Packer Central

Seven-Round Packers Mock Draft After Week 1 of Free Agency: First-Round Receiver

With the Green Bay Packers striking out in free agency, our latest seven-round Packers mock draft starts with a receiver in the first round and defensive linemen in Day 2.

Bill Huber

Texas Longhorns wide receiver Matthew Golden
Texas Longhorns wide receiver Matthew Golden / Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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GREEN BAY, Wis. – Will this be the year the Green Bay Packers draft a receiver in the first round?

Don’t laugh.

The Packers haven’t done it since 2002 – generally for good reason. This year, there is good reason to make it happen, which is why we sent Texas receiver Matthew Golden to the Packers in the first round of our latest NFL mock draft.

Green Bay’s receiver corps underperformed in 2024 and will be weaker to start 2025 following Christian Watson’s torn ACL. Surely, general manager Brian Gutekunst understands the reality.

The price was too rich to get the two coveted veterans. From Green Bay’s perspective, Davante Adams was too old and expensive and signed with the Rams and DK Metcalf cost too much in terms of draft capital and contract and was traded to the Steelers. Cooper Kupp, who signed with Seattle, would have been a nice addition, but would he have really moved the needle?

This year’s draft class isn’t as bad as free agency, but it’s not great, either, especially compared to past years. If the Packers don’t take a receiver in the first round, they could get shut out in the second.

First Round: Texas WR Matthew Golden

With Ohio State receiver Emeka Egbuka and with edge rushers Mykel Williams, James Pearce and Shemar Stewart off the board, the choice was Golden or Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon.

Harmon is a Packers-style draft pick. He’s got all the traits – 6-foot-4 1/2, 313 pounds, 34 3/8-inch arms and 4.97 speed in the 40. He’s got production, too, in a big-time league with five sacks and 11 tackles for losses. No defensive tackle in FBS had as many pressures as Harmon, and it wasn’t close. Harmon had 55; nobody else had more 44.

Plus, with starting defensive tackle TJ Slaton signing with the Bengals in free agency, the Packers are a man down at a key position. This would be need meeting talent.

Taking Texas receiver Matthew Golden would be need meeting talent, as well. The need is immediate, with Christian Watson having the game-breaking speed of the unit. So does Golden, the second-fastest player at the Scouting Combine with a 4.29 in the 40. There’s also the future need, with Watson and Romeo Doubs entering their final season under contract.

Golden caught 58 passes for 987 yards (17.0 average) and nine touchdowns. According to Pro Football Focus, he caught 13-of-22 passes thrown 20-plus yards downfield – his 59.1 percent success rate ranking third among receivers in the draft class with 12-plus targets.

Can the Packers function without another first-round pick added to the defensive line? Yes. Can the offense function without a legit deep threat? It couldn’t last year.

Second Round: Ohio State edge Jack Sawyer

This is a mock draft. It has very little basis in reality. But, for what it’s worth, Stanford’s Elic Ayomanor, TCU’s Jack Bech and Iowa State’s Jayden Higgins, the next tier of receivers after first-rounders Egbuka, Golden and Luther Burden, went between No. 35 and No. 40.

At No. 54, the pick was Ohio State Jack Sawyer, who would give the Packers another physical pass-rushing presence. He had 15.5 sacks, 19 tackles for losses and five forced fumbles the last two seasons.

Ohio State DE Jack Sawyer races for a touchdown after a sack and strip against Texas.
Ohio State DE Jack Sawyer races for a touchdown after a sack and strip against Texas. / Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Arkansas’ Landon Jackson, Ole Miss’ Princely Umanmielen, LSU’s Bradyn Swinson and Ohio State’s JT Tuimoloau were off the board, making Sawyer and South Carolina’s Kyle Kennard the last men standing in that group. Sawyer had 64 pressures, according to PFF, which was only four behind the FBS leader.

Two corners, Iowa State’s Darien Porter, a size-speed freak with a scant resume, and Notre Dame’s Benjamin Morrison were on the board.

