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Packers mock draft: Green Bay lands needed defensive help

The Packers land two defensive stalwarts and a workhorse running back in the first three rounds of SB Nation's latest mock draft.

NCAA Football: UCLA at Arizona State Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

After the shocking end to Super Bowl LI, the 2016 season has officially concluded. But the end of one season means offseason movement begins in just a matter of weeks. That includes the NFL Scouting Combine and the official start of draft season.

For his first post-Super Bowl mock, SB Nation's draft guru Dan Kadar projected each of the first three rounds. For the Green Bay Packers, that meant landing key defensive help.

With their top pick (No. 29 overall), Kadar had the Packers select UCLA edge rusher Takkarist McKinley. After a solid junior season, McKinley erupted in 2016, finishing the year with double-digit sacks and a whopping 18 tackles for loss. He also batted down six passes and forced three fumbles, each at least doubling his career totals. For a team like Green Bay that struggled to rush the passer after the early weeks of the season, landing a dynamic speedster like McKinley could make a significant difference to the defense.

Here's what Kadar had to say about the McKinley selection:

29. Green Bay Packers: Takkarist McKinley, OLB, UCLA

With Nick Perry entering free agency, the Packers could find an upgrade over him with McKinley, a high-effort edge rusher.

But Kadar has the Packers grabbing more than one defender. In the second round, he gave the team Washington cornerback Kevin King, a hulking 6-foot-3 cornerback from one of the top secondaries in the nation. King could immediately compete with Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins for playing time with the No. 1 defense.

To close out the mock, Kadar chose Toledo running back Kareem Hunt for the Packers' third-round pick. Hunt does a little bit of everything well, breaking tackles seemingly at will and delivering massive production over his four years in the MAC. The 6-foot-1, 225-pound back could become a bell cow in the Green Bay offense.