Packers post-combine and free agency 2018 mock draft roundup
When we first brought you a mock draft roundup it was after the Super Bowl.
My how things change.
The NFL combine and many Pro Days have taken place, with players seeing their stock rise and fall. And free agency began, with numerous players changing teams, including a couple of Packers additions -- and subtractions.
With all those changes, mock picks for the Packers were bound to change. With the draft a little over a month away, we present another round of mock drafts for you to peruse. If we used a mock in our initial edition, we've noted the previous pick(s) by that prognosticator.
Most mocks are one round, but we always find a few that extend beyond the opening round.
Even with the loss of Jordy Nelson and addition of Mo Wilkerson, defense seems to be a popular choice for the Packers in Round 1, although there's hardly a consensus.
Here’s our second roundup of mock drafts from around the web:
Albert Breer of SI.com: Mike Hughes, CB, Central Florida. "Green Bay tipped its hand with the offer sheet for Kyle Fuller—and it totally makes sense. Mike Pettine’s scheme demands man-cover corners. The fast-rising Hughes can be that guy."
Dan Kadar of SB Nation: Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia. "The Packers took a little off the need for a pass rusher because, at least for a season, Muhammad Wilkerson can provide some pressure on the line. That could open Green Bay up to taking Smith if he happens to be available. He’s a three-down linebacker with nearly limitless range." (Previously: Tremaine Edmunds, OLB, Virginia Tech)
Draftek (7 rounds): Round 1 -- Josh Jackson, CB, Iowa; Round 2 -- Christian Kirk, WR, Texas A&M; Round 3 -- Jeff Holland, DE/OLB, Auburn; Round 4a -- Dorance Armstong, DE/OLB, Kansas; Round 4b -- Rashaan Gaulden, CB, Tennessee; Round 5a -- Azeem Victor, ILB, Washington; Round 5b -- Gordon Igwebuike, S, Northwestern; Round 5c -- Conor Sheehy, DL, Wisconsin; Round 6a -- Sam Jones, OG, Arizona State; Round 6b -- Tanner Lee, QB, Nebraska; Round 7a -- Daylon Mack, DL, Texas A&M; Round 7b -- Jordan Atkins, TE, Central Florida. (Previously: Round 1 -- Marcus Davenport, DE, UTSA; Round 2 -- Jaire Alexander, CB, Louisville; Round 3 -- Desmond Harrison, T, West Georgia; Round 4 -- Mike Gesicki, TE, Penn State; Round 5 - Tre'Quan Smith, WR, UCF; Round 6 -- Shaun Dion Hamilton, ILB, Alabama; Round 7a -- Antonio Callaway, WR, Florida; Round 7b -- Scott Pagano, DL, Oregon.)
Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz of USA Today: Mike Hughes, CB, Central Florida. "An unsuccessful bid to pry Kyle Fuller from the rival Bears highlighted Green Bay's desire to repair a precarious outlook at cornerback. At 5-11, 191, Hughes just barely clears the minimum size requirements the Packers have typically demanded at the position, but he thrives with a physical approach."
Dane Brugler of NFL Draft Scout: Josh Jackson, CB, Iowa. "The Packers, who tried to pluck Kyle Fuller from Chicago, have holes on the cornerback depth chart that need addressed. Jackson and his ball-hawking skill-set would be one solution."
Chad Reuter of NFL.com's CFB 24/7 (5 rounds): Round 1 -- Minkah Fitzpatrick, S, Alabama. "Malcolm Jenkins went 14th overall in the 2009 draft when teams weren't sure which position he would play in the secondary. The Packers could be the beneficiaries of similar thinking this year."; Round 2 -- Will Hernandez, OG, UTEP; Round 3 -- Equanimeous St. Brown, WR, Notre Dame; Round 4a -- Fred Warner, LB BYU; Round 4b -- Dante Pettis, WR, Washington; Round 5a -- Kylie Fitts, OLB/DE, Utah; Round 5b -- Chandon Sullivan, CB, Georgia State; Round 5c -- Troy Apke, S, Penn State. (Previously, 3 rounds: Round 1 -- Vita Vea, DT, Washington; Round 2 -- Josh Jackson, CB, Iowa; Round 3 -- Lorenzo Carter, OLB/DE, Georgia.)
