The Green Bay Packers are looking to dig out of the hole they fell into in 2018 rather quickly. The team is looking to do that both with a new head coach and an infusion of talent. With Aaron Rodgers still under center, it's possible they could dig out of that hole with an infusion of talent that could largely come from the upcoming NFL Draft.
One Rotoworld expert, Hayden Winks believes the Packers could end up with some real talent coming out of the first round alone. In a Mock Draft the analyst posted on his Twitter account, he believes Green Bay could secure two different first round picks and both would be Top 15 level talent.
The one piece of potentially bad news, should things work out the way he believes, is that the Pack would be getting a player who likely won't be able to play in 2019 and has a bit of baggage following him.
Packers trade down for Devin White
As Packerswire lays out, there will be some severe shifting and trading in the first round of the draft. An early run of quarterbacks will likely scare the Washington Redskins into moving up in order to take Duke quarterback Daniel Jones by swinging a deal with the Pack.
This will allow Green Bay to get the 15th pick in the first round where Winks projects they will take Devin White. White, a linebacker out of LSU is considered the best 'backer in the draft by the Rotoworld expert and exactly what a Green Bay Packers defense that struggled in 2018 needs badly.
Jeffery Simmons provides talent and tumult for Green Bay
After taking a linebacker with their first pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Green Bay Packers are expected to take another defensive player with their regular first rounder. That pick, according to Winks could be defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons. The Mississippi State prospect is yet another Top 15 type talent who falls to the Pack for a number of reasons.
Simmons suffered an injury getting ready for the draft which is likely to keep him sidelined the entirety of the 2019 regular season. He is, in essence, a kind of redshirt rookie. Taking him with the 30th pick allows the team to know they are building for the future, while also still having White as a defensive talent they can hang their first-round hat on.
Pre-Free Agency Mock Draft using @evansilva's NFL team needs. Check it out at the new site: https://t.co/LGbZ6PKvYS pic.twitter.com/r1jleJ2T2O
— Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) February 12, 2019
The big drawback in taking Simmons has nothing to do with his football acumen. It has to do with off-field legal issues that are trailing the pass rusher. The summer before he arrived at Mississippi State, Simmons was recorded punching a woman. The defensive player says he was attempting to protect his sister, who had first gotten into the altercation. Since that incident, Simmons is said to have been a model citizen. That could make things easier for the Green Bay Packers. However, in the era of "me too" it's hard to know whether a team is going to be able to weather a PR storm. Jeffery Simmons' talent might be enough for the club to take that chance.