8 of 13 mock drafts this week have the Packers getting help on their bookends, a position that is very much up in the air.
Welcome to the latest installment of our Green Bay Packers mock draft roundup. This week, 13 notable first-round mock drafts were released, with the Packers selecting an offensive tackle in eight of them.
While it is assumed that Zach Tom will remain at right tackle for the duration of his rookie contract, left tackle has been a source of concern for the team for the majority of the 2023 season. David Bakhtiari played only the first game of the season before being sidelined for the rest of the season due to a knee injury. Rasheed Walker and Yosh Nijman, a 2024 unrestricted free agent, have been alternating on Jordan Love’s blindside since then.
At the moment, most experts believe Green Bay will use their first-round draft pick in April to upgrade over Walker, with Bakhtiari’s future uncertain.
The Tackling
Joe Alt, T, Notre Dame (consensus draft pick #8)
Pro Football Focus on CBS Sports
Alabama (#10) J.C. Latham
Taliese Fuaga, T, Oregon State (#24) YardBaker Walter Football Sports Illustrated
CBS Sports Draft Countdown Armarius Mims, T, Georgia (#26)
The 33rd Team
If you’ve read any of our previous mock draft roundups, you won’t be surprised by these names. These four tackles comprise five of the consensus draft board’s highest-rated bookends, with the missing player being Penn State’s fourth-ranked Olu Fashanu.
Alt is a long pass protector who resembles a longer Jake Matthews or Anthony Castanzo. Latham, Fuaga, and Mims all play right tackle, but the Packers are hoping that one of them can switch to the left side. Latham is the best all-around tackle in the group, with Fuaga potentially fitting in as a high-level pass-protecting guard with an up-and-down run game motor. Mims hasn’t faced much tough competition, as his only start came in the playoffs last season. Mims missed the majority of the regular season this year due to a high ankle sprain that required surgery; however, he is now back on the field.
Laiatu Latu, EDGE, UCLA (#12), Non-Tackles
SportsCenter on CBS
Keon Coleman, wide receiver, Florida State (#14).
Professional Football Network
Jer’Zhan Newton (DL, Illinois) is ranked 15th.
Tankathon
J.J. McCarthy, quarterback, Michigan (#23).
Professional Football Network
Terrion Arnold (#41), CB, Alabama
The Physical
While the Packers’ most popular picks were chalk, the non-chalk selections appear to be out of left field. Why is it expected that Green Bay will draft a quarterback after Love’s best stretch of the season? Can the Packers afford to draft a receiver when they already have four young mouths to feed at the position and can’t seem to give Dontayvion Wicks enough playing time? Green Bay doesn’t need another edge defender when it already has Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, and Lukas Van Ness. All three of those choices seem odd.
Jer’Zhan Newton is an intriguing prospect, but I believe Packers fans would rip out their hair if the Packers selected another first-round defender. Currently, the Illinois product is easily the highest-ranked defensive lineman in yet another weak crop of interior linemen produced by college football. Only two defensive tackles are expected to be drafted in the top 50, according to the consensus draft board: Newton and Miami’s Leonard Taylor.
Terrion Arnold is an up-and-coming player. The redshirt sophomore has never been ranked higher than he is on the consensus draft board, and he has only recently begun to appear in first-round drafts. Meanwhile, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler had him coming off the board ahead of his Alabama teammate Kool-Aid McKinstry, who is ranked as the consensus sixth-best prospect. Would the team really turn a first-round pick into a cornerback after the Rasul Douglas trade, with Jaire Alexander, Eric Stokes, and Carrington Valentine under contract, and the team potentially re-signing slotback/returner Keisean Nixon?
If the Packers don’t get the tackle they want, there appear to be more questions than answers about what general manager Brian Gutekunst will do on draft day in April. Aside from the uncertainty at left tackle, Green Bay’s weakest positions heading into next season are likely to be running back and safety. The consensus board’s top running back is TreVeyon Henderson (Ohio State), who is ranked 63rd, and the highest-ranked true safety is Kamren Kinchens of Miami, who is ranked 31st. Good luck figuring it out.