Walter Cherepinsky of WalterFootball.com (6 rounds): Round 1 -- Jaire Alexander, CB, Louisville; Round 2 -- D.J. Chark, WR, LSU; Round 3 -- Lorenzo Carter, DE/OLB, Georgia; Round 4a -- Jordan Whitehead, S, Pittsburgh; Round 4b -- Genard Avery, LB, Memphis; Round 5a -- Chukwuma Okorafor, OT, Western Michigan; Round 5b --Colby Gossett, G, Appalachian State; Round 5c --Andrew Brown, DT, Virginia; Round 5d -- Allen Lazad, WR, Iowa State; Round 6a --Brandon Facyson, CB, Virginia Tech; Round 6b -- Darius Phillips, CB, Western Michigan. (Previously: Round 1 -- Tremaine Edmunds, LB, Virginia Tech; Round 2 -- Mark Andrews, TE, Oklahoma; Round 3 -- Sam Beal, CB, Western Michigan; Round 4 -- Martinas Rankin, OT, Mississippi State.)
Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post: Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State. "Green Bay always needs cornerback help and it’ll spend its top pick on one for the second straight year. Maybe that’ll fix the problem."
Bryan Fischer of Athlon Sports: Marcus Davenport, OLB/DE, UTSA. "While Davenport is a little raw, he’s got a ton of upside off the edge. Muhammad Wilkerson signed a short-term deal so the UTSA product could eventually take over there or be a potential long-term replacement for Nick Perry as well."
Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times: Josh Jackson, CB, Iowa. "The Packers’ offer-sheet bid for Bears cornerback Kyle Fuller failed, but they’ll be fine if Jackson, a true ballhawk, is available."
Dan Labbe of Cleveland.com: Courtland Sutton, WR, SMU. "With Jordy Nelson gone, the Packers have a chance to get their hands on one of the better receivers in the draft."
John McClain and Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle: McClain -- Vita Vea, DT, Washington; Wilson -- Marcus Davenport, DE, UTSA.
Rob Rang of NFL Draft Scout: Harold Landry, OLB, Boston College. "With an aging roster that still ranks among the best in the NFC, new general manager Brian Gutekunst may be looking to make a splash with his first selection. Landry’s numbers plummeted in 2017 after ranking among national leaders in sacks, tackles for loss and fumbles as a junior but his burst and bend off the edge is unparalleled in this class — attributes which Gutekunst may find appealing with Clay Matthews, Jr. and Nick Perry each struggling with durability concerns of their own."
Eric Galko of The Sporting News: Harold Landry, DE, Boston College. "Landry had a down 2017 season thanks to injuries and inconsistency, but he is an edge rusher worthy of first-round selection. The Packers can’t rely on Clay Matthews on the perimeter much longer." (Previously: Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State)
Eric Bischoff of NDT Scouting: Josh Jackson, CB, Iowa. "The Packers need a jolt of playmaking in their secondary and Jackson can do just that. He has excellent size for the position and is a true ball hawk displaying great hands."
Chris Trapasso of CBSSports.com: Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame. "With McGlinchey at right tackle and the vastly underrated David Bakhtiari on the left side, the Packers will boast two quality pass-protectors for Aaron Rodgers." (Previously: Will Hernandez, G, UTEP)
Danny Kelly of The Ringer: Jaire Alexander, CB, Louisville. "After trading away Damarious Randall, Green Bay finds itself in the same boat as the Redskins: desperately needing to add talent to a depleted cornerback group—especially with the Vikings adding Kirk Cousins and the Bears adding wide receiver Allen Robinson. Alexander boosted his stock at the combine with an intriguing combination of speed and quickness (he posted a 6.71-second three-cone—13th among all players—and a 3.98-second short shuttle). Paired with the team’s top pick from last year, Kevin King, he would make an impact from day one."
Connor Riley of SEC Country: Josh Jackson, CB, Iowa. "Secondary is still a huge area of need for the Packers. If [Denzel] Ward or Jackson are available, the Packers’ poor secondary would get a nice boost." (Previously: Jackson)
Justin Rogers of the Detroit News: Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State.
