Draft Countdown Seven-Round Mock Shows Second-Round Possibilities

Why be limited to a wide receiver in the first round? In a seven-round mock, the Packers ended up with a receiver and tight end in the second round.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers received first- and second-round draft picks in trading Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders last week.

The Packers’ first-round picks – the Raiders’ slot at No. 22 and Green Bay’s pick at No. 28 – have received a lot of attention, and for obvious reasons. The Packers have a glaring hole at receiver that must be addressed, and they could use talented depth at offensive tackle and outside linebacker with the releases of Billy Turner and Za’Darius Smith.

The strength of the 2022 NFL Draft is its depth, which means Green Bay could be sitting pretty with two second-round selections – the Raiders’ slot at No. 53 and Green Bay’s pick at No. 59.

In a seven-round mock, Draft Countdown’s Shane Hallam addressed receiver and offensive tackle in the first round. What’s interesting is Round 2. At No. 53, the Packers wound up with UCLA tight end . At No. 59, the Packers grabbed North Dakota State receiver Christian Watson.

Dulcich was a big-play threat for the Bruins. He caught 26 passes for 517 yards (19.9 average) and five touchdowns in 2020 and 42 passes for 725 yards (17.3 average) and five touchdowns in 2021. At the Combine, he measured 6-foot-4 and 243 pounds and ran his 40 in 4.70 seconds.

The Packers don’t have an immediate need at tight end. They’ve got all the bases covered with a receiving threat (Robert Tonyan), blocker (Marcedes Lewis) and H-back (Josiah Deguara and Dominique Dafney). But Tonyan and Lewis will be free agents next offseason and Deguara’s skill-set is closer to fullback than traditional tight end.

Watson dominated the FCS level. As a senior, he caught 43 passes for 801 yards (18.6 average) and seven touchdowns. He also contributed as a runner and kickoff returner. Will his production translate to the NFL? Athletically, there’s no reason why that should not be the case because the numbers are elite. At 6-foot-4 and 208 pounds, he ran his 40 in 4.36 seconds with a 38.5-inch vertical jump.

Watson grew up in Tampa, Fla., so has been compared to longtime Buccaneers star Mike Evans.

“He’s definitely a little bit bigger than me. I’m more of a lean receiver,” Watson said at the Scouting Combine. “He’s just a wide receiver that I’ve always enjoyed watching. Him and Julio Jones are the two wide receivers that I’ve always looked up to. Just big receivers, utilize their size and their speed to be dominant at the next level. It’s just taking little things, little bits and pieces, from each one of them obviously being a little bit bigger myself. They’re just two guys I’ve definitely always looked up to.”

After two receivers, a tight end and an offensive tackle to start the draft, the Packers got the edge rusher to join with Preston Smith and Rashan Gary in the third round.

Day 3 of the draft starts with two defensive players.