Packers Take Two Pass Rushers in New Three-Round NFL Mock Draft

You can never have enough pass rushers, Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said at the end of the season.

With the pass rush failing to live up to expectations last season and Gutekunst not addressing the issue during NFL free agency, the team almost certainly will use an early draft pick on a defensive lineman.

In a new three-round NFL mock draft by The 33rd Team’s Kyle Crabbs, the Packers picked two edge rushers.

In the first round, the selection was Georgia’s Mykel Williams.

“Green Bay made a big bet by drafting Lukas Van Ness in the first round a few years back,” Crabbs wrote of the team’s 2023 first-round pick. “It hasn't paid big yet, which leaves the door open for more pass rush help to enter the fray.”

Williams had 4.5 sacks in 2022 and 2023 and five sacks last season, when he played through a high-ankle sprain for most of the season.

“I was injured the whole year, never healthy,” Williams said at the Scouting Combine. “I was messed up pretty bad. It was extremely frustrating [with people] not knowing the full story.”

The Packers never have had much use for small, undersized edge rushers who rely on quickness. So, Williams fits just like Rashan Gary and Van Ness on the current roster and Preston Smith and Za’Darius Smith before them at 6-foot-5 1/8 and 260 pounds with 34 3/8-inch arms.

“Williams has elite length and good power,” Crabbs said. “Plus, he comes with a more extensive resume than Van Ness did leaving Iowa.”

According to Pro Football Focus, there are 146 FBS-level edge rushers in this draft class who had at least 200 pass-rushing opportunities in 2024. Williams ranked a mediocre 71st with a pass-rush win rate.

The injury was an obvious factor. Williams didn’t test at the Combine because of the ankle but ran his 40 in an unofficial 4.73 seconds at pro day last week.

“I have a different type of grit about myself that I can push through pain,” he said at the Combine. “No matter how I'm feeling, I can still get it done. The teams are loving that I did. They said most guys, in the position I was in, would have sat down.”

Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart agreed.

“They [NFL scouts] respect the fact that he pushed through and competed.”

Crabbs stayed on the defensive in the second round with Notre Dame cornerback Benjamin Morrison. The Packers signed Nate Hobbs in free agency, but Eric Stokes and Corey Ballentine signed with the Raiders and Colts, respectively, and Jaire Alexander is expected to be released or traded. So, the Packers need to throw numbers at a position in which only Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine played snaps on defense among the returning players.

Morrison had six interceptions in 2022 and three interceptions in 2023 but missed the second half of the 2024 season with an injured hip. He didn’t test at the Combine but measured 6-foot 1/4 and 193 pounds. He will have an individual workout for scouts before the draft.

“I think my ball productivity jumps off the tape, nine interceptions in two-and-a-half years, I think is a pretty good, stat line,” he said at the Combine. “I hope that jumps off the film when they turn me on.”

Crabbs’ scouting report explains why he’d be a great fit.

“Teams that play vision zone and zone match will afford him the most opportunities to produce at a level similar to the level he did at Notre Dame. He should be considered an NFL starter.”

Crabbs doubled-up on edge rushers with Texas’ Barryn Sorrell in the third round. He had 15.5 sacks and 25 tackles for losses during his final three seasons, and was 39th in PFF’s pass-rush win rate in 2024.

At 6-foot-3 1/4 and 256 pounds, he showed impressive athleticism and strength at the Combine as he fashioned a Relative Athletic Score of 9.25.

After Green Bay’s spot in the first, the Minnesota Vikings took a pass-rushing defensive tackle at No. 24 and the Detroit Lions added a guard at No. 28. Ohio State receiver Emeka Egbuka was available, as well.

In the second round, Crabbs selected Morrison over Florida State corner Azareye’h Thomas, versatile Purdue offensive lineman Marcus Mbow and receivers Jack Bech, Tre Harris and Jalen Royals.

Ohio State center Jared Wilson and two touted Big Ten pass rushers were among the prospects picked after Green Bay’s slot in the third.