The Green Bay Packers are just days away from the 2023 NFL Draft. As the days go by, fans and analysts debate more and more about what player or position the Packers will look to take in the first round. There are plenty of theories out there, from taking a tight end for the first time in 23 years to taking a high-profile defensive player. In all fairness, it is anyone’s guess what Green Bay will do.
If there was ever a time to break from tradition and take an offensive skill player in the first round, this might be it. However, Super Bowl champion John Kuhn has another possible strategy Green Bay may use, and fans may not like it.
John Kuhn Suggests the Green Bay Packers May Decide to Trade Back in the First Round
During his show “Nine to Noon” on 97.3 The Game, Kuhn reminded listeners that the Packers have been known to trade back and, at times, out of the first round of the draft. He argues that this could be a positive decision for the front office should they explore that avenue during the draft:
“The option I’m floating out to you is something the Packers, more so under Ted Thompson than Brian Gutekunst, have been known to trade away their first round picks and get a first and a fourth or a first and a third. Or, if a team wants to jump high enough, a first and a second.
“Late first, second, you know, something of that nature. Would you be okay with that? I know we all want the top of the first round, but that’s something that is generally done when two things happen. One, you’re in a position where you have a great quarterback like Aaron Rodgers and everything is stable and you’re just looking to build and add depth going forward.
“You know, a pretty stable team that is going to compete next year already and you can just add young players going forward. More bites at the apple, to use a Brewers term.
“And the other way is, and I hate to say it, if you’re rebuilding. If you’re rebuilding the team, you don’t just add one big piece, you add many pieces!”
Kuhn, Brian Butch, and Armen Saryan then discussed the times that the Packers did trade back during the Aaron Rodgers era. One successful trade back scenario was when they traded back in 2008, Rodgers’ first year as a starter, and took Jordy Nelson with their first pick (in the second round). Another situation discussed, and perhaps the one most remembered by fans due to who Green Bay missed out on, was when the team decided to trade out of the first round and drafted Kevin King. Had they remained in the first round, they could have drafted Wisconsin Badgers star TJ Watt.
The fact of the matter is that Kuhn has a point. Green Bay needs more than one big play maker. While the Packers did trade back in 2008, they already had weapons at wide receiver (Donald Driver and Greg Jennings). Jordan Love has Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs who, while young and promising, do not have the reputations (yet) of Driver and Jennings. In order to maximize the number of playmakers they can put around Love, it is very possible that they decide to trade down again.
For More Great Wisconsin Sports Content
Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19 and follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here!
1 Comment
They should trade back and try to get more 1st rd next year