Green Bay Packers: Post NFL Combine Mock Draft Roundup & Big Takeaways

With the NFL Combine now complete, a number of new mock drafts have been released. So let’s take a look at who the draft analysts have the Green Bay Packers taking in the first round this time.

The NFL Combine has come and gone and for most prospects who participate, their draft stock, for the most part, remains unaffected. When it comes to evaluating a player, the combine certainly isn’t everything, but it is something.

With the on the field tests, it’s an opportunity for GMs and team scouts to see if a player’s athleticism matches what they’ve put out on tape and not to mention that the in-person interviews play a huge role as well. If you recall it was about this time last year that Jachai Polite, who many considered to be a top-15 draft pick, began his slide down draft boards.

And now with this new information at everyone’s disposal, it leads to many new mock drafts being released. So with the combine in the rearview mirror, let’s take a look at some newly published mock drafts and see if anything has changed when it comes to the Green Bay Packers’ first-round selection.

As I always I’ll provide the reasoning from each draft analyst followed by my big takeaways. And who knows, maybe a highlight or two.

Daniel Jeremiah – NFL.com

Denzel Mims WR – Baylor

"“Mims has helped himself as much as any player in the draft during the spring, between his awesome Senior Bowl and outstanding combine.”"

Takeaway: As I mentioned in an article that I wrote a few days ago, get used to seeing Denzel Mims mocked to the Green Bay Packers. Mims had a productive career at Baylor totaling nearly 3,000 receiving yards, including two 1,000 yard seasons and 28 total touchdowns. However over the last six weeks or so he has seen his draft stock skyrocket.

At the Senior Bowl, he caught everything in sight and was nearly unguardable, while most recently at the combine he put on an absolute show. The addition of Mims would give Aaron Rodgers a trusty downfield target and the duo could form quite the one-two punch in the red zone.

Ross Uglem – Packer Report

Kenneth Murray LB – Oklahoma

"“Patrick Queen goes ahead of Murray based on his raw potential, and Jefferson and Shenault go 21 and 22 to the Eagles and Bills.  This leaves most of the running backs, Murray and Josh Jones to the Packers.  I pull the trigger on Murray, giving the Packers a presence in the middle they likely haven’t seen since Nick Barnett.  Murray goes sideline to sideline and is a plus-guy from a character perspective.”"

Takeaway: Hard to disagree with this pick at all. It’s no secret that the Packers need more speed in the middle of their defense and Kenneth Murray appears to be the right man for the job. As Ross points out, he has very good sideline-to-sideline range and he’s also shown that he can be an effective blitzer with 8.5 sacks and 30 tackles for loss the last two seasons at Oklahoma. Give me Murray any day of the week.

Trevor Sikkema – The Draft Network

Denzel Mims WR – Baylor

"“The Green Bay Packers need trench help, but with five offensive tackles and even the top interior offensive lineman off the board, they’ll likely look for a receiver. We’ve seen Shenault, Higgins and K.J. Hamler slotted here, but how about the player who put on one of the best combine performances of any position?Denzel Mims’ week reminded me a lot of Chris Godwin’s. Godwin was already seen as a good prospect coming into the combine, but he put up athletic numbers that raised his ceiling even higher than even his biggest fans originally thought. That’s what happened with Mims. His 4.38-second 40-yard dash, 10-foot 11-inch broad jump and 6.66-second 3-cone drill were all above the 90th percentile for his position.”"

Takeaway: As expected, more Denzel Mims. So here’s a highlight of him for you.

Pete Prisco – CBS Sports

Cole Kmet TE – Notre Dame

"“They will explore tight ends in free agency, but this would make sense if they come up short. They need to give Aaron Rodgers more help in the passing game.”"

Takeaway: With only Jace Sternberger and (probably) Robert Tonyan at tight end for next season, the Green Bay Packers do need to add more depth there. And as Pete said, Rodgers needs help in the passing game. However, taking Cole Kmet in Round 1 just isn’t the answer.

For one, this is a pretty weak tight end class and two, most rookie tight ends aren’t huge contributors given the difficulty of the position. Also, with players like Kenneth Murray, Laviska Shenault and Jalen Reagor still on the board in Prisco’s mock draft, I’d much rather the Packers take one of them.

Matt Miller – Bleacher Report

Brandon Aiyuk WR – Arizona State

"“The Packers would love to see a top-tier linebacker prospect here and may be the team to pull the trigger on the first tight end in the draft depending on how free agency goes, but in this mock draft, it’s all about the wide receiver position with an excellent prospect who can dominate from the slot.Arizona State’s Brandon Aiyuk is fantastic with the football in his hands. With the ability to line up outside or inside the formation, Aiyuk brings versatility and big-play potential at wideout. The Packers have talent in Davante Adams and Allen Lazard but nothing like the juice Aiyuk brings after the catch.”"

Takeaway: The Green Bay Packers certainly need a more dynamic presence in their offense and Brandon Aiyuk would give them just that. With his speed, he is a player that can win vertically and with the ball in his hands, he is a nightmare for opposing defenses. Aiyuk is a YAC monster and he would give this offense a presence that they didn’t have in 2019.

Bill Huber – Sports Illustrated

Kenneth Murray LB – Oklahoma

"“The All-American turned in a sizzling 4.52 in the 40-yard dash. With sideline-to-sideline speed, maturity and experience in the spread-the-field Big 12, Murray checks all the boxes. Because he checks the boxes, my guess is he will be off the board. Also considered: Nobody.”"

Takeaway: Once again, some more Kenneth Murray to the Green Bay Packers, which is something that I love to see. So just like with Denzel Mims, here are a few highlights from Murray.

Michael Renner – Pro Football Focus

Denzel Mims WR – Baylor

"“It’s difficult to see Mims escaping the first round after putting up the most complete Combine of any receiver in attendance. His 4.38 40, 38.5-inch vertical, 10-foot-11 broad and, especially, 6.66 three-cone were all scintillating numbers for a 6-foot-3, 207-pound wideout. That explosion and catch radius is something the Packers are sorely lacking.”"

Takeaway: One more time for Denzel Mims! As you can see his combine performance had a lasting effect on many people as it vaulted him from a Day 2 draft pick to a borderline first-round selection. So now here is a video of Mims crushing the 40-yard dash at the combine:

https://twitter.com/PFF_College/status/1233216028097859585

Todd McShay – ESPN

K.J. Hamler WR – Penn State

"“So we’re doing this again? Still screaming for the Packers to find Aaron Rodgers some help? You bet. I did so a year ago too, but when they opted to take two defensive players with their two Round 1 picks, I couldn’t criticize the moves too much because of who was still on the board and the high-end talent of the two guys they did take (Rashan Gary and Darnell Savage).But now, Green Bay can’t kick this problem down the road anymore. It needs someone opposite Davante Adams. And while Hamler didn’t work out at the combine, he has some serious wheels. A burner like him in an offense with Rodgers, Adams and Aaron Jones would be a lot of fun to watch.”"

Takeaway: K.J. Hamler is another electric receiver with the ball in his hands and he would hopefully give the Green Bay Packers a reliable slot presence. Which unfortunately is something that they didn’t have last season with Geronimo Allison.

However, it’s worth pointing out that there are two main concerns when talking about Hamler. The first being dropped passes and the second being his size. At the combine, he measured in at just under 5’9″ and only at 178 pounds. Typically, the Packers don’t draft receivers of this size, so this is something to keep in mind with this selection as well.