3 Packers 2-Round Mock Drafts w/ No 1st Round WRs
By Paul Bretl
Green Bay Packers Mock Draft via Pro Football Network
Pick 22: Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington
Pick 28: Boye Mafe, Edge, Minnesota
Pick 53: George Pickens, WR, Georgia
Pick 59: Logan Hall, IDL, Houston
Takeaway: I again was able to leave the second round with George Pickens. With three picks still remaining in Rounds 3 and 4, my goal would have been to add a true deep threat at the receiver position–someone like Tyquan Thornton from Baylor, for example.
As I discussed in the beginning, regardless of who the Packers select, the receiver room isn’t going to be as stout without Adams, but a unit made up of Pickens, Lazard, Cobb, Watkins, Rodgers, and Thornton — or a player with his speed — is a good start. Not to mention that the Packers still have Robert Tonyan, Aaron Jones, and AJ Dillon as pass-catching options as well.
With the other three picks, I went with defense–again. Other positions on offense that I was looking at were tight end and offensive tackle, but in all three drafts, the right pick just wasn’t there–both positions would have been on my radar in Rounds 3 and 4.
McDuffie gives Green Bay another slot option in addition to Alexander, which, as I’ve discussed before, will give Barry an uber amount of flexibility when it comes to mixing and matching his secondary from week to week or even play to play. Although Alexander will likely see his fair share of snaps in the slot, he is going to follow the opponent’s top receiver, and at the moment, the Packers do not have any other experienced slot options on the roster.
Meanwhile, Mafe may have to refine his technique, but with Smith and Gary to lean on, he will have the opportunity to do so while still playing an important role in passing situations, where he has several pass-rush moves that he relies on to get to the quarterback. It was also promising to see Mafe’s run defense improve this past season at Minnesota.
Hall gives the Packers some added juice along the interior and should make an impact right away on passing downs. Recently, IDL coach Jerry Montgomery mentioned wanting to add that element to this defense–and Hall is certainly the player for that.