100 Days of Mocks: Two Big Ten Skill Players Highlight Seven-Rounder
GREEN BAY, Wis. – With Richard Rodgers, Jace Sternberger and Josiah Deguara, the Green Bay Packers like their third-round tight ends. Perhaps the fourth time would be the charm with Iowa’s Sam LaPorta.
In a seven-round mock draft by Draft Countdown’s Shane Hallam, the Packers addressed a potential big need at safety in the first round – the pick was a familiar name – and a 39-game starting offensive tackle in the second round.
Hallam went with a pair of Big Ten skill-position players in the third and fourth rounds. In the third round, it was LaPorta, who has flown under the radar in a quality draft class led by Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer and Utah’s Dalton Kincaid.
LaPorta was a star in Iowa’s underpowered offense. He caught 53 passes for 670 yards (12.6 average) and three touchdowns in 2021 and added 58 receptions for 657 yards (11.3 average) and one touchdown in 2022. He was productive in every Big Ten game, including six receptions vs. Ohio State.
LaPorta, listed at 6-foot-4 and 249 pounds by the school, went from big-time high school receiver in Illinois to a tight end who was compared to former Iowa and Indianapolis Colts great Dallas Clark by coach Kirk Ferentz.
“I’ve come a long way,” LaPorta told Hawk Central. “I’m proud of myself for that. I needed to come a long way.”
In the fourth round, the selection was Michigan State’s Jayden Reed.
Jayden Reed of Michigan State (1) makes a catch in the end zone ahead of Ronnie Hickman of Ohio State during Senior Bowl practices. (Photo by Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports)
Reed in 2021 was a first-team All-American as an all-purpose player and one of the finalists for the Paul Hornung Award, which goes to the natin’s most versatile player. He caught 59 passes for 1,026 yards (17.4 average) and 10 touchdowns, plus had averages of 19.8 yards per punt return (two touchdowns) and 23.5 yards per kickoff return.
Reed wasn’t as dynamic in 2022 with 55 catches for 636 yards (11.6 average) and five scores on offense and an 8.8-yard average on punt returns, but put himself back on the map at the Senior Bowl, where he was a winner in the eyes of The Athletic’s Dane Brugler.
“There were several contenders for top wide receiver,” he wrote, “but Reed consistently gave cornerbacks trouble with his ability to separate. His top-end speed is awesome, but even more impressive were the different ways he created separation: subtle hesitation, body fakes and a skilled throttle to tempo corners off his route path. For a leaner receiver, his hand strength is outstanding and allows him to be a dependable finisher.”
That route-running skill is “not by accident,” he said at the Senior Bowl.
“I work hard on my routes and want them to buy every single twitch, every head bob,” he told DawgsByNature.com at the Senior Bowl. “And then when they think they have me figured out to slant inside or out, I then take it long and they are back looking for me in the flats. That is fun to me.”
Reed measured 5-foot-10 3/4 and 191 pounds at the Senior Bowl.
The mock continued with a defensive tackle, two edge rushers and two interior offensive linemen in the final rounds.
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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.
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
