Green Bay Packers: Seven round mock draft pre-free agency

Round 6: NT D.J. Reader, Clemson

In the sixth round, the Packers can find themselves another project along the defensive line in D.J. Reader out of Clemson. Green Bay does a great job of turning late draft picks or undrafted free agents into quality players. Reader would have the chance to do that too.

I’m a fan of spending late picks on big guys who can be developed. There are clear limitations to Reader’s game currently, but with time to work on his skills he could become at worst a backup in Dom Capers’ defense. And when you have a guy with size and athleticism, there’s always the potential of him becoming much more than that.

Here’s what NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein had to say about Reader:

"“Squatty, strong nose tackle who is able to push smaller centers around in phone booth battles, but unable to consistently be a disruptive force up front. Reader has the strength and potential to believe that his Senior Bowl flashes could turn into something more in the NFL, even though that might just be as a career backup.”"

Reader’s combination of size and athleticism makes him worth taking late on, but he would need development to become a run-stuffing nose tackle for the Packers in the future.

Next: Round 7