100 Days of Mocks: A ‘Eureka!’ Moment in Two-Round Mock

The Green Bay Packers picked a pair of defenders at the top of a new mock draft by Draft Wire.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – You’ve got to hand it to Luke Easterling of USA Today’s Draft Wire for cracking the code when it comes to mock drafts and the Green Bay Packers.

With the Packers on the clock at No. 15 of the first round, Easterling noted, “It’s easy to keep mocking pass-catchers here, but at some point, we’ve got to realize the Packers tend to prioritize other positions in the first round.”

Could the Packers use another receiver? Probably, but they haven’t taken one in the first round since Javon Walker in 2002. They might have a massive need at tight end, depending on what happens in free agency, but they haven’t picked one of those in the first round since Bubba Franks in 2000.

What the Packers have done is focus on the defense. Other than Jordan Love in 2020, Green Bay hasn’t picked a player on offense in the first round since offensive tackle Derek Sherrod in 2011.

In this mock, Easterling went with Iowa’s Lukas Van Ness. He’s someone we wrote about earlier in this series.

“Van Ness is a versatile defender who can line up all over the trenches, with impressive physical traits that give him a sky-high ceiling,” Easterling wrote.

In the second round, Easterling went with Texas A&M safety Antonio Johnson

In nine games in 2022, Johnson had 71 tackles, three forced fumbles and one pass defensed. Three of his five tackles for losses came against Auburn.

In 2021, he was second-team all-SEC and a first-team Pro Football Focus all-American with 79 tackles, 8.5 tackles for losses, one interception and five passes defensed.

Johnson is from East St. Louis, Ill. The Nexflix series “Friday Night Lights” made him realize that “Texas football is different.” So, it was off to play for the Aggies rather than a Big Ten school or nearby Missouri.

“I always wanted my mom to move to Texas so I could play football here,” Johnson told The Houston Chronicle. “I knew (football) was just so big here, and through my recruitment when I came and visited, I fell in love with the place, and fell in love with the ‘12th Man.’”

Listed at 6-foot-3, the Aggies mostly played him around the ball – at slot or in the box – so Johnson could be a unique weapon for defensive coordinator Joe Barry, who might lose veteran starter Adrian Amos in free agency.

Click here for the full mock draft.

100 Days of Mocks

Starting Jan. 17, when there were 100 days until the start of the NFL Draft, we started our mock-worthy goal of 100 mock drafts in 100 days. Here’s the 100-day-countdown series.

100 days: First-round quarterback?

99 days: Trading for outside linebacker

98 days: Stud tight end

97 days: This pick would break a long drought

96 days: NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah goes back to Georgia

95 days: Two firsts if Rodgers is traded

94 days: College Football News mocks Mayer

93 days: Safety first for Bucky Brooks in NFL.com mock

92 days: Kiper takes a tight end

91 days: Three defensive backs in seven-round mock

90 days: Playmaking cornerback at PFF

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