New mock draft projects big trade up for Green Bay Packers

The Packers give up four draft picks to move up in The Athletic’s latest 2024 mock draft.

On Monday, The Athletic’s Ben Standig dropped a mock draft that will certainly stir up a debate among Green Bay Packers fans. Instead of having the team select a player at the 25th pick, their original first-round selection, he projected Green Bay to move all the way up to the 12th overall choice — currently owned by the Denver Broncos — at the cost of four draft picks.

What was the final price tag for moving up so high in the first round? According to Standig, it would cost the Packers their original first-round choice, original second-round choice, original third-round choice and original seventh-round choice. This would still leave Green Bay with the New York Jets’ second-round pick (via the Aaron Rodgers trade) and the Buffalo Bills’ third-round pick (via the Rasul Douglas trade), but it would certainly make Day 2 of the draft a whole lot less interesting for the green and gold faithful.

The player that the Packers moved up for in this mock draft was Quinyon Mitchell, who is arguably the best cornerback in a draft class that is loaded at the position. The Toledo product earned back-to-back First-Team All-MAC honors over the last two seasons and stood out at the Senior Bowl versus other premier 2024 draft prospects. At the combine, Mitchell came in at over 6’0” and ran a 4.33-second 40-yard dash at 195 pounds. He also added a 38” vertical, which also scores very well for the cornerback position.

Below is what Standig had to say about the selection:

Another team with 11 draft selections, the Packers move up 13 spots for arguably the best defender in the class. Mitchell dominated the pre-draft cycle after blasting off last season with the Rockets. This addition and free-agent safety Xavier McKinney bolsters a secondary that will face Justin Jefferson, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Allen and Moore twice a season.

In the intro of the article, he claimed that the mock draft “includes direct insight from scouting and coaching sources or assessments blended into the analysis.” Is there buzz around the league connecting the Packers to Mitchell? Is it buzz that the Packers are willing to move up in the draft? One month out from Day 1 in Detroit, we’re left with more questions than answers here.

Drop a line in the comment section below with your reaction to the selection. We’re interested in hearing if you’d approve of the trade-up or if you’d tear it to shreds.