‘Best Case Scenario’ Picks for the Packers in the 2024 NFL Draft
What if everything went right for Green Bay in the 2024 NFL Draft?
By markoldacres
By the time the draft rolls around, every player has been dissected, every team's needs have been identified, and the collective NFL hive mind becomes convinced it knows who is going where and when.
But every year, once the clock starts ticking, some players fall further than anyone thought they would, and teams who did not think they stood a chance at a prospect have him fall into their lap.
With that in mind, let us dream of the absolute best case scenario for the Packers in the first two days of this year’s draft, if the exact players Green Bay covet were to fall up to half a round further than consensus suggests they will.
Pick 25: Quinyon Mitchell - Toledo
The other potential top cornerback in the draft, Terrion Arnold, was another option here, but it feels slightly more possible (although still unlikely) Mitchell falls due to being from a smaller school, which could give some teams pause.
With their current cornerback depth chart not fully settled, Green Bay should jump at the opportunity to add a prospect like Mitchell if he were to somehow fall to pick 25. He has all the athleticism he needs and was consistently excellent in coverage for Toledo.
Mitchell is currently ranked 12th on the consensus board, so it would be something of a slide for him to make it to the Packers, but stranger things have happened.
Pick 41: Jordan Morgan - Arizona
The number of offensive linemen projected to be selected in round one seems to grow by the day, but Morgan may represent the cutoff point for the top linemen in this class, and could feasibly drop to the Packers at 41.
Ranked 36th on the consensus board, it would hardly be a shocking development to see him still be available when Green Bay makes the first of their picks in round two.
Morgan is built like a Packers offensive lineman, in terms of size and athletic ability, although it remains to be seen whether he will be a tackle or a guard at the next level due to his shorter arms.
He gets the job done in both the pass and run game and would immediately add quality competition to the offensive line room.
Pick 58: Payton Wilson - N.C. State
It is totally possible the Packers take Edgerrin Cooper, the consensus top linebacker prospect, at pick 41 or even (gulp) 25, but in a best case scenario, Wilson would fall from his consensus ranking of 43 all the way down to Green Bay at 58, allowing them to address a genuine need.
Wilson is a sound linebacker with terrific athleticism, although there are faults in his game which could be expected to have been fixed by now (Wilson will turn 24 during his rookie season), and he has a fairly extensive injury history.
There is no bulletproof prospect in this linebacker class though, and the Packers need to take a swing at some point.
Pick 88: Jaden Hicks - Washington State
Do not be surprised to see the Packers pick Hicks in round two, higher than his consensus ranking of 73rd overall. If they can be patient and still get him in round three, all the better.
Like linebacker and offensive line, safety is another position Green Bay simply must add bodies to in this draft. If not Hicks, or perhaps Javon Bullard in round two, Utah’s Cole Bishop (ranked 74th by consensus) could be another third-round option.
Pick 91: Jaylen Wright - Tennessee
The Packers could add a speed element to their running back room by selecting Wright, who would need to fall from his consensus ranking of 76th overall to get to Green Bay.
Wright is a boom or bust runner who can create explosive plays when given room to operate. He blazed a 4.38 40 yard dash at the scouting combine, and while still a work in progress as a receiver and blocker, could be eased into the lineup with Josh Jacobs and A.J. Dillon already in place.
With few premium options at the position in this year’s draft, waiting until at least round three to add a running back could be the sweet spot.
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Mark Oldacres is a sports writer from Birmingham, England and a Green Bay Packers fan. You can follow him on twitter at @MarkOldacres
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Comments (42)
LLCHESTY
April 16, 2024 at 01:39 pm
I'd rather see them draft Mustapha or Bishop at 88. I think they are more well rounded players.
Alberta_Packer
April 16, 2024 at 01:41 pm
A very attractive order of players. However like a restaurant menu that allows for substitutions - my order:
25 - Terrion Arnold for Ouinyon Mitchell. Mitchell is likely the first CB off the board - perhaps as high as #10. If so, this would require an abundance of draft capital to move that high. Arnold, also an excellent CB, could be more reachable.
