Five trades the Packers can make in 2020 NFL Draft
By Evan Siegel
4. Trade up with Cowboys
The Cowboys, quietly, are on the verge of disaster. A disgruntled quarterback, a new coaching staff with a non-existent offseason training regiment, and a lack of cap space are putting the Cowboys in a tough spot. Unless things take a turn for the better and quickly, the Cowboys ought to begin preparing for a full-scale rebuild. If the Cowboys couldn’t even get close to winning the Super Bowl last year, with what was clearly a Super Bowl roster, they won’t this year either after losing the amount of talent they lost in free agency.
Trading down and adding another draft pick will help get the process started. For Green Bay, moving up 11 spots in the second round would be useful towards adding Colorado’s Laviska Shenault Jr., or Ohio State’s J.K. Dobbins. Running back is an underrated need for Green Bay, who will have three free-agent running backs next year.
Awkwardly, the writing is more or less on the wall for Jamaal Williams. Aaron Jones is the first Packer running back worth giving a second contract to since Ryan Grant, and with cap space already limited and other free agents looking for new deals, re-signing Williams will be unwise.
5. Trade for J.J. Watt
The Packers would essentially be getting a rental onto their defensive line with this pick, and would be doing so with a very short-term oriented thinking. The Texans are clearly in retooling mode, and even after adding Randall Cobb and Brandin Cooks to replace DeAndre Hopkins, they are still not among the top teams in the AFC. Watt’s contract is growing worse and worse for them, and his production has slowed in recent years.
Watt looked old and slow in the team’s divisional playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. At 31 and without Jadeveon Clowney nearby, he needs one-on-one opportunities to still be a dominant force. All the injuries over the years have clearly taken a toll on him as well.
Packers trade down in three-round mock draft. light. More
But for Green Bay, a pass rush that includes the Smith brothers and Kenny Clark might become dominant with Watt. Clark is way overrated, but he and Watt would be formidable in the interior. The Packers could release the former Badger after next season and take on no dead money, as they try to re-sign David Bakhtiari, Corey Linsley, and Aaron Jones.