Packers Mock Draft 5.0: Bookends at Critical Position of Need

We are less than a month away from the NFL Draft. The Green Bay Packers will, in all likelihood, be sitting out the first day thanks to a trade for defensive end Micah Parsons.

That makes their picks in the subsequent rounds even more important, as they are attempting to catapult themselves from the seventh seed at the bottom of the NFC playoffs to Super Bowl champions.

Some of that work was completed in free agency with the signings of Javon Hargrave and Benjamin St. Juste.

Some of the work will be completed internally, as the Packers are hoping for upgrades coming from players like Jordan Morgan, Lukas Van Ness and Edgerrin Cooper ascending into stardom.

There will need to be some contributors from this year’s draft class. If the Packers want immediate contributions from their rookie class, they may need to alter their draft philosophy and focus more on the short-term needs than those of the future.

In our fifth mock draft of the season, we looked at one prospect who is scheduled to have a predraft visit with the Packers while also trying to fill the rest of the needs on the roster.

Selections were made using the PFSN Mock Draft Simulator.

First Round: Traded

This pick was traded for defensive end Micah Parsons.

Second Round, Pick 52: Treydan Stukes, CB, Arizona

Another week, another cornerback with the first pick. The reality is that Brian Gutekunst can wax poetic about the group has on his roster but, as currently constructed, they cannot win a championship with some combination of Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine and St-Juste as their starting outside corners.

The last time Green Bay won the Super Bowl, it had Charles Woodson in the slot with Tramon Williams and Sam Shields playing on the boundary. It’s not a stretch to say none of the top five players, if you include nickel defender Javon Bullard as a cornerback, would start for that title-winning team.

That’s where Stukes could come in. He has the preferred size at 6-foot-2 and played in a zone-heavy scheme at Arizona. In 2025, he intercepted four passes, and PFF charged him with a 34.4 passer rating.

The potential drawbacks? Stukes has a lengthy medical history, which could make him a risk to stay on the field. Injuries were one of the reasons Nate Hobbs was released in March.

Stukes also will be an older prospect because he played six years in college. Would Gutekunst overlook some of those concerns due to a need at the position? Maybe, but he has typically preferred players who he thinks have their best football in front of them.

Stukes also may not project as an outside cornerback, but the Packers have experimented with putting defensive backs who played in the slot on the boundary. Of his 608 snaps last season, only four came as a perimeter cornerback. He certainly has the size to play on the outside, though.

In this case, we’re gambling on talent and hoping the player can stay healthy to give the secondary a boost.

Third Round, Pick 84: Ted Hurst, WR, Georgia State

Does having a player on a predraft visit mean that a team is going to draft that player? Not necessarily. In Green Bay, however, those visits were nearly a throwing of the cards on the poker table. Five of its eight draft choices were in on a visit a season ago.

Ted Hurst was the first reported visit this year for the Packers, who could be looking at the receiver market again after taking two in the top 100 last year.

Christian Watson, Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks will play on expiring contracts in 2026, as will Skyy Moore, which makes the 2027 depth chart consist of just Matthew Golden and Savion Williams.

Hurst is someone who would probably be buried on the depth chart behind the Packers’ top four as a rookie but could play a prominent role in his second season.

He has the size and speed combination the Packers have preferred at receiver, he played in the Senior Bowl and now he’s been on a visit to Green Bay. That’s almost the equivalent of filling the bingo card when it comes to a Packers draft choice.

A receiver may seem like a luxury pick early in the draft, but the Packers have never shied away from filling long-term needs.

Fourth Round, Pick 120: Jaishawn Barham LB/DE Michigan

Michigan linebacker Jaishawn Barham (1) tackles New Mexico quarterback Jack Layne. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

One of the most interesting questions coming into the draft about Barham will be what position he plays in the NFL.

He was primarily a linebacker for his first three seasons in college between Maryland and Michigan before moving full time to defensive end in his final season.

Former NFL defensive coordinator Wink Martindale spent the last two seasons at Michigan and called Barham the most violent defender on Michigan’s roster.

He’s talented, too, even if he is raw as a pass rusher.

Barham is a true tweener at 240 pounds, which could pose the question as to whether the Packers would be able to roster both Barham and Collin Oliver, who was undersized when they drafted him in the fifth round last year.

The pass-rush upside, however, is something the Packers need, and they have some long-term questions opening up at defensive end.

