100 Days of Mocks: Packers Trade Back, Help Defense

In a separate mock, the Packers traded Aaron Rodgers to the Jets and picked a receiver and offensive tackle.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers have a considerable number of needs and, to this point in free agency, haven’t addressed any.

So, the latest NFL mock draft by Josh Edwards of CBS Sports makes sense, with Green Bay moving from No. 15 to No. 19 in a swap with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and acquiring an additional third-round pick. With that pick, Edwards went with Alabama safety Brian Branch.

“Green Bay was able to move back, picking up an additional third-round selection in the process, and still add a player who will upgrade the secondary. Brian Branch is a smart, instinctual player who should transition seamlessly to the Packers,” Edwards wrote.

Branch mostly played in the slot at Alabama, earning first- and second-team All-American honors in 2022. He’s one of the best tacklers in the entire draft, regardless of position.

The Packers could have a massive need at safety with Adrian Amos, Rudy Ford and Dallin Leavitt among the team’s free agents and Darnell Savage coming off a dismal fourth season.

Of course, Branch doesn’t have a wealth of experience at that spot. Could he learn the finer points of the position and be really good? Sure.

“He’s been a very consistent performer for us all year,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said after Branch dominated the Sugar Bowl. “He plays the star position, but he could play safety, as well.”

The other option would be to move cornerback Rasul Douglas to safety after he struggled during his acclimation to the slot last year. That’s on the table, general manager Brian Gutekunst said at the Scouting Combine.

“I think he could” move to the slot, he said. “He has such good eyes and instincts when he’s back there and seeing the whole field. Anytime you move a guy inside, whether it’s the nickel or the safety, and you have both sides you really have to worry about, there’s a curve there that’s going to take some time to really understand that.

“But his skill-set as far as his eyes, his ability to go get the ball, his angles, his instincts and he’s a pretty good tackler, too, he could make that transition if that’s what we decided to do.”

At SI’s NFL Draft Bible, Bo Marchionte traded Aaron Rodgers to the Jets and selected USC receiver Jordan Addison at No. 13. The irony of giving Jordan Love a first-round receiver wasn’t lost on Marchionte.

“In truth,” he wrote, “I feel the Packers organization (upper management) will snicker when they hand in the card on draft day that lists Addison as the first pick overall after years of neglecting Aaron Rodgers' pleas for a Round 1 receiver. The team is still in need of playmakers offensively, especially without their former four-time league MVP.”

The Packers’ own pick at No. 15 was used on an offensive tackle.

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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 are the last 10 days of the series.

42 days: Van Ness leads off PFF three-rounder

43 days: Van Ness at No. 13 and No. 15 in new mocks

44 days: Four-rounder starts with pass rusher

45 days: Sorry, free agency

46 days: A first-round quarterback?

47 days: A fistful of tight ends

48 days: Rodgers traded; Packers take pass rusher, tight end

49 days: First-round playmakers and a seven-round mock

50 days: Rodgers, Jets and the first-round dilemma

51 days: Todd McShay 3.0