The best drafts are the ones where need meets value.
Teams who blindly draft the positions they need without regard for how the board falls miss out on a lot value.
Sometimes, the best players that fall aren’t at the biggest positions of the need.
In this draft simulation, despite a lot of needs on offense, the best players to fall early were on defense. Offense came later.
Sometimes, that’s just how it works out. But they still got some really good players.
Here are the results:
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Round 1
Myles Murphy – Edge
Profile: With a long-armed 6’5, 270 frame, Murphy is a beast on the edge. He has an explosive first step from a stand up position or with a hand in the dirt. Murphy has been a stud his whole life – he was a top 10 national recruit out of high school and a productive college player. Powerful off the snap, he has a great bullrush and can jolt and separate. Versatile with high energy, he ‘s stout against run, can twist in pass rush, drop back in coverage, or set the edge.
Analysis: Not only do the Packers need reinforcements at the position, but Murphy fits their mold of big edge rushers who can hold the point. He’s a great fit and a premium position and would be great value if he slips to 15.
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Round 2
Emmanuel Forbes – Cornberback
Profile: At 6’0, 200, Forbes is a super-athletic perimeter corner, who also played baseball and basketball. He’s aggressive in zone or man and plays with instinct, jumping routes and tracking deep balls for breakups. He lacks strength and is tentative in run support, but is a top tier cover man.
Analysis: The Packers have some question marks in Rasul Douglas and Eric Stokes, who both seemed to regress last year. You could never have too many corners and they could benefit from the flexibility of another good cover man.
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Round 3
Kayshon Boutte – Wide Receiver
Profile: A 5’11, 195 big play vertical threat, Boutte plays faster than his 4.5 timed speed. He set the SEC single game record for receiving yards as a freshman, then had some injury issues. He makes great adjustments on the ball and racks up yards after the catch, but character questions may push him down boards.
Analysis: If the Packers get to round 3 and haven’t picked a receiver yet, they could look for a talented player with some red flags to boost the talent of receiving unit.
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Round 4
Luke Schoonmaker – Tight End
Profile: A 6’5, 251 tight end with 4.63 speed, Schoonmaker is a well-rounded prospect. A good blocker with a nice release package who can stretch the seam, he doesn’t do much after the catch. A dependable guy who wasn’t featured much as a receiver and could be overlooked.
Analysis: The Packers need a couple tight ends and Schoonmaker is a well-rounded prospect who could be a great Day 3 value.
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Round 5
Jay Ward – Safety
Profile: A slight frame at 6’0, 188, Ward still initiates a lot of contact, even to the point of missing tackles when he tries to blow someone up. His 4.55 speed gives him decent range and he’s a solid cover man with reads the quarterback and diagnosing plays pretty well.
Analysis: Defensive backfield depth is a big need for the Packers. It would be nice to get Ward to temper his aggressiveness a bit to become a more sure tackler, but he brings good instincts to back end.
Jalen Redmond – Defensive Line
Profile: A high energy disrupter, the 6’2, 290 Redmond can blow up the backfield, but sometimes misguides his energy and over-pursues or misses altogether. Quick and agile he shoots gaps and runs good twists, but his overall moveset is still basic and he’s battled a lot of injuries.
Analysis: The Packers have some good size on their line, but are lacking proven disrupters. If Redmond could stay healthy, he could be a nice rotational piece on the Packers front.
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Round 7
Jake Andrews – Center
Profile: With good interior size at 6’3, 305, Andrews is not overly strong. However, he has enough athleticism for zone blocking and plays smart, using good hand technique and posture to hold ground and wall off defenders.
Analysis: The Packers could use a little competition at center and Andrews could develop into a future starter.
Malik Knowles – Wide Receiver
Profile: Smooth with a thin build, the 6’2, 195 Knowles has good movement on his releases to gain separation off the line. His 4.5 speed is accentuated by a smooth catching motion in stride. He struggles with physical coverage, but uses his height well for high balls.
Analysis: The Packers like tall receivers and have a need for depth and competition. With 4 picks in the 7th round, look for at least one to go to a developmental receiver like Knowles.
Lonnie Phelps – Edge
Profile: An instinctive pass rusher, Phelps is a little on the small side for the Packers at 6’2, 244, but his 4.55 speed and non-stop hustle are great assets. He has violent hand moves and speed around the arc, but his lack of size and strength may limit him to situational pass rush role.
Analysis: The Packers prefer bigger edge rushers to hold ground in the run game in their base defense, but there is always room for situational pass rushers like Phelps.
Earl Bostick – Offensive Tackle
Profile: At 6’6, 310, Bostick pairs a long build with good quickness. Athletic and mobile, he added 40 pounds after moving from tight end to tackle. He struggles to anchor against power, but he’s still developing his balance at the position and is an intriguing prospect in the later rounds.
Analysis: Bostick has the athleticism the Packers like for zone blocking. He would be a great addition to keep the talent development pipeline at tackle full for the future.
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Analysis
A lot of fans are hoping for offense early in the draft, but the board might not fall that way.
If the Packers can get Murphy and Forbes, their defense could get an immediate boost.
Boutte and Schoonmaker may not be big names that Packers fans are drooling on their offense wish list, but both could be upgrades to start this year.
After that, the Packers get a lot of good developmental prospects that fit their scheme.
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Of Note
Will Anderson fell to the Lions in this simulation – pairing him with Aiden Hutchinson would be a nightmare
For this mock, I drafted against the board from Buffalo Fambase.
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