We Solved Packers’ Biggest Needs With Four Day 2 NFL Mock Drafts

GREEN BAY – The Green Bay Packers could go in almost any direction in the NFL Draft on Friday night.

In the trenches, they need a nose tackle on defense and depth on offense. At the skill positions on offense, they need a No. 2 running back and forward-thinking talent at receiver. On defense, they could improve the pass defense with either a starting-caliber cornerback or impact edge rusher.

In an attempt to address those shortcomings, here are four Day 2 mock drafts using various simulators (and draft boards).

Mock 1: Edge, Cornerback

If the Packers were to play a game today, their starters on the edge would be Lukas Van Ness and Barryn Sorrell. Their backups would be Collin Oliver and Brenton Cox.

The reality is the Packers will be without Micah Parsons for the first few games of the season, and they might be without the All-Pro version of Parsons for longer. Who knows what Van Ness’ future with the team looks like as he potentially enters his final season under contract.

Enter Gabe Jacas with their second-round pick in a mock conducted with Pro Football Focus’ simulator. Jacas is an excellent player. He had 27 sacks during four seasons at Illinois, including 11 sacks, 13.5 tackles for losses and three forced fumbles as a senior.

At 6-foot-3 5/8 and 260 pounds, he’s got the size and power the Packers prefer. Parsons, for one, would love his mentality.

Also considered: Penn State edge Dani Dennis-Sutton, Iowa State DT Domonique Orange.

In the third round, the choice was Georgia cornerback Daylen Everette, who has prototype size (6-foot-1 1/4, 196 pounds) and speed (4.38 in the 40). He’s got plenty of experience as a three-year starter in the SEC, and he’s got some balls skills with three interceptions in 2024.

The Packers need a nose tackle, but I didn’t like the options. The Packers need offensive line depth, and there seemed to be plenty of it in hopes that a versatile blocker would last until the fourth round.

Also considered: I thought long and hard about Stanford TE Sam Roush. Also in the mix was Georgia State WR Ted Hurst and several linemen, including Kentucky’s Jalen Farmer and Florida’s Austin Barber.

Mock 2: Nose Tackle, Running Back

Using Pro Football Network’s simulator and its draft board, I started with Texas Tech defensive tackle Lee Hunter.

Before the draft, general manager Brian Gutekunst talked about the need to have a pure nose tackle on the roster. While he left room for that player to be Nazir Stackhouse or Jonathan Ford, the reality is Stackhouse went undrafted in 2025 and Ford was a seventh-round pick in 2022 who finally played his first snaps for Green Bay at the end of last season.

Hunter, who is 6-foot-3 1/2 and 318 pounds, is a stud. NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah called him a “dominant” run defender, which is exactly what the Packers need after their run defense got soft down the stretch last season. He had three sacks and 11 tackles for losses for UCF in 2023 and again for Texas Tech in 2025.

Also considered: Nobody. The Packers need a nose tackle and “The Fridge” was a strong value here, especially with the depth at cornerback and on the edge working in my favor.

Arkansas Razorbacks running back Mike Washington Jr (4) celebrates after rushing for a first down against Texas A&M. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

In the third round, the pick was Arkansas’ explosive running back, Mike Washington Jr. Running back is a key need, where there’s no clear-cut No. 2 to help the Packers get by if Josh Jacobs is struggling with injuries again. but it wasn’t necessarily my focus. The value here was far too good, though.

Washington had a “30” visit following a tremendous seven months. After rushing for 725 yards at New Mexico in 2024, Washington transferred to Arkansas and rushed for 1,070 yards (6.4 average) and caught 28 passes.

The Packers like big backs; Washington is 6-foot-1 and 223 pounds. Everyone likes fast backs; Washington ran his 40 in 4.33 seconds. He’ll need to improve in pass protection but, hey, that’s what Chris Brooks is for.

Also considered: Penn State edge Dani Dennis-Sutton, Florida OT Austin Barber. What about corner? Arkansas’ Julian Neal, Ohio State’s Davision Igbinosun, Texas’ Malik Muhammad and Texas A&M’s Will Lee went off the board before Green Bay was up in the third.

Mock 3: Trade

This mock was done using Pro Football Network’s simulator again but with the consensus draft board, which meant a different pool of players.

Iowa State defensive tackle Domonique Orange and two solid edge players, Illinois’ Gabe Jacas and Penn State’s Dani Dennis-Sutton, were on the board, but I took the Raiders’ offer to move back from No. 52 to No. 67 and acquire No. 102 at the start of the fourth round.

At No. 67, the pick was Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun. At 6-foot-2 1/8 with 32 7/8-inch arms and 4.45 speed in the 40, he has tremendous measureables. He has a lot of high-level experience, whether it’s as a three-year starter for a powerhouse or having to match up against the Buckeyes’ prolific receivers at practice.

Igbinosun had two interceptions and 11 breakups in 2024, when he was guilty of a jaw-dropping 16 penalties, and two interceptions and eight breakups in 2025, when he cut it back to five penalties under defensive coordinator Matt Patricia.

As an added bonus, he’s a solid run defender and tackler.

Also considered: Dennis-Sutton, Arizona DB Treydan Stukes.

Mississippi Rebels wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling (1) runs after a catch against Tulane. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

In the third round, the pick was Mississippi receiver De’Zhaun Stribling, whose measurables are those of a faster Romeo Doubs. The trade of Dontayvion Wicks cleared the path to draft a receiver and fortify a group that has only Matthew Golden and Savion Williams under contract for 2027.

Also considered: Florida State DT Darrell Jackson Jr., Stanford TE Sam Roush, Florida OT Austin Barber, Texas A&M OL Trey Zuhn III.

At No. 102, which is the second pick of the fourth round, Jackson and Barber were off the board but Roush, Zuhn and Duke OL Brian Parker were available. I would have taken Zuhn over Roush because of his position versatility, which would immediately improve the offensive line.

Mock 4: Trenches

What could be less sexy than a draft without a first-round pick? A draft with big guys. The Packers need big guys, though, and they’d be better for it.

Using the Stick to the Model simulator, the second-round pick was Northwestern offensive tackle Caleb Tiernan. After starting six games at right tackle as a redshirt freshman in 2022, he started 38 games at left tackle the last three seasons.

He's a big man at 6-foot-7 5/8 and 323 pounds with explosiveness (35-inch vertical) but he comes up short in length (32 1/4-inch arms) and hands (9 inches). The Packers aren’t married to arm length like other teams, so Tiernan could play the critical swing-tackle role as a rookie while learning the ropes at guard.

Also considered: Illinois edge Gabe Jacas, Michigan edge Derrick Moore, Penn State edge Dani Dennis-Sutton.

In the third round, the choice was Missouri defensive tackle Chris McClellan. He doesn’t have the sheer girth of the likes of Georgia Christen Miller and Iowa State’s Domonique Orange, but he’s a big man at 6-foot-3 7/8 and 313 pounds with 34-inch arms. He started 12 games last season and finished with six sacks and eight tackles for losses.

Also considered: Florida State DT Darrell Jackson Jr., Arkansas CB Julian Neal, Georgia CB Daylen Everette, Arkansas RB Mike Washington Jr., Mississippi WR De’Zhaun Stribling.

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