Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Packer Plus
Experts mostly are defensive on Packers
It’s officially draft month.
In a few weeks, the Green Bay Packers and the other 31 NFL teams will jump headfirst into the 2021 NFL draft, the biggest roster-building avenue of the offseason.
The Packers have 10 picks, including the 29th overall pick in the first round.
Here’s a roundup of picks for the Packers in recent mock drafts:
OT Walker Little, Stanford
Mike Renner, PFF: “The Packers quite obviously don’t care about addressing their most glaring roster needs via the draft. They also consistently invest in the trenches early on and covet athletes on both sides of the ball. All that points to the man who’s played just one game over the past two seasons but ran the fastest three-cone in modern history for an offensive lineman at his pro day (6.9 seconds).”
Breakdown: Little suffered a seasonending injury in 2019 and opted out in 2020, so this is a big projection. But the upside is huge. He could be a high-level starter at left or right tackle. Offensive tackle is a premium position and one of need for the Packers entering the draft.
LB Jamin Davis, Kentucky
Todd McShay, ESPN: “Davis could replace Christian Kirksey, who signed with the Texans. He is an off-the-ball linebacker who can impact multiple facets of the defense, and he’s a very good tackler in space.”
Breakdown: The Packers’ need at linebacker is clear. Krys Barnes and Kamal Martin are intriguing players entering Year 2, but nothing should be settled here, and general manager Brian Gutekunst even said the defense needs more production from the position. If the Packers can get an elite-level athlete with play-making ability at linebacker, it should be considered – although the likelihood of using a first-round pick on the position still feels low.
CB Tyson Campbell, Georgia
Lance Zierlein, NFL.com: “Campbell is still in need of polish, but has impressive size and speed to help inject some new life into the Packers’ back end.”
Breakdown: Cornerback has to be considered one of the most likely positions for the Packers in the first round, especially with so many options potentially on the board at No. 29. Campbell could be one. Zierlein believes he has the length and quick-twitch ability to be a very good man-to-man coverage corner.
The Packers eventually need to find an upgrade on Kevin King.
CB Greg Newsome III, Northwestern
Chad Reuter, NFL.com: “Newsome showed out at his pro day in early March, where Green Bay GM Brian Gutekunst was in attendance. Re-signing Kevin King to a one-year deal should not affect the team’s interest in the young corner, who can play inside or on the perimeter, allowing Jaire Alexander to line
up against the league’s top slot receivers when needed.”
Breakdown: In this mock, the Packers traded up to No. 21 to grab Newsome, a favorite in this class of cornerbacks for some evaluators. The move up would fit the Packers’ aggressive style in the first round under Gutekunst, and Newsome looks like a starting-caliber player with an early-career ability to line up outside. Newsome and Jaire Alexander could be a terrific long-term duo.
LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Notre Dame
Chris Trapasso, CBS Sports: “The Packers need to prioritize speed at linebacker, and Owusu-Koramah is the speediest linebacker in this class.”
Breakdown: The Packers certainly need speed at linebacker. The entire defensive front could use more speed. Taking Owusu-Koramoah, the Butkus Award winner in 2020, could add an explosive athlete with coverage ability to the linebacker group.