100 Days of Mocks: Going the Extra Myles
INDIANAPOLIS – At the NFL Scouting Combine on Monday, Packer Central stumbled across one team’s high-ranking scout. A chat about the Green Bay Packers included a prediction that they would take a pass rusher “in the first three rounds.”
It’s a logical prediction. The Packers struggled to mount a consistent pass rush after Rashan Gary went down with a torn ACL. Gary will be back, just maybe not in time for Week 1. Veteran Preston Smith had a solid season and rookie Kingsley Enagbare impressed at times, but they weren’t enough.
“I’m kind of an old-school guy, it all starts up front with the pass rush,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said on Tuesday. “When we lost Rashan, that took a lot of resources to make sure we could get a pass rush.”
In a new two-round mock draft for The Sporting News, Vinnie Iyer went with Clemson’s Myles Murphy with the 15th overall selection.
“The Packers, like the Seahawks and Eagles before them, should jump on the impact pass rusher that falls to them,” Iyer wrote. “Murphy can get the job done with explosiveness that matches his massive size.”
At Hillgrove High School in Marietta, Ga., Murphy was ranked the No. 3 overall recruit by ESPN.com. He was an instant-impact player.
Murphy was a Freshman All-American in 2020 with his four sacks, three forced fumbles and 12 tackles for losses. In 2021, he earned second-team all-ACC with seven sacks, two forced fumbles and 14 tackles for losses. He was a first-team choice in 2022 with 6.5 sacks, one forced fumble and 11 tackles for losses.
However, he was a middle-of-the-road pass rusher by PFF’s metrics. So, he could be a Gary-style project with a high payoff.
“Myles Murphy is a tricky one because it's all in there. He has it all in his body,” NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah said in a pre-Scouting Combine conference call with reporters. “He hasn't got it all figured out just yet, but between his kind of his combination of length and explosiveness, I think there's more there. I think he is going to develop more as a rusher. I don't think he has a great plan at this point in time.”
In the second round, the Packers snagged jumbo-sized Georgia tight end Darnell Washington. At 6-foot-7 and 270 pounds, he’s an excellent blocker but a mystery as a receiver, as that phase of the game was put into the hands of Bulldogs star Brock Bowers.
“The Packers toyed with the idea of acquiring Darren Waller last season and now need to make this playmaking position a priority with Robert Tonyan and ancient blocker Marcedes Lewis as pending free agents,” Iyer wrote. “Washington can not only be an athletic pass-catcher to replace Tonyan, but also a massive run blocker to replace Lewis (6-6, 267 pounds).”
He was the second-round pick in a mock draft earlier this week.
“The combination of the athleticism and displacement, there are probably none” to compare Washington to among tight ends, Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “We had some guys when I was at Alabama, (such as) Michael Williams, that were big, more blocking guys, offensive tackle type guys. He has a receiving skill-set that is unique, combined with that size.”
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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’s the 100-day-countdown series.
59 days: Safety, tight end, receiver in three-rounder
60 days: Two three-round mocks
62 days: Three mocks, three receivers
63 days: A massive haul for Rodgers
64 days: Three team-issued mock drafts
Packers take tight end in Daniel Jeremiah’s second mock
65 days: Pass-rushing defensive lineman in two-rounder
67 days: Three-rounder starts with receiver
68 days: Grandson of Glory Years legend
69 days: Mayer to Packers in SI mock
70 days: Football Outsiders picks pass rusher
71 days: 33rd Team trades Rodgers in two-rounder
71 days (bonus): Todd McShay 2.0
72 days: Packers take receiver to start NFL.com three-rounder
73 days: Packers fill big need with big man
74 days: Rodgers traded, take two pass-catchers in first round
75 days: Two NFL.com mocks, two different tight ends
76 days: Tight end and pass rusher in two-rounder by NFL Draft Bible
77 days: Rodgers traded to Raiders for No. 7 pick
78 days: A seven-round mock includes Big Ten playmakers
79 days: Rodgers traded in two-round mock
80 days: Packers take safety in ESPN mock
81 days: Aaron Rodgers traded in three-round mock
82 days: Seven mocks, including NFL.com
83 days: Two pass-catchers in first-round mocks
84 days: Aaron Rodgers traded for extra first-round pick
85 days: PFF picks a pass rusher
86 days: Tight end in NFL Draft Bible Mock
87 days: Packers trade back, get extra second-rounder
88 days: Sorry, vacation day.
89 days: A “Eureka!” moment in two-round mock
90 days: Playmaking cornerback at PFF
91 days: Three defensive backs in seven-round mock
92 days: Kiper takes a tight end
93 days: Safety first for Bucky Brooks in NFL.com mock
94 days: College Football News mocks Mayer
95 days: Two firsts if Rodgers is traded
96 days: NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah goes back to Georgia
97 days: This pick would break a long drought
