With the first round of the NFL Draft just one week away, our latest seven-round Green Bay Packers mock draft starts with two Big Ten stalwarts and includes two receivers and five players who took predraft visits.
The stage is almost complete outside Lambeau Field.
The NFL Draft is nearly here, with the first round exactly one week away.
Instead of speculation, soon we’ll have answers to the biggest questions that face the Green Bay Packers. How are they going to fill the needs?
Predraft visits are over. The Packers brought in six receivers, including three potential first-round picks. Several pass rushers, including three first-round prospects, and linemen on both sides of the ball visited Lambeau Field, as well.
Using Pro Football Network’s simulator, here’s a final seven-round Packers mock draft, starting with the player Dane Brugler mocked to Green Bay this week as part of his mock for The Athletic.
Round 1, Pick 23: Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
Earlier this offseason, we did a mock draft stating that we weren’t sure if Will Johnson was actually going to be available at No. 23. He still may not be, but the possibility appears to be growing.
Johnson recently had a private workout for NFL teams interested in his services. Johnson did agility drills but notably did not run a 40-yard-dash. Johnson entered the draft process with questions about his long speed. That question remains.
Johnson is said to be best suited in a defense in which his eyes are on the quarterback. Matt LaFleur and Jeff Hafley have said that their defense is vision based. Their desire is to play Cover-3, which would allow Johnson to keep his eyes on the quarterback and show off his ball-hawking abilities.
Limited to six games by injuries, Johnson intercepted two passes during his final season at Michigan and returned both for touchdowns. He had three pick-sixes in his career. He’s not only good when the ball is in the air, once he makes a play on it, he has a nose for the end zone.
Maybe Brian Gutekunst would shy away due to the lack of a full athletic profile, but the prospect of taking a player who was considered a top-10 pick at the beginning of the process was too good to pass up.
Round 2, Pick 54: Tyleik Williams, DL, Ohio State
Tyleik Williams is a big man to help fill a big void in the middle of Green Bay’s defense.
The Packers found a new commitment to stopping the run last season. Their best run-defending defensive lineman, TJ Slaton, signed with the Bengals in free agency.
Williams could be his replacement. The Packers hosted Williams on a predraft visit, and he is a body type they do not have along their defensive line. Apart from Kenny Clark, Green Bay’s returning defensive linemen are best suited as penetrators and pass rushers as opposed to run stuffers.
Williams has some room to grow as a pass rusher, but he’s not just a plodder. He would, however, be an instant anchor to Green Bay’s run defense, which would be his best way to contribute as a rookie.
Round 3, Pick 87: Jack Bech, WR, TCU
Jack Bech is the first of two ultra-productive receivers selected in the middle rounds.
At 6-foot-1 and 214 pounds, Bech has strong hands and is a good route runner. Perhaps most importantly, he should be able to contribute as a rookie. He broke out in a big way in 2024, going over the 1,000-yard mark and earning a trip to the Senior Bowl, where he caught the game-winning touchdown pass and earned MVP honors in the game.
As a rookie, Bech has an immediate path to playing time because of the injury to Christian Watson and the inconsistencies of Dontayvion Wicks and Jayden Reed.
Round 4, Pick 123: Tai Felton, WR, Maryland
Tai Felton had a breakout season at Maryland, as well, with 96 receptions for 1,124 yards. With 4.37 speed and a 39 1/2-inch vertical, he is a freak athlete who was incredibly productive. The Packers brought him in for a visit.
Felton has the speed element that Green Bay is looking to inject into its receiving corps. Christian Watson will not be on the field until November, at the earliest, due to a torn ACL. That leaves the Packers without a true speed threat at receiver.
Felton played on the boundary and in the slot at Maryland. He would compete with Bech and the returning veterans for playing time.
Round 5, Pick 160: Elijah Roberts, DL, SMU
Elijah Roberts is the first true pass rusher taken in this class, though there are some questions as to where he’ll line up when he gets to the NFL. Perhaps the Packers would start him on the edge, where he played at SMU, before allowing him to kick inside in some subpackage sets.
Roberts has the versatility to do that, similar to Karl Brooks, an edge player at Bowling Green before being selected by the Packers in the sixth round in 2023.
Roberts came to Green Bay earlier this week on a predraft visit, and the Packers have shown a propensity to like the skill-set he possesses. Frankly, he’s a steal at this point of the draft.
Round 6, Pick 200: Jason Marshall Jr., CB, Florida
Jason Marshall Jr. had a draft visit, as well. He started 39 games at Florida before missing the final six games of his senior season with a shoulder injury.
Marshall could compete on the boundary and in the slot. The Packers’ cornerback room is in flux at the moment, and they’re hoping to gain some clarity with the draft. Marshall could help accomplish that.
Round 7 Pick 239: Jacob Bayer, C, Arkansas State
Remember how big of a story it was when Rashan Gary returned from his torn ACL in just nine months? It was. Gary deserves a ton of credit for returning as quickly as he did.
Bayer has him beat and, as a result, might be the best story in this draft class.
Bayer tore his ACL on March 30. He went through his recovery timeline with Packers on SI. In a little more than five months, he went from tearing an ACL at spring practice to starting and playing every snap.
“Basically, I asked if it could be done in terms of I could get back at some point in the season,” he explained, “and they said, ‘Adrian Peterson got back in like six months.’ So, I set that as a goal and we pushed everything forward up about a month. Or two. Or a lot, actually. Basically, just trying to cut everything in half in terms getting back.”
That toughness and those intangibles could play really well as a seventh-round pick and an addition to the back half of the offensive line room.
Round 7, Pick 251: Seth Henigan, QB, Memphis
Sean Clifford could use some competition for the third quarterback job, and the Packers are likely in the hunt for a long-term option to be the backup to Jordan Love because Malik Willis is a pending free agent following the 2025 season and could be in demand.
Henigan has some tools worth developing and may not require the use of a roster spot. This is a position the Packers could look to address earlier in the draft, despite the fact the player would be unlikely to be much of a factor in 2026.
What Worked?
Cornerback Will Johnson and defensive tackle Tyleik Williams were thought of as first-round prospects at the start of the draft process. Johnson, especially, was someone who would never be available to the Packers without a significant trade up.
If available, Johnson would be a seamless transition to Green Bay’s defense and be put in position to make big plays as a rookie. Williams would be a steal at Green Bay’s pick in the second round, as well.
Receivers Jack Bech and Tai Felton are two productive receivers who should give the Packers some cushion should they lose any of their receivers in free agency the next two offseasons.
What Didn’t Work?
Center Jacob Bayer is a great story, but Gutekunst would probably prefer to pick an offensive lineman earlier than the seventh round.
The same is true of the pass rush group. Tyleik Williams has a chance to add some punch to the interior defensive line, but there were no true edge rushers taken in this class. Elijah Roberts might be viewed as more of a tweener.
If the draft played out like this, it’d be hard to quibble too much, but there would be even more pressure on young rushers like Lukas Van Ness and Brenton Cox to contribute in 2025.