The Green Bay Packers are in the midst of a massive 2024 off-season. They signed a few elite free agents, moved on from key players (in a somewhat surprising way), and they are in line to sign Jordan Love to a massive contract extension.
2023 had its ups and downs but by the end of the season, many were convinced that this young Packers team will be able to compete for a championship in the very near future.
As it turns out, the Packers have an opportunity they haven’t had in nearly two decades to keep building for that future.
The Green Bay Packers Have Historic Opportunity In 2024 NFL Draft
According to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky:
Brian Gutekunst has just about done it all when it comes to the draft, even in his relatively short tenure as the Green Bay Packers‘ general manager. Since his first draft in 2018, he has traded up, traded back, picked a franchise quarterback in the first round, doubled up at positions in the same draft and even tripled up at positions.
Now he can do something no Packers general manager has done in 18 years: Make five picks in the top 100.
Gutekunst possesses five of the top 91 selections in the first three rounds of this year’s draft. The Packers haven’t picked five players that early in the draft since 2006, when Ted Thompson made five picks in the first 75 selections.
If Gutekunst doesn’t trade one of those picks, it will be just the second time since the NFL expanded to 32 teams in 2002 that the Packers have had that many picks in the top 91.
Will The Packers Keep All Five Picks In The First Three Rounds?
General Manager Brian Gutekunst has been vocal that the team is willing to at least be in on conversations when it comes to trading draft picks:
“We’ll probably have a little more volume at the top than we’ve had in years past,” Gutekunst said this offseason. “So, yeah, it gives us flexibility. It allows us, whether it’s just staying and picking, trading, moving around, maybe trading those picks for other players outside, veteran players. Who knows?
“It just gives us a little more flexibility. I think that along with just being in a little better cap situation and having a little more flexibility there, just gives us an ability to help the football team more. It would be nice to have five in the top three [rounds] every year.”
Gutekusnt hasn’t been shy to make trades in the draft before. Having 11 total picks certainly gives him that opportunity, however, if the draft board falls favorably for them in the first few rounds I would anticipate the Packers staying put and grabbing as much top-100 talent as possible.
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