Green Bay - General manager Ted Thompson has been known to gamble on greatness. But, by and large, his risk-taking has been reserved for the mid-to-later rounds.

Not this year. The Green Bay Packers' top two draft choices, juniors Nick Perry and Jerel Worthy, could be categorized as mild boom-or-bust selections along with small-school Jerron McMillian.

Perry and Worthy were inconsistent competitors in college, which isn't atypical for defensive linemen. Still, their level of effort was so mediocre that they are anything but safe picks, at least not in the way that such players as Clay Matthews and Bryan Bulaga were.

It was obvious that Thompson was banking that position coaches Kevin Greene and Mike Trgovac would be able to push the right motivational buttons.

Twenty-seven trades were made in the three days of the draft, and Green Bay, with three, traded up more times than any other team.

Considering that Thompson had moved ahead just three times in his first seven drafts in Green Bay, it truly was a dramatic departure for the most consistent of National Football League executives.

Call it the draft of living dangerously for Thompson.

Rather than resort to superficiality and place a letter grade on this overall draft, let's dig into the eight players. Much of the information stems from countless interviews with personnel people in the last five months on more than 300 draft-eligible players.

Following each selection are two numbers. On a 1-to-10 scale with 10 being the highest, the first number is the player's chance to really contribute as a rookie and the second number is his chance to really contribute during his career in Green Bay.

Nick Perry, OLB, Southern California (9, 9): Scouts view the high-performing Matthews as one of the exceptions from USC. The Trojans' bust rate has been high. Some personnel people regard USC as a soft program with entitled players.

Perry, who hails from Detroit, didn't give teams pause from a character standpoint. He just didn't play hard. In fact, one scout maintained that if Worthy was a 70%-30% player in terms of giving effort, Perry was 30%-70%.

His physical gifts are limitless. He hasn't played to that ability, but there are flashes of him playing D-end in a 4-3 that suggest he can be a terrific pro.

It isn't that Perry wouldn't set a hard edge and therefore let teams run right at him. He has more pride than that. His lack of tempo shows most often as a pass rusher.

It's never easy converting from a three-point to a two-point stance, but Perry has more than enough athleticism and intellect to do it.

Thompson will be relying on Mike McCarthy and Greene, his outside linebackers coach, to get it out of him.

Jerel Worthy, DE, Michigan State (9, 9): He's a little like B.J. Raji, who did his share of coasting at Boston College, too. Most collegiate D-linemen do.

But the way Worthy played for the Spartans wouldn't cut it in the NFL. Trgovac, the D-line coach, will let him know every time he gets lazy and plays too high. Ditto for when he loafs in pursuit or doesn't play the defense exactly as it was called.

Anyone who saw Michigan State knows Worthy's explosiveness and ability to penetrate are rare for 305 pounds. He has the quickness to backdoor a center in the run game, and he can whip a guard in one-on-one pass rush.

The Packers intend to play Worthy at end in the base defense and at tackle in nickel. The problem in base is that he stands just 6 feet 2½ inches, which gives the Packers another squatty 5-technique and does nothing to impede the vision of quarterbacks scanning downfield.

Worthy also can play a one-gapping nose tackle in base, but that's Raji's best position.

Worthy's best position probably is 3-technique in a 4-3. In effect, that's what he will playing in the Packers' nickel rush.

Thompson could have drafted Penn State's Devon Still (6-5, 301) instead of Worthy if he wanted the desired body type for a 5-technique. But Still probably didn't quite have Worthy's play-making skill. He also had more medical and character issues than Worthy.

Scouts view Worthy as a likable though immature person who has little idea now what it takes to be a pro. Expectations will be high. Trgovac looms as a critical figure in Worthy's development.

Casey Hayward, CB, Vanderbilt (6, 7): Whereas Perry and Worthy have high ceilings, Hayward has a limited ceiling but a high floor. In other words, he's a much safer choice.

Morris Claiborne, Stephon Gilmore and Dre Kirkpatrick were head and shoulders above every other cornerback. Janoris Jenkins, the fourth to go, had talent and baggage.

Stuck without a choice until late in the third round, Thompson went fishing and got New England's Bill Belichick to bite so he could take a cornerback late in the second round.

