GREEN BAY, Wis. – How can the Green Bay Packers be sure to get the players they want in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft? By trading up.
With additional picks in the first and second rounds from the Davante Adams trade and an additional pick in the fourth as a compensatory pick for losing Corey Linsley last offseason, general manager Brian Gutekunst has the capital to make a move. And that’s what happened in Chad Reuter’s latest fourth-round mock for NFL.com.
Green Bay moved up from No. 28 to No. 21 in a trade with New England and grabbed Purdue edge defender George Karlaftis. The cost was their third-round pick, No. 92, and the first of their fourth-round choices, No. 132.
Explained Reuter: “There will be many suitors for the Patriots’ pick, and the Packers understand they can’t just sit back at No. 22 and wait for the top players on their board to fall into their laps. Whether they pick a receiver at No. 21 or a strong edge rusher like Karlaftis, moving into this spot prevents others from jumping ahead of them.”
A native of Athens, Greece, Karlaftis had a breakout sophomore season with 7.5 sacks. After missing most of 2020 due to injury and COVID, he recorded five sacks, 11.5 tackles for losses and three forced fumbles in 12 games in 2021. He earned All-American honors and was a finalist for the Ted Hendricks Award, which goes to the nation’s top defensive end. According to Sports Info Solutions, he ranked seventh in the draft class in pressure percentage.
At 6-foot-4 and 266 pounds, he’s got the size and physicality the Packers covet. He’ll be an immediate asset as a run defender with the strength and explosion to develop into a force as a rusher. For his size, he is a high-quality athlete. He will provide immediate, credible depth behind the starting tandem of Rashan Gary and Preston Smith.
“Relentless,” he said at the Scouting Combine when asked to describe his play. “That’s how I approach life, how I approach the game, in terms of my technique, in terms of how I play, my motor, my effort. Everything about it’s relentless.”
The trade gave the Packers back-to-back first-round picks. At No. 22, they grabbed a smooth-moving, explosive receiver to helps replace Adams.
In the second round, Reuter gave the Packers another receiver to bolster arguably the weakest position on the roster and a pass-protecting offensive tackle to help offset the cap-saving release of veteran right tackle Billy Turner.
With their lone fourth-round pick, Reuter grabbed Florida defensive lineman Zach Carter. With Kenny Clark, Dean Lowry, Jarran Reed, Carter and Carter’s former collegiate teammate, TJ Slaton, the Packers could have a formidable five-man rotation. At 282 pounds, he ran his 40 in 4.99 and flashed tremendous athleticism. Green Bay needs to add defensive linemen, whether it’s in the draft, after the draft or free agency. As it stands, they have only five under contract (Jack Heflin being the fifth).
All-Packers Mock Draft Without First-Round Receiver
Our fifth all-Packers mock draft was constructed with the simulator at Pro Football Network.
First Round
No. 22 – OT Trevor Penning, Northern Iowa
The Packers are down two starters on the offensive line with the release of right tackle Billy Turner and the loss of guard/center Lucas Patrick. One of the great mysteries is what the Packers will do with Elgton Jenkins once he’s back from a torn ACL. Will he go back to left guard, where he was a Pro Bowler in 2020? Or did he play so well at left tackle last year that he’s viewed as the successor to Turner?
Maybe that answer is TBA based on the draft. Penning is a physical dominator with the requisite athleticism who would step in at right tackle and start for 10-plus seasons.
First Round
No. 28 – OLB Boye Mafe, Minnesota
I could have gone receiver here. Arkansas’ Treylon Burks was available at this spot, as was Penn State’s Jahan Dotson. But the Packers really, really need an outside linebacker, where they’re one injury away from starting Tipa Galeai. Mafe has freakish tools with 4.53 speed at 261 pounds. Much like Rashan Gary in 2019, Mafe will be a work in progress with the upside to dominate.
