GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers must address the pass rush and passing game during the 2025 NFL Draft. Those shortcomings, which were not solved in the one week since NFL free agency officially opened, were addressed in a series of new mock drafts.
CBS Sports: Three Rounds
In Chris Trapasso’s three-round mock, the Packers used their first-round pick on Texas A&M edge Nic Scourton to improve an inconsistent pass rush.
“Scourton is about as pro-ready as they come at the edge-rusher spot, and the Packers need a legitimate running mate for Rashan Gary,” Trapasso explained.
Scourton started his career at Purdue, where he led the Big Ten with 10 sacks and added 15 tackles for losses in 2023. He transferred to Texas A&M for his final season. While his sack production fell to five, he recorded 14 tackles for losses and finished a solid 28th among FBS edge defenders in pass-rush win rate, according to Pro Football Focus. His touted teammate, Shemar Stewart, ranked 94th.
“He brought that competitive energy out of me every day,” Scourton said at the Scouting Combine. “I wanted to go out there and get better than him every day at practice. And he wanted to go out there and be better than me every day in practice. And that's kind of what it was like. That's kind of how the dynamic is. We push hard, we play really hard.”
Scourton played at 285 pounds last season to help set the edge against the run. He was 255 at the Combine. He said his ideal playing weight is 265.
He listed Gary as the pass rushers he likes to watch.
“I take a piece from everybody,” he said. “There are a lot of great ones. Dwight Freeney, Brian Burns, Rashan Gary, Aidan Hutchinson. I just love watching those guys get after it.”
With the Day 2 picks, the Packers addressed their needs at offensive tackle and receiver. The receiver was Utah State’s Jalen Royals. He caught 71 passes for 1,080 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2023. He was on his way to obliterating those numbers with 55 catches for 834 yards and six touchdowns but was limited to seven games in 2024 by a foot injury.
While he said he wasn’t 100 percent healthy, he played well at the Senior Bowl and went through testing and drills at the Scouting Combine. At 6-foot and 205 pounds, he ran his 40 in 4.42 seconds.
“I ran my routes just as well as people who are fully healthy so that also brought confidence to me,” he told Deseret.com.
CBS: Missouri WR Luther Burden
Mike Renner, formerly of Pro Football Focus, broke the Packers’ two-decade drought of not drafting a receiver in the first round by selecting Missouri’s Luther Burden.
The Packers haven’t used their first-rounder on a receiver since Javon Walker in 2002. However, with Christian Watson recovering from a torn ACL and Romeo Doubs coming off a pair of concussions, the “Packers buck their trend eschewing first-round wide receivers for a unique talent in Luther Burden III. … Burden is not only sure-handed, but also a playmaker with the ball in his hands. Green Bay could use both.”
Burden, who played mostly from the slot, had a massive 2023 with 86 receptions for 1,209 yards (14.1 average) and nine touchdowns but fell to 61 receptions for 676 yards (11.1) and six touchdowns in 2024. However, he forced an eye-popping 30 missed tackles in 2024 – tied for No. 1 in the nation, according to PFF.
Fox Sports: Ohio State OT Josh Simmons
Joel Klatt’s latest mock addressed the offensive line with Ohio State’s Josh Simmons. Simmons, who was a right tackle at San Diego State in 2022 and struggled a bit at left tackle for Ohio State in 2023, was on his way to a big-time final season before missing the second half of the season with a knee injury.
“From what I've been hearing, the reports are good surrounding Simmons' knee injury. I think his stock is rising now,” Klatt wrote.
In five-plus games in 2024, he allowed just one pressure. At the Combine, he measured 6-foot-4 7/8 and 317 pounds with 33-inch arms. The arms are a bit short for a tackle but not a deal-breaker for Green Bay.
As NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said, “What he put on tape this fall should generate plenty of optimism about his chances of becoming a quality starting left tackle in the NFL.”
Pro Football Network: Texas CB Jahdae Barron
Jahdae Barron won the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s best defensive back in 2024, when he moved from the slot to the perimeter and intercepted five passes. At 5-foot-10 3/4 and with 29 5/8-inch arms, he’d probably be at his best in the slot in the NFL.
“Barron lacks the elite athleticism of others at his position, but his tackling, physical presence, and play strength are exactly what the NFL needs from slot defenders,” was part of Anthony Pasciolla’s explanation.
Two Ohio State offensive linemen, Tennessee pass rusher James Pearce, Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon, Michigan defensive tackle Kenneth Grant and East Carolina cornerback Shavon Revel were among the players who filled out the end of the first round.
Barron was also The Sporting News’ pick. Unlike PFN’s mock, in which the top four receivers were off the board, Missouri’s Luther Burden and Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka and Texas’ Luther Golden were available.