All-Packers Mock Draft 5.0
GREEN BAY, Wis. – By now, you can recite the Green Bay Packers’ draft needs in your sleep. They need cornerbacks good enough to beat playoff quarterbacks. They need to beef up the offensive and defensive lines. They could use another playmaker on offense.
With three weeks until the draft, here is our fifth Packers mock draft. This time, we used the Pro Football Network simulator.
First round – Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech: Talent-wise, Farley might be a top-10 talent. However, recent surgery on a herniated disc will be a medical red flag that will push him down boards in a deep field of cornerbacks. While he believes he’ll be ready for the start of training camp, the loss of (potential) offseason practices will be a setback after opting out of the 2020 season. It’s worth noting the Packers haven’t been shy on rolling the dice on injured players – cornerback Kevin King the obvious example.
With their starting cornerback corps returning, the Packers can afford to be patient on a player with obvious talent. In 2019, Farley gave up a 25 percent completion rate with four interceptions vs. 12 catches allowed, according to Sports Info Solutions. His size (6-foot-1 7/8) makes him the ideal potential sidekick to Jaire Alexander.
“When the teams look at the imaging and get the real information, I don’t think it will be an issue,” he said at pro day. “I accepted my draft invite, so I’ll be in Cleveland. If a team wants the best corner in the draft, they’ll come find me.”
Second round – Dillon Radunz, OT, North Dakota State: Radunz has size (6-foot-6, 301 pounds), length (34-inch arms) and athleticism (4.57 in the 20-yard shuttle, a key measuring stick historically for the Packers). He was an FCS All-American in 2019. With the FCS season canceled due to COVID, he played in only one game in 2020. He’ll need to get bigger and stronger but the Packers can afford the time to develop a tackle with a fantastic zone-scheme skill-set.
Third round – Drew Dalman, C, Stanford: Speaking of zone-scheme skill-sets, Dalman is straight out of Central Casting. At 6-foot-3 and 299 pounds, he ran his 40 in 5.00 seconds, his shuttle in 4.51 and put up 33 reps on the bench. In 22 starts over the past three seasons, he allowed one sack, according to Sports Info Solutions. The Packers can get by with Lucas Patrick as the potential replacement for All-Pro Corey Linsley but Dalman’s upside is impressive.
Fourth round – Cade Johnson, WR, South Dakota State: Most of the slot receivers in this draft fell below Green Bay’s presumed 5-foot-10 threshold. Johnson hit 5-10 5/8. He’s not thick (184 pounds) and he’s not ultrafast (4.51 in the 40) but he’s got the goods for Matt LaFleur’s offense. An FCS All-American in 2019 who didn’t get to play in 2020, he had 129 receptions for 2,554 yards and 25 touchdowns plus nine rushes for 173 yards over his final two seasons. For good measure, he boasted a career average of 26.7 yards on kickoff returns.
Fourth round – Osa Odighizuwa, DT, UCLA: The Packers need a playmaker to pair with Kenny Clark and that’s exactly what Odighizuwa was at Clark’s alma mater. In 43 career games, he had 12.5 sacks and 27 tackles for losses. That includes four sacks and six TFLs in seven games in 2020. He’s a bit undersized at 6-foot-1 5/8 and 282 pounds but the 34-inch arms will mitigate that, umm, shortcoming. Motor and competitiveness are among his strengths.
Fifth round – Camryn Bynum, CB, Cal: At worst, Bynum would be a perfect sixth defensive back. At best, he’d step into the slot. Bynum has size (6-foot 1/4), toughness (42 consecutive starts) and a nose for the ball (six interceptions, 35 passes defensed). His 4.56 speed, while not awful, is the ding. In four seasons, according to SIS, he allowed a 50 percent catch rate. A secondary of Jaire Alexander, Farley and Bynum wouldn’t be giving up much cheap yardage.
Fifth round: Chauncey Golston, OLB, Iowa: What do outside linebackers Za’Darius Smith, Preston Smith and Rashan Gary have in common? Size. At 6-foot-5 and 269 pounds with 34 3/4-inch arms, Golston would fit right into that group. He had 12 sacks and, impressively, 27 tackles for losses over his final three seasons.
Sixth round: Erroll Thompson, LB, Mississippi State: The Packers probably feel good about the potential starting tandem of Krys Barnes and Kamal Martin. With the release of Christian Kirksey, they are a man down at the position. This late in the draft, let’s go with physicality and production (311 tackles). A team captain, he should at least help on special teams.
Sixth round: Jonathan Adams Jr., WR, Arkansas State: Adams has impressive tools at 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds. While he’s not fast (4.54), he had a 39-inch vertical jump that showed up with a series of contested catches. He led the draft class with 23 contested catches, according to Pro Football Focus. His size and big hands (9 7/8 inches) are assets as a blocker, too.
Seventh round: Gerrid Doaks, RB, Cincinnati: The Packers are a man down in the backfield, so this is a seventh-round Hail Mary on a back with some wheels (4.57 in the 40) and pass-protection skills. He was first-team all-conference with 673 rushing yards and 14 receptions for 202 yards in nine games in 2020.
Get to Know the Top Prospects in the NFL Draft
Packer Central is introducing you to the top prospects, both on and off the field, in this year’s NFL Draft. The series is starting with the top five at each position, then will add additional players as the draft approaches, with a focus on positions of need.
OG4: Alabama's Alex Leatherwood
OC1: Oklahoma’s Creed Humphrey
OC2: UW-Whitewater’s Quinn Meinerz
OC4: Alabama’s Landon Dickerson
OC5: Pittsburgh’s Jimmy Morrissey
WR4: Minnesota’s Rashod Bateman
RB3: North Carolina’s Javonte Williams
RB4: Memphis’ Kenneth Gainwell
RB5: North Carolina’s Michael Carter
QB1: Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence
QB2: Ohio State’s Justin Fields