For the immediate future, they have a Micah Parsons-sized hole to fill for the first month or so of the season. Beyond that, Lukas Van Ness and Brenton Cox will play on expiring contracts. Oliver and Barryn Sorrell are unproven, and the Packers have never thought they’ve had too many pass rushers.

Fifth Round, Pick 158: Markel Bell, OT, Miami

Bell is a big man at 6-foot-9, 346 pounds, and is a mauler. The Packers have shifted toward adding size to their offensive line, especially last year with the additions of Aaron Banks and Anthony Belton.

Bell fits the mold as someone who could likely try and stick at right tackle before moving inside to guard to fill out some of the depth needs the Packers have on their offensive line.

The top six on the offensive line are likely set in stone with Sean Rhyan and Darian Kinnard getting re-signed this offseason. Beyond that, nothing is set at a position group that really struggled to finish off the season.

Adding competition on the back of the depth chart should be a priority for Gutekunst in an effort to keep Jordan Love upright.

Sixth Round, Pick 201: Diego Pounds, OT, Ole Miss

Ted Thompson used to always say that the good Lord only made so many men who were big and could move. The Packers continue to honor that theory with the selection of Pounds at this spot.

Pounds is another player who would add competition to the back of the offensive line room, and has the size the Packers have wanted to add in recent years.

He measured in at 6-foot-6 and 325 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine. He’d add another big mauler to Green Bay’s offensive line with a chance to stick as a potential swing tackle of the future. If nothing else, he’s another big, talented body and the Packers’ offensive line could use more competition for depth up front.

Seventh Round, Pick 236: Will Kacmarek, TE, Ohio State

Tucker Kraft is more than likely going to be a Packer for the foreseeable future. Can you say that about any other tight end on Green Bay’s roster?

Probably not. Luke Musgrave is entering the final season of his rookie deal, and it seems unlikely the Packers would re-sign him. Josh Whyle is back, but only on a one-year deal. The Packers used Darian Kinnard as a secondary tight end for blocking purposes down the stretch last season. While the Packers are likely to go to that well again in 2026, they will still want another tight end on the roster who can hold his own as a blocker.

Kacmarek is a player who fits the bill. He never became much of a threat in the passing game at Ohio State but will earn his money with his blocking ability at the next level.

Seventh Round, Pick 255: Toriano Pride Jr., CB, Missouri

Pride was one of the stars of the NFL Combine and has plenty of speed to burn with a 4.32 40-yard-dash.

That speed could make him a potential contributor on special teams, and he likely offers more upside than anyone at the bottom of Green Bay’s depth chart at cornerback, which currently includes a wide receiver.

Pride would help Gutekunst double dip at cornerback and improve the depth at the bottom of the roster. That’s something Gutekunst said he wanted to do after the season ended.

What I Liked

Hurst is a talented receiver prospect, and his size could pair well with a theoretical contract extension of Christian Watson and Matthew Golden growing into a more significant role. His selection also gives the Packers some leverage in contract negotiations with Watson, Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks should they choose to go down any of those paths.

Kacmarek would give the Packers another option as a blocking tight end late in the draft and a potential replacement for any of the men in the room not named Tucker Kraft.

Speed and competition was added to the cornerback room with the bookend picks in the second and seventh rounds.

Barham offers positional versatility as a potential linebacker with some pass-rush upside and could really grow into his role as a pass rusher with more refinement at that position.

What I Didn’t Like

Sometimes the board simply does not fall your way, and that is exactly what happened in this simulation in regards to trying to select a defensive tackle. We’ve seen past instances of a run on a position preventing Gutekunst from picking someone at a spot that was considered a significant need.

Cornerback was seen as a need last year, and Gutekunst did not pick one until this seventh round.

If the draft were to play out this way, they would likely have to get on their hands and knees and beg veteran defensive tackle D.J. Reader to sign in Green Bay or start trying to work the trade market with some of their 2027 draft capital.

Another disappointing part of this simulation would be not adding another talented ball-carrier to the backfield. Marshawn Lloyd has not stayed healthy in two snake-bitten seasons, and Chris Brooks has hardly carried the ball.

As great as Josh Jacobs has been in Green Bay, he’s likely best served in the immediate future with a smaller workload to try and prevent him from getting as banged up as he was by the end of the 2025 season.

This draft, much like our last iteration, comes with some medical concerns. The reality is that Green Bay may not be able to be as picky this season with some players considering the needs they have and the lack of capital currently at their disposal.

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