The first mock draft from Chad Reuter of NFL.com provided the Green Bay Packers with playmakers at both inside linebacker and wide receiver, arguably the team’s biggest need at each side of the ball.
Reuter’s three-round mock draft had the Packers take Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray in the first round and TCU receiver Jalen Reagor in the second, potentially solving two problem areas to start the draft.
Murray, who is considered one of the top two off-ball linebackers in the class, has become an early favorite for the Packers at No. 30. He’d provide the athleticism and three-down playmaking ability the defense has lacked at the position for years. It’s possible inside linebacker is the team’s biggest need, especially if Blake Martinez departs in free agency.
Reagor is one of several potential receiver options for the Packers, although it’s unclear at this point if the TCU star will last until the end of the second round.
The Packers desperately need a playmaking option in the passing game behind Davante Adams, and Reagor – with his dynamic speed and versatility – could provide it, as a vertical threat, in the slot and in the return game.
Over three collegiate seasons, Reagor tallied 2,248 receiving yards and 22 touchdowns, plus 324 rushing yards and two touchdowns and 404 combined return yards and another score (punt return).
In the third round, Reuter had the Packers take offensive tackle Ben Bartch, a small-school prospect from Saint John’s (MN).
The draft is still well over two months away, but clear needs are forming for GM Brian Gutekunst. He needs speed and playmaking at both inside linebacker and receiver. The start of this mock would certainly provide some of both.
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