41 -Guyton / Mims for Morgan. I like Morgan and his versatility. However I may look for a purer OT - like a Guyton or Mims - if available.
58 -Colson for Wilson. I believe that no LB in this draft pairs better with Walker than Wilson. However I would always be checking on Wilson, after every play, to see if he's still upright. To lessen my anxiety and to play it safe(r) - my selection is the LB whom I believe is the 2nd best pairing for Walker - Junior Colson.
88 - Cole Bishop for Hicks. Hicks and Bishop are both physically impressive. However a nod to Bishop who I think is a little more instinctive and faster than Hicks.
91 - Jaylen Wright. Absolutely
Coldworld
April 16, 2024 at 02:35 pm
Arnold is a very high gamble on promise not yet attained. I’d avoid him for later guys if we want a perimeter corner and Mitchell is gone. Just not a year to roll a dive on a high ups side lower floor corner for me. I’d rather take McKinstry or go another direction all together.
I think we will want a SS over 200 and probably over 210, based on Hafley’s past. I could see us taking 2–we need depth, but one I could see being a smaller ILB with coverage skills, such as Hopper. The other one could be lighter, but I’d take Trey Taylor ideally a little later. I think he might be the most versatile if the lot.
Like you, I like Bishop. I like Colson too, though I’d be happy with Wilson (if he’s on our board at all, and a second pick of, say, Eichenberg. I’m not opposed to Hicks though if that’s how it falls. Wilson isn’t going to stand up to a pounding as a Mike with his build, this year at least. That with a dual purpose S and McDuffie behind the MIKE would look good to me.
The alternative direction would be to Trade back, take either Morgan, JPJ, Barton, or Guyton. One will be available most likely. Trading back 10 spots gives an additional pick around 60 I think. Then take it from there, looking at Melton and Carson as corner options on day 2.
Alberta_Packer
April 16, 2024 at 03:35 pm
Personally I would not trade up for Arnold. Although some media mockers have done so at 15 -16. My optimal pick is also McKinstry @ 25. Also eligible for me (to name a few): Renardo Green, Max Melton, Caelen Carson, Elijah Jones, and last, but not least, Quantez Stiggers.
Hopper's athleticism outshines his pff scores. Perhaps coaching will close the gap. I like Eichenberg as a MIKE. Also (later) J.D. Bertrand.
Expecting better tackling - from all 3 lines of D - under Hafley.
Coldworld
April 17, 2024 at 08:46 am
Hopper looks to me like a possible Hafley SS. He was a safety and still plays like one. 231 but he looks more like a S build too. based upon Hafley’s past preferences and good in coverage but a bit over matched physically as main package ILB—he’d need to add significant strength. While his frame may allow that, I’m not sure Id take him to do that until late in the draft. I’ve seen his 40 time listed anywhere from 4.44 to 4.68. What the Packers time him at probably determines if this theory is valid.
jannesbjornson
April 16, 2024 at 01:41 pm
The first two selections will not materialize, in any event...
splitpea1
April 16, 2024 at 02:17 pm
Once again you seem to be ignoring Colson in the linebacker sweepstakes...If Cooper gets taken any higher than the 41st pick, I don't think you're going to be hearing many of those "In Gute We Trust" echos. And Wilson is too much of a long term gamble from an injury history standpoint, so I wouldn't be interested in the second round, either.
Q. Mitchell isn't going to fall that far, but at least there's a prayer that DeJean may be available. There's also a prayer that we trade back in the first and Kool-Aid is still there.
More prayers: Fuaga or Fautana fall to #25; otherwise the draft is plenty deep for OLs.
Other safeties: Nubin falls because of his lackluster combine showing, but Gute knows better and takes advantage of the value.
LLCHESTY
April 16, 2024 at 02:43 pm
Fuaga and Fautanu are the two guys I'd trade up if either fell into the 20 range. They both have the traits the Packers look for and one trait they don't but is needed in that they both like to bury people. That attitude would be worth losing an extra pick IMO.
