Packers 7-round mock draft 2018: Defense is the focus

Round 1: Tremaine Edmunds, LB, Virginia Tech (6-5, 250)

As a linebacker, Edmunds is a rare athlete with size and sideline-to-sideline speed. His impressive range and explosiveness allows him to make plays all over the field.

He’s registered 10 sacks and a whopping 32.5 tackles for loss as a two-year starter, as well as 215 tackles, four forced fumbles, 13 hurries, and five pass breakups.

Needless to say, Edmunds makes an impact in a variety of ways on defense. He’s also a versatile enough athlete where he can play off-ball linebacker and roam the middle of the field or play on the edge as a standup rusher.

New defensive coordinator Mike Pettine could really use a versatile chess piece like Edmunds to feature on defense.

Round 2: Lorenzo Carter, OLB, Georgia (6-6, 246)

To continue the theme of adding more athleticism to the Packers defense, here Green Bay gets an explosive edge rusher in Lorenzo Carter.

The Georgia native is a freak athlete with a massive 6-foot-6 wingspan, which allows him to disengage from blockers on the edge and get after the quarterback. He also possesses excellent straight-speed and change of direction ability.

His sack production in college won’t jump out at anybody–only 9.5 sacks the past two seasons–but his impact in games goes well beyond the stat sheet. Carter is a disruptive edge defender who can excel in all three phases of the game.

Once he adds more weight to his frame and polishes his pass rushing technique, he could be a true impact player at the next level. He’d be a nice addition to the Packers defense, bringing speed off the edge as a situational pass rusher behind starters Clay Matthews and Nick Perry.