NFL Mock Draft 2015: Green Bay Packers Select Kevin Johnson

Kevin Johnson, CB, Wake Forest

Green Bay doesn't have a lot of major needs on offense so I think they will draft mainly defensive players in this draft, certainly in the early rounds at least.

The main areas where they need help on defense are inside linebacker, cornerback and the defensive line.I would have strongly considered Eric Kendricks at ILB here, had he not gone off the board with the previous pick, but even if he had been there I'm not certain that I would have picked him anyway.

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The Packers lost two starting corners in free agency, in Tramon Williams and Davon House. They still have their no.1 guy in Sam Shields and 2012 round 2 draft pick Casey Hayward, who finished 3rd in the Rookie of the Year voting that year, so we know he can play, but they are lacking depth and someone to come in and challenge Hayward for the CB 2 starting position, or the slot corner allotment.

The defensive line could also do with maintaining or even adding to, but GB did resign both nose tackle's, BJ Raji and Letroy Guion to one year deals, so whoever has the better season of the two is most likely their longer term solution. Raji had been playing out of his natural position at DE in 2013 before tearing his bicep and being put on injured reserve for the whole of last season, so he could see a return to form back at his favored NT spot. He's still only 28 and is a former All Pro at NT.

However, an NT for the future or possibly depth at DE could be options for the Packers, depending on value and which way their GM, Ted Thompson, decides to go.Here are what I see as the Packers five biggest needs, in order:

1/ Inside Linebacker

2/ Cornerback

3/ Defensive line

4/ Tight End

5/ Offensive Line

Although I have ILB as the no.1 need, I'm not sure the value is there behind Kendricks to justify picking a Stephone Anthony, Paul Dawson, Denzel Perryman or Bernardrick McKinney at no.30.I think somewhat of a wildcard choice here could be Shaq Thompson, who could be moved all over the place to play OLB, ILB, safety and even RB if needed.There are quite a few good CB's left on the board and that's were the value lies, imo. The best guys left at the position are Kevin Johnson, Byron Jones, Ronald Darby and PJ Williams.

I choose Johnson here as I think he is the BPA , is more NFL-ready than Jones and doesn't have the character issues that Darby and Williams do.

Johnson is being mocked anywhere from no.15 on down, so I think he would be good value at this stage.

My top five options for GB at No. 30 are:

1/ Kevin Johnson (CB)

2/ Shaq Thompson (OLB/ILB/S)

3/ Byron Jones (CB)

4/ Eddie Goldman (DT/NT)

5/ Ronald Darby

If, in reality, GB does decide to go ILB with their first pick and Kendricks is off the board, I think they should try to trade back a few spots, gain extra picks, and still be able to choose from the likes of Thompson, Anthony, Dawson, Perryman or McKinney.Without that option in this draft I'll go with the 6'0", 188 lbs Johnson, who is compared to GB's current no.1 CB, Sam Shields, by NFL.com. Here's what else they say about him:

Johnson is a three-year starting cornerback who showed great improvement in man coverage from 2013 to 2014. While he lacks desired weight at the position, his cover skills, athleticism and competitiveness give him a shot to come in and start right away. Johnson can play gunner on special teams.

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