Seven-Round Packers Mock Draft: Brian Gutekunst Drinks the Kool-Aid
The NFL's first wave of free agency is over.
While Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst could attack the second and third waves of free agency, adding a veteran has never stopped him from taking that same position in the draft, as well.
Using the PFN simulator with no trades this week, I was able to add some help to the secondary and the fronts on both sides of the football.
First Round: Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama
Yes, the Packers brought back Keisean Nixon, but they have a plethora of questions at cornerback.
Carrington Valentine and Eric Stokes cannot be counted on as reliable starters at this stage of their careers. Perhaps Stokes will stay healthy and bounce back, or Valentine could build on a solid rookie season, but a team can never have enough good corners.
McKinstry was part of a cornerback tandem for the Crimson Tide that included Terrion Arnold. McKinstry had 21 pass breakups in three seasons for the Tide, including two interceptions in 2022.
He had a poor finish to his final season, giving up a passer rating of more than 110 in each of the last three games, but his total mark for the season was below 75, according to Pro Football Focus.
McKinstry would add more competition to the boundary. The desire to improve the pass defense under Jeff Hafley gave McKinstry the nod over Washington offensive lineman Troy Fautanu.
Second Round: Tyler Nubin, S, Minnesota
The safety class did not have a strong showing at the NFL Scouting Combine. For example, Miami's Kam Kinchens may have taken himself off of the Packers' board entirely with his showing.
The need for a safety was pacified a little with the Packers' four-year, $67 million agreement with former New York Giants standout Xavier McKinney.
McKinney likely fills the post safety role that is crucial to Hafley's defense, but there are still plenty of open spots at that position. Darnell Savage is off to Jacksonville and Jonathan Owens signed in Chicago.
If the season began today, Anthony Johnson Jr. would be starting at the other safety position with Benny Sapp III backing them up.
Nubin is a playmaker. He had five interceptions and four pass breakups a season ago.
He was a sound tackler in 2023, as well, with a missed tackle percentage of 9.4. Nubin and McKinney could represent a massive upgrade in the Packers' safety room from the season prior, and follow Gutekunst's trend of attacking his perceived weaknesses with numbers.
Tyler Nubin could be a target for the Packers
Alex Martin - Journal
Second Round: Edgerrin Cooper, LB, Texas A&M
The Packers released De'Vondre Campbell with a post-June 1 designation when the new league year began on Wednesday.
That further weakened a linebacker room that Gutekunst referred to as thin in his media availability at the end of the season. Quay Walker and Isaiah McDuffie are the only linebackers on the team with substantial experience playing defense.
Kristian Welch re-signed, but he is a special teams player. Eric Wilson remains unsigned.
Enter Edgerrin Cooper. Cooper is one of the most athletic prospects in this draft class and has been compared in some circles to Walker.
Cooper's speed and athleticism next to Walker could be enticing as the Packers switch to their 4-3 defense and attempt to unlock Walker's full potential.
Third Round: Kiran Amegadjie, OT, Yale
With the loss of Jon Runyan and David Bakhtiari, the offensive line room needs reinforcements.
The board never fell Green Bay's way during the first two rounds of the simulation, so we went elsewhere.
Kiran Amegadjie could have the highest upside of any of the offensive linemen in this draft class, and it's hard to imagine the Packers not pouncing if they missed out on an offensive lineman in the first two rounds.
Amegadjie only played in six games in 2023, but The Athletic's Dane Brugler referred to him as the most interesting player in the draft due to his background and size.
Third Round: DeWayne Carter, DL, Duke
With a change coming to Green Bay's base defense, they may decide to carry more than five defensive linemen they typically did under former coordinators Mike Pettine or Joe Barry.
Carter adds another big body to the Packers' interior and was a run-stuffing menace during his time at Duke, where he had 71 run stops over his final four seasons.
With TJ Slaton scheduled to be a free agent following the 2024 season, and some uncertainty surrounding how they'll use Colby Wooden or Karl Brooks in their new base defense, the Packers could use more size up front.
Carter helps provide that.
Fourth Round: Jaden Hicks, S, Washington State
Another safety on the board, and the Packers need bodies there in bulk.
Hicks is likely more of a traditional overhang defender than a post safety, but the Packers need both types in their safety room.
He lined up all over the defense at Washington State, and finished his final season with two interceptions, four pass breakups, 79 tackles and six tackles for losses.
Special teams is another way for Hicks to find his way on the field, and he played 135 snaps for the Cougars.
Fifth Round: Zak Zinter, OG, Michigan
Typically, the Packers do not take offensive linemen who have not played offensive tackle during their college career, but they found Zinter interesting enough to use one of their top-30 visits on him.
Zinter's visit was likely to get a medical checkup after he suffered a leg injury in Michigan's final regular-season game against Ohio State.
Zinter was a run blocking savant for the two-time Joe Moore Award-winning offensive line that he helped anchor.
With Josh Jacobs taking over at running back, perhaps the Packers are looking for more power out of their run game. Zinter would help provide that, along with some competition to Sean Rhyan and Royce Newman for the right guard spot.
Sixth Round: Dillon Johnson, RB, Washington
Jacobs is the new lead man in Green Bay's backfield after a shocking swap between Jacobs and Aaron Jones.
Johnson was a key cog in a Washington offense that lit up the Pac-12.
He's a dual threat as a runner and receiver, which could get him on the field early in his career as a potential complement to Jacobs.
In his one year at Washington, Johnson in 2023 rushed for 1,195 yards and 16 touchdowns and caught 24 passes. At Mississippi State in 2021, he caught 65 passes.
Sixth Round: Elijah Jones, CB, Boston College
This felt too easy and might be unlikely when the real draft rolls around.
Elijah Jones as a compensatory pick was like stealing at this point. Having played for Jeff Hafley in the past isn't likely to be a requirement, but it cannot hurt. Jones' learning curve in terms of Hafley's teaching methods and overall defensive principles would be shorter because of that familiarity.
He can play, too.
He had seven interceptions over the last two seasons and played more than 400 special teams snaps.
If he's available this late in the draft, it'd feel like stealing candy from a baby.
Seventh Round: Tyrone Tracy Jr, RB, Purdue
Tracy Jr. represented a chance to double up at the running back spot and provide some competition to Emanuel Wilson at the back of the roster.
Tracy Jr. played six college seasons, with a breakout year of 6.3 yards per carry in 2023 upon switching from receiver.
He has experience as a return man, too. That may not be as necessary with Nixon back in the fold, but the more a player can do, the better chance he has to find his way onto the field.
Seventh Round: Sam Hartman, QB, Notre Dame
Gutekunst has said he wanted to get back into the practice of drafting quarterbacks.
In this simulation, there were some opportunities, but we held off until the last pick of the draft.
Hartman has plenty of experience with 60 starts over his college career.
Experience was a trait the Packers desired when they drafted Sean Clifford a season ago. Perhaps they could go to that well again with Hartman and allow him to compete in training camp for the team's third quarterback position.
