Green Bay - Looking at Casey Hayward's resume, really, what's not to like?

He had the best short shuttle time at the combine with a 3.9. He was a team captain at Vanderbilt. He understood concepts and coverages. He's football smart and dedicated to film study.

He was so good that Green Bay general manager Ted Thompson wasn't going to wait around Friday night and watch some other team scoop him up. So after he had just traded up to get Jerel Worthy, Thompson traded away his third- and fifth-round picks to get Hayward in the second round at 62nd overall in the NFL draft.

Those fans who wanted a little action in the first week of March to start free agency will have to settle for this kind of cannon ball dive into the pool from Thompson in April.

"I've gone crazy," said Thompson with a half smirk, half eye roll, before returning to total seriousness. "We never run short of trying to add defensive backs, especially corners. We had him rated as a very good corner in this draft, and we think he'll fit in well with our group."

Hayward joins cornerbacks Charles Woodson, Tramon Williams, Jarrett Bush, Sam Shields and Davon House.

"Why? Have you looked at the offenses that we're playing against with the Saints and the Lions?" said Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers "They're putting four wide receivers and sometimes five out there. That's just the nature of the game nowadays. It's pretty obvious you've got to be able to cover. . . . If you can't cover them, you're going to be in for a long day."

Meanwhile, the question doesn't seem to be going away: When will the Packers make the transition from corner to safety for their aging veteran Woodson? Capers, Joe Whitt Jr. and Thompson all more or less deflected the question, saying the versatile Woodson already moves around anyway, so proclaiming an official switch at this point of the year is unnecessary.

"The scheme and the game plan dictate where he lines up," said Whitt. "That's really a moot plan because he's going to line up where we need him that week."

Added Capers: "We haven't even had those discussions. You want to get through the draft and see where you are. Charles has played so many different places for us that we just feel that he's played corner, nickel, dime, safety, wherever we've wanted Charles to play, he's played."

Meanwhile, Whitt, the defensive backs/cornerbacks coach, seemed enthused with the possibilities of having Hayward.

"You can look at the South Carolina game. He played really, really well in that game," said Whitt. "Every game I put on, I saw things that I liked. I saw just the way that he handled himself. He's a very mature man on the field. He's constantly bringing his teammates up. He's constantly making plays. He understands his limitations and he understands what he does well. He's just a mature football player at a young age."

Reads QB targets

Hayward was good at reading the quarterback's aerial targets. He allowed just two touchdowns last season and broke the school record with 46 career passes defended and tied the school record with 15 career interceptions.

But Whitt also liked Hayward's tackling instincts; he is credited for having 18 touchdown-saving tackles.

"I had 7.5 tackles (for a loss) this past year, my sophomore year I had 8.5 tackles for loss," said Hayward. "That's a strength of mine that a lot of people don't know about."

Without a doubt, Hayward's short shuttle time was an eye-opener and one of those tests that has meaning to Green Bay's staff.

"I do think it's an indication, he's very quick in line and he's quick with his hands and quick off the ball," said Thompson.

A quarterback in high school, Hayward said he believes that experience under center helped him play on defense.

"It helped me with my instincts, because I kind of got a concept of the zone, man, what the quarterback is looking (for)," said Hayward. "It helped me with my instincts and my vision, because I got to carry the ball a lot."