100 Days of Mocks: A Wild Aaron Rodgers Trade
GREEN BAY, Wis. – With about one week until the draft, we’ve reached peak Mock Draft Silly Season. ESPN.com’s Bill Barnwell did a first-round mock draft. He didn’t pick players. He made trades for all 31 picks.
In this mock, Barnwell put together an NBA-style three-team trade in which the Green Bay Packers sent Aaron Rodgers and their third-round pick to the New York Jets and their second-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for the No. 13 pick in the 2023 draft and a third-round pick in 2024 that could move up to a second if the Jets win a playoff game.
The trade would mean the Packers would have the 13th and 15th picks of this year’s draft but no Day 2 selections.
At least for a moment. With the Packers on the clock at No. 15, they sent that pick to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for Dallas’ first- and second-round picks, Nos. 26 and 58 overall, in 2023 and a fifth-rounder in 2025.
So, all told, the Packers would be picking 13th, 28th and 58th in the first three rounds instead of 15th, 45th and 78th.
Based on the Rich Hill trade-value chart, Green Bay would be plus-133 points in 2023 draft picks, the equivalent of a pick in the middle of the second round. Throw in the future picks and Green Bay would be trading Rodgers for the equivalent of a low first-round pick.
Sticking with ESPN, Mel Kiper and Todd McShay tag-teamed a three-round mock. Kiper made the first two picks: Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid and LSU outside linebacker B.J. Ojulari. McShay grabbed Stanford receiver Michael Wilson in the third.
Having played in only 14 games the last three seasons, Wilson is a heck of a talent with a heck of an injury history. But, when he’s healthy, his “ability to get separation” and gain yards after the catch would be a major asset for new starting quarterback Jordan Love.
Michael Renner of Pro Football Focus also took Kincaid, “who is a special receiving prospect” and would have a bigger impact than any of the receivers.
Kincaid also was the pick in a new Fox Sports mock.
Oliver Hodgkinson of Pro Football Network did a three-round mock. With the first-round pick, he grabbed Alabama safety Brian Branch. The Packers have a hole in the lineup, so long as they don’t bring back Adrian Amos after the draft, with Darnell Savage and Rudy Ford the projected starters at the moment.
While Branch is listed as a safety, he played mostly in the slot for the Crimson Tide. He’s a tremendous player, though a bit lacking in speed, and superb tackler. Hodgkinson called him the “ultimate utility man.”
The second-day picks were dedicated to the offense, including tight end Luke Musgrave in the second. He’s explosive, fast and has “catch-point prowess.”
Scott Bair of AtlantaFalcons.com also picked Branch, who is “head and shoulders” better than the rest of the safeties.
Staying in the NFC South, Brianna Dix of Buccaneers.com selected Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer.
Noting Green Bay’s predraft interest in the position with visits by Mayer, Utah’s Dalton Kincaid and Georgia’s Darnell Washington, Dix noted Mayer is the “most well-rounded of the bunch” with his ability to block at the line and make plays in the passing game.
The Los Angeles Times organized a beat writers mock draft. Stepping in for the role of Brian Gutekunst was Pete Dougherty of The Green Bay Press-Gazette. He grabbed Iowa’s edge Lukas Van Ness
The Draft Network’s Jamie Eisner took a betting approach with his mock and wagered on Van Ness. Defensive line – which includes edge rusher – is the betting favorite to be Green Bays first pick.
Also at The Draft Network, Justin Melo tacked on a round to his mock draft. After going pass rusher in the first, he selected Oregon’s State’s Musgrave – a “big-bodied matchup nightmare” – in the second.
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100 Days of Mocks
Starting Jan. 17, when there were 100 days until the start of the NFL Draft, we started our mock-worthy goal of 100 mock drafts in 100 days. Here are the last 10 days of the series.
9 days: Four pass catchers and Peter Schrager among 10 mocks
10 days: Breaking down seven-round mocks by Brugler, CBS
11 days: Seven-round mock and a trade
12 days: Rodgers traded to Jets for first-rounder
13 days: Packers trade back, pick tight end
Packer Central’s seventh all-Packers mock draft
14 days: “Ideal” picks among 10 fresh mocks
The Sports Illustrated publishers mock draft
16 days: Mel Kiper’s fourth mock draft
17 days: Van Ness leads seven-round mock
18 days: Easter
