Getty General manager of the Green Bay Packers Brian Gutekunst speaks to reporters during the NFL Draft Combine in March 2023.
The Green Bay Packers face a win-and-in showdown with the Chicago Bears to close out the regular season on January 7, but they still have plenty of holes to fill on the roster for 2024.
While Jordan Love has cemented his status as the Packers’ franchise quarterback, and young wide receivers Christian Watson, Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs form a potentially prolific trio to develop along side Love, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst still has plenty of work to do.
In a CBS Sports mock draft, the Packers will add a major piece for the offense and to help facilitate Love’s taking the next step toward becoming one of the league’s top quarterbacks. Josh Edwards projected the Packers to select Georgia offensive tackle Amarius Mims with the No. 12 overall pick in April’s 2024 NFL draft.
“Green Bay made the move from Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love over the past year,” Edwards wrote on December 28. “The next big change is swapping out David Bakhtiari for Amarius Mims.”
Mims, 6-foot-7, 340-pound, recently declared for the draft after a standout career along the Bulldogs’ offensive line, where he was one of the premier run blockers in the SEC, if not all of college football.
If the Packers elect not to use their first-round pick on defense, addressing an inconsistent secondary, selecting Bakhtiari’s successor might be the most prudent use of draft capital this spring.
Amarius Mims Scouting Report
Mims will likely be one of the first offensive tackles off the board, and could serve as an immediate upgrade along the Packers’ offensive line.
ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. listed Mims as the No. 5 offensive tackle in the upcoming class.
“If you could draw up the perfect right tackle prospect, it would be Mims,” Kiper wrote on December 29. “Who is light on his feet and can deliver a jolt in run-blocking situations. He was incredibly impressive against Georgia Tech, showing off his upside. Though he has started just eight career games, I feel good about putting him in the Round 1 discussion.”
Pro Football Focus pointed out that in 297 offensive snaps in 2023, Mims allowed only 2 quarterback pressures, without surrendering a sack.
That kind of consistency in the passing game could be significant in Love’s development, and the Packers’ offenses chances of developing even more explosiveness in the vertical game.
David Bakhtiari Facing Another Surgery
Bakhtiari’s 2023 season came to an end when the Packers placed him on injured reserve on September 28, but his time in Green Bay could also be nearing his conclusion.
“[It was] a clean out and addressing what we’re going to do moving forward,” Bakhtiari told reporters, revealing that he recently had surgery to repair his knee.
Prior to getting injured, Bakhtiari appeared in only 25 pass-protection snaps and did not surrender even a quarterback hurry.
Bakhtiari also revealed that he will have another surgery this offseason.
“The goal is to address the lateral femur,” Bakhtiari said. “I’ve been dealing with a lot of fluid”
Given Bakhtiari’s lengthy injury history and needing to go under the knife for a fifth time during the offseason, it’s no wonder that the Packers could prioritize offensive tackle in the draft.