Green Bay Packers: Mock Draft Battle 3.0
By Paul Bretl
Mike: Patrick Queen LB – LSU
It was a tough decision at pick 30 in this simulation, as Josh Jones, Laviska Shenault, and Neville Gallimore were all available, but the potential of Patrick Queen was too good to pass up. The Packers haven’t had a true sideline to sideline inside linebacker since Nick Barnett, who was drafted in the first round. Queen has the speed, agility, and instincts to be a longtime starter in the NFL, and his acquisition would greatly help Mike Pettine scheme the Packers defense going forward.
Beyond that, with a lot of teams addressing inside linebacker in free agency, notably the Raiders, that could lead to a slide for some of the top linebackers in the draft to the end of the first round. Kenneth Murray, Zack Baun, and Queen were all available at 28, but then went back-to-back-to-back here.
Kenny: Jalen Reagor WR – TCU
Jalen Reagor has been one of my favorite wide receivers in this draft for a while now. Obviously, he’s not as good as guys that are mocked as early first-round picks, but of the realistic receivers to fall to Green Bay, Reagor is my favorite. He has an explosive burst and can be used in many different roles.
He can be used as a gadget player on things like screens and jet sweeps to get the ball in his hands in space. He can also use his speed to take the top off of the defense and open up things underneath. The one knock on him is that he didn’t test as well as his film showed at the combine.
On tape he shows amazing acceleration, burst, and speed, but his 40-time was a somewhat disappointing 4.47 and his three-cone drill time of 7.31 was third-worst in the whole receiver class. Still, I don’t think those numbers are representative of what he can do. Those skills still have to be applied to the football field and he has shown in college that he can be that speedy and shifty slot guy.
Paul: Josh Jones OT – Houston
Rick Wagner is coming off of a down season in which he only appeared in 12 games and given his dead cap hit in 2021, there is certainly the possibility that he is only in Green Bay for one season. Meaning, the Packers still need to find their right tackle of the future.
In this year’s class, there are five tackles worthy of a first-round selection and then there is a dropoff in talent. With Jones being the only one of those five remaining, given the importance of the tackle position, there was no way that I could pass him up. Not to mention that having a year to learn behind Wagner and David Bakhtiari could do wonders for his game.