With Saturday night’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers, the Green Bay Packers are officially locked into the 28th overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft.
The last time the Packers had the 28th overall pick was back in 2012 when they selected USC edge rusher Nick Perry.
It’s 10 years later and edge rusher could be high on the priority list for general manager Brian Gutekunst.
With the NFL draft 94 days away, let’s take a look at my latest mock draft results for the Packers.
28th overall pick: Jermaine Johnson, Edge, FSU
The ACC Defensive Player of the Year finished the 2021 season with 70 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, and 11.5 sacks.
The Georgia transfer finished his collegiate career with 24.5 tackles for loss and 18 sacks.
Johnson checks all the boxes. He gets upfield quickly with an explosive first step and does a great job of converting speed to power.
As a run defender, he’s strong at the point of attack and does a good job of setting the edge. He has a high football IQ and sees the play coming. He has strong hands and has great burst to make plays behind the line of scrimmage.
With Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith likely being cap casualties, the Packers will look to address the edge position early in the upcoming draft. Johnson could step in from day one and play across from Rashan Gary.
60th overall pick: Channing Tindall, LB, Georgia
The Georgia linebacker finished this past season with 67 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, and five sacks.
Tindall might be the best run and hit linebacker in this class. He sees the ball and has elite quickness to roam sideline-to-sideline.
If De’Vondre Campbell isn’t re-signed this offseason, the Packers could look to Tindall as his replacement on day two of the draft.
Even if Campbell is re-signed, Tindall could be an excellent No. 2 backer and would help on special team units from day one.
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