2017 NFL Mock Draft: First-round projections after Week 11

Looking up and down the Packers’ roster and watching them this season have made a couple of things clear. First, the team has had a wealth of injuries and it has struggled to replace guys on both sides of the ball. Second, the running back situation is about as bad as there is in the NFL.

Eddie Lacy hurt his ankle midway through the season and it turned out to be more serious than originally thought. He was ruled out for the remainder of the year after being put on injured reserve. The depth at the position was poor and the team had to make moves for running backs like Knile Davis and then move Ty Montgomery over from receiver.

James Starks is now back, so that position should be fine for the rest of the year, but adding some young depth at the position just in case of injury scenarios like this would be smart. However, there may not be another first-round talent available here — maybe Christian McCaffrey.

However, Green Bay also needs to work on adding an elite tight end. Having a tight end who can block as well as catch the ball 3-5 times per game is huge for an offense and keeps defenses on their toes. Alabama’s O.J. Howard is the best tight end in the draft and would be a smart choice.

Aaron Rodgers would be happy with this pick as he’d have a go-to guy to throw to on third-and-short situations as well as in the red zone.