The offseason is here for the Green Bay Packers, who lost to the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round and now hold the 25th overall pick in the first round of the 2024 draft. It’s time to begin looking at some recent mock drafts.
Given the Packers’ salary cap situation, this is probably another year where their biggest additions will come via the draft, where Green Bay has five selections in the top 100. This is a roster that is already loaded with young talent that gained valuable experience in 2023, which is why expectations will be sky-high heading into the new season.
However, like every other team, there are still roster needs to fill. The biggest ones come at safety, cornerback, running back, and the offensive line entering the offseason.
So without further ado, let’s dive into the first edition of Mock Draft Roundup and Takeaways, where I highlight seven mock drafts and provide some thoughts and context along the way.
Kamari Lassiter, CB, Georgia
Mock: Chris Trapasso – CBS Sports
Pick 25: Kamari Lassiter, CB, Georgia
Measurements: 6-0, 180
Positional Need: What looked like a position of strength last summer is now one of the Packers’ biggest needs. Rasul Douglas was traded to Buffalo, Keisean Nixon and Corey Ballentine are free agents, and I’m not sure anyone truly knows what to expect from Eric Stokes when he is able to fully return. Overall, the Packers lacked playmaking in the secondary last season. The Packers’ seven interceptions were the second fewest, while Ballentine led the team in forced incompletions with seven, but that ranked 61st overall.
What to Know: Lassiter is a boundary cornerback who proved to be a very capable tackler in college. Over his final two seasons, he allowed just 47 completions on 94 targets and held receivers to only 11.1 yards per catch. Lassiter recorded seven pass breakups during that span and no interceptions.
Jeremiah Trotter Jr., LB, Clemson
Mock: Anthony Miller – PFN
Pick 25: Jeremiah Trotter Jr., LB, Clemson
Measurements: 6-0, 230
Positional Need: In recent years, the Packers invested more into the linebacker position than they had combined in the decade prior by signing De’Vondre Campbell and drafting Quay Walker. However, it does appear to be a need again. Campbell is a cut candidate after struggling through the 2023 season, and it saves the Packers over $2 million in needed cap space. Isaiah McDuffie filled in well when needed but is entering the final year of his rookie deal and, to a degree, has a lower ceiling. With all that said, from a positional value standpoint, investing a first-round pick into the linebacker position might not be the most prudent decision.
What to Know: Trotter took the bulk of his career snaps over these last two seasons. He was quite effective in getting after the quarterback, recording 51 pressures and 13 sacks. He was also one of PFF’s highest-graded run-defending linebackers. His missed tackle rate was slightly on the higher side, but he was around the ball, limiting pass catchers to under nine yards per catch and came away with four interceptions.
Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama
Mock: Bucky Brooks – NFL.com
Pick 25: Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama
Measurements: 6-1, 195
Positional Need: The Packers have sunk quite a bit of draft capital into the defensive side of the ball, but as of now, things seem to be leaning that way once again–at least in Round 1. Cornerback is a premier position in football, which historically, the Packers value highly early on in the draft, and as already discussed, it’s one of fairly high need as well.
What to Know: A very experienced player with just shy of 2,200 career defensive snaps. You name it, and McKinstry was graded out as one of the best at among all cornerbacks in 2023, from blitzing to tackling, run defense, and coverage. On 39 targets, he allowed only 19 catches at just 10.8 yards per catch with four pass breakups.
Kamren Kinchens, S, Miami
Mock: Curt Popejoy – Draftwire
Pick 25: Kamren Kinchens, S, Miami
Measurements: 6-0, 205
Positional Need: The safety position was one of the biggest unknowns heading into 2023, and that unit was exposed in the NFC Divisional Round by San Francisco. The outlook in 2024 doesn’t get any better with Anthony Johnson, Benny Sapp III, and Zayne Anderson the only players currently under contract. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to make a veteran addition in free agency – although cap space is tight – but I would bet that attacking this position group within the first few rounds is high on Brian Gutekunst’s to-do list.
What to Know: This past season, the bulk of Kinchens snaps came lined up as a free safety, but he did have another 110 in the box, 113 from the slot, and even 29 at the line of scrimmage. He made 63 of his 73 tackle attempts, while in coverage, he allowed 28 completions on 34 targets for 16.9 yards per catch, according to PFF, while coming away with five interceptions.
Graham Barton, IOL, Duke
Mock: Daniel Jeremiah – NFL.com
Pick 25: Graham Barton, IOL, Duke
Measurements: 6-5, 314
Positional Need: The Packers need both interior offensive line depth and tackle depth. Along the interior, the only returning players from this past season’s 53-man roster are Sean Rhyan – who still has minimal experience – Josh Myers, Elgton Jenkins, and Royce Newman. At tackle, behind Rasheed Walker and Zach Tom, are Luke Tenuta and Caleb Jones–both with very little to no NFL experience. As of now, we do not know what the future holds for David Bakhtiari. A big part of the Packers’ turnaround on offense was the improved play of the offensive line. Success starts here. On Jeremiah’s mock draft, Barton is listed as an interior blocker but played three seasons at left tackle. How the Packers view him could determine whether he’s a first-round option or not. Typically, the Packers don’t select guards or centers in the first round.
What to Know: Barton played 2,134 left tackle snaps over three seasons at Duke. In 2020, he played 430 at center. Last season, specifically, he allowed only 11 pressures and two sacks. In 2022, he gave up only 10 pressure and was one of PFF’s highest-graded run-blocking tackles.
Troy Fautanu, OT, Washington
Mock: Dane Brugler – The Athletic
Pick 25: Troy Fautanu, OT, Washington
Measurements: 6-4, 317
Positional Need: Tackle is a premier position, one that we know Brian Gutekunst prioritizes, and this upcoming draft class is loaded with talent. All of that, along with the questions around the depth of that position on the Packers roster, make this a prime first-round pick in this year’s draft.
What to Know: Fautanu played close to 2,000 snaps the last two seasons, most of which came at left tackle, but he has some left guard experience as well. In 2023, he surrendered 23 pressures, two sacks, and for what it’s worth, graded out by PFF’s metrics as a much more effective pass-blocker than run-blocker.
Kingsley Suamataia, OT, BYU
Mock: Mel Kiper Jr. – ESPN
Pick 25: Kingsley Suamataia, OT, BYU
Measurements: 6-6, 315
Positional Need: As I was scrolling through these various mock drafts, I was surprised that it took me until the fifth one to see an offensive tackle being mocked to the Packers. I’ve said since last summer, and I’ll stick to this prediction, that if I were to guess which position the Packers take in Round 1 of the upcoming draft, my choice would be offensive tackle. It’s a very Packers-esque type of selection for the reasons mentioned previously. Now, having said that, given how well Zach Tom looked at right tackle, I don’t know that Green Bay spends an early round pick on a player that they view only as a right tackle.
What to Know: Suamataia played 1,331 snaps over the last two seasons. In 2022, he was BYU’s right tackle, and in 2023, their left tackle. At right tackle, he allowed 11 pressures and no sacks. At left tackle, Suamataia surrendered 15 pressures and two sacks. Also worth noting, his run-blocking grade at right tackle was much better than at left.
