The weekend was an interesting one for Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson.

On one hand, the man known for making bold, out of the box draft picks went chalk with his first and second round choices. On the other, the consensus seems to be by doing that, he once again took a huge gamble.

By now, the measurable and on-field production for first round pick Nick Perry and second round selection Jerel Worthy have been discussed ad nauseum.

There are a few things all agree on with these picks: They turned 22 earlier this month, stand at 6 feet, 3 inches and have the talent to be Pro Bowl-caliber players.

The other attribute everyone else seems to agree on is that these are not "max effort" guys, players who loafed at times through college.

The concern, naturally, is that will not fly in the NFL.

Adding to that worry is that Perry, traditionally, has played as a down defensive end rather than an upright linebacker. It's a technical thing, but one the Packers hope he can adjust to well enough through the offseason.

It's a funny thing, this NFL Draft.

By the time the Packers picked at the end of the first round and landed Perry, it was nearly a no-brainer.

For all the hand wringing by fans leading up to the draft about what sort of reach Ted Thompson was going to make early, he settled on the best player available that also happened to fill a need.

It was about as chalk a pick as Secretariat in the Belmont.

Then in the second round as Worthy began to slip, Thompson traded up to make sure he landed the 310-pounder from Michigan State.

It was the pick he should have made, because it once again filled a need with the best player available.

Sometimes, being smart isn't just finding Nick Collins out of Bethune Cookman or Randall Cobb out of Kentucky. Sometimes, it's picking Aaron Rodgers because everyone else over-thought it.

Yet because it's the NFL Draft, where everything is broken down so far past reason, we have to find out why these guys weren't the safe pick, why they were a reach, why this draft could bust out on the Packers.

Every player drafted, from Andrew Luck to Mr. Irrelevant, Chandler Harnisch, had multiple knocks on their game, and their character.

The list of players drafted who didn't "try hard" all the time in college would be frightening.

But the funny thing is, even in the NFL, guys don't try hard all the time either. It happens. Every game. Same goes in the NBA and in major league baseball.

This isn't news, and I'm always surprised when people react upon hearing it.

Of course you want your most athletically gifted player to try his hardest, therefore making him the best player on the field. But oftentimes those physical gifts allow that player to coast at times, but still make plays. Chances are it's a big reason why they're there in the first place.

The biggest question is whether these guys produced on the field, when it mattered, and they did.

On this there is no debate, either.

Yet sometimes, even that's considered risky.