Welcome back to Mocks in the Media. In this fourth edition we’ll take a look at 15 different mock drafts from respected media members who work for respected media companies and compare trends in positions and players picked. As we draw closer to the NFL draft, the hype and spotlight only brighten on these mock drafts and speculation abounds. Without further ado, let’s begin.
CBSSPORTS:
Ryan Wilson- Myles Murphy, EDGE/DL, Clemson
Chris Trapasso- Deonte Banks, CB, Maryland
Josh Edwards- Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame
Kyle Stackpole- Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame
Pete Prisco- Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame
Will Brinson- Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College
Mock drafters seem to come out of the woodwork in the weeks leading up to the draft, and the writers at CBSSPORTS are no different, coming in with six different mocks this time around. Half of the pundits went with Notre Dame TE, Michael Mayer, while Ryan Wilson and Chris Trapasso went on the defensive side of the ball with Clemson’s Myles Murphy and Maryland’s Deonte Banks. Will Brinson took the only WR of the bunch, going with Boston College’s Zay Flowers, a stat machine in college that had an impressive combine performance
NFL.com
Rhett Lewis- Broderick Jones, OT, Georgia.
Chad Reuter- Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State
Adam Rank- Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah
Lance Zeirlein- Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah
Utah TE Dalton Kincaid, the most popular pick of the last edition of Mocks in the Media, goes to the Packers in two out of four NFL.com mock drafts. Rhett Lewis goes for a big, athletic offensive tackle out of Georgia, while Chad Reuter gives the Packers the rumored #1 WR in the draft in Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Pro Football Focus (PFF):
AI Simulator- Brian Branch, S, Alabama
Michael Renner- Nolan Smith, EDGE, Georgia
Steve Palazzolo- Nolan Smith, EDGE, Georgia
The PFF bot goes safety for the Packers pick while the human mock drafters at PFF each make the fascinating selection of Nolan Smith out of Georgia. Smith wowed with never before seen speed numbers for his size and position, but at 6’3” 240 pounds his small stature for an edge rusher hurts his draft stock more than his combine numbers help it. As Renner argues in his selection of Smith, “Smith fits the Packers’ newest first-round mold of ‘elite athletes from Georgia.’”
Pro Football Network (PFN):
AI simulator- Jordan Addison, WR, USC
The PFN bot spits out Jordan Addison in the Packers slot. The shifty slot receiver out of USC has lost some popularity among the media after a less than stirring combine performance, but still projects to go high in the 2023 draft.
ESPN:
Mel Kiper Jr- Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah
A not-so-spicy pick from the oft-maligned Mel Kiper Jr, continuing the time honored tradition of giving the Packers a pass catcher in mock drafts.
The law of averages strikes again
In all, 9 out of 15 mock drafts gave the Packers pass catchers, with six of those being tight ends and three being wide receivers. Three athletic edge rushers were predicted for the Packers, while two talented defensive backs and one big athletic offensive tackle rounded out the predictions. The percentage of TE picks continues to steadily decline (from 60 percent a month ago to 50 percent last edition to 40 percent in this publishing) while the other selections begin to vary among positions. Michael Mayer and Dalton Kincaid saw their names called the most, but only three times apiece. Nolan Smith was predicted to the Packers twice, each time by PFF writers. No other player was predicted to the Packers more than once.
It’s nearly time! A mere two weeks stand between us and the first round of the 2023 NFL draft.