100 Days of Mocks: Four Pass-Catchers in Seven Round Mock
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers need to give new starting quarterback Jordan Love some targets in the passing game.
Draft Countdown’s Shane Hallam delivered four of them in his new seven-round mock draft.
In the second round, Hallam grabbed the badly needed tight end with Oregon State’s Luke Musgrave. With height and athleticism, he was on his way to a big-time final season before a season-ending knee injury. Musgrave returned for the Senior Bowl and will be ready to roll for rookie camp.
The Packers in 2018 needed receiver help, too. In his first draft as general manager, Brian Gutekunst took three in Day 3. That’s what Hallam did here.
First, in the fourth round, it was Princeton’s Andrei Iosivas, who not only was an FCS All-American as a receiver but an All-American in the heptathlon.
Next, in the fifth round, it was Virginia’s Dontayvion Wicks, who’s a bit slow and dropped an alarming number of passes in 2022 but caught 57 passes for 1,203 yards (21.1 average) with nine touchdowns in 2021. He had a predraft visit.
Finally, in the seventh round, it was Arkansas’ Matt Landers, who had a one-year-wonder season of 47 receptions for 901 yards (19.2 average) and eight touchdowns and has 4.37 speed at 6-foot-4.
Click here for the full draft.
There was no waiting for a Day 3 receiver in Peter Schrager’s mock draft for NFL.com. He snared Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba as the best receiver in a class that has more depth than blue-chip talent.
“Green Bay snagging a wideout now,” Schrager wrote, “with Aaron Rodgers (presumably) leaving the building, after years of the Packers neglecting the position in the first round – would be humorous. Oh, the irony.”
Sports Illustrated fantasy wizard Michael Fabiano selected Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer to replace Robert Tonyan.
At Establish the Run, Evan Silva selected Mayer instead of Smith-Njigba.
Matt Fitzgerald of Barstool also went with Mayer.
“What's rare for someone who has 180 receptions in three years of college ball is a clear willingness to block,” Fitzgerald wrote as part of his summary. “That's what Mayer brings to the table.”
In “viewing positional value through two lenses: on-field value and surplus value compared to the veteran marketplace,” Pro Football Focus’ analytics-themed mock snared Georgia’s Nolan Smith. The Packers love players from Georgia, and Smith is sensational in terms of production, athleticism and character. They also don’t love 240-pound edge rushers.
Smith was the pick at Tankathon, as well.
With Aaron Rodgers around to make everyone look better, a five-round mock at Walter Football kicked off with Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid.
From there, the picks were used on the leading sack artist at Notre Dame history in the second round, a too-small receiver who almost certainly won’t be on Green Bay’s board in the third round, a linebacker that’s not needed in the fourth round and a safety and another small receiver in the fifth.
Yahoo’s Charles McDonald picked TCU’s Quentin Johnston, the second of five receivers off the board.
With all sorts of urgent needs, CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso took a cornerback.
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.
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
19 days: “Consensus Mock Draft”
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