Packers Draft Stock Watch: 5 Players Rising and Falling on Green Bay's Board

The NFL offseason is a wild ride, and it's not over yet. Beginning in February we started scouting players, watching film and breaking down the Green Bay Packers' needs and the players who best fit them.

Some of those players have been clear fits from Day 1, while others came out of the gate strong but have since seemed like less of a fit for Green Bay.  

As March draws to a close and with five weeks to go before the first pick of the 2015 NFL draft is announced, I'm taking the pulse of the current landscape of draft prospects the Packers could be considering come April. Some are rising on the Packers' draft board, while others, once popular projections, have fallen. 

These projections are based on analysts' mocks, reports and my own interpretation of Green Bay's needs and the prospects who fit them. Let's look at five players who have either climbed or tumbled on the Packers' draft board. 

Rising: Kevin Johnson, CB, Wake Forest

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Now that the Packers have allowed both Tramon Williams and Davon House to depart in free agency, it's entirely possible Ted Thompson could look to draft a cornerback in the first round for the first time in his tenure in Green Bay. 

Drafting a corner in Round 1 is a huge gamble. It's one of the hardest positions to develop at the pro level, and there's no guarantee that a first-round prospect will be ready to start his rookie year.

However, if Wake Forest's Kevin Johnson is available at No. 30, it could be a twofold great opportunity for Green Bay. The first reason is the value of the pick; in his latest mock draft, NFL.com's Bucky Brooks thinks Johnson could come off the board as early as No. 16 to the Houston Texans, while CBSSports.com's Dane Brugler thinks the Philadelphia Eagles could go for him at No. 20.

The second reason is that the Packers do have Casey Hayward to start outside if needed, giving an early-round corner prospect necessary time to develop. 

There's no denying that Johnson's name has increased in Packers-related chatter since free agency got underway. NFL.com's Charles Davis, NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah and Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com all had Johnson going to Green Bay at No. 30 in their most recent mock drafts. 

Johnson was a top performer in the vertical jump (41.5"), broad jump (130.0"), three-cone drill (6.79 seconds) and 20-yard shuttle (3.89 seconds) at the combine and was a three-year starter at Wake Forest.

He had all 12 starts in 2014 and allowed only 24 completions on the year. In 2013, he was second in the ACC with 12 passes defensed and had three interceptions. He may be the type of player to cause Thompson to draft a cornerback in Round 1. 

Falling: Jordan Phillips, NT, Oklahoma

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Prior to the start of free agency, nose tackle Jordan Phillips was a popular analyst mock to Green Bay at No. 30. It makes sense, given Green Bay's need at defensive tackle and Phillips' massive frame (6'5", 329 lbs, 34 ¾" arms). 

ESPN's Mel Kiper still has the Packers selecting Phillips in his latest mock, but NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks, both of whom projected Phillips to the Packers in earlier mocks, have since moved on to different prospects at No. 30. 

In my opinion, the Packers' interest in Phillips may have cooled, and if they are able to re-sign B.J. Raji and Letroy Guion this offseason, they may choose to use their first-round pick to address another position.

Phillips has some question marks for a first-round prospect. "Too often stands up at the snap, negating his own power and while very quick for a man of his size, too rarely makes plays at the point of attack, as ball-carriers are often able to avoid him," writes CBSSports.com's Rob Rang. 

The early mocks of Phillips to Green Bay make sense considering that Packers defensive front assistant Jerry Montgomery was Phillips' defensive line coach at Oklahoma. 

But there are other nose tackles in this draft class who could use a year to develop and eventually start, from Iowa's Carl Davis to UCLA's Ellis McCarthy. 

And, if Green Bay does look to take a defensive lineman in Round 1, it might be able to get a higher-ranked player at No. 30: Eddie Goldman. Originally projected to be off the board by Green Bay's pick at No. 30, Goldman could now be an excellent steal there in April. 

Rising: Ellis McCarthy, NT, UCLA

Kelvin Kuo/Associated Press

If Green Bay doesn't select a nose tackle in the early rounds, Ellis McCarthy could be a solid investment in Rounds 5 or 6. 

Even if B.J. Raji or Letroy Guion starts in 2015, it may be a short-term fix. Now is the time to acquire a player to develop and groom into an eventual starter at nose tackle. 

McCarthy has the ideal size for a 3-4 nose tackle at 6'5" and 338 pounds. He did struggle with weight at UCLA, as well as injuries, both of which contribute to his Round 6 projection. But if those issues are resolved, Green Bay could get a starting-caliber player for a steal.  

As a sophomore, when he had the only eight starts of his career, McCarthy had 31 tackles, including four for loss, and two sacks, earning honorable mention all-conference honors. As a backup nose tackle and defensive end last season, he had 21 tackles and three sacks. 

While there's currently nothing official connecting the Packers with McCarthy, he's almost certainly on their draft board. 

Falling: Benardrick McKinney, ILB, Mississippi State

Rogelio V. Solis/Associated Press

As Mississippi State inside linebacker Benardrick McKinney has fallen further to the bottom of—and even out of—the first round, so have the projections that Green Bay will select him with the 30th pick. 

But of the inside linebackers available in this class, McKinney doesn't seem like the best fit for Green Bay, even though ESPN analyst Todd McShay mocked him to the Packers in his first mock draft and Fox Sports Wisconsin's Paul Imig targeted the inside 'backer as a likely choice for Green Bay in Round 1. 

McKinney's best attribute is his size: 6'4" and 246 pounds with 33-inch arms. He plays high and is a "potential liability against the pass," per NFL.com's Lance Zierlein, who adds that McKinney "looks stiff when asked to cover in space and gives away too much separation to routes in his area in zone coverage."

The Packers need help against the run, but they also need a complete inside linebacker who excels in coverage. McKinney and Denzel Perryman aren't complete; UCLA's Eric Kendricks and Clemson's Stephone Anthony are closer.

If the Packers take an inside linebacker in Rounds 1 or 2, Kendricks and Anthony are more likely choices than McKinney now. In fact, CBSSports.com's Rob Rang has the Packers taking Kendricks in his latest mock.

Rising: Stephone Anthony, ILB, Clemson

John Raoux/Associated Press

The truth is, were there no needs for inside linebackers in Round 1, it's possible none of this year's prospects would earn a Round 1 grade. 

That being the case, Ted Thompson might not like any inside linebacker at No. 30 based on value alone, but Clemson's Stephone Anthony could be a fantastic Round 2 selection. He'll likely be off the board at No. 62, however, so if Thompson wants to move to meet Anthony on the board, he could either trade out of Round 1 or trade up in Round 2. 

In early offseason projections, Anthony was pegged as a mid-round prospect, but he has shot up draft boards this offseason due to strong showings at the Senior Bowl and the combine. At the latter, Anthony was a top performer in the 40-yard dash (4.56 seconds) and 20-yard shuttle (4.03 seconds). 

Tony Pauline of TFY Draft Insider reported that the Packers are "very high" on Anthony and that he is a "favorite of Dom Capers."

It's easy to see why. Anthony is nearly the complete package, with desired size for the position (6'3", 243 lbs) and the ability to get downhill to make plays on the ball as well as drop into coverage against the pass.