Packers Trade Back for Three Extra Picks in New Two-Round NFL Mock Draft

Is defensive tackle the Green Bay Packers’ biggest need entering the NFL Draft? Or is it defensive end? Or what about receiver or cornerback? Or perhaps it’s the offensive line, where the depth is lacking and three starters are scheduled to be free agents next offseason?

That’s a lot of needs for the Packers. Unlike the last few years following the trades of Davante Adams and Aaron Rodgers, they don’t have bonus picks to throw at those needs. That’s where Pro Football Network’s two-round mock draft makes sense.

PFN’s Cameron Sheath had the Packers move back from No. 23 to No. 32 in a trade with the Super Bowl-champion Philadelphia Eagles. The Packers gained picks in the third, fourth and fifth rounds, which would boost Green Bay’s pick count from eight (with four in the first four rounds) to 11 (with six in the first four rounds).

While cornerback would make sense at this spot, Sheath wrote, the choice was Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon. He’d fill a huge hole on the defense after TJ Slaton, who started every game the last two seasons, signed with the Bengals in free agency.

Harmon had five sacks and 11 tackles for losses for the Ducks. While he’s not a massive run-stuffer like Slaton, no interior rusher had more pressures than Harmon, according to Pro Football Focus.

“I’ve got a dog in me. Real gritty player, just trying to get to the ball and make a play,” Harmon said at the Scouting Combine.

The second-round pick was spent on Iowa State cornerback Darien Porter, who is one of the biggest size-speed and risk-reward options in the draft.

Porter was a receiver in 2019, 2020 and 2021, with most of his action coming on special teams. To get him on the field, he was moved to cornerback. He didn’t play much in 2022 or 2023, either, before finally earning a larger role in 2024.

Playing 425 defensive snaps – still not a huge share, with just three games of 40-plus snaps – he allowed just five completions in 17 targets with a passer rating of 4.7, according to PFF. He had as many passes defensed (five, including three interceptions) as completions allowed.

The upside, however, is impossible to ignore. At the Scoring Combine, he measured 6-foot-2 7/8 with 33 1/8-inch arms and ran his 40 in 4.30 seconds. His Relative Athletic Score of 9.99 is elite.

“I think, obviously, I had great success this past season, but still think that there's a lot left,” he said at the Combine. “And, really, I’m just scratching the surface. My best football is still ahead of me.”

For his career, he blocked five kicks.

Porter was the choice at cornerback over Notre Dame’s Benjamin Morrison. At receiver, Stanford’s Elic Ayomanor and Iowa State’s Jayden Higgins were available.

“Just a playmaker at the end of the day. Just a guy that's going to go out there and compete,” Higgins said of Porter. “I think as soon as I got to Iowa State, that's a guy that dominated on special teams – special teams is a way to be in the league for a long time. As far as corner, he is just a competitor.”

The cost of getting those extra picks in this simulation was missing out on Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron, Texas receiver Matthew Golden and Ohio State receiver Emeka Egbuka. To get Harmon and extra picks might be a win.

The Packers could opt to move up. That was the scenario at FanDuel, with the Packers rocketing up from No. 23 to No. 9 to select Michigan’s Will Johnson, the favorite at FanDuel Sportsbook to be the No. 1 cornerback selected.