Packers Day 2 Mock Draft Roundup: Here Come the Pass-Catchers
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Twice, Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst has made a point that the team needs pass-catchers and not just receivers.
Sports Illustrated’s Kevin Hanson got the message in his Day 2 NFL mock draft. At No. 53 overall, he went with Colorado State tight end Trey McBride, who caught 90 passes last season. At No. 59, the pick was South Alabama receiver Jalen Tolbert. Voila, Aaron Rodgers has two more talented players to catch his passes.
“The Packers have had plenty of success with second-round receivers,” Hanson noted. “Will Tolbert continue that tradition? A savvy route runner with natural hands, Tolbert had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons for the Jaguars, and he led the Sun Belt in receptions (82), yards (1,474) and yards per reception (18.0) in 2021.”
In the third round, at No. 92, Hanson went with an interior lineman. I would have gone with the guy he picked at No. 103.
Dane Brugler, The Athletic
Packers fans are already antsy about the receiver situation. Imagine how nervous they’d be if their first pick on Friday also was used on the defense. That’s what Brugler did at No. 53, going with Minnesota edge defender Boye Mafe. Mafe is big, fast and full of potential. Betting on traits worked with Rashan Gary in 2019. It could work with Mafe, too, and he’d fill a need as much-needed depth behind Gary and Preston Smith.
Brugler gave the Packers their long-awaited receiver at No. 59, North Dakota State’s Christian Watson, then a versatile offensive lineman at No. 93. Just like that, most of Green Bay’s major needs have been checked off the list.
Shane Hallam, Draft Countdown
In his Day 2 mock, Hallam all three of Green Bay’s picks were dedicated to the offense. First and foremost, it was North Dakota State receiver Christian Watson at No. 53.
Watson, whose father was drafted by the Packers, had a predraft visit with the team. At 6-foot-4 1/8 and with 4.36 speed in the 40, Watson was a man among boys at the FCS powerhouse. In four seasons in the Bison’s run-first offense, he averaged 20.4 yards per reception, 8.0 yards per rushing attempt and 26.4 yards per kickoff return.
So, how did this freakish athlete with NFL DNA wind up at North Dakota State?
“I was a late bloomer in high school,” Watson said at the Scouting Combine. “I didn’t really shoot up until my junior year. I went from 5-9, 140, to 6-1, 160, in a matter of months. So, I was a late bloomer. I just didn’t get that interest early from any Power 5 schools, big schools, and North Dakota State came in. They were one of the first schools that was talking to me and I fell in love with the program early and they fell in love with me, and I was a hundred percent committed to them.”
An offensive tackle and a tight end rounded out Friday’s picks.
Chris Trapasso, CBS Sports
Trapasso used the team’s two second-round picks on the offense with a receiver and an offensive tackle. The receiver was South Alabama’s Jalen Tolbert.
Tolbert had a dominant senior season with 82 catches for 1,474 yards (18.0 average) and eight touchdowns to earn Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Year honors. At 6-foot-1 1/8, he ran his 40 in 4.49 seconds.
The third-rounder was used on a safety with a lot of speed and special-teams experience.
Eric Froton, NBC Sports Edge
It’s another vote for South Alabama receiver Jalen Tolbert at No. 53, with Froton pointing to the huge opportunity in front of Tolbert.
“Packers GM Brian Gutekunst mercifully drafts a receiver to attempt to replace the jettisoned Davante Adams,” Froton wrote. “Like Adams, Tolbert hails from a small school and is a deep threat who averaged 17.9 yards of target depth to go with his 4.49s 40-yard dash speed and 8.62 RAS. He will have every advantage a young receiver can ask for with Rodgers throwing to him and no viable options to siphon his targets away.”
Offensive tackle and linebacker (for some reason) rounded out the day.
Oliver Hodgkinson, Pro Football Network
And it’s another vote for South Alabama receiver Jalen Tolbert at No. 53, which surely means Tolbert won’t be the pick at No. 53.
“Having unexpectedly eschewed a pass rusher in Round 1, the Green Bay Packers snag South Alabama WR Jalen Tolbert as a new go-to threat for Aaron Rodgers,” Hodgkinson wrote. “He’s a size/speed threat who showcases some excellent route-running savvy while posing a danger both at the catch point and after it.”
Hodgkinson added two more playmakers – a big-time, attacking safety in the second round and a people-moving, pass-catching tight end in the third.
Lance Zierlein, NFL.com
Zierlein delivered a couple playmakers for Aaron Rodgers. After taking an offensive tackle at No. 53, Zierlein cast another vote for South Alabama receiver Jalen Tolbert. “Tolbert has size and can make the difficult catch, but he will need to become more consistent on the next level,” Zierlein wrote. At No. 92 of the third round, he selected UCLA tight end Dulcich.
Luke Easterling, USA Today’s Draft Wire
Easterling also went with a receiver at No. 53 but it was Western Michigan’s Skyy Moore. Moore’s a big-time player but, A, he falls below the Packers’ size height requirements and, B, he plays the slot, which the Packers have stocked with Randall Cobb and last year’s third-rounder, Amari Rodgers.
The other second-round pick, UCLA’s Sean Rhyan, makes more sense. He was a three-year starter at left tackle and allowed just one sack in 2021. Arm-length issues could push him to guard but he’s worth a try at tackle.
The third-round pick was used on a safety who intercepted six passes in 2021.
The 33rd Team
All three picks were used on the offense, led by a tight end and a lineman in the second round. The third-rounder was spent on Cincinnati receiver Alec Pierce.
Asked about Pierce on Thursday, one high-ranking team executive said, “He reminds me of Jeff Janis but what you thought Jeff Janis should have been. Seriously. He’s big, he can run, he makes contested catches, he makes explosive plays down the field. … He’ll be good on special teams, he’ll give you a big body on the outside. You know how Davante had that basketball to him? He’s like the complete opposite. Sometimes, he’s a little robotic but I like him. I think he should go in 3; maybe someone takes him in 2.”
Ben Linsey, Pro Football Focus
It wasn’t a mock draft but Linsey listed North Dakota State receiver Christian Watson among his “ideal” targets for each of the 32 teams. As a snippet of Linsey’s thinking, he wrote, “Watson has all the physical tools to be a bonafide No. 1 receiver, but there’s still a lot of work to be done for the 6-foot-4 receiver who has sub-4.4 speed to get to that point.”
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