This is my 16th year putting together a seven-round mock draft for the Green Bay Packers, and I have yet to hit on their Day 1 pick. I seem to get one guy right most years (Romeo Doubs and Kitan Oladapo most recently), but Gutey always finds a way to surprise me on opening night.
I’m less certain than usual this year. I think there are six guys on their board who are projected to be gone, but if one of them falls to them, I think they’ll scoop him up.
Those six guys: Edge rushers Mykel Williams and Shemar Stewart, CBs Jahdae Barron and Will Johnson, and WRs Tet McMillan and Matthew Golden.
Assuming those guys are all off the board, I think the Packers would be happy to slide down a handful of spots and add a Day 2 pick in the process. I think they could choose a D-lineman like Walter Nolen or Kenneth Grant, or a CB like Trey Amos or Maxwell Hairston.
Then there’s edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku, who played under Jeff Hafley for three years and led the nation in sacks last year. Problem is, he’s more suited for a 3-4 scheme.
If they stick at 23 though, I think they’ll pick a guy who will have the thousands of Cheeseheads on hand reaching down to pick up their jaws off the ground.
1 (23) Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State
The streak is over!
The Packers draft a wide receiver in the first round for the first time in 23 years. Conventional wisdom says the team will wait till Friday to find another target for Jordan Love, but the Pack can’t pass on Egbuka, one of three receivers to stop in Green Bay for a top 30 visit.
Egbuka may not have the ceiling his fellow first-round Buckeyes from the last few years have (Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, Jaxon-Smith Njigba, and Marvin Harrison), but he’s exactly the type of player the team loves.
No receiver in Ohio State history caught more passes than Egbuka, who’s played second fiddle in college, first to Harrison and then to super freshman Jeremiah Smith.
Many scouts believe that will be his role in the NFL: as a very solid No. 2 guy. Still, I think his upside is higher. While he looks like the ideal slot receiver, he also has the skills to play outside. Love will be expected to take a big step forward in his third year as a starter. Egbuka will help him get there.
2 (54) Nic Scourton, Edge, Texas A&M
Taking an Aggie defender in the second round (Edgerrin Cooper) worked well for the Pack last year. The former Big Ten sack leader at Purdue would give the Pack another piece for Hafley to play with up front; he has a great motor and strong run-stopping skills for an edge defender.
He added 20 lbs. last season, and his sack numbers plummeted, but he was at his ’23 weight at the combine. Scourton is relentless and has a diverse bag of tricks that have made him difficult to block at the college level. His presence will get Lukas Van Ness’ attention and should make for a more competitive defensive end room.
3 (87) Nohl Williams, CB, Cal
The Packers haven’t drafted a corner in the first two days of the draft since taking Eric Stokes in 2021, but this figures to be the year they pounce. If you ask me who I would most like Green Bay to draft first on Thursday, I’d go with Michigan CB Will Johnson. Since I think he’ll be gone, the Pack waits till Friday to address the secondary, and they love the ball-hawking skills Williams displayed at Cal.
He led the FBS with seven picks, was a second-team All-American, and can compete with Mecole Hardman at kick returner. He needs work in run support, which the Pack values highly.
4 (124) Jordan Phillips, DT, Maryland
It won’t surprise me a bit if the Pack addresses this position on Thursday night. Combine the loss of T.J. Slaton with the prospect that this might be Kenny Clark’s last year with the team, and you get a position in flux. Phillips is young, and it shows. He’ll need time to learn how to add pass rushing to his bag of tricks – he had zero sacks in two years at Maryland. But he has all the tools to be a starting nose tackle in a year or two.
5 (159) Bryce Cabeldue, G, Kansas
A four-year starter at tackle, he moved inside for the East-West Shrine game and showed the potential to be a starting-caliber guard, with his quickness and toughness. He projects to be a solid backup, something the Pack desperately needs. We all saw what happened in the playoffs when Elgton Jenkins left with an injury. Cabeldue instantly becomes a top guard option off the bench.
6 (198) Arian Smith, WR, Georgia
Gutey doubles up at receiver with the long-term uncertainty on the depth chart. Smith projects as a low-rent Christian Watson, with speed to burn downfield (he ran a 4.36 40).
Only a one-year starter, Smith averaged over 20 yards per reception in college. His feet are a hell of a lot better than his hands, though. He’s a college sprinter and unlikely to develop into a polished receiver. But send him tearing down the field, and defenses will have to pay attention to him.
7 (237) Jason Marshall, CB, Florida
Gutey goes back to the well at corner, with three guys gone from last year’s roster. Marshall is a former five-star recruit who missed much of last season with a shoulder injury. He has the size and athleticism the team likes, but he has been inconsistent and has never quite put it all together in college. The team invited him for a top-30 visit, so there’s interest there.
7 (250) Esa Pole, OT, Washington St.
I considered taking a QB here, but ultimately I have to believe the Packers will come out of this draft with a couple of linemen. Pole is a project who just started playing football in 2021, but he had a strong senior season, allowing zero sacks. The former basketball player will need a couple of years of grooming and will be a fixture on the practice squad this season.
