The Green Bay Packers have traded up to draft a defensive back in the first round of each of the last two drafts, both led by third-year GM Brian Gutekunst.
In 2018, the Packers moved back in the first round only to trade back up and take Jaire Alexander. Last year, they moved up to get Darnell Savage.
Chad Reuter of NFL.com believes Gutekunst and the Packers could pull off a similar trick next week.
In his latest seven-round mock draft, Reuter predicted the Packers to trade up to the 23rd overall pick and take Utah cornerback Jaylon Johnson.
The deal was completed with the New England Patriots and required sending third- and sixth-round picks to New England to move up seven spots and grab Johnson, who is considered a press cornerback with starting-level ability at the next level.
In the second round, Reuter sent Colorado receiver Laviska Shenault to Green Bay at pick No. 62.
Although unrefined as a pure receiver and potentially unreliable due to an extensive injury history, Shenault has undeniable natural talent and could be a game-breaking playmaker in the right scheme.
Later, the Packers grabbed a quarterback and some defensive help.
The full list of Packers picks:
– 1.23: CB Jaylon Johnson, Utah
– 2.62: WR Laviska Shenault, Colorado
– 4.136: QB Nate Stanley, Iowa
– 5.175: DL McTelvin Agin, Arkansas
– 6.208: CB A.J. Green, Oklahoma State
– 6.209: LB Dante Olson, Montana
– 7.236: WR Isaiah Wright, Temple
– 7.242: OL John Molchon, Boise State
Thoughts: A cornerback early in the draft wouldn’t be surprising. It’s a sneaky need – Kevin King is a free agent following the 2020 season – and the Packers prioritize defensive backs over most positions. Does trading up so early to get one in this draft make sense, especially at the cost of a third-rounder? Debatable. Shenault could be a nice second-round pick, even with the boom-bust nature of his profile. He could be a star, or an injury-plagued non-factor. It’s really hard to see the Packers taking Stanley, an underwhelming collegiate quarterback with some major issues, in the fourth round. He’s a big project with limited upside, but the Packers have done a lot of work on quarterbacks. Not getting an offensive lineman until the last pick in the seventh round looks really unlikely in this draft.
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