Louisville CB Jaire Alexander to Green Bay in Mayock's Lone Mock Draft

-- NFL Draft guru and analyst Mike Mayock unveiled his one and only mock draft on Wednesday night, just 24 hours before the start of the real thing on Thursday.

The Green Bay Packers are in the mix for either one of the top defensive backs or edge rushers in the class at No. 14 overall, but more so edge rusher considering the top cornerback in the class, Denzel Ward, should be off the board by the time the Packers are on the clock.

In order to land one of the top ball-hawks, they'd need to package some sort of deal and move up a few spots -- most likely to No. 10, trading places with the Oakland Raiders.

According to Mayock, at least. That won't happen.

In his mock, Mayock sent Louisville cornerback Jaire Alexander to the Packers at No. 14.

Alexander was Mayock's No. 1 cornerback in the class and his No. 12 player overall in the entire class. One of the most respected analysts in the business thinks highly of Alexander, but should he?

Alexander's only full collegiate season came in 2016 when he finished the season with five interceptions and nine passes defended through 13 games. He was limited to just six games in 2017, but is still projected as one of the top cornerbacks in the class in most mocks.

At 5-10, Alexander checks in just below the Packers' height thresholds, but G.M. Brian Gutekunst said on Monday in his pre-draft press conference that exceptions will be made for certain players if their football ability outweighs the desire to stick with the thresholds, originally implemented by former Packers G.M. Ron Wolf.

If there were any concerns about Alexander's stability after a sprained knee suffered early in his 2017 junior season, followed by a broken hand in October, his Combine numbers should be enough to keep skepticism on "wait-and-see" status.

He blazed through his 40-yard dash with a 4.38 time, ran a 20-yard shuttle in under four seconds and managed a 127-inch broad jump.

That kind of athleticism would be an immediate uplift to Green Bay's secondary. It's just a matter of whether or not Gutekunst feels that Alexander can be that exception he kicks aside the threshold for.

Ward also falls just below the Packers' thresholds, but it's safe to assume if there was a chance to pounce on him, the thresholds wouldn't even play a factor in selecting who many believe is the best cornerback in the class. Everyone except for Mayock, of course.

No. 14 for Alexander seems like somewhat of a reach, however. If the Packers truly felt confident in his abilities while most teams vastly underrated him, they could take an edge rusher such as Boston College's Harold Landry or University of Texas at San Antonio's Marcus Davenport and find a way to trade into the late-first or early second round.

The pick at that point wouldn't even have to be Alexander; cornerbacks such as Isaiah Oliver, Mike Hughes, and even Josh Jackson could all potentially still be on the board by then. The Packers' talent pool won't be running thin at any point within the first 45 picks.

__________________________

Zachary Jacobson is a staff writer/reporter for Cheesehead TV. He's the voice of The Leap on iTunes and can be heard on The Scoop KLGR 1490 AM every Saturday morning. He's also a contributor on the Pack-A-Day Podcast. He can be found on Twitter via @ZachAJacobson or contacted through email at [email protected].

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Comments (46)

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Cubbygold's picture

April 26, 2018 at 08:09 am

Fitzpatrick is goes at 12 in that mock. Alexander is talented, but I'd be willing to give up a few late round picks to take Fitz at 12 instead

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Royalty Free GM's picture

April 26, 2018 at 08:11 am

Mayock and other gurus get averagely about 6 picks right out of 32. This pick is among the 26 wrong ones.

But Mayock is our man. He is just smokescreening so that we can get Calvin the Marvin...

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Chuck Farley's picture

April 26, 2018 at 10:46 pm

Sounds like gutt gets his info from mayock

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Handsback's picture

April 26, 2018 at 08:18 am

Because Mayock publishes only one mock...doesn't mean it's golden. The best guy in the business was Rick Gosselin from the Dallas Morning News. He's a consultant/contract guy now and doesn't keep his contact with the GMs like he did. His mocks won most accurate I think three years running.
I'm not saying Alexander won't become the next Alexander the Great, I just don't think he's Green Bay's selection.

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Mojo's picture

April 26, 2018 at 09:34 am

I think Bob McGinn was also one of the best at picking correctly year after year IIRC.

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4thand1's picture

April 26, 2018 at 08:22 am

10 HOURS 38 MINUTES

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PackfanNY's picture

April 26, 2018 at 08:26 am

No. Maybe in the 2nd round. Alexander struggled in redzone coverage and is a "grabber". Too many penalties. I have no idea who Gute will take but I don't see the value with this guy at 14.

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Bert's picture

April 26, 2018 at 08:36 am

I doubt Gute will reach at #14 just to fill a need. I'm confident he will look for good value and go with BPA or trade back a bit.

