NFL Draft Big Board Shows Possibilities for Packers

The strengths of the draft line up perfectly with the Green Bay Packers' biggest needs.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Highlighted by the 22nd and 28th selections of the first round, the Green Bay Packers own four of the top 59 picks in the 2022 NFL Draft.

The Big Board at The 33rd Team shows how talent could meet need.

After trading Davante Adams, losing Marquez Valdes-Scantling and releasing Za’Darius Smith and Billy Turner, the Packers enter the draft with receiver, outside linebacker and offensive tackle as their biggest needs. Of the top 61 players on The 33rd Team’s Big Board, almost half of them – 28 – play those three positions.

It’s either a bit of incredible good fortune for general manager Brian Gutekunst or, more likely, excellent strategizing.

Whatever the case, the Packers should be able to knock out their needs without forcing the issue by reaching for a lesser player or panicking and trading up to get the last man with a first-round grade at their position.

Those 28 players:

Offensive Tackle (9): Alabama’s Evan Neal, North Carolina State’s Ikem Ekwonu, Mississippi State’s Charles Cross, Northern Iowa’s Trevor Penning, Ohio State’s Thayer Munford, Ohio State’s Nicholas Petit-Frere, Minnesota’s Daniel Faalele, Central Michigan’s Luke Goedeke, Central Michigan’s Bernhard Raimann.

Receiver (10): Ohio State’s Garrett Wilson, USC’s Drake London, Alabama’s Jameson Williams, Ohio State’s Chris Olave, Penn State’s Jahan Dotson, Arkansas’ Treylon Burks, Purdue’s David Bell, Alabama’s John Metchie, Georgia’s George Pickens, North Dakota State’s Christian Watson

Edge (9): Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux, Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson, Purdue’s George Karlaftis, Michigan’s David Ojabo, Georgia’s Travon Walker, Penn State’s Arnold Ebiketie, Florida State’s Jermaine Johnson, San Diego State’s Cameron Thomas, USC’s Drake Jackson.

Speaking before the Scouting Combine, Gutekunst discussed how need factors into evaluations.

“I’ve always felt your needs subconsciously kind of factor in. The way we’ve always done it, the way Ron (Wolf) and Ted (Thompson) always taught us, is we’re scouting for our football team, not the league in general. We’re scouting for our football team. If you have some needs or maybe some weaknesses on your football team, as you’re looking at players, you’re looking at how they fit into our football team. So, naturally, you’ll probably evaluate those guys a little higher.

“As we get closer in April, we start strategizing with the draft: where it’s strong, where it’s not, where you maybe need to move to to accomplish what we want to try to accomplish in the draft. Ted would always warn against even that. You’ve got to let it come to you because, if you’re trying to move around to accomplish goals in the draft, sometimes you can bypass really, really good players.”

Based on the strengths of this year’s draft, Gutekunst should be able to sit back and find players in which talent and need intersect.

All-Packers Mock Draft

This seven-round mock draft was created using the simulator at Pro Football Network.

First Round

No. 22 – WR Treylon Burks, Arkansas: Coach Matt LaFleur has spoken of the need for speed at receiver. That’s not Burks, the No. 21 prospect for NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah. “Arkansas liked to get the ball in his hands as soon as possible to let him display his speed and physicality after the catch,” read part of Jeremiah’s summation. “He wasn't asked to run a full complement of routes, but he's a fluid athlete and should be able to do more at the next level. He likes to cradle-catch balls on his frame, which leads to some drops, but he flashes the ability to high point and finish. Burks will need some time to develop, but he has A.J. Brown-type upside.” Burks caught 65 passes for 1,110 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2021. According to Pro Football Focus, he forced 15 missed tackles and averaged 9.7 yards after the catch.

No. 28 – OLB David Ojabo, Michigan: The Packers invested a lot of money in Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith in free agency in 2019, then used their first pick of that draft on Rashan Gary. So, the Packers clearly value depth at this position. Ojabo was born in Nigeria, grew up in Scotland and moved to the United States in hopes of taking “the next step” as an athlete. At Blair Academy, a private school in New Jersey, a fellow student persuaded him to try football. That student was Odafe Oweh, who wound up starring at Penn State and was a first-round draft pick last year. With 11 sacks, Ojabo was a second-team All-American in 2021 and looked like a top-20 pick until suffering a torn Achilles at pro day. Just how much he’ll play in 2021 is the great unknown. At 250 pounds, he ran his 40 in a blistering 4.55 seconds.