WD
April 17, 2024 at 08:29 am
ILB is critical now for the Packers. if Cooper (or Wilson) is there take him. I prefer Payton Wilson. If healthy (and he was all of 2023 when he won the Butkus award) take him. I loved Colson too except for the fact that he may be substandard in pass coverage due to slow speed. We have absolutely no idea of what his forty time is as he refused to be tested at both the combine and his pro day, I saw one "Projected" time of 4.73 on Walter football. So, who is the greatest risk? Wilson or Colson? Wilson ran a blazing 4.43 at the most recent combine. When in doubt hopefully Gute practices what he preaches and goes with the RAS and Payton Wilson who if healthy will be mentioned as the defensive rookie of the year.PS Wilson can also play DE on passing downs. Moreover In coverage as an ILB he had three interceptions last year alone.
MooPack
April 16, 2024 at 02:29 pm
Differing opinions.
You take: Quinyon Mitchell
I'm taking: Copper DeJean
You take: Jordan Morgan
I'm taking: King Sua
You take: Payton Wilson
I'm taking: Edgerrin Cooper
You take: Jaden Hicks
I'm taking: Jaylen Wright
You take: Jaylen Wright
I'm taking: Brandon Coleman
Alberta_Packer
April 16, 2024 at 02:40 pm
In terms of a versatile O-lineman - I far prefer Coleman in the 3rd round - than Barton in the 1st.
WD
April 17, 2024 at 08:34 am
You are correct.Opinions vary. This is why I like Gute's approach of all things being equal, go with the better RAS.
SicSemperTyrannis
April 17, 2024 at 03:59 pm
I'd be happy with any of these!
stockholder
April 16, 2024 at 03:27 pm
720. 25. Cooper DEJean. CB Iowa.
500. 41. Tyler Nubin. S Minn
320 58. Payton Wilson LB NC st
150. 88. Jermaine Burton. WR. Albama
136. 91. Jaylon Wright. RB. Tenn
46. 126 Brandon Coleman. OL TCU
golfpacker1
April 16, 2024 at 04:35 pm
No thanks to the WR pick @ #88. We already have 6 good ones and at least 4 of them are better than Burton. Don't waste the pick. Select Dominic Puni instead.
Jaylon Wright could very well be the first RB taken, and in the second round. Give me Marshawn Lloyd as my alternative.
I really am liking Cedric Gray over this whole group of LBs. He has way more production than Cooper, Colson, or Wallace.. No injury history like Wilson. Hafley and the new LB coach will turn him into a tackling monster.
stockholder
April 16, 2024 at 09:28 pm
First - They brought in Burton per visit.
And you never pass on a game changer.
So \\\\ It's never a waste.
My Mock draft is about game changers, and
not status Que.
Especially the top 100.
I kept with the article.
But if you remember.=
I had Wright as my top RB.
I 'm all in on Wilson.
Speed at ILB is what Campbell lost.
There is No point on using a pick at LB.
If No body is in agreement on who's best.
PFF rated Wilson above your picks.
jannesbjornson
April 17, 2024 at 11:17 am
Devontez Walker is the game changer with his 4.3 speed and body control.
SicSemperTyrannis
April 17, 2024 at 04:01 pm
We have EIGHT really good WRs. Yes, the pipeline will need to get going again, but I think that can wait a year based on current needs.
WD
April 17, 2024 at 08:36 am
Payton Wilson is too good to be true. Taking Wilson out of the top 50 is too good to be true
stockholder
April 17, 2024 at 10:06 am
Truthfully your correct.
Thats if you follow PFF.
But the flip going back and forth is
Wilson, Ed Cooper, and Nubin,( on the big boards).
As long as Wilson had injuries.
Most have downgraded him on that.
But Nubin is considered the better football player
of the three.
If size & RAS matters, Wilson will go first.
But Gute has always valued a Safety more than LB.
