Chad Reuter’s latest three-round mock draft for NFL.com featured a flurry of trades in the first round, but none involving the Green Bay Packers or Aaron Rodgers, so Reuter made one pick each in the first, second and third rounds.
The selections?
First round, No. 15: WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio State
Second round, No. 45: S Antonio Johnson, Texas A&M
Third round, No. 78: TE Sam LaPorta, Iowa
In Smith-Njigba, the Packers would get a versatile, high-volume target in the passing game who could be an ideal piece to a three-receiver set featuring 2022 draft picks Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs.
Johnson put together two terrific seasons as a do-it-all defensive back for Texas A&M. His ability to play deep or in the slot could make him an attractive player as the Packers attempt to rehaul the safety room this offseason.
LaPorta is a field-stretching threat who can make tacklers miss in the open field and create big plays in the passing game. Could he be the next great tight end from Iowa? The Packers need more production and a long-term option at the position.
Reuter only provided commentary on the first round.
Here’s his blurb on the Packers taking Smith Njigba at No. 15: “Smith-Njigba is just as talented as the three former Ohio State receivers — Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Jameson Williams — picked in the top 12 last year. (Williams, of course, played his final year at Alabama.) He has excellent hands and quickness/strength after the catch. If his troublesome hamstring is fully healed, I expect teams to place a high value on him. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if the Packers moved up to grab JSN, or one of the top tight ends, to aid whoever their quarterback might be in 2023.”
Adding Smith-Njigba and LaPorta could provide a big jolt of playmaking ability to the Packers passing game, and Johnson fits the versatile mold the Packers like in the defensive secondary.
