PFF Three-Round Mock Draft Replaces Adams with Two Picks

Armed with five picks in the first three rounds, here is how Pro Football Focus attacked the Green Bay Packers' weaknesses.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – You’ve got to feel sorry for the NFL mock drafters. Seemingly every day over the past week, there’s been one bombshell transaction after another. Boom, another mock headed to the trash can.

The latest came on Thursday night, when the Green Bay Packers traded All-Pro receiver Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders. Receiver is always a popular first-round pick for the Packers in mock drafts. Now, it seems like a necessity.

A new three-round mock draft at Pro Football Focus – which is still relevant without any major news on Friday – sends receivers to the Packers in the first and second round.

At No. 22 overall – that was the Raiders’ first-round pick – Mike Renner went with Ohio State’s Chris Olave.

“With Davante Adams' move to Las Vegas, the Packers should invest as much possible in their receiver room. Olave is one of the most pro-ready receivers in this class and should have an immediate positive effect on the passing offense,” Renner wrote.

In four seasons, Olave (6-1, 188) caught 176 passes for 2,711 yards and a school-record 35 touchdowns. His breakout game came as a freshman, when he scored two touchdowns and blocked a punt vs. Michigan. He emerged as a star as a sophomore when he hauled in 12 touchdown receptions, then scored seven times in seven games during the COVID-impacted junior season before recording career highs of 65 receptions for 966 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior.

He possesses decent size (6-0 3/4), speed (4.39 40), route-running and excellent hands.

Ohio State coach Ryan Day went to Mission Hills High School to recruit Olave’s quarterback. Someone needed to catch the passes, so coach Chris Hauser grabbed Olave – who was ineligible to play that season as a transfer student – out of class.

“I was saying, ‘Coach Day, that kid he’s playing catch with is special. I know I can’t prove it yet to you based on tape from last year, but I’m telling you that’s a special young man,’” Hauser told Buckeye Extra.

The Packers took an offensive lineman with their pick at No. 28, a logical selection given the release of three-year starter Billy Turner and two-year starter Lucas Patrick.

In the second round, Renner went with a linebacker and another receiver, Western Michigan’s Skyy Moore. At a shade less than 5-foot-10, Moore probably is only a slot receiver and the Packers have two slots with veteran Randall Cobb and last year’s third-round pick, Amari Rodgers. Tight end Trey McBride of Colorado State, who was still on the board, might have made more sense, given the uncertainty of that position.

Renner gave the Packers another linebacker in the third round. With De’Vondre Campbell re-signed, the Packers don’t need to draft two linebackers. Rather, they need a defensive lineman or pass rusher; Tennessee defensive lineman Matthew Butler went off Renner’s board a few picks later.

Davante Adams and Aaron Rodgers

Here's a look at Davante Adams and Aaron Rodgers, who were brilliant together the past eight seasons, through the lenses of USA Today's Imagn photo service.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) celebrates a touchdown connection with Davante Adams (17) late in the first quarter of their game against San Francisco on Oct. 15, 2018, at Lambeau Field. Adams finished the season with 111 receptions for 1,386 yards and 13 touchdowns. Those all set career highs, and it was his first season of 100 receptions and 1,000 yards. (Dan Powers/USA TODAY)

Nov 25, 2018; Minneapolis, MN, USA;

Adams and Rodgers celebrate a touchdown at the Minnesota Vikings on Nov. 25, 2018. Adams' 13 touchdowns are the most against the Vikings in their history. (Brad Rempel/USA TODAY)

Rodgers and Adams celebrate a touchdown pass together on Dec. 6, 2020, at Lambeau Field. Rodgers became the seventh quarterback in NFL history to throw 400 career touchdown passes. (Dan Powers/USA TODAY)

“Those are fun milestones,” Rodgers said. “I’m not sure how long I’m going to be able to hold on to the second one. There’s some really good young quarterbacks who I’m guessing are amassing some numbers in that vicinity.” (Benny Sieu/USA TODAY)

