Packers Mock Draft

My life has become very busy, so football has sadly been pushed back. But as we are now in full on Pro Day season, I must be mock drafting!

I will run mock drafts for a few teams in a few different posts. What I will do is basically highlight a few players who would slot well to the the team relative to what I am able to do in PFF’s mock draft simulator. Go ahead and play with it, and watch a week fly by!

I will start with a team with established starters at basically every position, but a great lack of depth behind those established starters. Every marquee position has a star player; QB, OT, and WR may be best at their positions, and D Tackle, pass rusher, and DB are all established stars. That’s right, my friends; the Green Bay Packers. After infuriating their fan base last year by trading up to draft Jordan Love, they only had one player drafted on each side of the ball play more than 10% of the team snaps, and neither were over 20%. After most everyone projected wide receiver to be a point of focus, not one was picked. This year, the Packers are using a lot of restructures to be under the cap, so they need some big hits in the draft to bring in low cost players to pull attention from players like Davante Adams, or hold their own in coverage while QBs avoid Jaire Alexander.

Let’s fix the Packers!

Round 1

My third Mock for this team, Micah Parsons fell to 29, so I grabbed him. This is highly unlikely! I will not be relying upon anything as improbable as that to occur, but a fall for Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is possible. He is undersized for a lineback, and unless he tests extremely well, teams may see him as a man without a position (Pro Day March 31). More likely is Zaven Collins. He is the best graded coverage linebacker in this draft, and at 6’4”, 260lbs, he is also a talented and reliable rush and tackle ‘backer (Pro Day April 2). I would take any of these three in a heartbeat, and solidifies the only position group (ILB) without an established star player.

If none of these three are there, grabbing a high end corner may do. Asante Samuel Jr and Greg Newsome are possibilities. However, I am hesitant with them largely because of their meteoric rises as of late. Newsome offers more outside corner size and skill set, while Samuel could also hold his own outside or man the slot. Newsome already tested amazing, and I want to see a TON of great testing from Samuel before being confident in him as a Day 1 guy (Pro Day March 31).

Lastly, if Rashod Bateman is still available, I would strongly consider him. Even before running a sub 4.4 in testing this spring, Bateman showed good speed, smooth routes, and both tracked the ball and won 50/50s. He is a polished receiver with experience outside and in the slot.

Round 2

Moving forward, the picks somewhat depend on what the Packers have already picked, obviously, but if Rondale Moore is still available, I would be hard pressed to avoid him. The kid is so strong, so explosive, and so multi-dimensional. He has an injury history, as well as inconsistent hands, but with good health he will be a great gadget at worst or an accomplished threat at all three levels, similar to Tyler Lockett’s career trajectory (Pro Day March 23).

But receiver seems deeper to me than defensive back in this draft, so I would love to see Elijah Molden be picked here. Most of the time, you want a defensive back to have at least 2 of 3 coveted traits; size, speed, skill. Molden lacks size, and he is not expected to test well, meaning his speed is also lacking. But Molden also possesses two other trait; smarts and spirit. The dude is like the Rudy story of this draft. He is a tenacious defender, capable in the slot or safety position, a sure tackler, and is quick to react in coverage. The guy attacks the ball whether in the air or in a runner's arms without unduly risking missing the tackle or blowing his coverage (Pro Day March 30).

Another player I would consider is Liam Eichenberg. He may be the safest pick at tackle this year, but safe isn’t sexy, so he could see a drop. He has size, experience, length: if he does fall down the boards, the Packers would be happy to have a guy hold down the left side until Bakhtiari is healed up from his ACL and then jump to the right side (Pro Day March 31).

Round 3

Given the state of things, Kelvin Joseph may very well be gone before Asante Samuel, but I can dream. Joseph transferred from LSU, and only has one real year of play under his belt, but he balled out and may test incredibly. He could be a day 1 guy, but with PFF holding him ranked north of 100, I’d take him with pick 92. It is expected he will test very well, maybe even with 4.3 range speed, which would mean he goes before this slot (Pro Day March 31).

Since Joseph is probably gone, I would easily look back to wide receiver at the 92nd pick. Amon Ra St Brown may join his big brother in Green Bay. He could have benefited from another year at USC, but he has done enough to show he can belong in the NFL. He will just not get drafted high. He largely excelled as a slot guy, but had some success outside as well (Pro Day March 24). Sage Surratt is also a guy to watch. He has a book build at 6'2", 215lbs, and 32 inch arms. His tape before injury and opt out is fantastic, but he does not possess great athletic traits, He is fast enough, quick enough, and jumps high enough, but he is not going to be winning foot races. Sage boxes out defenders and loses guys with his route running, though, so he may work well with Rodgers (Pro Day March 31).

