There’s always a balance that has to be struck during the NFL Draft between short-term needs and long-term needs. But this year, walking that line could be seen as a more challenging task for the Green Bay Packers.
Especailly in today’s NFL, where college players are more pro-ready, finding immediate impact help from at least a few prospects is essentially a must. However, the draft is also about selecting who a team believes that player will become, not who they are on draft night.
That approach can lead to there being less impact in the short-term, with the hope that there is a long-term gain that is recognized.
With many of Brian Gutekunst’s selections, we’ve seen him take that approach. Jordan Love, Rashan Gary, and Lukas Van Ness are a few former draft picks who come to mind.
But this year’s Packers team is in a much different spot than it was a year ago. Last year, expectations were relatively low and unknown–I’m not sure anyone knew what to expect from such a young team. But this year, both inside the building and out, it’s about winning a Super Bowl.
So, with the Packers equipped with 11 draft picks, does the Packers current standing change how Gutekunst will go about this year’s draft in an effort to maximize the opportunity that’s in front of them?
“I don’t know if I’ve ever really believed in that whole couple pieces away,” said Gutekunst on Monday. “I understand the question. I don’t think so. I do think you have to be aware of your football team and what you need and what you feel you need to be competitive at the highest level, so if there’s opportunities out there where we need to be aggressive for us to feel like we have a chance to solve that, we’d never shy away from that.
“At the same time, I think the way our team came together last year. I think we wanted to continue to embrace that and move forward and allow that next-man-up mentality. Like whoever’s gonna be in the game, you have to be prepared to perform. This group coming in is gonna have to get up to speed fast.”
Having 11 draft picks – which is tied for the most in the NFL – affords Gutekunst what every general manager wants this time off the year, and that is flexibility.
Gutekunst has the ability to move around the draft board as he sees fit, and especially with five of those picks being in the top 100, he has the flexibility to perhaps address a position that isn’t as big of a perceived need, knowing that he will be back on the clock not that long from then.
So, while Gutekunst may not prescribe to the thinking that the Packers are just ‘a few players away,’ that doesn’t mean that he isn’t willing to be aggressive and move up either. It’s just all dependent upon how the board falls.
“Sometimes when you don’t know, you’ve just got to pass on a particular player,” said Gutekunst on one of the many things he learned from Ted Thompson. “There’s a lot.
“Sometimes I think when you get within the process, particularly later on in February and at the combine you want to rush things, and he had a very good way of staying patient and allowing the process to lead you to the decision and the answers you were looking for. That was his nature. He was kind of a slow Texan. Like most of us are maybe a little bit more aggressive, so we constantly in that room talk about that and make sure we’re not moving too fast.”
One of the common themes each time Gutekunst has spoken to the media this offseason has been the importance of competition. It was competition, particularly on the offensive side of the ball, that led to the immense growth we saw from this Packers team in 2023.
And just because this is now a more established roster than what it was last year, Gutekunst doesn’t want to get away from cultivating that element either.
This is where the more long-term thinking of roster construction comes into play. There may not be as much of an immediate impact from a rookie who joins a position group with top talent already in it, but that unit and therefore the team as a whole will benefit in the long run from the floor being raised.
Gutekunst always believed in the importance of going through growing pains and getting to the other side of them to reap the benefits of being patient. But his confidence in that process grew after how last season unfolded.
So, with this front of mind for Gutekunst and the Packers, he does not view 11 picks as too many. In fact, if there is the opportunity to get more, he will do it.
“More at-bats,” said Gutekunst on having 11 picks. “You’ve got more chances for hits. There’s never enough. I don’t ever subscribe to the thought process, ‘Hey, we’ve got a pretty good team. These guys might not have a chance to make the team.’ I think I’ve talked a lot about competition in every room, and how much it accelerates the growth of your football team.
“I think that’s the best way for your team to move forward, so to me, there’s never enough. You never have enough ammunition to build your room so there’s significant competition in every room. I think that’s really important. We have 11 right now. I’d love to end up with 13, 14 or more. I would never shy away from that.”
Staying disciplined and trusting the process and the work that has been put in over all of these months is crucial in the draft. The board needs to do the dictating when it comes to the decisions being made, not the other way around. That’s when emotion can creep into the decision-making process.
Gutekunst is among the best at balancing short-term needs while still having the future of the organization in mind. So who knows, perhaps we see the Packers trade back and load up on draft picks to fuel more competition. Or maybe Gutekunst gets aggressive and moves up for a prospect they can’t miss out on.
Each move will drive its own narrative, but the decision on which path the Packers are going to go down won’t be determined until they are on the clock and can see how the board has fallen.
“The draft is the lifeblood of this organization,” said Gutekunst. “It always kinda has been, right, so that’s why we put so much time into it. That’s why it’s so important to us.
“Again, it’s a funny thing. You can’t predict it and some classes turn out better than others for a variety of reasons, but yeah, this is extremely important to this organization, this football team. The guys in that locker room are counting on us to bring in the right kind of guys to help them achieve their goals”
