Packer Central

100 Days of Mocks: Playing the Slots in First Round

The Green Bay Packers never take a receiver in the first round of the real draft. So, here’s another mock that is projecting the opposite.

Bill Huber

100 Days of Mocks: Playing the Slots in First Round
100 Days of Mocks: Playing the Slots in First Round /
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GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers haven’t taken a receiver in the first round of the NFL Draft since 2002. That’s two decades – a long time but not the longest streak going.

Someday, the Packers will use their first-round pick on a receiver. Maybe even in your lifetime.

Despite the obvious history, CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli went with Ohio State receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba in his new mock draft.

“Aaron Rodgers emerged from a darkness retreat earlier this week, having had a vision. A vision that showed him he needed Jaxon Smith-Njigba to add to the Packers' offense to play alongside their other young receivers to take that next step toward a Super Bowl,” Fornelli wrote.

“Or, maybe the Packers see JSN as an excellent addition to their offense, regardless of what Rodgers saw while tripping on shrooms. Whatever the case, Smith-Njigba was the best receiver on an Ohio State offense that included Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave in 2021. He's pretty good.”

Pretty good, indeed. In 2022, Ohio State’s Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave were first-round picks and immediate NFL hits. In 2021, Smith-Njigba beat both of them in receptions (95 compared to 70 for Wilson and 65 for Olave) and yards (1,606 vs. 1,058 for Wilson and 936 for Olave).

“I think those guys are the best. ...They are proving it. They are pushing the bar,” Smith-Njigba told CBS before the Super Bowl. “There is no pressure. I just try to be myself and that is really what they tell me; just be yourself and everything will take care of itself. ... A lot of guys from the receiver room that I was in are ballers. Those guys are the best right now and it is fun to chase greatness.”

However, while Wilson and Olave flourished in the NFL, Smith-Njigba missed most of last season with a hamstring injury. He called it “one of the most difficult things” he gone through watching his teammates play without him.

“At the end of the day,” he said. “I feel blessed that I went through this hardship and I don't take anything for granted. Definitely wanted to be out there and compete. You can only control what you can control and I just leave it up to God. I'm blessed at the end of the day. I still have my dreams right in front of me, so I'm just ready to attack.”

Is a first-round receiver a preposterous proposition? Perhaps. But just imagine Rodgers or Jordan Love having Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs on the perimeter and Smith-Njigba in the slot. That’s where he dominated at Ohio State in 2021.

According to Pro Football Focus, he ranked fifth in the nation with 87 slot receptions, third with 1,367 slot yards and seventh with eight slot touchdowns. His 3.87 yards per slot route ranked second among players with more than 40 slot targets, just behind Skyy Moore’s 3.93.

Plus, he caught 9-of-10 contested-catch opportunities and forced 16 missed tackles.

“I definitely believe that I am the best wide receiver available in this draft but I'm all about proving it,” he said. “No matter what happens, I'm just ready to go out there and prove it.”

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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’s the 100-day-countdown series.

62 days: Three mocks, three receivers

63 days: A massive haul for Rodgers

64 days: Three team-issued mock drafts

Packers take tight end in Daniel Jeremiah’s second mock

65 days: Pass-rushing defensive lineman in two-rounder

66 days: A slot/safety?

67 days: Three-rounder starts with receiver

68 days: Grandson of Glory Years legend

69 days: Mayer to Packers in SI mock

70 days: Football Outsiders picks pass rusher

71 days: 33rd Team trades Rodgers in two-rounder

71 days (bonus): Todd McShay 2.0

72 days: Packers take receiver to start NFL.com three-rounder

73 days: Packers fill big need with big man

74 days: Rodgers traded, take two pass-catchers in first round

75 days: Two NFL.com mocks, two different tight ends

76 days: Tight end and pass rusher in two-rounder by NFL Draft Bible

77 days: Rodgers traded to Raiders for No. 7 pick

78 days: A seven-round mock includes Big Ten playmakers

79 days: Rodgers traded in two-round mock

80 days: Packers take safety in ESPN mock

81 days: Aaron Rodgers traded in three-round mock

82 days: Seven mocks, including NFL.com

83 days: Two pass-catchers in first-round mocks

84 days: Aaron Rodgers traded for extra first-round pick

85 days: PFF picks a pass rusher

86 days: Tight end in NFL Draft Bible Mock

87 days: Packers trade back, get extra second-rounder

88 days: Sorry, vacation day.

89 days: A “Eureka!” moment in two-round mock

90 days: Playmaking cornerback at PFF

91 days: Three defensive backs in seven-round mock

92 days: Kiper takes a tight end

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

94 days: College Football News mocks Mayer

95 days: Two firsts if Rodgers is traded

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

97 days: This pick would break a long drought

98 days: Stud tight end

99 days: Trading for outside linebacker

100 days: First-round quarterback?

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Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.

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