Going back to defense as a safe pick, I looked at a guy at the line of scrimmage, man-to-man, and deep. Levi Onwuzurike has pretty good size. A nice first step, and had a great last season, but it was in 2019 having opted out last year (Pro Day March 30). Ben St-Juste has great size and played very well at the Senior Bowl. He has some great tape through his career (Pro Day April 1). Hamsah Nasirlideen has even better size, and brings it as a run defender. He may be a hybrid box safety (Pro Day March 30). Another potential target is Hunter Long out of Boston College. He is well sized, boxes out defenders, runs pretty good routes, blocks well, but is not an athlete. He did not create much separation, and throws had to be well placed or made to give him a jump ball chance, which he admittedly tended to win (Pro Day March 26).

Round 4

With 2 picks in the 4th round, the Packers have a lot of good options here. If Amari Rodgers is still available, run the card up there. I would even grab him in the 3rd, to be honest, but with PFFs rank, I have been able to get him in the 130s. He was the best receiver at Clemson this year, and is a hard nosed competitor with position versatility. Rodgers has long speed, and, in spite of not great testing, runs sharp routes and is quick out of breaks. His testing numbers are a positive indicator of what he voiced in his “Dream Draft Scenario” during an interview; he can be the slot receiver Green Bay hasn’t had since Randall Cobb. They are within a half of inch in height, but Rodgers weighs 20lbs more, and it showed in his bench press, putting up 24 reps to Cobb’s 16. Rodgers’ 40 time matched the average of Cobb’s hand time and electric timed results at the combine. Cobb had a faster 10 yard split (1.58 to 1.66), but Rodgers won the last 20 ( 1.85 to 1.91). Cobb slightly edged out a win in the vert (by .5 inches), the Short Shuttle (by .02 seconds) and the 3 cone (by .04 seconds), while Rodgers won the Broad jump by a couple inches. He may be my Draft Darling of 2021. He was a productive backup behind Tee Higgins and Justyn Ross in 2019 not missing a single game after tearing his ACL in spring practice, and even out produced Hunter Renfrow in 2018, while also returning punts. And per Sports Reference, he had over 250 collegiate touches with no fumbles.  

Two others I would definitely be more than satisfied with are Ben Cleveland and Trey Smith. Both are SEC interior blockers, but I would grade Trey above Ben easily. Trey Smith had a missed season after it was discovered he had blood clots, but appears to be better now. When he came back , Tennessee moved him from his All-Freshman LT spot to LG, and he played at an All American level. Trey did well at the Senior Bowl one-on-ones, but he may have been a big measurements winner. He came in at north of 330lbs while looking 20lbs lighter with nearly 34 inch arms (Pro Day March 25). Cleveland is another Senior Bowl measurement winner He is a strong dude, powerful, and looks like a lean tackle, but he actually weighed in at over 350lbs. The dude looks 310lbs. He is a little tall at 6’6”, and he didn’t become a full starter until this past year, but he earned an All-SEC spot and may end up being one of those no-nonsense, dependable guys. He only put up 30 reps on the bench after threatening to break the record (49 or 51], and stories abound of him benching 50 reps of 225 3 years ago. He did also test well with an unofficial 4.85 40.

Sticking on the O-Line, if none of the above are there, either Brady Christensen or D’Ante Smith have a lot of differences in the way I view them. Smith is all potential, with a rare body needing some focused weight lifting. He is 6’5” and under 300lbs, but has arms over 35” long. He was a three year starter at East Carolina, and does well with a one-on-one match up. He needs to improve his play strength and adjust to switches and stunts better, but he is a rare body type with success in college, when on the field (Pro Day March 30). Brady is established and safe, but with some limitations. However, he was on track this past year to break PFFs record for highest graded season by a tackle ever, and ended as a consensus All American. Dude had some good tape, and projects as a lower quality Liam Eichenberg; safe, but not sexy. Coming from BYU instead of Notre Dame, that drops him 2 rounds (Pro Day March 26). Quinn Meinerz has also shot up boards. He was phenomenal at the Senior Bowl. As a DIII guy he has some competition concerns, but he largely laid those to rest by stonewalling most everyone he faced in one-on-ones. He also has position versatility at Guard or Center, something GB can use depending on if they flip Elgton Jenkins to pivot or keep him at LG… or LT for a while.

…Wow, Green Bay sure isn’t stable in the trenches right now…

Round 5

Another 2 picks! This is the round where I focus on picking up guys who were either really good college players, but it is a question of if they have the ability to transition to the next level, or the really good athletes who never really put it together in college. Let’s focus on Defensive Line. Teammates Jay Tufele and Marlon Tuipulotu are both well sized, but I would rather take Marlon. They are good enough in both run and pass defense, and played well together. As second fiddle to Kenny Clark, both could do well as disruptive defenders (Pro Day March 24). Milton Williams will likely be a riser now, but with PFFs rank, I would take him here. The guy is underweight for interior at 278, but has some serious strength beyond his size. Adding 20 pounds would make him even scarier to me (Pro Day March 18).

