All-Packers Seven-Round Mock Draft 4.0

The start of the 2023 NFL Draft is exactly one month away. In our fourth mock, we traded Aaron Rodgers and gave Jordan Love two instant-impact weapons.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Exactly one month from today, the Green Bay Packers will be on the clock in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

In our fourth mock draft, we traded Aaron Rodgers for a second-round pick in 2023 and some sort of irrelevant-for-this-mock-draft 2024 pick. In our third mock, we traded Rodgers for two second-round picks. In our second mock, we traded him for a first-rounder. The changing composition isn’t based on anything we’ve heard; it’s merely laying out some different scenarios.

To state the obvious, it was a lot easier to fill needs with the greater immediate compensation.

As usual, I played the role of Packers GM Brian Gutekunst. This time, Pro Football Network’s Mock Draft Simulator took care of the rest.

First round: No. 15 – Utah TE Dalton Kincaid

Dalton Kincaid is coming off back-to-back seasons of eight touchdowns. (All photos by USA Today Sports Images)

The Packers need Jordan Love to succeed in 2023. Not just so they look good in the wake of trading Rodgers but so his first season as a starter can be a really good launching point to 2024. Kincaid isn’t the best all-around tight end in the draft but he is the most ready-made contributor in the passing game.

Also considered: It’s easier to say who was off the board: offensive tackles Broderick Jones and Paris Johnson, receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and edge Myles Murphy.

Second round: No. 42 – Georgia Tech edge Keion White

White is one of the most interesting players in the raft. He started his career as a tight end at Old Dominion before switching to defense. With Georgia Tech as a senior in 2022, he had 7.5 sacks and 14 tackles for losses. The Packers love their big guys on the edge and White takes it to the extreme. At 6-foot-5 and 285 pounds, he’s explosive (34-inch vertical) and strong (30 reps on the bench). He could play outside linebacker on base downs and move inside in passing situations. For what it’s worth, he is No. 27 on Daniel Jeremiah’s top-50 list at NFL.com.

Also considered: Tennessee WR Cedric Tillman, Kansas State edge Felix Anudike-Uzomah.

Second round: No. 45 – Tennessee WR Cedric Tillman

The Packers love their second-round receivers and Tillman has a chance to be a real gem. Tillman caught 64 passes for 1,081 yards (16.9 average) and 12 touchdowns in 2021, and dominated matchups against the SEC’s juggernauts, Alabama and Georgia. A high-ankle sprain limited him to only 37 grabs in 2022. He’s 6-foot-3 with 4.54 speed and excellent hands in contested-catch situations.

Also considered: Nobody.

Third round: No. 78 – Wisconsin DL Keeanu Benton

Green Bay’s defensive line is paper-thin with only Kenny Clark, Devonte Wyatt and TJ Slaton having played a single NFL snap. Enter Benton, a native of Janesville, Wis., who has that prototype 3-4 build at 6-foot-4 and 309 pounds with 33 7/8-inch arms. He’s coming off the best season of his career with 4.5 sacks and 10 tackles for losses.

Also considered: Maryland OT Jaelyn Duncan, Alabama OT Tyler Steen, Syracuse OT Matthew Bergeron, Illinois S Sydney Brown.

Fourth round: No. 116 – Oklahoma OT Wanya Morris

You can write David Bakhtiari and Yosh Nijman into the starting lineup in ink for 2023 but what about 2024? The Packers need to be prepared for one or both to be on another roster in 12 months. Morris played left tackle in 2020 and right tackle in 2022. He allowed two sacks and eight total pressures during his final season. Morris is 6-foot-5 with 35 1/8-inch arms and plus athleticism.

Also considered: Ohio State S Ronnie Hickman, Illinois RB Chase Brown.

Fifth round: No. 149 – Iowa State S Anthony Johnson Jr.

Safety could be a major need if Adrian Amos leaves in free agency, though the Packers could roll with Darnell Savage and Rudy Ford. Johnson was a four-year starter who migrated from corner to safety. He played a lot in the slot as a senior, when he set career highs with two interceptions and 60 tackles. At 6-foot, he’s got 4.54 speed.

Also considered: Illinois S/CB Jartavius Martin, Florida S Rashad Torrance.

Fifth round: No. 170 – UCLA QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson

The only quarterbacks under contract are Love and Danny Etling. The free-agent cupboard has been empty for a week so they’ll have to draft one. Beyond the big names, this a terrible draft for quarterbacks. After you get past the Big Five, they’re either slow or short. Thompson hits the marks at 6-foot-2 with 9 7/8-inch hands and 4.56 speed. For his career, he threw 88 touchdowns with 36 interceptions.

Also considered: Nobody.

Seventh round: No. 232 – Northwestern RB Evan Hull

We took Hull at No. 235 in our previous mock. With 88 receptions the last two seasons and 4.47 speed, he’d be an interesting prospect to add to a running back room with some uncertainty for 2024.

Also considered: The players picked below as well as Clemson TE Davis Allen, Cincinnati TE Josh Whyle, Maryland G/C Spencer Anderson, Tennessee G/C Jerome Carvin, Louisville edge Yasir Abdullah, Arkansas WR Matt Landers.

Seventh round: No. 235 – Texas DT Moro Ojomo

Given how this mock worked out, Ojomo would challenge 2022 seventh-rounder Jonathan Ford for the last spot in the rotation. He had three sacks and 5.5 tackles for losses as a senior. With 34 1/2-inch arms and a strong motor, he’d improve the run defense.

Also considered: Everyone mentioned under the Hull pick.

Seventh round: No. 242 – North Dakota State TE Noah Gindorff

Cincinnati’s Whyle caught 86 passes and scored 15 touchdowns during his final three seasons. Clemson’s Allen was a contested-catch monster. They are better players than Gindorff but Gindorff wins on blocking. Having taken the pass-catching Kincaid as the upgrade over Tonyan, let’s take the physical Gindorff as something of an approximation to Marcedes Lewis. He caught 44 passes in 53 games but is 6-foot-6 with giant hands so should at least be something more than a liability. He missed most of 2022 with an ankle injury that kept him off the field for Combine workouts.

Also considered: Of the players mentioned under the Hull pick, only Anderson was off the board.

Seventh round: No. 256 – Florida WR Justin Shorter

The Packers lost Allen Lazard’s 230 pounds to the New York Jets. Enter Shorter, who is 6-foot-4 and 229 pounds with 4.55 speed. In time, perhaps he could take over Lazard’s dirty-work role. He caught 29 passes for 577 yards (19.9 average) with zero drops in 2022.

Also considered: Nobody. Of all the players that I considered with the Hull pick early in the seventh round, Shorter was the last man standing.

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It makes sense for the Jets to want to acquire Aaron Rodgers from the #Packers for 2024 draft picks. It makes sense for Green Bay, too. Here are some reasons why.https://t.co/RKtAaprrvT

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) March 27, 2023

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