Packers seven-round mock draft: Linebacker, receiver in early rounds

Round 5, Pick 175: A.J. Dillon, RB, Boston College

The Packers lived dangerously at the running back position all season a year ago. Jamaal Williams missed two games, and both times left the offense frighteningly thin in the backfield. The Packers tried to address this by drafting Dexter Williams late in last year’s draft, but he was incredibly poor in limited playing time.

The Packers might very well cut Williams before his second year even gets off the ground. With Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams both up for free agency next year, the Packers need to be thinking long-term here.

Jones figures to at least be considered for an extension. It is well known that paying running backs in today’s NFL is risky to say the least, and the usually-frugal Packers may not want to play that game. But they can’t let both Williams and Jones go. Between the two of them, it isn’t a hard choice.

With cap room limited and two running backs drafted in back-to-back years under this mock, Jamaal Williams appears to have one foot out the door already. A.J. Dillon is a bruising back who would provide a little yang to Jones’ ying.

Round 6, Pick 192: Jeff Thomas, WR, Miami

The Packers would be smart to come away from this year’s draft with multiple receivers. The class is simply too good and too deep to not come away with any, especially given that it is a sore position of need.

Jeff Thomas is an extremely talented receiver who fell out of favor during his last year with the Hurricanes. A number of off-field problems led to a transfer to Wake Forest, before that ultimately fell through and ended up with Thomas back in Miami for an awkward junior season.

During his sophomore year, Thomas was a flamethrower in the A.C.C. He routinely made up for awful quarterback play and terrorized opposing secondaries with nightmarish speed and tremendous hands. Thomas can also provide value in the return game.

Questions about his headspace and his occasional no-shows in big games are why Thomas will likely fall a couple of hours into day three of the draft, but the Packers have themselves a chance at a true diamond in the rough here.

Round 6, Pick 208: L’Jarius Sneed, CB, Louisiana Tech

The Packers need to add as much speed to their team as possible. Kevin King, as of now, does not appear to be a long-term keeper. Unless he crushes it during a make-or-break contract year, King will be shown the door in free agency. The Packers more or less began to get ahead of this when they drafted Ka’Dar Hollman near the end of last year’s draft. But with Tramon Williams gone and Josh Jackson flailing, Green Bay needs to add another body to the position.

All of a sudden, when looking at the depth chart, the Packers could be left with just Jaire Alexander, Hollman, and the constantly-beaten Jackson on the perimeter. Chandon Sullivan has almost exclusively played in the slot and can’t be asked to play on the outside just yet.

L’Jarius Sneed ran a 4.37 at his most recent 40-yard dash but also has displayed just enough ball skills to be worth keeping an eye on. Sneed snagged three interceptions in 2019 and had a nice combine to go with it.

Round 6, Pick 209: Colby Parkinson, TE, Stanford

While he’s not going to provide much of anything as a receiver, Colby Parkinson is the best blocking tight end in this draft. With so little known about what in the world the Packers are doing at the position, adding two is far from a bad idea.

Robert Tonyan has flashed some pretty nice athleticism, but just doesn’t do anything well enough to garner consistent playing time. Right now, Sternberger is the team’s best bet as a receiving threat which is, you know, less-than-more-than-not-very-good.

While Lewis’ days as a receiver are over, he is still one of the best blocking tight ends in football and Parkinson could be his successor in that department. Having proficient blocking tight ends will be important for the Packers as Billy Turner and Ricky Wagner will surely get beaten from time to time on the right side of the line.