Green Bay Packers Mock Draft: Final 7-Round Predictions

It's finally draft day. This weekend essentially encapsulates the offseason for the Green Bay Packers, who are a draft-and-develop squad. Because they don't bring in free agents, the 2015 Packers will basically look like the 2014 version, plus some rookies.

In an attempt to mock what will happen on draft day, I ran Fanspeak's On the Clock draft simulator in a way general manager Ted Thompson would draft. Using CBS Sports' big board, I tried to play the simulating by ear but kept in mind of Thompson's tendencies, such as his emphasis on athletic offensive linemen and taller cornerbacks.

Green Bay badly needs to fill starting roles at both cornerback and inside linebacker, so there was an effort to address those positions when value presented itself. Forcing a selection wouldn't be very Thompson-like, though, as he's been noted over the years as one of the best drafters in the league due to his leaning on film and flexibility to take the "best player available."

First Round

No. 30: Kevin Johnson, CB, Wake Forest

The Packers have a giant need at cornerback. Their starting lineup looks to have a missing piece on paper. From studying Green Bay's defense on film, it appears that Dom Capers wants to play single-high safety more often, putting strong safety Morgan Burnett in the box to strengthen the underneath coverage and run enforcement of squad.

What that means, though, is that the boundary cornerbacks are basically on islands by themselves. They need to be able to recover well if they lose a step on a receiver downfield. Sam Shields, who was just signed to a long-term contract last season, has the ability to do so, but no one else on the roster can.

Micah Hyde and Casey Hayward are better fits inside, where their long speed can't be tested often. The only other boundary option is Demetri Goodson, a soon-to-be 26-year-old second-year player with little NFL experience. Drafted in the sixth round last season, it's hard to make the case that he's going to be a starting-caliber talent for Week 1.

Tramon Williams' and Davon House's departures in free agency hurt the team, but they can recover in the draft.

Kevin Johnson of Wake Forest is one of the more consistent players at the position. He won't wow you, but he'll get the job done on a down-to-down basis. He's an Al Harris clone who played a lot of off coverage in college, but thanks to his 31-inch arms he's a solid projection into a press-man scheme.

Second Round

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No. 62: Grady Jarrett, DL, Clemson

Green Bay has a huge need at inside linebacker, but if we've learned anything about Ted Thompson's time as a general manager, it's that he loves to take players at premium positions. To him, the bigger, the better.

Jarrett played at Clemson with one of the best pass-rushers in college football, Vic Beasley, but Beasley made a lot of his sacks after Jarrett initiated interior pressure. Think of Jarrett as a Mike Daniels type. He's also in a similar mold to Datone Jones, whom Thompson took in the first round, but projects better as a run defender.

Imagine the pressure packages the team would be able to fill with three great one-gapping defensive tackles on the field, pushing quarterbacks backward while Julius Peppers and Clay Matthews III come around the edges. For Dom Capers, who helped develop the fire-blitz scheme, his ideal defense involves defenders flying around, creating chaos for passers. Jarrett would assist the Packers in doing so.

As Steve Palazzolo of Pro Football Focus noted, Jarrett is slippery. If he should slip to the second pick Green Bay owns, I believe Thompson will give him a long look on draft day.

Third Round

No. 94: Denzel Perryman, LB, Miami

Finally, in the third round the Packers will address their inside linebacker need. A.J. Hawk and Brad Jones have been the team's starting linebackers for a while but were both cut this offseason, as their contract values didn't match with their on-field performances.

One of those vacancies can be filled with Sam Barrington, a now-third-year linebacker, who transitioned into a heavy-play role last season. Barrington needs a solid sidekick next to him, but he's flexible enough to be the clean-up player or the defensive fullback.

If Denzel Perryman is still on the board, he's an absolute steal. As Joe Marino of Draft Breakdown noted, there are many times Perryman has been linked to this particular squad in the first round. Some might not even think he'll make it to the Packers' second-round pick.

Perryman is like a small dog: He's not the biggest linebacker, but he'll keep coming at you on a down-to-down basis, nipping at your ankles and barking. The Green Bay defense is very finesse-based. The Packers are good at getting after the passer and getting their hands on the ball, but there's no aggressive run defender on the squad. Perryman can bring that into the locker room on day one.

Fourth Round

No. 129: Mike Davis, RB, South Carolina

This running back class is deep but shouldn't be deep enough to forget about Mike Davis of South Carolina. He's a very talented runner from the SEC who was a name in the college football world but for some reason didn't make a splash in the draft media community.

