3 Final 2023 Mock Drafts for the Green Bay Packers

My goal with this exercise was to try to narrow down a list of players that the Packers may be interested in. I used the Green Bay Draft Guide presented by Packer Report to compile a list of Tier 1 and 2 players at each position of need.

Each player I selected received a top-five round grade from their draft guide.  After compiling the list, I used this big board as a roadmap for my mock drafts. I went through three major mock draft simulators with PFF, Pro Football Network, and ESPN.

Putting on my GM hat, I selected players on my list based on availability and ranking in each mock while still trying to fill each of the Packers’ perceived needs. For the sake of time, I only kept the draft at three to five rounds.

Some players’ athletic testing numbers are still incomplete, so I left all of those players off the list for accuracy. It is possible the Packers have these numbers for some of these incomplete testers, but I left them off for this exercise.

Overall I feel this exercise can give us a good feel for what players may be available and where. Last year this same exercise produced names such as Christian Watson, Zach Tom, and Romeo Doubs. I expect some of the names on here to end up as Green Bay Packers once again this year.

Big thanks to Jacob Morely, Jacob Westendorf, and Ross Uglem for the draft guide and for helping us all become smarter fans.

PFF

Pick13: Clemson Edge Myles Murphy

Pick 42: Georgia TE Darnell Washington

Pick 45: NDSU OL Cody Mauch

Pick 78: Wake Forest WR A.T. Perry

For the first leg of our mock draft, the first round unfolded in a very interesting way. Dalton Kincaid was the best available player on the PFF board, but due to a lack of information on athletic testing, I couldn’t go there.

If this situation had actually happened, I would have liked to trade down, but the PFF model doesn’t allow for trades. There weren’t any obvious fits with Jaxon Smith-Njigba off the board., so the three players that stood out were Ohio State tackle Paris Johnson Jr., Clemson edge Myles Murphy, and Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid.

I went with Murphy here because of the lack of testing numbers we have on both Kincaid and Johnson. Murphy is a huge edge rusher, a run-through-your-face type, something that we know Green Bay loves. His 9.88 RAS is something Green Bay is going to love, and addressing the long-term need at edge early on gave me a lot of peace of mind.

At pick 42, my choice was easy. Darnell Washington is a player that the Packers are going to love because of his blocking ability. He is a Marcedes Lewis clone. His ability to block is the best of any tight end in this draft, and his high-end athleticism should allow him to grow as a receiver. He would be a huge target in the middle of the field for Jordan Love.

Pick 45 was much more difficult, with NDSU lineman Cody Mauch, UCLA running back Zach Charbonnet, and Oregon State tight end Luke Musgrave all available. Because of the value, I selected Mauch here.

Mauch is such a Packer. High athleticism, toughness, and versatility illustrate who he is as a player, and I believe Green Bay would love to keep him in green and gold.

Following Round 2, I felt that I needed a receiver at this point, and at pick 78 I was able to deliver on one of the best fits in this draft. Jonathan Mingo and AT Perry were the two top players available to me that fit the Green Bay specifications, so I selected Perry.

He is a massive human being that can fly, and his ability to get deep is a reason Green Bay should love him. The Green Bay Draft Guide gave him a second-round grade for his size, speed, and production, making him a steal at pick 78.

Pro Football Network

Pick13: Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Pick 42:  Northwestern Edge Adetomiwa Adebawore

Pick 45: Oregon State TE Luke Musgrave

Pick 78: NDSU OL Cody Mauch

Pick 116: Illinois RB Chase Brown

Pick 149: Michigan TE Luke Schoonmaker

As the Pro Football Network draft moved along, many of the players I really liked were selected ahead of the Packers’ selection at pick 13. The player I was hoping to make it to that slot is the player that most fans seem to be hoping for, Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Smith-Njigba is the best receiver in this draft, and it isn’t particularly close. He can immediately come in and be the slot receiver Green Bay could use as a middle-of-the-field target for Love.

He is perfect for this offense as a third-down option and a YAC threat. Addressing the pass-catching threat early was very important to me, and I was able to do so with the best pass catcher in the draft.

At pick 42, the pick was very obvious, and I selected DL/Edge Adetomiwa Adebawore from Northwestern. This is a huge area of need for the Packers, and his athletic testing and tape is phenomenal. Giving this pass rush room some help while simultaneously helping out the run defense is huge to address early on.

Luke Musgrave was still on the board at pick 45, but so was Darnell Washington. Both tight ends fit the Packers preferred athletic models, but I think it could be hard for them to pass on Musgrave and his rare movement skills.

His blocking will be a project, but there is plenty of time to select a blocking tight end later in the draft. Musgrave is a rare pass-catching tight end, and the chance to invest highly in a barren tight end room was too enticing to pass up.

Cody Mauch was there at pick 78, which was an easy selection and one I would absolutely expect the Packers to make if it were to present itself. Running Back Chase Brown was available at pick 116, another easy decision.

Brown is a 23-year-old running back and brother of Illinois safety Sydney Brown. His 9.79 RAS score and insane college production make him a perfect Packer. He averaged over 5.0 yards per carry over the last three seasons for the Illini, and two 1,000-yard seasons to boot.

With my last selection, I was able to get a blocking tight end and one that I believe Green Bay is going to be in love with. Luke Schoonmaker out of Michigan is a complete tight end that carries in-line blocking ability and high-end athleticism. Doubling up at the tight end position was a goal of mine, and I was able to do so with Schoonmaker.

ESPN

Pick16: Notre Dame TE Michael Mayer

Pick 33: Tennessee WR Jalin Hyatt

Pick 45: Kansas State Edge Felix Anudike-Uzomah

Pick 47: Wisconsin DT Keeanu Benton

Pick 149: Pittsburgh RB Israel Abanikanda

In my ESPN Mock, I feel I may have found the most likely way for the board to fall to Green Bay. Most of the familiar names, including Smith-Njigba, Kincaid, and Lukas Van Ness, were all gone at pick 13.

I was able to strike a trade with the Washington Commanders, who moved up to select quarterback Will Levis, moving the Packers back to pick 16, where I selected Michael Mayer.

Mayer is a complete tight end out of Notre Dame and gives Jordan Love a bonafide receiving threat and a big target, a best friend for a young quarterback. In this trade, I picked up the 47th pick and also traded the 78th pick to the Commanders.

In a similar mold to last year’s draft, I wanted to be aggressive for the pass-catcher I wanted, trading up with the Houston Texans for pick 33. I sent pick 42 to the Texans for picks 33 and 116, with the chance to take one of my favorite players in this year’s draft, Tennessee receiver Jalin Hyatt.

Hyatt was the Bilitnikoff award winner and is going to be somebody the Packers love, so trading up for him felt like a steal, especially with still two second-round picks to work with.

At pick 45, I was able to address a huge position of need, selecting Kansas State edge rusher Felix Anudike-Uzomah. Anudike-Uzomah is an athletic fit and seems like one of the most likely players to become a Packer on day two of the draft.

With the next pick, the top player on my board was Wisconsin defensive lineman Keeanu Benton. Benton was compared to Muhammed Wilkerson in the guide and is a player the Packers should love, both for his athleticism, tape, and Wisconsin roots.

I didn’t have another selection until Round 5, and in typical Green Bay Packers fashion, I selected a running back. Israel Abanikanda is a 20-year-old running back from the University of Pittsburgh, and he fits the Packers very well. His RAS checked in well over nine, and his production was elite.