2018 NFL mock draft: Packers select Tremaine Edmunds to bolster defense

With their highest pick in nearly a decade, the Green Bay Packers have a great opportunity to land an impact player in the upcoming 2018 NFL Draft. Finding quick returns could prove the difference between the Packers spending next January watching other teams compete for a title and, perhaps, stamping their own tickets to the Super Bowl.

SB Nation’s draft guru Dan Kadar has released his latest mock draft, projecting that the Packers attack one of their holes on defense with their top selection: Virginia Tech outside linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. Take a look at what Kadar had to say about the choice:

14. Green Bay Packers: Tremaine Edmunds, OLB, Virginia Tech

Edmunds may not be the pure pass rusher the Packers need, but he’s the type of versatile player that new Packers defensive coordinator Mike Pettine will love. Edmunds can move around the field and come up and stop the run or get into the backfield.

Edmunds didn’t generate outrageous sack numbers during his college career (he had only 10 over the course of his three seasons and 5 ½ his final year in Blacksburg), but he has the length that new Green Bay defensive coordinator Mike Pettine seems to prefer for his edge rushers. Despite the modest sack figures, Edmunds didn’t have too much trouble getting into the backfield, contributing over 30 tackles for loss over the past two seasons alone.