The NFL draft is on the horizon and it's just about the most exciting thing going on in this neck of the woods every year.

This year it seems like it's even more exciting and important with one central and very unique question.

Is this a Brett Favre draft or a Packers draft?

Let me explain.

Brett Favre will be the quarterback this year. He may be the quarterback next year. But, nobody thinks he will be the quarterback the year after that. Having said that, the Packers have a chance to get into the playoffs and maybe, just maybe, back to the Super Bowl, with Favre at the helm.

If you accept that as fact, and I think it's hard to argue, then you have to decide whether you will draft to help Favre right now. A Brett Favre draft will result in players who can fill a specific need that this team has. That means wide receiver, tight end, defensive end, defensive back and running back. Those are the most glaring needs.

A Packers draft will result in taking the "best athlete available." That means no matter who it is, if it's the highest rated player on the Packer draft board, you select him when No. 16 rolls around.

Almost all the mock drafts have the Packers taking running back Marshawn Lynch from California. He's got all the talent in the world and, although there are some character questions, he seems to have a great future as a pro. He can run inside and outside. He can catch. He can block. He's smart. He sounds perfect.

Now, you could say that Lynch qualifies as both a Brett Favre Draft pick and a Packers Draft pick. He fills the need at running back and he's likely to be around for the Packers of the future.

But, the draft rarely works out exactly like the experts predict. Teams trade up or down to get specific players. The draft boards on one team may not match the draft board of another team.

Let's say, for example, that Joe Thomas, the outstanding left tackle from Wisconsin, was on the board when the Packers picked. Maybe they moved up, or maybe he dropped a little for some crazy reason.

The Packers have a solid and experienced left tackle in Chad Clifton.

What should the Packers do in a situation like that? Clearly they don't need Thomas to win next year or the year after that. Clifton is a proven commodity.

But Thomas could also be the left tackle for the team for the next dozen years. He would solidify one of the most important positions on the team.

This becomes a question of philosophy.

The Packers don't need Joe Thomas to win next year. They do need Joe Thomas to win five years from now.

The questions are simple, but the answers are tough.

I called Ted Thompson's office and there is very little interest in discussing this issue now. So, it's left to us to decide what the team should do. Not what they will do, but what should they do if this situation presents itself.

The time with Favre is precious. It is special. And it is fleeting.

It's as if your child, is about to move to New Zealand and won't be back for five years.

You want to spend every minute you can with them toward the end of their stay in your home. You want to cook their favorite foods, rent their favorite movies and play their favorite music.

While he's here, Favre gives the Packers a chance to be a winner. The Packers need to recognize that fact, above all, and do what they can to make his final two years successful.

So in this case, as hard as it would be, you pass on Thomas and fill a much more immediate need.