New Mel Kiper Mock Draft Sends Tight End, Pass Rusher to Packers

The 2023 NFL draft is quickly approaching, and for Green Bay Packers fans, they could be getting some exciting playmakers at the end of April if they go in a direction similar to ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest two-round mock draft.

Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst is doing as much homework as he can on this year’s prospect. The team has had some interesting names come in for top-30 visits, including the massive tight end Darnell Washington and the experienced offensive tackle in Darnell Wright. They’ve also brought in a pair of quarterbacks in Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker and Penn State’s Sean Clifford as potential backups to Jordan Love.

In Kiper’s latest mock draft for ESPN.com, he had the Packers going with two prospects who have not yet been brought in for visits. The long-time NFL draft analyst had the Packers taking Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid with the 15th overall pick, followed by a second-round selection on a veteran pass rusher in Tennessee’s Byron Young.

The Packers need to quickly retool their roster in order to return to the playoffs in 2023, and both of these prospects give them the opportunity to do exactly that.

Who Is Dalton Kincaid?

This year’s draft class is loaded with top-end talent at the tight end position, but Kincaid might be the best pass-catching weapon of the entire group.

Kincaid played just one year of high school football before committing to San Diego as a walk-on, where he spent his first two college seasons. After finding his footing for the program, Kincaid transferred to Utah where he instantly became a legitimate weapon for the Utes.

By the end of his final college season, Kincaid earned third-team All-American honors with 70 receptions for 890 yards and 8 touchdowns in just 12 games. At 6-foot-4 and 246 pounds, his size and athleticism made him a consistent mismatch in the passing game, with the ability to create separation on his routes while also being able to haul in difficult contested catches.

As a blocker, Kincaid gives great effort and isn’t afraid to initiate contact. However, his technique and recklessness can hurt him at times, and is something that he will need to clean up at the next level if his next team asks him to block more consistently.

Regardless, Kincaid’s presence in the slot could give whichever team drafts him a consistent safety blanket as a pass-catching tight end.

Who Is Byron Young?

There are two prospects named Byron Young in this year’s draft class, but the Tennessee pass rusher has the chance to be the more flashy player at the NFL level.

Young has one of the more fascinating stories in this year’s draft class. While working multiple jobs at Burger King and Dollar General after high school, Young stumbled into a tryout with Georgia Military College which eventually led to him playing there and ultimately transferring to Tennessee.

By his senior season with the Volunteers, Young had turned into one of the best players in the country, earning First-Team All-SEC honors with seven sacks and 12 tackles for loss this past season.

The 6-foot-2, 250-pound pass rusher can consistently win with speed, but needs to work on his technique and pass-rush moves to become a more complete rusher. At 25 years, he could have some teams cooler on him than others, but his production in the SEC and background make him a fascinating prospect.