The Green Bay Packers' first-round pick belongs to the Dallas Cowboys thanks to the Micah Parsons trade, but they will still have opportunities to upgrade positions of need.
General manager Brian Gutekunst admitted the Packers need more depth at cornerback, although he stopped short of saying it was a major need. Hopefully, that's just coachspeak, and he can see what Packers fans have said all along. Cornerback is among the positions Gutekunst has ignored for far too long.
Even without a first-rounder, the Packers can take advantage of a deep cornerback class and double dip at a premium position.
Packers finally land the cornerback help they desperately need in post-combine mock draft
Round 2 (52): Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego State
If Chris Johnson wasn't already on Green Bay's radar, his performance at the NFL Scouting Combine likely changed that. The concern is that he did too well, potentially making him a first-rounder and out of the Packers' range. For now, though, the consensus board has the San Diego State cornerback 47th in this class.
We have to start with Johnson's combine performance. Unsurprisingly, he stole the show in Indianapolis, running a lightning 4.40-second 40-yard dash with a 2.56-second 20-yard split. He also posted elite numbers in the bench press (17 reps), vertical jump (38 inches), and broad jump (10-foot-6) to earn a Relative Athletic Score of 9.71 out of 10.
And he has the college production to back it up.
Last season, Johnson had nine pass defenses and four interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns. Only three cornerbacks in college football earned a higher Pro Football Focus coverage grade than Johnson's 92.4. Per PFF, he allowed just 18 receptions on 43 targets for 185 yards, no touchdowns, four picks, and a passer rating of 16.1.
Jonathan Gannon's scheme requires speed at cornerback. Johnson would provide that, as well as the ball-hawking ability the Packers' secondary lacked for most of last season.
Round 3 (84): Domonique Orange, DL, Iowa State
Green Bay's defense will only level up if the team adds talent to the defensive line. That includes strengthening the edge-rusher depth chart behind Parsons, but even more pressing is the need for interior help.
That's where Iowa State's Domonique Orange can help.
We all saw how the Packers' run defense fell apart following injuries to Parsons and Devonte Wyatt. That can't happen for a team with serious Super Bowl aspirations. In the opening 14 games of the season (before Parsons' injury), the Packers allowed a respectable 100.5 rushing yards per game. That skyrocketed to 171.8 in the four games without him (and still 126.7 even if we don't include the Baltimore Ravens' 307-yard performance).
Of the Packers' six highest rushing totals allowed in the entire 18-game season (including the playoffs), three came after Parsons' injury.
If run-stopping is the aim, Orange can help provide the solution.
"Power, power and more power. Big Citrus is going to clog up running lanes," writes Brennen Rupp of Packers Wire. "The former four-star recruit is stout at the point of attack and has the strength to blast through the line of scrimmage to disrupt the action. Over the past two seasons, Orange has recorded 33 run stops and five tackles for loss."
Orange offers less as a pass-rusher, having made only one sack in four seasons at Iowa State, but there's no doubting the impact he could make on early downs, allowing the Packers to get ahead of the sticks and force obvious passing situations for Parsons to dominate in.
Green Bay struggled when teams could stay balanced and set up favorable third-down distances. Gannon's approach is to be more aggressive on early downs, forcing those tough third downs, and then dropping players into coverage. Orange could help shut down rushing attacks and make it easier for the pass rush on money downs.
Round 4 (111): Daylen Everette, CB, Georgia
Gutekunst often attacks by doubling down at positions where the Packers require reinforcements. It's a good year to need cornerback help.
Daylen Everette is a name to watch. The Packers love to draft Georgia Bulldogs, and Everette could soon follow Eric Stokes, Quay Walker, Devonte Wyatt, Javon Bullard, and Warren Brinson from Athens to Green Bay.
Talk about crushing the combine. Everette ran an unbelievable 4.38-second 40-yard dash, and, according to Next Gen Stats, reached a top speed of 23.28 mph, the second-fastest among cornerbacks. Gannon's scheme demands speed at cornerback.
Beyond the testing, Everette stepped up in several big moments for Georgia.
"Everette played in a bunch of high-profile matchups during his 55 games (41 starts) at Georgia, often acquitting himself quite well under the brightest lights," writes NFL.com editor Gennaro Filice. "He was named MVP of the 2024 SEC Championship Game after snagging a pair of picks off Texas' Quinn Ewers, and then he intercepted Alabama's Ty Simpson in this past year's conference title bout."
The consensus board currently has Everette at No. 115 overall, which is perfect for where the Packers pick in Round 4. Time will tell whether his dazzling combine performance increases his draft stock. We sure hope not.