Brian Gutekunst has only been the Packers GM for a few drafts, but he has shown that he is always willing to make moves.
In every 1st round he has been a part of, he has traded up.
He also traded down in the 1st round once.
In short, he moves around to get the guys he wants.
This year, the Packers have needs all over the team ranging from an upgrade at cornerback and a starting offensive tackle to reinforcements on the defensive line to wide receivers for 2022 (when they have 0 under contract) all the way to special teams.
With so many needs, it wouldn’t be surprising at all for Brian Gutekunst to move down and grab additional picks in the earlier rounds.
We already reviewed what options the Packers have for trading up, so, what options to the Packers have for trading down to pick up more value in the 2021 NFL Draft?
Well, lets start with an inventory of the Packers picks in the first 5 rounds to see what they’re working with (all values are gathered from DraftTek’s Trade Value Chart):
- 1st round pick #29 overall: 640 points
- 2nd round pick #62 overall: 284 points
- 3rd round pick #92 overall: 132 points
- 4th round pick #135 overall: 38.5 points
- 4th round pick #142 overall: 35 points
- 5th round pick #173 overall: 20.6 points
- 5th round pick #178 overall: 18.6 points
Given that, let’s see where the Packers could move down to and their most likely trade partners:
Green Bay’s 1st round pick #29 (640 points) for Chargers 2nd round pick #47 (430) and 3rd round pick #77 (205)
In this scenario, the Packers would drop about half a round, still leaving them in position for a solid second tier cornerback, and add a pick in the top half of the 3rd round, where plenty of value is sure to wait.
Green Bay’s 1st round pick #29 (640 points) for Jets 2nd round pick #34 (560) and 4th round pick #107 (80)
In this scenario, the Packers would drop just a handful of spots and pick up another fringe top 100 prospect. Sure, it would send Packer fans to bed disappointed, but it wouldn’t be the first time, and it would net them a chance at another player with starter potential.
Green Bay’s 1st round pick #29 (640 points) for Titans 2nd round pick #53 (370), 3rd round pick #85 (165), and 3rd round pick #100 (100)
This is easily my favorite scenario and it’s only possible because the Titans have a compensatory selection in the 3rd. The Packers would have to drop down quite a but, but picking up two 3rd round picks would give them 5 selections on Day 2 between 50 and 100 – a sweet spot for picking guys who slipped our of the 1st round as teams reached for need.
Green Bay’s 2nd round pick #62 (284 points) for Cowboys 3rd round pick #75 (215) and 4th round pick #115 (64)
If the Packers stay put in the 1st round, there’s still good opportunities to add picks. Dropping form the end of the 2nd to the top of the 3rd could get the Packers another 4th round pick, a spot where the deep receiver class should still have solid options.
Green Bay’s 3rd round pick #92 (132 points) for Jaguars 4th round pick #106 (82) and 4th round pick #130 (42)
The Packers would have to give up a little value here (8 points, which is about mid-6th round value), but it’s harder to find a partner with similar value at this point in the draft. Still, the Packer would basically drop past all the compensatory 3rd round picks to the top of the 4th round and end up gaining another 4th round pick. The draft looks to have some solid wide receiver prospects in the 4th round and the Packers need to re-stock those shelves, since they don’t have any receivers under contract after this season.
So there are the most likely ranges the Packers could move down to if they weren’t in love with anyone when their pick came up and they wanted to add some extra picks.
We don’t know what the Packers are thinking or who might be available, but we do know that Gutekunst has a history of moving around and it is a key part of his draft strategy.
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