Packers: Potential first-round targets in 2018 NFL Draft

A look at a few options the Green Bay Packers have in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

The predicament the Green Bay Packers find themselves in comes from a confluence of circumstances.

A broken collarbone led to a good seeding throughout the draft. Four compensatory selections further built up the cache of picks. There is a ton of interest in quarterbacks in the first round this year, but especially in the top five, that allows superior talent to fall down the board.

The fact the 2019 draft class is being considered a down year in quarterback prospects further enhances the QB value in 2018.

A dynamic running back, who is good but will ride the successes of Ezekiel Elliott, Leonard Fournette and Todd Gurley, and a generational talent at guard Quenton Nelson, both of whom will command a top 15 pick.

With a league-leading 12 picks, the Pack has plenty of draft capital to move up and down the board as their plan dictates. There won’t be a better time to score a premium defensive player than now. The board is so good that it is entirely possible, likely even, that one of the “Top 6” could fall into the Packers’ lap at 14. My “Top 6” are Bradley Chubb, Tremaine Edmunds, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Derwin James, Denzel Ward and Roquan Smith.

If the Packers do decide to trade up for one of these players they can use this year’s picks, or even next years. It’s likely they will be picking much later next year, so they can use this to decrease the hit they’ll have to take in order to move up into a spot for one of these top 10 defensive talents.

Here is a player the Packers would likely have to trade up for.