Picking the perfect Round 3 draft targets for the Packers after the 2024 NFL Combine
The third-round curse is finally over after the Green Bay Packers took tight end Tucker Kraft last year. Seriously, take a look at the previous third-rounders from Brian Gutekunst: Oren Burks, Jace Sternberger, Josiah Deguara, Amari Rodgers, and Sean Rhyan. And it's not just Gutekunst. Over the final years of his tenure, Ted Thompson got […]
The third-round curse is finally over after the Green Bay Packers took tight end Tucker Kraft last year. Seriously, take a look at the previous third-rounders from Brian Gutekunst: Oren Burks, Jace Sternberger, Josiah Deguara, Amari Rodgers, and Sean Rhyan.
And it's not just Gutekunst. Over the final years of his tenure, Ted Thompson got players like Montravius Adams and Khyri Thornton. The Packers have had too much success with second- and fourth-round picks to think that it is something more than a fluky coincidence, so Gutekunst kept trying.
And this year, right after hitting on Kraft, the Packers will have two third-rounders. The 88th is Green Bay's original selection, and they also have the 91st pick from the Buffalo Bills, which they received in the Rasul Douglas trade right before the deadline.
To make this exercise of analyzing who is the perfect target for each pick, we used The Athletic’s Consensus Big Board to the top 100, and the NFL Mock Draft Database for later picks.
Pick 88 – LB Cedric Gray, North Carolina (90th)
If you look at this one, plus the previous picks, I'm probably getting more defenders than I would usually prefer, but that's how the board is going. The Packers need to reshape their linebacker group in this transition to 4-3 — De’Vondre Campbell might be a cap casualty after two underwhelming seasons, and Quay Walker hasn’t lived up to his draft status. Gray is a solid piece in the middle of the field. His athletic profile might determine if he's in play for the Packers or not.
According to A to Z Sports College Football Managing Editor Travis May, "Gray has defensive team captain potential. His athletic testing will be the key in determining whether he drops further into day 3 or perhaps gets drafted inside round 3".
During the NFL Combine, Gray showed more than enough athletic ability to go in the third round.
Plan B: OT Blake Fisher, Notre Dame (85th)
Pick 91 (via Buffalo Bills) – RB Trey Benson, Florida State (84th)
Initially, Oregon's Bucky Irving was my choice here. But his performance at the Combine was impressively poor. Besides being undersized, which per se would be fine, he is also not very athletic for NFL standards. According to the Relative Athletic Score, he is bad at explosion and just ok at speed tests.
Therefore, another running back takes his place here. Trey Benson did really well at the Combine, showing elite speed and good explosion level, even though he didn't make agility tests.
Benson is seen a smart running back, with speed and acceleration to exploit holes. He needs to improve pass protection, though, which is an essential part of being a consistent NFL running back.
The Packers have a clear need at the position, because AJ Dillon is not expected to be re-signed. Moreover, Aaron Jones is getting older and he is in the last year of his deal. So, Green Bay needs depth right now and a potential starter for the future.
Don't be surprised if the Packers take more than one running back in the draft — and the third round seems like a good area to pull the trigger for the first time.
Plan B: CB Cam Hart, Notre Dame (94th)
Packers seven-round mock draft 1.0, post-Super Bowl edition
Green Bay is slated to have 11 picks in this year’s draft