Spencer Brown is not the sort of tackle I normally like; he is so tall, and lean. At 6’8” and 314 lbs at the Senior Bowl (nearly 25lbs above his listed weight), he actually showed more power than anticipated, and he frequently gets low in his stance and doesn’t come out immediately high. His long arms are a great asset, and as long as he adds some more sand in his pants, I would trust him more (Pro Day March 22). However, if Cornerback hasn't been addressed yet, Paulson Adebo tends to be available in these mock drafts at about this time. He was a PBU machine in 2018 and 2019 before opting out 2020. He has length and some speed to him, is tenacious, and tackles aggressively. I like Stanford guys, and would love to have this guys on my team (Pro Day March 19)

Round 6

2 more picks in this round, too! Let’s grab another offensive line guy. With Bak hurt, Wagner cut, and Linsley in LA, the Packers need a lot of help up front, hence my attention. Alaric Jackson out of Iowa is so technically sound, and currently rated at 198 by PFF. He gets to the second level and latches on, has a good foundation and knee bend, adjusts and counters well to moves, and does well at hand fighting. His arms are a touch shorter than I would like, especially relative to his height, but he is a strong pick from a school with a lot of successful linemen, and I would love him in the 6th (Pro Day March 22).

This could be a time to find a rangy receiver, though. Josh Palmer out of Tennessee and Marquez Stevenson out of Houston are intriguing. Stevenson is a burner, but slightly undersized. He excelled as a quick receiver, taking slants and crossing routes the distance, but also won a lot of deep balls. Better ball placement from his QB and he would have had a lot more success. He is sudden in his movements, and dangerous making guys miss after the catch and in the return game (Pro Day April 9). Palmer is still learning to play, having only one year of time before college, but has a great body for the position. He is tall enough at 6’1” and weighs 210lbs, as well as having 33 inch arms. He did quite well in one-on-ones at the Senior Bowl, better than his up and down college career would suggest. (Pro Day March 25).

Also, Tre McKitty from Georgia at Tight End may work here. The offenses he was in didn’t ask him to do much, but he has a lot of good traits for the position. He has shown suddenness in his route running, great hands, and he is also a talented blocker.

Round 7

This is when I like to find defensive line guys. Solid but not splashy DLine play can be found late, and the Packers have utilized a few of them over the years. Ta’Quon Graham out of Texas may be long gone, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him here. He has nearly 35 inch arms and weighs just under 300lbs. But he lost a lot at the Senior Bowl, so his stock likely dropped. He is more of an athlete and disruptor than a space eating tackle (Pro Day March 30). A true space eater would be Khyiris Tonga. He is an older player, and a converted Tight End, but he is a big bodied guy who anchored the BYU line (Pro Day March 26). Janarius Robinson is a guy who looks like an edge rusher, but plays like a defensive end. He came to the pro day at 6’5” and 266lbs, but with 36 inch arms. He labors when moving in space, is not explosive off the line, and does not show speed to chase down people. At that point, he may as well just ad 20-30lbs to his frame and play as a hand in the dirt lineman (Pro Day March 31). Tristen Hoge is another BYU lineman who benefitted from a successful season. He played well in 2020, but outside of a good, driving run blocker, does nothing exceptional. He could be a solid multi-year starter who does nothing wrong. The perfect lineman! (Pro Day March 30). Tony Fields II lacks size and pop as a run defender, but plays like crazy and was consistently productive. He may be more of a nickel linebacker, but needs to test well to be strongly considered am NFL prospect (Pro Day March 18).

UDFA

Three guys I would like as undrafted targets are Chris Evans, Matt Bushman, and Ihmir Smith-Marsette. Evans is athletic and did well for Michigan as a running back early on, but a suspension and offensive scheme change relegated him to neglibile production over the last two years (Pro Day March 26). Matt Bushman was rated a 3rd round tight end, but determined another year with a promising BYU offense would put him in the top TE discussion. A ruptured Achilles a week before the first game of the season squandered that. But he is running and sprinting again, which is good news. He was a good tight end, though not overly athletic. Scouts will want to see the testing numbers show his injury is behind him (Pro Day March 26). Ihmir has some obvious character concerns with a stupid injury and a compromised driving infraction, but he looks fast and smooth on the field. His return ability showcases his long speed even better as he seems to still be speeding up after 60 yards, even with a nice burst to start. He is a bit light, but he looks solidly built (Pro Day March 22).

23: Zaven Collins

62: Elijah Molden

92: Kelvin Joseph

135: Amari Rodgers

142: Trey Smith

173: Marlon Tuipulotu 

212: Alaric Jackson

218: Josh Palmer

254: Khyiris Tonga

UDFAs: Tristen Hoge, Chris Evans, Matt Bushman, Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Janarius Robinson