With the NFL combine now in the rear-view mirror and prospects being poked, prodded and interviewed -- and their stock rising, falling or staying put -- it's time again to take a look at who prognosticators have the Green Bay Packers taking in this year's NFL draft.
Since our last roundup, the NFL issued compensatory picks -- however the Packers have none (but it did push their overall picks, starting in the third round).
Will things change even more between now and the draft, which takes place April 25-27? Of course, especially with free agency beginning March 13 and pro days yet to come. Some teams fill holes, others won't. But with players moving up and down draft boards
Because we want the latest information, for this purpose, we used only mocks which came out in the past few days, after the end of the combine. We’ll continue to provide mock draft roundup updates sporadically leading up to the draft.
Not surprisingly, the defensive side of the ball is a popular choice for Green Bay with their initial first-round pick (remember, the Packers have the No. 12 and No. 30 overall selections) -- but not unanimous, of course. A 3-4 defensive end/outside linebacker is a popular choice for the Packers, but there's no consensus on who that player would be. In fact, one player who wasn't even mentioned in our last roundup had the most predictions this time. But there's a long list of players picked for Green Bay with both of its first-rounders.
Note: Some drafts do more than one round (the Packers also have multiple picks in the fourth and sixth rounds). When including a mock we used last time, we've also added the previous prediction so you can see how things changed (or not).
Here’s the second roundup of mock drafts from around the web:
DraftTek (7 rounds): Round 1a -- Montez Sweat, DE/OLB, Mississippi State; Round 1b -- Noah Fant, TE, Iowa; Round 2 -- Jeffrey Simmons, DT, Clemson; Round 3 -- Emanuel Hall, WR, Missouri; Round 4a -- Max Scharping, OT, Northern Illinois; Round 4b -- Sheldrick Redwine, S, Miami (Fla.); Round 5 -- Rodney Anderson, RB, Oklahoma; Round 6a -- Jah'Shawn Johnson, S, Texas Tech; Round 6b -- Tytus Howard, OT, Alabama State; Round 7 -- Chime Edoga, G, USC. Previously: Round 1a -- Deionte Thompson, S, Alabama; Round 1b -- Jaylon Ferguson, DE/OLB, Louisiana Tech; Round 2 -- Kaleb McGary, OT, Washington; Round 3 -- Antoine Wesley, WR, Texas Tech; Round 4a -- Nate Herbig, OG, Stanford; Round 4b -- Zach Gentry, TE, Michigan; Round 5 --Renell Wren, DL, Arizona State; Round 6a -- Porter Gustin, OLB, USC; Round 6b -- Anthony Johnson, WR, Buffalo; Round 7 -- Jonathan Ledbetter, DL, Georgia.
Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com: Round 1a -- Noah Fant, TE, Iowa; Round 1b -- Eric McCoy, OL, Texas A&M, TE, Iowa. Previously: Round 1a -- Clelin Ferrell, DE/OLB; Round 1b -- Fant.
Vinnie Iyer of the Sporting News: Round 1a -- Clelin Ferrell, DE, Clemson. "The Packers kept defensive coordinator Mike Pettine because of his creative 3-4 scheme, and he would find the right ways to use Ferrell off the edge. Ferrell is the best of the Clemson defensive line prospects because his size (6-4, 264 pounds) makes him a good outside run-stopper to add to his explosiveness as a pass-rusher."; Round 1b -- Irv Smith, TE, Alabama. Previously: Round 1a -- Jachai Polite, DE/OLB, Florida; Round 1b -- Noah Fant, TE, Iowa.
John Clayton of the Washington Post: Round 1a -- Clelin Ferrell, DE, Clemson; Round 1b -- Dalton Risner, OT, Kansas State.
Luke Easterling of The Draft Wire (4 rounds): Round 1a -- Montez Sweat, DE/OLB, Mississippi State; Round 1b -- Noah Fant, TE, Iowa; Round 2 -- Taylor Rapp, S, Washington; Round 3 -- Andy Isabella, WR, UMass; Round 4a -- Justice Hill, RB, Oklahoma State; Round 4b-- Blake Cashman, LB, Minnesota. Previously: Round 1a -- Jachai Polite, DE/OLB, Florida; Round 1b -- Mack Wilson, LB, Alabama; Round 2 -- T.J. Hockenson, TE, Iowa; Round 3 -- Jonathan Abram, S, Mississippi State; Round 4a -- Isabella; Round 4b -- Dru Samia, OL, Oklahoma.
