Understanding the Packers draft philosophy

The Packers Draft Philosophy: In Their Own Words

A significant part of a general manager’s job is to talk a lot without saying much, especially when speaking to the media in the run up to the NFL draft.

Brian Gutekunst is no different, as the Packers GM tries not to give too much away and keep his cards close to his chest. There is however one occasion each year where the front office opens up about their philosophy, and that is after the selections have been made.

At that time, Gutekunst, as well as his staff of scouts and evaluators, open up about what attracted them to the player they picked, and more importantly, drop some breadcrumbs regarding their overall approach to acquiring players.

After trawling through every media availability conducted during the draft itself since Gutekunst took over as GM, some clear themes emerged, and these can help inform the hobbyists what kind of players the team is likely to be interested in as we try to anticipate their picks.

Ultimately, we on the outside only know a fraction of what professional, paid NFL evaluators know about college prospects. Even if we have watched every snap of tape, we will never be able to find out the kind of information NFL teams do regarding the person, not the player.

One of the most common words Green Bay’s personnel staff use when talking about why they like a player: “Wiring”. Others include: “mental makeup”, “football character”, “love of the game”, “tough”, “smart”, “team leader”.

They talk about players being “a great kid” or having shown they can deal with adversity, the likes of which they will certainly encounter in the NFL.

Green Bay’s lineage of scouting processes has allowed those weird enough to follow the red string the ability to somewhat decipher what kind of physical attributes they tend to look for, but we will never have a grasp on the intangible aspects they uncover.

Can You Stunt the Growth of Young Players With Free Agents?

In the last 15+ years, the Packers have seemingly taken the approach of going with their young prospect over leap-frogging them with a free agent when building out their roster in the offseason. They've had some success with it, and other times they have not. Last year, their free-agent splashes were no-brainers. They didn't have much in the way of starting safeties, so signing Xavier McKinney was easy. While being reluctant to sign Aaron Jones to a more expensive deal, they didn't have many options behind him, so they signed Josh Jacobs.

This year, though, may be a different story at some positions. Many find Wide Receiver and Edge Rusher to be the biggest needs for the Packers to go out and get a free agent. But the Packers already have young prospects at those positions. Do they leap-frog? Or do they give their prospects another chance?

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Two Cornerbacks Make Great Fits for the Packers in Early Rounds

With uncertainty around star cornerback Jaire Alexander, the Green Bay Packers are faced with a fork-in-the-road moment in their cornerback room. Keisean Nixon outperformed expectations moving outside after spending 2023 in the slot and rightfully secured a starting role next season on the boundary. But the Packers still have questions to be answered for their other boundary corner spot, even if Alexander were to return. Unfortunately, the Eric Stokes experience has enough writing on the wall at this point, and he doesn't seem likely to be around long term. And while Carrington Valentine certainly brings a lot of promise to the table still, the Packers could very well afford to dabble in a premier corner in the draft who could compete for a starting role.

Worst case, two starting caliber cornerbacks battle for one job, the best man comes out as starter, and the top of their depth is a player who will still play meaningful snaps but is waiting in the wings to take over at a moments notice. The Packers without Jaire are otherwise fairly slim at cornerback depth, so regardless of who ends up starting, they could use a jolt to the top of their depth chart. Javon Bullard will need to make strides in coverage, but his contributions playing up at the line of scrimmage have more than earned him a starting slot role next season. It's unlikely Green Bay is looking to bring in someone to compete for Bullard's snaps.

Given the need at outside cornerback, there are two players in this year's class who would make the most sense for Green Bay to target early, who will compete for a starting role, and worst case, will still get plenty of meaningful snaps right off the bat.

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Don't Be Surprised If Green Bay Goes Offensive Line Early In the Draft

Since 1998, the Green Bay Packers have invested in offensive linemen in the first round only three times. They selected Bryan Bulaga with the 23rd pick in 2010, followed by Derek Sherrod at 32nd in 2011. Then, after a 12-year hiatus, Green Bay broke the streak by drafting Jordan Morgan 25th overall. Green Bay has a well-established plan for drafting and developing big men. Players like David Bakhtiari, Josh Sitton, Corey Linsley, T.J. Lang, Elgton Jenkins, Zach Tom, and Rasheed Walker were all found in Day 2 and 3. The Packers' strong scouting has meant that they don’t feel the need to reach for linemen early.

However, with the 2025 class looking solid, it wouldn’t be surprising if Brian Gutekunst addressed the trenches early once again. Josh Myers will be a free agent this offseason. While Brian Gutekunst has expressed how much he values Myers as a Packer, let's not forget that last year he "absolutely wanted" Aaron Jones back—only to release him in March. Even though Myers is a beloved figure in Green Bay, there's no guarantee he'll return.

Moreover, the Packers are in desperate need of interior depth; if you have any doubts, just review the tape of the wild-card game against the Philadelphia Eagles after Elgton Jenkins got hurt.

There would likely be mixed reactions if Green Bay took an offensive lineman with their first pick, but ensuring their $55-million man has more than enough protection will never be a bad idea.

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Packers history on trading their first-round pick

Looking through the long history of the Packers trading their first-round pick, the first time was in 1976 when Green Bay traded five draft picks to the Los Angeles Rams to acquire quarterback John Hadl. In 1986, the Packers traded their first-round pick and a 1987 conditional fifth round pick to the San Diego Chargers for safety Mossy Cade. In 1992, the Packers famously traded for quarterback Brett Favre giving up their 17th overall picking to the Atlanta Falcons. In 2008, they traded their first-round pick from the number 30 spot to the New York Jets in exchange for their second and fourth round pick. The last time the Packers traded their first-round pick was in 2017 when they traded the 29th pick to the Cleveland Browns for their second and fourth round pick.

Dating back to February 8th 1936 when the NFL had their first ever draft, the Packers have traded their first-round pick only five times out of 88 possible chances. Green Bay’s odds of trading their first round pick seem highly unlikely.