100 Days of Mocks: Two Pass-Catchers in First Round

With 53 days until the start of the 2023 NFL Draft and the Scouting Combine winding down, the Green Bay Packers went tight end and receiver in two new mock drafts.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Mar 5, 2023 9:12 AM EST

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Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Two new mock drafts, two different conclusions, one similar train of thought regarding the Green Bay Packers’ first-round pick.

Sam Farmer, one of the most respected NFL writers in the business, rolled out his first mock draft for the Los Angeles Times. He went with Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer at No. 15 overall.

“The Packers again avoid taking a wide receiver in the opening round and instead find a replacement for Robert Tonyan, whose deal is expiring,” Farmer wrote.

Mayer might be the headliner of a strong tight end class. He might not be the receiving threat of Utah’s Dalton Kincaid. He might not have the physical tools of Oregon’s Luke Musgrave. He might not be the blocker of Georgia’s Darnell Washington. But he’s perhaps the best package of all three.

Mayer measured 6-foot-4 1/2 and 249 pounds. He tested about to expectations with a 4.70 in the 40.

“I'd say my receiving” is the strength to my game, Mayer said at the Scouting Combine. “Look, I can block anybody you need me to block, but I feel like my red zone, my third down, I can really go up and get that ball, I can make contested catches and I can really route people up. So, I can have that connection with that quarterback also. He knows where I'm going to be. He knows how I'm going to run my route, and I know where that quarterback is going to be putting that ball.”

Jordan Addison at the Combine. (Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports Images)

In a second mock draft, Pro Football Network’s Dalton Miller thought about all of that but went with USC receiver Jordan Addison, instead.

“The tight end position is an incredibly tricky transition from college to the professional level,” Miller wrote. “Wide receivers spend every moment crafting the finer points of the game. Offensive linemen spend their time on footwork and hand placement. Tight ends have to split their time between the two, and it’s hard to become an expert quickly at that rate. Unless you’re selected an unfairly athletic phenom, the position is better off being a luxury pick early on.”

Addison is perhaps the most-skilled receiver in the draft. He won the Biletnikoff Award as the best receiver in college football in 2021 at Pittsburgh, when he caught 100 passes for 1,593 yards and 17 touchdowns, before transferring to USC for his final season. He put up 59 receptions for 875 yards and eight scores. In three seasons, he averaged 14.3 yards per catch and scored 29 touchdowns.

Addison measured 5-foot-11 1/8 and a smallish 171 pounds. He ran his 40 in 4.49 seconds with a 34-inch vertical.

“Going through adversity, I feel like I'm the guy that can do anything,” he said at the Combine. “My traits, my God-given abilities. I'm sudden, quick and my route-running is really good. I can track the deep ball. I really can do anything from running an intermediate route, a shallow or deep ball. I'm doubted with my speed a little bit. I am going to show everybody what I can do. Some people slow down when they go into their breaks. I speed up.”

More Green Bay Packers Offseason News

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Scouting Combine: Examining edge defenders’ testing numbers

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.

54 days: Powerful edge

55 days: Kincaid and figure-skating safety

56 days: The dreaded third-round tight end

57 days: Three mocks, same tight end

58 days: Going the extra Myles

59 days: Safety, tight end, receiver in three-rounder

60 days: Two three-round mocks

61 days: Playing the slots

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