The 2022 NFL Draft begins on April 28, which means that The Game Haus will be debuting draft profiles for every team. Each NFL team will be evaluated heading into this year’s draft, as our staff recaps their last season, highlights their needs and pinpoints their potential 2022 NFL Draft targets. The Green Bay Packers are the subject of today’s 2022 NFL Draft profile.
Summary
The Packers’ 2021 season was an abject failure, despite going 13-3 and earning the number one seed and a bye in the NFC playoffs. They lost their first playoff game to the San Francisco 49ers, due mostly to special teams miscues. This was a big problem, as the team was in Super Bowl-or-Bust mode.
Green Bay had rumors swirling around that Aaron Rodgers would leave the team after the season, and it was a “last dance” ride. These were pushed further by Rodgers and Davante Adams themselves, via Instagram posts. In the end, Rodgers stayed and became the highest paid quarterback in the league after winning back-to-back MVPs.
Now, with Rodgers aging and some holes to fill, the urgency is maybe dialed up even further than it was last season. Here is how they can use their picks in the 2022 NFL Draft to get Rodgers back to the big game.
2022 NFL Picks
Green Bay will have five picks to use in the first three rounds of the 2022 NFL Draft.
First Round (two picks): No. 22, No. 28
Second Round (two picks): No. 53, No. 59
Third Round (one pick): No. 92
Team needs
Wide receiver- This is the Packers most glaring need. Davante Adams, one of the most talented receivers in the league, bar none, was traded to the Raiders. That means the Packers have to replace 123 receptions, over 1,500 yards and 11 touchdowns. They also lost speedster Marquez Valdez-Scantling. They need to address this problem early, and with their wealth of picks, often.
Offensive line- Green Bay’s offensive line is not bad. In fact, it was still one of the best in the league even with multiple players injured. But Billy Turner left, and more are coming off of injury. More is never enough in terms of depth at this position.
Pass rusher- Za’Darius Smith left, and even though he wasn’t available much last year, that still hurts the Packers. The team needs to get after the quarterback more, as their competition in the NFC playoffs thrive on clean pockets.
2022 Draft Targets
First Round:
Pick No. 22: Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State
Olave is a dream pick, and he might very well be there for the Packers at 22. He had 936 yards on 65 receptions last season, all while scoring 13 touchdowns. The Ohio State offense is already very high powered, and Aaron Rodgers is certainly more suited to get Olave the ball in the right space to get the most out of him.
Pick No. 28: Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia
Nakobe Dean apparently has his doubters due to his size. But he was an anchor of a CFB-best defense that led Georgia to a National Championship. He had an incredible 72 tackles last season, along with six sacks, two forced fumbles, two interceptions and a defensive touchdown. They need a difference maker like that alongside De’Vondre Campbell.
Second Round:
Pick No. 53: George Pickens, WR, Georgia
Pickens has fallen down draft boards due to injury and a small workload in Georgia’s 2021 National Championship season. Being that 2021 is such a deep wide receiver draft, it is likely he could even be seen as a late first-round talent in another year. But the Packers need help at the position any way they can get it, and they should most certainly take at least two receivers with their first five picks.
Pick No. 59: Travis Jones, DT, UConn
Jones is a bit of an underrated talent, mostly because he is coming out of UConn. However, he made a difference on defense in 2021, grabbing 48 tackles and 4.5 sacks. Those were his best numbers, but he could be the space-eater that Green Bay is looking for.
Third Round:
Pick No. 92: Ed Ingram, OL, LSU
If the Packers wait until the third round to address their offensive line, they should just take the best available from a school with a reliable pedigree when it comes to sending that kind of talent to the NFL. Ed Ingram from LSU could very well be that guy. The Packers have an incredible hit rate on drafting offensive lineman, so if they pick someone else here, it is for a good reason.
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