The consensus top running back in the 2013 NFL Draft fell all the way to No. 61 overall before the Green Bay Packers made him the fourth back selected. Eddie Lacy's stock fell because of toe fusion surgery last offseason. He wasn't even on some NFL teams' draft boards.
But Lacy says he'll be ready to play.
"From Day 1," Lacy said Wednesday, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. "I'm going to be ready to go."
His teammates at Alabama noted Lacy didn't miss any practices in college, and he certainly performed well. But there was a concern from teams that Lacy, like a lot of Alabama products, got "beat up" during collegiate practices.
Regardless, it's hard to imagine Lacy being asked to be a "bell cow" back on the Packers. DuJuan Harris showed a lot of promise last year. The Packers also traded up in the fourth round to draft former UCLA running back Johnathan Franklin. While Franklin might not be the power runner that Lacy is, he's a three-down back just like Lacy.
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"I don't know how you can't be excited about Franklin," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "I'm really looking forward to see how he grabs the rope and runs with it."
The Packers did a nice job building wide receiver depth over the last few years. When one player was hurt, the group barely suffered. That now might be the case for them at running back, too.
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