Welcome to the final edition of Mocks in the Media! We’ll once again be looking at 10 mock drafts from respected members of the media to see who the popular prediction is for the Packers. We’ll analyze common positions and prospects predicted in the Packers spot.
A NOTE. At the time of writing there are several reports that the Packers have traded Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets. In the reported deal, the Packers have swapped their first round pick (15) with the Jets first round pick (13). Not all of the mock drafts polled in this publication of Mocks in the Media reflect this change, but instead will include predictions about the 15th pick slot combined with the newer updated predictions that involve pick 13.
Without further ado, lets begin.
CBSSPORTS:
Ryan Wilson- Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College
Chris Trapasso- Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State
Josh Edwards- Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State
Kyle Stackpole- Lukas Van Ness, EDGE, Iowa
Will Brinson- Lukas Van Ness, EDGE, Iowa
Pete Prisco- Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame
There’s been a seismic shift in the opinions of writers at CBSSPORTS since last edition, as three out of six mock drafters select wide receivers and only Pete Prisco goes with a tight end. For comparison, a mere two weeks ago three out of six CBS writers went with TE Michael Mayer of Notre Dame and only one writer (Will Brinson) selected a wide receiver. Athletic Iowa edge rusher Lukas Van Ness also appears twice as the Packers pick.
NFL.com:
Eric Edholm- Myles Murphy, EDGE, Clemson
Peter Schrager- Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State
Maurice Jones-Drew- Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College
Chad Reuter- Paris Johnson Jr, OT, Ohio State
The NFL.com writers continue the run on wide receivers as two out of four pundits give Jordan Love some fun weapons. No tight ends make the cut as the position that has held the majority of slots in Packers mock drafts since early March is phased out of popularity in draft week.
PFF:
AI- Brian Branch, S, Alabama
Ben Brown- Lukas Van Ness, EDGE, Iowa
PFF Editorial Team- Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah
Lukas Van Ness makes his 3rd appearance in this edition as the PFF writers go with the Iowa edge rusher and the Utah TE. PFF’s mock draft simulator bot spits out Brian Branch in the Packers slot, giving the green and gold some much needed safety help.
PFN:
AI- Will Levis, QB, Kentucky
Tommy Garrett- Lukas Van Ness, EDGE, Iowa
The PFN mock draft bot gives us a first! Will Levis is headed to the Packers according to the AI-run simulator, the first quarterback mocked to the Packers in the first round this year. Human writer Tommy Garrett gives us the much more reasonable pick of Van Ness, his 4th appearance of the article.
Good gracious. Is it today?
In total, five wide receivers and five edge rushers were predicted to the Packers, as Iowa edge rusher Lukas Van Ness appeared four times and Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith Njigba appeared three times. Only two out of 15 mock drafts predicted a tight end to the Packers, completing the slow downward slide of popularity of the TE pick that we observed throughout the month of April. Clearly, the majority consensus among media members heading into the draft is that the Packers will select a WR or edge rusher, as 10/15 (or 67 percent) of mock drafts polled had one of those two positions heading to Green Bay.
But as is equally clear, nobody has any real knowledge of what Packers GM Brian Gutekunst will do. As J.R.R. Tolkien’s Bilbo Baggins once said, “I’m going on an adventure!” We’re all going on an adventure as the NFL Draft kicks off at 7 pm on Thursday. Who will go where? What will go down? Will Packers fans be forced to travel on an “Unexpected Journey” or will the Packers pick as expected?
Who knows. We’re just here for the ride. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “It’s not the destination, It’s the journey.”
