New Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst will have to make his second-round pick count on Friday after dealing his third-round selection to move back up to tab Louisville cornerback Jaire Alexander Thursday night.
Gutekunst did net a 2019 first-rounder out of the deal, so Green Bay still comes out on top, and with multiple picks in Round 4 and Round 5, the Packers are in good position to trade up again to recoup that third-round selection.
With surprises galore and a bevy of trades, a host of extremely talented players remain with just 12 picks to eat into that talent pool before the Packers go back on the clock. With that in mind, here are the best players available as we head into Day 2 with Round 2 of the 2018 NFL draft.
1. Courtland Sutton WR SMU — A big body who would make the Packers essentially unstoppable in the red zone and could develop into a future No. 1 receiver in the NFL.
2. Harold Landry DE Boston College — Arguably the second-best edge rusher in the class. An ankle injury cost him last season and may be the reason for his fall. Seeing him there at 45 could light up the eyes of the Packers front office.
3. Josh Jackson CB Iowa — Would the Packers be willing to double-up on cornerbacks with the ballhawking Iowa corner?
4. Connor Williams OL Texas — Is he a guard? Is he a tackle? If he fell to 45, Williams would be an ideal fit as either for the Packers and could be an eventual Bryan Bulaga replacement.
5. Justin Reid S Stanford — With Morgan Burnett now in Pittsburgh and slot corner taken care of with the Alexander pick, the Packers could tab this versatile safety who can cover, play deep, and has cornerback athleticism.
6. Christian Kirk WR Texas A&M — A slot receiver with return ability, Kirk could eventually take over the Cobb role when the veteran receiver’s contract is up next year.
7. Sam Hubbard DE Ohio State — First-round edge talents don’t grow on trees. Hubbard can be play inside, outside, and even at his size, has some versatility with the ability to play stand-up outside linebacker.
8. Dante Jackson CB LSU — The twitched up Jackson might seem redundant with Alexander already in the fold, but Tramon Williams is no spring chicken and Davon House is nothing more than a stopgap option.
9. Mike Gesicki TE Penn State — Good luck trying to stop an offense with Jimmy Graham and his physical clone, Gesicki, one of the most athletic players we’ve ever seen play the tight end position.
10. Tarvarus McFadden CB Florida State — I don’t care about the 40 time, McFadden is a ballhawking cornerback with size and length. He would be a different type of cornerback in this defense with less overlap with Alexander.
11. Will Hernandez G UTEP
12. Dallas Goedert TE South Dakota State
13. Martinas Rankin OT Mississippi State
14. Ronald Jones II RB USC
15. Ogbonnia Okoronkwo EDGE Oklahoma
16. Mason Rudolph QB Oklahoma State
17. D.J. Chark WR LSU
18. Uchenna Nwosu EDGE USC
19. Mark Andrews TE Oklahoma
20. Anthony Miller WR Memphis