Green Bay Packers Seven-Round Mock Draft 8.0

With exactly one week until the 2023 NFL Draft, here is our eighth all-Packers mock draft. In this version, we traded Aaron Rodgers and took the lead from their predraft visits.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Apr 20, 2023 2:25 PM EDT

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Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers hosted potential first-round tight ends Michael Mayer, Dalton Kincaid and Darnell Washington on predraft visits.

Where there’s smoke, there’s usually fire. Otherwise, it’s one heck of a smokescreen. Figuring it was the former rather than the latter, that’s why we took Mayer, the do-it-all stud from Notre Dame, with the first pick of our latest seven-round mock draft.

As usual, we played the role of Packers GM Brian Gutekunst. This time, ESPN’s new draft simulator handled the rest.

First Round: No. 15 – Notre Dame TE Michael Mayer

Michael Mayer (Photo by USA Today Sports Images)

Here’s a fascinating question: Which tight end do you think makes more sense for the Packers? Is it Mayer, the every-down player who is going to catch a lot of passes but maybe not provide a bunch of big plays? Or is it Kincaid, the explosive, silky-smooth receiving threat who is limited as a blocker?

And then you throw in the dynamic of a new quarterback. What makes more sense: the terrific blocker to help fuel the running game, which is a quarterback’s best friend, or giving Jordan Love the best possible group of pass catchers?

I don’t have a good answer for you. I’ve heard the Packers love both players as well as Georgia’s Washington.

Also considered: None. The focus of this draft was tight ends. It’s not just because tight end was a focus of the visits. Every draft decision carries consequences. If you use the first-round pick on a tight end – a position group in which there is depth – it impacts the pool of players available for the other selections.

Second Round: No. 42 – Kansas State edge Felix Anudike-Uzomah

Felix Anudike-Uzoman (Photo by USA Today Sports Images)

Anudike-Uzomah had a predraft visit and provided two seasons of big-time production. I love the six forced fumbles in 2021, and he’s big enough to be more than an impediment in the running game.

Also considered: The Packers hosted Anudike-Uzomah, Iowa State’s Will McDonald and Georgia Tech’s Keion White on visits. McDonald and White were off the board, and I like Anudike-Uzomah better than LSU’s B.J. Ojulari because his size better fits Green Bay’s history.

Second Round: No. 45 – Michigan DT Mazi Smith

Mazi Smith (Photo by USA Today Sports Images)

This is a poor group of defensive linemen, and the Packers desperately need one because, A, they have only three players who’ve played in a game and, B, their run defense has been chronically terrible. Could Smith’s strength turn this unit into, well, a strength?

Also considered: Wisconsin DT Keeanu Benton, Ole Miss WR Jonathan Mingo.

Third Round: No. 78 – BYU OT Blake Freeland

Blake Freeland (Photo by USA Today Sports Images)

David Bakhtiari and Yosh Nijman are slated to start in 2023 but both have uncertain futures in 2024. So, let’s take a shot on a high-upside prospect. Freeland started at right tackle in 2020 and at left tackle in 2021 and 2022. He is tall, athletic and proven (one sack, zero holds in 2021 and 2022).

Also considered: Maryland OT Jaelyn Duncan, Illinois S Quan Martin, Tennessee WR Cedric Tillman.

Fourth Round: No. 116 – Stanford WR Michael Wilson

Michael Wilson (Photo by USA Today Sports Images)

In 2018, the Packers needed a receiver but used their premium picks elsewhere. So, on Day 3, Gutekunst drafted three receivers. Here’s No. 1: Wilson, a roll of the dice on a player with Day 2 talent but a troubling injury history. He’s got size (6-foot-2, 213 pounds) and athleticism (9.55 Relative Athletic Score).

Also considered: Iowa State WR Xavier Hutchinson, Purdue WR Charlie Jones, Oklahoma RB Eric Gray.

Fifth Round: No. 149 – Purdue WR Charlie Jones

Charlie Jones (Photo by USA Today Sports Images)

Here’s receiver No. 2. With two seasons at Buffalo and three seasons at Iowa, Jones’ career was going nowhere. He transferred to Purdue for 2022 and led the nation with 110 receptions. At 5-foot-11, he ran his 40 in 4.43 seconds. For a guy his size, he was surprisingly effective in contested-catch situations.

Also considered: Stanford WR Elijah Higgins, Princeton WR Andrei Iosivas, Oklahoma State S Jason Taylor.

Fifth Round: No. 170 – Oklahoma State S Jason Taylor II

Jason Taylor (Photo by USA Today Sports Images)

As a fifth-year senior in 2022, Taylor had a monster season of six interceptions and 13 passes defensed. He’s a more-than-willing run defender with 4.50 speed and a 43-inch vertical.

Also considered: Cincinnati TE Josh Whyle, Clemson TE Davis Allen, Virginia WR Dontayvion Wicks.

Seventh Round: No. 232 – Florida WR Justin Shorter

Justin Shorter (Photo by USA Today Sports Images)

Here’s receiver No. 3. Shorter is 229 pounds with 4.46 speed. He didn’t drop any passes in 2022. And he likes to block. In case you’d forgotten, the Packers used to have a big receiver who liked to block. Allen Lazard is set to play with Rodgers with the Jets.

Also considered: Everybody listed below as well as West Virginia WR Bryce Ford-Wheaton, Minnesota S Jordan Howden, Kansas edge Lonnie Phelps.

Seventh Round: No. 235 – Northwestern RB Evan Hull

Evan Hull (Photo by USA Today Sports Images)

This is our eighth mock. It feels like we’ve taken Hull in all of them. He caught 88 passes the past two seasons, though, and the running back depth really runs out in the fifth round.

Seventh Round: No. 242 – Virginia Tech S Chamarri Conner

Chamarri Conner (Photo by USA Today Sports Images)

I could have gone with Howden, who had a predraft visit, but let’s take Conner, a four-year starter who played a lot in the slot and on special teams. In case you hadn’t noticed, the Packers are putting a large emphasis on special teams.

Seventh Round: No. 256 – Shepherd QB Tyson Bagent

Tyson Bagent (Photo by USA Today Sports Images)

ESPN’s list of available players runs out in a hurry. Bagent isn’t even on the list – nor are the kickers, which I would have considered with this pick. Bagent threw an all-divisions record 159 touchdown passes and a Division II record 17,034 yards. He had a solid week at the Senior Bowl. Unlike most of the Day 3 quarterback prospects, he fits from a size-athleticism perspective.