Green Bay Packers 2021 NFL Mock Draft Roundup & Takeaways 14.0

On this most recent Mock Draft Monday, I switched things up a bit. Instead of posting my usual ‘Mock Draft Roundup,’ I completed my own seven-round mock draft for the Green Bay Packers. As much as I enjoyed doing that — and I will do it again — here we are on Wednesday, and I just couldn’t resist putting together version 14.0 of ‘Mock Draft Roundup & Takeaways.’

I’ve found several of the more recent mock drafts released by draft analysts, take a look at who they have the Packers selecting, their reasoning behind each pick, and I give my thoughts as well.

So without further ado, let’s dive in and see who the Green Bay Packers are taking in Round 1.

Vinnie Iyer – Sporting News

PIck 29: Jalen Mayfield, OT, Michigan

"“The Packers need to think about right tackle in the short term and Mayfield would be a welcome athletic presence opposite all-world pass protector David Bakhtiari.”"

Takeaway: I do really like Vinnie’s reasoning here, and I am 100 percent on board with it. However, I don’t believe Mayfield is on the Green Bay Packers’ board–or at least not at this point. As I’ve discussed before, 21 of Brian Gutekunst’s 25 Relative Athletic Score (RAS) eligible draft picks have scored 8.0 or higher in their athletic testing.

As a tackle, Mayfield was below average at 4.03. It’s better as a guard at 6.24, but still below that threshold, and I also don’t see Green Bay spending a first-round pick on an interior offensive lineman.

Eric Edholm – Yahoo! Sports

Pick 29: Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech

"“Drafting Farley would be a different form of aggression, betting that Farley’s health worries are worth the risk on a player who was a possible top-10 pick at one point. And traditionally, this is a club that is conservative when it comes to medical risks. But they sure could use some insurance for Kevin King, and Farley could be a home run selection — or, if his back problems worsen, a whiff.”"

Takeaway: As Eric mentions, there is some risk involved with this selection given Farley’s injury history as of late; however, at pick 29, it’s a risk worth taking. Prior to his recent back surgery, Farley was considered one of, if not the top cornerback in this loaded class and was a potential top-10 pick, as Eric points out. He’s a Day 1 starter, and he and Jaire Alexander could end up forming the best cornerback duo in the NFL sooner than later.

Jonathan Jones – CBS Sports

(TRADE) Pick 24: Greg Newsome, CB, Northwestern

"“Trade details: Packers give up first-rounder (No. 29) and third-rounder (No. 92) for No. 24 and fourth-rounder (No. 140). Packers GM Brian Gutekunst has moved in the first round in each of the past three years so why not make it four? With the Browns needing a corner at 26, the Packers trade with another storied franchise for the best CB remaining after a down year from Kevin King.”"

Takeaway: This is a very Packers like move under Brian Gutekunst: trading up to get a player that you absolutely love–and I would be all for it if that player is Newsome. Newsome put together a fantastic 2020 season at Northwestern and provides a major boost to the cornerback position, which at the moment looks a little bleak beyond Alexander. He is a Day 1 starter.

Andrew Erickson – PFF

Pick 29: Asante Samuel Jr, CB, Florida State

"“Needless to say, Green Bay is far from out of the cornerback market, which is why they take Asante Samuel Jr. at No. 29 overall. Since 2018, Samuel ranks seventh in PFF grade (90.0), second in forced incompletions (30) and fifth in passer rating when targeted (81.3) among Power 5 corners. Last year, he earned the best PFF coverage grade (82.8) of his career playing outside cornerback.”"

Takeaway: We haven’t seen Samuel mocked to the Green Bay Packers a ton, as most draft analysts have him going in Round 2. But based on what we’ve seen this offseason, it would seem that if the Packers want Samuel, they either need to take him at 29 or plan on trading up from pick 62. Samuel could play on the boundary or in the slot; he’s an aggressive tackler and has no problem holding his own in man coverage.

Samuel is on the smaller side, but Gutey did draft Alexander, and Samuel’s RAS score wasn’t above the 8.0 mark either, but his 40-yard dash and shuttle times were good.

Peter Schrager – NFL.com

Pick 29: Nick Bolton, LB, Missouri

"“Joe Barry is the new DC and his specialty is LB play. I’m not sure GB’s defense didn’t miss Blake Martinez roaming the middle in big games last year. Bolton isn’t going to jump off the page with eye-popping athleticism, but everyone says he’ll be the QB of whichever defense he joins.”"

Takeaway: I’ve said it all offseason and countless times in these mock draft roundups: I just don’t see this happening. The Green Bay Packers don’t value the linebacker position enough, and I believe that they are completely fine going into next season with Krys Barnes and Kamal Martin as their top options.

Brentley Weissman – The Draft Network

Pick 29: Liam Eichenberg, OT, Notre Dame

Takeaway: This is far from a flashy pick, but it’s one that I do like. If the Green Bay Packers are able to address the tackle position in Round 1, they absolutely should, and Eichenberg is a safe pick. He may not ever be an All-Pro, but he can be a starting tackle on your team for a decade. The one question with him is how he will fit in Matt LaFleur’s wide zone running scheme? He did test quite well in the shuttle and 3-cone drills at his Pro-Day.

Daniel Jeremiah – NFL.com

Pick 29: Landon Dickerson, OC, Alabama

"“Dickerson is the best pure interior offensive lineman available. I thought he might fall out of the first round after his ACL injury, but it appears his recovery is going smoothly. He can step in following the departure of Corey Linsley.”"

Takeaway: The biggest concern with Dickerson is his long injury history, but from a pure football standpoint, he would come in and be the Green Bay Packers starting center immediately, providing some needed depth to the interior offensive line. But as I mentioned when discussing Mayfield, this is a position that the Packers just don’t spend first-round picks on.

Ross Uglem – Packer Report

(TRADE) Pick 40: Rondale Moore, WR, Purdue

"“Rondale Moore isn’t just a player I would take at 29, he’s a player I’d trade up for.  Moore in the Tyler Ervin/Tavon Austin role is a scary idea for opposing defenses.”"

Takeaway: Ross was able to net an additional top-100 pick by trading back and had eight selections in the first five rounds of the draft. In this LaFleur offense, to put it simply, Moore is tailor-made for it. He is a weapon pre-snap as the motion man, can be utilized on jet sweeps and wide receiver screens–basically, just find a way to get him the ball in space and let him do the rest.

With that said, you have to wonder if his injury history — playing in just seven games the last two seasons — and his height — being only 5’7″ — keeps the Green Bay Packers away.