It marked the seventh consecutive game with a touchdown catch for Adams, tying Hall of Famer Don Hutson’s franchise record. “To be breaking or tying records that have been around for 60-70 years, it’s special, man,” Adams said. “I’m just trying to play ball. I’m just trying to do whatever it takes to win these games.” (Benny Sieu/USA TODAY)

Rodgers and Adams celebrate a touchdown during a victory at Detroit on Dec. 13, 2020. Adams led the NFL with 18 touchdown catches in 2020. (Raj Mehta/USA TODAY)

Arm-in-arm, Rodgers and Adams walk off the field after a fourth-quarter touchdown at Chicago in the 2020 finale. Adams wound up leading the NFL in receptions per game, yards per game and touchdowns per game. Adams' 10 career touchdowns vs. Chicago is only one off the record vs. the Bears, held by Billy Howton and Calvin Johnson. (Dan Powers/USA TODAY)

Adams is the height of fashion as he walks off the field following the Packers' victory over the Lions at Lambeau Field on Sept. 20, 2021. Dan Powers/USA TODAY)

Rodgers and Adams are all smiles after rallying past the Lions in Week 2, a season-altering victory following a dismal Week 1 game vs. New Orleans and a poor first half against Detroit. Adams caught eight passes for 121 yards, one of his eight 100-yard games last season. (Jeff Hanisch/USA TODAY)

Rodgers and Adams embrace after a touchdown against Chicago on Dec. 12. Adams scored two touchdowns in the game. (Benny Sieu/USA TODAY)

Davante Adams caught 10 passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns during that victory over Chicago. (Dan Powers/USA TODAY).

Rodgers and Adams react after a touchdown connection during the Dec. 19 victory at Baltimore. Adams was limited to six receptions for 44 yards against a defense called "17 Bulldog" in which the Ravens at times used three defenders on Adams. “It’s a sign of respect, but it definitely was annoying,” Adams said. “So, hopefully, it doesn’t happen too much moving forward.” (Tommy Gilligan/USA TODAY)

Rodgers and Adams celebrate a second-quarter touchdown against the Cleveland Browns on Christmas at Lambeau Field. Rodgers and Adams connected for their 66th and 67th touchdowns that day, breaking the Rodgers-to-Jordy Nelson record as the most prolific duo in Packers history.

“He’s a fantastic player. He gives you so many great plays during a game,” Rodgers said that night. “On the touchdown to break the record, his was a really freelance route. That’s what makes him so great is his creativity within the system. When I looked over at him on the left, I was almost going to give him a signal to make sure we are on the same page, but something – intuition, whatever – said don’t do it. Just trust it. And he didn’t do what basically is on-the-paper football offense. He lost his guy quickly and they brought empty pressure. He did exactly what I would have wanted to tell him but there wasn’t even a signal that could’ve even come close to the beauty and the creativity of that route. It’s one of those fun moments.”

(Wm. Glasheen/USA TODAY)

“It caught me off-guard when he texted me that the other day,” Adams said a couple days later of Rodgers' words, “because I feel like what we don’t do enough as men in general is express the way we feel about one another or about the way he feels, whether it’s good or bad. So, to hear something like that out of the blue – there was no conversation that led up to it or anything like that, it was just strictly from his heart, something he was thinking about – it means a lot to me as a player.”

(Dan Powers/USA TODAY)

In 2021, Adams set franchise records with 123 receptions for 1,553 yards (12.6 average). Eight of his 11 touchdowns came during the final seven games.

Over the last six seasons, Adams ranks No. 1 among receivers with 581 receptions (31 more than DeAndre Hopkins), 7,192 receiving yards (63 more than Julio Jones) and 69 touchdowns (nine more than Mike Evans).

And now, it's off to Las Vegas, where he will make new memories alongside his former college quarterback, Derek Carr.

(Jeffrey Becker/USA TODAY)