Tag: JL Skinner

Packers mock draft 1.0: A fresh mock to kick off the season

It’s Week 1, but Packers Wire draft expert Brennen Rupp is already thinking of the 2023 draft. Here’s a two-round mock draft, the first of the season.

The 2022 NFL season is upon us. While everybody is dreaming of the Green Bay Packers bringing the Lombardi Trophy home, I’m currently wondering who the Packers will take in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. 

The 2023 NFL Draft is currently 232 days away. With week one about to kick off, it’s time for the first mock draft of the season. The Packers’ draft slot is based on my season predictions. Here are the Packers results from my first mock of the season. It will be the first of many until April 27.

30th pick: JL Skinner, S, Boise State

Depending on what happens with Adrian Amos’ contract, the Packers could be in the market for a safety early in the 2023 draft. Luckily for the Gutekunst and the Packers, this year’s safety class is talented.

Enter JL Skinner. The Boise State safety packs a punch and flies downhill looking for the kill shot. He’s a tone-setter that plays with great range and physicality.

“JL’s greatest strengths are his length and range,” Ron Counts, the Boise State beat writer for the Idaho Statesman said. “He’s every bit of 6-foot-4 and he put on about 10 pounds in the past year to get up to 220. He was all over the field in coverage last season and really improved as a tackler as the season went on. He also evolved into a big hitter. If he shows more improvement as a tackler and gets his hands on a couple more interceptions this year, he could hear his name called early in the draft.”

In Boise State’s season opener against Oregon State, Skinner recorded 12 tackles and a tip-drill interception. He did give up a touchdown in coverage to Oregon State’s Luke Musgrave.

62nd pick: Anton Harrison, OT, Oklahoma

Will David Bakhtiari make it through the season? Even if he does, the Packers may need to start thinking about life after Bakhtiari, who will be 31 at the end of September.

Harrison started 12 games at left tackle for the Sooners last season and started at right tackle for the Sooners in their season opener on Saturday against UTEP. 

At 6-5, 315 pounds, Harrison has an ideal frame for the position. He has the foot quickness and lower body flexibility to mirror edge rushers in pass protection. According to PFF, Harrison ranked in the Top Five among Big 12 offensive tackles in both pass-blocking and run-blocking.

Bakhtiari and Jenkins could be the starting offensive tackles for the Packers for the foreseeable future, but a team can never have enough depth at tackle. Enter Harrison. 

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Mountain West Football: First Look at 2023 NFL Draft Prospects

Jake Haener, JL Skinner, Dom Peterson and many more from the Mountain West could be on the minds of NFL scouts until next year’s draft.

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Mountain West Football: First Look At 2023 NFL Draft Prospects

Next year’s class of Mountain West football prospects could be a diverse bumper crop.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

Who could be the next men up?

Air Force

It’s always tricky to guess which Falcons might be enticed to chase the NFL dream after their time at the Academy, but running back Brad Roberts might consider it if he can duplicate his 2021 season. It isn’t often that a fullback leads Air Force in rushing, let alone the entire Mountain West, but that’s what Roberts did in piling up 1,357 yards and 13 touchdowns on a conference-high 297 carries. He’s a bruiser with enough acceleration to warrant a look as a short-yardage back in the NFL, if nothing else.

In the mix: Zion Kelly, CB; Kyle Patterson, TE; Vince Sanford, LB

Boise State

Pass catchers beware when Broncos safety JL Skinner is in the vicinity. At 6-4 and 220 pounds, he’s earned a reputation as a hard hitter with the range to make plays just about everywhere on the field. In 2021, he collected 92 total tackles, seven tackles for loss and two interceptions, so another big year patrolling the defensive backfield is all but guaranteed to put him on a few big boards by this time next year.

In the mix: Hank Bachmeier, QB; Stefan Cobbs, WR; George Holani, RB; Shane Irwin, DL; Scott Matlock, DL; John Ojukwu, OT

Colorado State

Wide receiver Dante Wright wasn’t always at 100% during the 2021 season, but he remained one of the Rams’ most reliable targets and could be the primary beneficiary of Jay Norvell’s Air Raid offense. The former freshman All-American hasn’t lost any of his potency — he caught at least four passes in every game he played last year and has done so in all but two career games — and could very easily be 2022’s Deven Thompkins if everything breaks right.

In the mix: Cam’ron Carter, LB; Dequan Jackson, LB; Melquan Stovall, WR

Fresno State

Most college football fans remember Jake Haener‘s late-game exploits against UCLA last September, but the Bulldogs quarterback built a strong case throughout all of last year as the best signal-caller in the Mountain West. In throwing the ball nearly 38 times a game, Haener completed 67.1% of his passes for 4,096 yards and 33 touchdowns, also managing a reasonable 1.8% interception rate. While he may not fit the typical NFL quarterback mold (6-1, 195 pounds), his moxie and arm should give scouts plenty to keep an eye on.

In the mix: Dontae Bull, OT; Jalen Cropper, WR; David Perales, DE; Evan Williams, S

Hawaii

Since breaking into the starting lineup as a true freshman back in 2018, defensive tackle Blessman Ta’ala has been a quiet force in the trenches for the Warriors defense, earning a pair of all-Mountain West honorable mentions in 2019 and 2020 and, according to Pro Football Focus, posting a career-best 75.3 grade last season. His ability to eat up space is something not just anyone can be taught, so he might be an example of how the stat sheet doesn’t tell you the whole story.

In the mix: Ilm Manning, OT; Dedrick Parson, RB; Solo Vaipulu, G; Micah Vanterpool, OL

Nevada

Defensive tackle Dom Peterson didn’t have to rejoin the Wolf Pack for one last season, but you can bet fans will be glad he did. Perhaps the best interior defender anywhere in the Mountain West, Peterson has now made 40 starts for Nevada and picked up 22 sacks and 41.5 tackles for loss. Not only could another dominant year put him in the conversation as the program’s best defensive lineman ever, it could entrench him as a prospect to watch.

In the mix: Aaron Frost, OL; Toa Taua, RB; Tyson Williams, S

New Mexico

After leading the Mountain West with four interceptions in 2020, Lobos safety Jerrick Reed II put together another solid campaign last fall and led the team with 92 tackles. He also tied for the team lead with seven pass breakups, moving around the defense to do whatever it took to make stops and bolstering his bonafides as a sure tackler with reliable hands.

In the mix: Donte Martin, CB

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