GREEN BAY, Wis. – There is a heightened buzz around the possibility the Green Bay Packers will finally use their first-round pick on a receiver. Noting the Packers typically “do their wide receiver business in Round 2,” Todd McShay instead went with Georgia edge Mykel Williams in his latest mock draft.
“He’s a value here and the Packers will like his size, run-stopping ability, and pass-rushing potential,” wrote McShay, the former ESPN draft guru who started The McShay Report newsletter.
“Williams was hindered by an ankle injury in 2024 and his production left a lot to be desired, but I’m betting on this guy’s traits and future development. He’s 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds with the third-longest wingspan (82 7/8 inches) among edge defenders at the combine. And he recently ran in the low 4.7s at his pro day.”
Indeed, Williams started last season with top-10 hype but finished with only five sacks – highlighted by a pair of two-sack games against Texas. However, he played through an ankle injury sustained in the opening game against Clemson.
“I was injured the whole year, never healthy,” he said at the Scouting Combine. “I was messed up pretty bad. It was extremely frustrating [with people] not knowing the full story.
“I decided to take the first two to three weeks [after the season] to rest my ankle and try to get it back under me. So, that delayed my training, I got a late jump, and that’s why I’m going [to go through drills at] pro day instead of Combine.”
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst typically has favored picking defense over offense in the first round – quarterback Jordan Love and Jordan Morgan last year the exceptions. And he’s had a slant toward Georgia players, with Eric Stokes, Quay Walker and Devonte Wyatt in the first round and safety Javon Bullard in the second round last year.
Williams is out of Central Casting for the Packers from a size perspective at 6-foot-5 1/8 and 260 pounds with 34 3/8-inch arms. His 40-yard time of 4.77 seconds was mediocre, though his 10-yard split of 1.61 ranked in the 90th percentile.
He had a predraft visit with the Packers.
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein compared him to Gregory Rousseau, who as the 30th pick of the 2021 draft by the Buffalo Bills has a pair of eight-sack seasons on the resume.
The talent is there. So is the mentality.
“I have a different type of grit about myself that I can push through pain,” Williams said. “No matter how I’m feeling, I can still get it done. The teams are loving that I did. They said most guys, in the position I was in, would have sat down.”
Williams also was the pick in Mel Kiper’s latest mock and a five-round mock at NFL.com.
In McShay’s mock, Williams was the sixth of seventh edge rushers taken in the first round. The seventh was Tennessee’s James Pearce, who also had a predraft visit with the Packers. He went to an NFC North rival.
At receiver, Tet McMillan and Matthew Golden were off the board but Emeka Egbuka – who also had a predraft visit – was available.
