Receiver Featured, Almost Forgotten in New Seven-Round NFL Mock Drafts

The Green Bay Packers have a need for speed. And they have a need at receiver.

Those realities meshed in a new seven-round mock draft at Pro Football Network, with the Packers grabbing Texas speedster Matthew Golden with their first-round pick.

“In an offense emulating the ‘many mouths to feed’ model that teams like Buffalo have championed, Golden's presence as a dynamic movement-Z WR with separation chops, RAC ability, and vertical body control could be invaluable,” Ian Cummings wrote. “My comp for Golden: T.Y. Hilton.”

The Packers would take that. Hilton played 11 seasons and was selected for four Pro Bowls. He was an instant-impact performer with the Colts with 50 receptions for 861 yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie in 2012, and he had five 1,000-yard seasons in a span of six years, highlighted by his NFL-leading 1,448 yards in 2016.

At 6-foot and 195 pounds Golden’s 4.29 in the 40 made him the fastest receiver at this year’s Scouting Combine.

Golden is the No. 1 receiver for NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah and the No. 2 receiver for The Athletic’s Dane Brugler.

Despite the electric 40 time, Jeremiah wrote, “Golden doesn’t have dynamic traits, but he’s a natural football player and a quarterback’s best friend. He’s dependable.”  

Golden was the third receiver off the board in the mock. Among players at positions of need the Packers bypassed were Ole Miss cornerback Tre Amos, Georgia edge Mykel Williams and Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen.

In the second round, the choice was Oregon edge Jordan Burch.

“At 6-foot-4, 279 pounds, with over 33-inch arms, Jordan Burch fits Green Bay's desired size profile, and he has the energized athleticism and flexibility to function as a stand-up rusher and stunter,” Cummings wrote.

Indeed, Burch’s size will fit alongside Rashan Gary and Lukas Van Ness. After three seasons at South Carolina, Burch in his second season at Oregon finished with 8.5 sacks, 11 tackles for losses and five passes defensed.

He is Brugler’s No. 52 prospect because if his “high-floor talent.”

Of note, Golden and Burch had predraft visits with the Packers.

What about cornerback?  The Packers got him in the third round with Iowa State’s potential-packed Darien Porter.

One-on-one matchups with Golden and Porter would be fun. At 6-foot-2 7/8, Porter ran his 40 in 4.30 seconds.

“Darien Porter might fall past the Packers' age thresholds,” Cummings wrote of the 24-year-old, “but he checks every single physical box they look for. In Round 3, his size and athleticism are worth the gamble.”

With elite size and speed, Porter spent three years at receiver and barely got on the field. He then spent two years at cornerback and barely got on the field. Finally, in Year 6, he got substantial playing time. In 12 games (seven starts), PFF charged him with five completions. That’s as many completions as passes defensed (three interceptions, two additional breakups).

Porter would bring needed size to a short secondary. As an added bonus, he blocked five kicks during his career.

The Packers got more pass-rushing help at the start of Day 3 with Miami’s underrated Tyler Baron. During his final two seasons (Tennessee in 2023, Miami in 2024), he had 11.5 sacks and 21.5 tackles for losses.

Baron measured 6-foot-4 5/8 and 258 pounds at the Scouting Combine, making him more in line with Kingsley Enagbare, who will be a free agent after the upcoming season. With a 4.62 time in the 40, his Relative Athletic Score was 8.64. He’d be a potential pass-rush threat.

An offensive tackle, two defensive tackles and another cornerback rounded out the eight-man class.

Seven-Round Mock Draft at CBS

Receiver is a huge need for the Packers. So is defensive tackle, where TJ Slaton left in free agency and Kenny Clark will turn 30 following a down season.

In his seven-round mock, Oregon’s Derrick Harmon was the pick by Josh Edwards.

“Odds are good that Green Bay will use its first-round pick on the defensive side of the ball, and the defensive line is a good place to start in the wake of T.J. Slaton's departure. Derrick Harmon could conceivably go higher as there has been a lot of positive buzz in recent weeks.”

The highlight of this draft was a second-round curveball on Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson. Johnson is a phenomenal prospect but the Packers presumably don’t have a need with Josh Jacobs atop the depth chart. Even with third-round pick MarShawn Lloyd limited to just one game, Emanuel Wilson and Chris Brooks provided solid depth.

Picking Johnson meant bypassing these next four picks: Ohio State edge JT Tuimoloau, Iowa State’s Porter, Georgia center Jared Wilson and Toledo defensive tackle Darius Alexander.

Burch was the pick in the third round, and the only receiver was UNLV’s Ricky White in the seventh.