Green Bay Packers Mock Draft Roundup 4.0

This might be early for Mayer, who isn't every team's top-rated tight end. But he's rock solid across the board and would give Green Bay a quality middle-of-the-field pass catcher, which is a need.

We know the Green Bay Packers are all about defense in the first round of the draft and Lukas Van Ness is a logical selection in this NFL mock draft. Featuring an appealing blend of size, length, power, and flexibility, Van Ness can provide an answer for the Packers at 5-technique and solidify the defensive front. Only a redshirt sophomore, Van Ness' flashes have been enticing and he features a high ceiling.

The Packers can get more pass catchers later. The defense has a ton of great young players, and Bresee is a versatile enough option to work somewhere up front as part of a potentially loaded front wall.

We'll see what Aaron Rodgers is doing this time next year, but regardless of what happens at QB for the Pack, they need some more weapons. After getting by with aging veterans for too long, they can use this top-15 pick to get Mayer and instantly provide some juice on third down and in the red zone.

Lukas Van Ness hasn't come close to his best football. He's in a place not unlike where Rashan Gary was as a player developmentally when the Packers drafted him (Round 1, 2019). Van Ness is still raw, but he's going to be able to do an awful lot in the NFL if it all comes together. He has length, agility and a punch that can crack a sternum. His nickname is "Hercules." He's still very young and might even keep growing.

This year offers perhaps the deepest tight end class in recent history. Mayer, Utah's Dalton Kincaid, and Georgia's Darnell Washington are players currently discussed as first-round options, with players like Tucker Kraft from South Dakota State and Iowa's Sam LaPorta looking to crash that first-round party.

Mayer is one of the more complete prospects this season, with the ability to play with his hand in the dirt and handle the blocking responsibilities asked of TEs at the next level. But Mayer also has the production in the passing game to fit what NFL offenses are looking for in the position. Notre Dame used him in-line, in the slot, on a wing, and as an isolated tight end in Y-iso sets, and he handled everything the team asked of him.

Where he might stand out the most is with the ball in the air. Watch his contested catches this season — including those against USC — and you can easily see how that will translate to the next level.

Quentin Johnston is an above-the-rim playmaker whose athleticism and contested-catch abilities make him in the running for WR1. The Packers have inexplicably shied away from WRs in the first round, but it's probably time to change that, no matter who the quarterback will be next season.

Chances are you'll read mock drafts with Myles Murphy in the top 10, and maybe even the top five. With the way this defensive class is set up, there is still a possibility of that happening, given the lack of clear pass-rushing stars beyond Will Anderson Jr. and with Murphy being an athletic 6-foot-5, 275-pounder. Some production concerns could push him a little further down boards. But even if that's the case, he checks a lot of size and athletic thresholds the Packers typically go for.

Why not a tight end here -- regardless of whether Aaron Rodgers is back as the quarterback? Robert Tonyan and Marcedes Lewis are free agents, and this is a major hole on the roster. The tight end class is really good this year, with Mayer atop my board. He is a complete player who put up 809 yards and 67 catches with nine touchdowns in 2022. He can stretch the middle of the field and run past linebackers on seam routes. The only downside is that he doesn't have super-long arms, but he's ahead of the game as a pass-catcher. Green Bay could also use younger talent in the front seven.

Adding a high-IQ defensive back with position flexibility upgrades the athleticism and playmaking ability in the secondary.

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