Packers' pick will come late into evening

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GREEN BAY - The NFL Draft begins at seven tonight – and you’ll probably have to stay up late if you want to see the Packers make their first-round pick.

Last year’s opening round was completed in three-and-a-half hours. And with Green Bay picking 28th, you can expect them to be on the clock around 10 tonight – that is, if they don’t trade up-or-down. General manager Ted Thompson says he’ll hold firm to his philosophy of taking the best player available. But he could be under at least some pressure to bolster a pass defense that helped give up the most yards in NFL history a year ago. Blue-chip safeties could be in short supply by the time the Packers get on the clock. Pundits expect a number of top-notch defensive linemen to be available – like Nick Perry of USC, Devon Still of Penn State, Kendall Reyes of UConn, Chandler Jones from Syracuse, and Shea McClellin of Boise State. Green Bay chose 27 offensive players and 15 on defense in Thompson’s seven previous drafts.

Only Round-One will be completed tonight. Rounds two-and-three will take place tomorrow night. Rounds four-through-seven will be on Saturday.

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Former Packers’ safety Leroy Butler said he was honored that Nick Collins wore his old Number-36. And now, he says it should either be officially retired – or it should be put away for good. The Packers released Collins yesterday, saying they were not satisfied that he could avoid permanent injury after his ruptured neck disc and fusion surgery from last September. Collins has not said whether he’ll try to hook up with another NFL team – but he can do so as a free agent. Butler played 12 seasons and won a Super Bowl ring before a devastating shoulder injury forced him to retire. He said Collins’ situation is different, because he’s only 28 and is in the prime of his career. Still, Butler said Collins did the Packers and their fans proud both on-and-off the field. And Butler was glad that Collins got to win a Super Bowl after the 2010 season. He played eight NFL seasons, all with the Packers. In 2008, Collins set a Packer record with 295 interception return yards – and he became the first NFL safety since 1986 to return three picks for touchdowns that year. Collins also had a 37-yard interception return for a touchdown in the Packers’ Super Bowl-45 win over Pittsburgh.

Tags: wisconsin sports, proam, football, packers