Packer Central All-Packers Mock Drafts 10, 11, 12

The first round of the 2022 NFL Draft is almost here. Using three simulators, we show three potential draft hauls for the Green Bay Packers.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The 2022 NFL Draft is just hours away. The Green Bay Packers own a pair of first-round picks in Thursday’s first round, No. 22 and No. 28 overall. For a team coming off three consecutive 13-win seasons, there are needs big and small up and down the roster.

Here are three quick-hitting seven-round mock drafts. I served as general manager Brian Gutekunst; the simulators at Pro Football Network, Pro Football Focus and NFL Mock Draft Database did the rest.

I tried to hit the needs without repeat selections. The third mock is the interesting one because of how the board didn’t align at all with some of the team’s biggest needs.

All-Packers Mock Drafts

From Pro Football Network, Pro Football Focus and NFL Mock Draft Database

Pro Football Network Mock Draft

First Round: USC WR Drake London, Tulsa OT Tyler Smith

USC receiver Drake London falling to No. 22? That seems unlikely but he’d be a great fit given his size, hands and run-after-catch ability. According to Sports Info Solutions, he was third in yards per pass route and 10th in broken tackles per catch. Tulsa offensive tackle Tyler Smith at No. 28? He had a million holding penalties last season but he’s seasoned and athletic. And, in my mind, the list of instant-contributors at offensive tackle ends pretty quickly. As it stands, the Packers have only David Bakhtiari and Yosh Nijman as healthy (presumably) tackles.

Second Round: Texas A&M DT DeMarvin Leal, Oklahoma OLB Nik Bonitto

Defensive line Jerry Montgomery is looking for some juice to add to a defensive line that has only five players under contract. Leal had 8.5 sacks last season. The Packers need a third outside linebacker to join Rashan Gary and Preston Smith. Bonitto had a combined 15 sacks in 2020 and 2021 and six passes defensed in 2019.

Third Round: UCLA TE Greg Dulcich

With Robert Tonyan and Marcedes Lewis playing on expiring contracts, the Packers go back to the third-round tight end well. Add UCLA’s Greg Dulcich to the list alongside Richard Rodgers, Jace Sternberger and Josiah Deguara. Dulcich’s career average is 17.6 yards per reception, with a good chunk of that coming after the catch.

Rounds 4-7: Three Defensive Backs

Fourth round: The Packers need a safety for depth, if nothing else. Enter Baylor’s JT Woods, who used his speed and range to collect six interceptions in 2021. Eight picks later, it’s Tennessee receiver Velus Jones, who has big-time speed to stretch the defense and the size to run through tacklers. His deep-ball skill would complement London’s skill-set.

Fifth round: Arizona State cornerback Chase Lucas provides slot experience and depth behind the top-flight trio of Jaire Alexander, Rasul Douglas and Eric Stokes.

Seventh round: Toledo safety Tycen Anderson, a superb tester, should be an immediate weapon on special teams. Texas Tech’s Dawson Deaton can lay guard or center to fill the Lucas Patrick role. Texas A&M’s Aaron Hansford is a receiver-to-linebacker convert. He’ll potentially challenge Krys Barnes for the starting job.

Pro Football Focus Mock Draft

First Round: Northern Iowa OT Trevor Penning, Georgia WR George Pickens

Penning is a physical, athletic blocker who will compete with Yosh Nijman for the starting job right out of the gate in 2022. He’s got the potential to be a longtime starter. I was hoping Pickens would last until No. 28, and he did. He’s big, tall and blocks. There have been a few character concerns mentioned but he also rehabbed a torn ACL in rapid-fire fashion to get back on the field in 2021 when he could have backed off and gotten ready for the draft.

Second Round: USC edge Drake Jackson, Oklahoma DT Perrion Winfrey

The Packers need productive depth at both spots and get it with Jackson, who had 12.5 sacks during his final two years at USC, and Winfrey, a long-armed, athletic defensive tackle who had 5.5 sacks as a senior.

Third Round: Cincinnati S Bryan Cook

The Packers have zero depth at safety, which explains why Darnell Savage didn’t get a real opportunity in the slot last season. Enter Cook, who has speed to cover deep and the tackling skill to prevent breakaways.

