100 Days of Mocks: Packers Take Tight End in NFL.com Mock
INDIANAPOLIS – With the proliferation of spread offenses around the college football landscape, NFL teams have had to endure one bad draft class of tight ends after another.
Not this time.
At least at the top, tight end is one of the best positions in the 2023 NFL Draft. In his opening list of the top 50 prospects, NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah listed six tight ends. (That’s down to four in his updated list).
“I think it’s a little bit of an outlier,” Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst told a group of local reporters on Tuesday at the Scouting Combine.
With a deep and diverse group of tight ends to choose from and with Robert Tonyan and Marcedes Lewis set to hit free agency, it’s possible Gutekunst will use a premium draft pick to upgrade that position.
In a new mock draft by NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks, the Packers went with Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer. Mayer was the first tight end off the board.
“If the Packers move on from Aaron Rodgers, adding a traditional ‘Y’ tight end would help Green Bay transition to a ball-control offense that skews to a run-centric approach,” Brooks wrote.
Calling him a “complete tight end” who will contribute immediately, Mayer is Jeremiah’s second-ranked tight end.
“Mayer is a physical tight end with strong hands and value in the run game,” Jeremiah wrote in his new top 50. “After the catch, he has the strength to drag tacklers for extra yards. He is a very dependable run blocker, as well. He latches on and runs his feet to create movement.”
Mayer also was the pick at No. 15 in a new mock by Pro Football Network’s James Fragoza.
“Michael Mayer is a QB’s best friend, working the short to immediate levels of the field while also holding his own as a run blocker,” Fragoza wrote.
The highlight of this mock was a series of trades, one of which sent Rodgers to the New York Jets in exchange for the 13th pick. With that selection, Fragoza went with LSU pass rusher B.J. Ojulari.
Ojulari had 5.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for losses in 2022 and seven sacks and 11.5 tackles for losses in 2021.
“An extremely athletic 3-4 outside linebacker, Ojulari boasts an excellent first step and twitchy, sudden change-of-direction ability,” reads part of his Draft Bible scouting report. “As a pass rusher, he can win with pure burst and stellar bend. That said, he has flashed a variety of hand moves and creative counters. A true inside-outside threat thanks to his movement skills, Ojulari is long for his height and can win power rushes when he plays with proper pad level and gets into blockers’ frames.”
Ojulari has quite the family background. His older brother, Azeez, has 13.5 sacks and four forced fumbles in two seasons with the Giants. His grandfather, Olaniyi Osuntoki, was a Nigerian prince who went by the name Prince Twins Seven-Seven.
“You just have to carry yourself differently,” Ojulari told TigerTV. “Back home a lot of people know who your grandpa is. They’re not bowing down to you, it's more about respecting his name and what he did. He was a big musician and artist back home in Nigeria.”
A new mock for USA Today also sent Mayer to Green Bay.
Wrote Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz as part of his explainer, “Mayer might seem like a throwback at tight end given how many of his peers frequently split out wide, but his receiving chops are legit.”
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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.
58 days: Going the extra Myles
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
