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Despite his record-breaking career at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, the 5-foot-7, 191-pound Beaver lined up ... at defensive tackle?
``Hey, I'm a great defensive tackle,'' Beaver said Saturday before the second practice of the Packers' post-draft rookie orientation camp. ``I actually think I could play there.''
Beaver was kidding, of course, and actually, it wasn't that out of the ordinary. In practice, when the offense and defense split up to work on their respective sides of the ball, offensive players routinely play unfamiliar positions to help out. Even quarterback Brett Favre used to line up at safety from time to time.
The funniest moment of practice came when Beaver lined up inside and 6-foot-8 tight end Joey Haynos lined up next to him at end.
``He's got about a foot on me,'' Beaver said. ``Of course, everybody here's got some height on me. But I think I've got the heart to make up for it.''
That's what Beaver is banking on. As one of 19 players participating in the camp on a tryout basis, he knows he's a long shot, but he has made an impression on coach Mike McCarthy.
``He's quick as a hiccup, as advertised. I thought he did a nice job,'' McCarthy said. ``He plays with both excellent pace and tempo. He's got an excellent spirit, just the little that I've seen.
Beaver and the other tryout players will learn their fate Sunday after the personnel department and coaching staff huddle and decide whom to sign to the 80-man roster following the final practice of the camp.
``We're going to have some good football players that we may not be able to bring back,'' McCarthy said.
One player who was brought back last year was running back Corey White, who came in for a tryout and was signed after the camp, spending the entire season on the practice squad. White, one of seven players from last year's team taking part in this year's camp, has his locker just around the corner from Beaver's and has shared his own experience.
``I talked to him. I told him I was in the same position last year,'' White said. ``I told him, 'Just work as hard as you can, and don't quit. You only have three days.'''
BROTHERLY LOVE: You'd have thought rookie defensive end Jeremy Thompson, a fifth-round pick from Wake Forest, would have come in with a decided advantage thanks to his older brother Orrin, an offensive lineman who spent four games on the 53-man roster last season and spent the rest of the year on the practice squad.
But while Jeremy said Orrin took him out on the town with offensive linemen Tony Moll and Joe Toledo and kicker Mason Crosby on Thursday night, his big brother and the others didn't offer a single word of advice.
``No tips,'' Jeremy Thompson said. ``We ate and were playing some video games. It was nothing serious. I just met them and hung out for a bit.''
Orrin's presence will help ease the transition from college, though, Jeremy said.
``Having a familiar face in the locker room will make me feel a little bit more comfortable,'' Jeremy Thompson said. ``But when it's comes down to football, football is football. It doesn't matter if you know somebody or don't. It's how you perform on the field.''
