Green Bay Packers Seven-Round Mock Draft 7.0

In our seventh all-Packers mock draft, we traded Aaron Rodgers, gave Jordan Love four new weapons and addressed two big holes on defense.

Bill Huber | Apr 13, 2023

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Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – In 2020, Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst took a shot on a high-upside Big Ten edge defender named Rashan Gary. In 2023, could he hope history repeats itself with Iowa’s Lukas Van Ness?

With exactly two weeks until the start of the 2023 NFL Draft, Van Ness was the pick in our seventh seven-round mock draft. As usual, I played the role of Gutekunst. This time, Pro Football Network’s simulator did the rest.

First round: No. 15 – Iowa edge Lukas Van Ness

Lukas Van Ness (USA Today Sports Images)

Some guys just seem to fit. That’s Van Ness. The Illinois native has the size, athleticism and tools to be Gary 2.0 as a player who needed a bit of time and NFL coaching to maximize his prodigious gifts. If the Packers can ever stop the run, a pass-rushing package of Gary, Preston Smith and Van Ness would play into the hands of a big-play secondary.

Also considered: Northwestern OT Peter Skoronski, USC WR Jordan Addison, Utah TE Dalton Kincaid, Notre Dame TE Michael Mayer.

Off the board: Ohio State OT Paris Johnson, Georgia OT Broderick Jones, Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Clemson edge Myles Murphy.

Second round: No. 42 – Georgia TE Darnell Washington

Darnell Washington (USA Today Sports Images)

This pick was acquired from the Jets in the presumed Aaron Rodgers trade. Quarterback Jordan Love needs some additional weaponry but Packers coach Matt LaFleur wants to run the football. Washington will be an instant asset as a blocker and has the physical tools to blossom into a threat in the passing game.

Also considered: Oregon State TE Luke Musgrave.

Second round: No. 45 – Michigan DT Mazi Smith

Defensive tackle is a huge need with only five players under contract and only three players who’ve ever played in a regular-season game. Smith is big, strong and surprisingly athletic at 323 pounds. Green Bay’s run defense has been as soft as the finest silk for years, which is why he was the pick over Northwestern defensive lineman Adetomiwa Adebawore, who is faster than most running backs and has a predraft visit scheduled.

Also considered: Adebawore, SMU WR Rashee Rice.

Third Round: No. 78 – Mississippi WR Jonathan Mingo

Jonathan Mingo (USA Today Sports Images)

There’s some shades of Eagles star A.J. Brown here. They both played at Ole Miss as “big slot” receivers. Because Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and even Samori Toure played in the slot at times as rookies, the Packers don’t need a slot-exclusive receiver. But a receiver who can play in the slot is important. Mingo is big (220 pounds) and fast (4.46 in the 40), and he can gain yards after the catch and block.

Also considered: Alabama S Jordan Battle, Illinois S Sydney Brown, Michigan State WR Jayden Reed.

Fourth Round: No. 116 – Oklahoma OT Wanya Morris

At 6-foot-5 with 35 1/8-inch arms and 5.10 speed, Morris checks a lot of boxes. He played both tackle spots for the Sooners. In 2022, according to PFF, he allowed two sacks in 576 pass-protecting snaps at right tackle. He’s well-schooled in zone blocking schemes.

Also considered: Texas RB Roschon Johnson, Oklahoma RB Eric Gray, Syracuse RB Sean Tucker, Illinois S/CB Jartavius Martin.

Fifth Round: No. 149 – Miami TE Will Mallory

Robert Tonyan and Marcedes Lewis provided a strong tandem for the Packers. How about Washington and Mallory, given Mallory’s field-stretching ability with his 4.54 speed. Mallory caught 42 passes or 438 yards in 2022, ranking seventh in the draft class in yards per route.

Also considered: Purdue WR Charlie Jones, UCLA QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, LSU S Jay Ward, Oklahoma State S Jason Taylor II, Texas RB Roschon Johnson.

Fifth Round: No. 170 – Purdue WR Charlie Jones

Jones caught 110 passes for 1,361 yards and 12 touchdowns during a monster, breakout season. He didn’t play much from the slot but his feel for the game would make him feel right at home. At 5-foot-11 and with 4.43 speed, he’s not much of a YAC threat but had only three drops.

Also considered: Taylor and Jones were the last men standing from the previous pick. On “need,” I should have gone with a safety with either of these fifth-rounders, but let’s get Love as many credible targets as possible.

Seventh Round: No. 232 – Oklahoma State S Jason Taylor II

Jason Taylor II (USA Today Sports Images)

I thought about skipping Taylor because I don’t believe he’ll be available at this slot. But, it’s Day 3, so who knows who might fall. He had a monster senior year with six interceptions, 13 passes defensed and 99 tackles. At 6-foot, he’s got 4.50 speed and a 43-inch vertical.

Seventh Round: No. 235 – Minnesota S Jordan Howden

Safety is a big need that we failed to address with premium picks. So, let’s double up and hope for the best. A 49-game starter, two of his four career interceptions came in 2022. At 6-foot, he’s got 4.49 speed and a 33.5-inch vertical. Howden had a predraft visit with the packers.

Seventh Round: No. 242 – Northwestern RB Evan Hull

Hull has been a too-frequent seventh-round pick in these mocks. But he’s fast and has a proven history of catching the football, which makes him a good fit at a position in which there’s no guarantee Aaron Jones or AJ Dillon will return in 2024.

Seventh Round: No. 256 – Maryland K Chad Ryland

Ryland made 82.6 percent of his field-goal attempts as a senior with a long of 53 yards. He was 16-of-17 from inside of 50 yards. About 70 percent of his kickoffs resulted in touchbacks. The Packers have only one kicker under contract with career scoring leader Mason Crosby still unsigned.

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Published Apr 13, 2023

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.