Dairyland Express
Fansided

Green Bay Packers Select 2 High Upside Athletes in R1 of PFF Mock Draft

By Paul Bretl

Delaware linebacker Matt Palmer moves in as North Dakota State's Christian Watson pulls in a pass in the third quarter of Delaware's 47-22 loss at Delaware Stadium Saturday.Ud V North Dakota
Delaware linebacker Matt Palmer moves in as North Dakota State's Christian Watson pulls in a pass in the third quarter of Delaware's 47-22 loss at Delaware Stadium Saturday.Ud V North Dakota /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 3
Next
Green Bay Packers
COLLEGE PARK, MD – OCTOBER 30: Boye Mafe #34 of the Minnesota Golden tackles Taulia Tagovailoa #3 of the Maryland Terrapins during a college football game on October 30, 2020 at Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

Green Bay Packers select Boye Mafe at 28 overall

The Green Bay Packers pick at 28 was edge rusher Boye Mafe from Minnesota. Edge rusher may not jump off the page as a major need with Rashan Gary and Preston Smith on the roster, but even last year, the depth of this unit was an issue over the course of the season, with a lack of impact plays and trouble against the run when those two weren’t on the field. With it being such a heavily rotated position along with being one of the most important positions in football, the Packers should look to upgrade their depth.

Mafe was another elite tester at the combine, also posting a RAS of 10.0–although he did not participate in the shuttle or 3-cone drills but did record a 4.53-second 40-yard dash.

Mafe has just 978 career snaps, according to PFF ($$), with 435 of them coming this past season. He logged 40 pressures in 2021, including six sacks, and 10 tackles for loss. Mafe needs some refinement, but we know that hasn’t stopped Green Bay from selecting players in the past–after all, the draft is about projecting who the player will become, not who they are in the moment.

The Packers would also give Mafe an ideal situation to continue his development. He could still play an important role as the third edge rusher on this team, while Green Bay still relies more heavily on Smith and Gary.

With Mafe’s athletic testing, him playing a premier position, and also being a high-ceiling player, again, this just feels like a Green Bay Packers pick. Now, I will mention that Mafe is 23 and will turn 24 during his rookie season. While Green Bay typically prefers younger prospects, they did select a 23-year-old Elgton Jenkins in Round 2 in 2019.

"“His combination of rare explosive measurables with average fundamentals could make for a perfect storm of rapid development once he gets focused skill work at the pro level,” wrote NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein. “His footwork is average and he lacks desired instincts as a rusher, but pairing efficient hand work with twitchy upper-body power could turn him into a productive rush bully.”"

Home/Green Bay Packers