And mark had him at #58.
jannesbjornson
April 17, 2024 at 11:09 am
The only thing the Boards have in common is schizophrenia. Nubin ranges from #34 on PFN to #125, by Pauline.
Payton Wilson from #59 to 71 and some scouts moved him into rd four because of the shoulders. If Gute was smart, he would bag Mustapha in the third Rd and get a guy who is point and click to the ball and tackles people. Get the big people with Pass Pro ability early, then infill. He did bag Amos and make the desperate move Up for Savage, wasting two four picks. Let's Pray we do not see a repeat performance next week....,
Leatherhead
April 17, 2024 at 11:34 am
If you throw out the highs and low, you see a lot of consensus at somewhere between 40-50. In fact, Consensus has him at 47.
Savage started for us for several years, including two Championship games. Hardly a waste of picks.
jannesbjornson
April 17, 2024 at 12:55 pm
Thornhill in Rd two, or Montez Sweat was the Value. Hell, Owens started for them. A chance at lot of talent forfeited when you push picks away. He was a slot CB for Maryland.
stockholder
April 17, 2024 at 04:03 pm
Wilson shoulders - Your worried about 2021?
I'd worry more about a knee injury first.
How fast you forget about Bahk.
Even how Jenkins couldn't play RT.
jannesbjornson
April 17, 2024 at 04:32 pm
Campbell's biggest boo-boo was the Stinger he was nursing last season. If they have your LBs running in every direction on WRs, you're running the wrong defensive scheme. They need a very fast guy off the Edge to get these QBs off their marks. Walker was over-drafted @ #22.
canadapacker
April 16, 2024 at 03:29 pm
What I would really like to see = is a listing of all the potential draft picks according to the " EXPERTS" and what actually happens - along with a rating of some sort - ie points for the correct position and points for the actual player etc etc - I bet a lot of amateurs will beat out - Mel Kiper by a long shot - but will they beat out Brenden Donahue ( although he has the Pack taking an Olineman in the first round) which I doubt.
Leatherhead
April 16, 2024 at 04:27 pm
These drafts, IMO, have an insufficient focus on the Oline. Two years from now....right smack in the middle of the Love Window, Watson, Doubs, Walker, Tom, and Rhyan will all become FAs. Jenkins will be a 30 year old scheduled for $25M. That's a big part of the offense.
We could draft these linemen this year, strengthen our depth this year, and by the time we needed them to start in 2026 they'd be ready.
Or, we could just wait another year, I guess. Since we have the extra picks, and we have a really good team, if there was ever a draft to build the future of the line, this is it.
jannesbjornson
April 17, 2024 at 11:15 am
O line is the strength of this draft in the early rounds and the Wall needs fortification. If the "Board" fell right, I would take three O linemen in a row Rds one-three.
SicSemperTyrannis
April 17, 2024 at 04:06 pm
Yes. Gutey needs to pick 3 O linemen who all need to be good. He can take fliers if he picks more.
golfpacker1
April 16, 2024 at 04:38 pm
We need to draft at least 2, LH. The direction Gutey goes as far as drafting OTs will tell us alot of what he thinks of the 3 backups we have now.
Leatherhead
April 16, 2024 at 04:50 pm
Tenuta, Caleb, and Newman? Hahahahaha. These are guys you'd want starting for you in the Super Bowl?
We have no backups, and we have no replacements for the guys that will leave in two years. IMO, we should be tripling down.
I did a trade down mock right now. A few small trades down gives you quite a few extra picks.
#26. Fautanu
#41 Tyler Guyton.
There. We're set at tackle for the next 4 years.
#58 Colson. He'll probably play a lot of snaps unless he sucks.
#88 Ruke Orhorhoro just cuz I like the sound of t he name.e
#89 Van Pran. We're set at center for 4 years.
#91 Hicks. A safety.
And then in the 4th round, I got Braelon Allen and Guarendo. This offense would be pretty much ironclad at every position for the next couple of years, including backups.
dobber
April 17, 2024 at 08:25 am
When the dust settles, I'd be surprised if they don't pick 4 OL in this draft.
