Packers Cornering Market on Offensive Tackles in Latest Mock Drafts

The latest round of mock drafts have a familiar theme. The experts around the NFL have the Packers either going big, or small with their first-round pick.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Super Bowl will be played on Sunday but, for 30 other NFL teams, the offseason is in full swing.

The Green Bay Packers started their offseason by hiring Jeff Hafley as their defensive coordinator.

There will be more moves. The Packers are still up against it from a salary cap standpoint and likely will rely heavily on the draft to add to their team in hopes to get back to the Super Bowl.

From that perspective, the focus for many NFL mock drafts has mostly been in the secondary.

That makes sense given Brian Gutekunst's comments regarding the need to shore up the secondary at both levels of the defense.

“I think a little bit of that will be determined as we sit down with Jeff and get his vision for what we’re going to do on defense,” Gutekunst said in his postseason media availability. “But we’re going to have to add numbers there, for sure.

“think more and more in the National Football League, those positions — along with the nickel position — are becoming interchangeable positions. You ask a lot of those guys. And I also think you have to have depth because defensive backs get injured and you have to be able to adjust and be able to keep playing high-level football, no matter who’s in there.”

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If a mock draft is not taking a defensive back, they've been focusing on the offensive line, where the Packers could be looking for as many as three new starters if they are not satisfied with Rasheed Walker as the left tackle of the future.

Here is a look at the latest mocks. 

The Draft Wire: Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma

According to Curt Popejoy, Guyton is a huge, powerful blocker that is built to be a strongside tackle in the NFL.

With that line of thinking, the Packers would have an interesting decision to make with Zach Tom. 

Tom was the team's best offensive lineman by almost any measure in 2023. 

If David Bakhtiari were to be released, the Packers could elect to move Tom to left tackle, while putting the massive 6-foot-7, 328-pound Guyton at right tackle to help open holes in the run game.

If Bakhtiari is on the roster when the team starts its 2024 season, it could move Tom to center, a position Gutekunst has said in the past he felt was Tom's best. 

You can read the full mock here. 

CBS Sports: Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia

According to Josh Edwards, the Packers could have a decision to make at left tackle.

That part is known. Mims, like Guyton from the previous mock draft, is massive, measuring in at 6-foot-7 and 340 pounds. 

He started for Georgia last season and was one of the best players on the SEC finalist.

Mims and Guyton would represent a slight departure from the preferences the Packers have typically shown with their offensive tackles.

Both would be the heaviest players they've drafted in the first four rounds with the intention to play at tackle since they took Derek Sherrod in 2011. The only players in the last 30 years the Packers have taken that crossed the 320-pound threshold are Sherrod and Chad Clifton.

Gutekunst has deviated from the typical Packers thresholds before. Perhaps he could do it for a player he thinks is a long-term solution at tackle.

You can read the full mock here. 

NFL.com: Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma

Lance Zierlein has a similar thought process to Curt Popejoy from The Draft Wire.

The Packers' offensive line could use some reinforcements. Perhaps Zach Tom could slide over to left tackle if they do not believe Rasheed Walker is the long-term answer? 

Some of this is contingent on what decision the Packers make with David Bakhtiari. If he's on the roster, that wouldn't preclude the Packers from taking an offensive tackle, but it's hard to envision a scenario in which Guyton would become a preferred starter as a rookie. 

You can read the full mock here. 

SI.com: Cooper DeJean, DB, Iowa

According to Luke Easterling the Packers have a secondary that needs help at both levels. 

DeJean would be a versatile playmaker that could help them at either cornerback position as well as safety.

The Packers have liked dipping into the talent pool at Iowa. Last year, they used their first-round pick on Lukas Van Ness.

DeJean would help at both levels of the defense and on special teams. He excelled as a punt returner at Iowa, where he averaged 11.5 yards per return in 2023. 

One of the best plays of his career did not count but was incredibly impressive.

COOPER DEJEAN! IOWA HAS GONE MAX IOWA AND GETS A PUNT RETURN TD TO LEAD 16-12!!! pic.twitter.com/sAq9NdBa0u

— Sickos Committee (@SickosCommittee) October 21, 2023

DeJean took a punt against Minnesota back for a touchdown that was inexplicably blown dead after it was ruled DeJean signaled for a fair catch. 

Despite the play not counting, that shows the ability DeJean has with the ball in his hands. With Keisean Nixon slated to be a free agent, DeJean could help fill the void that he would leave in the return game. 

You can read the whole mock here.

Packer Central: Ennis Rakestraw Jr., DB, Missouri 

Using the PFF Mock Draft Simulator, I took my spin at trying to fix the Packers' secondary. 

Rakestraw was set to be one of the participants in the Senior Bowl, where the Packers have loaded up on talented prospects in recent years. Some of those players include Christian Watson, Karl Brooks, Jayden Reed, Luke Musgrave and Jordan Love. 

Rakestraw, unfortunately, was unable to participate in the Senior Bowl due to an injury that held him out of the game. 

He's an aggressive corner that would fit well if Jeff Hafley wants to play more man coverage. With Eric Stokes remaining a question mark, the Packers have needs at both the nickel and boundary positions.

Rakestraw would likely play on the boundary if he were to be the one that Gutekunst picks when the Packers are on the clock. 

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