Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst during the NFL combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
GREEN BAY, WI (WSAU) – Now that the NFL Scouting Combine has come and gone, a ton of new mock drafts have been released, and experts disagree on which player Green Bay should select in April’s draft.
According to Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar, whose mock draft covers the first two rounds of the draft, the Packers should select Florida State edge rusher Jared Verse at 25th overall, Georgia safety Javon Bullard at 41st overall, and BYU offensive tackle Kingsley Suamataia at 57th overall. Many Packers fans would likely be surprised to see the team select a pass rusher in the first round for the second straight year, but Green Bay’s long-term depth at the position remains unknown due to this upcoming season likely being Preston Smith’s last in Green Bay and Kingsley Enagbare currently recovering from a torn ACL he suffered late last season.
Verse impressed in the NFL Combine and recorded 62 pressures and 11 sacks with Florida State in 2023, according to PFF. As for the selection of Bullard, he’s likely to play free safety in the NFL due to his strong ability to play well in coverage after recording five pass breakups and two interceptions last season for the Bulldogs.
Another new mock draft from CBS Sports has the Packers selecting Minnesota safety Tyler Nubin 25th overall after the team met with him formally during the combine. Nubin would be an ideal safety for Jeff Hafley’s new defensive scheme after dominating in college with nine interceptions over the last two seasons at Minnesota.
Other notable mock drafts have the Packers going in other directions, such as Pro Football Focus, which has the Packers selecting Arizona offensive tackle Jordan Morgan, Pro Football Network, which has Green Bay taking Iowa defensive back Cooper DeJean, and the Draft Network, which has the Packers taking Washington offensive tackle Troy Fautanu.
Green Bay could have a serious need at left tackle if they do indeed move on from David Bakhtiari this offseason and lose Jon Runyan Jr. and Yosh Nijman to free agency. Morgan would be able to compete for the starting left tackle job right away after allowing just two sacks and two total pressures last season at Arizona. In comparison, Fautanu allowed only two sacks to Washington in the last two seasons.
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