Second Round
No. 53 – WR George Pickens, Georgia
Receiver No. 1, come on down. Pickens missed most of last season with a torn ACL sustained during spring practice. At 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds, ran his 40 in 4.47 seconds. When he caught 49 passes for 727 yards and eight touchdowns as a freshman in 2019, he drew comparisons to another towering Georgia receiver, A.J. Green. He had a predraft visit.
Second Round
No. 59 – WR Alec Pierce, Cincinnati
Receiver No. 2, come on down. Pierce caught 52 passes for 884 yards and eight touchdowns as a senior. At 6-foot-3, he ran his 40 in 4.41 seconds with a 40.5-inch vertical jump. Perhaps these picks are too similar and I should have found more of a complementary skill-set, but I really need to knock a receiver out of the park so wanted to double my chances. Imagine Pickens and Pierce on the outside with Allen Lazard doing some dirty work from the slot. Or, Amari Rodgers, last year’s third-round pick, adding his quickness from the slot.
Third Round
No. 92 – CB Cam Taylor-Britt, Nebraska
There’s been some consternation on who will play the slot. Presumably, the Packers will go with Rasul Douglas and Eric Stokes on the perimeter with Jaire Alexander in the slot. But Taylor-Britt has that slot skill-set and would be an instant upgrade over Henry Black as the sixth defensive back. He had six interceptions and 24 passes defensed his final three seasons. At 5-foot-10 5/8 and a sturdy 207 pounds, he’s got 4.38 speed.
Fourth Round
No. 132 – TE Charlie Kolar, Iowa State
Kolar and Virginia’s Jelani Woods were available at this spot. I’ve picked Woods a lot and, if I had to guess, I don’t think he’d be here at this point. So, the pick is Kolar. At 6-foot-6 and 252 pounds, he ran his 40 in 4.64 seconds. He caught 62 passes for 756 yards and six touchdowns as a senior and scored 20 touchdowns the past three years. The downside is he’s not a great blocker.
Fourth Round
No. 140 – LB JoJo Domann, Nebraska
Domann was a second-team All-American as a senior with 72 tackles, nine tackles for losses, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and five passes defensed. At 6-foot-1 1/4 and 228 pounds, he ran his 40 in 4.62. He’d challenge underrated Krys Barnes for a starting job and upgrade the special teams.
Fifth Round
No. 171 – OL Zach Tom, Wake Forest
Tom started at center as a freshman and sophomore and at left tackle as a junior and senior. Patrick was a really important member of the line because he could start at any of the interior positions. That versatility is a really big deal on gamedays. Tom’s athleticism (4.94 in the 40, 4.47 in the shuttle) fits the Packers’ history. He gave up only one sack in four seasons, according to Sports Info Solutions.
Seventh Round
No. 228 – DL Thomas Booker, Stanford
The addition of Jarran Reed was a big deal but, at this point, Jack Heflin is the fifth defensive lineman. In four seasons, Booker had 10 sacks and 20.5 tackles for losses. He measured 6-foot-3 3/8 and 301 pounds and produced a 4.94 in the 40, 4.41 in the shuttle and 31 reps on the bench press.
Seventh Round
No. 249 – S Percy Butler, Louisiana
At the end of a draft, you’ve got to bet on something. For Butler, it’s speed. At 6-foot, he ran his 40 in 4.36 seconds. As a junior in 2021, he had one interception, four breakups, six tackles for losses and one blocked kick. As noted by NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein, “Butler’s outstanding work as a gunner adds to his draft day value and likelihood of sticking around the league.”
Seventh Round
No. 258 – WR Jalen Virgil, Appalachian State
I really want to get a returner. Virgil was a four-time member of Bruce Feldman’s annual “Freaks” list for The Athletic; he finished fourth overall and first among offensive skill players in 2021. For his career, he caught 98 passes for 1,436 yards and 11 touchdowns on offense and averaged 30.1 yards on kickoff returns with three more scores. He did not return punts. At 6-foot and 207 pounds, he ran his 40 in 4.37 seconds.
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