Seven-Round Packers Mock Draft 2.1: Corners, Safeties, Stud Running Back

The second mock draft of the season by Packer Central’s Bill Huber puts a heavy emphasis on the secondary and offensive line with seven total selections.
Seven-Round Packers Mock Draft 2.1: Corners, Safeties, Stud Running Back
Seven-Round Packers Mock Draft 2.1: Corners, Safeties, Stud Running Back /
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GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers need to revamp their secondary, rebuild their offensive line depth and add to their backfield in the 2024 NFL Draft. And that’s just what we did in our second mock draft of the season.

Let’s get after it with the help of the Pro Football Focus simulator. (Here’s our first mock, which was done with the Pro Football Network simulator.) 

This draft is highlighted by a total of nine offensive linemen, cornerbacks, safeties and linebackers as we took advantage of the abundance of young talent in place at quarterback, receiver and tight end.

First Round: Missouri CB Ennis Rakestraw Jr.

One of the top cornerbacks in the draft was still on the board with Rakestraw, who not only can cover but he’ll get after it in the run game. According to PFF, he allowed 18-of-28 passing in 2023. The one knock: His only career interception came in 2022, when he had a career-high 12 passes defensed.

Second Round: Arizona OT Jordan Morgan

I considered Morgan in the first round, so was thrilled to get him at No. 41 in the pick acquired in the Aaron Rodgers trade. He was a three-year starting left tackle in the Pac-12 with two sacks allowed in 2023 and one in 2022. Does he have the physical tools to play left tackle in the NFL? The Scouting Combine measurements will be important, but his Senior Bowl performance was encouraging. If Morgan can’t beat out Rasheed Walker at left tackle, he should be able to find a home somewhere else on the line.

Second Round: USC S Calen Bullock

It was interesting listening to new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley discuss what he’s looking for in a post safety. In a nutshell: Sideline-to-sideline coverage ability and proven playmaking production. The 6-foot-3 Bullock intercepted nine passes in three seasons, including five in 2022. Getting him was a nice consolation prize with Georgia’s Javon Bullard and Washington State’s Jaden Hicks going off the board in the previous five picks.

Third round: Ohio State LB Tommy Eichenberg

If the Packers move on from veteran De’Vondre Campbell, the Packers will need another starting linebacker to join Quay Walker and Isaiah McDuffie in Hafley’s 4-3 scheme. The last three years, the physical Eichenberg delivered 266 tackles, including 21 for losses.

Third Round: Florida State RB Trey Benson

The Packers need an impact running back to keep the offense humming when Aaron Jones is off the field. Benson is coming off back-to-back seasons of more than 900 rushing yards; he caught 20-of-24 passes in 2023. The 220-pounder is a physical runner with big-play ability. Unlike AJ Dillon, the second-round pick in 2020, Benson will enter the NFL without a lot of wear and tear.

Fourth Round: UCLA Edge/DE Grayson Murphy

In two years at UCLA, he recorded back-to-back seasons of five sacks and nine tackles for losses. Run or pass, he produced to take the place of Kingsley Enagbare, who suffered a torn ACL in the playoff win at Dallas, as the fourth man in the rotation.

Fifth Round: Miami G Javion Cohen

In three years as the starting left guard, Cohen allowed one sack, according to PFF. Assuming Jon Runyan leaves in free agency, the Packers will need a guard to challenge Royce Newman as the top backup (if not Sean Rhyan as the starter).

Sixth Round: Temple LB Jordan Magee

If the Packers release Campbell, they’ll not only need another starter but they’ll have to improve the depth chart. Enter Magee, who is coming off back-to-back seasons of 86 tackles, 4.5 sacks and nine tackles for losses in 2022 and 80 tackles, 3.5 sacks and 14 tackles for losses in 2023. He’s athletic and has a nose for the ball.

Sixth Round: Oregon State S Kitan Oladapo

With three veterans headed to free agency, the Packers need to revamp their safety room with more than one draft pick. Oladapo had three interceptions, 22 passes defensed and 12.5 tackles for losses the last three seasons. He’s played deep, in the box and in the slot.

Seventh Round: Wisconsin C Tanor Bortolini

Josh Myers is the only center on the roster and he’ll be a free agent at the end of the season. Bortolini played mostly right tackle in 2021 and mostly guard in 2022 before locking in at center in 2023. He’s played everywhere but left tackle while allowing only three career sacks.

Seventh Round: Tulane CB Jarius Monroe

Picking Carrington Valentine in the seventh round worked last year, so why not try again? Listed at 6-foot-2, Monroe had six interceptions and 18 passes defensed the past two seasons. PFF charged him with a 48.4 percent completion rate in 2023.

Seven-Round Packers Mock Draft 1.1: Starts With Secondary


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Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.