With the 59th pick in SB Nation's 2012 NFL mock draft, the Green Bay Packers select West Virginia DE/LB Bruce Irvin.
Some around the league say Irvin could end up being the best pass rusher of the entire group. He has some off-the-field question marks but his on-the-field talent is legit. He could be a steal here in the second round.
SB Nation's Acme Packing Company explains the pick:
The Green Bay Packers' biggest problems in 2011 were along the front seven. B.J. Raji and Clay Matthews are Pro Bowl-level talents, but the players around them looked like anything but for most of the year. Acme Packing Company addressed one need for a versatile defensive lineman that can play as a 3-4 end in Round 1 with Devon Still, so we're addressing the other pressing issue along the front seven in Round 2 with Bruce Irvin, who could make an immediate impact as a pass rusher on the opposite side of Matthews.
There are questions about Irvin's ability to drop back in coverage and he had a minor run-in with the law, picking up a destruction of property charge in March after he broke a sign at a sandwich shop, but his physical tools and production are too good to ignore. He has the size to play as a 3-4 rush linebacker at 6'3, 245 pounds (though he could stand to put on a bit of weight) and his 4.50 40-yard dash time is impressive. His 8.5 sacks in 2011 were a drop-off from his 14 sacks in 2010, but he put up that lower number under a new coaching staff and on a bad all-around defense.
Irvin is limited, but he fits a need perfectly for the Packers, and it's a bit rare that guys with this combination of physical upside and production fall into the lap of a team that needs them in the late 2nd round.
For more analysis of the pick, visit Mocking The Draft. SB Nation's Ravens blog, Baltimore Beatdown, is on the clock with the 60th pick.
For more on the Packers, visit Acme Packing Company. And click here to follow along the rest of SB Nation's NFL mock draft.