Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Mykel Williams (13) hits TCU Horned Frogs quarterback Max Duggan. / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images
It's the week before the NFL Scouting Combine. By this time next week, we'll have a mountain of testing numbers from players who ran all over Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium in front of scouts.
How those numbers matter to each team varies, but the Green Bay Packers clearly value the results. General manager Brian Gutekunst has said he likes tall, long athletes. The thresholds that the Packers have used, established by Ron Wolf in the early 1990s, remain a critical guideline in figuring out who fits and who does not.
For our third seven-round Packers mock draft, however, we don't have those numbers. After picking a receiver in the first round last week, we used Pro Football Focus' simulator and returned to something that feels more realistic for Gutekunst.
Kirby Smart and Howie Roseman might be the only men in the world who love Georgia Bulldogs more than Gutekunst. Gutekunst has used three first-round picks on Bulldogs the last three years, so why not look at another?
Mykel Williams had five sacks and two forced fumbles for the Bulldogs in 2024. The Packers' pass rush needs help with Rashan Gary and Lukas Van Ness coming off disappointing seasons. Williams is a little raw, but his upside could make it so Gutekunst could not help himself if he's available.
The Packers are not going to get Cincinnati wide receiver Tee Higgins, but what about someone who has the same last name?
Jayden Higgins could join the lineage of great second-round receivers the Packers have taken in the past.
Perhaps the biggest point in Higgins' favor are his hands. The Packers struggled mightily with drops in 2024. Higgins had a drop rate of 2.2 percent in 2024 and had an 87.8 grade against man coverage, according to PFF.
He would add some playmaking to a receiving corps that could be missing Christian Watson for the majority of the 2025 season.
The Packers took an Arizona offensive lineman last year when they tabbed Jordan Morgan in the first round. Could they do it again in 2025?
Jonah Savaiinaea played both tackle spots in 2024 and played the entire 2022 season at right guard. The Packers have long loved versatility with their offensive linemen.
Josh Myers is set to be a free agent in March. Guard Sean Rhyan, right tackle Zach Tom and left tackle Rasheed Walker, three starters drafted in 2022, will be free agents after the 2025 season.
The point here is the Packers could use help at tackle and guard as they reload on their offensive line.
Another quarterback? You bet.
Gutekunst said last year he wanted to get back into the practice of picking quarterbacks every year.
The quarterback he picked last year, Michael Pratt, did not even make it out of training camp. He was released and signed to Tampa Bay's practice squad. Sean Clifford stuck around for a second season but was relegated to third-quarterback duties.
Malik Willis was a godsend for Green Bay's offense and helped save their season. He's going to be a free agent after the 2025 season. If he's asked to play in spot duty and performs well again, he could get an offer to compete for another team's starting job in 2026.
Enter Jalen Milroe, an athletic, big-armed quarterback who could compete with Clifford for those duties in 2025 and be groomed to potentially replace Willis in 2026.
Milroe started for two seasons for the Crimson Tide and helped lead them to a Rose Bowl berth in 2023, when he finished sixth in the Heisman race. His dual-threat capabilities - 71 total touchdowns in 2023 and 2024 - make him an intriguing option as a backup should Jordan Love need to miss more time.
With Josh Myers perhaps on his way out the door, maybe another Buckeye could be tabbed to help replace him.
McLaughlin has been through the wars of Big Ten and SEC football, starting his career at Alabama before transferring to Ohio State. All 2,399 snaps from scrimmage came at center, but he could kick over to guard, if needed.
Another receiver, as the Packers look to add competition to the back of the room. Bo Melton and Malik Heath are nice role players but are not locks to make the roster after minimal production the past two seasons.
Prather has good size at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds. In two seasons at Maryland, he caught 98 passes for 1,290 yards (13.2 average) and nine touchdowns. He could add another big-bodied receiver while providing some potential value on special teams.
Cornerback is widely considered a big need for Green Bay, but the board simply never fell in a good enough way to pick one earlier. Because of that, Gutekunst takes another cornerback from Penn State in the seventh round.
Miller is more likely to play on the outside as opposed to last year's seventh-round pick, Kalen King, who projects mostly as a slot. During two seasons with extensive playing time, Miller contributed one interception, nine passes defensed, four sacks and eight tackles for losses.
With Isaiah McDuffie and Eric Wilson set to be free agents, the Packers could use another linebacker. James is a solid run defender with 165 tackles, including five sacks and 12 tackles for losses, in three seasons.
One thing James will have to clean up is that he had 13 missed tackles in 2024 after only missing nine his previous two seasons combined.
Adding a pass rusher and a receiver early helped us take care of two of Green Bay's biggest needs in the top 64 picks. Williams and Higgins should have an opportunity to contribute to the 2025 team.
Adding two offensive linemen will help rebuild the trenches with four pending free agents on the offensive line in the next two offseasons.
Milroe may have been taken too early for some people's tastes but, as the Packers learned last year, no team can have too much talent at the quarterback position. Milroe could benefit from Matt LaFleur's tutelage and grow into a quality backup. That's worth the price of a fourth-round pick.
Gutekunst better have added some reinforcements to the defensive line and defensive backfield if this were how the draft played out.
Adding zero defensive linemen would not be an ideal situation with the team potentially set to lose TJ Slaton in free agency. Devonte Wyatt and Kenny Clark could both be on their way out the door sooner than later, as well.
The cornerback room would also need reinforcements. Only taking one in the draft would mean Green Bay would need to add at least one in free agency, if not more. Jaire Alexander's time in Green Bay appears to be up. Apart from him, the only cornerbacks with experience on the roster are Carrington Valentine and Keisean Nixon. They'll need numbers there.