Eddie Lacy has a serious foot injury on his resume from his time at Alabama. He's halfway into his rookie contract, and the Packers have to make a decision: Should they give him a giant raise on his second contact, despite the fact that he plays such an aggressive form of football, or should they move on?

Davis would be a perfect transition player. He projects well enough to be a serviceable starter down the line but also can challenge James Starks as the second back on the depth chart in the immediate future. As a change-of-pace option, Davis, on paper, should be the undisputed second back in Green Bay by 2016 and could be the starter by 2017.

Fifth Round

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No. 166: Quinton Spain, IOL, West Virginia

Heading into last preseason, the Packers' depth chart on the offensive line looked interesting. All five of their projected starters were college blindside tackles, but that was until J.C. Tretter went down with an injury and Corey Linsley, a rookie center from Ohio State, stepped up to the plate.

That tendency generally follows Ted Thompson's entire career, though. He absolutely loves taking flexible and experienced offensive linemen who played the premier position (left tackle for a right-handed quarterback) in college.

Quinton Spain of West Virginia spent time at left tackle prior to 2014, when he switched inside to guard.

His best position always was and always will be guard, but it's rare to see a college prospect willingly move to a less premier position. Spain was tested early against teams like the University of Alabama last season and did well. He's not special on paper but is very solid and consistent overall.

He will be able to play guard, center and even play tackle in a pinch. That attribute is huge for a backup offensive linemen, as there are typically only eight active offensive linemen on a roster on game day, meaning the three bench players have to be able to slide into five different positions.

Flexibility might be the best trait to possess for a fringe-roster lineman, and Spain has plenty of flexibility.

Sixth Round

Jay Sailors/Associated Press

No. 206: Marcus Rush, EDGE, Michigan State

Marcus Rush is undersized at 6'2" but is a very explosive player for his size. He's also only a year younger than Robert Quinn, who was drafted in 2011, but has solid upside for a player who is "over age."

He is stout as a run defender and plays assignment football. He doesn't have the legs to finish plays but can create pressure off the edge with bend, hand usage and technique. With interior pressure players like Datone Jones and Mike Daniels on the squad, he can make efforts on reps to create sack opportunities for them.

He might never be a starting-caliber player, but he's a good third edge-rusher for when Clay Matthews III bumps inside to an off-ball linebacker role and will contribute to special teams. When looking at late-round picks, that's about as much as one could ask.

No. 210: Brandon Bridge, QB, South Alabama

Brandon Bridge's tools match up with Colin Kaepernick, who was a second-round pick. The difference between the two narratives of the players is huge, though. Kaepernick was a four-year player at Nevada, while Bridge was only a full-time starter for two: his freshman season at Alcorn State and his senior year at South Alabama.

With signings like Seneca Wallace and Vince Young in the recent past, it would appear that Thompson would like to bring legs off the bench behind Aaron Rodgers. If Rodgers should get hurt, a run threat would at least force a defense to re-scheme on the fly.

Under the eye of Mike McCarthy, Bridge could develop into a starting level player, too. Maybe Bridge will bring back the old trend in Green Bay of flipping backup quarterbacks for future assets after solid bench play.

No. 216: Corey Robinson, OT, South Alabama

There are two ways NFL offensive tackles can be productive. Like cornerback, offensive tackle is a recovery position. For the most part, OTs will face better athletes on the other side of the ball on a down-to-down basis. At both spots, length and foot speed are important.

Those are two different molds, though. A tackle needs to either be a dancing bear or a long-and-strong lineman. Corey Robinson is the latter, in the mold of a poor man's D.J. Fluker, who has started 31 games for the Chargers since being drafted in the first round by San Diego in 2013.

Robinson might be a "right tackle only" prospect, but with the bench flexibility of J.C. Tretter and Quinton Spain, he'll have the luxury to be just that. Focusing on that one area, he would be allowed to develop better.

Seventh Round

Nati Harnik/Associated Press

No. 247: Zach Zenner, RB, South Dakota State

This late in the draft, teams are looking for camp bodies. Zach Zenner can be more than that, though. After years of production at the FCS level, the only question will be the competition jump to the NFL.

He's being mislabeled as a fullback by some in the draft community but can absolutely run the rock. He might push John Kuhn in the fullback role, sure, but he's going to get touches as a tailback as well. He possesses good vision and speed for a non-FBS player and should be looked at as a solid member of a potential committee.

He's going to be able to contribute on special teams, which means he could make the active roster instead of being a healthy scratch on game day. That alone puts him into a position where he can see more touches than the average seventh-round running back.