Green Bay Packers: Pre-Free Agency 7 Round Mock Draft

This seven-round mock draft for the Green Bay Packers turns out quite well as they are able to address some key positional needs.

The NFL’s legal tampering period begins on Monday the 16th, followed by free agency which begins this coming Wednesday. And depending on how the Green Bay Packers and GM Brian Gutekunst choose to attack free agency, it’s going to greatly affect their approach to the draft.

For example, if the Packers do in fact sign linebacker Cory Littleton, well then it makes little sense for them to select Patrick Queen of Kenneth Murray in Round 1.

However, since we are still a few days away from free agency, I’ve decided to put together one more seven-round mock draft. The Packers have a number of positional needs that have to be addressed this offseason and I thought I did well to hit on their major deficiencies while also adding depth in other key areas.

So with positional need and as well as the best available player in mind, here is version 2.0 of my seven-round mock draft for the Green Bay Packers.

Round 1, Pick 30: Josh Jones OT – Houston

At this point in the pre-draft process, my wish list for the Green Bay Packers at 30th overall includes Justin Jefferson, Kenneth Murray, and any one of the top-5 tackles in this class, which does include Josh Jones.

Based on everything that we’ve heard up to this point, it certainly doesn’t look like Bryan Bulaga is coming back. So hopefully the Packers can sign a veteran like Jared Veldheer as a one-year stopgap but it’s important that they plan for the future as well.

Jones has the size and athletic ability that NFL teams look for in their starting tackles and you don’t have to watch him for very long to see that he possesses the tools to be a successful tackle. His ceiling is very high and his potential hasn’t been fully unlocked. However, a year to sit and learn behind a veteran could do him wonders as well.

Round 2, Pick 62: Brandon Aiyuk WR – Arizona State

To put it simply, the man is dynamic and this Green Bay Packers’ offense needs a serious infusion of that heading into 2020.  During Aiyuk’s final college season, he would total almost 1,200 yards at a ridiculous 18.3 yards per catch and over his career, he averaged nearly 10 yards after the catch. Matt LaFleur and Aaron Rodges just need to find ways to get him the ball.

Round 3, Pick 94: Troy Dye LB – Oregon

Since I took Josh Jones in Round 1, I missed out on Kenneth Murray and Patrick Queen but I was very happy to see Troy Dye available at this point. He’s one of the more experienced linebackers in this class and his athleticism really pops on tape with very good sideline-to-sideline range. On top of that, Dye has shown that he can hold his own in coverage as well. Which certainly would be a welcomed sight in Green Bay.

Round 4, Pick 136: Leki Fotu IDL – Utah

The Green Bay Packers need to give Kenny Clark some help on the interior and Leki Fotu is the man for the job. While at this point he isn’t much of a pass-rusher and he may never be, at 6’5″ – 330 pounds, he takes up space in the middle of the field and he can eat up blocks. This addition would likely provide the Green Bay run defense with a much-needed boost.

Round 5, Pick 175: Antonio Gandy-Golden WR – Liberty

This is just too deep of a wide receiver class to leave with just one and I thought in Round 5, this was a very good value pick as well. Gandy-Golden was a highly productive receiver at Liberty with 2,433 receiving yards in just two seasons along with 20 touchdowns and 16.2 yards per catch.

Round 6, Pick 192: Patrick Taylor RB – Memphis

At the combine, Matt LaFleur talked about the importance of having a reliable third running back in 2020 and it’s also worth pointing out that both Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams are in the final year of their rookie deals. So there is certainly the possibility that both aren’t back in 2021.

Enter Taylor who missed a portion of the 2019 season with an injury but had over 1,100 rushing yards and 225 receiving yards the year before. He’s a physical runner who has shown that he can be effective in the passing game and he has even lined up in the slot at Memphis as well.

Round 6, Pick 208: Jauan Jennings WR – Tennessee

That’s right, another wide receiver. Jennings’ final season was his best season as he fell just short of 1,000 receiving yards along with eight touchdowns. While he isn’t the fastest, as Trevor Sikkema of The Draft Network puts it, “he’s a big time player” and “he wants the ball in the biggest moments.” Give me that guy in Round 6.

Round 6, Pick 2019: Lavert Hill CB – Michigan

The Green Bay Packers cornerback room could definitely use some more depth considering the question marks that they have after Jaire Alexander, Kevin King, and Chandon Sullivan. Hill is an experienced player and has faced the best wide receivers that the Big Ten has to offer for a few years now. He also has plenty of reps in man coverage which is important if you’re going to be successful in Mike Pettine’s defense.

Round 7, Pick 236: A.J. Green CB – Oklahoma State

You guessed it, more cornerback depth. At this point, any draft pick is a lottery ticket so I chose a player like A.J. Green who is versatile and has the tools to be successful. But as is to be expected in Round 7, his game needs refinement.

Round 7, Pick 242: Trevon Hill, EDGE – Miami

With Kyler Fackrell likely heading elsewhere in free agency, the Green Bay Packers could use another edge rusher on the roster and Trevon Hill at pick 242 seemed like a very good value. In his 41 career games at Miami, Hill totaled 121 tackles, 30 of which were for a loss, along with 16 sacks. He’s a good athlete that has shown that he can get into the backfield to disrupt plays.