Green Bay Packers: Post-Senior Bowl seven-round 2021 NFL mock draft

The 2020 NFL Draft saw a lot of drama when the Green Bay Packers traded up to take quarterback Jordan Love with the 26th overall pick instead of drafting a wide receiver in the first round. In fact, the Packers went the entire draft without taking a wide receiver and have not drafted one since they took J’Mon Moore in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

Going into this year’s draft there is a lot of talk about Green Bay taking a wide receiver again in the first round, but like last year, I think they will use their 2021 first-round pick on another position. Let’s dig deep into the Green Bay Packers with a complete seven-round 2021 NFL mock draft for the team.

Round 1: Daviyon Nixon, DT, Iowa

The Green Bay Packers decided to address their defense-first in this mock draft by taking a defensive lineman with the 29th pick. The team decides to go in this direction to finally get help on the interior defensive line for Kenny Clark, which will hopefully free him up more next year. The only other defensive lineman the team has that has been somewhat productive is Kingsley Keke, but he has shown more flashes instead of consistent play.

In Iowa defensive tackle Daviyon Nixon, the team gets one of the most athletic defensive tackles in the 2021 NFL Draft. Last season at Iowa, Nixon recorded 13.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. As a prospect, Nixon shows a very quick first step out of his stance, and the agility to make plays behind the line of scrimmage on a consistent basis. One other positive with Nixon is that he still has plenty of room to improve. This is due to the fact the former JUCO defensive lineman only started for one year at Iowa.

I would look for Nixon to fight to win a spot at defensive end for the Packers next year. With the athletic ability, Nixon has shown he has the ability to move over to this spot. Plus, the Packers will likely have an open spot if they cut Dean Lowry which they are expected to do.

Round 2: Rondale Moore, WR, Purdue

The Green Bay Packers finally get some help for Aaron Rodgers in the second round of this mock draft. The Packers are set at the number one receiver spot with Davante Adams and have seen enough from Allen Lazard and Marquez Valdes-Scantling this year to think one of them can develop into a number two receiver. The area they will likely need to fill though is a gadget-type player as they will likely lose Tyler Ervin this offseason.

This year’s wide receiver class is loaded with gadget players, although I expect the top two guys to be off the board in the first round in Alabama’s Jaylen Waddle and Florida’s Kadarius Toney. However, I do think Purdue’s Rondale Moore will fall in the draft due to injury concerns. Moore missed most of the 2019 season with hamstring injuries and only played in three games this year as he battled a lower back injury.

Despite these injuries, Moore has too much talent to drop too far in the draft. His top trait by far is his impressive speed, as he should run at least a 4.3 40-yard dash in the pre-draft process. His speed allows him to be both a deep threat or to be an open field threat after he catches a short pass. To go along with his impressive speed Moore is a very agile athlete, which makes it very hard for him to be tackled in the open.

Round 3: Asante Samuel Jr., CB, Florida State

One position the Packers have spent a lot of draft capital on over the past few years is cornerback. Unfortunately, they have missed on most of these players as guys such as Kevin King and Josh Jackson have been below average NFL players. The one player they did hit on was Jaire Alexander who they drafted in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Now the goal is for the Packers to find a corner who can fill the spot opposite Alexander.

A player who could possibly fill this role is Florida State cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. Despite being on the small side, coming in at 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds, he does show the potential to develop into a starting corner in the NFL. One of the traits he shows that makes me think he can make this transition is his quickness.

Samuel does a great job of closing any cushion a wide receiver gets on him and also will rarely get beat deep due to this speed. In addition to his speed, he has the loose hips to cover the smaller and more athletic wide receivers he might see if lined up as a nickel corner.

I would look for Samuel’s to start off a nickel corner in Green Bay, and possibly move into the starting lineup down the road.

