GREEN BAY, Wis. – Last year, the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs used their first-round pick on receiver Xavier Worthy. In the Super Bowl, they couldn’t block the Philadelphia Eagles ferocious defensive front and were routed.
The Green Bay Packers need a receiver, too. Their defense was good last season but nobody would describe their front as ferocious.
With that reality at the forefront, here is our latest seven-round mock draft. This one was conducted with the simulator at Mock Draft Database.
First Round: Oregon DT Derrick Harmon
For several years, Kenny Clark was the dominator in the middle of the Packers’ defensive line. Last year, he was not. For two years, TJ Slaton was a starting defensive tackle. In free agency, he signed with the Bengals. In 2022, Devonte Wyatt was the team’s first-round pick. Next offseason, he could be a free agent.
Defensive tackle is a big need for the Packers. Oregon’s Derrick Harmon is capable of replacing Slaton in the starting lineup as a rookie and growing into a Clark-style playmaker down the road. He had five sacks last season. His 55 pressures were 11 more – 11 more! – than any other interior defensive lineman.
Harmon didn’t participate in enough testing for a Relative Athletic Score. At 6-foot-4 1/2 and 313 pounds with 4.95 speed, it would have been excellent.
He was the pick over Georgia edge Mykel Williams, who had a predraft visit with the Packers.
Second Round: Iowa State WR Jayden Higgins
The decision to not draft a receiver in the first round was made for me, as it turned out, with Tet McMillan, Matthew Golden and Emeka Egbuka off the board. The gamble for the Packers is they might miss out on an instant-impact receiver if they wait until Round 2 and they almost certainly will if they wait until Round 3.
In this simulation, Tre Harris went 40th and Jack Bech went 53rd. Jayden Higgins was available at No. 54, and the pick was made without a moment of thought. In two seasons at Iowa State, he caught 140 passes for 2,166 yards (15.5 average) and 15 touchdowns. In 2024, no receiver caught more passes thrown between 10 and 19 yards downfield, according to PFF.
At 6-foot-4 1/8 and 214 pounds with a 4.47 in the 40, his RAS was 9.63.
Third Round: Louisville edge Ashton Gillotte
The great thing about this draft is the edge class is so strong that teams can be patient and find contributors well into Day 2. That’s Ashton Gillotte, who led the ACC with 11 sacks in 2023. In 2024, he had 4.5 sacks and 10 tackles for losses. According to PFF, among FBS-level, draft-eligible edge defenders, Gillotte ranked 10th in pass-rush win rate, just ahead of NCAA sack king Mike Green of Marshall.
With 4.65 speed in the 40 and explosive jumps, his RAS was 9.75.
He was the pick over West Virginia offensive lineman Wyatt Milum and a pair of edge defenders, Barryn Sorrell of Texas and Jordan Burch of Oregon. From a size perspective, the Packers might prefer the 6-foot-4, 279-pound Burch to the 6-foot-3, 264-pound Gillotte.
Fourth Round: Oregon State G Joshua Gray
With Jordan Morgan injured, Green Bay’s upset hopes at Philadelphia died the moment Elgton Jenkins exited with a stinger. With Morgan going to compete at left tackle, the Packers have no reliable depth on the interior.
Gray played almost 3,000 snaps at left tackle from 2020 through 2023 before moving to left guard for his final season. PFF charged him with one sack and 12 total pressures. At 6-foot-5 1/8 and 299 pounds with 5.04 speed, his RAS was 8.91.
Fifth Round: LSU CB Zy Alexander
Here’s the one big-time outlier here from an athletic perspective. At 6-foot-1 3/8, Alexander has great size. With 4.56 speed in the 40 and a 31.5-inch vertical, his RAS was a woeful 3.48.
Texas-San Antonio corner Zah Frazier was available at this spot. At 6-foot-2 7/8 with 4.36 speed, his RAS was 9.28. I didn’t think he’d be available at No. 159, because every team is looking for that type of toolbox. The Packers badly need cornerback depth, and Alexander’s performance in the best conference in college football made it worth ignoring the testing numbers.
He allowed 20 completions in 46 targets in 2024, according to PFF. As NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote, “He’s effective from man and zone with timing and tracking that could make him a coveted prospect for defenses with heavy Cover-3 looks.” Cover-3 is what Jeff Hafley would like to run.
Sixth Round: Texas C Jake Majors
Elgton Jenkins had been the Packers’ backup center. With Jenkins now the starting center, who’s the backup?
With 57 career starts, Majors played 3,748 snaps at center during five seasons at Texas. According to PFF, he allowed one sack his last four seasons. At 6-foot-3 3/8 and 306 pounds with 30 3/8-inch arms, he lacks the desired size and bulk. His RAS was 7.91. His experience and intelligence should help him overcome any shortcomings.
Seventh Round: Florida CB Jason Marshall
After losing three corners in free agency and the likelihood that Jaire Alexander could be on the way out, the Packers need an infusion of young talent.
Marshall’s got good size (6-foot 3/8) and excellent athleticism (4.48 in the 40, 37.5-inch vertical). His RAS was 9.42. He played pretty well, too; PFF charged him with 27 completions in 57 targets the last two seasons, but he had zero interceptions during that span and allowed seven touchdowns.
Seventh Round: Nebraska WR Isaiah Neyor
If you’re going to throw a seventh-round Hail Mary, why not pick a receiver who measured 6-foot-4 1/4 and 218 pounds with 4.43 speed and a 9.97 RAS?
Nayor caught 44 passes for 878 yards (20.0 average) and 12 touchdowns at Wyoming in 2021 and 34 passes for 455 yards (13.4 average) and five touchdowns for Nebraska in 2024. He missed 2022 with a torn ACL and played in only one game in 2023.
What Worked?
It will be interesting to see how GM Brian Gutekunst addresses the edge position. It’s a need in terms of getting more impact. It’s not a need in terms of numbers. Rashan Gary, Lukas Van Ness, Kingsley Enagbare and Brenton Cox, who flashed some real promise down the stretch, aren’t exactly terrible. With a strong draft class, could Gutekunst wait until Round 3, like I did here, to attack other needs with the first picks?
Oregon’s Derrick Harmon would be a prime example of need meeting best player available in the first round. Iowa State receiver Jayden Higgins has some pretty impressive physical tools to go with big-time production. When you’re 6-foot-4 with a 39-inch vertical jump, you’re always open. He’s also got excellent hands.
What Didn’t Work?
I’ve said this following every mock draft. There aren’t enough premium picks available to fill all of Green Bay’s pressing needs.
No, it wasn’t ideal to address the offensive line and cornerback with two picks apiece in Day 3. At least the offensive linemen are experienced and the cornerbacks played against big-time competition.
