Green Bay Packers team president Mark Murphy was a guest at the Packers virtual draft party on Wednesday and shared some interesting aspects of tomorrow’s NFL draft. After admitting that the Packers sometimes have fifth-round marks for players who take other teams in the first round, Murphy said that “it would be a shock” if general manager Brian Gutekunst didn’t make a move in the first round.
The Packers hold 22nd and 28th overall picks in the draft, with the former coming from their trade with the Las Vegas Raiders, which sent receiver Davante Adams to the desert. Murphy added, “I doubt we’ll be trading the first round for our two picks this year. Although as you said it is very deep in the middle rounds.
In the four years Gutekunst has been general manager, the Packers have traded for “their man” five times, all in the top-100, and only traded back once when the New Orleans Saints offered them an additional first-round pick in the draft that year 2018 to move down.
trade ups
- 27th, 76th and 186th for 18th and 248th (Jaire Alexander and Kendall Donnerson, 2018)
- 30th, 114th and 118th for 21st (Darnell Savage, 2019)
- 30th and 136th for 26th (Jordan Love, 2020)
- 92nd and 135th for 85th (Amari Rodgers, 2021)
- 101st and 147th for 88th (Oren Burks, 2018)
trade downs
- 14th for 27th, 147th and a future first round pick (2018)
Murphy also echoed Gutekunst’s statement that Day 3 and undrafted free agency rank lower in this class because the NCAA allows an additional year of eligibility for each player who competed in the 2020 season. On Monday, Gutekunst said the sixth graders had “driven the depths up,” but that age was a factor in the assessment. Murphy said, “There are more draftable players than we’ve ever seen because [the Covid year.]”
It will be interesting to see if the depth of the draft will see the Packers pack a couple of their top 100 picks to move up in the first round like they did for Jaire Alexander, Darnell Savage and Jordan Love . The obvious position to underscore and circle is wide receiver, where the team lost two contributors this offseason, between Adams’ trade and losing a freehand Marquez Valdes-Scantling to the Kansas City Chiefs.
One player that comes to mind is Ohio State’s Chris Olave, who’s sneaking in mock drafts every day. Olave is expected to be the fourth receiver to be drafted in this class, following Alabama’s Jameson Williams, Ohio State’s Garrett Wilson and USC’s Drake London. He recently explained that he’s had a lot of talks with the Green Bay Packers this offseason, but not with the Kansas City Chiefs, who have the 29th and 30th picks in the draft.