The Green Bay Packers will go into the 2022 NFL draft with an ideal combination of draft pick volume and draft pick capital.
General manager Brian Gutekunst has 11 draft picks, including five in the first 100 picks. Only the Jacksonville Jaguars and Kansas City Chiefs have more (12). The picks are valuable, too: According to Tankathon, the Packers rank 10th in the NFL in draft pick capital, based on the Jimmy Johnson trade value chart. The picks are ranked in the top eight of teams on other trade value charts, including Rich Hill and Fitzgerald-Spielberger.
A good football team returning its four-time NFL MVP quarterback now has a real chance to build on the foundation of a winning future.
There is work to be done on the roster, especially after losing so much production and snaps at wide receiver and along the offensive line. Gone are Davante Adams, Za’Darius Smith, Billy Turner, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and others. But the Packers, who have won 13 regular-season games each of the last three seasons, can now supplement the roster and add a surplus of young, cheap talent in hopes of gearing up for another run.
Having a lot of picks and capital should also provide opportunities to move around during the draft, including up the board in the first round. Gutekunst has traded up three times for players in the first round during his first four drafts in charge of the Packers, so an aggressive player for a top player could be in the cards. Both of the Packers’ first-round picks are in the 20s. Moving up into the teens could put Gutekunst in a position to nab an instant impact player at a position of need, such as wide receiver or edge rusher.
Of course, having the volume and capital of draft picks means nothing if the Packers don’t pick the right players. This is an important draft for Gutekunst; he must find a way to balance the immediate needs of a Super Bowl contender with building out the long-term foundation of the roster. Aaron Rodgers is back for 2022 but there’s no guarantee he’ll be around longer than one more year. The Packers need players who can contribute right away, especially at receiver. But hitting on good players with developmental potential throughout the draft class will be vital to keeping the Packers in the position of a contender regardless of whether Rodgers is back in 2023 or not.
Packers draft picks
First round, 22nd overall
First round, 28th overall
Second round, 53rd overall
Second round, 59th overall
Third round, 92nd overall
Fourth round, 132nd overall
Fourth round, 140th overall
Fifth round, 171st overall
Seventh round, 229th overall
Seventh round, 250th overall
Seventh round, 259th overall
