Green Bay Packers 2021 NFL Mock Draft Roundup & Takeaways 9.0
By Paul Bretl
Welcome to Mock Draft Monday, friends! Another week has passed since our last edition of ‘Mock Draft Roundup & Takeaways’, and that means plenty of new mock drafts. Here is who several draft analysts have the Green Bay Packers selecting in the first round of some recent mocks, their reason behind the pick, and as always, I’ll provide my quick takeaways.
Ryan Roberts – Sports Illustrated
Pick 29: Rondale Moore, WR, Purdue
"“Green Bay has ignored the wide receiver position for too long. Outside of Davante Adams, no one in the wide receiver room puts fear into opponents. Add in the yards after catchability of Moore, who assumes the Randall Cobb role but with more speed and physicality.”"
Takeaways: Listed at 5’9″ – 180 pounds, Moore is a bit undersized from the prototypical receivers that the Green Bay Packers desire, but if he’s available, I hope that isn’t the reason why they wouldn’t take him. He’s lightning-quick, reportedly running a 4.37 40-yard dash over the weekend, and would give the Packers a true slot receiver, something that this offense just hasn’t had.
Moore played in only seven games the past two seasons due to an injury in 2019 and a shortened 2020 campaign but had a monster freshman season in 2018 with 1,258 receiving yards, 12 touchdowns, and he led the nation in YAC–something that would be a welcomed sight here in Green Bay. Reportedly, the Packers have already met with Moore virtually as part of the pre-draft process.
Matthew Valdovinos – Pro Football Network
Pick 29: Kadarius Toney, WR, Florida
"“Similar to the Saints, the Packers must get a running mate for their WR1. Davante Adams was arguably the best receiver in the NFL last year, and it was clear defensive coordinators didn’t fear another player in the Packers’ passing game.”"
Takeaway: I would hardly categorize receiver as the Green Bay Packers’ biggest need this offseason, but if Toney were available, I can’t say I’d be upset with this selection either. Like Moore, he gives the Packers a true slot receiver, and Toney is a perfect fit for the Matt LaFleur offense with his ability as a motion man, as well as on jet sweeps, and on wide receiver screens. As I said a week ago, just find a way to get Toney the ball in space.
Drae Harris – The Draft Network
Pick 29: Kadarius Toney, WR, Florida
"“Other than Davante Adams, Green Bay’s receiving corps is underwhelming. Aaron Rodgers for many years has asked for more offensive help. They finally listen to him and draft Toney, giving Green Bay one of the most dynamic receivers in this draft.”"
Takeaway: Toney was hands down the most popular selection for the Green Bay Packers in last week’s mock draft roundup, and again, he’s making multiple appearances–understandably so.
Josh Edwards – CBS Sports
Pick 29: Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa
"“Christian Kirksey was signed to help replace Blake Martinez, but Kirksey was recently released. Zaven Collins should stop the bleeding in Green Bay.”"
Takeaway: Despite cornerback, offensive tackle, and interior defensive lineman — although this is a weak class for that position — all being big needs, wide receiver and linebacker continue to dominate these mock drafts. At this point, until I see the Green Bay Packers take a linebacker in the first round, I’m not going to believe it–especially with Kamal Martin and Krys Barnes already on the roster.
With that said, Collins was electric in 2020 and would give the Packers a dynamic presence at the linebacker position, something they haven’t had to this level in recent years. Joe Marino of The Draft Network had this to say:
"“Whether it’s defending the run, dropping into coverage, or rushing the passer, Collins has the requisite skill set required to execute and was arguably the most dynamic defensive playmaker in college football for the 2020 season.”"
Ryan Wilson – CBS Sports
Pick 29: Nick Bolton, LB, Missouri
"“The Packers need help in the middle of their defense and Bolton is a sideline-to-sideline spark plug.”"
Takeaway: As Wilson points out, Nick Bolton would give the Green Bay Packers some added speed at the linebacker position, as well as coverage ability. However, I go back to my previous point, will GM Brian Gutekunst actually draft a linebacker in the first round?
Tom Fornelli – CBS Sports
Pick 29: Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina
"“Horn is the son of former NFL receiver Joe Horn, and during his time at South Carolina, he improved every season. As of this moment, he projects as a solid NFL starting cornerback, but with room to improve. He has good size and length, and he’s physically capable of mixing it up with bigger receivers. He’s not a great tackler, though, which could hurt his draft stock with some teams.”"
Takeaway: Alright, now we are talking! The Green Bay Packers finally land a cornerback; it’s been at least two weeks since I’ve seen one in a mock draft. Green Bay is in desperate need of filling the CB2 role across from Jaire Alexander, and this position is my top need to address this offseason.
Horn is an experienced player, making 29 starts over his three seasons at South Carolina. Over his career, he has allowed a completion rate of 52.4 percent — including 33.3 percent in 2020 — on 124 targets and at 12.2 yards per catch. Horn has allowed five touchdowns, come away with two interceptions — both in 2020 — and 21 pass breakups, along with a passer rating of 79.2, according to Pro Football Focus ($).
As Marino of The Draft Network points out, two major areas that Horn has to improve upon are his tackling ability and playing in off-man coverage.
Anthony Treash – Pro Football Focus
Pick 29: Elijah Moore, WR, Ole Miss
"“Moore is a zone-coverage beater who is completely unafraid to make plays over the middle of the field. He exploited holes in zone looks like clockwork in Lane Kiffin’s offense at Ole Miss. In fact, no FBS receiver generated more plays of 15-plus yards in 2020 via finding a hole in zone than Moore (12). Against such coverages in general, Moore racked up the second-most yards per route run in the Power Five (3.87).”"
Takeaway: Another wide receiver, but I have not seen Elijah Moore as one of those receivers mocked to the Green Bay Packers in the first round yet. Once again, I do like that Moore has ample experience in the slot; I believe that skill-set can be a nice change of pace for this Packers team. Over his career, he was targeted 266 times, catching 71.4 percent of those passes for 16 touchdowns and 12.9 yards per catch.
Zack Patraw – Sports Illustrated
Pick 29: Creed Humphrey
"“Yes, the Packers skip on wide receiver again. They could potentially address that position in free agency and address the offensive line early in the draft. There is also plenty of talent at wide receiver in this draft class, so they can wait until the later rounds to select a pass-catcher for their future Hall of Fame quarterback.”"
Takeaway: This isn’t a knock on Humphrey by any means; he’s one of the best IOL in this class. But I just don’t see the positional value here. Like at all. Yes, the Green Bay Packers have to find Corey Linsley’s replacement, but they are equipped to handle his absence.
As far as IOL options on the roster, the Packers have Elgton Jenkins, Lucas Patrick, and Jake Hanson–any of which can play center. And if that creates a need at guard, they have Simon Stepaniak, and Jon Runyan, they could bring back Lane Taylor on a veteran minimum deal, and if they find a tackle, Billy Turner could even kick inside if needed. Like I said, I’m not concerned enough about this position to spend a first-round pick on it.
3 Simulated Mock Drafts from 3 Different Sites. dark. Next