Packers’ first-round pick Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, left, participates in a drill on Friday with West Alabama safety Demetruce McNeal. Credit: Mark Hoffman

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Green Bay — At Southern Mississippi, he toiled in obscurity. Times were tough. His team went 1-23 the last two seasons. His crowds were a fifth of what they get in the Southeastern Conference.

Yes, defensive lineman Khyri Thornton is a 6-foot-4, 304-pound great unknown. Or at least it seems that way.

"People who know football know about me," Thornton said Friday. "People who know the ins and outs of football know about me. People who don't know football will know about me. It may not be this year, it may not be next year. But they will know about me.

"I will help this team get back to a championship."

The Green Bay Packers could use this jolt on defense. Immediately.

Veteran Julius Peppers was added in March. Yes, the Packers will be welcoming back players such as Clay Matthews and Casey Hayward from injury.

But the draft is always the No. 1 source of improvement under general manager Ted Thompson. And this year, the lone additions in the top 100 picks on defense were Alabama safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (No. 21 overall) and Thornton (No. 85).

They'll get a chance to play soon. Inside the Don Hutson Center on Friday and Saturday, they're hitting the field for the first time at rookie camp.

These practices are introductory sessions, above all. But the question coordinator Dom Capers and his staff must answer ASAP is how soon the likes of Clinton-Dix, Thornton, Arizona State's Carl Bradford (fourth round) and Baylor's Demetri Goodson (sixth round) can invigorate a defense that ranked 25th in yards allowed, 25th in opposing passer rating and forced a Capers-low 22 turnovers.

An immediate impact would be welcome. The Packers did give Clinton-Dix No. 21, after all.

"When they gave me that number, I was shocked," Clinton-Dix said. "Charles Woodson is one of the best. I'm just honored."

In so many words, all rookies reiterated they want to contribute any way possible, be it as starters or backups. In reality, there's a reasonable chance Clinton-Dix will be plugged in as a starter on Day 1 of training camp. Thornton, while raw, was taken in the third round for a reason. Green Bay envisions him adding rotational juice to the defensive line.

This is how Thompson builds. He bypassed the likes of free agents T.J. Ward and Antoine Bethea in March for Clinton-Dix in May.

In the far-too-soon-to-draw-conclusions department, Clinton-Dix looked the part Friday. He's a long safety with instincts.

During one seven-on-seven period, Clinton-Dix broke on an 18- to 20-yard corner route for a deflection. The 6-foot-1, 208-pounder plays with fluidity. This first week as a Packer, Clinton-Dix says he's been watching film and sitting in the safety meetings.

Coach Mike McCarthy said the rookie is "off to a good start." The quicker he picks up the defense, the better for Green Bay.

Clinton-Dix believes there are many similarities between his system at Alabama and this one.

"It's definitely the same, but it's just different terminology," Clinton-Dix said. "So it's just different names, you have to stop saying the 'Bama names....It puts you in a more calming place, understanding plays."

Whereas Clinton-Dix fell later than most outsiders projected, Thornton was surprised to hear his name called in the third round.

In Thornton, the Packers added a 300-pounder who has been timed in sub-5.0 seconds in the 40-yard dash. Come training camp — once the pads are on, the one-on-ones begin and men are separated from boys — the Packers will truly know what they have.

After Friday's practice, Thornton said he cycled through five different schemes in five years at college, adding he has played the 0-, 2-, 3- and 5-techniques along the defensive line.

"I feel I fit in everywhere," Thornton said. "Wherever the team needs me, wherever Coach wants me to play, wherever I can get in to fit, I'll play."

As Florida State, one of his first college choices, rolled to an undefeated championship season, Thornton's teams kept losing.

Below the radar, Thornton finished with 39 tackles (6 1/2 for loss) with a half-sack in 2013. He believes the reason he's here is that the motor never ran dry. Burst is always in demand on the D-line. For Thornton, it wasn't too difficult mentally to suck it up last fall.

As a kid, Thornton grew up in a full house. He's been holding down jobs since he was 14 years old to help pay bills. So on the field, he never slowed down.

"Some people have it, some people don't," Thornton said. "I feel like I've had adversity all my life, so that was just another steppingstone in my life to keep playing hard.

"A lot of people don't get the opportunity I've got, so I just looked at it that way. I went out there every day — practice every day, game every day and played from the first quarter to the end of the fourth quarter."

At Southern Miss, former Packers quarterback Brett Favre often stopped by to give speeches to his alma mater. Thornton estimates there are 15 Favre-related posters at the facility. Favre, in fact, was a major reason Thornton chose Southern Miss after failing to qualify at Florida State and South Florida.

Thornton grew up a Packers fan. He did watch the team last season. And this is a run defense that ranked as high as No. 3 in the NFL before eroding down the stretch. LeSean McCoy (25 carries, 155 yards), Matt Forte (46-235), Adrian Peterson/Toby Gerhart (40-237), Reggie Bush/Joique Bell (39-211), DeMarco Murray (18-134) and Le'Veon Bell (26-124) all ran wild.

Outside of Mike Daniels and his 6 1/2 sacks, pass rush was limited from the defensive line. The rest of the group combined for 4 1/2 sacks.

"I think I can bring a persistency and a motor — just that other guy who can fit in with everybody else," Thornton said. "I can come in and have a big impact. Just as big of an impact as they have on the game....I always try to stay on this high level where you're blessed to be here, nothing's given to you."

Soon, Thornton will get a chance to help out. Clinton-Dix, Bradford and Goodson, too. This is a defense that used more rookies last season than any other team. Two undrafted linebackers in 2013 combined for 543 snaps.

Chances are, the Packers will be counting on (multiple) fresh faces again.

"As long as I keep my nose in this playbook," Clinton-Dix said, "and continue to work hard and study, I think I'll be fine."