3 Players at 30 the Green Bay Packers are Reportedly “Likely” to Pick

Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network gives us 3 prospects that the Green Bay Packers are “likely” to select at pick No. 30.

It’s never easy to pinpoint what the Green Bay Packers – or any team for that matter – are going to do in the NFL Draft but this year, in particular, it seems extra difficult.

This is a deep draft class at a number of positions, the Packers could choose to address a few different needs early on, and to top it off, GM Brian Gutekunst has shown us that he is a bit of a wildcard when it comes to the draft. Put it all together and from the outside looking in, there is a lot of uncertainty.

However, NFL insider Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network just released his final mock draft and when he got to the Green Bay Packers at pick No. 30, he provided some insight into what they might actually do with the selection.

In his mock draft, he had the Packers taking Denzel Mims, the wide receiver from Baylor, which really isn’t much of a surprise. For one, he’s been mocked to the Packers plenty of times this offseason and from his measurables to his athleticism, he is the exact type of receiver that Green Bay loves to draft.

Pauline reported last week that the Packers are “very high” on Mims and with their need for a receiver, it’s easy to understand why he predicted that he would end up in Green Bay. But it’s what Pauline had to say after that, that is really noteworthy.

As I’ve already mentioned, Green Bay could use their first-round pick on several different positions. Most notably receiver, linebacker, or tackle. And while most will agree that the interior defensive line needs some additional help as well, we’ve rarely seen that position mocked to the Packers at pick 30 or even talked about. It seems to be more of a Day 2 selection in many people’s eyes.

But Pauline is hearing differently and had this to say:

"“If he’s (Mims) not available, the pick is likely to be Ross Blacklock or Marlon Davidson.”"

Pauline didn’t say “could be” or “maybe,” or even that he is hearing rumblings. He said that Blacklock and Davidson are “likely to be” the picks if Mims is gone. That is certainly a fairly definitive statement.

Although the Green Bay Packers’ defense was much improved last season, for much of the year their run defense was a liability. Dean Lowry would be better off as a third option rather than a team’s No. 2. While Montravius Adams and Tyler Lancaster are just guys. So finding Kenny Clark some help inside should absolutely be on the to-do list and it appears that it is much higher of a priority than we anticipated.

Blacklock put together a solid bounce-back 2019 season after suffering an Achilles injury the year before and his athleticism and scheme versatility should make him a nice fit for Mike Pettine’s defense. Meanwhile, Davidson also brings versatility to the table as he was lined up all over the defensive front at Auburn. However, his production was limited.

Pro Football Focus has both of these players with second-round grades but chances are that when the Packers are on the clock at pick 30, these two will be the top interior defensive linemen left on the board.

After watching the NFC Championship Game we all know that Green Bay needs help inside. But even so, while we are familiar with Blacklock and Davidson, I’m not sure that many out there would have predicted that they’d be top priorities for the Packers at pick 30.

Now, we just wait and see if that’s how things actually shake out on draft night.