Although the actual NFL Draft is held in New York City, the Green Bay Packers determine their selections from an office at Lambeau Field.
The Packers' Draft Room, or 'War Room,' as it's sometimes called, is less than two years old -- a product of the Lambeau Field stadium redevelopment. Located on the third floor of the team's administrative building, it's 882 square feet in size (21 feet wide, 42 feet long).
This weekend the Packers will conduct their second draft out of that room. During draft hours, fans can take a peek at the action through the exclusive Packers.com Draft Cam. However, in addition, we now provide a detailed outline of the Packers' draft headquarters:
The draft board, which is available only to select individuals within the organization, is located on the east wall. The primary board contains more than 250 label magnets -- pared down from 1,500 -- detailing the players the Packers deem worthy of being drafted.
When the draft or preparatory meetings are not in session, the draft board is literally kept under lock and key. A sliding, metal curtain, complete with a padlock, secures the board when the room is unoccupied.
During draft weekend, several key Packers personnel will be seated at a table in the middle of the room facing the draft board. Among them: GM/Head Coach Mike Sherman, Director of College Scouting John Dorsey, Vice President of Football Operations Mark Hatley, Director of Pro Personnel Reggie McKenzie and Personnel Analyst to the GM John Schneider.
To their right, on the south wall, is a grid to chart the picks of all 32 NFL teams. Empty at the beginning of the draft, by the end, 255 names will be on that wall.
Opposite the draft board, on the west wall, is the NFL board, which contains detailed rosters of every club. Players are sorted offensively and defensively, and then by position.
To the left of the draft board, on the north wall, is the Packers' current depth chart, noting areas the team hopes to upgrade in the draft.
Packers trainer Pepper Burruss and other members of the medical staff will sit at a table in front of that wall, ready to provide medical information on any draft-eligible player at a moment's notice.
At a table in front of the west wall, Danny Mock, the Packers' college scouting coordinator, keeps in constant contact with Bryan Nehring and Chris Kirby, who are the Packers' representatives at NFL Draft headquarters -- the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York.
TV's are spread about the draft room. A monitor in the southeast corner displays the Packers' draft status: 24 picks until Green Bay is on the clock, heading into the 2004 draft. Just above that monitor is the camera to capture images for Packers.com Draft Cam.
The TV in the northwest corner is tuned to ESPN, which broadcasts the NFL Draft.
The door to the draft room is in the northeast corner. Those who exit the room pass under Vince Lombardi's words of wisdom regarding the draft, which are painted above the doorway: "We know just about everything we want to know about these athletes, except one thing. We don't know how much they want to wear the Green and Gold on Sunday. We don't know if they want to pay the price to be a Green Bay Packer and a Champion. We don't know if they have the heart or the right stuff."
PEOPLE IN AND AROUND THE DRAFT ROOM:
- Mike Sherman, GM/Head Coach: Oversees and approves all draft picks and trades.
- Mark Hatley, vice president of football operations: Oversees draft operations, assists Sherman, works trade phones.
- John Dorsey, director of college scouting: Oversees draft operations, assists Sherman, oversees draft board (trades/picks), works trade phones, organizes recruitment of non-drafted free agents.
- John Schneider, personnel analyst to general manager: Works trade phones, tracks trade history, maintains important files.
- Reggie McKenzie, director of pro personnel: Assists Sherman with strategy and team needs, provides pro personnel updates, contacts players.
- Andrew Brandt, vice president of player finance: Provides salary cap impact data for potential trades, organizes post-draft contract negotiations, contacts players' agents.
- Marc Lillibridge, pro personnel assistant: Recommends target teams for possible trades.
- College scouts Shaun Herock, Lee Gissendaner, Brian Gutekunst, Alonzo Highsmith, Lenny McGill, Sam Seale and Red Cochran: Available for Sherman and staff on every pick; work closely with coaches in recruiting non-drafted free agents.
- Assistant coaches: Available to Sherman when needed, talk to drafted players, contact free-agent prospects.
- Eliot Wolf, personnel assistant: Maintains draft board, by team and round.
- Bruce Warwick, director of football administration: Assists Sherman, charts draft, contacts drafted players and non-drafted free agents.
- Shaun Herock, assistant director of college scouting: Assists with college player history, organizes college scouts on draft day.
- Mike Eayrs, director of research and development: Maintains current and past trade history information.
- Sue Broberg, Mike Sherman's assistant: Manages all draft information, available to assist Sherman, enters all picks into pro personnel system.
- Jeanne Bruette, Mark Hatley's assistant: Receives all incoming calls, emails all trade confirmations and trade papers, maintains team/round selection list.
- Autumn Thomas-Beenenga, pro personnel administrative assistant: Assists McKenzie, Schneider and Bruette.
- Matt Klein, football administrative assistant: Works with players regarding mini-camp arrangements, assists PR department with player information.
- Pepper Burruss, head trainer (assisted by Kurt Fielding and Bryan Engel): Maintains all medical records.
- Dr. Pat McKenzie and Dr. John Gray, team physicians: Draft day medical advisors.
- Wayne Wichlacz, director of information technology: Oversees computers and phone systems.
- Melanie Marohl, salary cap analyst: Assists Brandt with salary cap and free agent data, provides Danny Mock with college reports and data.
- Linda Nuthals, in-house travel agent: Handles all travel arrangements with draft picks and non-drafted free agents.
- Danny Mock: Overall coordinator for draft room setup and function. Draft room contact with New York representatives (Bryan Nehring and Chris Kirby). Gathers all data from Nehring and Kirby, including other trades.
- Bob Eckberg, video director: Oversees all draft room video systems, maintains ESPN camera.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- 1,500: Player magnets produced by Danny Mock, his scouting interns Angie Binder and Kevin Van Rooy, and coaching assistant Todd Nielson. Each magnet contains detailed information, including height, weight and speed.
- 262: Players drafted in 2003 (255 in 2004).
- 9 in 10,000: Rough odds, based on 2002-03 figures, of a high-school senior eventually being drafted.
- 1 in 50: Rough odds, based on 2002-03 figures, of a college senior being drafted.