Matt Miller of Bleacher Report: Round 1a -- Devin White, LB, LSU. "At No. 12 overall, he'd be a steal for the Green Bay Packers. Edge-rusher is the Packers' biggest need, but they could spend the No. 30 overall pick on a stand-up rusher. The need on the edge only slightly outweighs Green Bay's need at linebacker this offseason. White's speed, instincts and three-down ability are exactly what the Packers lack. "; Round 1b -- Jaylon Ferguson, DE/OLB. Louisiana Tech. Previously: Round 1a -- Brian Burns, DE/OLB, Florida State; Round 1b -- N'Keal Harry, WR, Arizona State.
Walter Cherepinsky of WalterFootball.com (5 rounds): Round 1a -- Clelin Ferrell, DE/OLB, Clemson; Round 1b -- Taylor Rapp, S, Washington; Irv Smith, TE, Alabama; Round 3 -- Michael Jordan, G/C. Ohio State; Round 4a -- Isaiah Buggs, DE/DT. Alabama; Round 4b -- Jamal Davis, LB, Akron; Round 5 --Jordan Brailford, DE/OLB, Oklahoma State. Previously: Round 1 a -- Montez Sweat, DE/OLB, Mississippi State; Round 1b -- Zach Allen, DE/OLB, Boston College; Round 2 -- Jordan; Round 3 -- Jace Sternberger, TE, Texas A&M; Round 4a -- Oshane Ximines, DE/OLB, Old Dominion; Round 4b -- T.J. Edwards, LB, Wisconsin; Round 5 -- Will Harris, S, Boston College.
Tom Fornelli of CBSSports.com: Round 1a -- Montez Sweat, DE/OLB, Mississippi State. "Sweat isn't perfect, but his 4.41 in the 40 turned a lot of heads. What impressed me most, however, was his performance in the three-cone drill and 20-yard shuttle. He showed more athleticism than I expected there."; Round 1b -- (Trade out of first round with Giants).
Todd McShay of ESPN Plus ($): Round 1a -- T.J. Hockenson, TE, Iowa; Round 1b -- Brian Burns, DE/OLB, Florida State. Previously: Round 1a -- Devin White, LB, LSU; Round 1b -- Oshane Ximines, DE/OLB, Old Dominion.
Doug Farrar of the Touchdown Wire: Round 1a -- Rashan Gary, DL, Michigan. "Running a 4.58-second 40 at 6-4 and 277 pounds told the world all it needed to know about Gary’s athleticism. He needs development in the technical areas of his game, but new Packers defensive coordinator Mike Pettine would have a field day lining an athletic freak like Gary all over the defensive front."; Round 1b -- Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, FS, Florida.
Dan Kadar of SB Nation: Round 1a -- Brian Burns, DE/OLB, Florida State. "Burns did enough at the combine to separate himself from some of the other pass rushers Green Bay will consider with the 12th pick. Most importantly was his size, weighing in at 249 pounds and breaking 4.55 seconds in the 40-yard dash. Burns needs to get better against the run, but he’s pro-ready as a pass rusher."; Round 1b -- Chris Lindstrom, G, Boston College. Previously: Round 1a -- Burns; Round 1b -- N'Keal Harry, WR, Arizona State.
Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times: Round 1a -- Clelin Ferrell, DE/OLB, Clemson; Round 1b -- Deionte Thompson, S, Alabama.
Will Brinson of CBSSports.com: Round 1a -- Noah Fant, TE, Iowa. "Pick your poison on whatever Iowa tight end you want to add -- both Fant and Hockensen look like potential monsters. The skillsets might be different, and I'm not sure the Packers will care as much about having the blocker so much as the athletic guy for Aaron Rodgers."; Round 1b: Nasir Adderley, S, Delaware. Previously: Round 1a -- T.J. Hockenson, TE, Iowa; Round 1b: Brian Burns, DE/OLB, Florida State.
Ryan Wilson of CBSSports.com: Round 1a -- Rashan Gary, DE/OLB, Michigan. "Gary busted out a 4.58 40 on Sunday, confirming his status as a freakish athlete among some of the most freakishly athletic players on the planet. Gary played out of position at Michigan and NFL teams are hoping he can be a dominant edge rusher at the next level."; Round 1b -- Noah Fant, TE, Iowa. Previously: Round 1a -- T.J. Hockenson, TE, Iowa; Round 1b -- Deionte Thompson, S, Alabama.
Nate Davis of USA Today: Round 1a -- Montez Sweat, DE/OLB, Mississippi State; Round 1b -- Irv Smith, TE, Alabama.
Bryan Fischer of Athlon Sports: Round 1a -- T.J. Hockenson, TE, Iowa; Round 1b -- Jachai Polite, DE/OLB, Florida.
