Green Bay Packers 2021 NFL Mock Draft Roundup & Takeaways 7.0

Welcome back to Mock Draft Monday, friends! Another week has passed, which means that there have been plenty of new mock drafts released and some new selections for the Green Bay Packers at pick No. 29.

At this point, the two most popular positions that we’ve seen addressed are inside linebacker and cornerback. When it comes to the inside linebacker position, I’m still not completely sold on the Packers making that selection early on in the draft, especially with Krys Barnes and Kamal Martin already on the roster. But when it comes to cornerback, I am 100 percent all for that pick. In my eyes, that is this team’s biggest need entering the offseason.

In addition to those two positions, we’ve also seen tackle along with receiver being selected fairly often in Round 1, and even an edge rusher — which is an under-the-radar need — in last week’s edition. While cornerback is my biggest need on this Green Bay Packers team, offensive tackle isn’t too far behind, and I certainly expect Green Bay to address receiver and edge rusher at some point as well.

As I do each week for ‘Mock Draft Roundup & Takeaways,’ we will take a look at who the draft analysts have the Green Bay Packers selecting in some of the latest mock drafts, and I’ll of course be providing my thoughts for each pick along with my own selection at the end. 

Nick Farabaugh – Pro Football Network

Pick 29: Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota

"“There are no worthy cornerbacks to slot in at this spot, so the Packers add a crisp, tough target in Bateman to please Aaron Rodgers. Bateman can work in the slot and on the outside to create easy separation, which is just what the Packers could use.”"

Takeaway: Get used to seeing Rashod Bateman mocked to Green Bay, Packers fans. As Farabaugh points out, there were not worthy cornerbacks on the board at this point, and this is certainly something that the Packers could run into. However, at pick 30, he sends Alex Leatherwood to Buffalo, and personally, I’d have preferred that selection.

With that said, I get the Bateman selection. He can line up both in the slot and out wide, as Farabaugh mentioned, and as Kyle Crabbs of The Draft Network points out, he can be a solid run blocker as well, something that we know Matt LaFleur covets in his receivers. During his 2019 season, he tallied over 1,200 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Josh Edwards – CBS Sports

Pick 29: Nick Bolton, LB, Missouri

"“Green Bay made a change at defensive coordinator but that will not solve all of the team’s issues. A healthy Kenny Clark would help a lot but the addition of Nick Bolton would be another step towards holding their own down the middle.”"

Takeaway: Another name that Green Bay Packers fans most likely know well by now, as many draft analysts believe that linebacker is a must upgrade position for Green Bay. And I mean, yeah, they could add more talent here, but again, will they? My gut says that Brian Gutekunst is just fine entering the season with Krys Barnes and Kamal Martin at linebacker.

I guess the big question in all of this is, with Joe Barry bringing in the Vic Fangio-style defense to Green Bay, will that change how the Packers approach the linebacker position?

Todd McShay – ESPN

Pick 29: Aaron Robinson, CB, UCF

"“Outside of Jaire Alexander, the secondary got torched by Tom Brady all day long. Robinson is a playmaker with 16 passes broken up and three interceptions over the past two seasons, and he comes with size and versatility in coverage.”"

Takeaway: Three mocks in, and we get our cornerback selection. Over the last two seasons, Robinson has recorded three interceptions and 15 pass breakups while possessing a passer rating of 82.4 when targeted and giving up six touchdowns, according to Pro Football Focus ($). However, he’s primarily been a slot corner, and that’s what he’s projected to be in the NFL.

While, sure, in a perfect world it would be great to upgrade that position or, at a minimum, bring in some competition for Chandon Sullivan, that’s also not a pressing need that should lead Green Bay to spend the 29th overall pick on the position.

Ryan Wilson – CBS Sports

Pick 29: Rondale Moore, WR, Purdue

"“The Packers have neglected the position for long enough. And while Aaron Rodgers almost convinced us that all he needs is Davante Adams, the NFC Championship Game reinforced that Green Bay needs a legit No. 2 WR and Moore offers that and then some.”"

