Seven-Round Packers Mock Draft 2.0: Finally, a First-Round Receiver

The Green Bay Packers have used their first-round draft pick on a receiver in two decades. Incredible as it sounds, here’s why this year could be the year.

Every week from now until the end of April, we will be performing our own mock drafts to simulate how Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst could attack his perceived needs to help augment a roster that reached the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.

We used the Pro Football Network Simulator for this mock draft after using the Pro Football Focus simulator last week.

Here is how things shook out.

Round 1, Pick 25: Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU

Yes, the one year you think the Packers do not need a receiver is the year that they pick one in the first round.

In this case, the reality was that all of the defensive backs worth taking in the first round were off the board, and the offensive tackle class was a little underwhelming, as well.

Perhaps Gutekunst will see a situation like that and take a shot at a luxury pick in the first round.

Thomas shares a lot of the same traits as Christian Watson.

He's big, listed at 6-foot-4, and can run. He was a big-play machine for an LSU offense that saw Jayden Daniels win the Heisman Trophy. He has a nose for the end zone, with 24 touchdowns in his collegiate career.

One potential criticism about the Packers' receiver room is they do not have a player who can take the top off an opposing defense when Watson is not in the lineup.

Watson is visiting with specialists in hopes of figuring out the hamstring issues that plagued him in 2023, but an insurance policy is never a bad thing.

The Packers did not have an insurance policy for Marquez Valdes-Scantling when he was in Green Bay, and the offense was limited as a result. Thomas adds another dangerous player to the offense as the Packers continue to build around Jordan Love.

NFL Scouting Combine Preview: Wide Receivers

Round 2, Pick 41: Darius Robinson, Edge, Missouri

If the Packers loved Lukas Van Ness, they're likely to love Robinson.

Robinson was one of the stars of the Senior Bowl. He measured in at 6-foot-5 and 286 pounds with 34 3/4-inch arms.

As a fifth-year senior, Robinson dominated with 8.5 sacks and 14 tackles for losses. According to PFF, Robinson generated 42 pressures.

Pass rusher is not looked at as a primary need for Green Bay, but they could certainly use one. Preston Smith will turn 32 in November. Rashan Gary is one of the team's cornerstone players and Van Ness is a developing player, but Kingsley Enagbare suffered a torn ACL in the playoffs and Brenton Cox as a relative unknown.

With the way the Packers have typically liked to rotate their pass rushers, they could use a little more juice. At his size, he should contribute on the edge as well as inside on passing downs.

Missouri DL Darius Robinson with a sack vs UGA Xavier Truss (2nd team All SEC)#NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/WDJYMx6jV9

— Matt Owen (@ProfessorO_NFL) February 19, 2024

Round 2, Pick 58: Edgerrin Cooper, LB, Texas A&M

Speaking of juice in the front seven, Cooper would add some athleticism to the Packers' linebacker room that must get stronger with the switch to a 4-3 alignment.

Quay Walker improved from his rookie season but remains inconsistent. De'Vondre Campbell's future with the team is up in the air. Isaiah McDuffie has some experience playing for new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, but has struggled with injuries whenever he's seen any extended action.

That brings us to Cooper, who has been compared to Walker, the 22nd pick of the 2022 draft and the first linebacker off the board. In this simulation, they did not have to do that to find a similar player, but Cooper would bring more athleticism to a linebacker room that is in need of it.

Round 3, Pick 88: Javon Bullard, S, Georgia

The safety position is probably the biggest sore spot for Gutekunst at the moment.

None of his primary contributors from last season are under contract. Only seventh-round rookie Anthony Johnson saw significant action from the returning group.

In 2023, Bullard had two interceptions and five passes defensed. Those two interceptions would have tied for the team lead in Green Bay. According to Pro Football Focus, Bullard allowed a 34.0 passer rating in 2023. It gave him an astonishing 88.4 coverage grade. Plus, he had seven tackles for losses in 2022.

Bullard will need to clean up his tackling skills, as those can come and go. He missed seven tackles in his final season for the Bulldogs.

Round 3, Pick 91: Jaylen Wright, RB, Tennessee

The feeling here is Wright is going to be a popular selection for Green Bay in these simulations.

He's a difference-maker in the backfield, and the Packers have a need for one of those.

Wright caught 22 of 25 passes a season ago and is lightning fast, so he could inject some much-needed athleticism into Green Bay's backfield that could lose AJ Dillon this offseason.

Combine his speed with his tackle-breaking ability, and Wright is a big play waiting to happen.

Tennessee RB Jaylen Wright has the speed needed to make a big play at anytime. Former track and field star in high school. His PR times:

- 55m dash: 6.29 seconds
- 100m dash: 10.85 seconds
- 200m dash: 21.98 seconds

Testing will be huge for him at the Scouting Combine. pic.twitter.com/cQ8KO9AxX9

— Russell Brown (@RussNFLDraft) February 17, 2024

Round 4, Pick 126: Zak Zinter, OG, Michigan

The "product of the trenches" tattoo on Zinter's right arm is not just for show. It's a mindset.

Zinter is an offensive lineman's offensive lineman.

His big, bruising presence helped lead Michigan to three straight Big Ten championships and culminated in a national championship in his final season.

If not for a gruesome leg injury suffered against Ohio State, Zinter might not have been available in this spot, but since he was, if the Packers are comfortable with his medical reports, he could be a strong consideration to play on the interior, where the Packers could be looking for a new starter with right guard Jon Runyan headed to free agency.

Rounds 5-7: Includes Cornerback, Running back

Quinton Newsome, CB, Nebraska; Sione Vaki, S, Utah; Rasheen Ali, RB, Marshall; Ben Sinnott, TE, Kansas State; Josh DeBerry, CB, Texas A&M.

With the inability to get a cornerback early in the draft, I went the route Gutekunst typically has in the past where he doubles up at certain positions. Instead of taking a cornerback early, I was able to take two on the third day of the draft in hopes one of them was a diamond in the rough.

Newsome broke up 10 passes in 2022 and had his lone interception in 2023. DeBerry had two interceptions and nine passes defensed in 2023 after recording four interceptions in four seasons with Hafley at Boston College.

The other interesting pick in this group is Marshall's Rasheen Ali. Ali could bring some juice to Green Bay's backfield but struggled with injuries during his college career. In 2023, he rushed for 1,135 yards and caught 28 passes. If he's healthy, he's a good fit for coach Matt LaFleur's wide-zone scheme.

What Worked?

The first two picks might be seen as a luxury, but Thomas is ranked in the top-15 of Dane Brugler's draft rankings for The Athletic. 

Offense is at a premium in today's NFL and a team can never have too many playmakers. Plus an insurance policy for Christian Watson's speed that he brings to the offense cannot be a bad thing, either.

Robinson and Cooper are high-upside players who could be stars in the right defense. They can help transform Green Bay's front seven, which is in need of more consistency. 

Wright is a playmaker, and the Packers need at least one new running back to emerge from this offseason as the heir apparent to Aaron Jones. 

What Didn't Work?

I was not able to take a cornerback until later in the draft. If this is the way the draft played out, Gutekunst would be banking on health and big jumps from Carrington Valentine and Eric Stokes. 

In addition, there were no offensive tackles that fell to a spot that made sense to add, so development from Caleb Jones or Luke Tenuta to become the team's swing tackle assuming they move on from David Bakhtiari and do not re-sign Yosh Nijman. 

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