Mock Draft Roundup 2.0: Packers Take Receiver in Four-Round Mock

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The interesting thing about the 2022 NFL Draft is there’s not really a consensus pecking order at most positions. The Scouting Combine, which will begin on Tuesday, might add some clarity to the situation, but this is a deep and diverse draft.

That includes receiver. For instance, NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah has USC’s Drake London as his 10th-best prospect. At Pro Football Network, on the other hand, London fell to No. 28 to the Green Bay Packers in a four-round mock draft by Oliver Hodgkinson.

London caught 88 passes in 2021 despite playing in only eight games due to a broken ankle.

“Drake London offers a rare talent to whoever lines up under center for the Packers next season,” was part of Hodgkinson’s summation. “A contested-catch monster at 6-foot-5, he also has the ability to add yardage after the catch with an athleticism rarely seen by a man of his size. Injury may have ended his final season for USC, but there doesn’t appear to be any sign of it impacting his NFL Draft stock.”

The four-round mock included an SEC linebacker in the second round (the Packers could lose De’Vondre Campbell in free agency), an edge rusher in the third round (they could release Za’Darius Smith) and an SEC cornerback (they could lose Rasul Douglas in free agency) and an offensive tackle (they could lose Dennis Kelly in free agency) in the fourth round.

At CBSSports.com, Tom Fornelli went with Penn State’s Jahan Dotson. While London is 6-foot-5, Dotson is 5-foot-11. Dotson caught 91 passes for 1,182 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior and finished his career with 25 touchdowns. For added appeal, he averaged 17.8 yards per punt return for his career, including 24.6 with one touchdown on eight returns in 2020 and 13.0 yards on eight returns in 2021.

“Dotson would give Green Bay something it hasn't had to pair with Davante Adams: a deep-threat who can reliably run other routes, too,” was part of Fornelli’s summation.

In a conference call this week, Jeremiah said Dotson has the best hands in the draft.

In a three-round mock draft for USA Today’s Draft Wire, Luke Easterling also led off with a receiver. Alabama’s Jameson Williams suffered a torn ACL in the national championship game so might not be available to start the season. Williams’ pain would be the Packers’ gain if he fell to this slot.

The Packers took an SEC edge rusher in the second round and a Big 12 linebacker in the third round.

At Walter Football, the Packers – get this – drafted a receiver in the first round. In this mock, the pick was Ohio State’s Chris Olave. All he did was score 32 touchdowns in three seasons. He’s a terrific route-runner and sure-handed target if not an overly dynamic player with the ball in his hands.

“He’s a home-run hitter with outstanding route polish,” Jeremiah wrote.

Finally, somebody didn’t pick a receiver in the first round. In a three-round mock at Draft Countdown, Shane Hallam went with Alabama linebacker Christian Harris. The Packers, of course, could use a linebacker if Campbell leaves. Harris is the modern-day NFL linebacker with his ability to cover and blitz. It would be up to position coach Kirk Olivadotti to clean up his play as a run defender.

Going back to CBS Sports, Chris Trapasso went with Michigan edge rusher David Ojabo in the first round. A second-team All-American as a junior in 2021, Ojabo was a one-year wonder. He was a scout-team player in 2009, had one tackle in six games in 2020 and 11 sacks in 2021. He’s got a tremendous get-off but will be a work in progress – not unlike another former Michigan player, Rashan Gary.

Ojabo was born in Nigeria, grew up in Scotland and moved to the United States in hopes of taking “the next step” as an athlete. At Blair Academy, a private school in New Jersey, a fellow student persuaded him to try football. That student was Odafe Oweh, who wound up starring at Penn State and was a first-round draft pick last year.

“I remember one kid laughing at him,” his high school coach told MLive.com. “This little freshman said, ‘What are you doing on a football field if you don’t know what a hash mark is?’”

In March 2020, he flew home to Scotland at the start of the pandemic. The plan was to stay there a week; he was stuck there for months.

“I work out early in the mornings, get my day started," Ojabo told the Detroit Free Press at the time. "And I won’t lie. There’s really nothing else to do. I’ll end up just chilling. I’ll write a little music. Play some games. And then from there, there’s a 3 p.m. workout — 3 p.m. their time, 8 p.m. my time. I’ll get on that, and that’s pretty much my only obligation, besides when school is going on.

"They’re back there busting down in the weight room. I’m over here in my room with a dumbbell set. ... It’s been tough.”

Here are a few more mocks from this week.

Packers take London

Packers trade Rodgers, have five picks in first two rounds

NFL.com’s Jeremiah takes edge rusher

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