The Green Bay Packers invested in the running back position in a big way in the draft, selecting Alabama’s Eddie Lacy in the second round and UCLA’s Johnathan Frankling in the fourth round.

But Alex Green likes to think he will be a big part of the mix this coming season. Green was shut down late last season with a sore knee and he now tells Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he probably rushed back too soon last summer from a torn ACL suffered midway through his rookie season in 2011.

Green did some good things after starter Cedric Benson was lost to a torn Lisfranc ligament in Week 5, but his knee quickly became an issue and he too was sidelined. Now, Green has his health back and with that comes his optimism.

“Last year, I didn't do anything too good in the running game,” Green told Dunne. “So, I think it was a great thing for us to get back out there, make a step in the draft and help the team win football games.”

The Packers have a lot of options at running back and all eyes will be on the rookies. The club has never invested in the position like this, not with Aaron Rodgers as the starting quarterback anyway.

“I was never really quite where I wanted to be,” Green said of last season. “But I made great strides in the off-season. I'm definitely getting ready for this year.

“There's always going to be challenges in life, there's always going to be new guys stepping up. That's part of the game, that's the name of the business. I'm looking forward to it. To me, it's a great thing. It's going to push me more to be more focused.”

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Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune