Packers Mock Draft Roundup: Chris Olave, Trey McBride are frequent picks with 2 weeks left

Mock drafts are flying fast and furious lately, and with just 16 days left until the start of the 2022 NFL Draft, writers are trying to get their last predictions in. For the Green Bay Packers, this means a host of interesting projections with their two first-round picks (or for more ambitious writers, their five top-100 selections).

Here’s a look at a handful of recent notable mock drafts and their predictions for the Packers’ choices, as well as APC’s reactions to the players that each of these writers selected. Note that two players — Ohio State’s Chris Olave in round one and Colorado State tight end Trey McBride in the second round — each appear at least three times out of the six mocks under examination this week.

Jordan Reid (ESPN)

22. Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State
28. Travis Jones, NT, UConn
53. George Pickens, WR, Georgia
59. Trey McBride, TE, Colorado State
92. Alex Wright, EDGE, UAB
132. Kellen Diesch, OT, Arizona State
140. Leon O’Neal Jr., S, Texas A&M
171. Zach Tom, OL, Wake Forest
228. D.J. Davidson, DT, Arizona State
249. Smoke Monday, S, Auburn
258. Cordale Flott, CB, LSU

Reid went through every single pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, projecting them one through 262. For this writer’s money, this is one of the most exciting groups of prospects of any mock draft published by someone working for a major media outlet.

If Olave is there at 22, he might well be the best player on the Packers’ board, so that matches BPA and positional need. Jones is one of my favorite interior lineman prospects in this year’s class, and his presence could allow the Packers to move Kenny Clark out to 3-tech with more regularity. Then in round two the Packers get a big, physical receiver in Pickens to pair with Olave and a viable receiving option at tight end (though they remain in search of a long-term answer to succeed Marcedes Lewis as the Y).

Wright appears to be climbing draft boards lately, and the Packers reportedly met with him virtually in the last few weeks. He fits the mold of big edge rushers that the Packers have liked recently (6-foot-5 and 271 pounds) and he might excel working gradually into a rotation as a third EDGE player rather than being asked to start immediately.

Day three of this mock finds the Packers finding yet another athletic tackle prospect in the fourth round (Diesch) and one of their most common athletic fits for an interior lineman in the fifth (Tom). In between, O’Neal is an interesting player, one of only a handful of defensive backs who ran the 3-cone and hit the Packers’ desired number of 6.90 or better. He would almost certainly be an upgrade over Henry Black as the team’s third safety and, like Wright, he has met virtually with Green Bay.

The 7th-rounders are all fliers, with a big nose tackle, another big safety, and a lanky corner to presumably help out on special teams. All in all, this group should be a welcome one for Packers fans should it come to pass.

Lance Zierlein (NFL.com)

22. Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia
28. Christian Watson, WR, NDSU

This mock will surely make Zierlein some enemies among Packers fandom, especially with Olave still on the board when he has the Packers grabbing Davis. To be clear, Davis is an exciting and intriguing tackle, and is arguably the best pound-for-pound athlete in recent memory, but questions still revolve around his down-to-down impact at the NFL level.

But then the Packers miss out on Olave and the other consensus round-one wideouts, driving Zierlein to have the Packers reach for Watson at 28. Like Davis, he’s a great athlete but faces questions about a quick transition to the NFL; many of us writing here at APC would vastly prefer Davis’ teammate George Pickens in that situation.

Mike Tanier (Football Outsiders)

22. Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State
28. Jermaine Johnson, EDGE, Florida State
53. Trey McBride, TE, Colorado State
59. Dylan Parham, OL, Memphis
92. Zachary Carter, DT, Florida

There’s not much to dislike here, really. We touched on Olave already, but Johnson at 28 is interesting, as this mock sees him slip to Green Bay late. He’s raw as a pass-rusher, but the physical tools are there if he can put it all together.

We have another McBride appearance here in round two before finding Parham, a guard whose agility times put him right on the borderline for the Packers’ testing preferences and who falls a little on the small side. Finally, Carter is a long, decently athletic lineman who probably projects as a 5-technique who can pressure the pocket a bit.

Anthony Treash (Pro Football Focus)

22. Christian Watson, WR, NDSU
28. Boye Mafe, EDGE, Minnesota
53. Zach Tom, OL, Wake Forest
59. Trey McBride, TE, Colorado State

Here’s an even bigger reach for Watson, but then again this mock is based solely on the writer’s own opinions of these players, not an actual projection of how NFL teams actually view them. For example, he has Georgia’s Travon Walker all the way down at #30 overall, despite the fact that he has consistently been getting top-five buzz and is even now getting some noise as a possible top overall selection.

As for the other picks, Mafe is an explosive pass-rusher, but the Packers haven’t drafted a player older than 22 in the first round in a long, long time (Mafe is 24). Then there’s Tom, who is very much a Packers-type pick, but is seemingly overvalued here relative to other projections around the draftsphere.

Ben Linsey (PFF)

22. Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State
28. Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia

This PFF mock just goes for the one round, but seems a little more reasonable than the other. Little more needs to be said about Olave, but Dean is an interesting player, one who would make for some intriguing possibilities alongside De’Vondre Campbell.

Chad Reuter (NFL.com)

Our final mock comes from another NFL.com writer, one who projects the Packers to move up with New England, sending away the 92nd and 132nd picks to climb from 28 to 21 and make back-to-back picks in the first. (That trade checks out pretty evenly from the trade value charts, for the record.)

21 (via NE): George Karlaftis, EDGE, Purdue
22: Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State
53: Skyy Moore, WR, Western Michigan
59: Abraham Lucas, OT, Washington State
140: Zachary Carter, DL, Florida

Getting an excellent pass-rushing prospect and pairing him with Olave might just be a win-win for Green Bay here. Karlaftis seems to be a forgotten man of late in recent mocks, slipping more and more frequently into the Packers’ range in the early 20s, and if he’s there, the Packers may well be ready to pounce.

Meanwhile, Olave and Moore are an interesting tandem. Olave is the smooth route-runner, able to create separation easily and provide a deep threat. Moore is the shifty player with the ball in his hands who makes tacklers miss consistently. Perhaps those two along with a big veteran like Allen Lazard could give Green Bay some intriguing pass-catching combinations and a diversity of skillsets for Matt LaFleur to utilize.

Late in round two the Packers find an exceptional athlete at tackle in Lucas, whose agility times were off the charts (particularly for a 6-foot-6, 315-pound man). He could come in and compete for the starting right tackle job on day one. Then grabbing Carter in round four should be a solid value.