Second Round

No. 53 – WR Jalen Tolbert, South Alabama: Tolbert capped a prolific career with 82 receptions for 1,474 yards and eight touchdowns to earn Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Year. He mostly feasted on lower-level competition, though he did catch seven passes for 143 yards and one touchdown at Tennessee in November. At 6-foot-1 1/8, he ran his 40 in 4.49, so that’s some of the speed element that LaFleur wants. He finished among the national leaders with 16 receptions on deep passes, according to PFF.

No. 59 – OT Abraham Lucas, Washington State: Lucas played at pass-happy Washington State so, goodness knows, he’s capable of protecting a quarterback. According to PFF, he allowed 49 pressures in 2,195 career pass-protecting snaps and did not allow a sack in 2021. At 6-foot-6 and 315 pounds, he is a superb athlete. The Packers typically covet linemen with strong performances in the 20-yard shuttle. Lucas aced that test with a 4.40.

Third Round

No. 92 – TE Jeremy Ruckert, Ohio State: Ruckert caught 26 passes for 309 yards and three touchdowns as a senior. For his career, he scored 12 times on 54 receptions. Not unlike an in-his-prime Bubba Franks, Ruckert is an excellent blocker and a threat in the short-to-intermediate passing game. He’s got three-down potential at a position in which the Packers could lose Robert Tonyan and Marecedes Lewis next offseason.

Fourth Round

No. 132 – DT Zachary Carter, Florida: For the second consecutive year, the Packers go to Florida to help their defensive line. With Kenny Clark, Dean Lowry, Jarran Reed, Carter and Carter’s former collegiate teammate, TJ Slaton, the Packers could have a formidable five-man rotation. At 282 pounds, he ran his 40 in 4.99 and flashed tremendous athleticism.

No. 140 – CB Alontae Taylor, Tennessee: I tried to avoid repeat picks but Taylor really jumps to the forefront at this spot. You can never have enough good corners, and you can’t count on finding a stud like Rasul Douglas buried on a practice squad. Taylor was a 31-game starter for Tennessee. He had two interceptions and six passes defensed as a senior. Taylor arrived at Tennessee as a receiver and left as the vice president of the SEC Football Leadership Council. At 6-foot 1/8, he ran his 40 in 4.36 seconds.

Fifth Round

No. 171 – LB JoJo Domann, Nebraska: Domann closed his career on a strong note with 10-game totals of 71 tackles, two sacks, nine tackles for losses, two forced fumbles, two interceptions and three passes defensed. At 228 pounds, he is an excellent athlete and physical presence who could challenge Krys Barnes for a starting job and be an immediate asset on special teams.

Seventh Round

No. 228 – OT Logan Bruss, Wisconsin: I considered taking Bruss in the fifth round. Without a sixth-round pick, the Packers would be fortunate for Bruss to fall so deep into the draft. He was a three-year starter (at right guard and right tackle) and a much better prospect than last year’s sixth-round choice, Cole Van Lanen. At 6-foot-5 and 309 pounds, his excellent athleticism showed up in the 20-yard shuttle. He could help at guard or tackle.

No. 249 – C/G Luke Fortner, Kentucky: Fortner is the personification of why scouts love this draft. Because of the impact of COVID in 2020, the NCAA allowed players a sixth year of eligibility. So, Fortner was a sixth-year senior in 2021 who finished his career with 55 games and 36 starts at guard and center. He earned second-team all-SEC during his final season. At 6-foot-4 and 307 pounds, maybe his 20-yard shuttle will take him off the board but he’s got experience, versatility and character.

No. 258 – DT Eyioma Uwazurike, Iowa State: As a fifth-year starter, Uwazurike piled up nine sacks and 12 tackles for losses. At 6-foot-6 and 313 pounds with 35 1/8-inch arms, he is a physical specimen. He will be dinged for a lack of athleticism but why not bet on character, size, production in a quality league?