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dobber's picture

April 26, 2018 at 08:45 am

I, too, would like to think that if Alexander is the pick that they would trade back a couple spots (assuming they have a dancing partner) to make that happen. I think Alexander has good traits, and certainly the only big board that matters at this point is hanging in a conference room at Packers central, but I don't see Alexander as being "#14 good"

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LambeauPlain's picture

April 26, 2018 at 09:05 am

I don’t see him as #14 pick talent either...some see him as mostly a slot CB to avoid exposing him to the run game. He’s not a good tackler and will get eaten up by NFL blockers.

If Alexander is best suited as a slot DB, go up and get Fitzpatrick or James who can stay on the field for 3 downs and be as good in the slot.

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TKWorldWide's picture

April 26, 2018 at 09:23 pm

Yeah, not at 14. More like at 18, with an extra #1 next year.

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dobber's picture

April 26, 2018 at 09:25 pm

OH YEAHH!!

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4thand1's picture

April 26, 2018 at 08:46 am

Fun night, finally something valid to discuss. 10 HOURS 14 MINUTES, GPOACKGO

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dobber's picture

April 26, 2018 at 09:30 am

Looking forward to Al's last-minute whispers, stats, and predictions post.

Don't let us down, Al!

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Since'61's picture

April 26, 2018 at 12:26 pm

Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock. Thanks, Since ‘61

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Community Guy's picture

April 26, 2018 at 08:48 am

maybe a bigger risk with Alexander is his injury risk.. a risk all players carry to some degree.. Alexander seems to be a little higher risk for injury (than Ward, e.g.). as far as talent, i was always more impressed with Alexander's tape than Ward's tape.. Alexander is a play-maker. additionally, it seems Alexander has return skills.

the big question for me in the draft is: where is the pass rush along the edge going to be improved/solidified? i am skeptical of L. Carter as a football player.

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Royalty Free GM's picture

April 26, 2018 at 08:53 am

One thing we don’t need is more picks!

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Mojo's picture

April 26, 2018 at 09:43 am

I'll take all the first, second or third rounders you'll give me.

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dobber's picture

April 26, 2018 at 09:46 am

I can't like this enough.

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fthisJack's picture

April 26, 2018 at 11:39 am

if none of the the top defensive players is available at 14....i would like to see a trade down for more picks. those picks can be packaged to move up in round 2 and 3 to get a player they want. its good strategy.

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LambeauPlain's picture

April 26, 2018 at 08:54 am

Huge reach. I like Mayock and his analysis is usually very good. Just like Jackson/Iowa, Alexander put together just one good season. At least Jasckson stayed healthy, is tougher in the run game, and has excellent size. I even view Jackson a reach at 14.

If Gute wants Alexander, trade down and still get him and get another 3rd rounder in the process. Alexander had good testing numbers but he’s very small and may not bring much in the run game with his durability questions.

But if he wants a game changing DB, trade up and go and get him....Ward, James and my favorite DB in the draft, Swiss Army Knife Fitzpatrick can get selected.

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Royalty Free GM's picture

April 26, 2018 at 09:27 am

Trade up 2nd pick and draft CB Mike Hughes or Isaiah Oliver.

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4thand1's picture

April 26, 2018 at 09:29 am

Only 3 days left of hearing the Dallas theme song,can't wait. How far will Josh Allen fall , this hurts us for another player falling to us.

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Cubbygold's picture

April 26, 2018 at 09:42 am

As long as he doesn't fall past 13 we're good. NE is too smart, but it would be awesome if Allen was on the board and they were willing to overpay with their two first round picks to move up and get him.

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dobber's picture

April 26, 2018 at 09:45 am

My understanding is that NE has been doing diligence on Lamar Jackson, which means they might be willing to wait to see how far he falls.

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Cubbygold's picture

April 26, 2018 at 10:02 am

Allen doesn't really sound like the type of guy NE would go for either, Belichick is too smart for that. I'd just like to be on the winning end of some ridiculous trade to move up. That probably only happens if one of the QBs slide. Though I doubt the top 4 make it past 10.

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4thand1's picture

April 26, 2018 at 10:10 am

dobber, I think NE is doing the diligence on Jackson to get Buffalo or Miami to bite.

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dobber's picture

April 26, 2018 at 10:13 am

Entirely possible. I'll be curious to see where he ends up being drafted. I actually like him a lot as a QB (and not as a WR conversion project).

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dobber's picture

April 26, 2018 at 09:27 pm

Lamar Jackson going to fall into BBs lap...

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jh9's picture

April 26, 2018 at 12:49 pm

I like Mike Mayock. I think he is a good analyst, but he isn't perfect. IMO, mocking Alexander to the Packers at pick 14 is a mistake.

It's not that Alexander isn't good. He is one of the better CBs in this draft. But he isn't Denzel Ward, and he's not much better than Isaiah Oliver, Carlton Davis, or Mike Hughes. IMO, if the Packers can't get Ward or Fitzpatrick they should draft an Edge Rusher like Davenport or Landry with their first pick and draft a CB with their second pick. Guys like Oliver, Davis, and Hughes should be available in the 2nd round.

This draft has a weak Edge Rusher class. If the Packers don't select the best available Edge Rusher with their first pick, they will continue to have problems at that position this year.

