10 Days Until NFL Draft: Packers Get Cooper DeJean in Kiper-Yates ESPN Mock

With 10 days until the NFL Draft, here are the players selected by the Green Bay Packers in the latest mock drafts.

Author:
Bill Huber
Apr 15, 2024

In this story:

Mock Draft

Kiper

Cooper DeJean

Green Bay Packers

Nate Wiggins

Troy Fautanu

GREEN BAY, Wis. – In a three-round mock draft put together by ESPN.com’s Mel Kiper Jr. and Field Yates, the Green Bay Packers selected Iowa defensive back Cooper DeJean in the first round.

In making that pick, Kiper said: “Some teams see him as a safety, but I think he can be a No. 1 corner.”

Corner was DeJean’s position at Iowa. He had three pick-sixes among five interceptions in 2022 and added a couple more interceptions in 2023.

The draft hammered most of Green Bay’s big needs.

Offensive tackle? Kiper picked Houston’s Patrick Paul, a three-year starting left tackle who “might be a first-rounder in most other drafts,” at No. 41. Paul was the 10th offensive tackle off the board.

Linebacker? Yates grabbed NC State’s Payton Wilson, the Butkus Award-winning linebacker with “tremendous tape” but a treacherous injury history, at No. 58. Wilson, who had elite production in 2023 and showed elite athleticism at the Scouting Combine, was the second linebacker off the board.

Safety? Yates selected USC’s Calen Bullock. “Bullock has endless range and would pair with Xavier McKinney to form a new-look, turnover-forcing safety duo in Green Bay,” Yates wrote. Bullock has excellent height (6-foot-2) and speed (4.48 in the 40) but is only 188 pounds. Those facts show up with nine career interceptions but too many missed tackles.

Edge? Kiper went with Washington’s Brennan Jackson, a “crafty pass rusher,” to add necessary depth behind Rashan Gary, Preston Smith and Lukas Van Ness. At 6-foot-4 and 264 pounds, he fits the team’s usual big-guy mold. He had 8.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for losses in 2023.

PFF (2 Rounds): Clemson CB Nate Wiggins

Sam Monson made the secondary the primary need for the Packers.

In the first-round, the choice was Clemson’s Nate Wiggins, a superior blend of size (6-foot-1 3/8), speed (4.28 in the 40) and production (three interceptions and 25 passes defensed his final two seasons).

“He got better every year in college and allowed a 44.4 passer rating when targeted last season, giving up just 176 yards all year,” Monson wrote.

The Packers have a big hole at safety opposite the big free-agent addition, Xavier McKinney. At No. 41 overall, Monson went with Georgia’s Javon Bullard, who is a hybrid slot-safety, as the second safety off the board in the mock. He plays bigger than his 5-foot-10 1/2, 198-pound frame, as demonstrated by his seven tackles for losses in 2022.

“He’s like a little stick of dynamite,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “He’s physical and he’s passionate about playing the game.”

At No. 58, the choice was Kansas State guard Cooper Beebe. He started at right tackle in 2020, left tackle in 2021 and left guard in 2022 and 2023. He was a consensus first-team All-American as a fifth-year senior.

“Beebe, a prototypical guard who played all over the line at Kansas State, provides Green Bay with an immediate starter,” Monson wrote.

CBS Sports: Washington OL Troy Fautanu

Jared Dubin went with Fautanu, the All-American left tackle who might move to guard because he’s only 6-foot-3 3/4.

“Fautanu's versatility makes him a strong fit for Green Bay, which always shows the willingness to move players around to find the ‘best five’ guys on the line,” Dubin explained.

He was the choice over Duke’s Graham Barton, Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton and Alabama’s Kool-Aid McKinstry.

USA Today: Duke OL Graham Barton

Speaking of Barton, he was the pick by Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz for a similar reason as Dubin picked Fautanu.

“Versatility and stability are Barton's calling cards,” he wrote, “after a career in which he flipped from center to starting left tackle. Now, however, he looks set to slide back to the interior, and the Packers should be drawn to him as they seek additional reinforcements up front.”

Wiggins, DeJean and McKinstry were on the board; DeJean went to Detroit.

Chicago Tribune: Missouri edge Darius Robinson

In Bears beat writer Brad Biggs’ mock, the Packers bypasses cornerback and offensive line in favor of throwing another body at the defensive front.

“The Packers could be in the market for a cornerback here but they have a history of being proactive in building depth on the defensive line,” Biggs wrote. “Robinson is a physical performer who has the versatility to play a couple of spots.”

Robinson had 8.5 sacks and 14 tackles for losses as a fifth-year senior. At the Combine, he measured 6-foot-5 and 285 pounds and ran his 40 in 4.95 seconds.