100 Days of Mocks: Packers Get Big Haul for Rodgers
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The 2023 NFL Draft starts on Thursday. The Green Bay Packers really will trade Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets sometime during the next week. Right?
Would they be better off trading Rodgers for a first-round pick or two second-round selections?
In a seven-round mock in which Rodgers was traded for two second-round picks in this year’s draft, NFL.com’s Chad Reuter led off with Ohio State offensive tackle Paris Johnson.
Johnson is arguably the best offensive lineman in the draft. As Reuter notes, he started at right guard in 2021, so he could play there or challenge Yosh Nijman at right tackle in 2023 before potentially replacing David Bakhtiari at left tackle in 2024.
Armed with three second-round picks, Reuter grabbed Georgia tight end Darnell Washington, Michigan defensive tackle Mazi Smith and Ole Miss receiver Jonathan Mingo.
Mingo has size, speed and massive hands – all things the Packers like, which is why he ranked so high on our Super Six.
“I feel like I just can’t be stopped,” he said at the Scouting Combine. “Once I get the ball in my hands, I feel like nobody can bring me down I feel like I have great run-after-the-catch because I got a lot of tools in my bag.”
From there, Reuter went safety in the third, edge in the fourth, receiver and quarterback in the fifth, and running back, center, linebacker and cornerback in the seventh.
The quarterback was BYU’s Jaren Hall, who at 6-foot 1/8 might not be on the team’s board and turned 25 last month. He started the last two seasons and put up excellent numbers with 51 touchdowns vs. 11 interceptions through the air and another nine touchdowns on the ground.
In a new three-round mock draft at Touchdown Wire, Doug Farrar dealt Rodgers to the Jets for a first-round pick in 2023 and a conditional choice in 2024. With the bonus first-rounder, he selected Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid at No. 13.
“Kincaid brings an embryonic Travis Kelce-level skill set,” Farrar wrote, with his ability to “destroy” zone defenses and make contested catches.
After knocking off needs at safety and outside linebacker at No. 15 and No. 45, it was back to the offense in the third round with Wake Forest receiver A.T. Perry, who stands 6-foot-3 1/2 with 4.47 speed. He was first-team all-ACC each of his final two seasons with 71 catches for 1,293 yards (18.2 average) and 15 touchdowns in 2021 and 81 receptions for 1,096 yards (13.5 average) and 11 touchdowns in 2022.
Moving over to Draft Wire, Natalie Miller also cast a vote for the “twitched up” Kincaid before grabbing Northwestern’s Adetomiwa Adebawore in the second round. Is he a defensive tackle? An outside linebacker? Whatever, he’s 280 pounds of lightning.
“The athleticism is off the charts and the testing side of things,” NFL.com draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said during a conference call. “I think on the field he shows you some of that inside-outside versatility. He knows how to use his long arms to set the edge. I didn't think he was a real polished pass rusher. I didn't think he had a great game plan as a rusher, but when you have the combination of explosiveness and length that he has, he is an intriguing guy.”
Longtime NFL writer Hub Arkush of Shaw Media also went with Kincaid, who could be “special.”
CBSSports.com’s Tom Fornelli selected Iowa edge Lukas Van Ness, who reminds Fornelli of Clay Matthews.
Pro Football Network’s Tommy Garrett also grabbed Van Ness.
For the sports gambling site Action Network, Nick Guarsico jumped on the Van Ness bandwagon, as well.
At Gambling.com, Richard Janvrin had Texas Tech edge Tyree Wilson falling all the way to No. 15. At 6-foot-6 and 275 pounds, he “could be lethal on the edge.”
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.
Packer Central’s all-visits seven-round mock
6 days: All-trades mock lands Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Packer Central’s eighth all-Packers mock
7 days: Seven mocks, three votes for Jaxon Smith-Njgiba
8 days: A wild three-team Aaron Rodgers trade among 10 mocks
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
