Welcome to the final Mock Draft Monday of the 2023 NFL Draft cycle. In this seven-round mock, we have a “mock” Aaron Rodgers trade to the New York Jets for the 42nd overall pick. Let’s take a look at the players the Green Bay Packers selected in my seven-round mock draft.
15th overall pick: Lukas Van Ness, Edge, Iowa
With the nickname Hercules, one better be a powerful specimen. Lukas Van Ness lives up to the nickname and then some. He’s a powerful edge rusher with a devastating bull rush to blast through blockers.
Lukas Van Ness (no. 91) can generate serious power as a pass rusher pic.twitter.com/lynJ0QKeDc
— Connor Rogers (@ConnorJRogers) April 16, 2023
Van Ness never started a game for the Hawkeyes. That didn’t stop him from leading the team with 46 pressures this past season. Over the past two seasons, Van Ness recorded 74 pressures (PFF) to go along with 13 sacks.
Green Bay’s pass rush needs juice. With Rashan Gary coming off a torn ACL and Preston Smith turning 31 this season, the Packers need to add another difference-maker at the position.
With his length (6-5), power, and age (he’ll turn 22 in July), Van Ness fits the bill of what Gutekunst is looking for in the first round.
42nd overall pick: Sam Laporta, TE, Iowa
If it wasn’t for Iowa’s putrid offense, LaPorta may have posted a 1,000-yard receiving for the Hawkeyes. The Iowa tight end is a difference-maker as a pass catcher. LaPorta is one of the best YAC threat tight ends in this class. Over the past two seasons, LaPorta racked up 667 yards after the catch (PFF). As a blocker, LaPorta is wired right as a blocker and more than willing to do the dirty work.
Unpacking Future Packers: No. 7 Sam LaPorta
Check out why the Iowa TE could be a target for the Packers in the 2023 NFL Draft. https://t.co/gns92wjtE5 pic.twitter.com/HAJKwhhmt1
— Brennen Rupp (@Brennen_Rupp) April 21, 2023
The Packers desperately need an infusion of talent at the tight end position. LaPorta is a well-rounded tight end. He’s a moveable tight end that could line up in the slot, in-line, or even out wide. He could step in immediately and provide an impact as a security blanket for Jordan Love.
45th overall pick: Gervon Dexter, DL, Florida
Dexter has a quick first step off the snap and has a lot of power flowing through his upper body. Just turn on Dexter’s game against Alabama during the 2021 season and it’s easy to see Dexter’s disruptive potential. He finished that game with eight tackles, one sack and was consistently disrupting the action.
Gervon Dexter has long been one of my favorite DL fits for the Packers.
Add him to the Kenny Clark/Wyatt mix.
Has the potential to be a very disruptive trio. pic.twitter.com/Ft75J55yv8
— Brennen Rupp (@Brennen_Rupp) February 17, 2023
The Packers lost Jarran Reed and Dean Lowry in free agency. They need to add talent around Kenny Clark. Devonte Wyatt is a candidate to break out during his second year in the league.
Dexter has all the tools in the shed to develop into a disruptive force. With his traits and age (22 in October), it’s a safe bet that the Florida defensive tackle could be high on Green Bay’s board to start day two of the draft.
78th overall pick: Jayden Reed, WR, Michigan State
The Michigan State wide receiver has an instant accelerator and the long speed to win vertically. Reed is a shifty athlete in space. If he makes the first defender miss he has the quickness to make a house call. According to PFF, Reed picked 581 yards after the catch over the past two seasons.
Teams that do better job evaluating WR position, like #Steelers & #49ers, will have MSU’s Jayden Reed higher than majority.
Getting mostly third round feedback on Reed but could see him sneaking into second.@JaydenReed5 will out-perform many WRs projected to go earlier as pro. pic.twitter.com/2Yio0HSfRm
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) April 20, 2023
On top of all that, Reed’s a willing blocker on the perimeter. He’d also bring special teams value as a return man.
The Packers need more speed. His calling card is his ability to win vertically. He’s more than just a vertical threat though. He’s a three-level threat that would give the Packers an electric playmaker to pair with Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, and Samori Toure.
116th overall pick: Braeden Daniels, OL, Utah
Daniels finished his career at Utah with 43 career starts. Daniels started 18 games at left guard and 11 games at right tackle. This past season he started all 14 games at left tackle.
