6 Days Until NFL Draft: Packers Trade Back in New Mock Drafts

In less than a week, the Green Bay Packers will be on the clock with the 25th overall pick. Unless they trade out of the pick. Here are the latest mock drafts.

Author:
Bill Huber
Apr 19, 2024

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Green Bay Packers

Packers Mock Draft

Graham Barton

Cooper DeJean

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Back in the day, the Green Bay Packers held a live draft party at Lambeau Field. Imagine waiting all night for your beloved Packers to draft a star college player in the first round, only for the team to trade out of the round altogether.

That was the scenario in two new mock drafts.

Pro Football Network (3 Rounds): Trade!

In this scenario by Owain Jones, the Packers traded No. 25 to the Las Vegas Raiders for picks in the second and fourth round this year (No. 44 and No. 112) plus a third-round pick in 2025.

With that, the Packers would have Nos. 41, 44 and 58 of the second round, Nos. 88 and 91 of the third round and Nos. 112 and 116 of the fourth round.

The haul?

BYU offensive tackle Kingsley Suamataia at 41, NC State linebacker Payton Wilson at 44 and Washington safety Jaden Hicks at 58 of the second round, and Louisville cornerback Jarvin Brownlee and Houston Christian defensive end Jalyx Hunt in the third round.

Wilson was the first linebacker off the board and Hicks was the second safety. Suamataia was the eighth pure offensive tackle selected – at No. 21, Tyler Guyton was the seventh – and the 11th lineman overall. He started at right tackle in 2022 and left tackle in 2023, making him a strong candidate to be that all-important swing tackle, if nothing else, as a rookie.

“At just 21 years old, Suamataia already has left-right versatility, two years of experience, and an elite physical foundation to build on,” PFN’s Ian Cummings wrong in his scouting report. “His combination of elite explosiveness, mass, and high-end length grants him quantifiably elite power capacity.”

NFL.com: Another Trade Back

In Dan Parr’s second mock, the Packers dealt No. 25 to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for No. 40 and No. 48 of the second round. While the Jaguars drafted Iowa’s Cooper DeJean, the Packers wound up with four picks in the second round (Nos. 40, 41, 48 and 58) and two more in the third (Nos. 88 and 91).

That’s six in the Top 91. One could argue the Packers have six key needs: offensive tackle, interior offensive line, safety, cornerback, linebacker and edge.

Sports Illustrated: Alabama OT JC Latham

SI’s Matt Verderame opened his mock draft with four consecutive quarterbacks before going with the massive right tackle at No. 25.

“Latham would be an ideal pick for the Packers, who need to address the offensive line with David Bakhtiari gone,” he explained. “Pairing Latham with a young, ascending player in Zach Tom would give quarterback Jordan Love terrific protection off both edges for years to come.”

Athlon (7 Rounds): Duke OL Graham Barton

For Athlon, I did a seven-round Packers mock draft. The Packers need a lineman to offer depth and flexibility. No lineman in this draft would provide more flexibility than the Duke All-American.

CBS Sports (7 Rounds): Clemson CB Nate Wiggins

In a new seven-round mock draft for CBS Sports, Josh Edwards did what the Packers almost always do – draft a defensive player in the first round – and then some.

At No. 25, he selected Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins. He has an elite combination of size (6-1 3/8) and speed (4.28 in the 40). He matched that with three interceptions and 25 passes defensed the past two seasons.

From there, Edwards used all four Day 2 picks on defensive players, as well.

No. 41: Texas A&M linebacker Edgerrin Cooper. The first linebacker off the board, Cooper turned elite athleticism into elite production.

No. 58: Washington State safety Jaden Hicks. The second safety off the board, Hicks is arguably the best complementary fit alongside Xavier McKinney.

No. 88; Utah DE Jonah Elliss. The son of former NFL defensive lineman Luther Elliss was an All-American with 12 sacks and 16 tackles for losses in 2023.

No. 91: Texas DT T’Vondre Sweat. Sweat, the 350-pounder who is the best run-stopper in the draft, was arrested earlier this month for DWI. He’s too good to fall too far in the draft, though.

One of the noteworthy picks in Day 3 was Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton in the sixth round. He threw for 2,813 yards with 20 touchdowns vs. only five interceptions last year while adding seven more touchdowns as a runner.

The Athletic: Iowa DB Cooper DeJean

Austin Mock used The Athletic’s “consensus big board” and his “projection model” to select DeJean, the athletic and productive cornerback who could wind up at safety in the NFL.

“The Packers have an offensive line need, and (Oklahoma’s Tyler) Guyton was hard to pass up here, but they also have a need in the secondary,” he explained. “DeJean can play cornerback, safety or nickel, so you get an impact player at multiple spots and fit whatever need your defense has over the next few years.”

Packers Wire (4 Rounds): Iowa DB Cooper DeJean

In Brennen Rupp’s four-round mock, the pick was DeJean, who “checks” all the boxes with his combination of size, speed, playmaking and tackling.

“DeJean is arguably one of the best athletes in the 2024 NFL Draft. He would give the Packers a much-needed playmaker in the secondary. He’d likely slide to safety next to Xavier McKinney,” Rupp wrote.

The second-round picks were NC State linebacker Payton Wilson and Kentucky cornerback Andru Phillips.

The third-round choices were South Dakota State guard Mason McCormick and Oregon running back Bucky Irving.

A third defensive back, Georgia safety Tykee Smith, was added in the fourth round. All three are versatile, with DeJean viewed as a corner or safety, Phillips as a corner or slot and Smith as a safety with a lot of slot experience.

Fox Sports: Illinois DT Johnny Newton

Fox’s David Helman, who focuses on the Cowboys, and Carmen Vitali, who covers the NFC North, tag-teamed this first-round mock. Rather than Oklahoma offensive tackle Tyler Guyton and Alabama cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry, they went with Newton, a two-time All-American with 13 sacks and 22.5 tackles for losses in 2022 and 2023.

“Don't ask me why, this just feels like a Packers pick,” they wrote. “Newton is a pure three-tech and will fit well in Jeff Hafley's new 4-3 scheme up in Green Bay. Plus, you know the Packers aren't taking a receiver in the first round. And on a serious note, I didn't like the value on tackles here, either.”