With free agency settling down and the Green Bay Packers likely having already made all of their major offseason moves, attention now turns to what the first round holds for the Green and Gold. Let’s see what the experts predict the Packers will do in the first round of the draft.
Matt Miller (ESPN+)
Kelvin Banks Jr., OT, Texas
The Packers are entering the last year of Rasheed Walker‘s contract, and rumors around the league have Green Bay drafting a tackle early. Banks was a three-year starter for the Longhorns at left tackle and allowed only one sack per season. He checks the size boxes (6’5”, 315 lbs., 33½” arms) and started 42 games in college.
That profile suggests he should be off the board by now, but concerns about his play power have teams saying Banks could slide. He’s a poised pass protector and has held up against top-level college competition, but he might be better as a run blocker because of his hands and athletic movement. I’m higher on Banks than the league — he’s in my overall top 10 — and this would be a steal for the Packers at this spot.
Miller has the Packers bolstering their offensive line by adding Banks to their front five. After taking Jordan Morgan in the first round last year and the big-money addition of Aaron Banks, it’s clear Green Bay’s front office has prioritized keeping Jordan Love protected. Bringing in Banks would allow the Packers to move on from Walker and keep Elgton Jenkins.
Mike Tannenbaum (ESPN+)
Shavon Revel Jr., CB, East Carolina
The Packers added Nate Hobbs in free agency, but there is still uncertainty around Jaire Alexander, so they have a question mark at cornerback. Revel played only three games in 2024 before tearing his left ACL, but he had two interceptions in those games. He has great length, is physical in run support, has excellent change-of-direction traits in man coverage and shows great instincts in zone. It sounds like Revel should be ready to go by training camp, so I’m still taking him in Round 1.
By adding Nate Hobbs, the Packers have already solidified one part of their secondary, but they still have a couple of questions. What will be the outcome of the Jaire Alexander saga? Even if he is on the team, how many games will he be able to play?
Adding a high-level cornerback like Revel would add depth to a room ravaged by injuries over the past two seasons. Still, it would allow the Packers to finally have a potential Alexander successor.
Bucky Brooks (NFL Network)
Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
If the Packers move on from CB Jaire Alexander, this Michigan product would give defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley a plug-and-play option on the perimeter.
Another draft analyst who has the Packers selecting a cornerback in Round 1, Brooks also asks questions about the plan with Alexander. If Green Bay moves on from Alexander, Will Johnson is one of the better cornerbacks in this class who likely slips in this mock draft due to injuries that saw him miss time last season.
Josh Edwards (CBS)
Walter Nolen, DT, Ole Miss
Odds are good that Green Bay will use its first-round pick on the defensive side of the ball, and the defensive line is a good place to start in the wake of T.J. Slaton‘s departure.
Edwards has the Packers going in a different direction, adding pass rush from the interior in Nolen. During the Philadelphia Eagles’ postseason run, teams saw just how vital getting pressure from the interior can be. Green Bay could replicate that by adding a high-level defensive tackle in Nolen.
Chris Trapasso (CBS)
Jayden Higgins, WR, Iowa State
The Packers emphasize high-caliber athletes early in the draft, and Higgins is precisely that. He can run the full route tree from the X position.
With Christian Watson’s injury likely sidelining him for at least the first half of the season, combined with the fact that nobody has claimed the outright WR1 spot in the offense, Trapasso has the Packers selecting their first wide receiver in the first round in over two decades. While this might be wishful thinking, adding another capable pass catcher to the receiver room would be wise.
