Packers Seven-Round Mock Draft 8.0: Trading Up for First-Round Receiver

The 2025 NFL Draft is four weeks away, and the Green Bay Packers potential draft interests are starting to take shape. Among potential first-round picks, two pass rushers and a cornerback will take predraft visits to Green Bay.

Coming into the offseason, the key word uttered by general manager Brian Gutekunst was “urgency.” However, the Packers’ three biggest needs – pass rush, receiver and cornerback – remain the team’s three biggest needs.

What if Gutekunst acted with urgency to add players at those positions in next month’s NFL Draft? He was at the private work out of one receiver, which was the first-round pick in our latest seven-round Packers mock draft but required a move up the draft board.

Using the Pro Football Network simulator, here’s how far we had to move and how the rest of the draft shook out.

Round 1, Pick 19: Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona

Not only does the first-round receiver drought end, the Packers had to trade up to get their man.

Brian Gutekunst isn’t one to waste his time. He was the only general manager at last week’s individual workout for Arizona’s Tet McMillan. This assumes Gutekunst likes what he saw. There was some concern about McMillan’s speed, but he should have dispelled some of that with his workout.

While he does not have the vertical speed the Packers could be looking for, the acquisition of Mecole Hardman makes it so the Packers don’t have to box themselves into a specific type of receiver.

McMillan is the best receiver in this draft class.

Gutekunst has been interested in grabbing a receiver early in the past, only to see them picked before he’s on the clock.

This time, Gutekunst chooses to not be denied. He uses urgency, sending his third-round pick to Tampa Bay to move up from No. 23 to No. 19 to select McMillan.

The trade was formulated using Chad Reuter’s proposed trade at NFL.com but without the pick swap. A slight overpay, but the Packers act with urgency to add a playmaker to their offense.

Round 2, Pick 54: Mike Green, edge, Marshall

A first-round receiver and a smaller pass rusher? Has Brian Gutekunst been kidnapped?

Maybe in this scenario that’d be a fair question to ask. There is some credence to the idea that the Packers could use some more speed on the outside.

Green certainly possesses that. The issue? He’s small. At 6-foot-3 and 251 pounds, he’s about 20 pounds lighter than what Gutekunst has typically preferred on the edge.

“You love those guys that can scream off the edge and come in on third down and that's all they play, and they play 20 snaps a game tops but they're very effective,” Gutekunst said at the Scouting Combine.

“Then when you do have injuries and you need him to play 50 snaps, can he? So, there's room for those kind of guys. I just think you've got to be creative, from a roster management piece, how you use those guys.”

Green was certainly productive, with an FBS-high 17 sacks in his final season at Marshall.

Green also could be someone off of Green Bay’s board due to some legal questions from his past.

Round 4, Pick 123: Dont’e Thornton WR, Tennessee

The need for speed is satisfied in the fourth round with Tennessee’s Dont’e Thornton.

Sure, the Packers signed Mecole Hardman, but there’s no guarantee he makes the roster. He’s also not someone that should stop the Packers from searching for a potential upgrade.

Thornton could help push the back end of the receiver room while giving the Packers a vertical threat in the event Hardman does not work out and Christian Watson struggles to return from his ACL injury.

Thornton’s blazing 4.30 40-yard dash could allow Jordan Love to throw the ball down the field, something that was missing from Green Bay’s offense once Watson was out of the lineup.

Round 5, Pick 160: Jordan Hancock, CB, Ohio State

I almost took Jordan Hancock in the fourth round but was fortunate enough to snag him in the fifth. The Packers need bodies at cornerback with the defections of Eric Stokes, Robert Rochell and Corey Ballentine. Jaire Alexander is likely soon to follow, meaning four corners will be out of Green Bay, with Nate Hobbs being the only player who has been brought in.

Hancock’s size (6-foot) and athleticism could catch the eye of Brian Gutekunst. His 10-foot, 6-inch broad jump at Ohio State’s pro day lends to the belief his athleticism will translate to the next level. With three interceptions and four forced fumbles the last two seasons, Hancock could seek a role early in his career with the thin cornerback room in Green Bay.

Round 6, Pick 200: Jamon Dumas-Johnson, LB, Kentucky

A highly productive linebacker with some upside after the Packers lost Eric Wilson to the Vikings this offseason.192 tackles, 13 sacks, 25 tackles for losses, two interceptions and two forced fumbles during four seasons (three at Georgia, one at Kentucky).

He could compete for a job at the back end of the linebacker room – the Packers have only four linebackers under contract – while contributing on special teams, where he played 297 snaps in his career.

If nothing else, he provides some competition to Ty’Ron Hopper, a third-round pick last year who really struggled to find his way onto the field a season ago.

Round 7, Pick 239: Jermari Harris, CB, Iowa

With a trade up in the first round, there is a cost of doing business. In this case, our second addition to the secondary does not come until the seventh round.

Jermari Harris has some experience on special teams with 250 snaps over five years with the Hawkeyes. Harris played mostly on the boundary and had six pass breakups to go with his three interceptions as a senior.

He’d need to play on the boundary in this scenario, and would compete for a role on defense with Carrington Valentine, who is looking to start across from Keisean Nixon when the Packers are in their subpackages.

Round 7, Pick 251: Jaydon Blue, RB, Texas

Gutekunst starts the draft with a playmaker, and ends with one.

Do the Packers need a running back? Not necessarily. Josh Jacobs, Marshawn Lloyd, Emanuel Wilson and Chris Brooks make for a good quartet of backs for Matt LaFleur and his offensive staff.

Do Wilson and Brooks stop a good general manager for looking for a potential upgrade? Of course not.

The Packers could use a home run hitter in their backfield. Jacobs, for as good as he was in 2024, was not a threat to take it the distance anytime he touched it.

Maybe that will be last year’s third-round pick, Lloyd, but some insurance in the event that he struggles with injuries again cannot be ignored.

Blue ran 4.38 at the Scouting Combine in February. He averaged 5.4 yards per carry and scored a 77-yard touchdown in 2024. Plus, he caught 42 passes, including a whopping six touchdowns. Blue would inject some competition into the backfield and potentially add three-down explosiveness.

What Worked?

Adding playmakers should be something at the forefront of Brian Gutekunst’s mind, regardless of what side of the ball they play. Tet McMillan, Mike Green, Dont’e Thornton and Jaydon Blue could have roles in Green Bay’s offense as rookies.

McMillan should be in line to start as a rookie and give the Packers another big target in their passing game. He’s also a potential replacement for Romeo Doubs, should he leave in free agency after the 2025 season. Thornton gives some insurance to the team as a speed threat.

Green injects some punch into Green Bay’s pass rush. Jordan Hancock and Jermari Harris give the Packers two more young cornerbacks to help reshape their secondary.

What Didn’t Work?

This draft did not add an offensive lineman or defensive tackle, which means the Packers would be relying on the depth they’ve accumulated over the last two seasons.

Without a third-round pick, that made addressing the secondary or offensive line difficult, but that is the price of aggression in the draft.

Gutekunst has said in the past he wanted to pick developmental quarterbacks every year. Instead of doing that in the seventh round, we went with Blue and Harris to attempt to add some potential contributors as opposed to a backup quarterback.

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One of the top cornerback prospects in the draft will be taking a predraft visit to the #Packers. Here's his story.⬇️https://t.co/wJWeJgoXSy
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) March 27, 2025