In three of Brian Gutekunst’s four drafts as the Packers General Manager he has traded up in the first round. In all four drafts as the Packers GM, he has traded up within the first three rounds. Green Bay is going into the 2022 draft with 11 picks, the second most of any team in the NFL, plenty of ammunition to make some moves.
- Packers 2018 Draft: Brian Gutekunst initially traded back in the first round, only to trade up to take Jaire Alexander. In round number 3 he traded up again to take Oren Burks.
- Packers 2019 Draft: Brian Gutekunst traded up to take Darnell Savage with the 21st pick in the 2019 NFL draft.
- Packers 2020 Draft: As we all know, Brian Gutekunst traded up in the first round to take Joran Love with the 26th pick.
Draft Value Chart:
While there are multiple draft value charts out there, one has been around and used consistently since the 1990s; Jimmy Johnson’s Draft Pick Value Chart. According to this chart Green Bay has a value of 780 with the 22nd pick, and 660 with the 28th pick. Together those picks value out at 1440 which is in-between the 7th and 8th pick in total value. If Green Bay chose to trade their 22nd pick and one of their second round picks they are looking at a 14th or 15th overall pick type value.
With Brian Gutekunst trading up in every single draft so far, it only seems like a matter of time now. So this begs the question, what players can you expect to be available between the 8th and 14th overall pick? These are some players Green Bay could be interested in that are widely projected in that range:
- OT Charles Cross (Mississippi State)
- WR Drake London (USC)
- WR Garrett Wilson (OSU)
- DL Jordan Davis (Georgia)
- EDGE George Karlaftis (Purdue)
- EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux (Oregon)
- WR Chris Olave (OSU)
- WR Treylon Burks (Arkansas)
Offensive line, defensive line, EDGE, and wide receiver are all positions that Green Bay could target in the first round. These positions are all in abundance of value between 8-14. It also makes a ton of sense to stay put and draft your first four picks where they stand without possibly losing any trade value or picks. That is entirely possible, however based on Gutekunst’s history, its not if a trade will happen, but when.
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