Towering, talented and troubled Trumaine Johnson was available. So was a cluster of 5-10 speed guys like Josh Robinson, Jayron Hosley and Dwight Bentley.

Instead, the Packers made the fifth cornerback to go Hayward, who at 5-11½ met their stringent height requirement at the position. He's a better player than Johnson, Robinson, Hosley and Bentley, all of whom went in the third round. However, his tackling was inconsistent.

The skillful Hayward is excellent playing in zones, where he is able to divide his vision between the receiver and quarterback and make calculated breaks on the ball. His hands are shaky, but his superior instincts gave him so many chances that he still intercepted 15 balls.

It remains to be seen if Hayward has enough catch-up speed (4.52 in the 40) and overall athleticism to succeed outside. He should have success as a nickel in the slot, but that's where Charles Woodson has done his best work.

Hayward has taken medication during games to ward off chronic migraine headaches. It has given him relief.

Mike Daniels, DT, Iowa (5, 6): It's doubtful if Thompson has ever drafted a player that doesn't have a position in the base scheme. That would seem to be the case with Daniels, who is too short to play 5-technique and not stout enough to play nose.

His best fit would have been as a 3-technique in a 4-3.

In Green Bay, Daniels figures as a designated inside pass rusher. As the game becomes more pass-oriented, that role takes on increasing value.

He is explosive, well-schooled and tough. He has produced.

He's just undersized, and it's a big man's game.

The surgery that Daniels underwent in January for a torn labrum went well. Teams appeared to be more concerned about his concussions than his shoulder.

Jerron McMillian, S, Maine (3, 5): Scouts aren't quite sure what to make of McMillian's 4.36 clocking at pro day March 22 in Orono. Three weeks earlier at the combine, he ran 4.49. They seem to think the 4.49 is a more true indication of his speed.

Although McMillian isn't a blazer, he clearly has good speed. He's a hard hitter and gritty competitor. His instincts are only average, and it's something of a reach to think he'll ever be able to command a secondary.

It was another bad year for teams needing safeties. After Mark Barron and Harrison Smith, there was no consensus. When the height, weight and speed were right, teams threw darts at players based on interviews and feel.

Having made McMillian the seventh safety selected, the Packers undoubtedly hope he can be their No. 3 safety as a rookie. It will be a lot to ask of a player from Maine, but he does possess the recklessness at least to contribute on special teams early.

Terrell Manning, ILB, North Carolina State: (3, 7): Manning played the weak side in a 4-3 throughout his career for the Wolfpack. In Green Bay, he will have to make the adjustment to playing inside in a 3-4.

The assumption is that he will have to play the weak inside behind Desmond Bishop, not the strong inside behind A.J. Hawk. At 6-2 and 236, he is slightly undersized for a 3-4.

He isn't a physical player taking on blocks and can get overwhelmed.

Manning has legitimate suddenness and very good intensity. He probably plays a little faster than he timed (4.73). He has above-average hips and should be able to cover.

He made as many turnover-producing plays as any linebacker in the draft. In time, he might have the tools to start if he doesn't have more knee problems.

Andrew Datko, T, Florida State (1, 1): He was a starting left tackle for four years but is a right-tackle athlete in the NFL. It's doubtful that he has the feet to handle the left side and might not have the strength for right tackle.

Although Datko stands 6-6, scouts say his body type isn't conducive to major gains in power. Plus, his left shoulder woes no doubt eliminated him from consideration by some teams.

B.J. Coleman, QB, Tennessee-Chattanooga (2, 4): He was the 10th passer selected. In the last 10 drafts, Bruce Gradkowski and Jim Sorgi turned out to be the best 10th quarterbacks picked.

The Packers chose Coleman 10 slots before Northern Illinois' Chandler Harnish went to Indianapolis. Harnish's style and size have drawn comparisons to Matt Flynn, who was the 12th man taken in 2008.

Coleman is far from a wash. His arm is good, his accuracy is above average and his decision-making is OK. He had an adequate career back in his hometown after bailing out at Tennessee when new coach Lane Kiffin handed the reins to Jonathan Crompton.

Scouts question if Coleman has the right stuff to lead. He's smart and zealous in his preparation, but his single-mindedness is said to be over the top. Teammates don't gravitate to him.

If he starts calling out receivers in Green Bay as he did at Chattanooga, it's not going to work.