Packers Focus on Perimeter in NFL.com Three-Round Mock

Chad Reuter's mock draft provided cornerbacks with the first two draft picks.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – There are 79 days until the Green Bay Packers are on the clock with the 29th pick of the 2021 NFL Draft.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers overwhelmed the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl because their pass rushers dominated the Chiefs’ backup offensive tackles. The Packers, with All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari and right tackle Billy Turner, are in good shape up front. The bigger issue against the Buccaneers is having to deal with all of their perimeter weapons. Tom Brady picked on Kevin King and Chandon Sullivan in the NFC Championship Game. With King headed to free agency and no obvious replacement, cornerback is a priority need.

To that end, Chad Reuter’s three-round mock draft at NFL.com looks like a winner.

Round 1: Syracuse cornerback Ifeatu Melifonwu

With the 6-foot-3 King coming off a miserable fourth season with the team, Melifonwu would provide a size-for-size replacement. Listed at 6-foot-3, he had one interception and nine additional passes defensed in 2020. Remember, Tampa Bay’s best receiver is 6-foot-5 Mike Evans. Not only is he big and productive but he was a three-time ACC Honor Roll selection. Like his brother, Obi, a former first-round flop, Ifeatu has rare traits.

Round 2: Washington cornerback Elijah Molden

Molden had a decorated career on the field and academically. In 2020, he was first-team all-Pac-12 and a finalist for the William Campbell Trophy – aka the Academic Heisman. In four games, he had one interception and one additional pass defensed. An all-around menace from the slot, he had 26 tackles. In 12 games in 2019, he had four interceptions, 13 more breakups and 5.5 tackles for losses. He was listed at 5-foot-10; the official measuring tape will be key.

Round 3: Mississippi receiver Elijah Moore

At 5-foot-9 and 184 pounds, Moore’s lack of size might test the Packers’ historic height parameters. He was a first-team All-American in 2020. He dominated from the slot, a position the Packers haven’t properly filled since parting ways with Randall Cobb. In eight games, he caught 86 passes for 1,193 yards and eight touchdowns. He had 10-plus catches in seven games, including 11 for 143 yards vs. Alabama.