Chad Reuter’s five-round mock draft for NFL.com includes some hole-filling standouts along with some questionable selections.
Green Bay, Wisconsin – Chad Reuter of NFL.com made an interesting reference by using the Green Bay Packers’ first-round pick on North Carolina State linebacker Payton Wilson in his latest five-round mock draft.
“New defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley coached against Wilson when he was at Boston College, watching his Eagles beat the Wolfpack in 2022 despite the linebacker’s three tackles for loss and interception,” a report by Reuter said. “Hafley knows full well the sort of athlete and football player Wilson would add to his scheme in Green Bay.”
Wilson received the Butkus Award as the nation’s best linebacker in 2023. He had an outstanding senior season, recording 138 tackles, six sacks, 17.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions, six passes defensed, and one forced fumble.
Excellent production meets excellent athleticism. At the Scouting Combine, he weighed 233 pounds and stood 6-foot-3 3/4 inches. With a 4.43 in the 40-yard dash and strong all-around testing statistics, his Relative Athletic Score was 9.88.
In a vacuum, he’d be an obvious choice for a team switching to a 4-3 defense while lacking depth at linebacker. Wilson, on the other hand, has a problematic injury history, including two ACL tears in the same knee and shoulder surgery.
By selecting Wilson, the Packers passed on offensive lineman Troy Fautanu, Tyler Guyton, and Patrick Paul at the end of the first round, as well as Amarius Mims and Jordan Morgan at the start of the second round. However, this does not imply that the Packers failed to make enough tackles. After picking Washington State safety Jaden Hicks in the second round, one spot after Washington selected Cooper DeJean, Reuter chose ultra-athletic Washington offensive tackle Roger Rosengarten. At 6-foot-5 3/8 and 308 pounds, he completed the 40 in 4.92 seconds.
But, can he block? In two seasons as the Huskies’ right tackle, he allowed 0 sacks. The next three picks were for the defense. Their first third-round pick was Oregon defensive tackle Brandon Dorlus, who topped all interior defensive linemen in the draft class in pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. Three picks later, Michigan slot Mike Sainristil was selected, who, at 5-foot-9 3/8, has historically been too short for Green Bay’s taste. He made six picks for the national championship.
In the fourth round, it was a gamble on Texas Tech edge Myles Cole, who had an outstanding Scouting Combine but mediocre collegiate performance. In the fifth round, it was a gamble on Oregon running back Bucky Irving, who had elite production but a dismal Combine.
The mock covers the first four rounds of the draft, highlighting the significant contributions of several 2023 fifth-rounders, such as Green Bay receiver Dontayvion Wicks, New Orleans safety Jordan Howden, and Los Angeles Rams record-setting receiver Puka Nacua.
