Green Bay Packers Pick DE, S In 2019 NFL Draft

WISCONSIN — Almost none of the NFL mock draft experts predicted exactly what the Packers ended up doing on the first night of the 2019 NFL Draft. The Packers beefed up their already beefier defensive corps by picking up a freakishly athletic Defensive End from Michigan and then pulled off a trade to pick up a talented Safety from Maryland.

The Packers started the evening with the 12th pick in the first round.

With that pick, Green Bay selected Defensive End Rashan Gary from Michigan. Here's what NFL.com says about the 6-foot-4, 277 pound junior:

Gary is a face-up rusher who seems content to hit tackles with bull-rush attempts rather than working the edges. He's explosive out of the blocks and in closing to the quarterback, and is just waiting for hand development and additional rush moves. His size, strength and motor could make him a plus run defender in short order. He has elite potential if a defensive coordinator can harness the energy and focus his approach.

The Packers weren't content to wait until the 30th pick, so they traded that pick and their two fourth-rounders to Seattle for the 21st pick. The analysts at Lombardi Avenue called it, even though the Packers went with a different guy. (see below) With the 21st pick, Green Bay drafted Safety Darnell Savage out of Maryland.

Here's what the NFL.com says about the 5-foot-11, 198 pound Safety Darnell Savage:

His sticky cover skills and ability to close on throws from all areas of the field are valuable commodities that should not be undervalued. Savage should be targeted as a Day 2 hybrid defender offering early starting potential as a two-high zone or slot cover talent.

Their next pick is number 44 in the second round.

(Remember, you can always find tickets to Packers games here. Enter the promo code "PatchTickets10" at checkout to score 10 percent off.)

Theories were aplenty as who the Packers would pick with their two first-rounders.

Mock Draft Roundup

Lombardi Ave

Pick 12 — Devin Bush, LB, Michigan

Pick 30 — Packers trade Round 1 (30), Round 3 (75) and Round 4 (118) and get Round 1 (21) and Round 4 (124). With Round 1 (21), the Packer select Brian Burns, Edge Rusher, Florida State.

Dan Kadar SB Nation

Pick 12 - Noah Fant, TE, Iowa

Pick 30 - Dalton Risner, OG, Kansas State

Chad Reuter NFL.com

Pick 12 —T.J. Hockenson, TE, Iowa

Pick 30 — Johnathan Abram, S, Mississippi State

Luke Easterling, Draft Wire

Pick 12 —T.J. Hockenson, TE, Iowa

Pick 30 —Mack Wilson, LB, Alabama

Chris Trapasso, CBSSports

Pick 12 —T.J. Hockenson, TE, Iowa

Pick 30 - Cody Ford, OL, Oklahoma

DraftTek

Pick 12 —T.J. Hockenson, TE, Iowa

Pick 30 — Juan Thornhill, S, Virginia

Pro Football Focus

Pick 12 —Jerry Tillery, DL, Notre Dame

Pick 30— Andy Isabella, WR, UMass.

John Clayton, Washington Post

Pick 12 — Jonah Williams, OT, Alabama

Pick 30 —Marquise Brown, WR, Oklahoma

Changes Abound

The Green Bay Packers really shuffled the deck during the offseason, picking a new head coach to succeed Mike McCarthy, and taking a deep dive into free agency for a quartet of players.

Matt LaFleur, 39, a native of Mount Pleasant, Michigan, is said to be the quarterback guru the team was looking for when they announced him as the Packers new head coach in January.

Of note to Packers president Mark Murphy and General Manager Brian Gutekunst was his ability to find success with quarterback Matt Ryan in Atlanta and Jared Goff with the Rams.

The big question is whether he can get the Packers offense, and quarterback Aaron Rodgers, on the same page and back into the playoffs.

Then in early March, General Manager Brian Gutekunst did something his predecessor Ted Thompson would never do: sign a bunch of players in free agency. Gutekunst signed four players: two players to rush the quarterback, a strong safety to patrol the middle of the field and the line of scrimmage and an athletic lineman to run all over the place in LaFleur's new scheme on offense.

The Signings

Edge Rusher Za'Darius Smith: Four-year deal worth $66 million. $34.5 million to be paid out in first 2 years including a $20 million signing bonus.

Strong Safety Adrian Amos: Four-year deal worth $37 million with $21 million to be paid out in the first two seasons.

Offensive Lineman Billy Turner: Four-year, $28 million deal with a max value of $29.5, including $11 million in year one.

Outside Linebacker Preston Smith: Four-year deal worth $52 million, with $16 million fully guaranteed at signing.

TicketNetwork is a Patch promotional partner.