Todd McShay debates whether Green Bay Packers should draft pass catcher if Aaron Rodgers leaves

Mel Kiper’s latest mock draft has the Green Bay Packers selecting Iowa defensive end Lukas Van Ness with the No. 15 overall pick in the NFL Draft. But the Packers are obviously a little busy at the moment, as their in the process of negotiating a trade with the New York Jets for quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Green Bay notoriously hasn’t drafted many offensive skill players in the first round of the NFL Draft in quite some time. And with a potential change at the quarterback position, NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay spoke about their potential options.

“I just went back and looked at their history, 2002 Javon Walker was the last time that they used a first-round pick on a pass catcher, wide receiver or tight end,” McShay said. “So the history tells you they’re not going to do it, and yeah maybe they shove it in Aaron’s face and finally do it when he’s gone.”

The Packers finally drafting a pass catcher would definitely have some irony to it if they do part ways with Rodgers, but McShay believes it is the logical move. The tight end position is one of the deepest in this year’s draft class, and there is one that may have the Packers’ name written all over it.

“I personally would take Michael Mayer here, tight end out of Notre Dame,” McShay said. “I could understand Dalton Kincaid, a lot of guys I talk to in the league, the Utah tight end he’s gaining steam, he’s just got a little bit more juice than Mayer. Both of these guys though, Mayer’s just an exceptional route runner and he had 17 contested catches, more than any other tight end in this class this past year, that’s where he lives and he’s a bulldozer when he has the ball in his hands after the catch.”

Both Mayer and Kincaid caught over 65 passes last year and racked up over 800 receiving yards from their respective tight end positions. There’s no question that the two are some of the best that this year’s draft class has to offer, and picking one versus another more so a matter of preference. But McShay’s preference given the Packers future at the quarterback position is Mayer.

“So you’re bringing in a guy who’s an in-line blocker who will help your run game and will be a security blanket for an inexperienced quarterback in Jordan Love who I think only has 83 pass attempts in three seasons as a backup to Aaron Rodgers. So tight end makes sense to me, but I love Lukas Van Ness and I’d have no problem if he was the pick here for Green Bay,” McShay said.