Takeaway: I really do like what Moore can bring to this offense with his playmaking ability, and as a true slot receiver, he’d also be a nice change of pace from the typical big-bodied receivers that the Green Bay Packers prefer. With that said, at 5’9″ – 180 pounds, Moore is well below the receiver threshold that Green Bay usually sticks to. Will that affect their evaluation of him?

It’s also worth noting that since Moore’s monster freshman season in 2018, due to an injury and a shortened 2020 season, he has played in only seven games since.

Vinny Iyer – Sporting News

Pick 29: Kadarius Toney, WR, Florida

"“The Packers got plenty of big plays from Allen Lazard and Marques Valdez-Scantling to complement Davante Adams, but they have a clear need for a high-level dedicated slot receiver with Jarvis Landry-like potential to better work the middle of the field for Aaron Rodgers. Toney is dynamic after the catch and also has some middle of the field-stretching ability.”"

Takeaway: Toney’s stock has been on the rise since his performance at the Senior Bowl, so landing him at pick 29 feels like a steal at this point. Like Moore, Toney would be another slot presence for the Packers, and he’d also be an excellent fit in the Matt LaFleur offense with his ability to be used during pre-snap motion, on jet sweeps, and he’s a real weapon in open space.

Chad Reuter – NFL.com

Pick 29: Ifeatu Melifonwu, CB, Syracuse

"“The Packers had one of the best offenses in the NFL despite not drafting a receiver last year, so let’s assume they stick with that approach and instead try to find a physical, long corner to replace probable free-agent loss Kevin King.”"

Takeaway: Well, here is a name that I haven’t seen mocked to the Green Bay Packers yet. At 6’3″ – 213 pounds, Melifonwu has excellent size and good athleticism to go with it. Over the last two seasons, he has been targeted 101 times and allowed a completion rate of 54.4 percent at 14.3 yards per catch with four touchdowns. He’s also added three interceptions and 15 pass breakups.

Mike Renner – Pro Football Focus

Pick 29: Rondale Moore, WR, Purdue

"“Moore is not only a chess piece that Matt LaFleur could deploy in a varied role in his offense, but he is also a far more gifted natural receiver than he’s given credit for. He’d give the Packers offense another guy they could trust to beat press coverage.”"

Takeaway: Moore is going to continue being a popular pick for the Green Bay Packers and Mike summed up why perfectly, he’s a chess piece for Matt LaFleur.

Alex Gilstrap – Sports Illustrated

Pick 29: Tyson Campbell, CB, Georgia

"“Tyson Campbell has all of the tools to be a great NFL corner but he hasn’t been able to put it all together quite yet. This is an excellent gamble for Green Bay to take here late in the first round to develop, as they did with Jaire Alexander.”"

Takeaway: Campbell is another big-bodied cornerback at 6’2″ -190 pounds and is loaded with potential along with speed. Drae Harris of The Draft Network says Campbell has “very good man coverage ability,” which is certainly a plus. In 2020, he allowed 30 completions on 46 targets for 346 yards with five touchdowns, an interception, and five pass breakups.

My Pick via TDN Mock Draft Machine

Pick 29: Christian Barmore, IDL, Alabama

Takeaway: It’s certainly not a deep interior defensive lineman class; however, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to grab Christian Barmore, who many believe is the best in this year’s draft. Kenny Clark needs some serious help inside, and while many draft analysts are focused on improving the linebacker position, another stout defensive lineman will certainly help.

This past season, Barmore totaled 39 pressures, eight sacks, 10 tackles for loss, and he ranked second out of all interior defensive lineman in run-stop percentage, according to Pro Football Focus. Whether against the run or against the pass, Barmore has shown that he can be effective. This was a fairly easy selection for me to make.