Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst is confident in the current construction of his roster, providing freedom to both aggressively move up in the draft or stay put and pick the best player on the board without worrying too much about need.
While Gutekunst said need can sometimes be a tiebreaker between equally-graded prospects, he doesn’t believe there is a pressing need on his roster entering the draft.
“We feel like we could go play, we have a very good football team coming back, which gives me a little more freedom, I think, as we attack the board and go with the best player,” Gutekunst said Monday.
The Packers retained a bulk of last year’s roster despite significant salary cap challenges. The team brought back running back Aaron Jones, tight ends Robert Tonyan and Marcedes Lewis, cornerbacks Kevin King and Chandon Sullivan, defensive lineman Tyler Lancaster and safety Will Redmond, helping patch potential weak points with returning veteran players.
Even at potential need positions, like cornerback, offensive tackle and the defensive line, the Packers have several experienced players coming back in 2021.
Targeting short-term needs in the draft can be a recipe for disaster. The Packers, ranked as the fourth-most talented team entering the draft according to Pro Football Focus, can focus more on acquiring the most talented and highest potential players regardless of position.
“For the most part, we try to look at the draft as a long-term investment in the Green Bay Packers,” Gutekunst said.
The freedom entering the draft also applies to aggressively maneuvering around the board, especially early.
In each of the last three drafts, Gutekunst has traded up in the first round to get a player: cornerback Jaire Alexander in 2018, safety Darnell Savage in 2019 and quarterback Jordan Love in 2020.
The Packers pick 29th overall in the first round but have 10 total picks, making Gutekusnt a prime candidate to move up again on Thursday night. He said it is “always tempting” to trade up to get players, especially when picking late in the round.
“When you’re sitting at 29, and watching those kind of players come off the board that you have spent so much time studying and thinking about how they could affect your football team, it’s always tempting. You have to be careful,” Gutekunst said.
Targeting a game-changing player could be an attractive scenario for a team coming off back-to-back NFC Championship Game losses.
“At the same time, for me, if we have a chance to move up and take a specific player that we think is special, you have to consider that,” Gutekunst said. “The last three years, we’ve done that. We’ll always do that. There’s only so many game-changing type players in this league, and if you have the opportunity to acquire one, you have to consider it.”
