Packers land edge rusher, wide receiver in NFL Spin Zone mock draft

It’s an edge rusher-wide receiver combination for the Green Bay Packers in the latest NFL Spin Zone mock draft.

Just over a week away from the first round, Dan Schmelzer of NFL Spin Zone has made his predictions in his latest mock draft.

And for the Green Bay Packers, Schmelzer has them addressing both sides of the ball on Day 1. First is Florida State edge rusher Brian Burns, along with Mississippi wide receiver A.J. Brown later in the first round.

Of all the various directions GM Brian Gutekunst could go in the first round, this would be a smart one. In one offseason, Gutekunst could turn one of the league’s worst situations at edge rusher into Za’Darius Smith, Preston Smith, Brian Burns and Kyler Fackrell. No longer would Fackrell be relied on to lead the way, and he could instead offer depth behind three excellent pass rushers.

Burns should be considered one of the top targets for the Packers. It’s highly unlikely a player like Nick Bosa or Josh Allen will make it to No. 12, but there’s a great chance Burns will be on the board when the Packers pick first.

Brown sits atop many draft boards at the wide receiver position, and for good reason. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com compared Brown to JuJu Smith-Schuster, who is quickly becoming one of the best receivers in the NFL.

If the Packers are looking to add a wide receiver in this year’s draft they should go early. And there’s every chance Brown could start in Week 1 alongside Davante Adams.

The time for talking is almost over. We’ll soon find out how Gutekunst plans to address the Packers’ biggest positions of need and how aggressive he is willing to be in any potential trades.

But of all the mock drafts published this offseason, this goes down as one of the best. A combination of Burns and Brown in the first round would get the Packers off to a good start and set them up nicely for the final six rounds.