Packers trade Aaron Rodgers; get Jordon Love help in recent mock draft
By Paul Bretl

With the speculation on Aaron Rodgers’ future with the Green Bay Packers continuing to heat up, a mock draft from Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar has the four-time MVP being traded to the New York Jets this offseason. The Packers then try to give Jordan Love some help, addressing the offensive side of the ball with their two 2023 first-round selections.
In this scenario, Farrar has the Packers acquiring the Jets’ 2023 first and second-round picks, along with a first-round pick in 2024. Since this mock draft was only one round, Green Bay held the 13th and 15th overall picks. With those selections, they took offensive tackle Peter Skoronski from Northwestern and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba from Ohio State.
The offensive tackle position is an interesting one for the Green Bay Packers. On one hand, it appears to be in pretty good shape. I expect David Bakhtiari to be back along with restricted free agent Yosh Nijman. Zach Tom routinely looked like he should among the starting five, while Elgton Jenkins is an option for tackle snaps as well. The Packers also have Caleb Jones and Rasheed Walker, two players who need refinement but possess a lot of talent.
However, as one of the most important positions in football, there is no such thing as too much depth. And while the depth of this unit looks good the way I just described it, you don’t have to squint terribly hard to see the other end of that spectrum. For one, 2023 could be Bakhtiari’s final season, and the same goes for Nijman, who will be an unrestricted free agent in 2024. Jenkins is at his best at guard, while we have no idea if Jones or Walker will become capable starters.
For these reasons, adding to the offensive tackle position early on in this draft does make some sense. The 6’4″ – 315 Skoronski has more than 2,200 career snaps, with all of them coming at left tackle. This past season was his best, allowing just one sack and six pressures. Skoronski was also among the best in PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency metric as well as their run-blocking grade.
Skoronski is rated as the third-best offensive tackle in this class by The Draft Network and the 18th player overall. Kyle Crabbs, who wrote up Skoronski’s pre-draft report, does mention that a move inside could benefit him at the NFL level. If the Packers have that same line of thinking, then I don’t believe Skoronski will be the selection, with interior offensive linemen just not being a position Green Bay values at this point in the draft.
Here is a closer look at what Crabbs had to say about Skoronski’s game:
"“Expectations for Skoronski will be the same even amid different positional forecasts—he should be a starter from day one,” said Crabbs. “I do see some potential challenges to being a positive starter immediately, as he’ll either need to acclimate to setting against NFL-caliber linemen each and every week on the edge or he’ll be charged with re-calibrating as an interior lineman. But by year three of his rookie contract, expect to see a quality starter up front.”"
With the 15th pick, the Green Bay Packers finally take that first round receiver–a bit ironic considering they traded away Aaron Rodgers in this scenario. Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs both showed promise as rookies, but receiver is again a major need with it being a very young room. In addition to those two, the only other receivers under contract for 2023 are Samor Toure, Bo Melton — both 2022 draft picks — and Jeff Cotton, a 2020 UDFA.
Although continuing the build upon the talent at this position through the draft should absolutely be on Brian Gutekunst’s radar, given the overall inexperience at the position, it will also be important for the Packers to sign a veteran in free agency as well–however, don’t expect any big splash. This move will be about adding stability. The Packers simply don’t have the salary cap flexibility to make a major signing.
Green Bay has very much liked their bigger-bodied receivers over the years, and Smith-Njigba meets those strict requirements, listed at 6’0″ – 198 pounds. Due to injuries, he played in only three games in 2022, but the year before, he had caught 80 of his 96 targets at 15.7 yards per catch with six touchdowns.
Smith-Njigba did most of his damage lined up in the slot and was moved around often pre-snap–something the Packers love to do under Matt LaFleur. He proved to be dangerous with the ball in his hands as well, ranking fifth that season in total YAC (yards after the catch) and eighth in average YAC, according to PFF ($$).
Smith-Njigba is the third-ranked receiver in this class by The Draft Network. For more, here is a snippet of what Joe Marino had to say in his pre-draft report:
"“While Smith-Njigba is an outstanding route-runner and separator, he lacks top-end speed,” wrote Marino. “He is reliant on technique because he isn’t simply going to win foot races to run away from coverage. That explosive top gear is missing from his skill set. Ohio State moves him around the formation and puts him in motion, but he has primarily functioned from the slot and enjoyed free releases. He has the footwork and body control to beat press coverage but hasn’t been challenged much in that regard, so developing and proving his ability to play out wide may remain a question.”"
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If Rodgers is actually traded, and the Packers receive what Farrar predicts in this mock draft, in addition to selecting Skoronski and Smith-Njigba, the Packers also have picks 44 and 46 in the second round. Other positions that we could see Green Bay address early on in this year’s draft include edge rusher, tight end, and safety.