All-Packers Seven-Round Mock Draft 2.0

The Green Bay Packers have a lot of needs through Week 1 of NFL free agency. Here’s how we addressed the short- and long-term needs in a new seven-round mock draft.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Mar 19, 2023 2:19 PM EDT

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Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – With one week of NFL free agency just about in the books, the Green Bay Packers are a team with a lot of needs.

Losses in free agency amplified existing needs on the defensive line and at tight end. Plus, they need to ramp up their pass rush with another outside linebacker and give Jordan Love additional weaponry. Offensive tackle, safety and even quarterback and kicker could be targets, too.

With a more complete picture of personnel needs than in our first mock, let’s get after it with a seven-round mock in which I played the role of Brian Gutekunst and Pro Football Focus’ draft simulator handled the rest.

First round: Georgia OT Broderick Jones

(via Jets in Aaron Rodgers trade)

If the Packers were in win-now mode, I might have pushed offensive tackle into next year, rode with David Bakhtiari and Yosh Nijman and taken care of a major need. But the Packers are rebuilding – especially on offense. For now, maybe Jones can beat out Nijman at right tackle. For the long haul, Jones would be the left tackle in 2024, when the Packers release Bakhtiari so he can join Aaron Rodgers with the Jets.

Jones has as much upside as any lineman in the draft. He didn’t allow a sack for the national champs – no small feat considering the Bulldogs’ SEC gauntlet. At 6-foot-5 and 311 pounds with 34 3/4-inch arms, he ran a 4.97 in the 40 for a 9.55 Relative Athletic Score.

Jones was the choice over Clemson DT Bryan Bresee, Iowa edge Lukas Van Ness and Alabama S Brian Branch.

First round: Clemson DT Bryan Bresee

Green Bay’s run defense has been as soft and brittle as the finest toilet paper. Jarran Reed and Dean Lowry weren’t great but they combined to play about 1,200 snaps last season. Somebody has to fill that void, and it’s probably not Jonathan Ford and Chris Slayton.

Kenny Clark, Devonte Wyatt and Bresee could form a formidable, three-down trio. He was second-team all-ACC in 2022 after missing almost all of 2021 with a torn ACL. At almost 6-foot-6 and 300 pounds, he ran a 4.86 in the 40 for a 9.59 RAS.

Bresee was the choice over Iowa edge Lukas Van Ness, Alabama S Brian Branch, Notre Dame TE Michael Mayer and Utah TE Dalton Kincaid.

Second round: Oregon State TE Luke Musgrave

This is a swing-for-the-fences. Musgrave is all potential. He’s tall (6-6), he’s fast (4.61 40), he’s got good hands. With a 9.71 RAS, he’s got a dominant physical skill-set. He just hasn’t done anything. He looked to be on his way last season with 11 catches for 169 yards in the first two games before suffering a season-ending knee injury. He could wind up being the best tight end in the draft.

Musgrave was the easy choice over three edges: Notre Dame’s Isaiah Foskey, Kansas State’s Felix Anudike-Uzomah and LSU’s B.J. Ojulari.

Third round: Missouri edge Isaiah McGuire

With a crystal ball, I might have taken Foskey in the second round had I known South Dakota State tight end Tucker Kraft would have been available at this spot. At 6-foot-4 and 268 pounds and with a 9.50 RAS, McGuire has the size and athletic upside the Packers covet. He had 14.5 sacks and 28 tackles for losses his final two seasons.

McGuire was the choice over Tennessee edge Byron Young, Michigan edge Mike Morris and Boise State safety JL Skinner.

Fourth round: Mississippi WR Jonathan Mingo

At 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, Mingo isn’t your Randall Cobb-style slot receiver. The Packers liked Allen Lazard’s size in the slot, though, so Mingo would be a good fit. He’s got good speed (4.46) and athleticism (9.93 RAS), the size to run through defenders and the desire to block. He caught 51 passes for 861 yards (16.9 average) with five touchdowns in 2022.

Mingo was the relatively easy choice over Penn State receiver Parker Washington and Purdue QB Aidan O’Connell.

Fifth round: Purdue QB Aidan O’Connell

With only Jordan Love and Danny Etling, the Packers need another quarterback. The free-agent group has been wiped out, so there’s little choice but looking to the draft. Beyond the first-round headliners, this is a bad draft for quarterbacks. The quarterbacks with some athleticism are too short. Players like O’Connell lack the requisite mobility. For his career, he completed 66.7 precent of his passes with 65 touchdowns vs. 30 interceptions.

O’Connell was the easy choice.

Fifth round: Cal S Daniel Scott

PFF gave this pick an “F.” That’s OK; I’ll take a swing on 6-foot-1 and 208 pounds with 4.45 speed, a 39.5-inch vertical and 9.92 RAS. Plus, Scott was a team captain and has oodles of special teams experience. He is coming off back-to-back seasons of three interceptions and 80-plus tackles.

Scott was the choice over Louisville edge YaYa Diaby, who seemed like a steal at this stage of the draft. Without a sixth-round pick, though, I felt it was important to address safety now.

Seventh round: South Alabama WR Jalen Wayne

As a sixth-year senior, Wayne – the cousin of NFL great Reggie Wayne – set career highs with 58 receptions, 816 yards (14.1 average) and nine touchdowns in 2022. At 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, he’s no slouch with a 4.51 in the 40. His RAS was 7.96.

Seventh round: Alabama DT DJ Dale

At 6-foot-1 and 302 pounds, Dale’s RAS of 2.15 was hideous. Nonetheless, let’s challenge last year’s seventh-rounder, Jonathan Ford, for the last spot in the rotation with a SEC-tough defender.

Seventh round: Boise State OT John Ojukwu

Ojukwu was a 51-game starter who earned all-Mountain West first-team honors following each of his final two seasons. He did not allow a sack in 2022, according to PFF. He fits the Packers’ long-standing profile of a collegiate left tackle with athleticism (8.71 RAS) who might be able to move around a bit.

Seventh round: Michigan K Jake Moody

The guess is the Packers are going to let Mason Crosby go in free agency, so let’s use the last pick on perhaps the best kicker prospect in the draft. Moody for his career made 82.1 percent of his field-goal attempts and all 148 tries on extra points. He doesn’t have a consistently big leg but he did make a 59-yarder.