Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst speaks to the press at the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
GREEN BAY, WI (WSAU) – The Green Bay Packers are continuing to signal that they are serious about potentially drafting a quarterback and tight end in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Northwestern defensive lineman Adetomiwa Adebawore will visit Green Bay for a predraft visit on Friday, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, and the Packers will also host Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid, a probable first-round draft pick, according to Bill Huber.
The Packers also hosted a surprise official top-30 visit with Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer, according to Jordan Reid of ESPN.
Over 36 games, 28 starts, and three seasons at Notre Dame, Mayer (6-4, 249) caught 180 receptions for 2,099 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Mayer is rated as the No. 1 overall tight end in the 2023 draft class and the 19th overall player by Dane Brugler of The Athletic, placing him in contention to be the Packers’ first-round pick at No. 15 overall.
Kincaid missed the Scouting Combine and the conclusion of his senior year due to a back issue, but has been given the all-clear to workout for teams.
He has been working out on his own for the last few weeks and did not need surgery for his injury. He only played one year of high school football and hence was not on recruiters’ radars. His first collegiate football experience occurred at San Diego, a nonscholarship, FCS-level school. He dominated there, and transferred to Utah. In his final two seasons, he scored 16 touchdowns.
Kincaid earned third-team All-American honors in 2022 after posting 70 receptions for 890 yards (12.7 average) and eight touchdowns. Kincaid had an all-time outstanding game against USC, catching all 16 targets for 234 yards and is the 15th ranked prospect according to Pro Football Focus.
Adebawore is one of the draft’s most intriguing prospects. At the Scouting Combine, he ran the 40 in 4.48 seconds and had a 37.5 inch vertical at 6-foot-1 5/8 and 282 pounds.
How fast is a 4.48 forty-yard dash for a defensive lineman? It was not only the fastest of this year’s defensive linemen, but it was also the fastest by any defensive lineman since at least 1999 and the fastest by any player weighing 270 pounds or more since 2003. Additionally, he would have finished eighth among running backs at the Scouting Combine this year.
In 2021, Adebawore set team records with 4.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss, and in 2022, he set career highs with five sacks and nine tackles for loss.
With only Kenny Clark, Devonte Wyatt, and TJ Slaton having ever played an NFL snap, he could easily be a second-round target for the Packers and fill a significant position of need.
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