Huge, huge news: a new, wild mock draft appeared! And I say 'wild' in the sense of the overplayed meme – there's actually not one (1) single thing all that wild about it. Bet I've got you hooked now!
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NFL.com's "NFL media analyst" Daniel Jeremiah dropped his latest educated guess of a mock, and it reads kinda like every other educated guess of a mock out there reads. (I'm starting to think that mocks are actually made exclusively for aggregators?)
For Packers fans, Jeremiah's mock is an interesting look into what direction Green Bay may be headed next month. The consensus has been wide receiver or defensive back, only because the Packers desperately need wide receivers and defensive backs. That makes it easy to not have to worry about some bizarre, rogue first round pick, which probably explains why every person on the internet has the Packers finding a Jaire Alexander replacement next month. Jeremiah's no different: he has Green Bay going with Kentucky CB Maxwell Hariston.
Packers take Kentucky CB Maxwell Hariston with 1st round pick in 2025 NFL mock draft
"It’s not clear if Jaire Alexander has a future in Green Bay, so the Packers turn to the highly dynamic Hairston at cornerback."
OK then! I'll believe you, Daniel. Here's some of what NFL.com's own scouting report on Hariston says about the redshirt junior:
"Slender outside cornerback with long arms and impressive ball production. Hairston is capable of playing all forms of zone and man coverage. He anticipates well with his eyes forward and has the burst to take the ball away, posting six interceptions (three returned for TDs) over his last 20 games. He stays connected in man coverage with good agility and fluidity but needs to do a better job of locating the football downfield."
I feel like replacing an All-Pro talent (when he's on the field, that is) with someone who projects as "an eventual plus starter" isn't exactly apples-for-apples, but maybe that was an unrealistic expectation in the first place. So, my bad there. The headline should probably be "Packers land a possibly-reliable replacement for Jaire Alexander in NFL Draft expert's new mock draft." But 'possibly-reliable' doesn't have the same je ne sais quoi that 'perfect' does.