Packers RAS-centric mock draft after the NFL Combine
The Green Bay Packers historically love athleticism, and there are physical benchmarks players have to reach to even be a realistic consideration for the team, especially early in the draft. And with the NFL Combine finished up, it's officially RAS season for Packers fans. This is a combination of metrics to analyze how athletic a […]
The Green Bay Packers historically love athleticism, and there are physical benchmarks players have to reach to even be a realistic consideration for the team, especially early in the draft.
And with the NFL Combine finished up, it's officially RAS season for Packers fans. This is a combination of metrics to analyze how athletic a player coming out of college is compared to his positional peers in NFL history.
Green Bay doesn't use the Relative Athletic Score specifically, but they do use athletic metrics, and it's easy to correlate the two. Since Brian Gutekunst became the general manager in 2018, the average Packers first-round pick has a RAS above 9.0, which is elite.
Therefore, we decided to make a RAS-centric mock draft. For that, we used PFF's mock simulator and Kent Lee Platte's athletic data.
First-round, pick 25: WR Brian Thomas Jr., LSU
Thomas is seen by many as a riser because his overall ability as a receiver, and his Combine confirmed an ideal athletic profile. He's great in terms of size and explosion, and elite in speed.
Second-round, pick 41: T Jordan Morgan, Arizona
Morgan is slightly undersized, but the Packers historically don't have many issues with that — David Bakhtiari and Zach Tom are good examples. The tackle has good explosion and elite speed, which are more important traits in the Packers' evaluation process.
Second-round, pick 57: DT Braden Fiske, Florida State
Fiske was one of the Combine darlings because of his 4.78 40-yard dash, an impressive number for an interior defensive lineman. He also has elite explosion grade, which is particularly valuable for Green Bay. The big problem is his weight, well below what the Packers tend to like.
Third-round, pick 88: G Mason McCormick, South Dakota State
McCormick was in our fan-centric mock, and he's here once again after a strong Combine.
Third-round, pick 91: CB Max Melton, Rutgers
He was closely followed by Green Bay fans during the Combine because his brother, Bo, is already a Packer. Even though he's slightly undersized, Max Melton has elite explosion and speed grades, and his size is good enough for him to play in the slot — and that's a need for the Packers defense.
Fourth-round, pick 126: S Cole Bishop, Utah
It's hard to find a better athletic profile than Bishop, who could fit the box safety mold the Packers will need to run Jeff Hafley's scheme. He was well used as a blitzer, for example, at Utah.
Fifth-round, pick 168: RB Tyrone Tracy, Purdue
It's easy to look at Tracy's tape and see comparisons to what Aaron Jones does on the field. He's also slightly undersized, but has amazing explosion and speed, plus a really good ability to catch the football.
Sixth-round, pick 203: C Tanor Bortolini, Wisconsin
Just like McCormick, Bortolini had already appeared in our fan-centric mock draft, and he's here again. He could play both at center and guard, and that's exactly what the Packers need.
Sixth-round, pick 216: T Brandon Coleman, TCU
Ok, the draft got too offensive-line heavy here with a fourth linemen, but I did it on purpose just to show you how athletic this OL class is. Coleman was a tackle in college, but he's projected to move inside in the NFL.
Seventh-round, pick 243: LB Trevin Wallace, Kentucky
When I was taking notes of potential Packers targets during the Combine, Wallace was a perfect name. He's short, but his overall size is fine and he has the explosion and speed the Packers need in the middle of the field.
Seventh-round, pick 251, QB Kedon Slovis, BYU
Slovis was on my list of potential quarterback targets for the Packers in the quarterback class, and this amazing performance in the Combine has consolidated that perception.
Five quarterback options for the Packers in the draft
Gutekunst said he wants to evaluate passers in this class
