2024 NFL Draft: ESPN’s Mel Kiper makes 3 picks for Packers in new mock draft

Kiper pegs two Georgia Bulldogs for Green Bay in his newest mock draft of the 2024 offseason.

The world’s most popular draftnik, ESPN’s Mel Kiper, just dropped his newest mock draft of the 2024 cycle — one that features two rounds of predictions, rather than just one. Because the Green Bay Packers have an extra second-round pick this year via the New York Jets and the Aaron Rodgers trade, this means that Kiper made three selections for the Packers this time around. Let’s dive into the picks and dissect the choices he made.

#25: Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia

While it’s possible Rasheed Walker, a seventh-rounder in 2022, could be the long-term replacement for David Bakhtiari at left tackle in Green Bay, I’d take a tackle with upside here. Again, this is the draft in which teams should pursue a first-round tackle.

6-foot-8, 340-pound Mims started just eight games in college, but he was excellent when he was on the field. Once he locks into edge rushers, they get swallowed up in his massive wingspan. He didn’t allow any sacks in his career. The Packers have an extremely young offense, and Mims would be another pillar to build around.

An offensive tackle selection in the first round of the draft will almost certainly split Green Bay’s fan base. Some fans don’t think that the position really needs to be addressed, as they’re content with the tackle combo of Rasheed Walker and Zach Tom moving forward. Others seem to think that the team can continue to find Day 3 gems at the position, as they have done in the past.

Personally, though, I’m a big fan of Amarius Mims, who only started a handful of games for the Georgia Bulldogs due to him being a reserve in 2022 and dealing with a high ankle sprain, which required surgery, in 2023. For what it’s worth, the following offensive linemen were already drafted by the time Kiper selected Mims for the Packers: Joe Alt, JC Latham, Taliese Fuaga, Olu Fashanu, Troy Fautanu, Graham Barton and Tyler Guyton.

#41: Edgerrin Cooper, LB, Texas A&M

Here’s a spot for my top-ranked off-ball linebacker to come off the board. Green Bay parted ways with De’Vondre Campbell and doesn’t have a replacement on its roster. Cooper, who had 14 tackles for loss in 2023, could slot in as a rookie. He has stellar range as a run defender and doesn’t have to come off the field in passing situations.

Cooper was not only the first linebacker selected in Kiper’s two-round mock draft, but he was the only linebacker selected in the entire exercise. That’s one way to understand how thin the off-ball linebacker talent is in this draft.

According to the consensus draft board, Cooper ranks 44th overall with fellow linebackers Payton Wilson (43rd) and Junior Colson (53rd) rounding out all the players at the position ranked inside the top 85 players of the class. If the Packers feel like Cooper, who was brought in on a pre-draft visit to Green Bay, is worthy of being a starter in Jeff Hafley’s new scheme, they should simply turn in the selection.

#58: Javon Bullard, S, Georgia

Bullard is a fun player to watch, because he can play as a slot corner, as a center fielder or closer to the line of scrimmage, where he can make plays in the run game. He’s a little undersized (5-foot-11, 198 pounds), but he’ll get after it in coverage. Green Bay signed Xavier McKinney in free agency and is turning over its safety position. The Packers had just seven interceptions last season, which ranked 31st in the league. Bullard had two picks in 2022 and two more in 2023.

Another Georgia Bulldog! Mims and Bullard join former Bulldogs Eric Stokes, Quay Walker, Devonte Wyatt and Jack Podlesny in this mock draft. Like linebacker, safety is another position that is relatively weak in the 2024 class, despite it being a major need for the Packers. For perspective, Bullard is the first safety off of the board in Kiper’s mock and one of only two — with the other being Utah’s Cole Bishop — being selected in Mel’s first two rounds.

This means that Minnesota’s Tyler Nubin, ranked 45th as the top safety on the consensus draft board, falls to at least the third round in Kiper’s mind. This is interesting, as Nubin missed much of the pre-draft process as he recovered from an off-season surgery that was expected to repair the meniscus in his injured knee. Maybe this is a hint at how NFL teams view Nubin’s health situation going into the draft.