Charlie Campbell of WalterFootball.com (4 rounds): Round 1a -- Jachai Polite, DE/OLB, Florida; Round 1b -- Taylor Rapp, S, Washington; Round 2 -- Tre Lamar, ILB, Clemson; Round 3 -- Chase Winovich, DE/OLB, Michigan; Round 4a -- Anthony Nelson, DE/OLB, Iowa; Round 4b -- Kaleb McGroy, OT, Washington. Previously (3 rounds): Round 1a -- Polite; Round 1b -- Parris Campbell, WR, Ohio State; Round 2 -- Winovich; Round 3 -- Deionte Thompson, S, Alabama.
Nicklaus Gray of the Tennessean: Round 1a -- Devin White, LB, LSU; Round 1b -- Noah Fant, TE, Iowa.
Zack Rosenblatt of NJ Advance Media (2 rounds): Round 1a -- Clelin Ferrell, DE/OLB, Clemson; Round 1b -- (trade to Arizona); Round 2a -- Dalton Risner, OL, Kansas State (note: pick acquired from Cardinals); Round 2b -- Andy Isaballa, WR, UMass. Previously (1 round): Round 1a -- Risner; Round 1b -- Nasir Adderley, S, Delaware (note: he had Green Bay trading up to No. 25 to make this pick.)
Alex Khvatov of NFL Draft Blitz: Round 1a -- Devin White, LB, LSU; Round 1b -- Chase Winovich, DE/OLB, Michigan.
Forrest N. Long of The Huddle Report: Round 1a -- Clelin Ferrell, DE/OLB, Clemson; Round 1b -- Deandre Baker, CB, Georgia.
Drew Boylhart of The Huddle Report: Round 1a -- DK Metcalf, WR, Mississippi; Round 1b -- Cody Ford, OL, Oklahoma.
Kyle Crabbs of The Draft Network (2 rounds): Round 1a -- Brian Burns, DE/OLB, Florida State. "You'll have a hard time selling me a better match outside the top-10 picks than Burns and Green Bay. The Packers have a budding rusher in Kyler Fackrell but need additional help in the pass rush department. If not for Montez Sweat, we'd all be raving about the work Brian Burns put in over the weekend after he showed up at 249 pounds and ran 4.53 in the 40 and had explosive jumps. Oh, and he's arguably the most polished pass rusher in the class."; Round 1b -- Jonathan Abram, S, Mississippi State; Round 2 -- Michael Deiter, OL, Wisconsin.
Nick Klopsis of Newsday: Round 1a -- Rashan Gary, DE/OLB, Michigan; Round 1b -- Dalton Risner, OL, Kansas State. Previously: Round 1a -- Jachai Polite, DE/OLB, Florida; Round 1b -- Noah Fant, TE, Iowa.
Aaron Kasinitz, Daniel Gallen and Jacob Klinger of PennLive.com: Round 1a -- Devin White, LB, LSU; Round 1b -- Brian Burns, DE/OLB, Florida State.
Don Banks of Patriots.com: Round 1a -- Devin White, LB, LSU. "An inside linebacker doesn’t fill the greatest of needs for the Packers, but White is just too good to overlook, and the Packers do have that No. 30 pick in the first round to land a pass rusher or perhaps a tight end. White’s 4.42 time in the 40-yard dash broke the combine record for a linebacker, and he’s a three-down player who would make early impact in Mike Pettine’s defense."; Round 1b -- Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, S, Florida.
John McClain and Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle: Round 1a -- McClain: Rashan Gary, DE/OLB, Michigan; Wilson: T.J. Hockenson, TE, Iowa; Round 1b -- McClain: Jonathan Abram, S, Mississippi State; Wilson: Erik McCoy, C, Texas A&M. Previously: Round 1a -- McClain: Greedy Williams, CB, LSU; Wilson: Montez Sweat, OLB/DE, Mississippi State; Round 1b -- McClain: Noah Fant, TE, Iowa; Wilson: Nadir Adderley, S, Delaware.
Final tally: First first-round pick (No. 12 overall): In our first roundup only four players were mentioned more than once, with Jachai Polite leading the way with 11 tallies and Montez Sweat four. This time 10 players overall were predicted for Green Bay's initial pick with six receiving multiple votes, led by Clenin Ferrell with six. Sweat again had four mentions while Devin White and Rashan Gary had four, T.J. Hockenson three and Brian Burns two. Second first-round pick (No. 30 overall): Last time six players were mentioned more than once with Noah Fant getting nine predictions and Hockenson four. This time, 16 different players were named with Fant again leading the way, although with just four mentions. Jonathan Abram, Burns, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Eric McCoy, Dalton Risner, Taylor Rapp and Irv Smith each had two.
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
