Montez Sweat is Packers’ pick at #12 in the 2019 SB Nation Mock Draft

The 2019 SB Nation Writer’s Mock Draft is underway, and we at Acme Packing Company are representing the Green Bay Packers once again in this annual tradition. This year, we have a pair of first-round picks, sitting at 12 and 30 overall. Today, we reveal our first pick for the Packers in this year’s draft.

In this scenario, a few of APC’s favorite targets for the Packers have already come off the board. Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver was gone early, landing with the Buccaneers at the 5th pick. Florida State pass-rusher Brian Burns ended up in Detroit with the eighth pick while T.J. Hockenson, the Iowa tight end, went one pick later to Buffalo at nine.

A quarterback, Drew Lock, went off the board at 10, however, followed by Michigan linebacker Devin Bush at 11. So, with the 12th overall pick in the 2019 SB Nation Writers’ Mock Draft, Acme Packing Company has selected:

Montez Sweat, outside linebacker, Mississippi State

The Packers would be ecstatic to find one of the pass rushers in the draft’s top tiers available with the 12th pick in this scenario and, given the other players who have come off the board, they should sprint to the podium faster than Montez Sweat’s 4.41-second 40-yard dash. Yes, the team bolstered its pass rush in free agency with the additions of Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith, drastically lessening the need to land one of the top edge rushers in the draft. In fact, these signings plus the adds of Adrian Amos and Billy Turner free up the Packers to truly stick to their best value available strategy. Interestingly, Sweat is taking his official visit to Green Bay today.

However, on this board, Sweat is absolutely that guy — plus, you can never have too many pass-rushers. Adding a tremendous athlete like Sweat to this rotation will allow all of these players to stay a bit more fresh as a long season wears on, while hopefully sacrificing little if anything in terms of talent when one of the Smiths needs a breather. He has experience rushing both standing up and with a hand in the dirt, and he may well be asked to do both in Green Bay. Plus, Za’Darius Smith is already expected to rush from the interior on passing downs, so that provides a great pathway to getting all three acquisitions on the field at once. Sweat’s ridiculous athletic ability and production just make him too good to pass up here.

Green Bay still has needs on offense and at safety, but the board — and the fact that the Packers have an extra first-round pick at 30 — set up to to fill those holes later on. When you can draft a true impact player who can make life difficult for opposing quarterbacks, you do it.

APC broke down the pick on a mini-episode of The APC Podcast this week, where you can hear Tex Western discussing the board and the selection with Zach Rapport:

Click here to follow along with the SB Nation Mock as it continues on, and check back in next week to see what happens with pick number 30.