Mayock mocked Davenport to the Seahawks at #18. If the Packers can't trade back, it wouldn't be that much of a reach to draft Davenport at #14. The drop off in talent between Davenport and any Edge Rusher the Packers could draft after the 1st round is much greater than the drop off in talent from Alexander to Oliver, Davis or Hughes.

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Matt Wayne's picture

April 26, 2018 at 10:42 am

I agree I like hash Jackson at 14 and I keep seeing Landry getting mocked at 20ish. I think we trade up to get him. There’s no way I see us using all 12 picks....

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Finwiz's picture

April 26, 2018 at 10:52 am

You must be new, this has been discussed numerous times over the months.

Jackson is falling and I highly doubt they take him at 14. He's slotted in the 20's. His limiting factor is speed. We have plenty of guys with "not enough speed" on this defense. That needs to change.

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porupack's picture

April 26, 2018 at 11:02 am

Excellent. Fully agree. Get the Best pass rusher available in the first round, and try to trade up in 2nd round to get CB. That strategy has best chance to attain maximum net positive impact (MNPI*) on two position groups. If packers upgrade 2 position groups on D, that is pretty good offseason work.

* made it up myself this morning

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Hawg Hanner's picture

April 26, 2018 at 10:04 am

Please not another Terrell Buckley!

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4thand1's picture

April 26, 2018 at 10:13 am

That's it, lots of shit to do. Have a fun draft, see you in 8 HOURS AND 47 MINUTES...........GOPACKGO.

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sonomaca's picture

April 26, 2018 at 10:28 am

Jaire might have knee injury.

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Matt Wayne's picture

April 26, 2018 at 10:40 am

I much rather take Josh Jackson. What do u guys think of this. Take Jackson at 14. Trade back into the first if Edge rusher Harold Landry is available around 20-27? We have 12 picks I don’t see us using all 12. What do I guys think about that?

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Lare's picture

April 26, 2018 at 11:03 am

After Ward, James & Fitzpatrick this draft is very deep with comparable DB's from the mid 1st round all the way into the 4Th & 5th rounds. There's no reason to overdraft someone just for the sake of filling a need. I would be very surprised to see Alexander go to the Packers, or any other team for that matter, this early in the draft.

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jh9's picture

April 26, 2018 at 03:33 pm

I thought the most interesting situation of Mayock's mock was Josh Rosen falling to Arizona at 15.

I watched Rosen play at UCLA. He is the best pure passer I ever saw on the college level. If he drops on draft night, we might see Aaron Rodgers 2.0. He could come into the NFL with a chip on his shoulder and make everyone regret passing on him. I think he is that good.

What if Rosen did fall to the Packers at 14?

If I were BG, I would have to seriously consider taking him. We all know AR will get a huge new contract that will eat up a large percentage of cap space. The Packers are also going through a mini-rebuild.

By drafting Rosen, the Packers could trade AR next year for a bunch of 1st and 2nd round draft picks to rebuild the team and already have their franchise QB for the next ten years.

That sure would make this a draft night to remember!

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TheKanataThrilla's picture

April 26, 2018 at 02:00 pm

The Rosen availability is what I disliked about Mayock projecting Alexander to us. If Josh Rosen is there I want us to take him. I think he can sit and learn from Aaron and then we can either decide to move forward with him and trade Aaron, or we can likely get ourselves a nice trade for Rosen. Potentially having another franchise QB fall in our lap would be beyond fortunate for us Packer fans.

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PatrickGB's picture

April 26, 2018 at 01:02 pm

IF Rosen falls that would be a huge surprise. It would be an even bigger surprise if GB were to draft him. Yet IF he is the BPA then it presents a quandary for GB. IF GB drafts him it is only for trade bait later on. And NOT for a trade of AR.

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sonomaca's picture

April 26, 2018 at 01:30 pm

Rosen doesn’t need long on bench. Allen does.

Could we still see blockbuster Rodgers trade?

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dobber's picture

April 26, 2018 at 04:59 pm

I haven't heard of the Packers putting in much work on the top of the QB class this year. Unless it's very cut-and-dried, I don't see it happening.

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sonomaca's picture

April 26, 2018 at 01:20 pm

If Pack trade up, as rumored, I’m guessing it’s for Ward.

Unnamed black hat team putting out Josh Allen tweets in effort to get him to fall. If he gets to Packers, would they consider taking him?

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sonomaca's picture

April 26, 2018 at 01:27 pm

Or trade down? Who is nasty team working these tweets? Sounds like NE.

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Archie's picture

April 27, 2018 at 09:24 am

Best movement skills among CB in this draft = Ward + Alexander. Alexander probably only a slot guy. Good R2 pick. Unfortunately, we passed on Edmunds for Alexander. Big mistake i.e., loss of value.

Edmunds > Alexander + 2019 R1 pick +2018 R5 pick - 2018 R3 pick - 2018 R6 pick.

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