Trading Back Nets Packers a Haul in 7 Round Mock Draft

In this 7 Round mock draft, the Green Bay Packers trade out of Round 1 and land some key impact players.

Trading back in the draft. It’s oftentimes not what fans want to see happen and for fans of the Green Bay Packers, well, they have a bit of a sour taste left in their mouth from the 2017 NFL Draft.

As I’m sure you all remember, that was the year Green Bay traded out of Round 1 and selected Kevin King. And as many will point out, they could have had T.J. Watt had they stayed put. However, it’s not all bad. In 2008, Green Bay traded out of the first round and came away with Jordy Nelson early on in Round 2.

The reason that I bring all of this up is that as we look ahead to the 2020 draft, once again, I think trading back is a real possibility and makes a lot of sense for the Packers. Of course, this is dependent upon how the board falls.

But why it could make sense is because Green Bay has a number of needs to fill, some of which includes wide receiver, tackle, linebacker, interior defensive lineman, cornerback, and running back. And at a few of those positions, this just so happens to be a deep draft. Meaning, having an extra pick in the top-100 could be very valuable.

So I took this approach in my most recent mock draft using Pro Football Network’s Mock Draft Simulator. Instead of making a selection at pick No. 30, I traded back with the New York Jets. In return, I landed the 48th pick, the 68th pick, and pick 120, while giving up pick No. 30 and pick 209 in Round 6.

Overall this gave me four top-100 selections and six picks within the first four rounds. And with some help from a very friendly board, I was able to load up on what I think are impact players.

Round 2, Pick 48: Ross Blacklock IDL – TCU

Last season the Green Bay Packers were ripped apart by many opposing rushing attacks, making finding Kenny Clark some help inside a top priority. I also think some help inside will help take some of the burden off of the inside linebacker position as well. At 48th overall, Blacklock is a very good value pick and his versatility will fit well within Mike Pettine’s system.

Round 2, Pick 62: Prince Tega Wanogho OT – Auburn

Bryan Bulaga is gone and it appears Rick Wagner will be the Green Bay Packers right tackle for 2020. However, he is only a short-term solution. Tega Wanogho has the size and athleticism to be an effective NFL tackle for many years. With that said, his game still needs some refinement and learning from Wagner and David Bakhtiari for a season or two could really do him wonders.

Round 3, Pick 68: Brandon Aiyuk WR – Arizona State

It’s no secret that the Packers’ offense needs some serious juice and Brandon Aiyuk is just the guy to give them that. During his final season at Arizona State, he totaled nearly 1,200 yards at over 18 yards per catch with eight touchdowns. And in this deep wide receiver draft class, he is one of the best in terms of yards after the catch.

Round 3, Pick 94: Devin Duvernay WR – Texas

As I said, it’s a deep wide receiver class, so why not grab another one early on? Duvernay has flown a bit under the radar but he is coming off of a monster season with nearly 1,400 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.

Round 4, Pick 120: Troy Dye LB – Oregon

Much like Rick Wagner, although the Green Bay Packers signed Chrisitan Kirksey, at this time he appears to be more of a short-term solution and drafting a linebacker within the first few rounds still makes sense. Dye is one of the more experienced linebackers in this class and he would give the Packers some much-needed speed and coverage ability in the middle of this defense.

Round 4, Pick 136: Zack Moss RB – Utah

After the 2020 season, both Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams are free agents. At this time we don’t know who will be back, so drafting a running back and planning for the future should be on the to-do list. At Utah, Moss was both effective as a runner and as a pass-catcher, totaling 1,416 yards on the ground in 2019 with another 388 through the air, along with 17 combined touchdowns.

Round 5, Pick 175: Tanner Muse S – Clemson

While the Green Bay Packers already have Darnell Savage and Adrian Amos at safety, considering how often Mike Pettine plays with three on the field, adding someone like Tanner Muse to the mix could be quite valuable. He played most deep safety at Clemson but can play closer to the line of scrimmage and potentially cover the slot as well.

Round 6, Pick 192: Nevelle Clarke CB – UCF

Kevin King is a free agent after the 2020 season and overall there still remain some question marks within this cornerback room. While I was certainly open to drafting a cornerback earlier than Round 6, the opportunity was never really there. However, Clarke has shown that he has the size, athleticism, and ball skills to be an NFL corner, so why not take a swing for the fences at this point?

Round 6, Pick 208: Calvin Throckmorton OL – Oregon

In the NFL there is no such thing as too much offensive line depth, and Throckmorton provides versatility having played both tackle and center, not to mention that he’s also very experienced.

Round 7, Pick 236: Cheyenne O’Grady TE – Arkansas

With three tight ends currently on the roster, the Green Bay Packers could use another. While we shouldn’t expect much in terms of production from O’Grady in his rookie season, he could develop into an effective receiving option. However, he did experience off the field issues at Arkansas.

Round 7, Pick 242: Jon Runyan OL – Michigan

Like I’ve already said, you can’t have too much offensive line depth and I also thought Runyan at pick 242 was a good value selection.