100 Days of Mocks: Packers Pick Tight End in Sports Illustrated Mock
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Among NFL tight ends in 2022, Robert Tonyan ranked among the most reliable pass catchers while Marcedes Lewis was among the best run blockers. Combined, they played about 1,050 snaps, or about 61 snaps per game.
Both players are headed to free agency, and the Green Bay Packers could look to get more explosive (in place of Tonyan), younger (in place of Lewis) and cheaper in the 2023 NFL Draft.
With that in mind, Kevin Hanson went with Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer in his latest mock draft for Sports Illustrated.
“Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs are coming off productive rookie seasons, and Mayer would give Aaron Rodgers (or Jordan Love) another weapon in the passing game,” Hanson wrote. “Mayer has an all-around skill set with the ability to play in-line and was the focal point of Notre Dame’s passing offense, leading the team in receiving three years in a row.”
Mayer has been a frequent selection in mocks, including by ESPN.com’s Todd McShay earlier in the week.
“Mayer has a huge catch radius and is a bulldozer after the catch, hauling in 67 balls for 809 yards and nine scores last season,” McShay wrote. “He might be the safest prospect in the entire class thanks to an all-around skill set, and he'd be an instant-impact player for Green Bay.”
Among tight ends in this draft class, according to Pro Football Focus, Mayer ranked second in receptions and yards, first in touchdowns, second in yards per pass route, first in contested catches (by a wide margin) and fifth in missed tackles. He’s not the most explosive receiving threat in this class and he might not be the best blocker but he is the best combination of the two.
“It’s obviously a pretty crazy comparison, but he just reminds me of Gronk in a lot of ways,” Tyler Eifert, a former Notre Dame star and NFL standout, told The Athletic. “If you watch Gronk, he actually doesn’t run very good routes, at all. But he just knows how to use his body.
“Some guys try to create separation at the top of the route by running away or putting like some juke or head fake or something. But the bigger tight ends, they want you to be close to them so they can use their body to create separation. And I think Mike does a really good job of that. For how big he is, he can also go up and get the ball and make those really tough contested catches, too.”
Tight ends were featured members of both Super Bowl teams with Chiefs star Travis Kelce and Eagles standout Dallas Goedert combining to catch 12-of-13 targets for 141 yards.
Bonus Mock: In a three-rounder for Draft Wire, Luke Easterling went with Iowa’s Lukas Van Ness with the first-round pick. He’s a familiar choice in mocks, as well, and would provide badly needed depth at outside linebacker, where the Packers suffered following Rashan Gary’s torn ACL.
“Every year, pass-catchers are the popular pick to project here, but it never happens in real life,” Easterling wrote. “At some point, we have to admit that the Packers value other positions in the first round, particularly on defense. Van Ness didn’t start for the Hawkeyes for some strange reason, but his physical traits and versatility should make him a much more productive pro.”
The rest of the mock addressed other big needs with a tight end in the second round (to address the potential free-agent departures of Tonyan and Lewis) and a safety in the third round (to handle the potential free-agent losses of Adrian Amos, Rudy Ford and Dallin Leavitt).
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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.
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
