The 3rd day of the war room series is here to discuss the Green Bay Packers draft strategies. Green Bay will hold the 30th pick come April 30th. During free agency the Packers were able to retain Randall Cobb and Bryan Bulaga making this offseason a win so far. With a total of nine draft picks Green Bay will look to fill holes at tight end, offensive line, defensive tackle, and middle linebacker.
There are a number of ways the Pack could go with their first round pick. In my mock draft I selected Tight End Maxx Williams from Minnesota. If the team were to find a dangerous tight end, it would make an already talented offense great. Williams is a scrappy kid, but should really be taken somewhere in rounds 3-4. With a depleted tight end group Maxx could find himself taken late in the first round. Clive Walford out of Miami is my number one rated tight end, but most believe it is Williams who reminds me of Kyle Rudolph from the Vikings.
Another direction the team could go in the first round is the middle linebacker position. Often times Clay Mathews was stuck playing middle linebacker because of how depleted they were at that position. A.J. Hawk is off to Cincinnati and Brad Jones has signed with Philadelphia. Eric Kendricks is a player I really like who could make a difference for this Green Bay defense. Brother of Mychael Kendricks of the Eagles, Eric has a very similar playing style. The Pack will basically have their pick of the litter when picking a middle linebacker. Kendricks, Denzel Perryman, Benardrick McKinney, Stephone Anthony, and Paul Dawson should all be available at that point in the draft.
The later round should be focused on improving the offensive line. Penn State’s Donovan Smith would be a great addition to the team with guard and tackle versatility. The 94th overall pick may be enough to land the big man from Penn State. Smith is being incredibly undervalued especially after a dominant Senior Bowl. Cedric Ogbeuhi could also make for a nice fit at tackle. Ogbeuhi is a first round talent who will slide after tearing his ACL last season. With the sketchy health of Bryan Bulaga, Ogbeuhi could make a great insurance policy later in the draft. Below is the list of all nine Packer picks.
First round: 30th overall selection
Second round: 62nd overall selection
Third round: 94th overall selection
Fourth round: 129th overall selection
Fifth round: 166th overall selection
Sixth round: 206th overall selection
Sixth round: 210th overall selection*
Sixth round: 213th overall selection*
Seventh round: 247th overall selection
*Compensatory pick (cannot be traded).
