Green Bay Packers 2021 NFL Mock Draft Battle 1.0

Mock drafts are like a snowflake–no two are alike. And that’s part of what makes this pre-draft process so fun. We all value the Green Bay Packers positional needs differently, how we view the draft prospects varies greatly as well, and of course, there are a number of other variables.

So because of this, I thought we would bring back Mock Draft Battles for a second season. Kenny Jilek, Matt LeVene, and myself each completed our own mock drafts using The Draft Network’s Mock Draft Machine. We explained our reasoning behind each selection and over at the Dairyland Express Twitter account, you can vote for your favorite.

The Green Bay Packers are now on the clock:

Kenny Jilek

Round 1: Jalen Mayfield, OT, Michigan

Round 2: Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, USC

Round 3: Trill Williams, CB, Syracuse

In terms of filling some positional needs, while making the team better right now and in the future, this isn’t too far off from ideal. A cornerback in the first two rounds would have been nice, but there weren’t many great values in those spots, so I had to wait until the third to grab Trill Williams. He’s not a guy to be mad about, though, as he’s the exact kind of big dynamic athlete that the Packers love having. At 6’2″, he has the height they want at the position while being a dynamic athlete that took a punt, interception, and fumble to the house at Syracuse.

You may recognize the last name of my second-round pick, Amon-Ra St. Brown. He is the younger brother of current Packer receiver Equanimeous St. Brown. This pick would add another great athlete to the Green Bay Packers wide receiver room and give them some much-needed young talent with a contract going past next season. He does a lot of things well that the Packers look at and covet, so this would be a great match.

Mayfield in the first round is by no means an exciting or fun pick, but it addresses a very real need. The Green Bay Packers need another tackle to start the season with David Bakhtiari out and they need a long-term answer at right tackle as well, with Billy Turner a likely cap casualty after the 2021 season. Once Bak comes back, he’ll be able to slide over to right tackle or inside to guard to finish out the season and then play the rest of his rookie contract and maybe more at right tackle.

Matt LeVene

Round 1: Jalen Mayfield, OT, Michigan

Round 2: Asante Samuel Jr, CB, Florida State

Round 3: Amari Rodgers, WR, Clemson

In the draft simulation I completed, the Green Bay Packers fill three holes within their current roster with some guys who could come in and contribute from Week 1.

Jalen Mayfield, the OT from the University of Michigan would provide some need insurance at the tackle position. With All-Pro David Bahktihari likely out for the start of the upcoming season, finding a new body to help protect Aaron Rodgers is of the utmost importance. Mayfield could come in and compete from the jump.

In the second round, the Green Bay Packers find their robin to Jaire Alexander’s batman. The son of former NFL great, Asante Samuel, Asante Samuel Jr from Florida State is the perfect second-round pick. He is a dominant man coverage corner who plays the run well for someone with his slightly undersized frame. With Ja island on the other side of the field, Samuel would look to haunt opposing Qbs on his own island.

Lastly, in the third round, the Packers find their new slot and return man. In what may be the missing piece their offense needs, Amari Rodgers from Clemson is the perfect fit. I may even call him the next Randall Cobb level player in this offense. With his quickness and explosiveness in the slot and finally giving Green Bay their answer in the return game–Amari Rodgers is the ideal selection in the third round.

Paul Bretl

Round 1: Asante Samuel Jr, CB, Florida State

Round 2: Liam Eichenberg, OT, Notre Dame

Round 3: Jabril Cox, LB, LSU

The cornerback position is arguably the biggest need on this Green Bay Packers team, and I absolutely love what Asante Samuel Jr would bring to this defense–think Jaire Alexander 2.0 from a skill-set perspective. He’s an excellent tackler for his size and will blow up plays in the flat — ala Alexander — and he’s coming off a 2020 season where he allowed a 59.4 percent completion rate of 32 targets at only 9.4 yards per catch with five pass breakups, three interceptions, and a passer rating of just 46.2.

My Round 2 selection of Eichenberg covers another big need while also coming with some pretty good value as well. As Kyle Crabbs of The Draft Network points out, Eichenberg can be “more impactful” as a run-blocker, but he was still very good in pass-pro and hasn’t allowed a sack in nearly 1,000 snaps at Notre Dame. He’s a Day 1 starter if needed and will be the Green Bay Packers’ right tackle of the future.

With cornerback and tackle addressed, I still wouldn’t consider linebacker a top need, but again, I really like what Cox brings to the table and thought landing him late in Round 3 was a good value. Cox has very good sideline-to-sideline speed and he’s been excellent in coverage–something that the Green Bay Packers haven’t had at the linebacker position.