INDIANAPOLIS — One day after releasing veteran tight end Bubba Franks, the Green Bay Packers were spending some quality time with one of his potential replacements: University of Texas tight end Jermichael Finley.

Of course, considering Thursday was the first day of the annual NFL scouting combine, it's waaaay too early to be suggesting Finley — or any of the other highly touted tight ends strolling through the Indiana Convention Center hallways — will be joining the Packers during the April 26-27 draft.

"We look at all positions the same," general manager Ted Thompson said Thursday. "We'll see how it turns out."

But Finley, a redshirt sophomore who caught 45 passes for 575 yards while starting all 13 games last season, said the Packers have shown the most interest in him since he arrived in town. In fact, he said the Packers told him he would be one of their 60 allotted 15-minute interviews.

"Green Bay, they've been on me. They've been on me real hard," said Finley, who ranks among the top tight ends available in the draft, along with Southern Cal's Fred Davis, Texas A&M's Martellus Bennett, Notre Dame's John Carlson, Missouri's Martin Rucker and Tennessee's Brad Cottam. "I think I'd fit in real nice there. That's who's showing me the most love."

The 6-foot-4, 243-pound Finley, who turns 21 on March 26, said he was well aware that the Packers released Franks, the team's 2000 first-round pick (No. 14 overall) who went to three Pro Bowls in his eight-year career in Green Bay.

Franks' play slipped in recent seasons, with Donald Lee emerging as the starter last year while Franks caught just 18 passes for 132 yards while missing eight games with a knee injury.

"So," Finley said, "they need a tight end."

As do a number of other teams. Finley said he plans to do "everything" when the tight ends begin working out today, though he'll also take part in the Longhorns' pro day March 19. He said when he put his name in to the NFL's advisory board to get an idea of where he'd be drafted if he came out early, he was told the second round, but that "a good workout would put me at the end of the first round. But you never know at the combine."

With Franks gone, the other tight ends on the Packers' roster from last year are Lee, Ryan Krause and Tory Humphrey, who missed the season because of a broken leg suffered in training camp.

Asked if the Packers have to find a tight end in the draft, offensive coordinator Joe Philbin, a former tight ends coach, said, "I have great confidence in our personnel department and I'm sure things will work out, as they always seem to. We're not playing for a long, long time and I haven't really given it any thought, to be honest with you."

Guest speaker

Thompson spoke to the 300-plus players during Wednesday night's opening session of the combine, pinch-hitting when another GM wasn't able to deliver the speech. His message?

"'Welcome to the NFL. Have fun, but be professional. It's a job interview,' " Thompson said. "'Be on time, be professional.' They have someone (different) talk to them each night."

Finley said Thompson "seemed pretty cool."

Lovie loves the Pack

Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith, who is 6-2 against the Packers since making beating the Bears' archrivals his No. 1 priority following his hiring in 2004, said Chicago's season sweep of Green Bay will be an important building block for rebounding from this year's 7-9 finish.

"I think it's a big deal," Smith said of giving the NFC North champion Packers two of their three regular-season losses. "I think at the end of the year, we beat two good teams that were playing for playoff positions — one playing for a playoff spot (New Orleans) and one playing for home-field advantage (Green Bay). To be able to beat a team that had one of the best years in football, to beat them twice when they're one of our big rivals, that is big. But at the same time, we realize 7-9 is not good enough."

The Bears have several key free agents, including linebacker Lance Briggs, wide receiver Bernard Berrian and quarterback Rex Grossman, whom Smith would like to bring back, despite his struggles.

"You guys know how we feel about Rex Grossman," Smith said. "We'd like for him to be a part of our program next year. As we talk about all our players that we've been with, there's been some highs and some lows. But we think Rex Grossman is a good football player and I choose to remember more of those highs. I still don't think he's peaked yet."