Packers Seven-Round Mock Draft 10.0: ‘Athletic Marvel’ at Premium Position

We are in the home stretch! Two weeks from today, the 2025 NFL Draft will be held in Green Bay. Soon, we’ll be talking about who are the newest members of the Green Bay Packers as opposed to who could be.

Thus far, general manager Brian Gutekunst has appeared to focus in a few distinct areas. He’s brought in a plethora of pass rushers, defensive linemen and offensive linemen for predraft visits. Receiver and cornerback are pressing needs, as well.

Of course, there is potential for the Packers to add a free agent or two before the start of the draft. Gutekunst has usually added a veteran swing tackle before the draft as insurance. Could they do that again? Would it even change their plans if they did?

Who knows. What we do know, is we’ll have answers to this question, very soon.

Using the Pro Football Network simulator, here’s how we addressed key needs in our latest seven-round Packers mock draft.

Round 1, Pick 23: Shemar Stewart, edge, Texas A&M

Shemar Stewart is the most Green Bay Packers prospect ever. Stewart plays a premium position, is an athletic marvel and did not produce to the level his athleticism may suggest he should have at the college level.

Brian Gutekunst does not worry about lack of production.

His two first-round picks on the edge were more potential than production with Rashan Gary and Lukas Van Ness.

It’s hard to envision Gutekunst passing on the freak athlete if he were available at No. 23 of the first round. The Packers had Stewart in on a visit, so they know him.

The sticking point would be that Stewart may not be ready to contribute as a rookie, but the Packers might need him to because their pass rush, after looking like a juggernaut at the start of training camp, went out with a whimper as the calendar turned to fall and winter.

The 2025 season will be big for holdovers like Gary and Van Ness but, in this case, the potential of pairing Stewart’s sky-high potential is too hard for Gutekunst to pass up.

Round 2, Pick 54: Jayden Higgins WR, Iowa State

Speaking of positional groups that struggled a season ago, the receivers could use a boost.

Between now and April 24, a ton of stories will be written about how Green Bay has not taken a receiver in the first round since 2002. What many of those stories will fail to mention is how the Packers have found the sweet spot in the second round.

Jayden Higgins could be the next in line of receivers that includes Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Davante Adams, Christian Watson and Jayden Reed. All of those receivers have been significant contributors.

Higgins has the size and speed Gutekunst typically strives for at the position. His potential is to be one of the top receivers on the depth chart. Next offseason, Watson and Romeo Doubs will be free agents. The following offseason, Reed and Dontayvion Wicks will be free agents.

They won’t keep all of them.

They’ll need reinforcements. Higgins is one of the top prospects that could help the Packers now and in the future.

Round 3, Pick 87: Anthony Belton, OT, NC State

For help on the offensive line, the Packers grab an “Escalade” in the third round.

Belton is massive at 336 pounds, which might have been a deterrent in the past for the Packers, but it appears their focus has shifted on the offensive line. Aaron Banks is a big man, and the Packers just gave him a $77 million contract in free agency.

Belton is strong in pass protection and able to move well laterally. That is something the Packers have cared about. He could be cross-trained at tackle while playing inside at guard, where the Packers could view him as a long-term replacement for Sean Rhyan.

Round 4, Pick 123: C.J. West, DT, Indiana

The Packers have only hosted one defensive lineman that we know of during the predraft cycle: Ohio State’s Tyleik Williams.

Williams might be someone who needs to be picked in the first round, and with a plethora of other needs, the Packers may not want to do that for a defensive lineman that is not a pass rusher.

C.J. West would be able to be taken later in the draft but still give the Packers some of the help they’re looking for in replacing TJ Slaton, who signed with the Bengals in free agency.

West was one of the best players at the Shrine Bowl and was a top performer at the Scouting Combine, with the fastest 10-yard split among players at his weight (316 pounds) or heavier.

Round 5, Pick 160: Seth McLaughlin, C, Ohio State

Elgton Jenkins is going to be the center for 2025. That much we know. What about 2026?

Jenkins’ cap number will soar to $24.8 million in 2026, his final season under contract. Would the Packers carry him at that number? Extend him? Or move on? Regardless, some competition is needed at the back of the offensive line room.

McLaughlin has played at two big-time programs and has plenty of experience as a center.

The Packers need some help there, as Jenkins has been their primary backup center while Josh Myers was holding down the fort as a starter. Now that Jenkins is the starter, there’s no clear backup. Jacob Monk, a fifth-round pick last year, didn’t play any snaps on offense as a rookie and was glued to the bench even when injuries hammered the line in the playoff loss.

Round 6, Pick 200: Jason Marshall Jr., CB, Florida

Jason Marshall had a predraft visit this week. He missed time last season with a shoulder injury, so that might have been part of the evaluation, but he is athletic and experienced.

Marshall could compete on the boundary and in the slot. The Packers’ cornerback room is in flux at the moment, and they’re hoping to gain some clarity with the draft. Marshall could help accomplish that.

Round 7, Pick 239: Luke Lachey, TE Iowa

Tight end is not necessarily a pressing need in Green Bay, but the back half of that room could use some work.

Ben Sims has been on the team the last two years but was benched in favor of John Fitzpatrick for special teams duty in the team’s playoff loss to the Eagles. Fitzpatrick remains unsigned in free agency.

The Packers drafted Luke Musgrave in the second round in 2023 and Tucker Kraft in the third round in 2023. While Kraft is trending toward a contract extension, Musgrave’s second season was off to a disappointing start even before an ankle injury sent him to injured reserve.

Lachey could help the team on special teams but has some upside in the passing game, as well, with a pair of 28-catch seasons on his resume. His skill-set translates really well to a backup tight end, which is what Green Bay would be in the market for at this point of the draft.

Round 7, Pick 251: Seth Henigan, QB, Memphis

Brian Gutekunst sticks to his guns of wanting to pick a developmental quarterback on a yearly basis. Last year, he swung and missed on Michael Pratt, who was cut after training camp.

Sean Clifford could use some competition for the third quarterback job, and the Packers are likely in the hunt for a long-term option to be the backup to Jordan Love because Malik Willis, a pending free agent following 2025, and could be in demand if he continued his run from a season ago.

With 14,266 passing yards and 104 touchdowns in his career, Henigan has some tools worth developing and may not require the use of a roster spot.

What Worked?

The additions of Shemar Stewart and Jayden Higgins in the first two rounds is enough to call this draft a complete win.

C.J. West is a steal in the fourth round that could take some rotational spots early and often. Lachey has some potential as a blocking tight end with passing-game upside, as well.

Adding two offensive linemen and two defensive players to the front seven is a good start to replenishing some depth in the trenches.

What Didn’t Work?

Ideally, the Packers would like to add another cornerback before deep into Day 3, but the board never fell in a way that made sense to pull the trigger on one. If this scenario were to play out, there could be more conversations surrounding Jaire Alexander’s situation with the team.

The obvious elephant in the room is whether Shemar Stewart can be productive as a rookie. He was not as productive in college, relying more on disruption. Can Green Bay’s pass rush count on Stewart being, in essence, a redshirt player for his first season?