If there was any question about the aptitude of the National Football League's marketing department, allow me to present to you this weekend's NFL Draft.

Next to the Super Bowl, the draft is probably the sport's largest showcase event -- and that includes the season's opening weekend and its annual allotment of Thanksgiving games. Draft buzz starts before the playoffs even begin and reaches a crescendo at the end of March, with mock drafts populating the Internet like so many pop-up ads.

By the time the actual selections take place, even casual fans are well-versed in the respective "motors" and "up-sides" of the weekend's top dozen or so picks. Compare that to the MLB draft: can you say with any certainty when that draft takes place? If you can give me a date within two weeks off the top of your head, I owe you a beer.

Locally, this year's draft is more than a windfall for the NFL and its advertising partners -- it's vital to the immediate and long-term future of the suddenly hapless Green Bay Packers. GM Ted Thompson not only needs to acquire an impact player at No. 5, he needs to leverage his current allotment of seven picks into a solid foundation for the team's post-Favre era.

No pressure, though.

With the top pick, the chalk suggests the Packers will take either Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk or North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams. The only team ahead of Green Bay expected to take a defensive player is New Orleans at No. 2, so Thompson may be forced to take whoever is left.

Yes, Williams (6-7, 295) is the flavor du draft, but I heard one analyst this weekend refer to his meteoric rise up draft boards as "irrational exuberance." I tend to agree -- the combine hype around him hearkens back to that surrounding Mike Mamula a few years ago. If you're saying, "Mike who?", my point is made. Of course, Mamula wasn't the physical specimen Williams is.

Hawk is smaller (6-1, 248) but fast (4.6 in the 40) and, unlike Williams, has the reputation for playing at full-speed on every play. People like to talk about interior lineman being difference makers, but what about Ray Lewis, Brian Urlacher, Tedy Bruschi and Joey Porter -- those guys make a difference, too.

In short, I lean toward Hawk. And the Packers' inability to land LaVar Arrington in free agency (who knows how hard they really tried) seems to suggest that's where they'll go.

What about a QB at five? Thompson hasn't ruled it out, but can anyone honestly evaluate Aaron Rodgers based on one year of holding a clipboard? If Vince Young is still there, it might happen -- but forget Jay Cutler.

What about the rest of the draft? The Packers currently have three more picks in the first 104 (No. 36 in Rd. 2, No. 67 in Rd. 3 and No. 104 in Rd. 4). If Hawk is the choice at 5, it wouldn't surprise me if Thompson turns to offense with his next three selections, where the Packers risk embarrassment without Favre next year. Their primary needs are guard and wide receiver.

Under new coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski, I'd be surprised if Green Bay used a high pick on one of the 330-pound and over guys expected to go in the early rounds (Georgia's Max Jean-Gilles, Pitt's Charles Spencer and USC's Deuce Lutui among them). Atlanta's starting tackles last year (Wanye Gandy, 315; Todd Weiner, 297) weren't even that big (Jagodzinski coached the Falcons line). Oklahoma's Davin Joseph (6-3, 311) played some tackle his senior year but has the type of size and speed the Packers may like in Rd. 2.

How about wide receiver? Despite signing Rod Gardner and Marc Boerigter, Javon Walker's questionable status and Terrence Murphy's release leave the Packers bereft of playmakers on the outside. We know that Mike McCarthy likes big, classic receivers who can make yards after the catch in the West Coast offense. That presumably rules out Ohio State's Santonio Holmes (5-11, 188), even if he were still available in Rd. 2 (he won't be).

Notre Dame's Maurice Stovall fits the profile (6-4, 217) and had a big season as a senior (69 catches, 11 TDs) in South Bend. But he probably is a reach at 36 and will be gone by 67. Oklahoma's Travis Wilson, Oregon's Demetrius Williams, Arizona State's Derek Hagan and Central Florida's Brandon Marshall are possibilities on day one. Hagan (6-2, 208; 77 catches in '05) could contribute next year, while Marshall (6-4, 229; 74 catches in '05) may have more long-range potential.

How about UW's Brandon Williams? Yes, he was "snubbed" by the Packers, who didn't invite him for a workout in Green Bay. And his size (5-9, 179) isn't what McCarthy is looking for, but he has YAC skills and also returns punts, two skills the Packers require. So it wouldn't shock me if Green Bay grabbed him at No. 104, but not many Badgers end up as Packers.

Green Bay also holds two picks in the fifth round (139 and 165) as well as No. 253 in Rd. 7. Thompson will almost assuredly trade down for more picks at some point in the draft, so don't be surprised if the Packers skip out of the second or third round. In fact, they could even do so in Rd. 1, especially if they're targeting a less sexy pick at linebacker or on the defensive line, both areas of depth in this year's draft.

If I Were Ted Thompson: I don't see it happening, but I'd be ecstatic if the Packers somehow ended up selecting Memphis running back Deangelo Williams on Saturday. Most mock drafts have him going in the mid-to-late 20s in the first round, so he's unlikely to be there at 36. But the few times I saw Williams play in college, he looked an awful lot like Reggie Bush Lite to me -- sans the decorated offensive line at USC. With Ahman Green nearing the end of the line and Samkon Gado still an unproven commodity, Williams could become the next marquee running back in Titletown. It won't happen, but one can dream.