100 Days of Mocks: Tight End Leads Kiper 4.0

With 16 days until the 2023 NFL Draft, ESPN.com’s Mel Kiper unveiled a two-round mock draft. Plus, other mock drafts focused on receivers and pass rushers.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Legendary ESPN draft pundit Mel Kiper Jr. rolled out his fourth mock draft on Tuesday morning, a two-round version. With the Green Bay Packers on the clock in the first round, Kiper asked himself this question:

Take a look at the Green Bay depth chart and tell me this: Who is going to catch passes from quarterback Jordan Love in 2023?

Sure, big things are expected from receivers Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs. But how about tight end? The four tight ends under contract have a combined 47 receptions for their careers. Thus, Kiper grabbed Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid at No. 15 overall.

“Kincaid is the best pass-catching tight end in this class,” Kiper wrote. “He had 16 touchdown receptions over the past two seasons. He can stretch the seams in the middle of the field, and he can create easy connections for Love.”

At 6-foot-3 5/8 and with 10 1/4-inch hands, Kincaid is a sure-handed, polished receiver. No active tight end had more career receiving yards than Kincaid.

“I think I'm one of the best pass catchers there is, not only in the tight end position but kind of just in this draft,” he said at the Scouting Combine. “Obviously, I think that's my biggest strength. I think I'm developing as a blocker and I kind of only have room to grow in that aspect of my game.”

The second-round pick was used on Tennessee’s Byron Young. At 6-foot-2 and 250 pounds, he’s a bit undersized. At 25, he’s a bit old. But there’s no knocking his 4.43 speed in the 40. He had seven sacks and 12 tackles for losses as a senior.

Kiper did not trade Aaron Rodgers in the mock. Two of the better offensive tackles were on the board, and four receivers were selected in the second half of the round.

At Sports Illustrated, Kevin Hanson's latest mock started with Iowa pass rusher Lukas Van Ness.

As part of the explanation: "Van Ness can win with his blend of power, length and relentless effort, but the 272-pound ascending prospect ran a 4.58 40-yard dash at the Combine, as well."

Rodgers could make chicken soup out of chicken feathers. Can Love?

That statement encapsulates the Packers’ first-round pick in a new five-round mock draft by Walter Football. Needs at outside linebacker and tight end were put on hold and the two-decade drought at receiver ended with the selection of TCU receiver Quentin Johnston.

“The Seahawks waited until Russell Wilson was gone to improve their offensive line, and so the Packers could finally select a first-round wide receiver after Aaron Rodgers leaves” Walter Cherepinsky wrote. “This is no accident. Seattle's front office knew that Wilson could bail out the poor blocking with his legs, much like Rodgers could get the most out of mediocre receivers.”

The Day 2 picks addressed other key needs. How about a big outside linebacker to complement the likes of Rashan Gary and Preston Smith? Isaiah Foskey, the all-time sacks leader at Notre Dame, was the second-round pick. How about a tight end to replace Robert Tonyan (and perhaps Marcedes Lewis)? South Dakota State’s Tucker Kraft, one of the big six in this draft class, was the third-round choice.

The fourth- and fifth-round picks were used on a linebacker the Packers don’t really need and a safety with a Relative Athletic Score of just 2.91.

Jordan Dajani of CBS Sports cast his lot with a different receiver, Ohio State slot Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

“Welcome to the Jordan Love era,” Dajani wrote. Smith-Njigba was the first receiver off the board, and the next two also went to NFC North teams.

The focus was on Love at SB Nation, as well, though it went with Kincaid, with the projection that he’d see 100 targets per season in coach Matt LaFleur’s system and open up things for receivers Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs.

Brad Menendez of Draft Countdown sided with history with Georgia pass rusher Nolan Smith atop his seven-round mock. Smith is undersized by Green Bay’s standards but the Packers typically use their No. 1 pick on defense and going with a Georgia player would fit the recent trend.

Love got a playmaker in the second round with tight end Luke Musgrave but that was it. Musgrave was the only tight end selected, which is one more than at receiver.

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.

17 days: Van Ness leads seven-round mock

18 days: Easter

19 days: “Consensus Mock Draft”

20 days: Two seconds for Rodgers in NFL.com four-rounder

21 days: Some seven-round mocks

Packer Central’s sixth seven-round mock draft

22 days: Tackle before tight ends

23 days: On the offensive

24 days: A 10-mock Monday

25 days: The Wright tackle?

26 days: A “plug-and-play” tight end