Daniel Jeremiah has Packers adding edge rusher in mock draft
Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network has the Green Bay Packers selecting edge rusher Clelin Ferrell and tight end Noah Fant in the first round.
Mock draft season is finally here, and Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network is one of the best draft analysts. He’s put together his first mock draft of the offseason and has the Green Bay Packers addressing both sides of the ball in the first round.
The Packers own the No. 12 pick and the No. 30 pick (from the New Orleans Saints), which gives general manager Brian Gutekunst plenty of options on the draft’s opening night.
Edge rusher is arguably the team’s biggest need, which Jeremiah has the Packers addressing first by selecting Clemson’s Clelin Ferrell.
Jeremiah wrote: “Ferrell is an overachiever with excellent production and effort. The Packers need to add some punch to their edge rush.”
They absolutely do. While Kyler Fackrell led the team with 10.5 sacks, both Nick Perry and Clay Matthews underachieved with just five sacks between them. Matthews is a free agent this offseason and Perry could be a cut candidate to free up cap room.
Improving the defense starts by getting more pressure on quarterbacks from the edge rushers. Expect Gutekunst to search for help in free agency, but using the 12th overall pick on one of the top edge rushers in the class also makes a lot of sense.
Adding Ferrell to Mike Pettine’s defense would go a long way to strengthening the pass rush.
With the team’s second pick in the first round, Jeremiah has the Packers selecting tight end Noah Fant. The Packers have used free agency to try to fix the tight end position in recent years, but this offseason they should turn to the draft.
With Lance Kendricks and Marcedes Lewis set to hit free agency this offseason, Fant could be a great addition to the new-look offense under head coach Matt LaFleur.
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Finding both an edge rusher and tight end will be near the top of Gutekunst’s to-do list this offseason, so it’s hard not to like Jeremiah’s first mock draft.