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GREEN BAY, WI (WSAU) – The 2023–2024 NFL season is over, which means NFL Draft season has arrived, and draft experts from around the country are weighing in on what the Packers will do with their 25th overall pick.
According to The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, the Packers should draft one of the top offensive tackle prospects in Arizona’s Jordan Morgan, saying, “The Packers could use help at tackle and guard. Morgan, who played left tackle at Arizona, might be better off moving inside in the NFL. Either way, this pick would check a box for a young Green Bay squad that’s in a great position with 11 draft picks.”
Bleacher Report’s Brandon Thorn agreed with ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., who stated in his first mock draft that the Packers should select BYU’s OT Kingsley Suamataia at 25, saying, “What happens with Bakhtiari will determine the urgency of this specific need. But if the Packers don’t bring him back or he’s unable to get healthy enough to play, Suamataia gives the team a golden opportunity to add a tackle with long-time starting traits at the end of Round 1.”
Not all draft experts agreed that the Packers should target an offensive lineman in the first round, as both NFL.com and Pro Football Focus have the Packers selecting Iowa’s star cornerback/safety Cooper DeJean, saying, “DeJean can be a starter at the NFL level at both cornerback and safety. For the Packers, I think he would start at a safety/slot spot with outside cornerback flexibility.”
Other defensive backs currently being mocked by the Packers by outlets such as CBS Sports and Sports Illustrated include Clemson’s Nate Wiggins, Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell, and Alabama’s Kool-Aid McKinstry.
The Packers have a major need at the defensive back due to injuries to Eric Stokes and the unknown future for Jaire Alexander after the 2024-2025 season, and players like DeJean or Mitchell can be day-one staters and possibly future stars for new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley.
Green Bay has almost exclusively drafted defensive players over the last 24 years, selecting only six offensive players in the first round since 2000 and not selecting a skill player in the first since wide receiver Javon Walker in 2002.
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