s picks to work out, but if there is no evidence to support the effectiveness of keeping so many late round picks, then the GM must adjust his philosophy.