100 Days of Mocks: The Greatest Mock Ever Produced
GREEN BAY, Wis. – With three days until the NFL Draft, several mock drafts sent a receiver to the Green Bay Packers with the 15th pick of the first round.
Among them was The Ringer’s Sheil Kapadia, who produced a first-round timeline that included the New York Jets signing Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson to appease Aaron Rodgers and Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst drafting USC receiver Jordan Addison in a fit of rage.
The Draft Network’s Jamie Eisner, against his better judgment given Green Bay’s history, selected Ohio State receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
The Packers obviously need a receiver and the OSU slot star “brings a dynamic skill-set” the Packers lack in their short-handed receiver room.
The New York Daily News’ Pat Leonard also went with Smith-Njigba
In a “what should they do” sort of mock, CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson thought the Packers should draft too-short Boston College receiver Zay Flowers. Flowers is a first-round talent, to be sure – Wilson saw some Antonio Brown-style elusiveness – but he fits outside Green Bay’s historic height parameters.
CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin also went with a receiver but it was TCU’s Quentin Johnston in a trade-back with the Buccaneers.
It wasn’t a receiver, but Peter King selected Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid – who might as well be a receiver – in his Football Morning in America column at NBC Sports. King rightly noted the state of Green Bay’s tight end room, with Josiah Deguara atop the depth chart, and the upside of adding the best pass-catching tight end in the draft to Jordan Love.
The Tennessean also took a tight end – going the all-around route with the three-down ability of Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer.
In a seven-round, all-Packers mock, The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman led off with Ohio State offensive tackle Paris Johnson.
Schneidman traded Rodgers to the Jets for a second-round pick, using that selection on Georgia tight end Darnell Washington, then used their own second-rounder on Kansas State pass rusher Felix Anudike-Uzomah.
The lone receiver was Charlotte’s Grant DuBose in the fifth.
Nate Davis of USA Today also focused on the line with Tennessee’s Darnell Wright. Yes, Love needs additional targets but those second-day picks should suffice.
The team at The Seattle Times also grabbed an offensive tackle – Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski, the grandson of Packers legend Bob Skoronski.
The draft team at SB Nation selected Clemson edge Myles Murphy, who fits the big-guy mold that Green Bay likes and would add critical depth to a pass rush that was thrown for a loss after Rashan Gary’s torn ACL.
It was a pass rusher for Fox Sports’ Jason McIntyre, though he took Iowa’s Lukas Van Ness. Like Murphy, he’s the big bully that the Packers prefer.
Van Ness also was the pick in a sportsbook-driven mock by CBS Sports’ R.J. White. By his reading of the betting market, the pick would come down to Van Ness or Wright.
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.
4 days: Going short in ESPN seven-round mock
5 days: Two massive hauls in Rodgers trade
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
