Packers Mock Draft Roundup & Takeaways from Week 3 of CFB Season
By Paul Bretl
It’s the third week of the college football season and another opportunity to focus on a few players that could interest the Green Bay Packers in the 2023 NFL Draft.
At this stage of the game, we aren’t diving into these mock drafts for their accuracy–far too much is going to change between now and the NFL Draft. Instead, they provide us with some prospects to keep our eyes on for the remainder of the college football season.
Here is who a handful of draft analysts have the Packers selecting in the first round of the 2023 draft.
Chris Trapasso – CBS Sports
Pick 27: Parker Washington, WR, Penn State
Thoughts: Do the Packers spend another early-round pick on a wide receiver? My guess is no, but Brian Gutekunst has certainly surprised us over the last few drafts. Washington measures in at 5’10” (which is on the short side for the Packers) and weighs 215 pounds. In 2021, he recorded 820 receiving yards and four touchdowns while catching 74% of his 86 targets. Most of his career snaps have come from the slot, per PFF ($$).
Joe Marino – The Draft Network
Pick 27: Nolan Smith, Edge, Georgia
Thoughts: Another first-round pick, another Georgia Bulldog for the Packers. Edge rusher is already a major need for Green Bay, with depth being a huge question mark, and that will likely remain going into the offseason. Smith totaled 28 pressures, including seven sacks in 2021, and was among PFF’s highest graded edge rushers against the run.
Oliver Hodgkinson – Pro Football Network
Pick 29: Brain Branch, S, Alabama
Thoughts: Safety is another need for the Packers. In fact, I thought it was a position they were going to address in the 2022 draft. Depth is a question mark, and Adrian Amos is also in the final year of his deal. The Packers picked up Darnell Savage’s fifth-year option for 2023, but it remains to be seen if he is a long-term option at the position.
Branch has spent most of his career in the slot, where he has been a very reliable tackler and effective run defender. In coverage last season, he allowed 37 receptions on 55 targets at 10.2 yards per catch with four pass breakups.
Josh Edwards – CBS Sports
Pick 29: Jordan Addison, WR, USC
Thoughts: I get why we are seeing mock drafts with the Packers taking a first-round receiver–the position still remains a major unknown, especially with Allen Lazard hitting free agency after this season.
At 175 pounds, Addison is quite light compared to the 190-plus pound frames that the Packers typically covet. Addison has primarily been a slot receiver and is coming off a 2021 season with Pittsburgh in which he caught almost 70% of his passes and totaled 1,593 yards with 17 touchdowns.
Pick 28: Jaelyn Duncan, OT, Maryland
Thoughts: This is an interesting position for the Packers. Presumably, Elgton Jenkins is going to be the right tackle — although he could play left tackle if needed — but what does the future hold for David Bakhtiari?
The Packers also have a lot of young but unproven talent in Zach Tom, Rasheed Walker, and Caleb Jones, all of whom are best suited at right tackle. The offensive tackle is a position that Green Bay covets, but it’s also a crowded room at the moment.
Duncan measures in at 6’6″ – 320 pounds and has spent his career at left tackle. Last season, he allowed just 13 total pressures and four sacks in 489 pass-blocking snaps. He also graded out decently well as a run-blocker by PFF’s grading system, for what it’s worth.