Packers Pick Parsons In Mock Draft of NFL Stars

Here's a fun idea: A seven-round mock draft of current NFL players. The Green Bay Packers, naturally, selected a defender rather than a receiver in the first round.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Jul 5, 2023 12:42 PM EDT

In this story:

Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – What if NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell went rogue and made every player available for a veteran draft?

That’s just what NFL.com’s Chad Reuter did with a seven-round, win-now mock draft. Following the Green Bay Packers’ tradition, Reuter used Green Bay’s No. 1 pick on a defensive player – Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons.

Some of the rules:

- The Packers had the 15th pick, their original pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, rather than the 13th from trading Aaron Rodgers.

- Like in fantasy football, this was a “snake” draft, with the first pick of the first round being the last pick of the second round, the second pick of the first round being the second-to-last pick of the second round, and so on.

- There were no compensatory picks. It’s purely seven rounds and seven picks.

With their first-round pick and with all the NFL’s premier quarterbacks off the board, the Packers of course took a defender over a receiver. In this case, it was the dynamic Parsons ahead of Minnesota Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson, former Packers receiver Davante Adams and Cincinnati Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase.

In the second round with the 50th overall selection, Reuter grabbed Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews. A third-round pick in 2018, Andrews in five seasons has 336 receptions for 4,313 yards and 34 touchdowns. That would make him the most productive tight end in Packers history. Paul Coffman holds the franchise records with 322 receptions for 4,223 yards and 39 touchdowns over eight seasons.

In the third round, the Packers selected quarterback Jordan Love.

In the 2020 draft, general manager Brian Gutekunst traded up to select Love instead of receiver Tee Higgins, who has emerged as a standout for the Cincinnati Bengals. In the fourth round of the mock, Reuter went with Higgins.

Moving ahead to the seventh round, Green Bay wound up with safety Talanoa Hufanga. A rookie with the 49ers in 2021, he was the player who scooped up a blocked punt and scored the deciding touchdown in the playoffs at Lambeau Field. A 17-game starter in 2022, he had a breakout season with four interceptions, two forced fumbles and 97 tackles.

For all of Green Bay’s picks – and where all of Green Bay’s stars wound up – click here for the full mock.