Green Bay Packers 2022 Mock Draft Roundup & Takeaways 2.0
By Paul Bretl
With the Green Bay Packers on their bye week as the rest of the NFC prepares for Wildcard Weekend, I thought that this was as good of a time as any to put together the second edition of the 2022 Mock Draft Roundup & Takeaways.
While we hopefully have three more Green Bay Packers games to watch this season, the 2022 NFL draft is now just a little more than three months away. Although a lot is still going to change between today and the draft, taking a look at who several draft analysts have the Packers selecting can gives us some names to watch as the pre-draft process unfolds.
As always, in addition to the selection and insight provided by the draft analyst, I’ll provide my thoughts on the Green Bay Packers selection as well.
Josh Edwards – CBS Sports
Pick 32: Kingsley Enagbare, Edge rusher, South Carolina
"“Za’Darius Smith is back for the playoffs, but it is likely one or both of he and Preston Smith are gone in the near future. Green Bay will need to account for those losses. Enagbare is one of the best prospects available regardless of position.”"
Takeaway: Edge rusher is absolutely a position that the Green Bay Packers could select in Round 1. Although this is a position of strength this season, there is the real possibility that both Preston Smith and Za’Darius Smith could be playing elsewhere in 2022, while Jonathan Garvin and Tipa Galeai are still developing players with ceilings.
Enagbare, has over 1,500 career snaps in four years at South Carolina, but this season has been by far his most productive. According to PFF ($$), Enagbare has posted 45 pressures along with four sacks. He was also PFF’s eighth-highest graded edge rusher this season.
Mike Renner – PFF
Pick 32: Bernhard Raimann, OT, Central Michigan
"“The Packers continually invest in their offensive line. They love athletes at the position, and the former tight end certainly qualifies. After two years at tackle, he earned the highest grade in the nation in 2021.”"
Takeaway: You’re never going to see me upset with a first round offensive tackle selection. While David Bakhtiari is under contract for the next few seasons, there are some potential question marks at right tackle. Will Billy Turner be cut for cap savings? Can Yosh Nijman slide over to right tackle? Not to mention that Dennis Kelly will be a free agent and isn’t a long-term answer.
Over the last two seasons, which have consisted of 690 pass-blocking snaps, Raimann has allowed just one sack and 15 total pressures. He’s also been very effective as a run-blocker as well.
Zack Patraw – SI
Pick 32: Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa
"“Penning possesses powerful hands that can uproot defenders. He plays in a calm and composed manner, his footwork is smooth. He isn’t the most athletic, free-moving guy but he showed enough competence to block in space.”"
Takeaway: Once again, I love the idea of bolstering the offensive line depth with an offensive tackle selection. Penning stands 6’7,” weighs 321 pounds, and has been a three-year starter for the Panthers at left tackle. This season, in particular, he allowed just one sack, 11 pressures, and he was one of PFF’s top-graded tackles–although it’s worth mentioning that he was called for 16 penalties just this year.
Pick 32: Devonte Wyatt, IDL, Georgia
"“Georgia’s Devonte Wyatt might have the nastiest first step of any defensive lineman in this class,” Klassen mentioned. “He erupts out of his stance at the snap of the ball. While his hand placement can get a bit wild, he is too explosive and smooth in space to not bet on.”Wyatt could take a spot from Kingsley Keke and give the Packers one of the biggest and most active fronts in football.”"
Takeaway: Get Kenny Clark some help is the old saying here in Green Bay, and while he has received some help this season from Dean Lowry, along with some flashes from TJ Slaton, Tyler Lancaster, and Kingsley Keke, this is a position that can certainly still be upgraded. It’s also a position that Green Bay hasn’t invested too highly in over the last few seasons.
The 6’3″ – 315 pound Wyatt has almost 1,500 career snaps including playing a prominent role over each of the last three seasons for Georgia. After a down 2020 season in terms of pressures generated, Wyatt would bounce back with 26 pressures and four sacks–a career-high. He would post an impressive 36 pressures during the 2019 season.
A majority of his snaps have come lined up in the B-gap per PFF, but Wyatt also has a decent amount of experience lined up in the A-gap and over the tackle as well.
Luke Easterling – Draft Wire
Pick 32: Travon Walker, Edge rusher, Georgia
"“If the Packers are forced to move on from either of their top edge rushers this offseason due to salary cap issues, they will need to target a replacement here. Walker hasn’t gotten enough buzz as a potential first-rounder, despite being an impact player for the nation’s most dominant defense.”"
Takeaway: You can’t go wrong with another edge rusher–as I mentioned above, it could be a big need and it’s also a premier position. Walker saw a majority of his college snaps this season where he posted 34 pressures, five sacks, and 20 stops–or plays that result in a loss for the offense, according to PFF.
Joe Marino – The Draft Network
Pick 32: Daniel Faalele, OT, Minnesota
"“The depth of the Packers’ offensive line has been stressed across the last few seasons and the team has had to say goodbye to a few long-term fixtures. The need to replenish the group remains, regardless of who is under center in 2022 and beyond.Daniel Faalele is a massive man with rare mobility for his size. He could immediately stabilize the right tackle position and strengthen the nucleus of young blockers in the mix for the Packers to improve the starting unit—and while doing so, make the group deeper.”"
Takeaway: Well, you already know that I have no issues with the Green Bay Packers taking an offensive tackle early on. Faalele is massive, standing 6’9″ and weighing 380 pounds. He also has almost 2,100 snaps over the last three seasons at right tackle and has allowed just five sacks during that span and 33 pressures, including only eight this past season.
Oliver Hodgkinson – Pro Football Network
Pick 32: David Bell, WR, Purdue
"“Purdue pass catcher David Bell combines impressive speed, ludicrous body control, and a determined physicality to be a difference-maker at the wide receiver position. He’s a three-level threat who routinely adds yardage after the catch. It would be quite something if, after years of campaigning for the Green Bay Packers to draft a wide receiver, they did so after Aaron Rodgers has walked out of Lambeau Field for the final time.”"
Takeaway: It’s not officially a Mock Draft Roundup without a wide receiver selection, right? But all joking aside, if there is a year where Green Bay could realistically take a receiver in the first round, I have to imagine this is it.
We don’t know what the future holds for Davante Adams, Equanimeous St. Brown, or Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and in all likelihood, Randall Cobb will be cut. Without Cobb, Amari Rodgers is currently the only receiver under contract beyond 2021.
At 6’2″ – 205 pounds, Bell meets the height and weight requirements that the Packers typically covet at receiver. He has 339 targets over the last three seasons, including 134 in 2021 and 128 in 2019–with a majority of his snaps coming on the boundary. Bell has caught 68.4 percent of those targets at 12.7 yards per catch with 21 touchdowns.