So Shocking: watch 66 Days Deadline given Until NFL Draft: Quarterback-Sacking Defensive Tackle
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Here’s Johnny! And here are some potential Green Bay Packers draft picks in the latest and greatest batch of NFL mock drafts. The 33rd Team (2 Rounds): Illinois DT Jer’Zhan Newton Newton goes by “Johnny.” He was a second-team All-American in 2022 and a first-team All-American in 2023, when he also was named the Big Ten’s Defensive Player of the Year following a season of 7.5 sacks, 8.5 tackles for losses, and four blocked kicks. In three seasons, he tallied 18 sacks and 28.5 TFLs.
The 33rd Team’s Marcus Mosher didn’t see the Packers having a clear need, so he added an impact player to Green Bay’s revamped defensive front. “He’s a little undersized, but we’ve seen smaller defensive tackles get drafted much higher than this,” Mosher said of Newton, who was listed at 6-foot-2 and 295 pounds. Newton’s 15.4 percent pass-rush win rate was elite, according to Pro Football Focus. He had 102 pressures during his final two years.
“For me, in terms of defensive linemen in college, he’s by the best player I’ve been around,” Illinois coach Bret Bielema said. “The biggest difference is that when he beats guards, centers, and tackles, he has an incredible ability to close on quarterbacks … he does that at a really high level.” With the two second-round picks, Mosher went with an offensive tackle and a safety. The safety is Miami’s Kamren Kinchens, who had six interceptions in 2022 and five more in 2023. His snaps included 379 deep, 113 in the slot, and 110 in the box.
Cornerback is a huge need with starting nickel Keisean Nixon and valuable veteran Corey Ballentine headed to free agent and 2021 first-round pick Eric Stokes’ career cursed by injuries. Rakestraw seems like a perfect fit given his physicality in press coverage and his strong play against the run. He just didn’t make many plays with just one career interception. Here’s an interesting note from the story: The Packers ranked 29th in the NFL with 8.2 yards allowed per passing attempt when the quarterback wasn’t pressured. PACKER CENTRAL In case you missed them, here are the initial mock drafts by Bill Huber and Jacob Westendorf. We both led off with cornerbacks.