Green Bay Packers: Three targets with the 12th pick

Having the 12th pick in the draft gives the Green Bay Packers the real opportunity to bring in a difference maker on offense or defense and these are three players they should target.

The Green Bay Packers have their first pick inside the top 12 for the first time since 2009. That year they came away with B.J. Raji, and eventually traded up for Clay Matthews. Both players would become key cogs in the Packers’ Super Bowl run in 2010.

This year, the Green Bay Packers have a similar task in front of them. They are closing in on the final years of Aaron Rodgers’ career. The player they select at 12 needs to be a key contributor to the franchise for the next decade.

Thanks to the free agent shopping spree General Manager Brian Gutekunst went on, the Packers do have a little bit of flexibility, which is something they have not had since 2011 when they selected Derek Sherrod.

Here are three players the Packers should be looking at when they’re on the clock for the 12th overall selection.

Brian Burns, Edge – Florida State

Burns was widely considered a late first to an early second round player coming into the NFL Combine. There were questions about his weight and whether he would be able to hold up on early downs. It appears those concerns have been quieted for the most part. Burns had one of the best combines in recent memory. He finished with a Relative Athletic Score (RAS) of 9.89. He weighed in at 249 lbs, quieting the concerns that he may have been too light to play the position.

Burns has the speed and bend that the Green Bay Packers edge rushing group simply does not have at this point. In addition, Kyler Fackrell is slated to become a free agent at the end of the season. Despite his breakout year in 2018, it seems unlikely the Packers would give him a lucrative second contract. Burns would slide in nicely as a pass rushing specialist on 3rd down, while also allowing Za’Darius Smith to kick inside. Even with the additions of Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith, the Packers would be wise to select Burns if he is available.

Ed Oliver, Defensive Line – Houston

Oliver was widely considered a candidate for the top pick in this year’s draft following the 2018 season. Oliver appears to have slid behind players like Nick Bosa and Quinnen Williams for this year’s draft. Oliver also has the stigma of being too short to be effective in the middle of a defense. One glance through his tape shows that is nonsense.

Oliver is a legitimate blue-chip prospect. He would give the Packers the potential to have one of the best defensive lines in all of football. He’d also be a candidate to replace Mike Daniels once his contract expires following the 2019 season. Oliver paired with Kenny Clark makes for a scary duo in the NFC.

Noah Fant, Tight End – Iowa

Defense seems to be the consensus pick for the Green Bay Packers in the first round and it makes sense why. The Packers could certainly get by with the weapons they have and wait until later in the draft to address the offense. If, however, they decide to address offense early, Noah Fant is the prospect to look at.

Fant is a high upside athlete with legitimate ability to stretch the field in ways that Jimmy Graham used to when he was in his prime. Fant could easily slide in behind Graham and learn the tricks of the trade from a veteran. A potential knock on Fant is that he’s not a good blocker, but those statements are unfounded. He’s not as good of a blocker as his teammate T.J. Hockenson, but that does not make him a bad blocker.

Fant would give the offense a dynamic threat at tight end they have not had since Jermichael Finley’s career ended in 2013.