Welcome to Mocks in the Media, the bi-weekly series where I gather information from the many media member mock drafts so you don’t have to go to the trouble.
We’ll be looking for popular Packer picks as well as unique selections. Remember, while the media is rarely correct in predicting exactly where players will go, they are often in the general ballpark. Thus mock drafts can give us a decent idea of who may actually be there for the Packers selection.
Without further ado, here is the first edition of Mocks in the Media:
Note: We’ll only be looking at projections for pick 15, not including hypothetical Aaron Rodgers trades as many of the media members have done.
CBSSPORTS:
Ryan Wilson- Jordan Addison, WR, USC
Chris Trapasso- Luke Musgrave, TE, Oregon State
A couple of pass catchers from the CBSSPORTS crew. A shifty playmaker with plenty of star power, Jordan Addison is expected to be an instant contributor in the NFL. With the pending free agency of Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb, pairing the electric Addison with Christian Watson is a spicy move from Ryan Wilson. As for Trapasso’s selection, an athletic big bodied TE is a popular pick for the Packers this year.
NFL.com:
Daniel Jeremiah- Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah
Bucky Brooks- Brian Branch, DB, Alabama
Lance Zierlein- Luke Musgrave, TE, Oregon State
Eric Edholm- Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame
The NFL.com writers go for three tight ends, while Brooks bucks the trend with Brian Branch. Branch is big, athletic, and made plays on the ball often in college. While there is some doubt about whether he will remain at his college position of cornerback in the NFL, there can be no doubting Branch’s talent.
Draftwire (USA Today):
Natalie Miller- Myles Murphy, EDGE, Clemson
A talented (if slightly unpolished) big and fast edge rusher? Brian Gutekunst has pulled the trigger on similar prospects in the past.
Pro Football Focus (PFF):
Trevor Sikkema- Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah
PFF Mock Draft Simulator (run with Auto-pick)- Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame
Everyone at PFF is all in on the TE trend… even their AI.
Walter Football:
Walter Football Writers- Isaiah Foskey, DE, Notre Dame
Walter Football gives us our first real outlier of a pick, Foskey has not received much draft hype. He did have an 11 sack season this past year. There’s potential there.
The words, Outboxers, what do they mean?
Out of the 10 recent mock drafts polled, six pundits picked tight ends in the Packers spots, while three of the remaining four selections were physically talented defensive players. Only one mock (R. Wilson of CBSSPORTS) had the Packers taking the ever popular first round wide receiver.
At least for this pre-combine edition of Mocks in the Media, the big bodied athletic TE, whether it be Notre Dame’s Mayer, Oregon State’s Musgrave, or Utah’s Kincaid, seems to be the popular Packers pick. With the NFL Draft Combine taking place in Indianapolis this week and Free Agency opening on March 15th, the general consensus will likely be swayed. It’s a wonderful time of year full of backtracking, mind changing, and constant rumor mongering. And I’m here for it.
