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Green Bay Packers 7-round mock draft following Aaron Rodgers deal

By Lucas Schuh

2022 NFL Draft: Jahan Dotson #5 of the Penn State Nittany Lions celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Buffalo Bulls during the second half at Beaver Stadium on September 07, 2019 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
2022 NFL Draft: Jahan Dotson #5 of the Penn State Nittany Lions celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Buffalo Bulls during the second half at Beaver Stadium on September 07, 2019 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers mock draft: Outside linebacker Nik Bonitto #11 of the Oklahoma Sooners heads off the field after a game against the Tulane Green Wave at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on September 4, 2021 in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma won 40-35. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images) /

Green Bay Packers mock draft: Nik Bonitto, EDGE, Oklahoma

Oklahoma. Nik Bonitto. 2. player. Scouting Report. Edge. 815. Pick Analysis

Before Brian Gutekunst became the GM of the Green Bay Packers, one of the biggest things they were known for was not being aggressive in free agency. Most of the money the Packers spent was used to keep players in Green Bay, rather than bringing in players to Green Bay. Once Gutekunst took over, things changed a little bit.

Following the 2018 season, Green Bay made a ton of moves in free agency. The Packers signed Adrian Amos, Billy Turner, and two edge rushers in the form of Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith. Both Preston and Za’Darius Smith turned out to be great signings as they both tore up offensive lines.

With all of the signings the Packers made, things eventually came back to bite them as the Packers are now in a bad situation cap-wise. With the bad situation they are in, it wouldn’t be completely crazy to think that the Packers could end up cutting either Za’Darius or Preston. If the Packers did end up cutting one, they would at least have Rashan Gary to take over, but Green Bay likes to have multiple pass rushers, which is where Bonitto comes in.

While at Oklahoma, Bonitto showed some exceptional athleticism. Bonitto was able to threaten Big 12 tackles with some exceptional explosiveness which made him one of the hardest edge rushers to stay in front of. On top of some great athleticism, he has some great moves that allow him to slip around tackles.

While Bonitto is stupidly quick and athletic, he was a bit on the small side of things with the Sooners. At Oklahoma, Bonitto was listed at 6’3 240 pounds, but when he showed up at the combine, he added 8 pounds, which brought him up to 248. Bonitto still showed some great athleticism at the combine, even with his extra pounds as he had a 4.54 40-yard dash and a 35.5 inch vertical.

Bonitto absolutely needs to add some pounds to his frame in order to hang with NFL offensive tackles, but with the weight, he’s added at this point, he may be able to keep it up when he gets to the NFL.

Other Players Considered: Boye Mafe, Josh Paschal, Max Mitchell

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