Bitternotsour
April 17, 2024 at 09:13 am
When the dust settles we should all just be surprised (and delighted). It's April, hope springs eternal.
dobber
April 17, 2024 at 07:42 pm
Hear, Hear!
SicSemperTyrannis
April 17, 2024 at 04:08 pm
Braelon Allen AND Guarendo? Call me skeptical that they both fall that far. 5 RBs on the final 69? (16 on PS? Or more?)
golfpacker1
April 16, 2024 at 05:48 pm
It's true LH. Even a couple small trades back gets at worst another 3rd & 4th. Those would be huge with the strength of talent that will go in rounds 2, 3, 4, & 5. An easy spot would be move back from #91 maybe 10 spots, that could get us 2 extra picks, and good RBs will still be available in the 4th.
I would take Cedric Gray @ #58, he is a more exciting version of Colson, but is better at everything except miss tackle percentage. But he isn't much worse than Cooper that way. The best of both worlds.
Guerendo and Allen will still be available until around pick #110. I am assuming and hoping that we get an early 4th round pick in as sweetener in a previous trade back like Stockholder describes.
GregC
April 16, 2024 at 06:29 pm
I know that Junior Colson is far and away the favorite linebacker around here, so I will probably get buried for saying this, but let me just say that I watched some of his highlights, and I was not all that impressed. He looks solid, he looks stout, but nothing really jumps out at me. Then I watch Wilson and Cooper, and they are flying around the field like a couple of heat-seeking missiles, making big plays. I suppose that the danger with those two, especially Cooper, is that opposing teams will run the ball at them all day long, and they won't be able to take the punishment, whereas Colson would be better able to handle that kind of treatment.
But I want my linebackers to be playmakers. So based on what I know, I would be more inclined to roll the dice on Wilson or Cooper, because I think either one of them has a chance at being a special player. I'm not seeing that kind of potential with Colson. The CHTV draft guide mentions that in three seasons at Michigan, Colson was involved in only one turnover play, and last year he recorded just two tackles for loss in 15 games, both of which came in the opening game against East Carolina. It makes me wonder if there is much potential for him to be a playmaker in the NFL.
KnockTheSnotOutOfYou
April 17, 2024 at 08:03 am
Greg,
This bunch here at CCTV as we know is a very fickle bunch and sways with every mock draft from some alleged internet and YouTube expert. Being a long-term CCTV member I recall most on here were very down on AJ Hawk the Packer's all-time tackler because he never made plays behind the scrimmage and didn't cause turnovers. Sounds like Colson = AJ Hawk! I too really like Wilson and Cooper!
Every year at this time I find humor leading up to the draft but particularly immediately following the draft. Let's see R. Gary, J. Love, etc! This year will be no different! Using mock draft simulators is fun but fans come to believe they are accurate and when Gutey does not draft a guy who consistently shows up at a certain draft spot they come slightly unhinged. As a well-known Packer once said R.E.L.A.X!
GregC
April 17, 2024 at 10:55 am
Yeah, I couldn't help but think of the A.J. Hawk comparison when watching Colson. The difference is that Hawk looked more like Wilson or Cooper in college, but not in the NFL.
Colson is not a trendy pick, he is just a seemingly more solid pick than Wilson or Cooper. I get it, because we could use a bigger LB to help with run defense. But I would hate to pass up a playmaker in favor of an LB who is merely solid.
cdoemel
April 16, 2024 at 11:29 pm
I can honestly see MN taking DeJean so they don’t have to play against him twice a year. And because they can. Rivalry. Spite.
KnockTheSnotOutOfYou
April 19, 2024 at 04:59 pm
Get me some OL, an LB, and a Safety, but get me, Jaylon Wright. RB. Tenn.
Offensively we have the QB, the TE's, and the WR's. Add a couple of stud OL along with Wright and this is an unstoppable offense for quite a few years.
SonsofSamkonGado
April 20, 2024 at 08:33 am
They should draft the good players.