Green Bay Packers: Key takeaways from a recent mock draft

The NFL draft is almost here, and Dane Brugler of The Athletic has recently put together his full seven round mock draft for the Green Bay Packers.

Uncharacteristically, the Green Bay Packers were very active in free agency, but perhaps even more important to their success is hitting on their early round draft picks. This roster has been overhauled since Brian Gutekunst took over as General Manager but there is still some work to be done. And with three picks in the top 50 and ten picks overall, they are in a great position to add some impact playmakers.

Dane Brugler of The Atletic put together his mock draft 5.0 where he makes every selection for every team. An important note is that when Brugler put this together, it is not based on what he thinks “should” happen, but it is what he is hearing from his connections around the NFL. Which really makes this mock all the more interesting as there may be some truth to these selections rather than just speculation.

Below are all ten selections for Green Bay followed by my key takeaways from this mock draft scenario. So without further ado, your Green Bay Packers are on the clock!

Pick 12: Devin Bush, LB – Michigan

Pick 30: Parris Campbell, WR – Ohio St.

Pick 44: Dalton Risner, OT – Kansas St.

Pick 75: Dawson Knox, TE – Ole Miss

Pick 114: Charles Omenihu, IDL – Texas

Pick 118: Mike Edwards, S – Kentucky

Pick 150: Phil Haynes, OG – Wake Forest

Pick 185: Jalin Moore, RB – Appalachian St.

Pick 194: Joe Jackson, EDGE – Miami

Pick 226: Nik Needham, CB – UTEP

Key takeaways

• Devin Bush was taken at 12 with Brian Burns still on the board, which is a tough pill for me to swallow, but I get it. Outside of Blake Martinez, the Packers do not have any real depth or reliability at inside linebacker. Bush can hit, blitz, tackle, cover and his sideline to sideline range is something this Green Bay defense hasn’t had in years. It is tough to pass on a player like Brian Burns, but Bush will make an impact from day one.
• Taking Campbell at pick 30 isn’t my favorite option by any stretch, with players like receiver A.J. Brown and defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons still available, which I think would have been much better selections. Brown is far more versatile and can play in the slot or out wide, while Simmons is a top interior defensive lineman in the draft and pairing him with Kenny Clark and Mike Daniels would wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks. Campbell is more of an option at pick 44 in my opinion, but even then I’d rather have Deebo Samuel for example.
• Dalton Risner at 44 may be the steal of the draft and I absolutely love this pick. If the Green Bay Packers had taken him at pick 30 I would still love it. His mentality is similar to what we saw from T.J. Lang over the years, a mauler who plays to the whistle. And while on paper the offensive line group looks solid, I have concerns and think the Packers should spend a top 50 pick on a tackle.
• In this scenario, I was glad to see Green Bay wait on a tight end. Most are expecting them to select one early in the draft but with Matt LaFleur’s offense, he does a great job of scheming the player open, rather than them having to do it all on their own. Would a player like Noah Fant or T.J. Hockenson help? Absolutely, but it is not necessary for a tight end in LaFleur’s system to have that kind of talent and athleticism to be successful. So spend that early round pick on another position.
• I like the Omenihu selection in round four, where I was surprised to see that he was still available. He had a fantastic final season at Texas and has all the measurables you want in a defensive lineman. However, there are technical aspects of his game that are still a bit raw, but with Kenny Clark and Mike Daniels ahead of him, he won’t have to be a huge contributor in year one and can refine his game.
• Just like in this mock draft, I am hoping the Packers double dip at the offensive line position. As I mentioned above, I have concerns about the unit as a whole. Lane Taylor had a down year and we hope he bounces back but we don’t know that he will. Billy Turner has just 25 starts in five season so there is a bit of unknown there, and Bryan Bulaga can’t be relied upon to stay on the field for all 16 games. So adding more competition and depth along the line is fine by me.
• Green Bay took Mike Edwards at safety in round four, personally, I think they will address this need much earlier and wouldn’t be surprised if we see a top 50 pick spent on the position.
• While I do not want a pick within the first four rounds spent on a running back, I do think it is a good option in rounds five and beyond. Under coach LaFleur, we will see the running backs utilized much more and while Jamaal Williams and Aaron Jones are both fantastic, adding some depth behind them would be a good idea. We have seen multiple times a late round or even undrafted running back make a huge impact on a team, so taking one in the sixth round makes perfect sense.

Overall, I think this would be a very solid draft for the Green Bay Packers. I truly think their first six selections in this scenario would all make an impact and see playing time this season, which is what you want with your early picks, but if you can find that value in rounds three and four, you’ve done a great job. Then in the later rounds, Green Bay is able to add depth to key positions where it is currently in question. If a week from now, Green Bay’s draft looks something like this, I will be quite happy.

Comment below or find us on Twitter at @DairylandXpress and share your thoughts on the mock draft!