Green Bay Packers Go Offense Early in Mel Kiper’s 2 Round Mock Draft
By Paul Bretl
With the 2021 NFL Draft just a few weeks away, Mel Kiper Jr. has released his first two-round mock draft of the offseason ($$), and with those two picks, he has the Green Bay Packers going offense early.
Like so many mock drafts before this one, Kiper has the Green Bay Packers taking a receiver with their first pick. This entire offseason, I’ve been quite vocal about how I don’t anticipate that happening; the Packers value premium positions with that first pick. However, if they do in fact select Rashod Bateman from Minnesota, I’d absolutely get why.
Below is a snippet of what Kiper had to say about the pick:
"“Bateman played outside and in the slot for the Golden Gophers, averaging 20.3 yards per catch in 2019. He would instantly become Green Bay’s No. 2 wideout behind Davante Adams. Bateman is the sixth and final Round 1 wide receiver in this mock draft.“"
Bateman tallied 246 targets over what ended up being about a two-and-a-half-year career with the Gophers due to their shortened 2020 campaign. He caught 60 percent of those passes for nearly 2,400 yards and 19 touchdowns.
His best season came in 2019, where he had over 1,200 receiving yards at a whopping 20.3 yards per catch and 11 touchdowns, according to PFF ($$). As Kiper mentioned, Bateman has experience both out wide and in the slot—taking about 80 percent of his snaps in 2019 from out wide but 68 percent from the slot in 2020.
Bateman is an incredibly well-rounded receiver who can win off the line of scrimmage as well as downfield. He’s a reliable pass-catcher, can run a variety of routes, is effective in all parts of the field, and he can be moved around the formation—a must in the Matt LaFleur offense.
The addition of Bateman would give the Green Bay Packers even more flexibility with their current receiver group and added playmaking at the position. With no receivers currently under contract beyond the 2021 season, leaving the draft with at least one receiver — or preferably two — should be high on the to-do list. In terms of fit, there aren’t many better options than Bateman.
At pick 62, Kiper had the Green Bay Packers addressing another offensive position and a big need as well, with the selection of offensive tackle Jackson Carman from Clemson. Here is some of what Kiper had to say about the pick:
"“I thought hard about Oregon safety Jevon Hollandhere — he could play next to Darnell Savage — but Carman fills a more immediate void. He started 27 games at left tackle for the Tigers but might be best suited to play guard, where the Packers could use a prime pick to get a talent upgrade.“"
Carman was the starting left tackle for Clemson the last two seasons and held up well in pass protection, allowing five sacks — four of which came in 2020 — and 29 pressures over that two-year span. While solid in pass-pro, Carman was very good against the run and has plenty of experience as a zone blocker—which is what the Packers utilize under LaFleur.
However, when discussing Carman, it’s worth noting that some draft analysts believe his best position in the NFL will be as a guard, which Kiper also noted. While the Green Bay Packers could use some additional help inside, for me, if they’re spending a second-round pick on a tackle, I sure hope that he can play tackle.
With that said, this positional flexibility is something that we know the Green Bay Packers covet along the offensive line.
If the Packers’ actual draft played out this way, I imagine many would be upset that heading into Round 3, they hadn’t addressed the cornerback or interior defensive line positions—two of the biggest perceived needs.
However, they did manage to bolster the league’s top-scoring offense, begin restocking what will be a bare wide receiver room in 2022 — which is what the draft is about, planning ahead — while also adding some needed depth to the offensive line. And if Carman does end up sticking at tackle, I’ll feel a lot better about the start of this draft.