Daniels has quick feet and plays and he has the lateral quickness to match rushers wide of the pocket. This past season, Daniels made the move from right tackle to left tackle and gave up zero sacks.
Daniels is an athletic offensive tackle that doesn’t labor reaching the second level. He sustains his block to create movement in the run game.
Utah OT Braeden Daniels has moved really well today. pic.twitter.com/lnVo383EGT
— Nick Baumgardner (@nickbaumgardner) March 5, 2023
With his tackle-guard versatility and experience, Daniels could be an attractive day-three target for the Packers as they look to add more depth to the offensive line.
149th overall pick: Rejzohn Wright, CB, Oregon State
The Oregon State cornerback looks the part at 6-1, 193 pounds, with long arms. With his size and length, he gives the quarterback a very small window. He’s not shy about using his length at the line of scrimmage. With his length, he suffocates passing lanes.
Rejzohn Wright was comfortable in press man alignment versus Jordan Addison.
His patience and punch timing were executed well to remain in phase most of his reps! pic.twitter.com/nCdSg7RTCn
— Full-Time Dame 💰 (@DP_NFL) January 11, 2023
The Packers currently have a logjam of cornerbacks that play on the boundary and adding a player like Wright would only add to the clutter. All it takes is one injury to create a massive need and a team can never have enough talented cornerbacks. In 2021, the Packers lost Alexander for most of the season. This past season, it was Eric Stokes missing the majority of the season due to injury.
Adding a player with Wright’s length and athleticism would be appealing on day three of the draft.
170th overall pick: Jalen Redmond, DL, Oklahoma
Redmond explodes out of his stance. He’s twitched up. That short-area explosiveness was on full display at the combine when he clocked a 1.71 10-yard split. That time was tied for the second fastest among interior defensive linemen.
.@jalen_redmond off to a strong start with a 4.85u on his first run. @OU_Football
📺: #NFLCombine on @nflnetwork
📱: Stream on NFL+ pic.twitter.com/6RElb5ucHL— NFL (@NFL) March 2, 2023
With his initial quickness, he consistently disrupts the action in the backfield. Redmond played in 32 games during his time as a Sooner and finished with 31.5 tackles for loss.
As mentioned earlier, the Packers need bodies up front and they need to bolster their interior pass rush. Redmond has the athleticism to develop into a disruptive force up front.
232nd overall pick: Noah Gindorff, TE, NDSU
The NDSU tight end has missed 15 games over the past two seasons due to ankle injuries. If it weren’t for injuries, Gindorff likely would have been an early day-three selection.
Gindorff gets after it as a blocker and does a good job of sealing outside running lanes. He’s a big target with a large catch radius.
TE Noah Gindorff!! 6'6 265lbs
The bios from these ND/SD/MIN guys are awesome – HS QB, TE, DL, LB, S, K, Holder. School record for career all-purpose yards and has 300+ tackles. Oh yea, basketball conference MVP, 1k point scorer. Baseball captain
..tough rep for 96 here lol https://t.co/XStHNtrTbN pic.twitter.com/7RoOe52j1y
— Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) August 24, 2022
235th overall pick: Max Duggan, QB, TCU
The TCU quarterback is tough as nails and put together many highlight-reel-worthy runs during his time at TCU. Duggan gets the ball out with urgency and throws with nice touch. With his competitive toughness, Duggan could be a solid backup for Jordan Love.
It was an up-and-down first practice for all 5 QBs (to be expected). But they each had a few bright spots too.
This was Max Duggan’s. pic.twitter.com/E36eRH8ewH
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) February 1, 2023
242nd overall pick: Ty Okada, S, Montana State
The Minnesota native is a versatile defensive back that would be an attractive target for the Packers as they look for upgrades at safety. Okada could play in the slot, on the boundary, or in the deep third. He has 4.44 speed and experience playing on special teams. Given the state of Green Bay’s safety room, it wouldn’t be out of the question to see Okada battle for playing time.
256th overall pick: Anders Carlson, K, Auburn
Have to get a kicker in on this mock draft. With Jake Moody and Chad Ryland off the board, let’s go with the Classical Academy graduate (Colorado Springs) and brother of Daniel Carlson. Anders has a strong leg, with a career-long of 53 yards. With Mason Crosby’s career in Green Bay likely done, Carlson could be his replacement.