Charlie Campbell of WalterFootball.com (4 rounds): Round 1 -- Tremaine Edmunds, OLB, Virginia Tech; Round 2 -- Equanimeous St. Brown, WR, Notre Dame; Round 3 -- Duke Dawson, CB, Florida; Round 4a -- Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, OLB, Oklahoma; Round 4b -- Kameron Kelly, CB, San Diego State. (Previously, 3 rounds: Round 1 -- Edmunds; Round 2 -- Christian Kirk, WR, Texas A&M; Round 3 -- Andrew Brown, DT, Virginia.)
R.J. White of CBSSports.com (2 rounds): Round 1 -- Marcus Davenport, DE, UTSA. "Davenport rushed with his hand off the ground at UTSA, so playing outside linebacker in Green Bay's base set wouldn't be completely foreign to him. His best fit in the NFL might be as a down lineman rushing off the edge, but with NFL defenses playing nickel more than their base sets nowadays, he'd have ample opportunity to do just that even with a 3-4 team. His massive upside is well worth selecting him in the top half of the first round."; Round 2 -- Donte Jackson, CB, LSU.
Wayne Staats of Land of Ten: Josh Jackson, CB, Iowa. (Previously: Jackson)
Bucky Brooks of NFL.com's CFB 24/7: Marcus Davenport, OLB/DE, UTSA. "Disruptive edge rushers with length, athleticism and sack production are always coveted at a premium. The Packers need to find another explosive sack artist to neutralize the quarterbacks in the NFC North." (Previously: Arden Key, OLB/DE, LSU)
Chris Ransom of Draft Utopia (4 rounds): Round 1 -- Josh Jackson, CB, Iowa. "The Packers traded Damarious Randall. Kevin King is not a field cornerback. He covered #2 receivers at Washington while Sidney Jones covered the number one targets so that makes Jones > King. Josh Jackson out of Iowa is a field cornerback that can anchor Green Bay's secondary for years to come and unlike Rollins or King he can cover number one wide receiver targets."; Round 2 -- Lorenzo Carter, OLB, Georgia; Round 3 -- Brian O'Neill, OT, Pittsburgh; Round 4a -- Austin Tate, WR, Florida State; Round 4b -- Oren Burks, ILB, Vanderbilt.
Jason McIntyre of The Big Lead: Mike Hughes, CB, Central Florida.
Jacob Infante of Draft Wire (2 rounds): Round 1 -- Marcus Davenport, OLB/DE, UTSA; Round 2 -- Christian Kirk, WR, Texas A&M.
Ryan Wilson of CBSSports.com: Marcus Davenport, OLB/DE, UTSA.
Tank Williams of Yahoo Sports: Mike Hughes, CB, UCF.
Mark Niemi of The Huddle Report: Marcus Davenport, OLB/DE, UTSA.
Brett Sobleski of Bleacher Report: Jaire Alexander, CB, Louisville. "Green Bay lacks anyone on the roster with Alexander's natural coverage skills or attitude. He's physical and has good ball skills. Alexander may not be the biggest (5'11", 192 lbs) or most polished cornerback, but he's exactly what the Packers need."
Paul M. Banks of The Sports Bank: Josh Jackson, CB, Iowa. (Previously: Da'Ron Payne, DT, Alabama)
D.J. Boyer of Draft Site (7 rounds): Round 1 -- Jaire Alexander, CB, Louisville; Round 2 -- Justin Reid, S, Stanford; Round 3 -- Austin Corbett, OG, Nevada; Round 4a -- Duke Dawson, CB, Florida; Round 4b -- Ian Thomas, TE, Indiana; Round 5a -- Nyheim Hines, RB, North Carolina State; Round 5b -- Fred Warner, OLB, BYU; Round 5c -- Jake Wieneke, WR, South Dakota State; Round 6a -- Kurt Benkert, QB, Virginia; Andrew Ankrah, DE, James Madison; Round 7a -- Ike Boettger, OT, Iowa; Round 7b -- James Hearns, OLB, Louisville.
Mickey McKeon of Mockout: Minkah Fitzpatrick, S, Alabama. (Previously: James Washington, WR, Oklahoma State).
Alex Khvatov of NFL Draft Blitz: Leighton Vander Esch, LB, Boise State.
Dave Heller is the author of Ken Williams: A Slugger in Ruth's Shadow (a Larry Ritter Book Award nominee), Facing Ted Williams - Players From the Golden Age of Baseball Recall the Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived and As Good As It Got: The 1944 St. Louis Browns
