NFL Draft Day 2 Mocks: Help on the Way for Love

Here are 14 fresh mock drafts in advance of Day 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft. The Packers own two picks in the second round and one in the third.

Author:
Bill Huber
Updated:
Apr 28, 2023 3:22 PM EDT
Original:
Apr 28, 2023

In this story:

Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers spent their first-round pick on the defense – again – by selecting Iowa’s Lukas Van Ness on Thursday night. Surely, the playmaking help will come during Friday’s Day 2 of the NFL Draft.

Right?

In a series of mock drafts before the second and third rounds, Green Bay was projected to get desperately needed help at receiver and tight end.

That help was delivered in overwhelming fashion by the staff of scouts with The 33rd Team.

Need a tight end, where only two players have caught a pass? How about Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer, the three-down standout who caught 180 passes and scored 18 touchdowns in three seasons. He was the pick at No. 42.

Need a receiver, where only three players have caught a pass? How about Tennessee’s Cedric Tillman, who caught 64 passes for 1,081 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2021 before fighting through a high-ankle sprain for most of 2022. The 6-foot-3 receiver with the 10-inch hands was the pick at No. 45.

But wait, there’s more. At No. 78 of the third round, Green Bay was handed SMU receiver Rashee Rice, who led the nation in receiving yards per game in 2022.

At Sports Illustrated, Luke Easterling went back to Iowa for the much-needed tight end. At No. 42, he selected Sam LaPorta, a “complete player” who is tremendous after the catch. At No. 45, the pick was Alabama safety Brian Branch, which would be quite a coup to get the top player at the position in the middle of the second round.

The third-round pick was used on too-small receiver Tyler Scott.

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler grabbed UCLA guard/center Steve Avila at No. 42 before taking care of tight end with Luke Musgrave at No. 45.

Avila, obviously, would be a bit of a head-scratcher. The interior of the line seems set. Elgton Jenkins is back at left guard, where he was a Pro Bowler. Jon Runyan has been a solid starting guard and should be better with a full offseason and training camp on the right side. Center Josh Myers, however, has been a disappointment as a 2021 second-round pick.

Avila started at center in 2020 and 2021, earning all-conference honors both seasons, before winning first-team All-American accolades at left guard in 2022.

At No. 78, Brugler plugged the hole at safety with Texas A&M’s Antonio Johnson.

Doug Farrar of Draft Wire’s second-round mock would get the fans fired up, with Ole Miss receiver Jonathan Mingo at No. 42 and Musgrave at No. 45.

Mingo has quite the physical skill-set at 6-foot-1 3/4, 220 pounds and with enormous 10 3/8-inch hands. Oh, and his 40 time was 4.46 seconds.

“I feel like I just can’t be stopped,” he said at the Scouting Combine. “Once I get the ball in my hands, I feel like nobody can bring me down I feel like I have great run-after-the-catch because I got a lot of tools in my bag.”

You don’t like Mingo at 42 and Musgrave at 45? Maybe you’ll like it better with the order switched. The Philly Voice’s Jimmy Kempski thought Musgrave would be a Day 1 starter. If you liked Musgrave and Mingo, you'll like this mock from Mark Schofield of SB Nation.

In a second-round mock at The Draft Network, Justin Melo selected Branch at No. 42 and Musgrave at No. 45.

You want athletic? At just about 6-foot-6, Musgrave ran his 40 in 4.61 seconds. His Relative Athletic Score was 9.96 – just off a perfect-10. Musgrave caught only 47 passes in his career but was on his way to a huge 2022, when he caught 11 passes for 169 yards in the first two games of this past season before a season-ending knee injury.

The Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer was on a similar wave length by going tight end and safety in the second round. At No. 42, he selected Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer, the best all-around tight end in the draft but not universally loved by scouts. No. 45 was used on Johnson, who would be a “huge upgrade” at safety.

The third-round pick was used on Oklahoma receiver Marvin Mims, a big-play artist who can win outside and in the slot.

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein did the receiver-tight end double-dip, grabbing Tennessee receiver Cedric Tillman and LaPorta in the second round. At tight end, Mayer and Musgrave were off the board but Georgia’s Darnell Washington was available.

At safety, Brian Branch was picked between Tillman and LaPorta, so Zierlein went with Branch’s tag-team battle, Jordan Battle, at No. 78.

CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso started with Georgia tight end Darnell Washington, who he called “Marcedes Lewis 2.0” – hey, that’s our line – with plenty of receiving upside, at No. 42 and versatile North Dakota State offensive lineman Cody Mauch at No. 45.

Would a receiver be picked in the third round? Nope. Rather, No. 78 was used on this cornerback who had a predraft visit.

Pro Football Focus’ John Kosko also took Washington at No. 42. Washington is a “massive” man who is a “perfect” fit because of his run blocking and run-after-catch ability. No. 45 was used on Texas A&M’s Johnson. Like Branch, Johnson played a lot in the slot but he’s 2 inches taller and a bit faster.

The Packers don’t pick receivers in the first round and they don’t draft Wisconsin Badgers in the early rounds. But they did in this simulation with pass-rusher Nick Herbig. Herbig’s a big-time player but there’s not much of a fit. He’s too small for the edge, and the Packers addressed that need with Van Ness, anyway, and they don’t need an off-the-ball linebacker, which might be Herbig’s home, anyway.

Draft Countdown’s Shane Hallam perhaps nailed his Day 2 mock with Musgrave at No. 42, Branch at No. 45 and Stanford receiver Michael Wilson at No. 78. Wilson is a second-round talent who will fall because of a length injury history. But he has size (6-1 7/8, 213), enough athleticism, the strength to manhandle DBs as a blocker and refined technique.

DraftKings’ Nick Simon’s second-round mock had Washington at No. 42 and too-small Houston receiver Tank Dell at No. 45.

Hey, it’s another mock with a too-small receiver. At Bleacher Report, the Packers used No. 42 on North Carolina receiver Josh Downs. As is the case with earlier mocks that selected Dell and Scott, the Packers don’t draft slightly built receivers who are less than 5-foot-10.

No. 45 was used on Wisconsin defensive tackle Keeanu Benton, who would toughen up the run defense and add key depth where there is none, and No. 78 addressed safety with Florida State’s Jammie Robinson, a second-team All-American in 2022 who is a bit small and a bit slow.