Third Round: Kentucky DT Deone Walker

TJ Slaton was the big man on Green Bay’s defensive line. Deone Walker would be the big addition. Actually, he’d be a giant addition. He’s 6-foot-7 3/8 and 331 pounds but has significantly below-average athleticism. He had 7.5 sacks and 13 tackles for losses in 2023 but just 1.5 sacks and five TFLs in 2024.

Fourth Round: Cal CB Nohl Williams

After three seasons at UNLV, Nohl Williams transferred to Cal in 2023. In 2024, he led the nation with seven interceptions to earn first-team All-American honors.

Nohl Williams had seven interceptions in 2024 and averaged 24.1 yards per kickoff return during his career.
Nohl Williams had seven interceptions in 2024 and averaged 24.1 yards per kickoff return during his career. / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

According to PFF, he allowed a 47.7 percent catch rate with a 40.1 passer rating and just three penalties. He’s got excellent size (6-foot 3/8) and good-enough speed (4.50). That’s better than LSU’s Zy Alexander, who has excellent size, too (6-1 3/8), but was slower (4.56).

Fifth Round: Kansas OT Logan Brown

Logan Brown’s time at Wisconsin didn’t end well – he “was dismissed from our program,” then-Badgers interim coach Jim Leonhard said – but his college career did. He was second-team all-conference during his lone season at Kansas. PFF charged him with zero sacks and just six pressures allowed.

His physical tools are excellent with a 9.45 RAS.

Sixth Round: Boston College DT Cam Horsley

Cam Horsley played almost 2,300 snaps in five years at Boston College, with the first four seasons with Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. He started 46 career games and was third-team all-ACC in 2024 with 42 tackles, including seven for losses. While he had only 3.5 sacks in 59 games, run defense is his calling card.

Seventh Round: Oregon State G Joshua Gray

Joshua Gray has a ton of experience (56 starts) and athleticism (9.56 RAS). The last five seasons, he played 3,799 total snaps. He allowed just seven sacks. After four seasons at left tackle, he moved to left guard in 2024 and allowed one sack and seven total pressures, according to PFF.

Seventh Round: Georgia LB Smael Mondon

With Eric Wilson signing with the Vikings, the Packers are a man down at linebacker. It’s not a huge need, as it moves last year’s third-round pick, Ty’Ron Hopper, up a peg, but linebackers should be assets on special teams.

Smael Mondon had quality production his last three seasons with 76 tackles in 2022, 68 in 2023 and 57 in 2024. He has some intriguing production with eight sacks and 17.5 tackles for losses in his career and three passes defensed in 2024. He’s a bit small (6-foot-2 1/4, 224 pounds) but has all sorts of athleticism.

What We Liked

Getting a difference-making receiver able to contribute immediately is critical. Could Amari Cooper help? Of course. Could Stefon Diggs make an impact once he’s beyond his torn ACL? Probably.

But they aren’t No. 1 receivers anymore. Matthew Golden could be. At the very least, his deep-threat ability will help everyone else. Green Bay’s offense really went in the tank without Watson at the end of last season. Golden would help everyone.

Jack Sawyer would be a great addition at defensive end. His size and strength would fit right in, with the Packers’ putting such importance on their ends setting the edge. Doubling up doubles the chances of finding an impact defensive lineman.

Of the eight picks, five were used in the trenches.

What We Didn’t Like

It’s unavoidable: The Packers have more needs than premium picks to fill them. With Rasheed Walker and Zach Tom scheduled to be free agents next offseason and no real idea if last year’s first-round pick, Jordan Morgan, can be a starting-level tackle, it’s not ideal that the only offensive tackle selected was Logan Brown, who got tossed out of Wisconsin.

Certainly, an argument could have been made for picking North Dakota State’s Grey Zabel or Oregon’s Josh Conerly in the first round, Minnesota’s Aireontae Ersery in the second round or Morgan’s former Arizona teammate, Jonah Savaiinaea, or William & Mary’s Charles Grant in the third round.

Even with Nate Hobbs signed in free agency, the Packers might need more than one rookie. 

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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.