The Packers fielded playmakers on linebackers, tight ends, and receivers in the first three rounds of the post-senior bowl mock draft.
Green Bay, Wis. - With the Senior Bowl in the rear-view mirror, Shane Hallam of Draft Countdown put together a seven-round mock draft that sent a linebacker to the Green Bay Packers with the 28th pick.
If All-Pro can't scrape the money to re-sign linebacker D'Vondre Campbell, there could be a huge hole in the middle of the defense at Green Bay. The likes of Hallam had an excellent national championship game.
On the second day, he captured two small school playwrights to meet the needs.
Round 2: Tee Trey McBride, Colorado State. McBride won the McKay Award as the nation's top tight end and was the school's first unanimous All-American. He led all FBS tight ends with 90 receptions and 1,121 receiving yards. The final game of his collegiate career was a 69-yard touchdown on a fake punt.
In the Senior Bowl, he measured 6-foot-3 1/8 and 249 pounds. He was coached by Ron Middleton of the Jets. "It's not going to be anything pretty," Middleton said. "It's just dog meat and potatoes, baby. He loves to grind, he loves to strain. I think his technique from the blocking approach has to go further, but he'll keep his face there."
The Packers have a potential need at the tight end, based on the futures of Robert Tonian (free agent; cracked ACL) and Marcedes Lewis (age and price tag).
Round 3: WR Jalen Tolbert, South Alabama. Tolbert had a dominant senior season with 82 receptions for 1,474 yards and eight touchdowns. He topped 140 receiving yards in six games, including seven catches for 143 yards and a score in Tennessee. He's got deep momentum to lose big-play receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling to the Packers in free agency.
Tolbert measured 6-foot-1 1/4 and 195 pounds in the Senior Bowl. In a Senior Bowl Q&A, he listed that Aaron Rodgers has a quarterback he would love to catch a pass to once he reaches the NFL.
Tolbert said, "I see a lot of Davante Adams, Julio Jones and Stephen Diggs. I try to take different things from those three guys. Davante Adams' releases and Route Running and how he sells stuff. Stephen Diggs does the same thing and how he moves pre-route, I want to pick something up. The physicality of Julio Jones and how he strikes the ball. I believe those three guys are the three elite receivers in the NFL right now So I definitely see those guys."