With the bulk of free agency in the rear-view mirror and not many difference-makers remaining, NFL mock drafts gain at least a little bit of realism.
With so much focus on the players signed by the Green Bay Packers and the missed opportunities, here are the latest and greatest mock drafts you might have missed.
Fox Sports: Texas WR Matthew Golden
David Helman hits it right on the head.
“God help me for falling for it again.”
The Packers got shut out on the Big 3 of Davante Adams, DK Metcalf and Cooper Kupp. With Green Bay’s receivers coming off a disappointing season and with Christian Watson out for at least the first half of the season due to a torn ACL, Green Bay’s need at receiver is as obvious as a dropped pass.
So, Helman fell for it and picked Texas receiver Matthew Golden with Green Bay’s first-round pick.
Golden has elite speed and is coming off a strong final season with 58 receptions for 987 yards (17.0 average) and an SEC-leading nine touchdowns. While the 5-foot-11 Golden doesn’t have Watson’s size, his 4.29 speed will keep their defenses on their heels and create space for the Packers’ underneath threats.
“The Packers prove every year they aren't interested in drafting a receiver in the first round, and every year we still go through this exercise,” Helman said. “All of that said, maybe this draft is different? They shored up their offensive line in free agency, and they signed Nate Hobbs to bolster the cornerback spot. If ever there was a year to do it, maybe this is it. And if they are going to do it, you might as well take the speed demon with great hands.”
East Carolina cornerback Shavon Revel and three edge rushers went after Green Bay’s spot in the first round.
The 33rd Team: Georgia edge Mykel Williams
Receiver is a huge need for the Packers that went unaddressed in the first week of free agency. So is the pass rush and getting closer to the team’s desire to have a more consistent four-man rush.
The 33rd Team’s James Foster took care of that with Georgia’s Mykel Williams.
“Rashan Gary’s regression and Lukas Van Ness’ lack of development has left Green Bay with a significant need at edge. Mykel Williams has a prototypical build for a defensive end with absurd arm length, but can explode off the ball and make sudden lateral cuts to shoot gaps,” Foster wrote.
At Georgia’s pro day this week, he ran his 40 in a reported 4.73 seconds. That came on the heels of a 2024 season of five sacks and 8.5 tackles for losses despite being slowed for most of the season by an ankle injury.
“Mykel battled through that all year, and it was really tough on him because he had one of the best fall camps that I've ever seen,” Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart said at pro day.
“The good news is all the scouts saw that, too, and I think that will pop up where he gets drafted at because, for a guy that's going to get drafted really high, he wasn't 100 percent all year. But they respect the fact that he pushed through and competed.”
The Vikings took a rocket-fast cornerback and the Lions added to their pass rush.
Buccaneers.com: Texas A&M edge Shemar Stewart
Buccaneers beat writer Scott Smith addressed the Packers’ defensive line with what would be a vintage Brian Gutekunst pick. Texas A&M’s Shemar Stewart had 1.5 sacks in each of his three seasons but earned a perfect Relative Athletic Score at the Scouting Combine.
Noting the Packers’ free agency gains, Smith said, “Now they juice up the pass rush with perhaps the most athletic of all the edge prospects this year outside of Abdul Carter. Stewart's production with the Aggies … is a concern but the Packers bet on his impressive tools raising the ceiling considerably.”
CBS Sports: Oregon DT Derrick Harmon
The Packers can improve their pass rush with someone like Georgia’s Williams or A&M’s Shemar Stewart on the edge. Or, they can add to the middle of their defense. That was the approach by CBS’s Kyle Stockpole, who selected Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon.
“Whether it's stopping the run or getting after opposing quarterbacks, Derrick Harmon will be a disruptor on the defensive interior for the Packers,” Stockpole wrote.
Harmon had five sacks and 11 tackles for losses in 2024, when he led all defensive tackles in pressures. The Packers lost TJ Slaton in free agency, so this would be need meeting talent at No. 23.
NBC Sports: Texas CB Jahdae Barron
In a mock driven by the betting markets, the Packers selected Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron, who won the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s best defensive back.
“The Packers need to keep pace with the high-octane wide receiver groups in their uber-competitive division,” Eric Froton wrote.
Barron and Michigan’s Will Johnson are the betting favorites to be the No. 1 corner selected; at FanDuel Sportsbook, Johnson is -110 and Barron is +140.
At No. 24, the Vikings strengthened their defensive line, and the Lions did the same at No. 28.
