Packers.com has consulted more than two dozen mock drafts from reputable national outlets and compiled a list of players most frequently mocked as draft selections in the bottom half of the first round (picks 16-32) who would fit Green Bay's potential roster needs.
Between now and draft day, when the Packers own the No. 22 and 28 overall selections in the first round, those players will be profiled with thumbnail sketches and videos known as "Prospect Primers."
Today's player is …
Charles Cross, OL, Mississippi State
Height/Weight: 6-5, 307
Key stats: Started 22 games at left tackle over the past two years.
College honors: Named first-team All-Southeastern Conference by both the media and league's coaches in 2021 following Freshman All-SEC honors from the coaches in 2020.
Background/other info: As accomplished a blind-side pass protector as there might be in this draft, Cross allowed only 16 pressures on 719 pass-blocking snaps last season, according to Pro Football Focus. That was in Mike Leach's Air Raid offense, which called for 50-plus pass-blocking snaps in 10 of 12 games, including a whopping 66 vs. national powerhouse Alabama, a defense that did not register a single pressure against Cross. Already a near prototype size-wise, Cross clocked a sub-5 time in the 40 at the combine (4.95) and continued to show impressive movement at Mississippi State's pro day. Coming from Leach's offense, Cross doesn't have a lot of reps as a run blocker, but that's one of few questions about a player many analysts don't see lasting beyond the upper half of the first round of the draft. He's also viewed as a potential long-term starter in the NFL at either tackle spot.
