14 Days Until NFL Draft: Throw Flag On This Seven-Round Mock

With exactly two weeks until the start of the 2024 NFL Draft, here are the latest and greatest mock drafts featuring JC Latham and Cooper DeJean

Author:
Bill Huber
Apr 11, 2024

In this story:

Amarius Mims

NFL Draft

Packers Mock Draft

Mock Draft

JC Latham

Cooper DeJean

GREEN BAY, Wis. – With Rasheed Walker and Zach Tom, do the Green Bay Packers really need to spend a first-round draft pick on an offensive tackle? After all, those two helped the Packers get within a whisker of the NFC Championship Game.

Nonetheless, in a seven-round mock for CBS Sports, Chris Trapasso went with Alabama right tackle JC Latham.

“The Packers have done a great job sustaining the offensive line over the years with mid-to-late round picks who have developed,” Trapaaso explained. “This selection would be more of a statement after moving on from David Bakhtiari.”

Latham played only right tackle and right guard for Alabama. As the right tackle in 2023, he allowed zero sacks. However, here is the enormous red flag: He was flagged for 11 penalties.

The second-round picks were used on Rutgers cornerback Max Melton and Texas Tech safety Dadrion Taylor-Demerson. That would add two playmakers to the secondary. Melton had eight interceptions during his final three seasons. Taylor-Demerson had seven picks in his two seasons. Another defensive back was added in the third round with Georgia’s Javon Bullard, who is a hybrid slot-safety.

The other third-round choice was spent on a running back, where AJ Dillon is back on a one-year deal. The player? Dillon’s clone, Wisconsin’s Braelon Allen.

Two offensive linemen and another safety were part of the Day 3 haul.

Pro Football Network (3 Rounds): Iowa DB Cooper DeJean

The playmaking, athletic defensive back fell into the Packers’ laps in Joe Broback’s three-round mock.

“Sometimes, teams take a player with incredible athleticism and find a place for him to play,” Broback explained. “Fortunately for the Green Bay Packers, Cooper DeJean can play defensive back well on top of being an athletic player. Throw in his ability to return kicks at a high level, and he’ll be a valuable addition to this team.”

The Day 2 choices were interesting, led by South Carolina receiver Xavier Legette. After four quiet seasons, Legette was a breakout player with 71 receptions for 1,255 yards and seven touchdowns. He also boasts a 26.4-yard average on kickoff returns. At 222 pounds and with 4.39 speed, he is a big-play threat on passes of any distance.

At No. 58, the choice was athletic NC State linebacker Payton Wilson. He’s a first-round talent with a troubling injury history. Taking him at this point could swing the risk-reward quotient.

What about offensive tackle? Broback went to the Ivy League in the third round.

Pro Football Network: The People Speak

Speaking of PFN and Coper DeJean, DeJean is the most-mocked player to the Packers by users of its Mock Draft Simulator.

The top five, regardless of round, are DeJean, Texas A&M linebacker Edgerrin Cooper, Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton, Washington State safety Jaden Hicks and North Carolina State linebacker Payton Wilson.

At positions of need, the favorites are Roger Rosengarten (offensive tackle), Barton (guard), Jaylen Wright (running back), Edefuan Ulofoshio (edge), Cooper (linebackers), DeJean (cornerbacks) and Hicks (safeties).

33rd Team: Georgia OT Amarius Mims

With size, talent and production, Mims looks like a slam-dunk. But, through Georgia’s depth and his injuries, his collegiate career consists of eight starts at right tackle.

“If players were taken on raw talent alone,” Valentino stated, “Amarius Mims would be a top-seven pick in almost every draft over the last decade; his tape is that dominant. But he's played only 802 career snaps, so he's a risky option given the small sample size.”

Packers Wire (5 Rounds): Georgia OT Amarius Mims

As we’ve hit on over the years and have started to dive into again, the Packers have a “type” at most positions. Those “types” were the thought behind Paul Bretl’s five-round mock.

The Day 2 picks included three defensive players: Michigan linebacker Junior Colson, Utah safety Cole Bishop and Florida State cornerback Renardo Green.

Bishop seemingly is a perfect complement to Xavier McKinney at safety. With one interception and 13 passes defensed as a fifth-year senior, Green would bring badly needed insurance at corner.

NFL.com: Oklahoma OT Tyler Guyton

Gennaro Filice also correctly noted Green Bay’s Day 3 success on the offensive line, which includes right tackle Zach Tom and left tackle Rasheed Walker. However:

“In the wake of Bakhtiari’s release, though, I’d love to see what the Packers could eventually make of Guyton, a prototypically sized bookend with immense athleticism and upside.”