Monday’s Mock Draft Madness: Post-Super Bowl Edition
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Every team’s dream is to own the 32nd pick of the first round of the NFL Draft. That’s the slot that goes to the Super Bowl champion.
No. 32 was Green Bay’s first-round pick in a new three-round mock draft by NFL.com’s Chad Reuter. In the simulation, the Packers and Kansas City Chiefs swapped first-round picks. Having moved back seven spots, the Packers landed versatile Iowa defensive back Cooper DeJean.
“The Packers traded down last year so the Lions could take Brian Branch (smartly parlaying the pick into receivers Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks and defensive lineman Karl Brooks after multiple deals),” Reuter explained, “so now they get their versatile defensive back with coverage ability, strength against the run and ball skills to create turnovers.”
Green Bay got an extra third-round pick as part of the deal. If that were to happen, the Packers would wind up with six of the top 95 selections thanks to last year’s trade of Aaron Rodgers landing an additional second-round pick (No. 41 overall) from the Jets, the trade-deadline trade of cornerback Rasul Douglas netting an additional third-round pick (No. 91 overall) from the Bills and No. 95 in the hypothetical deal to give the Chiefs a much-needed receiver.
The three-round haul: DeJean in the first, an offensive tackle and running back in the second and an edge defender, cornerback and defensive tackle in the third round.
The running back was Wisconsin’s Braelon Allen, with the 245-pounder sliding right into the AJ Dillon role alongside Aaron Jones.
PFF (2 Rounds): Iowa DB Cooper DeJean
Trevor Sikkema shared the same thinking as Reuter. At No. 25 overall, the Packers wound up with DeJean, whom Sikkema believed would start instantly at safety and in the slot. The Packers could have needs at both positions. At safety, which is a weakness even at full strength, Darnell Savage, Rudy Ford and Jonathan Owens are set to be free agents. Keisean Nixon, who manned the slot all season, also is scheduled to be a free agent.
After grabbing a linebacker at No. 41 – the Packers have an extra slot to fill with their move to a 4-3 base defense – the Packers took a running back at No. 57. Texas’ Jonathan Brooks is more Aaron Jones than AJ Dillon from a size and skill perspective. He rushed for 1,139 yards (6.1 average) and caught 25 passes (11.4 average) in a breakout 2023.
Sports Illustrated: Iowa DB Cooper DeJean
Here’s a snippet of his scouting report from SI’s Athlon Sports: “If Mr. Fantastic played college ball for the Big Ten, he’d be Cooper DeJean. Instincts? Check. Versatility? Check. Tremendous reach? … This dude is an absolute trip to watch as a pure football player. He’s the secondary version of Troy Andersen from the 2022 NFL Draft. He’s everywhere. Iowa played him as a return man, as a perimeter corner, as a safety, as a linebacker and in the nickel.”
The Athletic (3 Rounds): Arizona OT Jordan Morgan
Nick Baumgardner went with one of the most athletic offensive linemen in the draft.
“The Packers could use help at tackle and guard. Morgan, who played left tackle at Arizona, might be better off moving inside in the NFL,” he explained. “Either way, this pick would check a box for a young Green Bay squad that’s in great position with 11 draft picks.”
Baumgardner went safety and running back in the second round and a guard and cornerback in the third round. The running back is Brooks; the guard – Michigan stud Zak Zinter, who is coming off a broken tibia and fibula – seems redundant if Morgan also could be a guard.
USA Today: Arizona OT Jordan Morgan
Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz thought Morgan could replace David Bakhtiari at left tackle or move inside to guard. The Packers are set with Elgton Jenkins at left guard and seemed happy with the performance of Sean Rhyan in his rotation with free-agent-to-be Jon Runyan at right guard. Morgan allowed two sacks in 2023 and one sack in 2022, according to PFF.
CBS Sports: Kool-Aid McKinstry
McKinstry had one interception in 2022 and 22 passes defensed during his final two seasons. According to PFF, he allowed catch rates hovering around 50 percent all three seasons.
Wrote Ryan Wilson: “The Packers have a history of only drafting defensive players in the first round, so I'm not going to break tradition here; Kool-Aid has legit NFL cover skills -- the only question will be his deep speed, and that would be the only reason he'd still be available here.”
Sporting News: Georgia OT Amarius Mims
At 340 pounds, Mims doesn’t fit the Packers’ usual profile for an offensive tackle, but the Packers might believe they need to do better than Rasheed Walker as the potential long-term replacement for David Bakhtiari. “Mims is a smooth pass protector who also moves very well in the running game,” wrote Vinnie Iyer. Indeed, he gave up zero sacks as a two-year starter, according to PFF.
Bleacher Report: BYU OT Kingsley Suamataia
The athletic Suamataia gave up zero sacks at right tackle in 2022 and two sacks during a successful transition to left tackle in 2023, according to PFF.
Wrote Brandon Thorn, a highly respected offensive line analyst: “The Packers are able to succeed offensively with a middle-of-the-pack offensive line due to a run-first, play-action based system. But if they want to increase their flexibility schematically and open things up a bit more in 2024, the left tackle position could be in need of an upgrade.”
