Packers select OL Chris Lindstrom with 30th pick of 2019 SB Nation Mock Draft

With the 2019 SB Nation Writer’s Mock Draft nearing its conclusion, Acme Packing Company got a chance to do something we have never done before: make two picks in the first round of a single draft. After selecting Mississippi State pass-rusher Montez Sweat at #12 overall, APC went back on the clock to make the Green Bay Packers’ selection with the 30th pick.

Unfortunately, there were a few intriguing prospects who came off the board in the picks just preceding the Packers’. Iowa tight end Noah Fant went to Oakland at 24, three picks before the Raiders selected safety Nasir Adderley. A pair of defensive tackles went in between in Christian Wilkins and Jeffery Simmons, then versatile offensive lineman Dalton Risner went to the Chargers at 28. Those players all would have factored into the equation to some extent had they been available at 30, but alas, they were not.

With that setting the table, the pick is in. Here’s the analysis of the pick from our Jason B. Hirschhorn:

30: Chris Lindstrom, OL, Boston College

Between free agency and the No. 12 overall pick in this mock, the Green Bay Packers have addressed numerous weaknesses on their defense. Meanwhile, the offense will shift to an outside-zone, play-action heavy scheme under new head coach Matt LaFleur. That scheme favors swift-footed offensive linemen capable of hitting their landmarks and making blocks at the second level, descriptions ill-fitting either of the team’s primary starting guards from last season.

All of which makes Boston College’s Chris Lindstrom an intriguing option for the Packers late in the first round. Lindstrom tested extremely well at the combine for an offensive lineman, finishing with a composite athletic score in the 96th percentile for his position group, according to 3 Sigma Athlete. Just as importantly, Lindstrom comes from a Boston College offense that made regular use of the outside-zone and under-center play-action fakes that will form the backbone of Green Bay’s new offense. He has also seen extensive action at both tackle and guard in college, versatility the Packers have long favored in their O-linemen.

Unlike other first-round offensive linemen, Lindstrom doesn’t need to start immediately given the presence of Lane Taylor and the recently signed Billy Turner. Still, with Taylor coming off his worst year as a starter and Turner perhaps pegged as the eventual successor to right tackle Bryan Bulaga, Lindstrom could slide in as a starting guard as early as this season.

Here’s the full draft board through 30 picks, and you can see where a few possible Packers targets come off the board: