31 Days Until NFL Draft: Huge Trade for Top Cornerback

The first round of the 2024 NFL Draft is exactly one month away. Who will the Green Bay Packers select? Here are the guesses from a fresh batch of mock drafts.

Author:
Bill Huber
Mar 25, 2024

In this story:

Packers

NFL Draft

Tyler Guyton

Quinyon Mitchell

packers mock draft

NFL Mock Draft

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Armed with additional picks in the second and third rounds, Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst has the ammunition to move up and down the draft board to pinpoint a coveted player or take advantage of depth on his draft board.

With exactly one month until the real NFL Draft, the Packers moved way up in a new mock draft by The Athletic’s Ben Standing. In it, Green Bay sent picks in the first, second and third rounds – Nos. 25, 58 and 91 – to the Denver Broncos to shoot up to No. 12. The target? Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, who shot down any small-school critiques by dominating at the Senior Bowl and Scouting Combine.

Mitchell had five interceptions and 19 passes defensed in 2022 and one interception and 18 passes defensed in 2023. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed sub-50 percent completion rates each of those seasons. At 6-foot 1/8 and 195 pounds, he ran his 40 in 4.33 seconds with a 38-inch vertical.

Touchdown Wire: Two Picks in First Round

Alyssa Barbieri and Zach Kruse might have been the first mockers to come up with this perfectly logical scenario. The Packers have their pick in the first round, plus two selections in the second round and two more in the third round. That would give Gutekunst ample draft capital to get back into the first round.

After taking Iowa’s Cooper DeJean at No. 25, Barbieri and Kruse put the Packers back on the clock. In their scenario, the Packers gave up No. 41 and No. 58 of the second round and their fourth-round choice to get No. 26 of the first round and an additional pick in the third round. The choice was Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton, who played well as a three-year starting left tackle but likely is destined to play guard or center in the NFL.

Pro Football Focus: Oklahoma OT Tyler Guyton

Brad Spielberger thought the Packers could go “best player available” and went with Guyton, an offensive tackle with elite physical tools.

Guyton played right tackle at Oklahoma; the Packers are set at that position with Zach Tom. Can Guyton make the transition to left tackle? Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy compared Guyton to Tyron Smith, a right tackle at USC who developed into a Hall of Fame-caliber left tackle for the Cowboys.

The Draft Network: Alabama OT JC Latham

Like Guyton, Latham was a college right tackle. A two-year starter, he allowed zero sacks in 2022 and two sacks in 2023. He would be a mold-breaker at 6-foot-5 3/4 and 342 pounds. His 35-inch arms are among the largest in the class. “I’d wager he can play either tackle spot,” Jamie Eisner wrote.

Draft Countdown (7 Rounds): Alabama CB Kool-Aid McKinstry

Shane Hallam’s seven-rounder filled a big hole in the defensive backfield with McKinstry, who interestingly was the choice over Iowa’s Cooper DeJean. Gutekunst was at Alabama’s pro day, where McKinstry ran well before undergoing foot surgery.

In Hallam’s simulation, seven offensive linemen were off the board before Green Bay was up at No. 25. So, who would be that badly needed offensive tackle? Yale’s Kiran Amegadije, who has an elite skill-set but obviously lacks high-level experience. With Rasheed Walker and Zach Tom, the Packers probably would feel good about their starting tandem. But the depth at this point is negligible.

The other second-round pick was used on Wisconsin center Tanor Bortolini, who had a ridiculously good Scouting Combine and has position versatility. USC’s Calen Bullock, the first of the picks in the third round, would fill the spot opposite Xavier McKinney at safety.

The Day 3 picks included Georgia running back Daijun Edwards, a punter and two more defensive backs. The big problem with the draft? Zero linebackers.

CBS Sports: Iowa DB Cooper DeJean

To Tom Fornelli, this is a case of need meeting best player available. Cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry, safety Tyler Nubin and offensive tackles JC Latham, Tyler Guyton and Jordan Morgan were among the players on the board at the end of the round.

New York Post: Oklahoma OT Tyler Guyton

Steve Serby picked Guyton to replace David Bakhtiari. Cornerbacks Kool-Aid McKinstry, Cooper DeJean and Nate Wiggins went after Green Bay’s slot.

Pro Football Network: Clemson CB Nate Wiggins

The Packers are in an interesting spot at cornerback. Jaire Alexander is coming off a poor season, Carrington Valentine showed potential during an inconsistent rookie season and Eric Stokes’ career has gone off the rails because of injuries. To bolster the defensive backfield, the pick was Wiggins, who has an elite combination of height (6-foot-1 3/8 but just 173 pounds at the Combine) and speed (4.29 in the 40). According to PFF, he gave up 18 completions in 41 targets in 2023.