On April 24, the Green Bay Packers will be on the clock in the first round. In the first of two experimental mock drafts, here’s how it could play out if they traded up to land a premier cornerback.
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The pros and cons of trading up in the NFL Draft are obvious. The pro is simple: A team gets the player it wants. The con is simple, too: Trading away picks means fewer opportunities to help the team.
Using the simulator at Mock Draft Database, Michigan cornerback Will Johnson was on the board at Tampa Bay’s spot at No. 19. Using the Rich Hill trade chart, the Packers gave up No. 23 of the first round and No. 87 of the third round to get No. 19 and No. 157 of the fifth round. It was the same trade pitched by NFL.com.
First Round: Michigan CB Will Johnson
Will Johnson entered the draft process as the No 1-ranked corner. Out of sight, out of mind. After opting to skip the Scouting Combine to go through testing at pro day, he missed pro day because of a hamstring injury. He has an individual pro day set for Monday.
Johnson finished with nine interceptions in 32 games (22 starts). He was sensational in 2023 in helping the Wolverines win the national championship. He wasn’t as good in 2024, and wound up playing in only six games due to shoulder and toe injuries. At 6-foot-1 7/8, he’d bring needed size to the secondary, and his perceived lack of elite athleticism wouldn’t matter as much in Jeff Hafley’s zone scheme.
Second Round: Iowa State WR Jayden Higgins
No player has been mocked more to the Packers than Jayden Higgins, who would fill the need at receiver in the team’s traditional second-round sweet spot.
The Packers will play without Christian Watson to start the season because of his torn ACL. Higgins doesn’t have Watson’s speed, but he’s got his size – and he knows how to use it.
During two seasons at Iowa State, he caught 140 passes 2,266 yards and 15 touchdowns while dropping only three passes. While not a premier deep threat, no player in FBS caught more passes thrown 10 to 19 yards downfield, according to Pro Football Focus.
Fourth Round: Maryland DT Jordan Phillips
After a 70-pick nap, the Packers are back on the clock. If this were reality, general manager Brian Gutekunst might be thrilled to see Maryland defensive tackle Jordan Phillips, Nebraska defensive tackle Ty Robinson, NC State offensive tackle Anthony Belton and Ohio State center Seth McLaughlin on the board.
At 6-foot-1 5/8 and 313 pounds, Phillips doesn’t quite have TJ Slaton’s size but he would help offset the veteran starter’s departure in the run game.
Fifth Round: LSU G Miles Frazier
The Packers love taking college left tackles and turning them into guards. LSU took care of that already with Miles Frazier, who was taken with the pick acquired in the first-round trade.
Frazier was a Freshman All-American left tackle at Florida International in 2021. In three seasons at LSU, he started 39 games, with 28 at right guard, nine at left guard and two at right tackle. According to PFF, he allowed a total of one sack and 19 pressures in 2023 and 2024.
At 6-foot-5 5/8 and 318 pounds with 32 7/8-inch arms, he fits the power-playing guard the Packers appear to be favoring in light of the signing of Aaron Banks.
Fifth Round: Syracuse edge Fadil Diggs
Fadil Diggs and Miles Frazier played at the same high school. Now, they’d be reunited.
While not an elite prospect, Diggs crosses off the final big need in boosting the pass rush. After four seasons at Texas A&M, Diggs had 7.5 sacks and 14 tackles for losses during his lone season with the Orange. At 6-foot-4 3/8 and 257 pounds with 33 3/8-inch arms, he’s got the length the team prefers. With Kingsley Enagbare set to be a free agent next offseason, Diggs could become a key player in 2026.
Sixth Round: Boston College C Drew Kendall
The son of longtime NFL player Pete Kendall, Drew Kendall started 37 games at center for Jeff Hafley’s former team. Center is a need, as the Packers don’t have an obvious backup after the big Aaron Banks-Elgton Jenkins-Josh Myers switcheroo.
At 6-foot-4 1/4 and 308 pounds with 32 1/4-inch arms, Kendall is taller and a bit longer than most of the center prospects. He’s athletic, too. He allowed one sack each of the last two seasons and cut his penalty count from eight to two.
Seventh Round: Nebraska CB Tommi Hill
Tommi Hill had an excellent 2023 season (54.3 percent catch rate, four interceptions) but struggled in 2024 (70.8 percent, one interception). At 6-foot 1/2 and 213 pounds, he’s got the size needed to tackle kick returners, if nothing else, as the Packers rebuild the back of their cornerback room after losing Corey Ballentine and Robert Rochell in free agency.
Seventh Round: Cal LB Teddye Buchanan
So long as everyone stays healthy, the Packers are pretty well set at linebacker with Quay Walker, Edgerrin Cooper, Isaiah McDuffie, Ty’Ron Hopper and the return of Kristian Welch. However, there’s no proven depth whatsoever.
Buchanan would rectify that. At 6-foot-2 1/8 and 233 pounds, he ran his 40 in 4.60 seconds and showed his explosiveness with a 40-inch vertical. After four seasons at UC-Davis, he transferred to Cal and stuffed the stat sheet with 114 tackles, five sacks, 12 tackles for losses, two forced fumbles and four pass deflections.
What Worked
Michigan’s Will Johnson strikes me as the type of player the Packers would trade up to get if he falls into range. Losing the third-round pick is a blow – we’ll get into that in a second – but Green Bay’s needs were addressed with competent players.
The Packers need reinforcements and potential starters on the offensive line. Getting Frazier and Kendall deep into Day 3 represented tremendous (and unrealistic?) value.
What Didn’t Work
The pass rush wasn’t good enough last season and wasn’t dramatically improved in this mock. The price for moving up in the first round was that third-round pick. In this mock, the options were pretty well picked over, anyway, though, UCLA’s Femi Oladejo and LSU’s Sai’vion Jones would have been options.
Sticking at No. 23, the results might have been Ole Miss cornerback Trey Amos in the first round, Arkansas edge Landon Jackson in the second round, receiver Jack Bech in the third round and Phillips in the fourth.
