The Green Bay Packers need edge rushers and wide receivers entering the draft. Yet, Mel Kiper Jr.'s latest two-round mock draft for ESPN brought surprising decisions for the team, even addressing both positions.
Sure, mocks are useful exercises to see the types of players and which positions the team could address, so taking an edge defender and a pass-catcher for Green Bay won't surprise anyone based on where the roster is.
However, the players themselves are somewhat intriguing.
Pick 23: Mykel Williams, EDGE, Georgia
Mel Kiper's reasoning: The Packers had 45 sacks last season (tied for eighth), but that's a little misleading. They were really good at converting pressure into sacks, but they got pressure only 29.8% of the time (22nd). Williams was hindered by an ankle injury in 2024, which kept him to five sacks over 12 games. But he has the explosive traits to be an extremely effective edge rusher. Other spots of interest would be receiver and cornerback, so expect Green Bay to take a look at guys like Emeka Egbuka or Kentucky corner Maxwell Hairston, too.
Evaluation: The Packers in fact need an edge defender, but Mykel Williams might not be the perfect profile. In college, Williams was an above average pass rusher, average in true pass sets, and what stood out was his ability to stop the run. But in the first round, that's probably not the ideal type a team would look for. He has a good combination of size and speed, but there's no complete testing to measure exactly how athletic he is.
Pick 54: Jack Bech, WR, TCU
Mel Kiper's reasoning: Bech was great during Senior Bowl week, and he finished the 2024 season with 1,034 yards and nine touchdowns. The Packers' offense likes to distribute the ball to multiple pass catchers, with three wideouts -- Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks and Jayden Reed -- seeing at least 70 targets. Bech would be another reliable playmaker in the mix.
Evaluation: Jack Bech is probably not the type of receiver the Packers generally take. He's 23 and only broke out in his final college season for TCU, with 1,034 yards and nine touchdowns. In his previous three seasons (two for LSU, one for TCU), the numbers were not nearly as impressive. He finished his college career with a 20.9% (55th) dominator rating, even if his dominator rating in 2024 went up to 54%.
Packers fans would probably be happy in a scenario where the team leaves the first two rounds with an edge defender and a wide receiver. But in that combination, Williams and Bech may be close to a worst-case scenario for what Green Bay usually does and needs at this point.
