Ranking The Rookies: Terrell Manning

A summer illness kept Green Bay’s fifth-round pick from contributing on defense The Green Bay Packers began the season with 10 rookies on the 53-man roster. That’s a pretty high number – especially for a team than won 15 games the previous year. But GM Ted Thompson didn’t hang on to all those rookies to save money or to make himself look good. He kept them because they could play. In fact, seven have played significant roles in the team’s march to its second straight NFC North title. I’ll be ranking the rookies – from least productive to most productive – over the next couple of weeks. Here’s #10: Story of 2012 – Had it not been for a summer illness that dropped his weight to under 220 pounds, there’s a chance Terrell Manning could’ve been one of the most productive rookie on this year’s team. That’s because the defensive coaches were desperate at inside linebacker after Desmond Bishop and D.J. Smith went down with season-ending injuries, and it’s safe to assume Manning would’v