NFL Mocks: Packers trade up in first round of mock draft by Freddie Boston

The Green Bay Packers’ 2016 draft class wasn’t Ted Thompson’s finest.

It’s often said that you can’t judge a draft class until four years on. A good measure is to see how many members of the draft class are re-signed or, at the least, land a big-money deal elsewhere.

So, today, we’ll take a look back at the Green Bay Packers‘ 2016 draft class.

The Packers entered the draft with needs at defensive tackle, offensive tackle, inside linebacker, and tight end. Sounds awfully familiar, doesn’t it?

Packers 2016 draft class

Overall, it was an underwhelming class, the one exception being Kenny Clark.

Clark has developed into a key part of the defense and should land a long-term deal this summer. He earned his first trip to the Pro Bowl in 2019 and continues to improve. This proved to be an excellent pick by Ted Thompson, who addressed the top position of need.

But after the Clark pick, it becomes a very average class.

Jason Spriggs was the biggest mistake of the draft. With a need at tackle, the Packers traded up to select Spriggs, giving up a mid-round pick in the process. The hope was he’d develop into a long-term starter, potentially replacing Bryan Bulaga.

This proved to be a major swing-and-miss by Thompson. Spriggs started a total of nine games in four seasons and is currently out of the league.

Kyler Fackrell did put together a 10.5-sack season in 2018, but for the most part he disappointed. Outside of his double-digit sack season, Fackrell put up just six sacks in the other three seasons combined. Not good enough for a third-round choice.

The Blake Martinez pick can be considered a success. While he’s not an elite player, the Packers would’ve been happy if you’d told them Martinez would start 57 games in four years after they drafted him. For a Day 3 pick, he contributed on defense. However, the Packers didn’t re-sign him which shows they needed to get better at the position.

Dean Lowry is still part of the roster and signed an extension last offseason, although in hindsight, this looks to have been a questionable move. But, again, he was a late fourth-round pick.

Trevor Davis failed to make much of an impact while with the Packers. Kyle Murphy only played six games.

Overall, selecting Clark in the first round was an excellent choice. Martinez in the fourth proved to be a good addition. But other than those two, this hasn’t been a draft class to remember.