Yahoo Mock Draft: Packers Go Big in First Round

Houston defensive lineman Logan Hall had 6.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for losses during a one-year-wonder senior season.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – A first-round pick in 2016, Kenny Clark has carried the Green Bay Packers’ defensive line for most of his six NFL seasons.

It’s just not a position the Packers have dedicated a lot of resources. Over the last eight drafts, Clark is the only defensive lineman they’ve selected within the first 90 picks.

Could that change this year? A lot of that depends on Green Bay’s list of needs following free agency, but it’s a possibility. In Yahoo’s latest mock draft, the Packers landed Houston’s Logan Hall with the 28th overall selection. The lanky Hall is not the prototype from a size perspective but he is an ascending player who carried a strong senior season through the Senior Bowl.

“The Packers always seem to go just a bit off-radar with their first-round selections,” Yahoo’s Eric Edholm wrote. “Yet taking Hall here wouldn't necessarily be a reach, as he’s steadily raised his stock over the past year and could be a perfect post for their odd front.”

Hall was a bit of a one-year wonder. After recording 1.5 sacks and seven tackles for losses during his first three seasons, he piled up 6.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for losses as a senior to earn first-team all-American Athletic Conference honors.

“(Hall’s) unique in the fact that he can play every position on the defensive line,” UH defensive coordinator Doug Belk said during fall camp. “That’s very unusual for a guy with his length and size to be able to play every position on the D-line and be effective. He’s very disruptive. He can become a matchup issue inside and then he has speed and power on the outside.”

Hall arrived at Houston tipping the scales at 218 pounds but measured 6-foot-6 and 278 pounds at the Senior Bowl, where he was one of the big-time standouts overall and during the one-on-one pass-rushing drills.

“He’s active with his hands, quick and ultraversatile,” ESPN.com’s Todd McShay wrote. “I could see him playing defensive end or 4-technique in a 4-3 scheme, or the 5-technique or nose tackle in a 3-4. Watching him this week, I struggle with why he isn’t in the first-round conversation. Maybe it’s simply because he doesn’t have a true fit. Versatility can work for and against you. But personally, I love a player who offers the ability to play all over the place.”

That is exactly what he was hoping to accomplish at the marquee all-star game.

“I want to dominate, especially coming from a non-Power Five school,” Hall told Pro Football Network. “My goal is to go in there and showcase my talents. That’s especially important for me to show my flexibility.

“I’m going to focus on the process and keep my head down. I’m focused on proving myself and doing everything I’m supposed to be doing. It’s very exciting. I can’t wait to show the NFL teams what I’m all about and make a name for myself.”

History of Pick No. 28 of NFL Draft

2021: Payton Turner, DE, Saints

Played in five games before going on injured reserve. Even when he was healthy, he was only a part-time player. He had one sack.

2020: Patrick Queen, LB, Ravens

Has started all 33 games in his two seasons with 204 tackles, five sacks, three forced fumbles and three passes defensed. He’s been OK but not as good as the numbers might suggest.

2019: Jerry Tillery, DT, Chargers

Has started 26 games the past two seasons and had a career-high 4.5 sacks this year. Overall, he’s been a disappointment, especially as a run defender.

2018: Terrell Edmunds, S, Steelers

Has started 60 of a possible 65 games, including all 17 this season. In four seasons, he has five interceptions and zero forced fumbles. The Steelers didn’t pick up his fifth-year option.

2017: Taco Charlton, DE, Cowboys

Didn’t even make it to Year 3 in Dallas. A big-time pass rusher at Michigan, he has 11.5 sacks in five seasons. He had a half-sack in 11 games this season for Pittsburgh.

2016: Joshua Garnett, G, 49ers

Started 11 games as a rookie but none thereafter due to a knee injury in 2017 and toe and thumb injuries in 2017. He retired at midseason in 2020 while with Washington.

2015: Laken Tomlinson, G, Lions

Finally, a quality player taken at No. 28. He’s been a starter for all seven seasons. At the end of camp in 2017, the Lions traded him to the 49ers for merely a fifth-round pick. He has become a high-quality starter.

2014: Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Carolina

In five seasons, Benjamin caught 209 passes. Nine of his 20 career touchdowns came as a rookie. He last played in 2018, though he spent this past offseason with the Giants as a tight end.

2013: Sylvester Williams, DT, Broncos

His career started with four seasons in Denver and ended with a return to Denver in 2020. He started 63 games, including 55 from 2014 through 2017, but had only 5.5 sacks.

2012: Nick Perry, OLB, Packers

 Injuries sabotaged his career. He had only 12.5 sacks during his four seasons before a breakout 11-sack season in 2016. Great timing. He turned that into a five-year, $60 million contract, then collected eight sacks in 20 games the next two seasons and was out of the league.

2011: Mark Ingram, RB, Saints

You have to go back this far to find a Pro Bowler – a three-time Pro Bowler at that. Ingram had 1,000-yard seasons in 2016, 2017 and 2019. He returned to New Orleans for another tour of duty this season. In 11 seasons, he’s tallied 7,878 rushing yards, 9,935 total yards and 74 total touchdowns.

Hall of Fame: LB Derrick Brooks, Tampa Bay, 1995

Brooks played 14 NFL seasons and started all 16 games in each of the final 13. For his career, he had 25 interceptions, 24 forced fumbles and 12 consecutive seasons of 100-plus tackles. Three times, he paced the league in solo stops.

Hall of Fame: CB Darrell Green, Washington, 1983

One of the fastest players in NFL history, Green played 20 seasons and recorded a franchise-record 54 interceptions. He scored eight defensive touchdowns and averaged 12.0 yards per punt return.

Hall of Fame: WR Paul Warfield, Buffalo, 1964

This comes with an asterisk. Warfield was drafted 28th by Buffalo in the AFL Draft but 11th by Cleveland in the NFL Draft. Playing for the Browns and Dolphins, Warfield caught 427 passes for 8,565 yards and 85 touchdowns. His career average of 20.1 yards per reception ranks fourth in NFL history.

Hall of Fame: DB Bobby Dillon, Green Bay, 1952

Dillon was one of the NFL’s premier ballhawks despite having lost an eye during a childhood accident. His 52 career interceptions ranked No. 2 in NFL history at the time of his retirement and he's still No. 1 in Packers history.