We’re officially into April – that means the draft is this month!
The Packers have done their best to bring back everyone from last year, but holes still remain. The biggest losses came on the offensive line were starters Corey Linsely and Rick Wagner won’t be back. The defensive line was already weak, even without losing anyone.
The Packers will probably look to draft someone on both sides of the line, but in our 17th mock draft, a lot of lineman were available when the Packers picks came up.
Here are the results:
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Round 1
Jalen Mayfield – Offensive Tackle
Profile: A physical, explosive blocker. The 6’5 320 Mayfield was developing in 2019, then got hurt in 2020. He’s still very under-developed, but he moves people and has great footwork and mirror technique in pass blocking. He absorbs bull rushes with his massive frame and, while he has a tendency to lunge on the edge, is athletic enough to handle the right side on an island.
Analysis: The Packers lost their shot at the Super Bowl because they couldn’t handle the Buccaneer’s pass rush. The skill position players are in place, but with Rick Wagner cut and David Bakhtiari injured, tackle is a big need. Mayfield looks like the kind of guy that could plug into the right tackle spot, get over his growing pains, and develop into a a long-term fixture on the line.
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Round 2
Paulson Adebo – Cornerback
Profile: An all around solid corner, the instinctive Adebo doesn’t have a lot of hole in his game. At the same time, he lacks ceiling of the top corners in the class. Good in man coverage, he shows good ball skills and at 6’1 190, he has enough long speed to keep up on the outside while also the toughness to help in run support.
Analysis: The corners really flew off the ball after the Packers first pick. I was expecting to grab a solid one int he 2nd, then 6 of them went between the Packers picks. Adebo is a safer pick than a lot of the corners that could be viewed as more of a gamble at this point. Even with Kevin King re-signed, the Packers need an upgrade at CB2 and Adebo could be it.
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Round 3
Quinn Meinerz – Center
Profile: Look past the hype videos and memes and you see a guy who dominated D3 competition, then showed up to the Senior Bowl and proved that he can be just as effective against D1 competition. He’s a strong, powerful run-blocker with enough athleticism to hustle his way to any spot that a zone scheme would require.
Analysis: The Packers really have a chance to fortify their line in this mock. They’re bringing back all their starters except center and right tackle. After hitting a tackle in the 1st, Meinerz in the 3rd could stack the Packers with a strong young line ready to handle whatever defensive fronts come at them.
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Round 4
Josh Imatorbhebhe – Wide Receiver
Profile: An athletic, raw, vertical receiver, the 6’2 215 Imatorbhebhe has big catch radius and the natural ability to haul in back shoulder passes. He has strong hands and is tough at the catch point, and just needs some route tree development to be a complete player,
Analysis: The Packers don’t need a receiver this year, but they will need one next year when everyone is a free agent. Imatorbhebhe is the kind of developmental prospect that could pay off big in the future.
Robert Hainsey – Offensive Tackle
Profile: Solid mobility but loses balance on leverage, Hainsey has a good pass set but struggles at times against the widest edge rushes. He’s smart in stunt pickups and reading line shifts, but his raw power and limited athleticism probably make him better suited to right tackle than left tackle. He played guard and tackle at the Senior Bowl and looked very polished and consistent.
Analysis: The line could use competition and depth and Hainsey is too talented to pass up this late. Without a lot of other great players dropping, there’s nothing wrong with stocking up on big guys.
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Round 5
OSa Odighizuwa – Defensive Line
Profile: Odighizuwa flies off the ball and it flexible flexible through the line. He has good hand usage but needs more power behind them. A high effort prospect who is a bit undersized at 6’2 280, he looks like a solid rotational end.
Analysis: There aren’t a lot of complete stud defensive linemen in this draft, and even fewer that the Packers will have a shot at. Odighizuwa is the kind of rotational end that the Packers could use while they swap their edges guys around the front and spend a lot of time with extra defensive backs on the field.
TJ Vasher – Wide Receiver
Profile: At 6’6 210, Vasher still runs a solid 4.5. He’s not a burner, but he runs good routes and makes acrobatic catches. As expected, he’s a jump ball dynamo. Heading into the year, he looked like he might be headed for Day 2, but his stats fell and now he could be late round gem.
Analysis: The Packers are building a receiving core of the future and like big bodies. There’s not a lot of bodies this big in the class and he looks like he needs a year of development before he’ll be ready to contribute, but the skills are clearly there.
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Round 6
Garrett Wallow – Inside Linebacker
Profile:A former safety, Wallow is a good blitzer and strong finisher. He flies to ball and packs a solid thump at 6’2 230. Though he struggles to disengage blocks, he’s solid in filling gaps in run defense and looks good in zone coverage.
Analysis: The Packers inside linebackers are mostly thumper types who lack range and aren’t great in coverage. Wallow is more of a coverage backer and would give the Packers more options than always bringing in an extra defensive back.
Cole Van Lanen – Offensive Tackle
Profile: A powerful 6’5 310 drive blocker, Van Lanen makes space off the snap. He needs work on his balance and foot placement, but he’s mobile enough for zone blocking even if quick edge rushers give him problems on the outside.
Analysis: This draft just kept serving up big guys and you can never have too many big guys.Van Lanen may end up at guard but also has a shot a right tackle. Either way, the older Rodgers gets, the more they need a strong line (and even if you are snarkily thinking Love is taking over soon, then they’ll need a good line even more).
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Round 7
Rachad Wildgoose – Cornerback
Profile: A quick press corner, Wildgoose is best suited to the slot at 5’11 190. He missed most of 2020 due to injury, but showed good range and ball skills in limited action.
Analysis: The Packers need depth at cornerback more than any other position. This draft didn’t shake out well for the Packers to get a lot of corners, but a guy like Wildgoose could be nice in dime situations and have value on special teams.
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Analysis
This was an odd draft because it felt like the best player available in pretty much every spot was a lineman. Given how the Packers are built, that might not be a bad thing. They could get over the hump just with improved line play. Mayfield and Meinerz could both start on the offensive line while Odighizuwa could bolster the defensive line.
Aside from that, they could really use an upgrade at cornerback and Adebo could give them the consistency they’ve sorely lacked while Wildgoose is a nice depth addition.
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Of Note
Punter Max Duffy went in the 5th round. The Packers might be in the market for some punting competition.
I used Drafttek’s board for this mock.
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