Rounds 4-7

Fourth round: Iowa State’s Charlie Kolar has been one of the most productive tight ends in college the past three seasons. At 6-foot-6 1/2 and good-enough speed (4.62 40), he caught 157 passes with 20 touchdowns the past three years. North Carolina’s Joshua Ezeudu started 20 games at left guard, six games at left guard and two games at right tackle his final three seasons. He was an honorable mention on the All-American team in 2021, when he started seven times at left guard and four times at left tackle.

Fifth round: Fayetteville State CB Joshua Williams is almost 6-foot-3 and has 4.51 speed. He dominated the Division II ranks. I wanted a slot but there’s just not many of them in this draft. At least the addition of Cook means Savage could provide slot depth.

Seventh round: With Kylin Hill coming off a torn ACL and Aaron Jones perhaps entering his final season, the Packers need a running back. They just don’t need one early. Enter LSU’s Tyrion Davis-Price, who will come to Green Bay as a ready-made pass protector. Indiana receiver Ty Fryfogle was a third-team All-American in 2020. His draft stock plummeted after dropping too many passes in 2021. Colorado linebacker Carson Wells is a do-it-all outside linebacker in the mode of a smaller Kyler Fackrell. He had 10 sacks and 10 passes defensed his final two seasons.

NFL Mock Draft Database Mock Draft

First Round: Georgia DT Devonte Wyatt, Minnesota edge Boye Mafe

No. 22 was a tough one. All the top receivers, offensive tackles and edge defenders were off the board. I already drafted George Pickens in the first round of another draft, and I just don’t love Jahan Dotson as a perimeter receiver with Randall Cobb and Amari Rodgers already manning the slot. I could go Boston College guard Zion Johnson here, but that doesn’t solve the Week 1 problem of having only two healthy offensive tackles. So, it’s Wyatt, who certainly brings the twitch and third-down pass-rushing game that position coach Jerry Montgomery is looking for. At No. 28, it’s Mafe, who is straight out of Central Casting at 6-foot-4 and with 4.53 speed. Betting on traits worked pretty well with Rashan Gary a few years ago. Now, it’s time to load up on offense. Or try, anyway.

Second Round: South Alabama WR Jalen Tolbert, Washington State OT Abraham Lucas

Tolbert has the deep speed that coach Matt LaFleur is looking for. He also dropped too many passes, but the Packers will cast their lot in Tolbert to carry on the team’s second-round receiver tradition. I thought about doubling up with Cincinnati’s Alec Pierce but I bet that the offensive line group would be wiped out before the receiver group. So, I took Lucas, the pass-protecting right tackle from Washington State.

Third Round: Virginia TE Jelani Woods

I bet on the receiver group holding firm but I was wrong. Woods is a pretty good consolation prize. He’s a block-first tight end who showed in his one season at Virginia that he can be a legit threat in the passing game.

Rounds 4-7: Chasing Receivers

Fourth round: If the receivers went off the board in a real draft like they did in this mock, you might sacrifice a pick to move up. But I held back just to see how it would play out. At No. 132, the pick was Iowa safety Dane Belton, who saw a lot of action in the slot for the Hawkeyes. So, that’s a kill-two-birds-with-one-stone selection. With the second pick of the round, I took Texas Tech receiver Erik Ezukanma. This might be a bit early but he had three consecutive seasons of 40-plus catches and will block.

Fifth round: I thought about taking Pitt cornerback Damarri Mathis in the fourth round to provide depth at corner and an option in the slot. He was here in the fifth so I grabbed him. He is super-athletic and made some plays on the ball in his two years as a starter.

Seventh round: It wouldn’t be a Packers draft without a late shot on a versatile blocker. Enter San Diego State’s Zach Thomas, who is athletic and started games at both tackle spots but perhaps projects best to guard. Up next, it was Louisiana safety Percy Butler, who broke 4.40 in the 40 and has a lot of experience on special teams. And finally, it was Kansas linebacker Kyron Johnson. He is too small for edge duty, which was his role with the Jayhawks, but you might as well bet on 4.40 in the 40 and four forced fumbles as a senior.