Mock Draft Roundup 7.0: No Receivers in Bucky Brooks’ Final Mock

Elsewhere, Arkansas receiver Treylon Burks continues to get a lot of love in the final mocks before the 2022 NFL Draft.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Poor Elon Musk. He just spent $44 billion on Twitter. And it would all go up in flames if the Green Bay Packers don’t pick a receiver in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

In his final mock draft for NFL.com, Bucky Brooks took an offensive lineman and linebacker with the two picks in the first round. At No. 22, the pick was Central Michigan offensive tackle Bernhard Raimann, who would take care of the need at right tackle.

Wrote Brooks: “The Packers are not afraid to invest top picks in their offensive line. As a former tight end-turned-offensive tackle, Raimann is a nimble athlete with the balance and body control to handle athletic rushers on the edges.”

The Big 5 group of receivers – Ohio State’s Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave, Alabama’s Jameson Williams, USC’s Drake London and Arkansas’ Treylon Burks – went inside the Top 20. At No. 28, Brooks could have gone with Georgia receiver George Pickens. Instead, he took a different player from Georgia.

Sports Illustrated, One Round

In his fifth mock for Sports Illustrated, SI.com’s Albert Breer took a linebacker at No. 22. Paired with All-Pro De’Vondre Campbell, the Packers might have a tandem on par with the Tampa Bay duo of Lavonte David and Devin White, who wrecked them in the 2020 NFC Championship Game.

At No. 28, Breer gave the Packers a receiver. That’s Arkansas’ Treylon Burks, who might not be a polished receiver but is instant offense in the quick game because of his 225 pounds of YAC ability. Wrote Breer: “The Packers catch a slipping playmaker, who is a super-sized slot his next team will have to have a plan for. I have confidence Matt LaFleur is creative enough to get the most out of him.”

Pro Football Network, One Round

Pro Football Network’s James Fragoza gave the Packers a receiver and a linebacker in his first-round mock draft.

The receiver was Georgia’s George Pickens, who was taken at No. 22. Fragoza wisely noted Pickens’ blocking ability as why he’d fit for coach Matt LaFleur

“George Pickens is far from a first-round lock, but he fits exactly what the Packers want from their WRs. He is young, can run block, and meets their size threshold. Had it not been for a torn ACL keeping him off the field for much of 2021, we would likely be talking about Pickens as possibly the WR1. His ability at the catch point and to create late-stage separation is top-tier.”

At No. 28, the pick was a linebacker who will turn 24 in September. Age is something GM Brian Gutekunst addressed on Monday.

L.A. Times Beat Writers Mock, One Round

Los Angeles Times writer Sam Farmer conducted a beat writers mock. With the Green Bay Press-Gazette’s Pete Dougherty doing the picking, the Packers wound up with Arkansas receiver Treylon Burks at No. 22 and a linebacker at No. 28. Of Burks, Dougherty wrote: “The Packers have to rebuild their receiving corps after trading Davante Adams, and Burks has the size and strength GM Brian Gutekunst covets at that position.”

SI.com/Fan Nation Beat Writers Mock, One Round

This was our draft. I took two guys named George.

SI.com, Two Rounds

Zack Patraw from SI.com’s NFL Draft Bible conducted a two-round mock. Patraw took care of the receiver right away, with USC’s Drake London falling in their lap at No. 22.

Patraw provided the scouting report on the towering London: “Excellent concentration in traffic and over the middle of the field to keep his eye on the ball throughout the catch process. He is aware of where the space is in the defense to attack the holes. Sudden footwork at the top of his routes to keep defenders a step or two off of him. Can operate at all levels of the field. Great sideline awareness to understand where is on the field at all times, secure the catch and get his feet in bounds consistently.”

The Packers got a penetrating defensive lineman at No. 28.

Michigan Live, One Round

For a view from within the division, here’s Kyle Meinke, the Lions beat writer for MLive.com. The No. 22 pick was used on a receiver. The 28th pick was the interesting one. He stayed in-his-state with Michigan edge defender David Ojabo.

A one-year wonder if there ever was one, Ojabo redshirted in 2019, had one tackle in 2020 and 11 sacks, 12 TFLs and five forced fumbles in 2021. In PFF’s pass-rushing productivity, he ranked 11th out of 112 edge defenders.

He would have been a slam-dunk top-20 pick if not for the torn Achilles suffered on a pro day. Some team is going to take Ojabo. Why not a team with four picks in the first two rounds?

CBS Sports, Two Rounds

CBS’s Ryan Wilson conducted a “what teams should do” mock draft. At No. 22, it was another vote for Arkansas receiver Treylon Burks. Explained Wilson: “Burks is a contested and high-point catch machine. Don't be fooled by his 4.55 40 at the combine -- he regularly outran defensive backs to the end zone in the SEC and that won't change in the NFL. The scariest part of his game is that he's not even close to his ceiling yet, and what better way to get there than in Green Bay. He reminds us of some combination of Anquan Boldin, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Deebo Samuel.”

At No. 28, it was a linebacker – but not the same one from a couple earlier mocks.

Wilson added another receiver in the second round with Alabama’s Jalen Tolbert, who would add the speed element the Packers lost when Marquez Valdes-Scantling joined the Chiefs.