Packers Grab Receiver in SI.com Mock

With two of the top inside linebackers still available, Conor Orr gave the Packers one of the best run-after-the-catch receivers in the draft.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Apr 7, 2020 9:28 AM EDT

GREEN BAY, Wis. – With the top six offensive tackles off the board but inside linebackers Kenneth Murray and Patrick Queen still available, Conor Orr gave the Green Bay Packers a receiver in his SI.com mock draft.

Orr sent versatile slot receiver Laviska Shenault to Green Bay with the 30th overall selection.

In three seasons at Colorado, he caught 149 passes for 1,943 yards and 10 touchdowns and added 280 rushing yards and seven more scores. In 2018, he led the nation in receptions per game (9.6), finished the year with 86 catches for 1,011 yards and six touchdowns, and was the only player in the nation with at least five touchdowns receiving and rushing. In 2019, his production slipped to 56 receptions for 764 yards and four touchdowns. However, while the raw numbers dipped, his excellence still showed up. According to Sports Info Solutions, he averaged 7.6 yards after the catch. According to Pro Football Focus, his broke one tackle for every 3.73 receptions, the third-best rate among our top 32 prospects.

Now, he’s on the verge of reaching the NFL – potentially as a first-round pick. It will be a happy ending to a difficult journey. As a 10-year-old, Shenault saw his dad die in a horrific accident on a highway. Plus, his mom was hospitalized for weeks and couldn’t walk upright for a year after contracting West Nile virus.

“I think it would mean the most to my family. My dad, I know he'd be proud,” Shenault said at the Scouting Combine. “It would mean the most to me because it wasn’t easy. I had a very long, bumpy road. I had to get everything the hard way, nothing came easy. And I had to put the time and the grind in. So, it would mean a lot to go first round.”

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