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Team considered drafting Matthews with No. 9 pick

GREEN BAY — When general manager Ted Thompson says he was high on outside linebacker Clay Matthews, he wasn’t kidding.

Sources around the National Football League said last week that the Green Bay Packers were prepared to select Matthews with the No. 9 pick if nose tackle B.J. Raji was off the board.

At No. 9, Thompson admitted that he paused to collect his thoughts. Not only was Raji there, but somewhat expectedly so was wide receiver Michael Crabtree. Thompson needed a few moments to take it all in.

Because Crabtree carried the highest grade of any player on the Packers’ entire draft board, the assumption was that Thompson would stay true to the team’s rankings and take him. But Thompson came to the conclusion well before the Packers went on the clock that they were well-stocked at wide receiver and adding Crabtree might create a mess in which no wide out was happy with his number of targeted passes.

In effect, the old one-ball theory worked against Crabtree.

Although Thompson almost certainly would have taken heavy heat for taking another wide receiver, the GM said the prospects for criticism didn’t occur to him.

“It can’t,” he said. “I didn’t really think of it at the time.”

Thompson wouldn’t say for certain that Matthews would have been his choice at No. 9 minus Raji. Then again, he left little doubt that Raji and Matthews were his twin targets.

“The honest to God truth is, I went into the draft trying to figure out a way to get a couple guys,” said Thompson. “It worked out really good that we were able to get both of them.”

Sources said the Packers liked tackle Michael Oher as well, but probably not quite as much as tight end Brandon Pettigrew. Together with Raji and Matthews, those were the final four names under consideration at No. 9.

On Saturday, Matthews said he understood how rare it was for Thompson to trade up, which the GM did with New England for the No. 26 pick that was used on him.

“Now that I think back on it, I did have some great meetings with the Packers’ organization and its representatives,“ said Matthews. ‘‘Just being able to relate. They were able to see the type of guy I was.”

“ The Packers interviewed Matthews at the Senior Bowl and the scouting combine. Thompson also attended pro day at Southern California.

Matthews was asked if he could have seen himself going to Green Bay at No. 9.

”Obviously, I have confidence within my ability,“ he replied. ‘‘There is a certain first 10 that are selected. Would I have taken it? You better believe it.

“Personally, I thought I had the potential for going 10 to 15. I thought within myself that I’d be a 20 to 25 type guy because I knew a few of those teams were running 3-4 defenses. I was thinking I might end up with the Patriots.”

Matthews reported Thursday weighing 250, 10 more than he was at the combine and 5 more than at pro day.

“I think it’s a pretty good number, but I can get bigger,” he said. “Within the next year I can get to 255.”