Packers 7-round mock draft: Jordan Love gets everything Aaron Rodgers wanted
Trading Aaron Rodgers puts the Green Bay Packers in a fantastic position ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft. They improved their first-round position to No. 13 overall and, like last year, will pick twice in the second round.
GM Brian Gutekunst deserves credit for the value he was able to bring back in the Rodgers trade, a deal that is likely to include a 2024 first-rounder.
It's now over to Gutekunst to surround Jordan Love with talent in his first season as the starting quarterback.
That's where this Packers seven-round mock draft comes in. To build this mock, we used ESPN Analytics mock draft simulator.
Table of Contents
Round 1: Packers get their first-round wide receiver
Round 1 (13): Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State
Green Bay's hopes of landing Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba improved with the Aaron Rodgers trade. The Packers now pick ahead of the New York Jets and New England Patriots, two teams potentially in the market for a receiver.
Smith-Njigba could be off the board by the time the Packers pick, but he was still available at No. 13 in this mock. Gutekunst should have an easy choice if Smith-Njigba is still there when the Packers hit the clock.
NFL Network's Bucky Brooks has Smith-Njigba top of his wide receiver rankings.
Brooks wrote: "Smith-Njigba is a blue-chipper with the skills to emerge in the NFL as a big-play specialist from the slot. Although he missed most of 2022 with a nagging hamstring injury, the Ohio State product checks off all of the boxes as a pass catcher with high-end potential on Sundays."
As the Packers rebuild their wide receiver corps around Jordan Love, pairing Smith-Njigba with Christian Watson would be a perfect start.