Round 4: Walker Little, OT, Stanford

Offensive tackle is a need area for the Green Bay Packers for a couple of reasons. The first one being that left tackle David Bakhtiari is coming off a season-ending knee injury. The team would also be wise to invest in this position as Billy Turner has been just average at right tackle.

One of the more intriguing players in the 2021 NFL Draft is Stanford’s Walker Little. What makes Little such an intriguing prospect is the fact he has not played much football over the past two seasons. In 2019 he suffered a season-ending knee injury in the opening game of the season. He also did not play last year as he opted out of the season. When Little does play though he shows the skills needed to develop into a future NFL left tackle.

Little would make sense for the Green Bay Packers as he would be able to challenge Billy Turner for the starting right tackle job as a rookie. If he was unable to win this job he would provide good insurance behind David Bakhtiari, in case he is not able to stay healthy this season. This might be his best fit as he is more of a natural left tackle, and could get used to actually playing football again.

Round 5: Demetric Felton, RB, UCLA

The Green Bay Packers could lose a lot of its rushing game this offseason. This is due to the fact that both Aaron Jones and Jamal Williams are free agents and could command hefty salaries. The Packers did invest a 2020 second-round pick on running back AJ Dillion last year, but he only rushed for 242 yards last season. If Green Bay loses both of its top rushers this offseason running back will be a position they look to fill in the draft.

A player who would make sense for the Green Bay Packers on day three of the draft is Demetric Felton. Felton has the skills that would make him a good fit in this offense, starting with his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. Last season, in just six games for the Bruins, Felton caught 22 passes. He also had a strong year in 2019 when he caught 55 balls with most of them coming out of the backfield. Another plus with Felton is that he is a shifty runner which would be a good change of pace to go along with the more downhill running of AJ Dillion.

I would look for the Packers to use Felton in several ways on their offense. One of these would be to have him be a third-down back. In this role, he would be a great outlet pass for Aaron Rodgers and is also a strong enough blocker to pick up blitzes. I could also see Green Bay having him line up as a slot receiver at times, causing mismatches against the opposing defense.

Round 6: David Moore, OG, Grambling

The Packers lack great depth along its interior offensive line and have a history of drafting this position late in the draft. Some of the valuable picks the team has made at this position include picking Corey Linsley in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft, taking Jon Runyan in the sixth round in the 2020 NFL Draft and signing Lucas Patrick as an undrafted free agent in 2016.

I look for the team to go to this well again with the selection of Grambling offensive guard David Moore in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

David Moore is fresh off an impressive Senior Bowl week where he was named the American team’s offensive lineman practice-player-of-the-week. During his week in Mobile, Moore showed outstanding strength and the mean streak you want to see from an interior offensive lineman. Another plus with Moore is that he showed nice versatility during the week as he played both guard and center.

While expecting any sixth-round pick to become a day one starter is a stretch, Moore could possibly develop into one in a few years for the Packers. In the meantime, he would work as a valuable backup offensive guard and center.

Round 7: Chauncey Golston, DE, Iowa

The Packers addressed their defensive line concerns with their first-round pick in this mock draft with the selection of Daviyon Nixon. They also finish up their draft by taking another Hawkeye lineman in the seventh round. This time they snag Iowa defensive end Chauncey Golston in the seventh round.

Golston is a bigger defensive end which the Packers require in their 3-4 defense as he comes in at 6-foot-5 and 268 pounds. He also shows the strength to play defensive end in this style of defense, as he held his ground well when going up against college offensive linemen.

To go along with his combination of size and strength, Golston shows good quickness for his size and the ability to make plays in the backfield. Last year, Golston recorded 8.5 tackles for loss and five sacks for the Hawkeyes. In terms of where he would fit with the Packers, he would predominantly see time as a rotational defensive end.

Please note I didn’t include compensatory draft picks in this mock draft, as they have yet to be announced. The Green Bay Packers will likely be awarded multiple selections in the compensatory process which will obviously help them stack even more talent on the roster.