Tomorrow is the big day, one of my favorite days of the year: the NFL Draft. I wanted to wait until Aaron Rodgers was traded to do another Packers mock, so since he was dealt so close to draft day, this will be my final one of the season. I don’t know if I have ever gotten one correct, so if you wanted one of these players, my apologies, because they’re not being picked now haha
1 1) Lukas Van Ness, EDGE, Iowa
This pick just screams Packer to me. Green Bay needs a pass
rusher in the worst way with Rashan Gary out for a few months and Preston Smith
likely to be gone after this year. Last year’s pick of Kingsley Enagbare looks
good, but they will need a third EDGE this season and someone to line up across
from Gary starting in 2024. Gary is an athletic freak with an RAS of 9.38. For
whatever reason, he didn’t start many game with the Hawkeyes, but was still
named second team All-Big Ten with 11 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. Van Ness
and Gary could be a lethal duo rushing the passer during the rebuilding process.
2a) Darnell Washington, TE, Georgia
This is another guy who screams Packer, especially since he
is great for the Matt LaFleur offense. Another athletic demon, Washington wasn’t
really utilized much as a receiver with Brock Bowers on the same team. Bowers
has a chance to be a top 10 pick in 2024. Washington, however, is a tremendous
blocker with the ability to become an outstanding receiver. Brian Gutkekunst
has also shown he loves to take Georgia players, having selected Eric Stokes,
Quay Walker and Devonte Wyatt early in the past two years. Green Bay needs a
tight end in the worst way. Josiah Deguara is the only Packers tight end
remaining who will make the roster. Robert Tonyan is in Chicago and Marcedes
Lewis is a free agent. Even with those two, they needed overhaul the position.
Washington would be a great place to start.
2b) Keeanu Benton, DL, Wisconsin
Of course this is a homer pick, but he would be great for
the Packers. With Jerran Reed and Dean Lowry gone from Green Bay, the Packers
need bodies, especially good ones. The Packers gave up approximately 4,000
rushing yards to Philadelphia, so they need some formidable defensive linemen.
A line of Wyatt, Benton and Kenny Clark would have a lot of potential. Benton
is another good athlete who is young, as he does not turn 22 until July. He is
a nose tackle prospect and he has gotten better as a pass rusher. It would be a
great fit to have him in Green Bay.
3) 3) Jonathan Mingo, WR, Ole Miss
With two of the top three picks being used on the defense,
it is time to stockpile the offense. While Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs
were promising as rookies, they need more at the position. Green Bay likes its
big wide receivers and Mingo is 6-2 and 225, so he fits the bill. He has a
great RAS score and runs the 40-meters at a 4.46 time, which is great for a guy
that size. He has a chance to fit right in with the three rookies from last
year to help first-year starting quarterback Jordan Love.
4) 4) Ricky Stromberg, IOL, Arkansas
The Packers always draft interior linemen and with Jason Myers inconsistent and Jon Runyan Jr. replaceable, they could use Stromberg, who has experience at both guard spots and center. The Packers like versatility, which will make him more attractive to Green Bay. A two-time All-SEC selection, he could come in and push Myers for the starting center position from day one.
5) 5) Zack Kuntz, TE, Old Dominion
I mentioned above how the Packers need fresh talent in the tight end room. This is a really good class in the position and they could very easily take multiple players at tight end. After drafting Washington in the second round, they double up with the uber-athletic Kuntz here. He has a 10.0 RAS score, good for the top spot of all tight ends from 1,104 players at the position. He will struggle as a blocker, so we’ll have to hope he becomes a matchup nightmare.
6) 6) Clayton Tune, QB, Houston
After trading Rodgers, the Packers have no one behind Love who could be a capable backup. Tune would come into a great situation, as he would have a golden opportunity to be Love’s backup, much like Matt Flynn in 2008 as Rodgers’ backup. A four-year starter, Tune has a chance to make a splash with the Packers.
7a) Evan Hull, RB, Northwestern
Thankfully Aaron Jones restructured or else this would have been a bigger priority, but I still expect the position to be chosen late in the draft. The Packers tend to like their athletic guys and Hull has a 9.32 RAS score. A short, compact running back ran for nearly 1,000 yards on a putrid Northwestern team. Hull was the leading rusher for the Wildcats by a wide margin and was the second-leading receiver in terms of both catches and yards, recording 55 catches for 546 yards. He might start out on the practice squad but work his way onto the 53-man roster at some point.
7b) Jordan Howden, S, Minnesota
The Packers need a starting safety, but I have them waiting until the end to draft one. The only problem with that is they already have a number of special teams safeties—too many actually. Howden is athletic and is a really good tackler. Hopefully a few of the safeties pan out because it is a position of need for Green Bay.
7c) Thomas Incoom, EDGE, Central Michigan
The EDGE group is extremely talented, so it would make sense for the Packers to double dip at the position. The former Chippewas pass rusher posted 11.5 sacks, forcing one fumble and recovering two others. With Gary, Smith, Van Ness and Enagbare, he’d fight for the last one or two roster spots and potentially get a bit of playing time early on with Gary recovering from a torn ACL.
7d) Ryan Hayes, OT, Michigan
Hayes would be a typical Packers pick, just like when they took Rasheed Walker in the seventh last season. I really like last year’s pick of Zach Tom as a future offensive tackle, but David Bakhtiari is likely in his final season with Green Bay and Yosh Nijman is a free agent next offseason and will likely be paid. Hayes could be a guard in the NFL and the Packers have had success with those types in the draft, including TJ Lang, JC Tretter and Josh Sitton. He gave up zero sacks this past year and just four in his 37-game career.
